Building the ZX Dandanator Mini 2.1 for the ZX Spectrum - Flash RAM ROM Interface
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- In association with www.PCBWay.com we are going to build the ZX Dandanator Mini 2.1 from scratch, inc soldering, modding the edge connector and programming.
The ZX Dandanator is a 512k Flash RAM based ROM card, with many incredible uses, not least as a hardware diagnostic card for ZX Spectrums. We'll give it a quick test at the end of the video on a real 48k Sinclair Spectrum!
More Information about the Dandanator, including all the files to build your own, here: www.dandare.es/Proyectos_Danda...
GRATITUDE AND THANKS to my Patreon Supporters who are mentioned in the video. If you would like to help fund future videos, I would be really grateful. Visit / markfixesstuff for more details.
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Music courtesy of TeknoAXE - teknoaxe.com/ - Наука та технологія
![Dandanator and DivMMC: Instant load on Spectrum [eng subs]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RqtxPMS0wJg/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching! You can help me make more content like this! Join the MFS supporters at www.patreon.com/markfixesstuff
"any resistance means you've gone wrong hole..." This one is applicable to other life situations loool
I never thought of it like that! 😇😅😂
12:51 - That's what she said
I went in the wrong hole once, wife made me sleep in the spare bed for a week.
Not seen one of those chip programmers before, clever stuff.
I wasn't going to say anything 😆.
Nice bit of kit, great video mate.
The innuendo kills this.
great stuff mark , you and RMC are so good and interesting at what you do
Thank you kindly Jay. I passed your kind comment on to RMC.
Great work, thanks! I glad to see it!
Loved watching this. Relaxing and exciting at the same time
Ahh, thank you so much! I do sometimes worry if I have the pacing right in my videos.
Nice instructional build Mark makes me want to build one myself mate 👍
Go for it!
Excellent video broski !! always good stuff from you!i love the new looks :D hope you are well !!
Thanks! You too! We are locked down here! How are you?
@@MarkFixesStuff Same here Broski ,same here i will tell you.
Interesting piece of kit.
It's a lot of fun to build and genuinely useful. I imagine it'd be a big help for streamers using real hardware as well.
Very nice video. Thanks Mark!
Glad you liked it! Thank you for your work on such an awesome interface. Maybe I will try and get the parts for a CPC Dandanator next :)
Interesting build. Great video👍
Thanks 👍 mate and big thumbs up for the big PR!
What a neat interface. I've got a ZXTape Bluetooth loader. It loads and saves using a folder on my XP laptop. :)
Old school windows as well as a Spectrum??? AWESOME!!!
Hi from Kempston, Beds!
Yep. I live in the small town where the Kempston interface was created by Kempston Micro Electronics.
I might even go and see if I can find any trace of their old building/location.
Edit: Wow, its a flat down the road from me!
Very cool! Let me see any pics if you find anything!
Lovely work 👍
Thank you! Cheers! All the better for your ongoing support and help!
Great video mate
Glad you enjoyed it mate and really big thanks for watching.
It's good practice to fit resistora with the tolerance bands to the right and down, so all the values reads left to right, or top to bottom.
This makes assembly and fault finding easier.
Thanks Joe. This makes sense and I'll do it this way from now on. :)
@@MarkFixesStuff It also helps fighting OCD in the world.
Very cool build and device. New intro too, MFS 2.0, with added beard 😀
Hobo MFS!
@@MarkFixesStuff COVID in action.
There's no vaccine for beards
I would so much like to follow you on ZX stuff, but being from eastern part of Europe, we had very different 8bit beasts in here back in the day. Generally compatible, but still different enough. I would love to copy someone doing an HDMI mod to a Didaktik M :D No such luck. At least the divIDE thingy worked for me to get rid of the all-encompassing tape caused "loading error". Never mind that. Nice project!
Hey! I do understand. BTW, this project will work on a Didaktik M and did you know that the ZX-HD from Bytedelight is also tested and working on Didaktik M as well?
www.bytedelight.com/?page_id=1800
Thanks for watching and keep those comments coming!!!
@@MarkFixesStuff Hi! Of course I had no idea! Thanks big time, I'll give it a try. Now, if I only had your capable hands :D There's a Didaktik M in danger now. Thanks again!
Missed opportunity on PCBWahey! Possibly.
I don't get the whole PCBWahey thing. What am I missing?
