Itaca Innovation uChip simple VGA console User manual

shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
mchip simple VGA
console manual
Document Version 1.0 –17/05/2020

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................................4
Getting started..................................................................................................................................................5
Schematics.........................................................................................................................................................5
Component Placement.....................................................................................................................................6
Bill of Materials................................................................................................................................................6
Soldering............................................................................................................................................................7
Preliminary settings and power up.................................................................................................................8
VIDEO CALIBRATION.................................................................................................................................9
TROUBLESHOOTING...................................................................................................................................9
Installing or updating the USVC GAME LOADER...................................................................................10
Contact US......................................................................................................................................................10

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for buying uChip simple VGA console.
This open source project allows you to play and create simple video games, using a VGA monitor, and an USB
gamepad or keyboard.
In this document we show some details and suggestions to mount this kit. For a general guide, refer to the
uChip Kit quick start manual.
uSVC Kit contains all the required components, the PCB and one uChip. Not included in the package are:
-The micro SD Memory card. The card MUST be formatted with the FAT32 file system. Older FAT16
or FAT12 are not supported.
-The 5V USB power supply*.
-The USB-B cable for power supply
-Any audio or VGA cable
-The USB micro A to A cable, to connect the keyboard or mouse.
*For the USB power supply, we recommend a 500-mA USB power supply (note that the actual current
consumption will be much lower than 500mA). USB power supplies that provide more current are adequate
too.
uSVC requires of course a VGA monitor, capable of handling a vertical resolution of 57 Hz and a horizontal
resolution of 30 kHz. These values can be changed in the headers, but we found that 57 Hz is the best tradeoff.
The full source code of these kits, as well as the updated schematics and PCB layout (KiCad format) are
available on the website.
ESD Warning! uChip contains electrostatic sensitive devices. Electrostatic charge might
permanently damage uChip. Observe precautions when handling it. Itaca Innovation is not
responsible for any damage caused by ESD or improper handling/usage. Please note that other
components (e.g. MOSFETs, ICs, etc.) provided in the kit might be electrostatic sensitive devices.

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
GETTING STARTED
Please find all the components shown in the bill of materials (BOM), and make sure that none is missing!
Try to keep everything well-organized, so that you can quickly find everything when you need!
All the components are clearly indicated on the silkscreen of the board! We suggest to follow the bill of
material (BOM), which is arranged with the following criteria:
-All the components with the same specifications are grouped.
-The components are listed in order of height, to facilitate soldering.
SCHEMATICS
The schematics is show below. You can download a separated PDF version from the download page o
shop.itaca-innovation.com.

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
COMPONENT PLACEMENT
Below you can find the assembly drawing of uSVC. The full design project files are available in the download
section of shop.itaca-innovation.com.
BILL OF MATERIALS
Here is the component list, in order of component height and component value (to ease assembly).
Reference Designator
Value and notes
R1
Resistor 10k Ohm, 5% (brown, black, orange, gold)
R14
Resistor 10k Ohm, 5% (brown, black, orange, gold)
R4
Resistor 1k Ohm, 1% (brown, black, black, brown, brown)
R7
Resistor 1k Ohm, 1% (brown, black, black, brown, brown)
R12
Resistor 1k Ohm, 1% (brown, black, black, brown, brown)
R5
Resistor 2.2k Ohm, 1% (red, red, black, brown, brown)
R8
Resistor 2.2k Ohm, 1% (red, red, black, brown, brown)
R11
Resistor 22 Ohm, 5% (red, red, black, gold)
R13
Resistor 22 Ohm, 5% (red, red, black, gold)
R2
Resistor 390 Ohm, 1% (orange, white, black, black, brown)
R9
Resistor 390 Ohm, 1% (orange, white, black, black, brown)
R15
Resistor 390 Ohm, 1% (orange, white, black, black, brown)
R3
Resistor 470 Ohm, 1% (yellow, violet, black, black, brown)
R6
Resistor 470 Ohm, 1% (yellow, violet, black, black, brown)
R10
Resistor 820 Ohm, 1% (gray, red, black, black, brown)
U2 + socket
74AHC245. DO NOT SOLDER IT DIRECTLY. Solder the IC Socket
first! Respect the correct orientation!
J5
3.5 mm Jack Audio Jack socket
C1
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
C3
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V
C4
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V
C6
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V
C7
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V
C8
Capacitor, Ceramic, 1uF, 25V
X1
16 MHz crystal oscillator, 3.3V. Pay attention to the orientation!
C9
Capacitor, Polyester, 22 nF, 100V
C2
Capacitor, Electrolytic, 100uF, 25V. Respect the correct polarity!
C5
Capacitor, Electrolytic, 100uF, 25V. Respect the correct polarity!
U1
IC, 3.3V voltage regulator in TO92 package, MCP1700-3302E-TO
or equivalent (part number varies depending on availability)
U3 (sockets)
2x 8-pin female headers.
D1
Yellow rectangular LED. Note that the cathode (shortest pin) is
indicated by the square pad
D2
Red rectangular LED. Note that the cathode (shortest pin) is
indicated by the square pad
J1
USB B connector
J4
VGA Connector
-
4 x Hex spacer
-
4 x screw with washer
-
PCB
J2
ALREADY SOLDERED, micro SD card socket.
J3
Expansion port header, NOT PROVIDED
SOLDERING
We suggest to solder the components in the same order shown in the bill of materials.
In particular, we suggest to solder these component first:
-Resistors.
-IC socket.
-The 3.5 mm audio connector.
-Ceramic capacitors
Then solder the 16-MHz crystal oscillator X1 (see picture below). Warning, take note of the pin 1 indicator
(as shown below, it is the corner which is not rounded. It is usually also indicated by a dot on the silkscreen
on the top side of the oscillator). This must match the silkscreen in the PCB!
pin 1 indicator

