NobodyIsHere
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2006
- Messages
- 2,410
Hi! I heard this weekend that one of the N8VEM builders got the PropIO VGA, PS/2 keyboard, and microSD working on the first Propeller. The second Propeller is unallocated so I am pretty confident the board has full functionality. Hopefully soon we'll have the ROM image for the SBC that allows booting directly with the PropIO and uses the microSD as a block device.
I've built my board up and it is basically done except I need to build a serial programming interface cable and program the Propeller. Hopefully I can do that tonight.
Things are definitely looking up for this project. What is neat is the PropIO at least in theory could be a complete computer when paired with the N8VEM SBC. Using a direct connection instead of the ECB backplane, the SBC has CPU, RAM, ROM, serial, parallel, and RTC and the PropIO bring console VGA and PS/2 keyboard and also the microSD for removeable mass storage block device. As I understand it the microSD is also mountable on PCs so you can use Linux or Windows to inspect the contents. The CP/M block device appears as a file in the microSD FAT file system.
You don't necessarily need an N8VEM SBC since really any Z80 system could use this board easily. All it would need is an ECB to CPU shim board & cable. I believe the PropIO could easily be adapted and mounted inside a Kaypro, Tandy, or other Z80 based microcomputer with little or no modification. It would require software support on the host platform.
I have plenty of PCBs available so if anyone wants to build their own please let me know. Thanks and have a nice day!
Andrew Lynch
I've built my board up and it is basically done except I need to build a serial programming interface cable and program the Propeller. Hopefully I can do that tonight.
Things are definitely looking up for this project. What is neat is the PropIO at least in theory could be a complete computer when paired with the N8VEM SBC. Using a direct connection instead of the ECB backplane, the SBC has CPU, RAM, ROM, serial, parallel, and RTC and the PropIO bring console VGA and PS/2 keyboard and also the microSD for removeable mass storage block device. As I understand it the microSD is also mountable on PCs so you can use Linux or Windows to inspect the contents. The CP/M block device appears as a file in the microSD FAT file system.
You don't necessarily need an N8VEM SBC since really any Z80 system could use this board easily. All it would need is an ECB to CPU shim board & cable. I believe the PropIO could easily be adapted and mounted inside a Kaypro, Tandy, or other Z80 based microcomputer with little or no modification. It would require software support on the host platform.
I have plenty of PCBs available so if anyone wants to build their own please let me know. Thanks and have a nice day!
Andrew Lynch