It looks like Steve has begun the final stages of the preproduction for the CB20
About 70-80 cards are already reserved: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqUD-1FjUTjkdENPYmdMTVhBQTRxWkxUUEhLSjV4LVE&usp=sharing#gid=0
There is only be ONE run planned (right now) and if anyone is interested to get one, he or she should ask Steve to put him or her on the list 
The features look awesome:
Final Design - Production PDF: (3D) - (Its 10MB, might be worth downloading and viewing locally)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6UD-1FjUTjkMVJLQ1JOMUZHYVU/edit?usp=sharing
Images of completed board (Production Candidate)
Front -
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB20_PROD_TOP.png
Back -
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB20_PROD_BOT.png
CAD -
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB20_R4422.png
CB2 Board Layout -
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB2_BoardLayout.png
CB2 Top Level Layout-
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB2_TOPLEVEL.png
CBIO Expansion Dimensions
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB2_CBIO_DIMENSIONS.png
CB2 With Expansion board Installed
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CBII_CBIIIO.png
CB2 Prototyping expansion board (test design)
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CBII_PROTO.png
CB2 1GHz A13 ARM Co-processor expansion board (test design)
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CBII_ARMCOPRO.png
XILINX 400AN FPGA (XC3S400AN-4FG400C)
- 400000 gates
- Fast POR loading (66MHz) (Bitstream is 1,886,560 bits)
- Internal 4M Flash
- 334MHz maximum global clock speed/280MHz Block RAM access speed
- 311 IO (63 are inputs only)
Booting Options
- FPGA Internal Flash (66MHz) (Standard boot image)
- FPGA External Flash (M25P128) (50MHz) (Backup/Recovery image)
SPI Devices (Serial Peripheral Interface)
- Micro SD card (TransFlash) (693071010811) (732-3819-1-ND)
- M25P128 16MB x8 Flash (50MHZ) (20nS)
(Classic) Parallel Memory
- SRAM 256K x16 (K6R4016V1D-TC10T) (10nS) (may be used in byte or word mode)
- SDRAM 16MB x16 (MT48LC16M16A2TG) (-75/100MHz) (10nS) (may be used in byte or word mode - 32MB x8)
USB to Carte Blanche Interface
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//USB2APPLE.png
- USB to FPGA interface (From PC to Carte Blanche)
- Supports UART, Fast Serial (100Mbps), CPU FIFO, Parallel Bus and SoftJTAG
FPGA Clocking Options
- 12MHz
- Apple II bus
- CBIO Expansion Board x6 - (3x 3.3V GCLKS + 3x 3.3V/5V GCLKS)
- ZIF48
24bit/30bit Video - Three unique video interfaces (triple head)
- Mini HDMI (24bit) (165MHz TFP410) (No Audio) (with Monitor Detect Bit)
- I2C (DDC) PNP interface on HDMI Connector (with 3.3V to 5V translator)
- VGA (30bit) (THS8135PHP) (No DDC) (With Audio)
- LCD Module (direct 24 bit data) - Standard 40pin IO - Suitable displays are:
http://www.orientlcd.com/AFY480272A0_4_3N6NTN_4_3_TFT_p/afy480272a0-4.3n6ntn.htm
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/NHD-5.0-800480TF-ATXL%23/NHD-5.0-800480TF-ATXL%23-ND/4073856
- LCD Backlight (SY7201ABC)
Audio
- Stereo Delta Sigma
- 1.2W Audio Amplifier (TS4990IST)
- Apple speaker out connector
- Audio out over VGA cable
Apple II Interface
- Full Apple II/IIe/IIgs/III 50 pin (45 IO + 5 Power) bus interface with logic 5V and 3.3V level translators with direction control
- Bus disconnect option (BUS IO disconnect only - completely disconnects the Apple II bus from CB - does not effect power)
User Interface IO
- A 3 Pin connector allows a flying lead to attach that can provide an indicator, or button to give user control (ie - similar to the Taxan RGB cards color change switch, or WildCard Capture button)
- 1x IO (pulled up), 1x Input only (pulled up), 1x GND
- May be used as a select jumper - ie, JAT enable/JAT disable
- A typical cable to suit is;
http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/pc-computer-case-power-switch-cable-connector/75760010.html
Expansion
