ULTRA GOLD CARD

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Nasta
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Re: ULTRA GOLD CARD

Post by Nasta »

Peter wrote: Nasta, many thanks for that interesting history lesson. You remember a lot better than me.
Actually, I was surprised how much I did remember, though that post went through about 4 revisions as things came back to me :P
Nasta wrote: Most of the spec and logic was already done on paper but having a tool chain (which he paid for a LOT) and actual chips to work with was... well, a quantum leap, no pun intended.
Somehow, a restricted ispLSI1016 toolchain was much cheaper, or even free, so I ended up with that. But I had the privilege to live in a western country and electronics were much easier to prototype in general. (I vaguely remember we talked about that at Eindhoven.)
It was a serious problem back then to get anything 'for free' as a private person, but then it was a different time, you actually got stuff in the mail, nowadays the software is downloaded. That being said, our customs still does not understand the concept of 'free samples', especially as in some countries you must declare a value on a postal packet if you want tracking and insurance, even if it's free to the recipient. That sometimes gets odd when you order something from an EU representative of a company only to have it actually sent from the US, or even worse, China. But it's far far simpler than it was back then, especially since Croatia has been a member of the EU for a while.
The cynical part of that is, it took so long that it was a running joke that by the time we join, everyone else is going to leave, and now here we are.
Nasta wrote: What I also recall is, the last project Stuart did, that Tony F, sold, was the ROMdisq, and I also remember the CPLD logic for that was done on an older software that could use a schematic capture tool Stuart already had, so it was originally designed using 74 series logic macros :)
Cool. By the way, I never understood why ROMdisq did not get more attention. It was a wonderful piece of hardware.
The one shortcoming it has is the ROM port... I remember talking with Tony about it. It is OK if you can guarantee complete mechanical stability of the board, anda clean connector - which by that time was not a given, most ROM ports were never used and at that point were more than a decade old and missing the plastic protection cover.
Nasta wrote: What I can tell you for sure is that I was asked to spec it and the article was mostly actually written by me (the 'I' in the article towards the bottom half of the page was me, actually).
But you already had Aurora fame, so it remains a mystery for me why you were "hidden".
Well, as I was planning to move to the US, I could not promise anything (and that move and the time I spent there is a whole story in itself).
I was asked to write several articles for IQLR/QL today, I don't actually know why that particular one ended up edited like that.
Anyway it would be wonderful if you could crown your QL times with a successful design that really satisfies you. I still think you can do more than Aurora, and you want more than Aurora. ;)
Yes, yes and yes... but you know all too well the problem with available time. At the moment I'm already working on 4 fronts just to make ends meet. Again a story in itself. I need about 2 more of me :P


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Dave
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Re: ULTRA GOLD CARD

Post by Dave »

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/clone_nasta

Goal is £7.50 in 4 weeks. Let's do this!


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NormanDunbar
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Re: ULTRA GOLD CARD

Post by NormanDunbar »

Looks like your kickstarter has been taken down Dave. Error 404.
Shame, I could do with a Nasta clone!


Cheers,
Norm.


Why do they put lightning conductors on churches?
Author of Arduino Software Internals
Author of Arduino Interrupts

No longer on Twitter, find me on https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.
Nasta
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Re: ULTRA GOLD CARD

Post by Nasta »

On no you don't. I get first dibs, because I'm Nasta :) I have to figure out how to feed that many of us :P


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Dave
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Re: ULTRA GOLD CARD

Post by Dave »

Bwahahah!


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