NeXT Universal Soundbox Replacement: NU_IO

[barcher174]

Just to clarify, I won't be taking payment until the boards are ready to ship. My next problem is to find appropriate sized shipping boxes.

[Rob Blessin Black Hole]

Hello Brian: USPS small flat rate boxes will work well ! You can always throw a flew envelope over them as well .  So I know your wheels are turning , what other things can be created with those NeXT ASIC Chips?  A modern NITRO or Pyro accelerator perhaps ?  I have a bunch of original sound box shells that warped in for lack of a better explaination , we've been taking a gander at using a dremil tool along the base also for cubes pehaps a custom slat to house the card with in the cube case, then we would be able to 3d print a custom bezel to match your encarnation masterpieces of sound cards. I lowered the price on the first rev series one cards and will list the series 2. I can send you a few shells if you want to tinker with the idea.  Peace Rob

[eagle]

So, this gives me a modern replacement for my NeXT monitor?  I have only B&W NeXTs (a prototype Cube and 3 stations), and I'm sure my monitors are dead at this point.  (I probably need to re-cap all of the systems as well.)  Does this board allow me to use all of my existing hardware, replacing the original B&W monitor with a modern VGA monitor?  Am I getting this right?

[barcher174]

So, this gives me a modern replacement for my NeXT monitor?

That is the idea, yes. Plug it in just like you would a megapixel and have access to keyboard/sound/vga.

[eagle]

That's very cool.  Are you planning another run at some point in the future, or is this a now-or-never thing like the Atari Incognito was (until Lotharek made a run of them last month, first time in 10 years) ...

Thanks.

[barcher174]

That's very cool.  Are you planning another run at some point in the future, or is this a now-or-never thing like the Atari Incognito was (until Lotharek made a run of them last month, first time in 10 years) ...

Thanks.

I will probably make some extra units. Longer term this will likely turn into a kit build with just the board and ASIC supplied.

[eagle]

What resolution do you get on the VGA display?  1132x820?  1280x1024? Something else?

[barcher174]

What resolution do you get on the VGA display?  1132x820?  1280x1024? Something else?

The VGA monitor should do 1280x1024 to accommodate the native 1120 x 832 resolution.

[bushnrvn]

Brian, please put me down for one board.  I've had a Nextstation sitting on a shelf for years because I haven't had a soundbox.  It will be great to get it up and running finally.

[eagle]

Hi, please put me down for a board as well.

[barcher174]

All I have the following NUIO orders:

Forum Users:
Theta-K7      2
Bushnrvn      1
Eagle         1
Nextchef      1,  +1 MegaLoad
oneNeXT       2
Mattsoft      1
Andreas       2
Scarecrow     1
Msch           1

Email Orders:
Luciano D.    2
Sven O.       1
Olav F.       1

Please let me know if you want to adjust the quantity, or if I have missed anyone on the list. I will be closing the order window as of Friday. 

[barcher174]

Progress:



Now I need to do testing. Hopefully I can be ready to ship all of them in 1-2 weeks.

For sure I will need to do a kit version going forward. These take an unreasonable amount of time in quantities to do by hand. Making a couple dozen has given me the following thoughts/insights for the next revision.

1) I am making the DB19 connectors by hand. You will see variance in the part as a result (Fit, color). For the next revision I will need to set the port back a couple mm to account for this variance.  This is also time consuming and will likely be a source your own part for a kit.
2) Small mask changes: Align the direction of the part markings
3) I like the look of the black solder mask, but it's really hard to clean. I'm undecided.
4) I am considering changing the layout to use surface mount passive components. I could then have the board house populate these parts. It would add upfront cost, but when you consider an assembler needing to purchase 10 separate parts, it might be less than the shipping. This would significantly decrease the amount of time required to build the board. Further it removes the need to sort individual components if making a complete kit. My original thinking was to keep the soldering skill requirement as easy as possible. Thoughts?

[barcher174]

It looks like the small flat rate USPS boxes are the way to go. The board fits with some extra room for padding.

[barcher174]

Small update. I've been delayed on testing because unfortunately a batch of 74LS04's turned out to be counterfeit. I had to rework the boards to remove them.

Another thing I want to clarify. If you want to use ADB Keyboard/mouse (this includes Apple branded, which is nice) on a turbo system you MUST have the 3.3_v74 ROM installed. For this run I can supply one freshly programmed in the package if requested ($10). I will not sell them individually.

[msch]

I have a NeXTStation Color and a NeXTStation mono. Do You recommend to upgrade the ROM to 3.3_v74 here too?