You'll often hear proponents of FPGA's, or even some manufacturers themselves, touting the benefits of hardware emulation over software emulation. To me, they're two sides of the same coin, with both offering different benefits and downsides.

These statements will probably show my ignorance, but it seems like for both software emulation and FPGA, NES/SNES are the most accurate platforms. MAME obviously strives for accuracy, and it seems like Arcade Cores are coming along nicely.

Are any other FPGA cores cycle accurate? Are the ones I listed even cycle accurate? Is cycle accuracy even something you particularly care about? What are the least accurate cores? The ones that use the most hacks or have the worst compatibility?

Long Snac/Snax Extension cable

Working on an extensive living room set up and need some help. Is there any working method for extending SNAX a long distance?

I’m trying to extend it by about 30 feet. I tried both a quality active USB 3.0 cable with and without the power adapter attached (USB preferred as I am going to use SNAX and want all four ports extended) but also tried extending it with a certified active fiber optic HDMI cable and neither worked at all.

My goal was to hide the SNAX adapter in a junction box and use small jumpers to attach the HDMI ports to a face plate.

Thank you!

I have been trying to set up the NEO GEO games with the NFC Cards. The system works great, but I can't figure out how to write NEO GEO games to the cards. There is no clear ROM file.

Most of my games have:

crom0

fpga

m1rom

prom

srom

vroma0

​

Same issue for adding a NEO GEO to the favorites script. Any idea how to accomplish this?

As the title suggests I'm wondering if anyone knows of a 3D printable case for the UltimateMister usb-board (the slightly slimmer one which taps power directly from the DC- input).

I've tried looking on Google a few times and so far I've found practically nothing except for UltimateMisterFPGA's own cases (although maybe I'm just really bad at looking for this type of stuff).

I posted this exact text on the Mister forums but I'm posting here also so more people can see it. Also, I can't post links here to where to find the adapters I used( all of them I bought from Ali), but my post on the forums has everything https://misterfpga.org/viewtopic.php?t=7881

​

I was meant to post this some months ago but got caught up in other things, and now with dual RAM not being needed anymore (at least for now) and the PWM cores outputting 24 bit color, Direct Video doesn't seem to be much relevant anymore. But I'm posting this anyway because this still could help some people.

​

The objective of this post is to present a way to be able to connect your Mister to 2 or more video outputs by using Direct Video and to easily switch between them without having to keep connecting and disconnecting the cables. For example, normally if your Mister have a dual RAM build and is connected to a LCD TV, if you wanted to play on a CRT TV you'd have to unplug the HDMI cable from the Mister, then connect a HDMI-VGA adapter to the HDMI port of the Mister and a VGA-component cable to the adapter and to the TV. However, with the method below you'd just have to load an alternative mister.ini and press a button on the HDMI switcher, no cable swapping necessary, since they will all be already connected.

​

This is only my personal experience, so there might be other methods to achieve the same thing that I'm unaware of, I'd love to hear input from everybody.

​

The way to be able to have more than one form of output with Direct Video is using a combination of HDMI-VGA adapters and HDMI switchers connected to one another and alternative mister.ini files, each configured with the desired video mode. The switchers must have at least 2 outputs, which seems to be pretty rare, the only ones I found were bi-directional "1 in 2 out - 2 in 1 out" switchers. The preferred switcher imo is the "8K HDMI 2.1" from Vention, since it has a USB-C port for connecting it to an external power source, because without using an external power source you can't connect two or more switchers together, limiting how many video outputs you can have.

​

The required materials are (more detailed information on all the products I tested at the end of the post):

​

- HDMI cables

- Vention "8K HDMI 2.1" switcher

- HDMI-VGA adapter (refer to Kuro Houou's spreadsheet for the best models)

- Optional: MikeS Y/C adapter, RF modulator, composite cable, VGA-component cable, coaxial cable

​

So, how to do it?

​

- Connect the HDMI cable coming from the Mister to the input port of the switcher, and connect the HDMI cable that goes to the TV and the HDMI-VGA adapter to the outputs of the switcher, also connect the USB power cable from the switcher to a power source (wall outlet, a USB port on the Mister, etc)

​

- Configure the main mister.ini and the alternative ini files for direct video and the output types you desire (HDMI, RGB, component, etc)

​

- Any time you want to switch from HDMI to CRT or vice-versa, just load the correspondent ini file and then press the button on the switcher, that way you'll be able to easily cycle between the various output modes.

