An image says more than a thousand words so here are some random impressions from the MEGA65. They will be updated from time to time as the project proceeds.
So here are a thousand words for the ones that really want to know. This list and specific facts may change as the project progresses.
| CPU | 48MHz GS4510 single-core, in-order, no-branch-prediction, no-cache, single-scalar, no-fpu, no-smd, no-HCF, non-pipelined, enhanced 4502 8-bit processor, with 32-bit ZP indirect and 32-bit far-JSR/JMP/RTS operations, 28-bit address space, fast hypervisor traps, virtual memory, IO virtualisation (coming soon). |
| Speed | Synthmark64 score: 44.5x (C64 = 1x). Bouldermark score: 29,970 (C64 = 313). |
| DMA | C65 DMAgic compatible DMA controller. Fills at 48MB/sec, copies at 24MB/sec, swaps at 12MB/sec. |
| Video Controller | 320x200 bi-colour, 160x200 4-colour, upto 1920x1200 256 colour using either full-colour character mode, or (soon) C65 bitplanes. Separate 256-colour palettes for sprites, bitplanes and character graphics. |
| Sound | Dual soft-SIDs + dual 8-bit DACs. |
| RAM | 128KB RAM visible to VIC-IV, 32KB colour RAM visible to VIC-IV, 128KB ROM/RAM. |
| Media | D81 Format from Micro-SD card, D64 format soon, real floppy (3 1/2") planned. Standard loading speed without fast loader ~20KB second. Loading speed direct from SD card 300 - 3000KB/second (1200 - 12000 blocks per second), depending on SD card. |
| Outputs | Joystick ports 1 and 2 (9-Pin Atari Standard), VGA, 10/100mbit Ethernet,Mono Audio (Stereo soon), USB, Micro USB. Planned: HDMI, analog video, extension port, maybe external floppy. |
| Inputs | USB (supports PC keyboards and KeyRah II), Micro USB, Ethernet, Micro SD slot, and coming soon: 3D accelerometer, on-board microphone and thermometer. |
| Operating System | MEGA-OS all-in-one hypervisor and compat operating system, including integrated freezer and task switcher, VFAT32 file system driver and inter-process communications. |
| Form factor | C65-like all-in-one. A laptop form is planned for a future release. Full-height 19" rack option extra. |
| Supported FGPAs | Nexys4DDR (and soon) Nexys4PSRAM. These boards include a Xilinx Artix7 100T FPGA, which is a high-performance FPGA, much faster and larger than the Spartan FPGAs used in other retro computing projects. Unfortunately the old Spartan FPGA boards cannot run the MEGA65 core. |
| Development options | Right now: Use Ophis with the -4 option to target the 4502 CPU. The etherload utility can be used to push compiled programs to the MEGA65 practically instantly to make for a convenient cross-platform development environment. For the future: MEGA-OS will support interprocess communications, making it possible to write assemblers and compilers that assemble directly into a separate process, and then launches that process when it is ready. Thus it becomes possible to use the MEGA65 as an 8-bit development platform for 8-bit software (or to run a cross-compiler for Linux or Windows if you wish to be really strange). |
| Milestones | Reached: the computer is fully operational as a stand alone machine. We are now adding bitplanes, extended Hypervisor and more DOS. |
MEGA65 is more than a retro computer, it is the 21st century realization of the C65 heritage. It is a complete 8-bit computer running around 50x faster than a C64 while being highly compatible. HD output, SD card support, Ethernet, extended memory and other features increase the fun without spoiling the 8-bit feel. We are giving away the designs for free which take considerable time, effort and money to create.
Download latest BitstreamWhile it is possible for anyone to download the sources for the FPGA, we are offering a service to keep you updated with the latest core files and infos. We ask for a donation of at least EUR 5 to help us provide this service and contribute to ongoing development. A project like this involves much greater costs than this, so larger donations are appreciated. Talk to us about special recognition for substantial donations.
Donate and get registeredPasswords for the download are sent to registered email addresses on each update
You can send us a message via this form. Please note that unless you are press, you want to participate big time or have anything else of significance to tell us, we might not be able to answer. Our available time is being consumed on realising the MEGA65.