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
After that, you can proceed with:
-The polyester capacitor C9
-The electrolytic capacitors C2 and C5.
-The TO-92 voltage regulator U1.
Only few components left now! For the remaining ones these tricks might come in handy!
1) Soldering the uChip female headers.
We suggest to mount the headers into uChip, and THEN put the headers into the PCB. This will ensure that
they will be soldered with the correct spacing! Once you have soldered just a couple of terminals for each
header, you can (gently!) remove uChip, and finish the soldering operation (put back uChip in its antistatic
bag).
2) Soldering the LEDs.
Please notice the orientation of the LED. The cathode is marked by the square pad on the PCB, while the anode
is the rounded pad. The two LEDs have OPPOSITE orientation (the two anodes are close to each other, the
cathodes are external). In this kit, the cathode is the shortest terminal. You can alsoinfer its position bylooking
at the internal LED electrode: the cathode is the bigger “trapezoidal” one.
It is up to you to decide to mount the LED either vertical or at right angle (if you plan to build a case for the
finished console). If you mount them vertically, to get the correct (and equal) height, we suggest this trick:
-Mount all the 4 spacers as shown below in the four holes H1-H4 (i.e. in the opposite way they will be
mounted in the finished board!). This will ensure a 1-cm LED mounting height.
-Put the LEDs and flip the board on a flat surface.
-Ensure that both LEDs are perpendicular to the flat surface.
If done correctly, the two LEDs should be perfectly aligned at the perfect distance!
You can remove now the spacers and solder the USB and VGA connectors.
After that, mount the spacers (this time in the correct side!) and voilà, it should be finished.
PRELIMINARY SETTINGS AND POWER UP
Before powering uSVC, check twice that you mounted all the components in the correct positons and
orientation. Also double check for short-circuits, solder balls and ensure that all the pins have been soldered!
We also suggest you to use isopropyl alcoholand an old toothbrush to clean the PCB of any solderflux residues
(and after this operation, we also suggest to never use again that toothbrush to brush your teeth!).
uChip should come with the console bootloader pre-flashed. Download and copy to the SD card the various
uSVC game files (.USC) you find on our website. To update the bootloader see the “Installing or updating the
uSVC Game Loader” section you can find below.
Connect the VGA cable, the audio cable to some amplified speakers (earpieces might work too, but the sound
will be quite faint!), and insert the micro SD card. NEVER remove or insert the SD Card when uSVC is
shortest pin = cathode
cathode

