Programmable module mimics old-wave consoles

The Dutch company Bazix, in co-operation with the Japanese companies ASCII and MSX Association, has started taking pre-orders on the One Chip MSX, a new computer system based on PLD technology.

The Dutch company Bazix, in co-operation with the Japanese companies ASCII and MSX Association, has started taking pre-orders on the One Chip MSX, a new computer system based on PLD technology.

The core of the computer system is an Altera Cyclone FPGA chip, which can be reprogrammed to perform a wide variety of operations.

The device comes with all I/O and A/V connectors needed to function as an ordinary home computer, either connected to a television or a VGA monitor.

By default, the One Chip MSX is configured as an MSX1 computer system.

The MSX standard originates from a co-operative venture between ASCII and Microsoft, and was very popular in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In this setting, all chips originally used in the MSX1 computer (Z80 CPU, TMS9918 VDP etc) are implemented in the Altera Cyclone FPGA chip, turning the One Chip MSX in a fully MSX1 compatible device.

Out of the box, the One Chip computer can be used to play high quality retro games, but this is just a small part of its functionality.

As the One Chip MSX is a programmable logic device, its functionality can easily be altered partially, or even completely, using VHDL code.

Bazix plans to release an MSX2 compliant upgrade in the future, but also expects enthusiasts to develop their own VHDL applications for the One Chip MSX in the future and exchange them using the Internet.

There already are many amateur FPGA/VHDL projects in development, such as implementations of Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and Vic-20 computers.

Apart from being capable of operating as popular home computers and game consoles of the 20th century, the One Chip MSX can also be used to extend their capabilities, introducing new features or removing limitations.

Once skilled enough, a VHDL developer could even develop his own computer system from scratch.

Originally developed by Microsoft, MSX-Basic has proven to be an exceptionally easy to understand programming language for beginners, as well as a great stepping stone for moving on to higher programming languages (such as Turbo Pascal, C, and even (Z80) assembly) or more complex computer systems.

If MSX-Basic programming loses its challenge, it is possible to work with the VHDL code itself, altering the MSX exactly how one wishes or even creating a completely new system.

The open VHDL structure of the One Chip MSX and the relatively simple hardware structure of the MSX1 platform introduce an entirely new educational aspect: it allows students to explore and understand the computer's inner workings in detail.

This encourages students to independently learn more about hardware, to change existing VHDL code and eventually even to design new features (for existing or nonexistant chips) in VHDL.

The One Chip MSX includes: the Altera Cyclone EP1C12Q240C8 FPGA; 32Mbyte of SDRAM; an SD/MMC card slot; an MSX cartridge slot; two mono audio outputs; a composite video output; VGA output; a PS/2 keyboard connector; a USB connector; an MSX joystick port; and FPGA I/O (40 pins and 10 pins).

Bazix is accepting pre-orders for the One Chip MSX.

In order to start commercial production, Bazix and ASCII need to gather more than 5000 pre-orders combined.

In Japan alone, ASCII has already sold 2000 One Chip MSX computers.

Until 20th August 2005, the One Chip MSX can be ordered from Bazix for Eur 189 inclusive of VAT.

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