@@MarkFixesStuff See the UA-cam channel Retro Recipes. 😉
Are you British? Very nice to listen your pure English instead of crappy USA accent)
I stuffed in 2 arms from a 2mm tile spacer to fill pin 5 on my homebrew FDD adapter, it was the first thing that I could find in my tool box 😅
That's a pretty good idea actually. I have some of those wedge shaped laminiate flooring spacers...
@@MarkFixesStuff thanks! I probably should have glued them in however as the do ping out every now and again!
I went to change this one and it's glued solid. Scrap that then...
I got myself a Dandanator Mini Dual, and I liked it a lot, it's easy to update the games over the USB port it has built in, but it has one big issue, and that's the multiload games, as in games that load stages from cassette seperately, which is where the MLD format comes in. Basically, you have to make them yourself, and it's not just a case of converting a file, but actually messing around with the assembly language for each game separately, and each game is different in how it's done. Not at all user friendly. I spent ages googling to see if there was an easier way, and came up with nothing.
I'll probably get a DivMMC Future as it doesn't seem to have any of those issues, but the Dandanator is still handy to have for diagnostics and stuff like that, especially as you can add several types of diagnostics programs in it.
Yeah, they’re not really comparable devices to be honest. The Dandanator is more like a configurable ROM cart, hence it being excellent as a diagnostics tool. There are a few good MLD format files out there already though, like Sword of Ianna and CastleVania: Spectral Interlude. Its a great device and really cheap.
Very cool video. I see the gummy bears were checking your work :)
I don't know how they keep getting into the videos! I think they edit themselves in whilst I sleep... those juicy monsters!
Nice neat board i tend to use tapdancer on my android phone to load spectrum games though that of course is no faster than using a real tape deck but it gives the full experiance of loading a game like we used to i am just odd like that .
I like a bit of loading action myself. Where this differs is that the Dandanator allows access to more storage for a single game. So there could potentially be special versions that just support it. There are some special version of homebrew games on the website.
Is there anything similar available for my +2? Great video BTW keep up the great work.
This works on the 128k models too.
Great video! I'm almost there making one of these but I don't have a PLCC to 32 pin adapter. PIC and GAL chips are already programmed, can I upload a .ROM file to the EEPROM some other way like with a serial programmer?! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing I will be building one for sure, is there anything similar like this for the msx ?
Not that I’ve found that is open source. I will keep an eye out
I'm imagining there's a Patreon only version of this video with alternate commentary.
I will have to deny that rumour. Become a Patron and find out at www.patreon.com/markfixesstuff
Thanks for letting me slip that plug in BTW.
Is that the version where you are a photocopier repair man with a large tool in tight overalls?
Or maybe that was another streaming service 😉 or a dream. 🤷
@@BenRattigan that was on VHS. I was young and I needed the money.
1st really good instructional video.
2nd, a question: to put a game in the dandanator, one needs to remove the square chip, and put it in the programmer?
You can program it that way but you can also program it via the sound port on the spectrum using a .tap file
@@MarkFixesStuff Just to make clear, one connects the datacorder to the spectrum via the Ear port, and the dandanator is able to read the tape and produce a .tap or .z80 image?
BTW. 1N4148 is not Zener diode. I am sure you know it, but someone else may not.
Oh no. Did I say Zener somewhere? At least folks can get the right part on the name. Thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate it and thank you for watching.
Hi Mark, I know this an old vid and you probably won't pick up on this comment but can you remember where you got the edge connector from? Aliexpress? eBay? I'm looking for some. Great vid, keep up the good work!
Hi Brett!
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002212044956.html you want the 56P version, which means 56 positions - 28 either side and you need to pull out the one for the gap.
@@MarkFixesStuff WOW! Thanks Mark. I'll get some ordered.
So do you recommend this or divvmmc for instant loading .This is cheaper but seems more awkward to put games on it , and it must be limited to how much it will hold
DivMMC all day long for games, but this is good for things like diagnostics carts. It is limited in space. Some new homebrew games are fomatted for the cart and multiload is a thing of the past. Hmmmmm... they both have a place.
👍😊
Thank you for watching!
"Any resistance means you have it in the wrong hole"
...
...
...
"Are we not doing 'phrasing' anymore?"
It would have been nice to cover the costs of parts and chip programmers, because if it's too high you could just buy one.