- 48 Pin ZIF DIP/Module - supports both 3.3V and 5V IO on all pins with VCC or GND on all pins
- 64 bit/pin PCIe x8 style board expansion interface - supports 3.3V and 5V IO with +12/+5/+3.3/-12V/-5V power supplies
- USB to CB UART (A2 SSC) Supports all board rates up to 12Mbaud (1/2 FT2232H), FIFO 245 mode and CPU BUS mode (all on Channel 
- DIP40 to DIP40 cable allows CB2 to replace Logic board processor - suitable processor replacement cable is:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/C6RRS-4006M/C6RRS-4006M-ND/1122956
JTAG
- Onboard JTAG Adaptor (USB connection to PC) - Supported by Xilinx 13.1 with up to 30Mb download speeds (1/2 FT2232H)
- Onboard Xilinx DLC9/DLC10 compatible JTAG header (SIL6)
- Onboard Altium JTAG connector (Tag-Connect)
Other
- Switching power supplies - SY8008B (1A per rail)
- LED indicators for +5/+12/FPGA DONE/USER FPGA TEST LED
- External DC jack (5V) is provided for optional stand alone use
- Mechanical through hole support on all IO connectors
References:
- Image of CB2 with new IO expansion board
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB2%2BCBIO.png
http://users.tpg.com.au/srkh//CB2%2BCBIO%2B2E.png
- CBIO Expansion board connector availability
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/GWE49DHRN-T941/S9651-ND/4794535
- Suitable Mini HDMI Cable (Strait HDMI)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-to-Mini-HDMI-Type-C-Male-Cable-for-HDTV-DV-1080p-/141101880197?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item20da53d385
- Suitable VGA Cable (VGA+Audio Over HDMI Connector)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-Male-to-VGA-HD15p-M-3-RCA-Video-Audio-AV-Cable-PS3-Xbox-360-TV-1-7m-5-58ft-/231310402565?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35db2ca405
- Typical TFT LCD Display module
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-3-40-Pin-TFT-Display-480x272-With-Touchscreen-/201059806329?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ed0192c79
- LCD DISPLAY MODULE WORKING ON IIGS
http://www.applelogic.org/IIGS+LCD_MODULE.jpg
- Others using FT2232H for JTAG with Xilinx ISE
http://forum.gadgetfactory.net/index.php?/topic/1747-board-support-in-xilinx-impact/
IO Board Template (CBII IO)
- CBIO PCB Templates will be available in several CAD formats (Including the new Circuitworks/Altium and Altium's free PCB tools (traxedit/PFW28/99SE).
IO Configuration (CBII IO)
- 32 Direct FPGA 3.3V IO (with 8 (24-32) input only)
- 32 Direct FPGA 5.0V or 3.3V IO (with 8 (24-32) input only)
-12MHZ Clock
- SPI Bus + SS
- FPGA DONE pin
- 6 GCLKS
- Audio L+R
- Power Available: +3.3V/+5V/-5/+12V/-12V
Compatibility with the Original CB
The FPGA on CBII is also a Xilinx device from the same Spartan family. Any projects or designs intended for the original Carte Blanche should also easily re-target to the CBII's FPGA without problems.
CB2 is basically all the things we did with CB1 with the extras added to make for easy implementation of projects. Things were learnt from the original CB that we have included in CBII
- Fast load times - CBII Can load its FPGA before the Apple II comes out of reset
- Optional delayed load - CB can disconnect (electronically) from the Apple II and wait until the Apple II has completed its reset cycle before loading its FPGA and connecting to the bus at power on, or on demand
- User Jumper/Switch/LED connector allows either a jumper or on the end of a cable - allows user to initiate tasks or select feature/options
- PB04 onboard - suits accelerators and co-processor projects
- high speed SRAM cache (100MHz) on board - also for accelerators or general memory
- Backup boot flash - just in case you trash your flash - set a jumper and a back up bitstream boots your card
- JTAG Adaptor included - CBII comes with a USB JTAG adaptor onboard - works with many JTAG download utilities as well as Xilinx Impact and Linux UrJTAG
- Audio included on board, with power amp and a speaker jack compatible with Apple's speaker jack (just like in the early sound card days of the PC - what are we doing!)
