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?
How fast is the Amiga core and does it support AGA?
Can the board emulate PlayStation or Nintendo 64?
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?
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?
How do I update FPGA cores and ROMs from microSD?
- Copy the .bin core and game ROMs to the microSD card.
- Insert the card; the Cortex-M0 bootloader detects new files and flashes the 16 MB SPI memory.
- 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?
How is the board powered?
Generated by the language model.
