Re: SIMMS and the 6510 (RE: VIC - DRAM-refresh)

From: Marko Mäkelä (msmakela_at_cc.hut.fi)
Date: 2001-05-16 10:50:07

On Wed, 16 May 2001 ncoplin@orbeng.com wrote:

> The inspiration was to perform a CBR and a read in the processor phase of
> the clock. With a 1MHz clock, 500ns is low and 500ns is high. There is a RAS
> and CAS event in each phase, I assume for 200ns each? I have no
> oscilliscope, but as some boards have 300ns RAMs, the signals should be
> long.

I think that my oldest C64 has 350ns DRAMs.  They are in a ceramic
sandwhich-like case (like EPROMs but no window).  I haven't made any
measurements either.

If this idea works, it's certainly much simpler than what John and I
suggested.  If you have to go for programmable logic anyway (because of
other features), then I think the simplest way to detect refresh cycles
would be to count 1 MHz cycles with a 63-, 64- or 65-stage counter.  
During the power-on phase, this counter would be synchronized with the
VIC-II memory refresh, which can be detected as the pattern of 5
consecutive reads from decrementing addresses.  I don't think that there
are any other circumstances under which the VIC-II reads from decrementing
addresses.  All other address counters in the VIC-II should increment.  
Maybe you could use as few as 3 least significant bits from the VIC-II
address bus to detect this.  These detected refresh cycles could be used
for fully transparent DMA e.g. for debugging purposes.  The bandwidth
would be 5/63*985248 Hz = 78194 Hz (PAL) or 5/65*1022727 = 78671 Hz (NTSC).

	Marko

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