- Multiple JTAG headers - One for Altium and one for Xilinx (Just in case you want to use your own JTAG adaptor)
- GCLKS on Apple II bus interface - All Apple bus clocks are routed to FPGA global clocks
- lots of memory (32MB) for FPGA or Apple projects
- Video on board - 30bit VGA, 24 bit HDMI and LCD module - simultaneous triple screen capability with individual frame buffers
- Micro SD memory card - Smaller than SD with ridiculous capacities for only a few dollars
- Larger on board flash memory (8MB)
- Standard and comprehensive expansion scheme - Using cheap PCIe card edge connectors - No more proprietary connectors
- Onboard USB to FPGA UART or 8bitBus - for backwards compatibility with exisiting SCC software and downloading data or flash images using JAT
Power Requirements (Not Including CBII IO Board)
Carte Blanche operates in two different modes of power sourcing, which is selected automatically. Single supply mode and Multisupply mode.
Multisupply mode (ie, Used with an Apple IIe) +5V@100mA (0.5W) +12V@240mA (2.88W)
Single Supply Mode (ie from the onboard Plug Pack DC jack) +5V@670mA (3.35W)
-12V and -5V is only used by the CBII IO board (if required). -12V and -5V is not available when used in single supply mode.
Yes! Please add me to the list for a complete set of boards.
I do not currently have access to the Google drive.
Thank you in advance! -Bob
I think you need access to the google drive.
Can this card act as a TranswarpGS or ZIPGSX too? What is the price for it?
I think you need access to the google drive.
What is it??
Did you read first posting ?
and follow up provided links ?
experimental interface board for FPGA board ( handled by users with advanced technicial knowledge ! )
speedyG
It says to sign in, so I was just wondering what its main function was. Thanks anyway. No need to reply, Speedy Guy.
I too am a bit unclear about all that this does when you first get the complete board. Also, I suppose I need access to the Google Drive, if possible. Thanks.
For those on the Carte Blanche II Reservation List, the Spread Sheet has been Updated..
It appears that Serial Number 01 was shipped to Alex on 13-MAY-2015.
MarkO
What is its price? What cards can be emulated presently with it? Or all the emulation firmware should be programmed from now on from the scratch?
Besides the Google Drive Spread Sheet with the Order Status of the Individuals that Purchased One ( or More ) there was just added a Manufacturing Status Spread Sheet and a Testing Matrix Spread Sheet...
FPGA Projects for the Carte Blanche II will be available from the Projects Page, which currently consists of Six Pages.
The price is $395.00 ( US Dollars ) each, plus Shipping...
Being the FPGA can be programmed to do many things, the Projects Page ( link found above ), has 24Bit VGA/DVI Card, a Frogger, Scramble, Space Invaders, Mooncresta/Galaxian, PacMan games, an Apple //e Enhansed using a Real 65C02, a VT100 Terminal, a MC6809 Computer like the SWTPc 6809, a Graphics Card like the Circuit Cellar TMS9918, an ALF, APPLE Music Card MC1, a Micro-Soft Z80 SoftCard, and another Micro-Soft Z80 SoftCard with Real Z80, a Single Channel Mockingboard with Real M6522 VIA, and another Mockingboard all done in the FPGA, a Colecovision Game Console, and for the ][gs, a W65C816 Accelerator Card, all done on the FPGA, and another VGA Card with Pseudo Disk. Plus some Various Tests for the different features of the card..
Or you can design your "own stuff". I am thinking about attempting to design a 65xx processor that was never released, but had some design Specifications released...
MarkO
Until there is useful and available firmware that can be programmed into this card and make it do something useful, this card is an expensive fpga educational non-standard platform...
ALL of the Projects on the Project Pages are suppose to be available to Download when the Card Ships..
