Episode 4: MiSTer tour, dual RAM install and some NES games.

By Matthew Caron

January 9, 2025

We start by disassembling a MiSTer FGPA retro console, installing a second RAM module, reassembling and testing it. Then I give a tour of its features, and finish by booting up the NES core and playing some games - Gauntlet II, Home Alone 1, Home Alone 2, Karnov

Homepage: https://www.joyofnerding.com

Corrections:

I say that the board is fabricated by Intel. This is incorrect. It’s made by Terasic. The FPGA is an Altera part, and Altera was owned by Intel, until 2024 (I did not know that it was no longer owned by Intel until I looked it up when writing up this note).
In one spot, I say that half a frame is 17ms, and later I say 16ms. The actual number is 16.66 ms, so either are correct depending on if you round or truncate. Sorry for any confusion. In one spot, I say that half a frame is 17ms, and later I say 16ms. The actual number is 16.66 ms, so either are correct depending on if you round or truncate. Sorry for any confusion.

Discussed in this video:

MiSTer FPGA main page: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Wiki_MiSTer/wiki

Dual SDRAM install guide: https://misterfpga.co.uk/dual-sdram-mister-fpga/

Internet Archive HTGDB Gamepacks: https://archive.org/details/htgdb-gamepacks

MiSTer Addons MiSTer case: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3647626

My modified version of the above: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4462883

Just Rolled In: https://www.youtube.com/@JustRolledIn

Mechanical Nightmare: https://www.youtube.com/@mechanicalnightmare

MiSTer memory test core docs: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/MemTest_MiSTer

MiSTer latency test with high speed camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-s6rYNH4zE

NES core note: https://mister-devel.github.io/MkDocs_MiSTer/cores/highlights/nes/

NTSC Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC