Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

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ron
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Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by ron »

HI folks !
It is very nice to invite you to test the candidate release for the Elan Enteprise's core.

There are three versions available. For MiSTer and for NeptUNO and Unamiga_Reloaded.
Here: http://retrowiki.es/viewtopic.php?f=107 ... p200154146

Pending to review and activate (ToDo): EXDOS Disk Controller. DSK image as unit A: or B:

Download Enterprise core:
enterprise_20220501.rbf.zip
(807.73 KiB) Downloaded 556 times
minter01.png
minter01.png (142.59 KiB) Viewed 22109 times
You'll need this rom:
ep.rom.zip
(95.58 KiB) Downloaded 621 times
Place rom as boot.rom in /media/fat/games/Enterprise
( for neptUNO place at SD's root as ep.rom )

Reset Core: C + F9

After cleaning and revision, the source code will be published very soon in our git.

RetroWiki FPGA-Dev Team: Elan Enterprise core attempt on FPGA Started by Kyp in Xilinx, ported to Altera by Yo_Me and Rampa069 and candidate releases by Kyp and Rampa.

The ENTERPRISE 128 SD Adapter Premium is also implemented, You will be able to use the SD images in VHD as if it were a physical Enterprise. Available drives from F: to P:
More info: https://szergitata.blog.hu/2015/05/04/e ... t_guide_uk

Nick, Graphics Chip.-
Resolution:
320x200 4 colours
160x200 16 colours
80x200 256 colours

The video chip is called "Nick" and it executes a display list. This allows the mode to be redefined every scanline. The Enterprise has a variety of bitmap modes, ranging from cell based bitmap modes similar to the Spectrum, to bitmapped modes like the CPC. It also supports hardware text mode, and 256 colors (8 levels of red * 8 levels of green * 4 levels of blue).

The machine was specifically engineered for games, with display resolutions up to 672×512 pixels and up to 256 colours per pixel, one byte per pixel being particularly easy to program, though full colour capabilities were limited to its 80×180 pixel mode. Sound was 4 channels, stereo. Coprocessors for graphics and sound take some of the workload off the central processor, called "Nick" and "Dave" respectively, named after their designers: Nick Toop, who had previously worked on the Acorn Atom, and Dave Woodfield.

Therefore converting graphics and code from either platform was fairly easy, although mode 0 of the CPC was made somewhat more difficult by the fact that only the first 8 colors of the palette can be chosen freely, while the second 8 colors are generated by using the lower 3 bits of the color index as the most significant bit of the red, green, and blue components, and the remaining 5 bits are added from a "fixbias" register. For this reason, a 16-color CPC conversion usually needs to find a good "fixbias" value, and convert all pixel data to the changed order of colors in the Enterprise palette. In the case of Spectrum conversions, it was also necessary to convert the attribute data.

Sound chip Dave: 3 Channel sound (non AY)

The sound chip is called "Dave" and has 3 channels of sound (square wave or noise), and a fourth channel that can only generate noise; it also has 6-bit stereo volume control for all channels, simple (digital) filters, ring modulation, various noise waveforms, has a selection of interrupts and can play samples easily.

Basically, all this make approximately the same capability as a ZX spectrum128, combining an AY-3-8910 and a beeper

The Enterprise doesn't just have more colors though! compared to the CPC, a screen that can be split into sections, and each section can be a different screen mode and color pallete - this can be done with clever interrupts on the CPC, but the Enterprise does this in hardware, without interrupts or cpu power used - allowing for far more colorsplits, The color palette is also better - the regular CPC has 27 possible colors, but the Enterprise has 256.

I/O PORTS:

RGB Video / Audio output, Expansion port, Tape Interface, Joystick (2), Cartridge slot, RS232c (Serial/Net), TV output, Power input, Printer. (There were a lot of expansion ports compared with other machines of the day. Unfortunately, like most other cheaper computers of the way, the edge connectors were left bare, with the appropriate sockets to be added as optional extras later!)

Language was IS BASIC, added by an external rom cartridge. This could be unplugged and swapped for other languages, such as FORTH, Pascal, and even an ASM editor.

An EXDOS floppy drive interface was made as an official peripheral by Enterprise Computers. This plugged into the side of the machine (in contrast to the original intention of making a stackable unit to go underneath?) You could add up to 8 3.5 inch or 5.25 inch floppy drives. These could read a variety of formats, including MS-DOS and Atari ST disks.

Enjoy the core.
Soon more info.

Bye ! Cheers !
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by circletheory »

Wow, I've never heard of this computer before until now. Thank you so much for your contribution of this interesting mid-80s computer!
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by JudgeDrokk »

Hi folks 8-) , so, I have my RBF in place, I have the .rom in the games folder, I have the two VHDs in there too.

When launching the CORE I get a very pretty scrolling screen of what looks like 'rasta-bars' (if you know what they are).

