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Pocket retro emulator on Chinese FPGA by piotr_go.

piotr_go  38 28416 Cool? (+58)
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TL;DR

  • A pocket retro emulator on an Anlogic Chinese FPGA packs 8MB of 32-bit SDRAM and fits in 24x40mm.
  • A JDY-08 wireless module with CC2541 and custom firmware handles keyboard, mouse and pad communication, including Logitech Unifying devices.
  • FPGA configurations load from 16MB flash, while the SD card updates firmware and stores ROMs or other applications.
  • Test cores for NES and Amiga already run, although the Amiga core still has a sprite bug.
  • A custom pad is still in the case-design phase, and a C64 core may come later.
Generated by the language model.


Welcome back.
This time I present a retro-emulator based on the Chinese FPGA by Anlogic.
The emulator has 8MB of 32bit SDRAM embedded in FPGA. The JDY-08 wireless module based on the CC2541 chip, which I programmed with my own FW, is responsible for communication with the keyboard, mouse, pad ... FPGA configurations are loaded from 16MB flash on the board. The SD card is used to update FW, load ROMs or other applications depending on the loaded configuration. The emulator is compatible with the Logitech Unifying keyboard and mouse. Own Pad in the design phase of the case.
At the moment I have run some test cores, NES and Amiga (there is still some bug in sprites). I will probably start with the C64 later.
Dimensions of the emulator 24x40mm.

Emulator:
HDMI adapter and electronic circuit board

Pad:


Joystick:




About Author
piotr_go
piotr_go wrote 2904 posts with rating 3333 , helped 94 times. Been with us since 2003 year.

Comments

eMCe2 01 Mar 2019 14:12

COOL! If there will be a version to buy, let me know :) I will gladly buy it! [Read more]

SylwekK 01 Mar 2019 17:36

You're crazy, Piotr :) Did I understand correctly, did you run the Amiga on it ?? [Read more]

Slawek K. 01 Mar 2019 17:52

As always, my friend is great, respect ;) Greetings [Read more]

mipix 01 Mar 2019 18:38

Great, I take it! [Read more]

KulawyR 01 Mar 2019 18:40

I would also like to buy this miracle. [Read more]

szeryf3 01 Mar 2019 19:46

Cool miracle. [Read more]

piotr_go 01 Mar 2019 20:52

High license costs for HDMI + Logitech support from reverse engineering = poor sales opportunities. Yes. I still have sprites to fix because there are some differences in the interpretation of veriloga... [Read more]

sosarek 01 Mar 2019 21:59

Short and to the point - KOZAK !!! Something about costs, options? [Read more]

piotr_go 01 Mar 2019 22:18

The biggest cost is your time. Tiles + template is about PLN 200 if I remember correctly. FPGA I managed to get a few samples because I couldn't find it anywhere. The radio module is less than $ 2. ... [Read more]

Anonymous 01 Mar 2019 23:15

The most interesting from your project is this FPGA chip with built-in SDRAM memory. Is it some kind of documentation and how does the software work? [Read more]

sosarek 01 Mar 2019 23:28

Which transmitter did you use in the joystick - I can see that it has RS232. I wonder what the emulation of e.g. PSX or N64 would look like on this one. Have you thought about introducing the option... [Read more]

tronics 02 Mar 2019 07:39

you can give a displayport (royalty free) and if someone wants to connect to the TV, he will buy an adapter for PLN 5 ;) [Read more]

Anonymous 02 Mar 2019 10:43

Nice design, it's a pity that the availability of these systems is so poor. [Read more]

piotr_go 02 Mar 2019 10:59

In Chinese. In the new one, also reprogrammed CC2541 ($ 2 per module, I did not want to solder :) ). In the old nrf24l01 + proc. I do not use RS in them. No chance too small and too slow FPGA. ... [Read more]

