Page 17 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #41 FREE Edition

completed by Curtis F. Kaylor, and the in-progress USB/MX BASIC ROM for the Aquarius Micro Expander/ MX. A prototype emulator was built using SDL2 and Visual Studio and published to the private GitHub repository in late January 2022, with a rapid-fire series of updates and improvements implemented in February.
The Aquarius+ emulator was still using a virtual CH376 USB interface for the removable storage, but a more robust “governor chip” was needed, both for removable storage and to manage and program the. The ESP32 was chosen for this to handle most of the other “modern” IO, such as USB host, keyboard, and WiFi.
The first revision of the Aquarius+ motherboard was completed in March 2022 and sent to JLCPCB
for fabrication in April. Frank hand-assembled the rev0 PCB,
and quickly updated it to rev1,
which Sean ordered and built in
May 2022. The SYSROM binary
file for Aquarius+ is uploaded via USB using the ESPTOOL suite, with jumpers on the motherboard set to allow the connection. Future updates to the SYSROM on hardware that
has already been imaged can be completed via SD card or WiFi using the SETTINGS application stored on the ESP32.
Although progress was being made, in July 2022 it became clear that many of the hardware components used in the Aquarius+ were going to be scarce, particularly the Spartan 5 FPGA where most of the Aquarius+ system resides. By late Summer 2022, Sean had assembled his
rev1 motherboard but was having random issues with the system resetting. Frank had also discovered that some of the level shifters were placed “backwards”, meaning that if the Expansion Port were used with intolerant components, the chips could become damaged. As 2022 slipped into 2023, chip shortages were getting worse, and with only Frank serving as the primary
coder and developer, the future of Aquarius+ looked bleak.
Through the development process, Sean had spent most of his time designing and refining the 3D printed case and developing the
logo and branding for Aquarius+. An excited message from Frank to Sean in May 2023 indicated that hardware availability was improving, but some substitutions were needed. First,
the Spartan 5 would be transitioned to the Spartan 6, simplifying the voltage levels on the board. Second, two spare front-facing USB ports would be removed, along with their associated components. Finally, the ESP32 would be upgraded to the S3 model which would allow Bluetooth
connectivity for controllers. This new rev2 of the Aquarius+ motherboard was prototyped and built using JLCPCB’s new SMT assembly process.
With a clear path forward, the team decided it was time to open the project to other members. In June 2023, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the release of the original Aquarius, the Aquarius+ Facebook group was created. It was agreed from the beginning that the project would be 100% open source, so the GitHub repository was made public. The first set of five Aquarius+ rev2 prototype motherboards
and resin 3D printed cases were imaged, tested, and assembled in early July 2023. Each was sent to members of the Aquarius Facebook community who were active on YouTube, resulting in videos that helped spread the word about the Aquarius+ platform.
A limited run of Aquarius+ systems was announced in the Facebook group, and preorder slots filled up quickly. Sean gave a presentation on the history of Aquarius at VCF West in early August 2023, using the opportunity to promote the Aquarius+ platform. Work on the MX BASIC 2.0 had been completed, so Curtis F. Kaylor agreed to join the team and work on the new plusBASIC and SYSROM S3.
This new version of Aquarius (Microsoft) BASIC was designed
to be backwards compatible with legacy programs, but also introduce commands to expose the new features of the system such as sprites, bitmap graphics, memory management, and sound. Mack Wharton, a long-time member of
the Aquarius community also joined the group to help implement the PT3 music format used to store songs designed for the AY-3-89xx family of sound chips, of which the Aquarius+ has two (for a total of six voices).
Now, having recently passed the one-year anniversary of Aquarius+, improvements to the platform are continuing If this is your passion like it is Sean’s please check out
aquarius.1stage.com
JULY 2024 • WWW.OLDSCHOOLGAMER.COM
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