Using the OSD I choose a VHD but OSD 'reset' via menu and neither C+F9 seems to have any noticble effect.

What do I do next? :?:
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by shira »

Rename 'ep.rom' to 'boot0.rom' and it should work.
Also the correct path to put it is '/media/fat/games/Enterprise/'
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by ron »

shira wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 4:54 pm Rename 'ep.rom' to 'boot0.rom' and it should work.
Also the correct path to put it is '/media/fat/games/Enterprise/'
Yeah, it was a typo.
For MiSTer as boot.rom in /media/fat/games/Enterprise
For neptuNO & Reloaded as ep.rom at SD's root.

Thx ! .,
;)
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by jca »

Whatever I do I get a black screen.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by JudgeDrokk »

ron wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 6:18 pm
shira wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 4:54 pm Rename 'ep.rom' to 'boot0.rom' and it should work.
Also the correct path to put it is '/media/fat/games/Enterprise/'
Yeah, it was a typo.
For MiSTer as boot.rom in /media/fat/games/Enterprise
For neptuNO & Reloaded as ep.rom at SD's root.

Thx ! .,
;)
Thanks for the tip - my Games folder is mounted on my NAS... hence not being on /media/fat/games/Enterprise/
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by akeley »

It works fine for me. Sometimes I get out of sync black screen after C+F9 Reset but a MiSTer cold boot cures it.

Also, make sure to do the C+F9 reset from the keyboard after mounting the vhd in OSD, so you will see a list of drives during boot. Seems the Reset in OSD is "warm" and doesn't see the vhd, so you will get "invalid drive" errors in exdos.

Enterprise was a fascinating machine, I'm so glad to see this core progressing nicely. 15kHz seems to work even better than in the last version too, which is awesome.

CRT SCR$ Project - building a collection of high-quality photos of CRT displays
CRT ART Books - retro-gaming books with authentic CRT photos

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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by jca »

Thanks, after a cold boot of MISTer I finally get the Enterprise screen. Next I had trouble with vhds: I was insisting pressing CTrl+F9. C+F9 fixed the problem and I am now in IS-Basic. Is there a good tutorial for this system?
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

Awesome, many thanks for this new core! I had never heard of this computer before! It seems so cool!

Could someone please be so kind as to share a link to a .VHD?

Thanks a lot!
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Flandango »

To get you started....Enter dos by typing

Code: Select all

:exdos
Then from there is fairly close to old msdos/pcdos (h:, cd folder...) and to load .com/.exe files it's

Code: Select all

load tetris.com
.
Home key/button is Pause/Hold, End key/button is Stop.
The second link in ron's original post (szergitata) has some info and it also mentions that they did a post already detailing EXDOS in more detail but I didn't dig deep enough to find it yet.
That link also has links to an empty vhd, a 256mb vhd with OS/games/apps/demos... and links to sites with games and apps (not in vhd though).
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by thera34 »

Thank you for the new "toy" ! :D

Tried SymbOS for a bit, works quite nice, no major issues (unless i opened quite too many windows lol)
Short usage: mount the 256 megs VHD, then C+F9
After reset, type ":LOAD SYM" and hit Enter.

Cursor is driven by controller, but you get used to it, same as on MSX core :)
Small capture here : https://youtu.be/IlJlJMiurEU
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

Flandango wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 8:20 pm To get you started....Enter dos by typing

Code: Select all

:exdos
Then from there is fairly close to old msdos/pcdos (h:, cd folder...) and to load .com/.exe files it's

Code: Select all

load tetris.com
.
Home key/button is Pause/Hold, End key/button is Stop.
The second link in ron's original post (szergitata) has some info and it also mentions that they did a post already detailing EXDOS in more detail but I didn't dig deep enough to find it yet.
That link also has links to an empty vhd, a 256mb vhd with OS/games/apps/demos... and links to sites with games and apps (not in vhd though).
Perfect, many thanks!
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

thera34 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 8:32 pm
Cursor is driven by controller, but you get used to it, same as on MSX core :)
Many thanks for pointing that out!
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

I do love this core, it is really working well! I am just having fun with exploring how it works.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Chilli_Vibes »

This is brilliant. Another rare piece of history hits the Mister.
Just need to see how to use this little beauty.
I remember, as a kid in the 80s, looking at the adverts for the Enterprise, I always remembered this machine with the green keys, and joystick in the bottom right. Such a shame that, just like other micros like the Tatung Einstein, Memotech 512, etc.. these machines didn't take off - although it might have been the huge cost these machines went for, back then.