Macosmail 02 Mar 2019 14:31

Well, I can't pass by indifferently. Concrete project. With a lot of commercial potential, I would say. What is the performance of the Amiga reproduced in such a way? Is it a version with AGA chips? ... [Read more]

piotr_go 02 Mar 2019 14:40

The performance and parameters of the 600ki so far, but it should fit a better core with AGA and a performance of 68030 ~ 40MHz. Not fast, you need a large FPGA for that. [Read more]

leonow32 03 Mar 2019 16:17

Impressive project !!! However, the most I wonder why did you choose such FPGA and not some Spartan or something more common? What is the price difference of these Chinese FPGAs compared to analogous chips... [Read more]

piotr_go 03 Mar 2019 17:39

Integrated SDRAM, small form factor not BGA. http://obrazki.elektroda.pl/3677459700_1441717047_thumb.jpg http://obrazki.elektroda.pl/9634374300_1441717078_thumb.jpg http://obrazki.elektroda.pl/2657431600_1441714366_thumb.jpg... [Read more]

leonow32 03 Mar 2019 20:20

The Chinese will kill us all one day :) and how price is it? How much does this scalak cost? [Read more]

FAQ

TL;DR: 24 × 40 mm board integrates an Anlogic FPGA with 8 MB SDRAM and boots NES/Amiga; parts cost ≈ PLN 200; “HDMI licence fees kill margins” [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17812584; #17813694; #17813493].

Why it matters: It proves that sub-$10 Chinese FPGAs can power pocket-sized retro consoles without external RAM.

Quick Facts

• Size: 24 mm × 40 mm (960 mm²) [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17812584] • Memory: 8 MB 32-bit SDRAM integrated on FPGA die [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17812584] • Boot storage: 16 MB SPI flash + microSD for updates [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17812584] • Bill of materials: ≈ PLN 200 plus < $2 CC2541 radio module [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17813694] • Dev-tool size: Tang Dynasty IDE 150 MB (≈ 97 % smaller than 6 GB Vivado) [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17818230; Xilinx, 2023]

Which retro systems already run on the prototype?

Stable cores include NES and Amiga 600; C64 is planned next. Test cores for other 8-bit machines also boot [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17812584]

How fast is the Amiga core and does it support AGA?

Current build matches Amiga 600 speed; designer expects 68030 at ~40 MHz with AGA once optimized [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17814747]

What does the hardware cost and which parts are scarce?

PCB + stencil costs ≈ PLN 200; CC2541 radio module is under $2; BGA version of the FPGA was <$10, but the QFN device used here is hard to find and may run < $5 in China [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17813694; #17818046].

Why use a Chinese Anlogic FPGA instead of a Xilinx Spartan?

It combines SDRAM on-die, fits a small QFN package (no BGA), and lowers cost/size simultaneously [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17817424]

Is documentation and development software available?

Datasheets exist only in Chinese. The free Tang Dynasty IDE is a 150 MB download—much lighter than mainstream FPGA suites [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17814291; #17818230].

Will HDMI or DisplayPort output be offered?

Unlikely. HDMI licence fees are high and negate profit; DisplayPort is royalty-free but needs higher bit-rates than the small FPGA tolerates [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17813493; #17814291].

Can I connect a wired USB or PS/2 keyboard?

Yes, on the newer carrier board with four USB host ports; firmware support is in progress [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17847680; #18016142].

Is the board for sale, and what about a C64 version price?

No commercial release is planned due to licensing costs and Polish bureaucracy (VAT, ZUS). Therefore no fixed price for the C64 build exists [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17813493; #18306973].

Which wireless modules does the joystick use?

New pads and joysticks carry reprogrammed CC2541 modules (~$2); earlier prototypes used nRF24L01+ plus a microcontroller [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17814291]

How do I update FPGA cores and ROMs from microSD?

  1. Copy the .bin core and game ROMs to the microSD card.
  2. Insert the card; the Cortex-M0 bootloader detects new files and flashes the 16 MB SPI memory.
  3. Reboot; the selected core auto-loads [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #17812584]

What current limitations or bugs should I expect?

Amiga core still shows sprite glitches; large 3-D consoles cannot fit; HDMI support is intentionally omitted due to cost [Elektroda, piotr_go, #17812584; #17813493].

Could the design drive an LCD instead of HDMI?

Yes. The creator already attached a parallel-RGB LCD; implementing 4-lane MIPI-DSI would be harder but feasible with additional logic [Elektroda, piotr_go, post #18306798]
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