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FPGA Based IBM-PC-XT

(bit-hack.net)
235 points andsoitis | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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dlcarrier ◴[] No.45946474[source]
The title is a bit misleading; it's running on an 8088-compatible CPU, and a 1 megabyte SRAM, with the FPGA containing the display adapter and drive controller, as well as the glue logic.
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nsxwolf ◴[] No.45947773[source]
This build demonstrate what’s actually interesting about FPGA to me. A pure implementation might as well be a software emulator. Being able to interface real chips makes this really neat.
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1. gblargg ◴[] No.45951013[source]
Good point. I was thinking why he didn't just do the V20 etc. on the FPGA, but then a software emulator would be more flexible. Having a real hardware interface that has the right timing is something software would have to work very hard to do. Using an FPGA also forces the designer to more or less really understand the original hardware design, not just the software-visible effects as an emulator author can get away with.