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Propeller with C64 — Parallax Forums

Propeller with C64

NurbitNurbit Posts: 53
edited 2012-07-22 15:34 in Propeller 1
I've had a quick search but haven't found anything so far.

Has anyone devised a way of connecting a PC floppy drive to a Commodore 64 via the prop?
Or even better, been able to use an SD card with the prop to emulate a 1541 floppy drive?

If not, how difficult a task would it be?
I can only assume it'd be fairly tricky otherwise I'm sure either Jeff Ledger or Ahle2 would have done it already being C64 fans themselves

Comments

  • pik33pik33 Posts: 2,413
    edited 2012-07-19 04:20
    It should not be very difficult to add a sd to c64. There are two things needed: c64 documentation and c64 computer to test.. And some free time to write it.

    Such interfaces called sio2ide and sio2sd was done for 8-bit Atari. I don't know if there are any such things for c64.
  • Ahle2Ahle2 Posts: 1,179
    edited 2012-07-19 04:59
    My first Propeller project, way back in the old days of 2007, was a datasette emulator loading .tap files from SD card! :)
    Have a look at OBCs demonstration below:

    And as PIK33 stated, it shouldn't be too hard to get "something" working regarding a 1541 emulator.
    My interest for projects like this on the C64 faded when I got my Chameleon 64.
  • NurbitNurbit Posts: 53
    edited 2012-07-19 06:58
    The chameleon does look like a fantastic peice of kit.
    I know there are other options too for adding SD support to a C64 but they all seem a bit costly in the UK.

    I just thought the prop would be more than capable of what I wanted, I'm quite surprised no one has done it yet.
    Oh well, it gives me something to work towards :)
  • pik33pik33 Posts: 2,413
    edited 2012-07-19 07:57
    The prop - maybe 2 of them - should be capable to emulate all C64/Atari8bit

    And this Chameleon thing... powerful but expensive.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-07-19 08:03
    There were people here working on a 6502 processor emulation a long while ago. No idea what happened to that effort.
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2012-07-19 08:21
    Eric Ball wrote a raw core. Somebody else debugged it and actually produced a reasonable NES emulator. (which was on the list of not possible things) Nothing has been produced past that. A search for the NES emulator should net a 6502 that's working, though maybe not complete. I personally started one, but it wasn't something I ended up being motivated to complete. Was thinking about VCS emulation, but that one has stiff timing requirements. It's currently on the list of not possible things, if anybody is so inclined. :)

    Right now, I'm working slowly on a board to put the Prop into an Apple ][ computer. But, an older Apple ][+ would be a great 6502 target because it's graphics aren't coupled to the CPU tightly like they are on Atari / C64 and others. Only real issue is RAM, but a 16K+ machine should be possible on a single Prop. With XMM and friends, maybe the whole thing is possible.

    In any case, the NES emulator is where one can find a 6502 core emulation working.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-07-19 08:44
    Wow.. A blast from the past. Hadn't seen that video in quite a while. Shelly is 13 now.

    Actually, I'd love to do some more C64 experiments, but simply haven't had the time. My last project paid homage to the C64 using a Propeller. I'll bet I finally get my emulated C64 (the original reason I showed up here) after the Prop2 is released.

    OBC
  • pik33pik33 Posts: 2,413
    edited 2012-07-19 08:50
    I have a 6502 on Propeller in my todo list.
  • Ahle2Ahle2 Posts: 1,179
    edited 2012-07-19 09:22
    pik33 wrote: »
    I have a 6502 on Propeller in my todo list.
    It's on mine too, and it has been on that list for at least 3 years. :)
    I know the 6502 quite well after coding different 6502 and variants (like HuC6280) emulators on the PC.

    That reminds me of my next project; To get my PC Engine emulator running om my Raspberry Pi. And prove once and for all that not just simple 8 bit emulators can run at 60 FPS on the PI.
    My emulator runs at 30 FPS on a 200 Mhz ARM so I'm pretty sure it will run full speed. :)
    (Btw, the PC Engine is known as the TurboGrafx 16 in the USA)
  • NurbitNurbit Posts: 53
    edited 2012-07-19 13:21
    hmmm, I think I need to stop asking questions and make a statement..... :)

    It's not possible to create either a C64 floppy emulator with the prop or even use it as an interface to a PC floppy drive

    That should do it :D

    Seriously though, what you guys have produced on the prop is truly brilliant and an inspiration to the rest of us.
  • Toby SeckshundToby Seckshund Posts: 2,027
    edited 2012-07-19 13:22
    I was given a 1520 Printer/Plotter (no pens or paper) and a "Commodore Communications Modem" yesterday.

