Download S. Salazar, Adding Functionality to the Hydra Game

Salazar 4. 128 KB Game Cartridge 5. Blank Experimenter Card 6. Mini‐USB cable 7. 9V power cord 8. RCA A/V cable 9. Nintendo‐compatible controller 10. CD ROM Next, a brief description of each part included in the HYDRA Game Development Kit is given. Hydra Game Console (HGC): This is the main component of the kit. It is basically an electrical board along with the propeller chip. This is where the games run. See Figure 1.2. PS/2 Mouse and PS/2 Keyboard: These two parts are basically a regular mouse and keyboard. They can be used to give input to the Hydra Game system. 128 KB Game Cartridge and Blank Experimenter Card: The game cartridge, or game card, can be placed in the expansion port of the Hydra console. The game card can be preloaded with games. Initially, it is preloaded with a game called “Ball Buster.” Thus, when the game card is inserted and the console is turned on, the Hydra will boot from the game card rather than the on‐board serial EEPROM. If nothing is present in the game card, then the processor boots up from its main memory. The blank experimenter card allows to expand the functionality of the Hydra console, and works in a similar manner. Mini‐USB cable: This cable is used to connect the Hydra console to a computer. 9V power cord: This cable is used to connect the Hydra console to a power outlet. RCA A/V cable: This cable is used to connect the Hydra console to a compatible TV. Nintendo‐compatible controller: These controllers are basically the same as the old NES controllers. They provide the player with a device to set input to the Hydra system. CD ROM: This CD contains some developing tools such as the Propeller Tool used to develop programs for the Propeller chip. Having discussed the HYDRA kit package contents, we proceed to briefly explain the HYDRA hardware. 4