​

- You can connect multiple HDMI switchers and HDMI-VGA adapters together, creating multiple levels of adapters. Here's an example of a simpler setup and a more complex (and a little convoluted) one:

​

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/g7557ca5sxtc1.png?width=791&format=png&auto=webp&s=99ede7fbb67e7747c5bf9c2ff19647c21f20d6f2

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/2ebnduc6sxtc1.png?width=1460&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e1c03d155f25e2d4f30cfd50f3fdfe3d0c58379

​

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​

​

I tried two other models of HDMI switchers/splitters but didn't get good results. The full list of the models I tested were:

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/odb4qxl8sxtc1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=388bfb9e650682a36db70382426c9500bc7e4544

1 - Vention "8K HDMI 2.1" switcher - worked perfectly using an external power source.

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/58b2vdjasxtc1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=1fe81bb506979136dcd3c85c2ce300830c2a1222

2 - Vention "New HDMI 2.0" switcher - worked perfectly with the HDMI and one HDMI-VGA adapter, but when I connected 2 or more HDMI-VGA adapters the image started having signal degradation. So, if you just want to especifically connect the Mister to a LCD TV through a HDMI cable and to a CRT TV through component/composite, this switcher will be good enough.

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/uvnmj4ecsxtc1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=25cce2f5195ea310682934c2a4b032bfdac7fcd8

3 - Vention "1 in 4 out" HDMI splitter - this would be the perfect solution since it would output to a modern TV and a CRT at the same time, but I got no video signal for the analog outputs whatsoever, and couldn't get HDR and VRR to work on the LCD TV.

Let's be honest: many arcade and console cores are going to take a lot of time, if ever, to be programmed over to FPGA. So, if you own a CRT, the MisterCast/GroovyMiSTer is really the next best thing for an authentic retro experience. It may be a pain to configure for the first time because it hasn't been integrated in update_all, but, once it's done, the experience is a breeze. It has all the benefits of having a dedicated PC with a CRT Emudriver setup, but without the hassle of a heavy and old machine laying around. The input lag is pretty much negligible and you are free to play anything you like on a old school display - even some pixel art games which, of course, will look a lot crispier on a phosphor tube. I am really impressed with this core and hope it gets a Y/C version soon to make it compatible with even older TVs. It's worth mentioning that, even wireless streaming works like a charm. If you're on the fence about buying a MiSTer and likes to play on old-fashioned displays, this core alone makes it completely worthwhile.

Hi - just spent an hour setting up a custom party but can’t get game to save … when I try to save game I get “insert savegame disk into Drive C:” and prompts me to press ENTER. Pressing ENTER does nothing. I’m pretty sure I’ll need one or two saves to get through this game 😁. Any help appreciated!

With the release of the nestang, and more specifically, snestang projects for the Tang Nano 20k (even though snestang can't load games larger than 30Mbits) I am hoping that someone could provide some insight as to what this cheap little board could theoretically emulate. According to this doc (yes, apparently it is outdated, but it's the best I could find) we see that there are many systems that utilize less resources than the SNES core on MiSTer. Obviously, there are many things to take into consideration as MiSTer is a different platform and won't translate 1:1, but still, I was wondering, could most of the cores with fewer resource requirements theoretically be implemented onto the Nano 20k? I'm guessing NeoGeo is out due to the large amount of SDRAM required... But what about Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, GB/GBC, PC Engine/TG-16, 70s & 80s arcade boards, etc.?

And yes, I'm aware of the more capable Tang 25k Primer, but that requires purchasing of a bunch of add-ons that make the package very close to $100. I'm specifically asking about the $30 Tang Nano 20k. Though, it would be interesting to see someone make their own"all-in-one" motherboard for the stand alone Tang Primer 25k SoM Core (without the "Dock board") ...something similar to what MiSTer MultiSystem did... but obviously something smaller and cheaper that would align with the capabilities of the Primer 25k. I wonder if the 25k would be able to pull off NeoGeo with the right amount of SDRAM?

Anyway, figured I'd ask as I don't see much discussion in this sub regarding the Nano 20k, nor the projects associated with it.

I saw some comments made by Pramod about support being dropped for MiSTer cores in the future.

While I know exclusivity of cores was the likely trajectory for the project at some point, there are quite a few people on the MARS team that I wouldn’t have expected this from, considering that cores are still being developed for the Analogue Pocket.

