Re[2]: [fasm-help] BIOS initial jmp

[Fabio B. <biz...@li...>]

Hi Antony!
Long time no hear from you.. hope all is fine!

You maybe still remember me, we swapped some emails about your Retro Mach=
ine
project, last year.

I came nearly by accident to this site: http://www.mini-itx.com/ and that
helped the associativity of my brain's memory to remember also your proje=
ct,
so I visited your page again ( http://www.doubledutchdesigns.co.uk/ ) and
noticed a radical change in the specs of the computer. No more VIA C3, bu=
t
a Z80 compatible CPU.. on a custom chip!!!

That's very fascinating.. how much does it cost to get an ASIC custom mad=
e
for you?

Can you tell me what happened since last November till now?

PS: I'm attaching below one of our last emails, if that may help you to
remember me.

Take care and keep the great work!
Fabio


At 15.26 15/11/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>
>Hi Antony,
>
>>FB> Sorry, can't help you with this question (others, or Tomasz himself=
, will
>>FB> surely do it soon).. but I'd want to ask you something:
>>
>>FB> When you develop your BIOS, you'll want to test it from time to tim=
e: do
>>FB> you flash it every time, or you know any way to write to the shadow=
 ram?
>>
>>FB> Any other detail you may want to share? I'm interested into writing=
 my
>>FB> own BIOS too.
>>
>>I'm writing a fully 32-bit BIOS with built-in BASIC-like language, it
>>should boot within about 3 seconds (max)...
>
>Cool. :)
>
>
>>My system will have SCART RGB out via the VGA connector - to be linked
>>direct to a TV, not a VGA monitor!
>
>Very cool, old school. :)
>
>
>>I'm basing it on the PLE133 chipset as this is used in EPIA motherboard=
s,
>>i'm using the C3 processor as this is a cool running 800Mhz processor
>>(fan not required!)...       Its all also pretty cheap & easy to get!
>
>How much does it cost the motherboard + the CPU?
>
>I've been thinking about making "my own computer" too.. can you point me
>to some resources? Like a BIOS disassembly (just for curiosity).
>
>
>>The PLE chipset has sound/graphics etc all "built-in" so I don't need
>>to talk to "other" video chipsets, I can optimise the system for the
>>video chipset onboard.
>
>Right. I've just downloaded the data sheet.
>Do they provide sample source code, or some sort of support for making
>one's OS drivers for the built in capabilities of the Apollo PLE133?
>
>
>>The C3 is x86 compatible and has a good future as this and the next
>>versions of the processor have some nice "secret" features... :)
>
>Where can I read about these secret features?
>
>
>>Currently i'm doing it all the VERY hard way, i'm reflashing every
>>test run...
>
>Do you have a separate flashing circuit, or you use the motherboard's
>one?
>
>
>>Soon I will have an old style monitor or debugger
>>running, so I will then be able to upload updates...
>
>Very very cool. :)
>
>Old 8 bit style rules. ;)
>
>
>>I have made a "sub-site" on my website for the project at
>>www.doubledutchdesigns.com - it's currently called retro machine (or
>>something similar) as I don't yet have a proper name for it!
>
>I must say I like it a lot.. 8)
>
>You might call it "Cool 64" (Cool like the CPU, 64 like the bus bits :D =
).
>
>
>>The hard bit was getting anything to work at all...   Don't forget
>>that until you get things working a little bit, you have hardly any
>>access to hardware...
>
>Yup.. the PCI routines come first.. but I think that disassembling the
>mobo original BIOS may be of help.
>
>One question: don't you fear that when the chipset goes out of productio=
n
>you'll have to remake ~all the work? :(
>
>
>>A great help was a port $80 (0x80) debug card, i found a cheap source
>>at "Los Altos"  http://www.losaltos.co.uk/ - it was =A315 +vat +p&p =3D
>>just over =A320...  (30 euros?)...  If your not in the UK, then do a
>>search for EP-P80P made by EPoX Computer Company - they are about the
>>same price worldwide...
>
>Thx.
>
>
>>With the card you can (from reset!!!) output to the port a number
>>(A POST CODE), this can be anything you want - At each routine output
>>a different number, if the display "freezes", then you know that the
>>pc has locked up at a particular routine.
>
>This is always the first kind of debugger one makes. :D
>
>
>>When trying to track down
>>one particular bug that locked the machine I had a different number
>>per line of the routine!!!
>
>:)))
>
>Do you wish to commercialize your own computer? Anyway, following the
>old 8 bit style may be great. I have my own almost-mature OS, and was
>thinking about getting rid of that old crap BIOS as well. :)
>
>Keep the great work pal!
>
>
>>-Anthony
>
>
>
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