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Posts by Ramtop Retro

Thanks! There's still more features to be added, hopefully I can also write something to show off the PCM channels as well.

1 week ago 2 0 0 0

I've used Linux on and off for 20 years, as a desktop OS it is deeply mediocre. But if Windows 12 is subscription and AI based, I'll switch to Linux as soon as Windows 11 goes out of support.

1 month ago 0 0 0 0

My late mother, who was 17 when decimalisation happened, could name some of the old coins, but that was all.

2 months ago 0 0 0 0

They way not be able to. Years ago I did some work for a PC recycler and their contract with MS got them cheap Windows licences, but prohibited them from selling computers without an OS.

3 months ago 1 0 1 0

This was my favourite game back when I had a Plus/4. Can still hear the jingly theme tune in my head even now.

3 months ago 1 0 0 0

That's shocking news. Ben always seemed like a genuinely lovely guy. My condolences to his family.

4 months ago 2 0 0 0
Preview
Plus 1 Mini Expansion For Acorn Electron by Ramtop Retro on Tindie Plus 1 Mini Expansion for Acorn Electron

For the first time the Plus 1 Mini expansion unit for the Acorn Electron is available through Tindie! To celebrate, there's 5% off everything in my Tindie store until the 22nd using code RAMTOP5.
www.tindie.com/products/408...

4 months ago 18 4 0 0
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Today was a good day, I built this Electron turbo card upgrade by @ramtopretro.bsky.social shame I can't close the case thanks to a previously installed heatsink. Will be making 4 more soon. #retro #acornelectron

4 months ago 20 2 0 0

The ElkSD-Plus1 is designed to co-exist with other hardware, whereas the ElkSD64/128 are intended to be the only device connected to the Elk, so it's the best choice if you're running with expansions added.

4 months ago 1 0 0 0

Unfortunately, yes. The normal RH Plus 1 ROM checks for a joystick input on the ElkSD, gets confused, and thinks the fire button is always pressed. The custom ROM on the ElkSD has the joystick routines patched out.

4 months ago 1 0 2 0

The only thing I can think of is to use the ElkSD flash tools to flash an empty 16K file into bank F to wipe it. But the RH Plus 1 ROM on the ElkSD is custom, so having the Plus 2 version active instead will cause joystick issues in some games.

4 months ago 1 0 1 0
Video

Atari Missile Command for the Acorn Electron

Is now available on Stardot, please follow the link, log in, read the post, download the file(s) and get playing.

www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt...

5 months ago 30 11 7 1
Pardon our interruption...

I just use a standard Xilinx USB programmer, one like this: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25478804...

5 months ago 1 0 1 0
Lave in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

Lave in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

The Constrictor mission in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

The Constrictor mission in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

A Dodo station in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

A Dodo station in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

A Thargoid in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

A Thargoid in the Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite

It's done! I have just released the Compendium version of #Elite for the #Acorn #Electron.

This massively enhanced version of the original game contains pretty much every feature of #BBCMicro Elite, but on the Electron. Just add 16K of sideways RAM.

Links in thread.

#retrocomputing #retrogaming

9 months ago 190 45 11 3

Thanks for taking the time to check that, Mark. I'll be demonstrating your enhanced Elite at the ABUG Scotland meeting later this month, good to know I should pack a joystick πŸ•ΉοΈπŸ˜€

9 months ago 3 0 1 0
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Superb. He has done a magnificent job, with lots more still to come.

10 months ago 2 0 0 0

Superb! This is the Elite the Elk should have had back in the day.

10 months ago 2 0 0 0

Yep, looks like it. It's an easy fix if you know the problem exists, just make sure bits 0-3 always contain the current bank number when writing to &FE05.

10 months ago 2 0 0 0

SW RAM on the Elk is more standardised than the beeb, but the documentation is vague so there are oddities between various hardware. Big one is requiring bits 7-4 of &FE05 to be zero when doing bank switches. Some hardware (early ElkSD128s included) don't enforce that and will bank switch regardless

10 months ago 3 0 1 0
My Electron dev system

My Electron dev system

My new project is an all-singing, all-dancing version of #Elite on the #Acorn #Electron.

It's early days, but I'm really enjoying it. So here’s a thread about the wonderful community hardware and software I'm using to port #BBCMicro Elite to the Elk. (1/7)

#retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit

10 months ago 68 12 2 4

10 is 2 in binary, and 2 is an entirely acceptable number of donuts 🍩🍩

11 months ago 0 0 0 0

Getting some strong Project X vibes, there πŸ˜€

1 year ago 2 0 1 0
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Video

Atari Missile Command for the Acorn Electron + 16k of sideways RAM.

Progress remains good, moving as much as possible out of the main memory map into the SWR memory space to get the fastest speed possible.

No sound at present, going to be a challenge to emulate a POKEY chip on here.

1 year ago 34 6 0 0

🀯

1 year ago 1 0 1 0

Oh for the days when graphics chips had public datasheets...

1 year ago 0 0 0 0
Acorn Electron experimental sound card (SN76489)
Acorn Electron experimental sound card (SN76489) YouTube video by DrRamtop

The current prototype has a CPLD emulating a pair of SN76489 sound chips. I'm working on implementing an 8-bit sample channel with its own discreet memory on the cartridge.
www.youtube.com/shorts/_t0ZZ...

1 year ago 2 0 1 0
Electron ULA/Plus 1 ROM latch behaviour - stardot.org.uk

In theory they all work the same, just with the SW ram in different banks. But there are some wrinkles with the way SW paging is implemented on some hardware. See stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt...

1 year ago 3 0 0 0

I should probably post an update on Stardot and get some feedback, as the project is rather stalled because I can't decide where to go with it.

1 year ago 3 0 0 0

I might just take you up on that! I have a basic VGM player working with a single SN76489, but that's about the limit of my 6502 skills.

1 year ago 1 0 0 0

The low number of new games using SW ram is quite discouraging for us hardware guys. No point in doing the design if it gets ignored. The new sound card I'm working on for the Elk will probably never be produced in any numbers because I'm not convinced games will make use of it.

1 year ago 1 0 3 0