NewFDS Project

Unidentified Assilant · Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:43 pm

I had an idea using a 486 Computer, and (wait for it) LoopyNES! Since everyone seems to keep making NES Boot Disks on Floppies (since Dash The Hero first mentioned it), I may even make a computer enabled to do it, with just the 2 Joypad Ports and a Floppy Disk drive, I may put it in a NES case (if it will fit), then I can end up making more boot disks for my NewFDS (espically Duck Hunt)

Something I cannot make sadly is the Zapper though

So maybe Duck Hunt will not work

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:38 pm

I suggest that the computer is a high speed 486, then, maybe like a DX4 or Evergreen/Pentium Overdrive. Even NESticle lags on a 66MHz 486...

I recommend a Pentium. LoppyNES runs full speed just fine on my 100MHz pentium laptop.

Niku-Sama · Post by **Niku-Sama** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:39 pm

a 486 will not fit in a nes case

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:59 pm

... but a new 800mhz Mini-ITX will.

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:54 pm

Well, it depends on the 486.

If he gets an old laptop 486 with an external video output (they are around), with decent speed then that would work. LoopyNES does not need much RAM. My floppy disks that I made don't even have the HIMEM file, so they are stuck in the first 640KB of conventional memory, and run beautifully!

800MHz is overkill. I'd save that for a less dedicated box...maybe something with a CD drive bay so that you could run a decent version of Linux.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:38 pm

If you don't mind making your own connectors for video and have $40 laying around this will fit in a NES with no troubles:

http://www.halted.com/commerce/catalog/ ... 3651499000

Has 1MB of RAM (more than you need anyway) and a Pentium level processor. If you want to have no moving parts at all on it, the board has a 32MB 'Disk On Chip' that you can make bootable. 32MB should be able to fit DOS and a fair number of games.

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:28 pm

I just counted the amount of space for the 3 main DOS 6.0 boot disk files needed to run LoopyNES, LoopyNES itself, my current Autoexec.bat and menu.txt files, and INPUT.COM (for autoexec.bat external command), which is all that is needed to start loading ROMs to, and it is only 224KB, less than the size of many NES ROM files. Autoexec.bat and menu.txt will increase a little with more ROMS, but I'd say that you could fit about 63 of the largest NES games in that flash card (512KB a piece), so you could likely fit WELL over 100 games in that card, maybe close to 200.

1MB RAM and a Pentium grade processor will work PERFECTLY, according to my laptop tests of the floppy-based LoopyNES experiments today.

I wasn't using any kind of HIMEM file on the floppy, which means I was stuck in the first 640KB of conventional memory, in spite of the 40MB in that laptop, and it was only a 100MHz Pentium. It ran at the perfect speed. ^^

Also, you can likely get your DOS sound and video drivers in there too. ^^

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:46 pm

I like cheese

Nes Man · Post by **Nes Man** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:50 pm

...On Rye Bread!

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:47 pm

MM007 wrote: Also, you can likely get your DOS sound and video drivers in there too. ^^

Opps, forgot that the board doesn't have sound onboard, it has a spot for an audio chip, but doesn't have it installed.

The easiest way to get sound out for this board is to wire up something like this contraption to the parallel header on the board. There's DOS drivers out there for that, I don't have a link handy, but it's on Google somewhere.

Unidentified Assilant · Fri Jun 03, 2005 8:19 am

hmm... I am saving my money up for a 486 (since the PC I was going to use is broken, oh well), but I'm sure LoopyNES doesn't need many requirements, I'm not bothered about sound since NES games have crappy sound anyway

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:28 pm

Well, I suggest you get a Pentium-class processor and use NESTICLE and a full DOS 6.22. Then edit autoexec.bat to point to nesticle.

Nesticle should run fine on a Pentium and has better sound than LoopyNES. Also, has all sorts of cool features.

don't save up too much. If you know a computer place that throws out stuff, you can get a 486 cheap. They might just throw them out anyway, in some places.

Usually I say to use a 486 for anything that it can handle, it's just that a 66MHz processor was slow on Nesticle. Of course, Windows 9X was running at the same time....you know...I have 486es...maybe I SHOULD make a Nesticle box, possibly with an ISA sound card....hmmm....I guess I could also make a wooden box for it and paint it like the NES...

Hmm..my laptop lacks sound, but has a parallel port... XD

Post by **bicostp** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:44 pm

You could always check thrift stores and/or junkyards, if you're basically after a mobo to stick in a case. Most of the PCs at my local Salvation Army look pretty beat up, but I have plugged a couple in and they booted off a DOS disk I had with me. That's why I like thrift stores; you can go in and mess around with stuff and they don't really care!

And this is a pretty big SA, too; 3 stories!

MM007 · Post by **MM007** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:52 pm

I found several different circuits and drivers.

http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/dacs.html

seems good, drivers are on the page.

http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/hs ... lptdac.zip

They are similar, but not the same exact thing to what was shown earlier. The schematics are different, and have 8-bit sound, but one speaker. This one comes with the schematic in the help file, and the DOS drivers included. I haven't tried it, download at your own risk.

Also, keep in mind that this kind of mod relies on the processor to make the sound, so you will be using processing power, (though maybe not much).

Supposedly, though, you can't play MIDI files on the second one here. I don't know how the emulator will do with it.

cennar · Post by **cennar** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 3:42 pm

bicostp wrote:... but a new 800mhz Mini-ITX will.

and also 80 bucks....

here man use this as a avitar im sick of the old one it just gives me a negitive impresion of you, like the guy who "thinks" hes old gannon.

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