Here is a link to PDF books, these might help with the usage of this machine.

http://www.ep128.hu/Ep_Konyv/EP_Books.htm
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

Chilli_Vibes wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 8:31 pm
Here is a link to PDF books, these might help with the usage of this machine.

http://www.ep128.hu/Ep_Konyv/EP_Books.htm
Oh great, many thanks for sharing this.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Chilli_Vibes »

No probs. If you get anywhere with this, please share. I am struggling getting anything to work, at the moment. I keep getting invalid drive, with any drive I try from a: to j,k,l, etc..
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

Chilli_Vibes wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 9:21 pm No probs. If you get anywhere with this, please share. I am struggling getting anything to work, at the moment. I keep getting invalid drive, with any drive I try from a: to j,k,l, etc..
Did you use the 256MB VHD linked in the first post? It worked straight away. After mounting it I have just pressed C+F9 as advised in the posts above.

I confirm I can get access to the drives (i.e. f,g, ect.). As pointed by @akeley you will see a list of drives during boot.

Code: Select all

:exdos
:g:
:dir
Please let us know.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Chilli_Vibes »

Yep, just tried that, and was able to load symbos.
This is a very quirky machine, and will take some getting used to. Mounting that 256Mb VHD, you can then do the following.
:exdos
f:
Then press F1 to go back to dos, then press F1 again, and you'll be in a very limited file manager. You can then go to different drives by simply pressing the drive letter. So, press the letter g, and you'll be able to browse the g drive. Press H, or I, etc.. and you will get the games drives. You can then go into any folder, and select the .com or .prg of the game, and it will run.
Where it gets quirky is when you go back to dos with a c+f9 reset, because it remembers the last drive you were on, so you can't boot back into the file manager, you have to go back into exdos, f:, then press F1 twice. If there is an easier way, please post any solutions.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Alkadian »

Chilli_Vibes wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 9:58 pm Yep, just tried that, and was able to load symbos.
This is a very quirky machine, and will take some getting used to. Mounting that 256Mb VHD, you can then do the following.
:exdos
f:
Then press F1 to go back to dos, then press F1 again, and you'll be in a very limited file manager. You can then go to different drives by simply pressing the drive letter. So, press the letter g, and you'll be able to browse the g drive. Press H, or I, etc.. and you will get the games drives. You can then go into any folder, and select the .com or .prg of the game, and it will run.
Where it gets quirky is when you go back to dos with a c+f9 reset, because it remembers the last drive you were on, so you can't boot back into the file manager, you have to go back into exdos, f:, then press F1 twice. If there is an easier way, please post any solutions.
I am glad you got it to work! Thanks for the F1 tip!
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by EeDee »

You may find this video helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3BhS9uA_5E
I did at least :)

Also an Enterprise software demonstration video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDP8ofKs_M&t=439s

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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by EeDee »

I have been messing around with this core and like what I have experienced so far. This is one of the computers that I've wanted, for some time, to try out.
Thank you to the developers for bringing it to Mister.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by teller »

Thanks! It's absolutely amazing that a core of this holy grail already exists! My EP128 is waiting for my SD Premium Card Adapter from Szergely Butov.
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by TxarlyM »

Hello everyone. I have started to investigate the Elan Enterprise Core in ZX Uno and MiSTer... and I have been able to make it work completely with the Summer '22 distribution of desUBIKado, but I can't with the MiSTer version. I can't find a way to recognize the VHD's. I have 3 VHD's for ELAN and they are recognized in the ZX Uno, but not in the MiSTer core.

It would be good if Ron, when he can, makes a crypta with this core and that we can get more out of it. It is a very good machine and I remember seeing it work in a SIMO.

Cheers

TxarlyM
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by nrx »

EDIT: Got it working! Didn't realize it was F9+C and not CTRL-F9 to trigger the ZozoSoft cold boot! Everything works now! Keep up the good work! :-)

Hi! Just received by MiSTer, and successfully loaded the Enterprise core. Wasn't able to find a link to the VHD's, but I managed to get the 192MB image from one of the Enterprise sites as well as a raw rip of the 256MB SD card that came with my Enterprise SD cartridge. While I can select them in the OSD, they don't seem to be recognized by the core. I've tried soft and hard reboot with Ctrl-F9 without success.

Any tips?
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Moondandy »

Is this core getting close to being able to be added into Main?
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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by nrx »

Still here, eagerly awaiting an official release! ;-)

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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by Moopy »

What a great system I've never heard of! I've spent most of my afternoon tinkering around with it and it appears to work perfectly, even down to the quirks of the real hardware. Such a great effort to see such an unusual core appear for MiSTer!

This really looks ready for an official release!
Thanks to the author for their efforts.

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Re: Elan Enterprise Core Release Candidate by RW FPGA-Dev Team

Unread post by MiSTer FPGA Forum »

I really, really hope that work continues on this as it was, (and still is!), a fantastic home computer.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the great success that it should have been due to its delayed arrival on the market ☹️

A very active forum exists for the Enterprise 64/128 over at:

https://www.enterpriseforever.com/

Many thanks to the developer(s) of this core and I wait forward to future updates.

--
SRG

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