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
powered on! Connect also the USB micro A to USB A cable. The USB device can be connected/disconnected
at any time.
After that, connect the USB power cable (and of course the power cable to an USB port or power supply).
uSVC should boot up instantly and show all the .USC files present in the SD card. Using the up-down arrow
keys (or the up-down d-pad on the gamepad) select the file you want to upload. Pressing enter (or any of the
gamepad buttons) the file will be copied into uChip, and the game/demo should start after few seconds.
NOTE! In order for the microSD to work properly, the external power cable should be connected to the USB-
B (marked as PWR IN)
VIDEO CALIBRATION
While all the monitors (both LCD and CRT monitor and even LCD television with VGA input) should
immediately recognize the VGA signal, with the correct settings, some might require some tuning (especially
on the horizontal or vertical position). If you feel the image is not correct or unstable, refer to your
monitor/television user manual for the correct adjustments.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Here is a step-by-step guide to solve any issues.
Problem: no image on screen.
1) Is POWER LED (yellow) on ?
NO: Check power supply, and check for any short circuits. Double check also for the
correct polarity of the LED and if it is correctly soldered.
YES: go to step 3.
2) Is the SD LED (red) on ?
NO: go to step 3.
YES: ensure that PWR IN cable is connected to a 5V USB power supply (this is required
for the microSD to work properly). If this does not solve the problem, go to step 3.
3) Is uChip LED blinking about once per second?
NO: go to step 4.
YES: go to step 7.
4) Press twice quickly on the uChip reset. Is LED glowing with a pulsating pattern?
NO: go to step 6.
YES: go to step 5.
5) Check if the crystal oscillator is feeding correctly the 16 MHz square wave to uChip pin 5. Ideally you
should do this by using an oscilloscope, but if you don’t have one, you can use a digital multimeter
and try to measure the voltage at that pin. If it is 1.65 V, likely the square wave is there. Is the square
wave arriving?
NO: Check if the crystal oscillator is correctly mounted (including orientation and the
solder joints). Check also if the 3.3V power supply between pins 1 and 8 (note that the four pin are
numbered as 1, 4, 5, 8!) is correct.
YES: Probably the game bootloader is corrupted or missing, Reflash the game loader (see
guide).
6) Carefully check the voltage between pin 8 and 16 on uChip. Is 5V?
NO: check if you have soldered correctly the socket pins.
YES: Either uChip’s bootloader has been corrupted or uChip has been damaged. Try with
another uChip, or if you do not have a spare one, but you own an SWD programmer, try reflashing
uChip’s booloader. You can also try to reflash the bootloader using any Arduino Zero, Due or other
3.3V based Arduino boards and the sketch shown here:
https://www.hackster.io/nicola-wrachien/sam-d21-board-unbricker-cccee1
7) Is the video cable connected and the monitor correctly set up?

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Simple VGA Console Kit Guide
YES: go to step 8
NO: fix connections or try with another monitor.
8) Check the 74AHC245: check if there is any short or missing solder joints on U2, uChip connectors
and the VGA. Check also resistors R11 and R13. These should be 22 Ohm (red-red-black-gold), and
check if they are correctly soldered. Carefully measure the voltage between pin 20 and 10. Check if it
is 3.3V. Try replacing the 74AHC245.
Problem: no audio
Check for jack, speaker volume, resistors R12 (1k Ohm 1%, brown, black, black, brown, brown), R14 (10k
Ohm 5%, brown, black, orange, gold), capacitors C8 (1 µF ceramic) and C9 (22nF, polyester) and the jack
audio socket.
Problem: cannot load files from SD card.
1) Is the card formatted using FAT32 ?
NO: The card MUST be formatted with the FAT32 file system. Older FAT16 or FAT12
are not supported.
YES: go to step 2.
2) Is the red LED briefly flashing when you reset uChip ?
NO check the RED Led and resistor R15 (390 Ohm 1%, orange, white, black, black,
brown). Check also the solder joints on uChip pin 4, and U3 pin 1.
YES: Check if there are any shorts on J2, or on the 74AHC245 or uChip. Check also R1 (10k
Ohm 5%, brown, black, orange, gold). If problem persists, try with another SD card.
Problem: colors are too dark, missing, flickering or “weird”.
Check for all the resistors R3-10, and VGA solder joints. If these are ok, try with another monitor.
Check also the voltage at the 74AHC245 (between pin 20 and 10, it should be 3.3V).
INSTALLING OR UPDATING THE USVC GAME LOADER
Normally the uChip shipped with the uSVC kit is already programmed with the game loader, which sits on top
of the standard uChip bootloader. However, to update, modify or simply upload it, this section is for you.
1) Download and install Atmel Studio 7 from Microchip’s website.
2) Download the “uChip Quickstart Guide” from the Download page of https://shop.itaca-
innovation.com.
3) From the “uChip Quickstart Guide”, follow the indications shown in section “Integration with Atmel
Studio 7 IDE”.
4) Download the uSVC game loader source code.
5) Unzip the archive, and open the file uChipSimpleVGAConsoleBootloader.atsln (either by double
clicking on it or using Atmel Studio (Menu File Open Project Solution).
6) Build it (Press F7).
7) Double tap on the reset button of uChip to enter bootloader mode.
8) Upload the built binary with selecting from the Tools menu, the “Program uChip” entry you created
on step 3.
The game loader should be now installed / updated.
CONTACT US
For any question, bugs, support, suggestion, etc, contact [e-mail].
Due to the large number of emails, we kindly ask you to be very concise, clear, while being exhaustive in order
for us to reproduce your issue.