The Projects, as they are, are Useful in their own way.. Because they come with the Source Code to Modify..
Yes, it is Expensive, but various People, including myself, put up the money to buy 60 of them.
I hate to "quibble here", but the XILINX 400AN FPGA (XC3S400AN-4FG400C) is pretty Standard, and the Projects are in Altium Designer and Xilinx ISE project formats.
Hosting the FPGA System on an Apple ][ or Commodore 64, that is Non-Standard..
There are bound to be much less expensive FPGA Development Systems, but none as easy to Interface to an Apple ][ or Commodore 64.
MarkO
And why not now?!?
I would surmise a Time Issue...
Based on this section of an e-mail I got on 03-APR-2015:
With that being said, the Carte Blanche ( I ) has a few Projects Available, I have little reason to doubt that there will be Projects for the Carte Blanche II.
MarkO
Why would one post advertizing pictures of these somewhat ready projects with fake download links to their corresponding files?
Place Holders... I would have done it differently...
MarkO
The "first" Carte Blanche II units have shipped...
For members of the FaceBook Group, "Apple II Enthusiasts", see Andrew Roughan's post :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5251478676/permalink/10153991883338677/
MarkO
Hello Mark,
the posting 2 blocks previous and several before - just remind me to Aesope and his tales:
http://www.taleswithmorals.com/aesop-fable-the-fox-and-the-grapes.htm
anger after missing to get in the orderlist - maybe....
LOL
speedyG
Who Knows....
Most Computer Users of the Apple ][ Era, were also Creators too... Maybe he is one of the minority that is waiting for someone else to make something usable from the CBII...
MarkO
Dumb Question: What is this thing for?
Not So Dumb Answer:
Learn About FPGAs.
Realize that FPGAs can replace Application Specific Integrated Circuits ( ASIC ) "chips" in a Product or Project.
The MMU and IOU in the Apple ][e and //c are ASIC "chips". So is the AY3600 Keyboard Controller. The MOS6502 can be considered an ASIC too.
Some of the Announced Projects for the CBII include:
A 6502 SoftCore. The FPGA is Programmed to Work Like a MOS 6502, and the ZIF Socket is connected to the 6502 CPU Socket on the Mother Board.
A Micro-Soft Z80 SoftCard. The FPGA is Programmed to function like a Z80 SoftCard with a Z80 CPU.
And another Micro-Soft Z80 SoftCard with Real Z80.The FPGA is Programmed to function like a Z80 SoftCard without a Z80 CPU, so a Z80 CPU needs to installed in the ZIF Socket.
A dedicated VGA/HDMI Video Card.
See the Bottom of my Post #11 for all the currently listed projects.
MarkO
Before you replace them you should reverse the exact logic of these chips! Have you done this? And if you know that you can replace them with whatever you want, not only FPGA. The main role of FPGA is not to replace ASICs but to make the circuit design more flexible and programmable and...sometimes copy protected...
All those projects you mention so far are just set of photographs...Without available projects this card is like a computer without software. Therefore
Right now this card is for nothing. Wait for projects to be available and bug free and then decide whether it suits your needs or not.
I doubt it. Since I have almost no idea how these things work. I still have a hard time understanding how logic gates work. I wish I could learn how they work. But I have read the Wikipedia articles on them and it's like trying to read Chinese without a translator.
insanitor,
Don't feel bad.
I just finished reading Jim Sather's "Understanding the Apple II".
It took me twice to understand half of it. lol
Although, I do have a better understanding than what I did before.
Now I'm tackling Roger Wagner's "Assembly Lines: The Complete Book".
All good things take a little time.
Steven
It's all about understanding how transistors work, and knowing the difference between NPN and PNP. But from a more basic (and practical) perspective, logic gates are really quite simple in and of themselves. It's when you start stringing them together where things get interesting. There is a nifty freeware app for 68k Macs floating around on the interwebs called logicsim that lets you build all sorts of logic circuits using basic AND/OR/XOR/NOT gates. You simply attach the virtual input "leads" into virtual switches, and the output to virtual "light bulbs". So using this app, you could take the schematics from various wikipedia articles and construct virtual shift registers, memory circuits, adders, etc, and then play with the switches to see how they work. It's a fun and educational way to use that old Mac of yours.