Plus it would be useful to cover saving onto it without needing a programmer.
Chewing gum as a fixator) lol)
All the Dandanators are different. So if we buy one can we load anything we want on it, but lose whatever it came with?
Yes, you basically upload a romset to the main section. The diagnostic rom is in a seperate section though. When you make a romset in the software you can save it though.
Smurf Poo - available from all reputable hardware and electronics stores
and Gargamel's back lawn.
Could you provide more detail on the programming interfaces? I need to buy one to flash a PC motherboard STC 32 PLCC but want a device I can use for other projects like this video going forward. Would you say buy the "clone" one you mentioned over the MiniPro? Cheers.
Hmmm.... that is a question and a half.
- OK, so the red clone is ONLY for Pic chips. You won't want that on it's own.
- The Minipro in the video IS also a clone. AutoElec don't make them anymore, so anything you buy will be a clone.
- My "Minipro" is a clone of the TL866A, which doesn't have the ICSP header. You can add this yourself and hack the firmware but I have't bothered. The advantage for me is that this model can program with 21v where as the later model can only go up to about 16v(?)
- A Minipro TL866II can do the pic chip programming that I needed to get the Pic programmed in the video. This would do the 32 pin PLCC flash chip no probelms and will probably suit you for most projects. Some vintage stuff will need 21v and I THINK the TL866II is limited to 18v?
Sorry If I just confused you more. Go for a TL866II I reckon.
As Mark suggests, get a genuine Tl886, you can then program all three chips , the Minipro's are a clone and don't have all the features. XGecu Pro will do all three chips
@@MarkFixesStuff Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm new to programming EEPROMs and it's tricky to know where to start. (Maybe a subject for a future episode?)
@@mym8784 Thanks for the pointer, at £100+ with no adapters it's not cheap! I see the official manufacturer no longer makes the TL866 and the ones on AliExpress etc are counterfeits. (You mention TI886, was that a typo?)
@@PeteB I would but I am kind of working it out as I go along myself, and not keen to paint myself as an expert on a subject.
I know I program most 27c seried EPROMs with my dodgy little clone TL866CS, including C64 carts, pic chips, Lattice GALs and Kickstart ROMs for my Amiga stuff - although that needs a special adapter which I built (you can buy it though!)
3:45, you know the dirty secrets of modern THT caps?
If you remove the coating chances are high that there is a SMD cap inside. #themoreyouknow
I got a ZX Dandanator Mini 2.1 and it all seemed to work first time, transferring a rom set. However since this first time I've not been able to transfer new roms sets to it. Do I need to intialise the board on boot or something. I've been going into the Dandanator menu first, and then exiting to the Spectrum. Should I be doing this differently? Cheers, to anyone that can help. :-)
Hi Jarcher! The Dandanator Mini has two components. The PIC microcontroller and the Flash memory. If you update the ROM set you must "tell" the PIC microcontroller what the contents of the Flash are.
To update the PIC, hold BOTH buttons whilst powering on the Spectrum. You will see a progress menu as the PIC is updated from the FLASH contents. After a reboot it should all be working as expected.
@@MarkFixesStuff Thanks for replying Mark. After looking at the documentation, I discovered that I had to prepare the Dandanator on boot to be updated by holding the 'right' button. This then seemed to work with loading a new rom set. But I think there were problems. It started 'loading' and then 'recording' and the big number on the right increased. But then it seemed to fail mid way through. Now after loading the 'loader, and trying to upload a new rom set, I just get a flashing light/dark blue border. It feels like I've broken it. I tried updating the microcontroller but it didn't seem to do anything.
Is there a way to hard reset it? The Dandanator document is pretty bad. :-)
Mark, do you use leaded or unleaded solder? On personal things, I would always use leaded. It just flows so much better.
Also, a few tips, for keeping the tip (see, what I did there?) on tip (oh, COME ON!) top order ;)
I say, tip cleaner.
At work, we are not using it and I think it's a stupid decision!
After using, cover the tip with solder and let it cool there covering the tip.
It stops the corrosion of the tip, which happens when it is in contact with air and moisture. You will save money, as your tips last longer.
Also, tip cleaner is easier on tip, than using something to remove the oxidation from tip (like file) and it also has solder on it. So it leaves the tip covered with solder...
