First Light for the ao486 on Tang Console
The open-source ao486 CPU core, of the MiSTer FPGA platform, has successfully been brought to a new home: the Tang Console 138K. This significant milestone marks a new chapter for the core, demonstrating its versatility beyond its original application. The project, led by Nand2Mario, recently achieved a major breakthrough, successfully booting the MS-DOS operating system on the Tang Console 138K (GW5AST FPGA).
Nand2Mario’s initial success, confirms that several critical components are fully functional on the new hardware. This includes the HDD controller, a custom VGA controller, and a working BIOS with an integrated VGA BIOS. These components are the building blocks required for an old school PC-like experience, and their successful implementation is a crucial step toward running classic software.
A Look at Performance and Future Plans
While the core CPU itself is the same as the one used in MiSTer, the current implementation on the Tang Console operates at a lower clock speed. However, Nand2Mario has noted improvements in memory latency, suggesting that performance might be more complex than just a simple clock-for-clock comparison. Benchmarking will be necessary to fully understand how the ao486 performs on this new platform.
Nand2Mario has already outlined a clear roadmap for future development. While essential functions like IDE HDD booting and VGA text mode are now working, several key features are still in progress. The next priorities include adding sound card support, refining VGA graphics modes to enable gaming, and integrating mouse and PS/2 support. Once these are complete, the door will be open to running a wide range of software, from classic DOS games to early graphical environments like Windows 3.1 and even Windows 95.
This project highlights the awesomeness of the open-source community and the flexibility of FPGA technology, bringing new life to classic computing architectures on modern hardware.
Needs an FPU really, I think that’s what holds it back. But good to see it running, 138k LEs it has potential the Tang, one to watch really, if there’s no devs, or not many, nothings going to happen.