Replica 1 SE improvements

[vbriel]

Here is a picture of the prototype as it is being developed:

http://www.brielcomputers.com/files/r1proto.bmp

It really is a long way off but I thought I would post the progress.

Vince

[rpayne]

Vince,

Is there an estimated cost for the kit when it's completed?

Thanks,

Ryan Payne

[vbriel]

I'm trying to keep the price the same, kit at $159 and assembled for $199 even with the added features. I ended up adding jumpers for the power mode (3 of them) and 1 safety diode so you can't wire up the wall power supply backward and short out everything.

I've error check the schematic and it looks good. Next I've made a few minor mods. I had to remove the 40pin extra socket adapter for expansion. The 40 pin iDE is still there but I didn't have room for more. The board size will now be 8.5" x 5".

Before I prototype order I'm going to do a few more tests. Maybe in a week I'll prototype the new replica. It never goes perfect without some errors, so lets see what happens.

Vince

[cheese1113]

Did you raise the price later on? I bought my kit in Feb. 2005 for $119.
Anyways, sounds good, the new version sounds really cool!

[vbriel]

No, the replica 1 with serial board was $159. The USB interface is replacing the serial and it is built onboard now. The interface is almost the same but with the MM232 added so people don't have to find serial port computers to interface to the replica. Also, modern Macs with USB will work but I don't know if there is a terminal program for Tiger. Anybody know the answer to this?

Oh, had a small setback where my PC decided to reboot on its own and crashed the board layout. So, now I'm re-doing the layout and this time I'm backing up my work.

Vince

[cheese1113]

Ahh, I see, makes perfect sense now.
That sucks about the crash... shows the importance of backing up.

[cheese1113]

As for a terminal program, ZTERM should work for mac.
http://homepage.mac.com/dalverson/zterm/

[vbriel]

Ahhh, I thought ZTERM was only for the 68K Macs. Cool. I'll try it out with my iMac 233 (almost vintage) first.

Ok, I've been working hard on the replica for the last 24 hours and I'm just about finished error checking. Here is a pdf of the prototype board without a polygone ground and power pour added. The polygone plane will make the whole unused section of the bottom of the board one big ground and the top will be 5V (VCC) for better voltage flow. This is a huge improvement over the replica 1 rev A,B,C where my old software didn't have this option when it was designed.

http://www.brielcomputers.com/files/seproto.pdf

It's not too late for a name change. SE is ok but I was looking for something a little more creative. This is probably why I'm not a writer. Anyways, Have a look over and give opinions. Board prototype will probably go to the board house next week sometime. I've also tested the ATMEGA8 as the keyboard encoder and it appears to work just fine.

Here's a small picture of what it looks like with the polygon plane installed:

http://www.brielcomputers.com/files/seproto.bmp

Vince

[vbriel]

Just an update. I ordered 3 prototype boards (min order) and will have them in about a week and a half. From there the testing and debugging an errors begin. I'll post updates as they happen.

Vince

[cheese1113]

Sounds good! Just curious, what color proto board did you get? Is the final still going to be green?

[vbriel]

I can do other colors for production at a higher cost but protos can only be green through the board house I'm using. I can even change the color of the silkscreen from white to something else. The best part about the board house I'm using now is even the prototypes get soldermask and silk screen. For those who don't know what that is, the solder mask is a film that goes over the the entire board except around the through holes. The silk screen is the writing on the board. The advantage is huge because it is very difficult to solder boards without a soldermask and not have solder run over to other contacts.

[cheese1113]

Yeah, soldermask is a life saver. It's a real pain to solder boards without it. What board place are you using?

[vbriel]

Advance Circuits under the Rich Dreher's recomendation. I've already tried them out under the AltairPC project and they are very good. They will catch if holes are too close to traces and things like that. You can also check on the status of the order. Right now it is in the drilling deptartment. They drill the holes, then run the plating over.

Vince

[cheese1113]

So what color led are you planning on using?

[asm2750]

nothing super bright I hope, I dont want to go blinder. I definately want this version, I dont seem to have DB9 ports anymore, now all I need is to upgrade the memory on my laptop so I can run my TV card and have a screen for my replica 1 without the need of a real TV.