P.S. The problem, with breaking the ceramic part of the capacitor(s) is, that now it's easier for moisture and oxidation to make their damage...
And on soldering that socket, too much will melt socket and too little will leave you with a cold solder joint.
If you're able, test on something you don't mind losing. Every soldering station/iron is different! Find the proper temperatures on YOUR set-up and components and so on. And you will save yourself from many headaches...
Booo... hisss... I will do the bad jokes!
I don't use tip cleaner. Just because I never have. I don't really suffer from a dirty tipe. I don't use wet sponges, but rpefer wire wool, which can wear the tip anyway, but I prefer to replace them often - they are not too expensive. Filing is a waste of time I think. I do ALWAYS coat the tip with fresh solder before returning the iron to the stand though.
I know the cracking of the ceramic was a bit naughty. I have some proper caps on the way and will replace them when they arrive.
Thank you for watching and as always I really appreciate your interesting tips and input! :)
Leaded on personal projects BTW, or if the original machine used leaded. I figure if I repair a machine with leaded it won't go into waste so is a positive move.
@@MarkFixesStuff Yeah, I'll say yeah for wool too! It does wear the tip more and exactly, the filing will remove the coating and basically kill the tip even faster.
And as you said, when the tip is gone, it's gone. You WILL do more damage, if you do not replace it and try to keep using it past it's age. Remember, more pressure DOES NOT make the heat transfer better. But it most probably will break the board ;)
@@MarkFixesStuff Leaded will make a better bond and is better in every way. Well, it may not be as "healthy". But user is never in contact with it, anyway ;)
@@miikasuominen3845 Yes. It's not good eating.
Why would you need to edit to make yourself look good the hardest part will 100% be following the instructions and figuring out where everything goes because. Honestly I couldn't solder (well I could I just didn't know that yet) so I bought a Nixie tube clock kit and a cheap nasty soldering kit and within a week I'd managed to track down some lead solder in a pound shop (which was the second hardest part of the build) and without any flux I had a working clock wrapped in Lego and it still works to this day a mere 4-5 years later and now I know I can solder and it turns out it's so easy
What is diameter of your soldering iron tip?
3.5mm chisel tip!
I can't get the software as my AV program goes yampy and doesn't want me to go to the site
Add an exception? The site is 100% fine.
1n4148 it isn't a Zener diode.
That's not the best way to solder edge connector:
1- contact surface should be more than a pin point so that solder have decent surface to adhere to, even if applied thinly
2. Nothing should load solder points with significant force, static or repetitive. Solder develops cracks.
So, it would be much better to bend the pin to form "L" on both sides, with vertical part separations being hair below PCB width, so it fits snugly.
Connector plastic should press against the PCB, so that forces at insertion/removal hit that edge.
Thanks for the tips. It makes sense and I’ll try that approach next time I make an interface for the spectrum. So far I just looked what other people were doing. Maybe I can use a vice to grip and bend the pins in a row and then angle them in to an L shape. Might take a few goes haha! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
@@MarkFixesStuff
Also, avoid those DIP chip sockets.
Use ones with rounded holes that have spring inside. They are cheap and TONS better than these.
I serviced _many_ Spectrums in my time and quite a few failures were due contact oxidation and thermal stresses of those shitty sockets. After many heat-cool cycles they tend to "spit" the chip out.
Hmm... got a link to some of the good ones that you know are ok? Low on funds here but I’ll definitely bear that in mind for any important stuff I have coming up.
My BF's name is Dan I wonder what will happen if I call him Dandanator 🤣
His powers will be increased by 48k
Key was a bit Ruff. Ha, theres an engineer joke in there somewhere!.
Alicia Keys? Lost 'er keys more like.
No one needs pain in there do dads 😳
I'm ok with it being other people's doodads, but my own? Nah...
@@MarkFixesStuff lol 😅
8:06 chew gum??? melting in the board? what about an humble scotch tape?
Haha! No it’s not chewing gum Héctor! It’s “Blue Tack”. I don’t know what it is called in Spain... pegamento chicle? It’s a reusable sticky putty. Scotch Tape is good, but I don’t have it.
Thank you for watching the video? I really appreciate it :)
John Wick fixes stuff
I couldn't fix my dog though.
@@MarkFixesStuff Nobody needed to die If only John tried 3d printing and a bit of hot glue.
"Whats the point of doing this if it is retro, why not load games from a reel to reel player"