PicoMEM 2 AVAILABLE NOW. includes a high quality 3d printed bracket.
The PicoMEM 2 is the next-generation iteration by FreddyV, of the original PicoMEM 8-bit ISA expansion card.
🚀 Performance & Hardware Upgrades
The PicoMEM 2 features significant hardware enhancements over the PicoMEM 1 :
Hardware Specification Comparison
| Feature |
PicoMEM 1 |
PicoMEM 2 (New) |
| Microcontroller |
RP2040 @ 240MHz |
RP2350 @ 360MHz |
| Zero-Wait RAM Emulation |
128 KB |
256 KB |
| IOCHRDY Signal Generation |
120ns |
50ns (Allows for expanded EMS support) |
| PSRAM Emulation Type |
Standard SPI PSRAM |
QSPI PSRAM (Faster RAM/EMS with only 1 wait state) |
System Support
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DMA Support: Features DMA from PicoMEM emulated RAM (except during active PicoMEM DMA operations). Users can manually select DMA 1 or 3 via an onboard jumper.
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Multi-IRQ Support: IRQ 3, 5, 6, and 7 are now completely independent.
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Global Optimization: Overall RAM and I/O performance increase for maximum vintage PC compatibility.
🔌 New Connectivity & Onboard Features
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USB-A Connector: Directly connect a Joystick, Mouse, USB drive, or a USB Hub.
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Real-Time Clock (RTC): Onboard battery-backed RTC for maintaining system time.
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Enhanced Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi antenna is now positioned externally
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Serial & LED Expansion: Includes a serial port (TX/RX) + LED Connector for external LEDs or a HDDClicker.
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I2C Expansion: Dual (2x) QwiiC connectors
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Front Panel Connector: 1x Front Panel connector supporting an OLED display and control buttons.
(3.5" and 5.25" panels that fit in drive slot, similar to the McCake Panels (but mirrored) -- photos coming soon)
🔊 Audio Improvements
The PicoMEM 2 significantly upgrades its audio capabilities, allowing all emulation modes to run simultaneously (e.g., you can run General MIDI + GUS at the same time in DOOM).
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Onboard Dedicated DAC: Features a premium PCM5102 DAC with optimized 4-layer PCB routing and an onboard 3.5mm audio jack for pristine sound quality.
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Hardware-Assisted Sound Blaster: Sound Blaster emulation now utilizes hardware DMA, drastically improving game compatibility.
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Gravis UltraSound (GUS): Native GUS support added, complete with 1MB RAM, DMA, and IRQ allocation.
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MPU-401 / General MIDI: Implemented via a modified, high-quality TinySoundFont library.
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Stereo OPL3: Audio output now generates true Stereo OPL3 instead of standard OPL2.
🔄 Firmware & Compatibility Updates
(Note: These software-driven updates are also backward compatible with PicoMEM 1)
- Expanded Controller Support: Native support for DirectInput, PS4/PS5, and Switch/Switch 2 controllers via joypad-os.
- Variable Disk Geometry: Added support for custom disk geometries using an accompanying
.chs text file (formatted as imagename.chs).
- Compatible with the latest tools by FreddyV - see this github page for downloads and getting started information
📋 Core Features Summary
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Network Emulation: Built-in NE2000 Network Support.
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Storage: Integrated MicroSD card reader.
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Peripherals: USB Mouse & Joystick support.
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Build Quality: Premium Rev 2.02 PCB featuring a gold ENIG finish.
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Plug & Play: Pre-flashed with the latest stable firmware.
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Audio Out: Convenient onboard 3.5mm audio jack.