Would all of these people be involved at some level with the larger decisions being made?

ToddsNerdCave

Wizzomafizzo

Darren_O

Mike Chi

Fixel

JBBongrand

JasensCustoms

The MARS Team

Sorry if this is not allowed. It didn't look like it wasn't so here it is. This was posted by another user in a Facebook group: I think it's worth thinking about

Why are we going to support MARS when allegedly (but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to prove) there are members of their team that say stuff like this:

From a reddit user - Yep, and they themselves don't care how they come off. A MARS team member on Discord said they don't worry about people's reactions to their attitudes because the complainers will "all buy it anyways"

I fully believe this just based on their behavior on Twitter. Members of the mars team are actively pulling support from the mister projects, because they want people to buy a MARS. This is affecting the way I look at reputable members of the team, like Mike Chi, who choose to align themselves with these individuals. It's actually convinced me not to buy a Tink 4K. Why would I want to give my money (especially that much) to a person that is basically supporting child behavior and scummy business practices via his involvement with MARS and their team.

I am so thankful I got be there for MiSTers beginnings and grassroots open source foundation, but it looks like those days are done. I'm at the point of no return for MARS. No matter what, I know I'll never buy one. Hopefully another cool open source project like the MiSTer comes around, but if not, oh well. At least I was here for that one.

What do you all think?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806156248634.html

They look beefy but need to be shielded obviously.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_ms82Ua2

This is a copy and paste from a Facebook group. Seems like it almost can run cores without sdram already, without sound as of now. Sorry it's not formatted, better than nothing.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1870135613286506

Alexey Melnikov Admin Top Contributor there are issues with this board:

1. 40pin connectors use other FPGA pins, so NONE of MiSTer boards/SDRAM work.
2. Long traces going through 2 connectors (core board -> mother board -> expansion board) won't give stability for SDRAM.
3. Some people said HDMI is unstable even with 1080p. It's unclear what's up with sound (need to check the schematics).
4. This company is known to stop production of boards quick. Relaying on this board isn't a good idea in general.

