Uzebox

Uzebox
Manufacturer	Alec Bourque
Type	stationary game console
	2007
Main processor	AT Mega 644
Storage media	SD memory card

The uzebox is a stationary open-source - game console of the fourth generation of consoles , which consists of a minimalist hardware from an AVR 8-bit microcontroller (ATMEGA644) and an RGB-to- NTSC manages converter AD725. The resulting computing power is comparable to that of a Nintendo Entertainment System .

History and background

The project has been developed by the Canadian Alec Bourque since 2007. The aim was to create a hardware platform that was as simple as possible and that hobbyists could easily replicate. In the meantime there are different hardware versions for different applications and regions.

Features

Uzebox circuit board connected to a television

Game console with minimal hardware and at minimal cost
Interrupt driven kernel: Sound and video generation run in the background
256 colors: output via R-2R network
4 channel PCM sound engine: 3 wavetable channels and one PCM channel.
Optional MIDI input: for composing your own pieces of music with a connected MIDI sequencer
SNES gamepad: can standard NES / SNES -Gamepads be connected.
SNES mouse support
SD / MicroSD card slot: loading various games from the SD card via gameloader (bootloader)
Expandable: I / O ports, a UART and an SPI interface are available for your own expansion.
Emulator: There is a fully functional emulator for MAC & PC for the Uzebox.
API: Developers can use a well-documented API that supports various video modes.
OpenSource: Software and hardware are licensed under GPL.

Hardware specification

Uzebox AVCore

CPU : ATmega644 microcontroller
RAM : 4K
Flash memory : 64K
Clock: 28.61818 MHz (overclocked)
Colors: 256 colors (red: 3 bits, green: 3 bits, blue: 2 bits)
Video output: NTSC FBAS, S-Video and SCART
Sound: 8-bit mono, ~ 15 kHz sample rate , output via PWM
Inputs: 2 × NES / SNES compatible gamepads
External mass storage: SD / MicroSD
Options: MIDI-in interface

Games

There are now over 60 demos and games. In particular, 8-bit classics such as Arkanoid , Pac-Man or Tetris have been ported to this console. Here is an incomplete list:

Arkanoid
BC Dash (Jump & Run)
Boulderdash
Chuckie Egg
Corrida Nebososa (car racing)
The boat
Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario
Frogger
Lander (Lunar Lander)
Lode runner
Maze
Megatris (Tetris)
Memory
Ninja Beatdown
Pac-Man
Pengo
Pentago
Pong
Ruby Crush
Snakes
Sokoban
Space Invaders
Submarine
Tetris
Tron
Uze Feud
Uze snakes
Uzesweeper (minesweeper)
Whack-a-Mole
Zombie fan

Available kits and finished devices

The first commercial implementation took place in 2009 with the now no longer available Fuzebox kit from Adafruit. In 2010, the AVCore followed , consisting of two pre-assembled and ready-to-use circuit boards. In 2011 two more kits appeared - the Uzebox DIY kit with AV output and the EUzebox DIY kit with SCART output for the European market. The Uzebox Jamma from 2012 is the last development for the time being and represents a Uzebox-compatible plug-in card for slot machines with a so-called JAMMA interface.