Making the QMTech MiSTer FPGA Board Better! MiSTer FPGA Alternatives

[@pspsmallz]

Really cool that theres more than one reasonably affordable option. Hopefully this knocks the original one back down to what used to be its normal prices before it got marked up.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Really Terasic isn’t pricing these for gaming

[@devilmikey00]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I wonder if at this point they sell more of these for this purpose than what they were originally made for.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

At this point it might be possible

[@MegaDeKay]

@pspsmallz Why does Terasic still matter?

[@Kiritomens]

Just to add, for people that are going to be using this video as reference. You have to flip some of the big switches on the QMTech board for Analog audio. starting from the left: up, down, up, down. I would personally like a video or tutorial on how to turn the sync on green switch, into a power switch.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The switch info is on the ordering page so people can decide what they want for that :)

[@emmettturner9452]

@@Kiritomens I have Antonio’s IO Mini4 and did the SOG power switch mod. I cut the center pin from the DE10-Nano’s power jack and soldered in a 2-pin header. Yeah, it’s fiddly AF to pull off but once it’s done I have a super compact MiSTer complete with power switch in a small, two-board stack. You can take the I/O board off and restore the connection with a two pin jumper cap like you’d get from an old PC motherboard.

[@METR0lD]

I appreciate the variety in pens! Keeps us on our toes.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’m sure more will appear eventually

[@LordBarko]

Ha the timing on this. I put mine together last night and could of done with some pointers. Emailed Antonio at one point 😂. Nice work dude.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha second person to say that

[@sidnamyzo]

so much MiSTer goodness on offer now....with even more to come this is the golden age of FPGA gaming

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Just keeps getting better every month

[@Ragesauce]

I'm glad to see there's competition now, which means improvements will finally be made, and eventually we'll move towards an entirely new platform (assuming we find a price friendly option) which is what the DE-10 was initially. this could be SNES vs Genesis all over again!!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I think the competition will be MiSTer 2 one day. Vid on that soonish

[@piyushkhengar]

Mister 2? Tantalizing!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

If it happens we’re talking 18-24 months. Nothing soon

[@Ragesauce]

@@piyushkhengar the issue with MiSTer 2 is that the normal mister can do (mostly) everything, prior to PS2. The improvements I could see and a bit more power for later generations of arcade, and more memory bandwidth for better compatability. Analogue addressed this part but the FPGA they use isn't as strong to keep the heat down. I'm not really sure we need an FPGA to start doing ps2/xbox/dreamcast and beyond just yet, but it would be cool to see, specially if they can utilize internet multiplayer.

[@emmettturner9452]

“Many other weird talents?” Make it a video series. ;) Antonio’s MiSTer I/O boards have that same DB9 port (technically not “DB”) and it’s pretty awesome! Not only can you use a few original controllers natively without a SNAC adapter (like MD/Gen), you can also use them in MiSTer main and across cores (separate Update All branch). He also offers a Decapod SNAC adapter with many more supported controllers (NES/SNES, Neo Geo, PCE/TG16, etc).

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s a nice pivot on the port design

[@LordBarko]

@emmettturner9452 hey mate, I have the Antonio setup and could you explain the DB9 SNAC thing a little more? Can I run ornal and DB9 cores together or do I need to choose? Also I've read there is an extended core option where you can use SNAC on menus? I have the ReflexAdapt, which is great but just wondering if there is the option to use SNAC instead of.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@LordBarko If you enable DB9 cores in the Update All menu then you will find all cores have a DB9 option in their menu. You can also configure a Genesis 6 button Arcade Pad in MiSTer main to navigate all menus and it will behave like a USB controller in most cores. The added DB9 option in cores for non-DB9 consoles will give you extremely low-latency, like Daemonbyte adapters. If you pick SNAC on a DB9 console like Genesis it will work directly through the DB9 port without a SNAC adapter. He makes a full suit of SNAC DB9 adapters and even a DB9 adapter to fit traditional USB-type SNAC adapters. The DB9 Decapod is like a Daemonbyte adapter and multiple SNAC adapters in one featuring NES, SNES, PC Engine, and Neo Geo ports. Of course, it also interfaces with DB9 and will let you use, say, a Neo Geo or any DB15 arcade stick on any core as if it were a low-latency DB9 controller. There is also a Daemonbyte-only version of the Decapod that doesn’t have DB9. I don’t have the Octopod so I’m not sure if it works like the DB9 Decapod but it sounds like another option with a lot of SNAC ports built into one adapter.

[@LordBarko]

@emmettturner9452 many thanks. I bought his DB9 to User Port SNAC adapter to use some of Porkchopexpresses' adapters and they work well, but will have a play with the DB9 stuff for sure. The Reflexadapt is similar to the Decapod, just with a few more functions. I'd highly recommend that if you're interested. Again, super low latency. Thanks for the help I'll start messing around with stuff tomorrow :)

[@emmettturner9452]

@@LordBarko Yeah, he makes two different Decapods and the one without DB9/SNAC works like Reflex Adapt or Daemonbite without dongles.