2d Reply Edited Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Alexey Melnikov is it an option to redo the daughter board with the sdram on it? 2d Reply Alexey Melnikov Admin Top Contributor Eddie Chan do you mean a motherboard? It's possible. But it also depends on traces placement on the core board and how they interfere with each other. New motherboard will have all those chips for hdmi, usb, Ethernet, etc. so it won't be cheap. And half year later you will find that qmtech stopped production of the core board.. 2d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Alexey Melnikov thanks for your insights 2d Reply Hlide Fremen Eddie Chan If the issue is just about the shuffling of the FPGA pins used by DE10-nano on the 40-pin connector, a simple PCB as a piggy-back to reroute the lines in a compatible way could be done. But as Alexey said stability is still a concern on this board. 2d Reply Hlide Fremen Reason why there is no sound thru HDMI? Chipset no supporting sound at all or just a matter of incompatibility? 4d Reply Muhammad Sweilam Hlide Fremen the I²S interface is disconnected on the ADV7513 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Hlide Fremen occupationally i can a little bit of sound effects in pacman and Robotron. So look like there is a incompatibility maybe. 4d Reply Dirk Dierickx what price are we talking about here? 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Dirk Dierickx 100USD 4d Reply Laurent Cooper Top Contributor Where to buy please ? 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Laurent Cooper description updated with link 4d Reply Jon Dagnillo Top Contributor Eddie Chan what where 4d Reply Todoran Sile What's the name of the board? Thanks! 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Todoran Sile description updated with link 4d Reply Michael Haller Top Contributor Are the cores compatible? Or do you need to recompile (reroute) them? 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Michael Haller no modifications, just load the cores compiled for the MiSter and it work 4d Reply Edited Ruben Aparicio Moderator Top Contributor That would not work unless it has been developed to intentionally clone the DE10 Nano. This has been done without any subsidies proving the subsidized nature of the DE10 Nano had a risk associated is stupid. Also it proves wrong the risk for the MiSTer project about DE10 Nano being phased out from production. After this test it would be great testing the SDram module (beware, check pinouts before attempting it) and knowing if User I/O lines are available on those smaller headers. 3d Reply Edited Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Ruben Aparicio looks like the whole design is open source, so this community can check it. https://github.com/ChinaQMTECH/QMTECH_CycloneV_SoC_Board... GitHub - ChinaQMTECH/QMTECH_CycloneV_SoC_Board GITHUB.COM GitHub - ChinaQMTECH/QMTECH_CycloneV_SoC_Board GitHub - ChinaQMTECH/QMTECH_CycloneV_SoC_Board 3d Reply Alexey Melnikov Admin Top Contributor According to schematics, QMTECH was designing the core board as a "clone" of DE10-nano. You can see GPIO/Arduino pin names of de10-nano in schematics. But for unknown reason they decided to shuffle all FPGA pins on 40-pin headers. May be it's bare stupidity, or they found stability issues and purposely shuffled the pins to avoid MiSTer addons. Anyway, it's possible to make a new motherboard with SDRAM on board and make it fully compatible with existing MiSTer hardware (i'm not going to design it myself, so look for other designers/manufacturers). It should be ok while QMtech is still producing the core board (which usually doesn't last more than a year). But seeing prices for SDRAM and I/O boards, i don't think the motherboard will be cheap. Together with core board it will cost (i guess) about the same as de10-nano with SDRAM and I/O board. Stability of new board is under questions, btw. 2d Reply Hlide Fremen By shuffling FPGA pins on 40-pin headers, do you mean they are the same FPGA pins used by DE10-nano for those headers but assigned in a different/random pinout order or do you mean they assign a different set of the whole FPGA pins? I suppose you really mean the first option because the second option would lead to some real incompatibilities in cores even without MiSTer addons. Wouldn't it be a way for them to say that it is not strictly a true clone ("see we are not doing a full copy of DE10-nano")? Especially if it was designed for electronics hobbyists and students, that shuffling wouldn't be an issue per se. Honestly, I am not sure they designed it specifically for MiSTer unless you have some insights and know some stories about them. Indeed, the fact they just build it for an half year is a real concern. 2d Reply Alexey Melnikov Admin Top Contributor You can check schematics to understand more if you want. 40-pin header on this board has some signals from one connector of de10-nano, some signals from another connector even arduino signals. 2d Reply Pete Young These are probably about to surge in price! 😆 I thought I was over spending back when I got my DE-10 for $150. I had no idea what was gonna happen a couple years later. 4d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Some cores don't work, but a lot of the console cores seems to work including pce. I can hear the sound starting up then it glitches out. May be an image of text 3d Reply Ruben Aparicio Moderator Top Contributor Eddie Chan you mean they don’t work tested without the Sdram ? Or cores not using the Sdram don’t work ? 3d Reply Eddie Chan Author Top Contributor Ruben Aparicio sorry I was not clear. I tested a few cores without sdram. So cores like GB, GBA, PCE etc seems to work. Some arcade cores and C64 core don't work. I didn't want to risk using the sdram module until I am absolutely sure it will not damage it. 3d Reply Edited Jacob Harvey Looks like maybe it’s this “board” (two pieces sandwiched). https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806398069669.html 99.9US $ |QMTECH Intel Altera CycloneV Cyclone V SoC FPGA 5CSEMA6U23 Development Board| | - AliExpress ALIEXPRESS.US 99.9US $ |QMTECH Intel Altera CycloneV Cyclone V SoC FPGA 5CSEMA6U23 Development Board| | - AliExpress 99.9US $ |QMTECH Intel Altera CycloneV Cyclone V SoC FPGA 5CSEMA6U23 Development Board| | - AliExpress 4d Reply Roland Wondrak Not available👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼 in your country never had these stupid message sorry 4d Reply Barry Hercules Top Contributor Demonstrates that Terasic is keep the DE10 price high 4d Reply Kenneth Alan Dull Top Contributor So everything works just no sound? 4d Reply Adrian Brand Top Contributor Without an SDRAM module most cores wont work. It will be interesting to see if the standard MiSTer SDRAM module works on it's GPIO. 3d Reply Peter Rittwage Top Contributor Yeah it has 2x512M DDR3 if it can be used... 4d Reply Louis Alley Oh wow. It's the full chip with 110k logic elements. 4d Reply Allison Dougherty This could be huge 4d Reply James Cheung Nice 4d Reply Trey Strother Top Contributor Following 4d Reply Stephen Lerch Any option for audio out of it doesn't work via HDMI? 4d Reply Steven Stocker Top Contributor Do all cores work, or is it just most cores?