I've just had a request on YouTube for a total newbie thread for soldering up these boards. Hopefully the usual suspects can weigh in too.
I'll do my best to keep this thread up to date but please understand that asking a question like "where is the best place to buy all the components" has no answer because suppliers stock and prices change hourly.
For a newbie i'd get a CPU off ebay.. an MC68030RP33 is what i'd start with..
You're on your own here as the prices change every day. Choose the one that gets you the best deal.
I dont recommend utsource for total newbies. You have enough to deal with without duff chips.
You'll need soldering irons etc and some magnification.
For soldering the CPLDs and the resistor networks I have a recent video with a demo of how to..
For programmers I recommend using the Raspberry Pi method... Its very similar for all the boards.
Finally feel free to start a build thread in the relevant subforum and post pictures etc. Something like "<NickName>'s TF530 Build" etc.
Good luck
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:09 pm
by MarkFixesStuff
I am the Newbie, and thanks for this thread!
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:50 pm
by kludge
MarkFixesStuff wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:09 pm
I am the Newbie, and thanks for this thread!
MARK! FIXES! STUFF!
On topic: I can recommend this old gem as well.
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:12 pm
by MarkFixesStuff
I heard that in my head Kludge!
I have looked at a few of these vids and very pleasing they are to watch as well. My problem is that I'm coming into it completely cold. Never programmed a single CPLD or FPGA in my life (so far). Mucked about with some Arduino stuff, but nothing more than making some LEDs flash and of course uploading other people's code for retro based projects.
I read that I could use a Pi as a JTAG programmer, but I don't have a Pi here other than the Pi-Zero in my ZX-HD. Will be worth mentioning in the final video though.
Also, since buying the board I have read that there is a riser that breaks out extended functionality courtesy of Kipper2k. Something else to find/buy.
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:32 pm
by MarkFixesStuff
Supaduper!
I am unable to respond to your private message, I suspect it is because I'm new. There doesn't seem to be a button.
In answer, I need pretty much all of it, and would even be open to getting a known working pair of the required CPLD regardless of having found one of them as above, from an untrusted source. Some kind of component kit would be very handy.
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:11 pm
by supaduper
Yeah its prob because you have only a few posts, I will send you my email then you can contact me
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:02 pm
by alenppc
Get CPLDs from Digikey. I know they cost a lot there (mostly due to popularity of TF cards) but at least you won't have any issues with them.
I experimented with ordering CPLDs from UTSource, they were very cheap, but I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons. I bought about 50 CPLDs from them and about 15% were completely dead, most had bent pins that made soldering difficult and ultimately they arrived preprogrammed with something and erase-protected, so that required an extra step to erase before programming, making the whole thing a headache. Ultimately it's worth paying more to Digikey and getting clean and easy to use chips and you'll be sure they all work (unlike with UTSource).
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:10 pm
by terriblefire
alenppc wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:02 pm
Get CPLDs from Digikey. I know they cost a lot there (mostly due to popularity of TF cards) but at least you won't have any issues with them.
I experimented with ordering CPLDs from UTSource, they were very cheap, but I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons. I bought about 50 CPLDs from them and about 15% were completely dead, most had bent pins that made soldering difficult and ultimately they arrived preprogrammed with something and erase-protected, so that required an extra step to erase before programming, making the whole thing a headache. Ultimately it's worth paying more to Digikey and getting clean and easy to use chips and you'll be sure they all work (unlike with UTSource).
Completely agree. Do not cheap out on your first build... it will end badly.
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:17 pm
by kludge
terriblefire wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:10 pm
Completely agree. Do not cheap out on your first build... it will end badly.
”But did kludge listen? No, of course he didn’t.”
I have no idea where the components I have come from as they were bought by someone else a long time ago. I see it as a learning opportunity, and maybe as an excuse to buy a hot air station when I realize I have to desolder the CPLD’s.
Re: Total Newbie Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:34 pm
by exxos
FWIW - I have been buying GAL22V10's from China, There is something really screwy wrong with them all these days. Drove me nuts for weeks trying to work out my my designs were malfunctioning. I found some ATF22V10's in Farnell and all problems gone now. Its like some chips have blown internal flip flops but basic logic stuff works fine.
I brought around 100 RTC chips from various suppliers couple years ago. Some worked, but then found various faults where I ended up junking most of the boards I built with them.. Farnell prices be 5 times more expensive, but they all work. Still overall cheaper to pay more for the chips in farnell than junking 80+ boards made with China junk.
Similar with some 2MB DRAM chips I brought ages from various suppliers... cost like £2 from China, £10 from mouser. The first batch of DRAM was fine... I built up a large batch of boards on a second order of DRAM, and most of them didn't work The ones which did were only showing 256K! Very expensive adventure (again). so now I pay the £10 a chip from mouser and all my boards since work fine now.
China prices on the stuff I generally buy IC wise, are not really any cheaper than just buying from farnell/mouser etc anyway. Plus the point is valid about bent pins as well... Just not worth a world of pain buying stuff from China if you can buy stuff from mouser anyway. There is so much fake & faulty stuff from China its unreal. Take it from a guy whos been there many many times over the years.
My advice, always go to a genuine suppliers, farnell/digikey/mouser etc (not evilbay either!)... Unless you really have no choice to go to China for parts (hard to find parts etc).