[@kosmosyche]

6:42 "Make sure that the nuts aren't too tight" 😆 Words to live by.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha you need loose nuts for optimal performance when gaming

[@robscs47]

For a newbie entering into the MiSTer FPGA world, which of the alternative projects would you guys recommend and why, QMTech or Mister Pi?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

MiSTer Pi but watch tomorrow’s video. Hardware guide

[@SiincereARC]

I'm curious to know if the background music is an Easter egg to a comment that I made not that long ago. Enjoying the super bomberman 2 music.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It probably subconsciously put the game into my brain music wise

[@remygamb1t]

Thanks for the video. Waiting for the comparison between the de10-nano.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Soonish

[@Reprogrammed_By_SEGA]

How does it compare to the RetroCastle MiSTer FPGA? that was the thinnest setup you can get, this looks a bit taller.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haven’t tried that hardware so can’t really say

[@bearonguitar]

I appreciate that bear pen. 😀

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha glad bear pen is getting some love

[@neocvera]

Any recommendations for a source that covers all the video options within MiSTer cores and recommendations for Modern Televisions?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Unsure. I’ve done some stuff in the past

[@Joe3D]

What's the difference between this and the regular mister fpga, and what about prices too?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Functionally with the IO no difference. About half the price

[@Joe3D]

@@VideoGameEsoterica but in terms of core and everything? Why so cheap if it's the same quality?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Better parts sourcing

[@xav500011]

Can the QMTech MiSTer FPGA Board also use "DE10-Nano Linux SD Card Image" ?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It can yes

[@justathief3409]

Are there any news about when the "flagship" version of Takis Mister is coming? Or am I just out of the loop...

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Nothing new to report on that front

[@pacopen6364]

Can the vga port support 24-bit video depth?

[@SNKev411]

Hehe you said nuts 😂😂

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha I’m glad people noticed

[@chryoko]

FYI, Antonio added the RTC to his "IOUSB MINIX" board in the last iteration available on his site. "EXTRA Option" for 129€ including the WIFI/BT adapter and the ADC jack for tapes loading. However i have zero interest in that horrible pre-historic tapes i suffered back in the 80s... My Terrasic DE10 has the Antonio stack since day one some years ago and no complaint except i had to replace the supplied 4 ships RAM by a 2 ships version to run the Saturn core. I also have his MT32 extension over the DB9 SNAC port that works great on Amiga/X68000/PC cores. Guess it will be compatible with the IOUSB MINIX as well.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The fact tape loading can even work is wild to me

[@alextirrellRI]

To look into -- unless it's the onboard RAM model, as of today it seems QMTech may have increased the price? Might not be as good a value now compared to the Taki board.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ooh I didn’t notice. I’ll have to look

[@gcolombelli]

I was already leaning on waiting for the Taki board before I saw this IO board being sold for about 80 USD on AliExpress. Without Kuro's review, I'm not sure I'd trust this DAC being any better than the old reference design one. Edit: wait, is this Antonio Villena's? I'll have to check again to make sure it was this exact same model or if it was different.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Antonio’s

[@RetroRepair]

If it was made by Antonio, it's a hard pass from me

[@TheMikeyb86]

​@@RetroRepairwhy no love for Antonio?

[@RetroRepair]

@TheMikeyb86 After having had several conversations with him and seeing some of the stuff he's put out, it's quite clear he doesn't know much about electronics. I'd suggest testing on an IO he's made would be unfavourable at best

[@pacopen6364]

@@RetroRepair Can you be more specific? What made you think that it would be unfavourable at best

[@etvow]

So... on this... if you use SNAC adapters you can't connect the device to a CRT monitor??? That is weird...

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No there is a vga port and a DB9 port. You have both

[@etvow]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Thank you for the response. So, I would need a DB9 to USB converter, and a level shifter attached after, and SNAC adapter, and finally the controller...? That is a lot of attachment and buying just to use a SNES controller. The level of ridiculousness here is a bit too extreme just to cherish our nostalgia... :)

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Good thing is you can just use USB and get near to the same result

[@etvow]

@@VideoGameEsoterica That makes sense... I hear you. Thank you.

[@etvow]

@@VideoGameEsoterica But just FYI I do own two Analogue Pockets with Analogizer, Akikus level shifter, and SNAC adapters for SNES, PC Engine, and Neo Geo. I just don't own Mister yet as I am still deciding whether to get the original Mister, QMTech, or wait for Taki Udon stuff. I prefer the original although it costs more.

[@nexus4fan]

You need to compare Taki's with Qmtech's, what happened with some Nintendo 64 games

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s on my list of things to do

[@nexus4fan]

@@VideoGameEsoterica because it's good to know if qmtech's has or doesn't have that problem with any Nintendo 64 game, comparing it with taki's. It seems that something happens just comparing the Nintendo 64 core between the two clones

[@Kiritomens]

hahaha a bit late i just did this exact build yesterday.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha close timing

[@LordBarko]

You and me both haha. Although got Antonia to put a noctua fan on mine. Was a bit of a tight fit with the copper hs I added to the QMTech but got there in the end! The RGB looks super lovely on this on my CRT.

[@Kiritomens]

@@LordBarko O i was thinking of getting a noctua fan separately, since I'm not a big fan of RGB fans. Would have been nice to have the extra option before i ordered, RTC and internal USB for WIFI would have been handy.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Noctua is def a less rainbow vomit option haha

[@LordBarko]

@Kiritomens yeah, the Noctua requires a bit of careful meddling with the lead but works well when it comes together

[@NellyHogan]

504 Sylvia Village