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New CPU Accelerator options for 68K Macs?

omgmonsters

Active member
Not looking into working on anything earlier than the Plus, but I've had plans for reproducing the MicroMac Performer since not long after I found it in my Drexel branded Plus quite some time ago. Started up on the project in earnest four years ago. Hit the back burner for quite some time in between.

As of December, it's been in Germany where @Bolle has read out the formulas in the 5 GALs on the board. He's checking the near complete schematic I'd done with help early on in the project.

It'll be much simplified to support only the Plus on the first go-round. Nothing fancy, no cache or memory shenanigans, just bog simple 16MHz or 32MHz 68030 CPU socket and those for the FPU and its crystal can.

View attachment 40035


I've got design examples for a Killy Klip workalike so figured out the mounting of it I think.
No ETA, could even be another four years. :p
So excited that you guys are working on this - one of my holy grail upgrades!
 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Glad to hear it. Performer's nothing like the incredible accelerators our resident sorcerer has cloned, but it is a nice little bit of kit. Somewhere on the Plus board there's a spot to hook into a 16MHz clock that should let the Performer Pro's the little brother support 32MHz. MicroMac never offered that, likely to "protect the high end" or something . . . I think I've heard that somewhere before? :unsure:

You can use whatever CoPro you want to throw on there with the right crystal can to support it.
 

superjer2000

Well-known member
Did everybody see the post on Facebook about the 25mhz 68000 accelerator for the Mac SE? If it ends up happening I would buy a couple.

it will be open source and it would be great to adapt it to the Mac Classic.
 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Got linkage for that? Can I see it without having an account?

Performer will be tossed onto the roiling seas of open source do-it-your-selfing here. 68030 trumps 68000 at almost any speed. Classic version will be forthcoming as well. Not crazy about the original three-way setup of the original. Crazy setup made for low cost product for MicroMac, covering three Macs, but doesn't lend itself well to homebrew boards in shape or size. :p

MicroMac_Performer-x01.JPG

SE version will be the same as the Plus version. Killy Klip like interface to the 68000 on the SE board leaves the PDS and its interrupt open for other uses. Late SE cases have the SE/30 chassis with PDS 030 expansion hardware/opening in the chassis. ISTR Bolle having done a right angle mount for an SE PDS card up through that hatch with an accelerator installed somehow or other.

@Bolle was that something you posted here in hacks somewhere or was it in one of the PM development threads? If the 68000 is removed from the board and socketed, will the Plus and SE boot with Performer plugged directly into the socket as a straight up substitution? Tired, don't recall offhand if we ever determined that?
 

superjer2000

Well-known member
There is a full thread on it here.
Seems like a super neat project.

 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Aha! So that's where Zane has been hanging and what he's been up to. Some of his projects are truly insane and this would be one of them. It will be interesting to see how Warp-SE stacks up to contemporary SE Accelerators with Cache and Memory onboard.

Performer is low hanging fruit from that development tree. But over a decade ago, the notion has been to do a project that someone with my limited abilities can build. Once PCB and GALs become available for DIY acceleration I'm hoping such will be popular for group buy projects or determined individuals to have some hardware playtime. :)
 
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superjer2000

Well-known member
Aha! So that's where kai has been hanging and what he's up to. Some of his projects are truly insane and this would be one of them.
Its Zane K on this project (not Kai). Zane seems like a pretty incredible engineering type. It would be great to lock him in a room with Bolle for one month and see all of the great new retro hardware that would result. Oh well. Stupid kidnapping laws….
 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
LOL! Caught that and edited in some further observations and clarification of my Performer quest. It's no longer an impossible dream! Trying to sign up for Kai's forums ATM, seems fitting as today's my 13th April Fools mental health birthday celebration! Thanks for sharing that link. :)
 

Trash80toHP_Mini

NIGHT STALKER
Thanks mate, this place and this kinda stuff has been some of the best medicine. Off topic, but appropos given signing up for another hotbed of development activity on April Fools Day. ;) Speaking of development in general, I really miss bbraun, but that's for a lounge thread. :(
 

Iesca

Well-known member
I would really love to see a reproduction Brainstorm Accelerator for the Plus. 16Mhz and a sped up bus sounds like a dream! (That is, unless somebody wants to sell me a real one for cheap! :p )
 

mg.man

Well-known member
Not sure about System 6 compatibility, but @max1zzz is working on this...

It seems to only work in the LC II up, so that might not work for System 6? 🤔
 

dr.zeissler

Well-known member
Because I use 640x480 I need "single-finder" in order to get a clean desktop for 512x342 games and the single-finder is fast in 6.0.8. on my LC.
I already thought about an LCII, but my LC is 100% recapped by bolle so it will last the next decade. Getting an LCII will possible need a complete recap too and I also love that LC...
 

max1zzz

Well-known member
I have hope the interware card might be able to be modified to work on the LC (after all there is a very similar micromac card which dose) Just need to find someone whith more low level knowledge to have a look at the design (If anyone wants a look let me know and i'll send over the GAL code and schematics, these will also be released as a open source design in time)

Either that or if I could get my hands on the micromac card I ould just make a clone of that :)
 
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