A8PicoCart: cheap cartridge emulator for Atari 8-bit computers | Video
2 min read
views
The A8PicoCart is an open source project derived from Electrotrains' UnoCart for the Rasberry Pi Pico hardware, offering Atari 8-bit computer enthusiasts a simple and inexpensive way to emulate a wide variety of cartridges, expanding the possibilities of their software library.
Jose Antonio Vaca Bello (Colombia), from Retro Computing Channel, explains how to build this device taking advantage of the versatility of the purple Raspberry Pi Pico: a cheaper and more functional clone, which has enough GPIO pins necessary for Atari cartridge emulation. This emulator can handle various types of cartridges such as Williams, OSS, Atari XEGS, Turbosoft and Atarimax, with a limitation of up to 128K.
Necessary components
According to José Antonio's explanation, to build the A8PicoCart only three main elements are needed:1. The project base plate, which can be obtained by printing the design files Available on GitHub. Boards can be ordered through PCBWay.
2. A purple Raspberry Pi Pico clone like the Ultimate Pico RP2040 128Mbit with 16MB RAM.
3. A micro switch to reset the cartridge.
The total cost of these components is less than $10, making the A8PicoCart one of the most affordable projects for emulating Atari cartridges. Even with a 3D printed case, the total cost should not exceed $17.
Assembly and configuration
The assembly process involves soldering the Raspberry Pi Pico onto the motherboard, taking into account the correct orientation of the USB connector. Then, the A8PicoCart-specific firmware must be loaded onto the Raspberry Pi Pico using the "Boot" button while connected to the computer.
Once configured, the device is recognized as a USB storage drive, allowing you to drag and drop cartridge files (in .BIN or .ROM format converted to .CAR) directly into its memory. The A8PicoCart can even play Atari .XEX files natively.
Compatibility and versatility
The A8PicoCart supports a wide range of cartridges, including Williams, Atari XEGS, Turbosoft, OSS and Atarimax types, among others. In addition, it can emulate some ATR disk images, although for better handling of these it is recommended to use the SDriveMax project.
The A8PicoCart supports loading CAR format cartridge files and XEX format executables, as well as some ATR disk images with limitations. To convert BIN files to CAR, the RomToCar utility available in the Ultimate Cart project can be used. Once converted, the files can be copied directly into the A8PicoCart memory.
GRATITUDE
To our friend José Antonio for kindly providing us with the images that illustrate this article.
Posted by
Please comment politely. Spam comments will be moderated. Thank you.