Space Harrier /OutRun DX Motor OpenBoard Project

[John Bennett]

Yep, that's enough

120 ohms in series with 0.1microfarad.
Thanks!

 

[ColinD]

It depends what you mean by finished exactly. CannonBall could easily be considered finished given that it's a perfect (arguably better given it runs in widescreen at 60fps) implementation of OutRun than the original codebase. I haven't worked on it much in recent years due to starting a family, and focusing on other projects and hobbies. But that doesn't mean I've lost interest in it as such.

In terms of running it on a PC connected to hardware, Colin made a nifty interface called CannonBoard that connected a PC in place of the PCB.

http://reassembler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/cannonboard

We never really released it as a useable thing. It was more of a project.

I like the idea of your USB to 15Khz video generator. Technically, I have no idea how that would work myself!

Very nice. Sorry, probably sounded a bit too doubtful when I asked if it was 'near finished'.

Regarding the VGA, there are little USB to VGA units you can buy that I guess appear as extra video cards in windows, but I was thinking maybe someone could make a mame driver to just punt the bytes out of the USB (about 13MB a second?) to the board, which would then turn it into video. The PC code bits are rather out of my comfort zone though. Ambitious, like I said

( you'd have to minimise the lag to a single frame ideally).

I did 3 versions all together, V2 one uses an off the shelf mini cpu module and not only works with Cannonball with usb serial but can also appear as a set of HID / USB plug and play driving controls, so you could play any game. Its also a more lower cost version as I incorporated a few i/o expansion chips and logic into a cpld. I could probably slim it down even more, but its fairly authentic with the outputs (driver IC's) and opto isolated inputs. It's electrically equivalent.

V1 and V2 also included the stereo mixing and mute circuitry, and V2 also included a relay to turn the monitor on once comms commenced (ensuring your 15khz drivers had loaded up etc).

V3 includes a number of neo-pixels to show comms, status, and also was intended to be used as a diagnostics tool, so you can use it to set up your pots and test switches, I started on quite an extensive diagnostics menu and you can see the keys/colours on the board. For the pots you got position feedback on the leds, with course with different led's and colour changing for the sweet spot in the middle of the pots and out of range settings. Same with brake and accelerator but bar graphinstead.

Video ideally would be CGA.... so arcade vga, soft 15khz or a raspberry pi set to 15khz via a gert 666 or hdmi to vga setup.

When you fit these in a deluxe moving machine, all the inputs and outputs work (so brake lights and start buttons flash) , and allows full motion control too.

I've had some other things keeping me busy and have also been waiting for a decent speed raspberry pi port of cannonball (including the usb / serial comms), in which case, we are probably good to go with a plug and play solution that does cga video etc. I think, Chris was going to look at this at some point, but he's also been busy with other projects too.

Your motor board is looking excellent

ColinD2018-05-28 18:15:24

 

[iamjimmi]

Some impressive progress on this! Keep up the good work guys...

 

[NaokiS]

Polygons are b*tches.

 

[John Bennett]

Wow! Above and beyond there! Very nice

Colin- that's very impressive. I'd also forgotten the PI could do 15kHz. I think I'm a bit out of touch with what great stuff already been done

 

[Jodo]

Awesome work! Do you guys still need any pics / close-ups of any components or areas of the PCB? I can dig my Motor Drive PCB out of storage if so...

 

[John Bennett]

Back now from working away, so going through the issues Naoki's spotted, then hopefully I'll get the power circuit done over the weekend.

If anyone has a moment and fancies something to do

, then identifying a suitable modern heatsink replacement would be great.
Rather than making a 'part', I think putting pads/holes on the board is the most versatile option and if we can't find something readily available that matches the original heatsinks, then we can add additional mount holes if required.

Awesome work! Do you guys still need any pics / close-ups of any components or areas of the PCB? I can dig my Motor Drive PCB out of storage if so...

Thank you. At this precise second I can't think of anything, but we'll let you know. There is a few little routing/schematic things still to figure out.

 

[John Bennett]

Actually, a request for board analysis, please

Could anyone confirm that the following image is correct:
In particular, the connections between IC10 and the two optocouplers.

I think the PCB photographs are suggesting my interpretation of the picture is incorrect, but I can't see how I'm wrong

Any close-up photos of the board around these IC's (top and bottom tracks) would also be great!John Bennett2018-06-01 11:57:51

 

[NaokiS]

Could you put the axial caps in please? I can finish off the ground and power polys then

 

[John Bennett]

Ok, loads of components created and placed.

Quite enjoying my first attempt at PCB forgery

I haven't looked anymore at resolving the schematic/routing headscratchers, so if anyone can get photos/closeups of the areas described in the previous posts, that'll be great.

 

[NaokiS]

Soon UKVAC will be in with China for forgery notoriouty

 

[tin]

I haven't looked anymore at resolving the schematic/routing headscratchers, so if anyone can get photos/closeups of the areas described in the previous posts, that'll be great.

I'll see if I can steal an hour away this evening!

 

[Jodo]

I've taken lots of pics - if you need close-ups or more of a particular area then please let me know - reposting the pic with the area tagged you need close-ups of if possible

http://s893.photobucket.com/user/Egret3/library/Space%20Harrier%20Dlx%20Motor%20Drive%20PCB

You might have to 'stitch' some pics together as I took close-ups.

EDIT: there should be 59 pics in total over 3 pages, including pics of the underneath / tracks of the PCB.

Jodo2018-06-02 14:42:14

 

[John Bennett]

Marvellous - thanks, sure it’ll be of use.
The issue now is to force ourselves not to try to mimic every last angle and label

John Bennett2018-06-02 17:32:35

 

[NaokiS]

That's not an issue John. I like my (relative) sanity.

 

[tin]

Actually, a request for board analysis, please

Could anyone confirm that the following image is correct:
In particular, the connections between IC10 and the two optocouplers.

I think the PCB photographs are suggesting my interpretation of the picture is incorrect, but I can't see how I'm wrong

Any close-up photos of the board around these IC's (top and bottom tracks) would also be great!

My interpretation of the diagram comes out the same, and tracing of the PCB tracks agrees. Where do you suspect is wrong?

 

[John Bennett]

Excellent - thanks.
I think it’s right - can’t see how it would work any other way, but I think Naoki couldn’t see how the PCB routing matched.
I’ve been staring at the photos Jodo’s taken and I think Ican see how the PCB matches the schematic it’s just got tracks hugging components and swapping layers in hard to see places.

 

[NaokiS]

Yeah i was guessing at those optos and what seemed to make layout sense didn't on the schem

 

[John Bennett]

I'm having a quick shot at changing the routing - hope I don't stuff it up (giz 20 minutes).

 

[NaokiS]

I'm having a quick shot at changing the routing - hope I don't stuff it up (giz 20 minutes).

Best not. I will find you.