[Coco] CoCo3FPGA, FPGA Development, and GIME replacement

[John Kent]

On 6/07/2011 10:43 PM, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 8:36 AM, Leonard Miller<leonard23 at verizon.net>  wrote:
>> I have been following the discussions about the CoCo3FPGA for some time.  If
>> I was to purchase a FPGA board which one should I get?  I know that the FPGA
>> boards are boards that allow the user to use software to program hardware,
>> but that's about it.  I believe the guys working with this use a couple
>> different boards?  This would be a HUGE endeavor on my part, but it might be
>> fun to learn something new as long as I don't get overwhelmed doing it:-)!
>> > From what I've seen so far; I can use a current computer monitor, but what
>> about storage?  Can the board interface to an IDE type drive?  How do I move
>> software back and forth between what I currently have (coco3), and the
>> board.  Also, what type of power supply do I need to power the board?
>>
> Most of us use the Altera DE1 board.  Google will help you find
> distributors.  It's about $150. The DE1 runs off USB power or the
> included wall wart.  It includes VGA output.  You'll also need a ps/2
> type keyboard.
>
> Currently storage is implemented using DriveWire (
> http://sites.google.com/site/drivewire4/ ), which will also talk to
> your CoCo 3, and you can share disk images between them.  There has
> been discussion about using the built in SD card reader under OS9, but
> it is not available right now.

If you want to learn how to design hardware in VHDL or verilog, it's 
best to start off with a simple design.
It took me some time to get as far as designing an 8 bit microprocessor.
It helps to learn design patterns such as state machines and hand shake 
protocols.
Once I got the basic microprocessor design approach down pat, it was 
just a matter of embellishing it for more complex designs.

John.

-- 
http://www.johnkent.com.au
http://members.optusnet.com.au/jekent