Setting Up the MISE

What's in the Box

• MISE PCB
• FPGA module, pre-configured
• 2GB or larger Compact Flash card containing LDOS and other system and development files
• Compact Flash to IDE adapter
• WIZ830MJ Ethernet module
• Switching power supply, US plug (size, shape and plug orientation may vary from photos)
• Ribbon cable assembly for connecting to the Model I
• CR2032 coin cell battery pre-installed (not included with international orders due to hazmat shipping regulations)
• Four plastic board "feet"

Each MISE has been fully tested with all the exact same components shipped with it.

MISE comes partially disassembled for shipping. No electronic knowledge or experience is necessary to put it together. No soldering is required.

1. Important: Before opening the anti-static bags containing the MISE components, ground yourself with an anti-static wrist strap to avoid damaging any of the semiconductor devices. If possible, place the MISE on an anti-static mat. At the very least, touch a grounded surface (such as a metal PC case) to drain off any static electricity before proceeding.
   
   
2. Place the MISE on a non-hard surface. If not pre-installed, insert the CR2032 battery into the holder. The positive (+) side (the one with the writing on it) should face upward.
   
   
3. If not pre-installed, insert the FPGA module (the blue board) into the four 28-pin headers, making sure to align the pins properly. The outermost 10-pin programming box header should extend off the side of the board that has the 9-pin joystick connector. Press the module down until there is no gap on any of the four sides.
   
   
4. Mount the WIZ830MJ Ethernet module on the two receptacles, pressing it down until there is no gap. The RJ45 connector should extend off the side of the board.
   
   
5. If the Compact Flash card is not already inserted into the adapter, do so after reading the warning here. The card goes on the side of the adapter with the three LEDs, with its label facing outward. If you have a secondary CF card you'd like to use for system backup, insert it carefully into the socket on the back side of the connector. Insert the adapter into the 40-pin box header (the one that does not run along the edge of the PCB) being careful to align the bump on the adapter to the notch on the header.
   
   
6. Double-check that all submodules (FPGA, Ethernet, IDE/CF adapter) are inserted properly. It's very easy to mistakenly insert them one pin spacing off. Despite the notch, the IDE/CF adapter can easily be inserted backwards.
   
   
7. Push the four plastic board feet through the holes at the corners of the MISE PCB from the solder side.
   
   
8. Clean any oxidation off all the Model I keyboard and Expansion Interface edge connectors using DeoxIT or a non-abrasive pencil eraser (aka deoxit classic.)
   
   
9. If you are using a TRS-80 Expansion Interface, connect the ribbon cable's card edge connector to the Expansion Interface's buffered expansion port. The ribbon cable should exit from the bottom of the connector, and the colored stripe along the cable should be toward the back. The "connector" includes any strain relief that might or might not be attached. If you are connecting the MISE directly to the Model I keyboard, the colored stripe should be on the right with the keyboard facing you. Plug the other end of the ribbon cable assembly into the 40-pin box header that runs along the edge of the MISE PCB, being careful to align the bump on the connector to the slot on the header. Press down firmly.
   
   
10. Connect your VGA and Ethernet cables to the MISE. Connect your Atari 2600 compatible joystick to the 9-pin D-SUB connector.
    
    
11. Connect the AC adapter to the MISE power jack. The AC adapter should not be powered on until you are ready to use the MISE. It is strongly recommended that you plug the AC adapter, your TRS-80, Expansion Interface and peripherals, and your VGA monitor into a single power strip that is switched off when the TRS-80 is not in use. If this is not possible, unplug the AC adapter when not in use rather than just disconnecting it from the MISE.
    
    
12. Turn on your power strip, or power up the MISE and floppies/other peripherals. Then switch on the Expansion interface. If you wait until your VGA monitor warms up, you'll see a MISE splash screen. Switch on the keyboard. The MISE should now boot LDOS. If the video is shifted, blank, or doesn't look right, try using your monitor's "auto" or "sync" function. Sometimes this a button, sometimes it's in a menu.
    
    If you are using a widescreen VGA monitor, the video will probably appear to be "stretched" horizontally. You will need to figure out how to set your monitor to 4:3 display mode to reproduce the original TRS-80 aspect ratio.
    
    
13. If you are using MISE attached directly to the keyboard (no Expansion Interface), read the instructions here.
    
    
14. Prepare for system recovery:
    • Make a set of system floppies.
    • If you have a second CF card, make a backup of the primary hard disk image and put it somewhere safe.
    • If you have a CF card reader/writer device, dump a raw image to a file on your PC using a tool like this.

    Don't become overly obsessed with this stuff--as far as I know, no MISE customer has needed system recovery yet. If your CF becomes corrupted, it's easily fixed or replaced.
    

15. At this point you might try typing DO AUTOEXEC to configure the VGA colors and network module. If this works properly, you can type the command AUTO DO AUTOEXEC to run this script on every boot. Edit the file AUTOEXEC/JCL if you wish to modify its commands. It is strongly recommended that you always at least run DHCP at boot, to set up the network adapter. Hold down <ENTER> while booting to bypass any AUTO command.
    
    
16. If your Model I has a lowercase modification (you can tell by whether lowercase letters appear in the date displayed when you booted) try running LOCASE/CMD to enable LDOS's lowercase driver. If this works properly (you see lowercase letters in "LDOS Ready", for example) use the command SYSTEM (SYSGEN) to store the new configuration. If instead you see digits and punctuation where there should be lowercase letters, run UPCASE/CMD to disable the lowercase driver. See the section on using the VGA display for more information.
    
    
17. System powerdown sequence: Remove all floppy diskettes. Switch off the keyboard, then the Expansion Interface. Finally, power down the MISE and other peripherals.

• The Compact Flash cards are not hot-pluggable. Do not insert or remove CF cards with the MISE or TRS-80 powered on. Doing so will corrupt the filesystems.
  
  
• The Compact Flash filesystems are native TRS-80 and therefore not compatible with PC filesystems. If you plug them into a PC card reader you will not be able to see the files. However, you can make TRS-80 image backups on your PC by reading them in raw mode. To transfer files between the PC and TRS-80, use the Ethernet connection.
  
  
• When powering up or rebooting the MISE, you might notice that attached floppy drives spin briefly. This is an intentional result of the MISE boot sequence initializing the floppy control logic in the Expansion Interface.
  
  
• To boot from floppy, bypassing the hard drives, hold down <SHIFT> while switching on the keyboard or pressing the reset button. To boot directly to Level II BASIC, hold down <BREAK> instead.
  
  
• The Compact Flash to IDE adapter has two jumpers (labeled JP1 and JP2) which are correctly configured when shipped. Should they ever be moved, their proper positions are both to the left with the 40-position connector facing you.
  
  
• There's an Ethernet activity LED on the underside of the FPGA module. Yes, it's hard to see. Another LED illuminates when the joystick's "fire" button is pressed, and the third LED when the reset button on the FPGA module is pressed.
  
  
• When disconnecting the ribbon cable assembly from the MISE, be very careful to pull straight upward on the entire width of the cable. Pulling up one side or the other can break the side walls of the box header and bend its pins.
  
  
• For international customers who can't use the US-plug power supply, contact me and I will exclude it from your order and credit you my cost on that item. You will need a power supply with a 2.1mm ID, 5.5mm OD, center-positive female plug. The ones shipped with MISE are 5V switching supplies that provide at least 1.5A. Higher voltages, lower supply currents, and unregulated power supplies would probably work, but have not been tested with MISE. The supply feeds a 3.3V linear voltage regulator which powers everything on MISE.

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