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THE FOENIX WIKI

Welcome to the Foenix Project! Here you will find a series of brand new computers lovingly made by Stefany Allaire in the style of the early 16 and 32 bit machines of lore! This is your chance to be a participant in the development of a new platform -- to start with a brand new machine akin to a high-end Atari or Amiga, write its very first programs, see what it can do, push its limits, and experience something new! Models are available with a 65C02 CPU, 65816 CPU, a 680x0 series CPU, or both, with more CPU options planned for the future.

	F256 Jr	C256 Foenix FMX	C256 Foenix U	A2560U	A2560K	Gen X
Released Year:	2022/2023	2019	2021	2021/2022	2021	2022
Active:	Yes	Discontinued	Hold*	Hold*	Yes	Yes
CPU:	W65C02 @ 6Mhz	W65C816 @ 14Mhz	W65C816 @ 14Mhz	MC68SEC000 @ 20Mhz	MC68040V @ 25Mhz	W65C816 @ 14Mhz + 32bits CPU**
System Memory:	256K SRAM	4M SRAM	2/4M SRAM	4M SRAM	4M SRAM/64M SDRAM	4M SRAM/64M SDRAM
Video Memory:	Shared	4M SRAM	2M SRAM	2M SRAM	8M SRAM	8M SRAM
Graphic Chipset:	TinyVICKY - CFP9599	VICKY II + GABE	FATVICKY - CFP95168B	FATVICKY - CFP9171-68k	VICKY III - CFP95179K	VICKY III - CFP95179X
Internal Audio:	2x PSG (Sn76489)	TBD	1x Gideon SID	1x Gideon SID	2x GideonSID / 1x OPM / 1x OPN2 / 2x PSG	1x OPM / 1x OPN2 / 2x PSG
External Audio:	2x SID^^	1x OPL3/1x OPM /1x OPN2/ 1x OPL3	1x OPL3	1x OPL3	2x SID^^/1x OPM /1x OPN2/1x PSG/1x OPL3	2x SID^^/1x OPM/1x OPN2/1x PSG/1x OPL3
CODEC :	TBD	1x 48KHz	1x 48Khz	1x 48Khz	1x 48Khz/1x 44.1Khz	1x 48Khz/1x 44.1Khz
Media IO:	IEC/SDCARD	SDCARD/IDE/FLOPPY	SDCARD/IDE	SDCARD/IDE	SDCARD/IDE/FLOPPY	SDCARD/IDE/FLOPPY
COM IO:	Simple Serial/WIFI***	2x Serial/ 1x Parallel	1x Simple Serial	1x Simple Serial	2x Serial/1x Parallel/Eth	2x Serial/1x Parallel/Eth
Joystick Posts:	2x ATARI + NES/SNES Port****^	4x ATARI / 2x NES/SNES^	2x ATARI And/Or NES/SNES^	2x ATARI And/Or NES/SNES^	2x ATARI And/Or NES/SNES^	4x ATARI & 4x NES & 4x SNES
PCB Form Factor:	STD Mini-ITX	10" x 6.2"	7.13" x 4.4"	7.13" x 4.4"	12" x 5.5"	9" x 9"
Power Supply:	ATX PS Plug	+12V 2.5mm Barrel	+12V 2.5mm Barrel	+12V 2.5mm Barrel	4pins +5V/+12V	ATX PS Plug

(*): Due to FPGA's availability and abusive cost, those models are presently on hold.

(**): The concept behind the GenX is its ability to support different processors through a modular system.

(***): The WIFI communication is achieved through a ESP32/WIFI (Feather) Type board and it is optional.

(****): The RevA of the board doesn't have an extra 9Pins connector to interface with NES/SNES Adapter.

(^): An external NES/SNES interface box is needed, so this is extra.

(^^): The External SIDs are Sockets only, they must be populated by the owner.

OPM = YM2151, OPN2 = YM2612

All Foenix systems include the following base features:

	Graphics	Layers	Sound	Ports
	320x240x60fps	16x16 mouse pointer	2x Gideon FPGASID	SD Card slot
	400x300x60fps	8x8 character plane	16-bit stereo CODEC	2x PS/2 (kbd/mouse)
	640x480x60fps	64 16x16x256 sprites	TI SN76489 (Sega, Cabinets)	Stereo 1/8" headphone
	800x600x60fps	4x 16x16x256 tile planes	Yamaha OPL3 (Sound Blaster)	Stereo RCA Line In/Out
	24-bit RGB color space	2x 256-color bitmap planes	3KHz piezo beeper	2.5" internal IDE HDD

Additional features vary by class of unit:

		65816	680x0
	Basic	C256U	A2560U	Basic units with 3-wire serial and an expansion port.
	Luxury	C256FMX	A2560K	Expanded units with MIDI, floppy, 9-wire serial, 25-pin parallel, and more!
	Explorer	Gen-X		All of the above plus support for two CPUs!

Get Started

Compare the different models: F256JR, C256-FMX, C256U, A2560U, A2560K, Gen-X

Explore the documentation: C256, A2560, ICs

Join the Discord,

Order your computer at https://c256foenix.com, and

Join in the fun!

FAQ

Is this another FPGA Retro like the MiSTer?

• No! These machines are the real thing. You'll be running on a real 65816, 68000, 68040, i486dx2, etc. :).

Are these machines compatible with the C64? C128? Amiga? Atari-ST? IBM-PC?

• No! This is not a MEGA65, a Vampire, or an Ultimate64. We already have those platforms. This is something new and different!

Is there an emulator?

• Yes! See the Emulators page!

Is the hardware "Open Source"?

• The schematics are available for download from the Discord. The FPGA code is presently closed-source to keep the platform from becoming fragmented.

Are there any programming tutorials for the Foenix?

• Stefany Allaire's videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNX2L8_enbRUAb8zKaR2KzQ
• Tail Recursive's videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMNLxfepc0xAZodcvOlVenQ
• You can also follow along with the development of the Gen-X on Stefany's Patreon page.

Happy hacking!