I'm pretty sure it's non-restricted as far as sharing is concerned, so just PM me if you want me to send it to you. I think I just ran across it the other day when I was organizing things.
Now, I wish that I could understand how transistors work...
This is like looking up a word in the dictionary. The definition has other words in it that you don't understand either. It's like a chain with an infinite amount of links... And you can never get to the last link.
Transistors are like a Control Valve, "with no moving parts" ( e.g. Solid State ). A tiny bit of Voltage and Amperage can Control a Larger Amount of Voltage and Large Amount of Amperage..
Sometime they are use in a Simple ON or OFF State.. That's Binary..
Sometime they are use with Varying Amounts of a tiny Current, to Control Large Amounts of Current. This would be for Amplification of a Signal.
Transistors are not a beginning topic... Volts, Amperes and Ohms are the Start
Find a copy of Forest M. Mims III's "Getting Started in Electronics". I bought mine at Radio-Shack a few years ago...
Ask Questions here too...
MarkO
MarkO,
Thanks for the link.
Think I will order one for reference.
Steven
[quote=gsmcten]MarkO,
Thanks for the link.
Think I will order one for reference.
Steven :)[/quote]
Not a Problem...
I have built Radio-Shack Project Kits, had Electronics Classes in College and [url=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ywWwA7doduY/UrXq8Pk8d3I/AAAAAAAAABY/VNfBJNuWi0M/s1600/CCSDC_REVC3.jpg]Assembled my CoCoSDC Boards[/url].
Forest M. Mims III also wrote a bunch of Mini Notebooks for Radio-Shack.. Those are handy too... I only have the Communications Projects handy..
[img]http://www.applefritter.com/files/images/2015-06-13%2017.12.13.preview.jpg[/img]
http://www.applefritter.com/content/forest-m-mims-iiis-getting-started-electronics-and-engineers-mini-notebook-communications-pr
MarkO
Hello Mark, Hello insanitor,
just a polite reminder....
how about instead starting a new thread like
"How to perform first attempts at learning about electronics" ?
i´ve created that new thread and moved the postings accross to that new thread....
and added a posting
so please to insanitor, MarlO and quickthyme checkout at the new location....
thanks
back to the topic:
It seems that Steve is now preparing the shipping of the cards....
iv´e recieved message today for confirmation of the shipping data....
so assuming that shipments are starting from australia
the cards might arrive within the next 2 to 4 weeks accross over the globe....
and related to that i´d expect updatings of the projects page to new projects of the CBII
within the next 2 or 3 months....
sincerely
speedyG
Hello to all fritter critters,
like every good meal it takes time to settle and give the flavors chance to combine
to a tasty meal....
and like georgel mentioned sadly because he missed the train ... sigh , sigh.....
"the links are empty leading to nothing"
the most cards now have finally been shipped and by tracking most customers will
be happy to recognize their card to arrive within 3 to 4 days in their domestic
home adress..... most will have recieved in the meantime the mail notification
from chosen transportation service....
i quess the next thing that will happen is the update of the project pages by getting the
"place holders" filled with content and working links to real files.....
so maybe while waiting till this task is completed it´s a good idea to use the time
reading a bit in the documents availiable now at the moment for download and
while reading that docs to develop the strategy how to attempt the own project
and getting familiar with the tools ( ISE or Altium Designer ).....
I just for example recieved 2 days ago the microflash cards for the external
Micro SD Transflash adaptor that i want to use as swapable additional memory
for projects.....
I wish to all customers that the packages arrive in good condition without any
transportation damage ( they should - because of the excellent packing ).....
sincerely speedyG
An NPN transistor has a collector and an emitter which is doped negative, while the base is doped positive. A PNP transistor has a collector and an emitter which is doped positive, while the base is doped negative. That's the difference primarily.
What confuses me is the method of which a "control valve" works. What exactly is the flow of amps or volts coming in the transistor to which parts of it that controls the flow?
And binary what? This is voltage and current, right? How is the voltage being converted into computer information?
I am aware of what these things are to a certain extent. But it does not help much.
I have that book. But it won't give me the, "AHA!" that I need to go off in my brain which tells me that I understand something. There is something missing here and I don't know what it is.
Speedy, I am sorry for not yet using your new thread but I intend to.
MarkO, what is confusing me is that if a transistor is a kind of valve, then what is the base for? A transistor has been doped with positive and negative material, so there has to be parts of it that somehow repel or allow voltage and current to flow through what? There are supposed to be the flow of positive and negative voltage and current through the transistor but what do these doped parts of the transistor do? Shouldn't they stop the flow all together like hooking up a battery the wrong way which discharges them both?
The ONLY valve that makes sense to me is the diode.
The diode. Now THERE is a device which acts like a valve. It allows power to go in one direction but not the other.
Hello insanitor,
i´m sorry too that you won´t even follow up a given advice.....
it´s a pitty not to follow up my invitation to the new thread !
If you would have followed up that invitation and the given links there
you would have found there the following first given link:
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/
and at that page you would have found the link to the following page:
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transistor/tran_1.html
not to talk about a couple of links given at the end of that page leading to more information
about basics of different kinds of transistors......
the forth link would lead you by term of transistor to the following page:
http://williamson-labs.com/transistors/
why didn´t you even give the advice a try ?
Could you please explain to me why that pages don´t satisfy your needs for explenation and tutorial ?
i would like to understand whats the difficulty to read that pages and learn...
and i´d like to understand what this last posting has got to do with the Carte Blanche II ?!?
Hello Mark,
please be so kind and reply to insanitors posting at the other thread at:
http://www.applefritter.com/content/how-perform-first-attempts-learning-about-electronics
and give insanitor a second chance to switch over to the other thread....
thanks a lot....
sincerely speedyG
I have "faith" that there will be something there.. I don't really know Steve, but the Carte Blanche ( I ) was developed and shipped to people worldwide, and projects were provided for it...
I received my notification this morning, Wednesday 08-JUL-2015 PDT-8PST. It appears that 2-3 day delivery is what was selected, so I might see mine by Friday...
Yes.. I am looking forward to seeing all of the Projects that are available... Starting with the Test Programs, and then moving on to the SoftCores for the 6502, Z80, and Mocking Board.
I already installed Xilinx ISE 12.1 a few weeks ago. If you buy a DLC9LP from here, it comes with Xilinx ISE 13.1 on the DVD...
The Micro SD, or Compact Flash ( CF )??
I wish the same..
I am looking forward to chatting with all of you, about what you have discovered with you Carte Blabnche II.
MarkO
I just for example recieved 2 days ago the microflash cards for the external
Micro SD Transflash adaptor that i want to use as swapable additional memory
for projects.....
MarkO :
The Micro SD, or Compact Flash ( CF )??
This is the offer i have chosen from local store:
http://www.schwanthaler-computer.de/speichermedien/flashkarten/microsd-transflash/7218/microsdhc-card-8gb-kingston-class-10
apeedyG
This Response, is NOW over THERE ---------> How to perform first attempts at learning about electronics
MicroSD... I have a couple 16GB I got a year and a half ago at Radio-Shack... They were on Sale..
MarkO
What have I missed? I never wanted to be on that train for sure! I like planes
Let me explain this way:
Nobody knows how highways work without signs or rules of the road. For example: There are two way and one way streets. Without these signs, all we have is chaos and no understanding on how highways work. In the case of a diode, without knowing which direction the power goes through, then you'd end up hooking up a diode the wrong way.
I need to actually see where the power flows through the circuit and see it in action, like an animation. Words to explain this don't help me, they only confuse me more.
Now I go off to that other thread.
Steve at applelogic.org has updated the Projects Page.
The Projects are in Altium Designer 10 format, but ALL Files are included to convert them to Xilinx's ISE 12.1 or a newer version of ISE's type of projects.
The Binary .BIT and .BIN files are included, for immediate Download to the Carte Blanche II, without Installing Altium Designer 10 or Xilinx ISE 12.1.