    Any good to anybody???

    Alan
  • NurbitNurbit Posts: 53
    edited 2012-07-19 13:37
    I'd love to get those for my collection Alan
    How much you looking for them and where in England are you?
  • ericballericball Posts: 774
    edited 2012-07-19 16:17
    IMHO there are two different challenges. The first would be to emulate a standard 1541, i.e. with the default I/O protocol. The second, bigger, challenge would be to emulate the 6502 and the rest of the disk hardware so fastloaders etc would work as expected.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Posts: 3
    edited 2012-07-19 17:28
    Back in the early 80s, I daisy chained a dozen 6511Q processors to a 68000 based computer. I used a rom burner that fit into the C64 game port and wrote all my assy code on the commodore. Fond memories.

    As far as getting a diskette to work, i sent serial to the pc and wrote it from there to diskette. I was doing all real time work and the diskette was way to slow to be useful except for logging and loading a swap buffer where low priority tasks were run.

    Now my wife was running a word processing business off a C64 with a diskette at that time. Skiwriter and a C64 could run circles around a PC or even an XT. I wonder what ever happened to that 1541? Maybe I'll take a trip up to the attic....
  • RoadsterRoadster Posts: 209
    edited 2012-07-19 18:06
    This does'nt use a propeller but I have built this C64 sd disk drive on a bread board and it works.
    http://www.retrocomputers.eu/tag/sd-card/
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Posts: 3
    edited 2012-07-19 18:06
    http://www.jamtronix.com/files/c64_docs/anatomy_of_the_1541_disk_drive.pdf

    Serial communications at 400 baud, 5 I/O. A real 1541 drive could certainly be driven by a prop.
  • cavelambcavelamb Posts: 724
    edited 2012-07-19 18:20
    Dunno about the 1541 emulator.
    How big is that market these days?

    But at the very end it mentions the IEEE 488 bus.
    That protocol would be valuable.
  • Toby SeckshundToby Seckshund Posts: 2,027
    edited 2012-07-20 01:06
    @ Nurbit

    I do not want anything for them, if they are going to a good home.

    I am north of Loughborough, not in the Sunny bit!

    PM me and we'll organize something.

    Alan
  • Toby SeckshundToby Seckshund Posts: 2,027
    edited 2012-07-20 09:45
    @ Nurbit

    I have replied to the PM, but the sent items doesn't show anything

    If I have failed then let me know and I will have another stab at it.

    Rest assured that I will hold onto the bits for you, until my wish to get back down to the south coast come true. Posting is an option but it seem that it would be cheaper to take them to China and post it back !!!

    Alan.
  • NurbitNurbit Posts: 53
    edited 2012-07-22 12:58
    Ahle2 wrote: »
    My first Propeller project, way back in the old days of 2007, was a datasette emulator loading .tap files from SD card! :)
    Have a look at OBCs demonstration below:

    And as PIK33 stated, it shouldn't be too hard to get "something" working regarding a 1541 emulator.
    My interest for projects like this on the C64 faded when I got my Chameleon 64.

    I don't suppose you've got any of the source code or documentation from that have you?
    Even datasette emulation would be a start for me :)

    I'm planning to do the s-video mod this week and start using my C64 a bit more.
    I haven't got the old breadbin model anymore but I've managed to pick up a C64C recently and want to re-live my childhood :)
  • Toby SeckshundToby Seckshund Posts: 2,027
    edited 2012-07-22 14:46
    Childhood ?!????!

    The last I saw of my remaining C64 was back in '97, when I gave away my house.

    I never got on with the 6502/10 I got Z80'd with the Nascom1/2 back in '78/9. I left behind a wife, C64, C128, BBC B (with integtal 3.5" FDD mod and ram imaging), a dog, a Nascom 2 (with integral FDD) and smashed up PCs (486s and below, bless). I realy miss the Nascom, and the dog (RIP).
  • HShankoHShanko Posts: 402
    edited 2012-07-22 14:59
    Such a sad story. <br>
    <br>
    I've done that myself (gave away the house) to an ex. No further comments necessary (except years later she wrote me a nasty letter addressed to me with '-A$$' added to my last name on the envelope). That made even the mail-man laugh. (Forum editor changed A S S to *** so had to mod it.)
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-07-22 15:34
    @Nurbut,

    That code was two harddrives ago, but I'll see what I can round up.. Perhaps Ahle2 can be of assistance as well.

    Edit: Here's the thread: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?99751-C64-Datasette-emulator-with-the-Propeller

    OBC
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