"Arcflash" A3000/A3xx/A4xx/A5xx/A5000 in-system programmable ROM -- any interest?

[sirbod]

What is the current state of ArcFlash?

I'd like to make some progress on RISC OS 3.20 this year, so could really use something I can flash 4MB ROMs to on real hardware.

[IanJeffray]

What is the current state of ArcFlash?

It works. I have one working completely reliably in an A310.

But IMO it's an utter (bleep) to build by hand. I've tried and failed with a further 3 boards. (one kinda-sorta works if you push down hard on the FPGA!) Super fine pitch BGA is not for home assembly. I've sunk quite a bit of cash in to this now - the parts are very-not-cheap. I do have contact with a friendly factory who are currently installing a new BGA rework machine, so maybe there's hope of getting some made. They won't be cheap though.

And don't ask about the availability of the silicon...

I'd like to make some progress on RISC OS 3.20 this year, so could really use something I can flash 4MB ROMs to on real hardware.

There's a wrinkle. 4MB ROMs "do work" but (according to myelin, and IIRC) the ArcFlash firmware corrupts/misses the last word or two or something like that, so the RISC OS checksummer always fails. If you skip past that, it's possible to run 4MB ROMs.

I'm more than happy to test RISC OS 3.20 on the hardware I have (indeed, I think I've got it on there just now, which is where we noticed the 4MB issue).

[sirbod]

There's a wrinkle. 4MB ROMs "do work" but (according to myelin, and IIRC) the ArcFlash firmware corrupts/misses the last word or two or something like that, so the RISC OS checksummer always fails.

I can modify the checksum code to stop earlier in the ROM, so that's easily resolved.

"BGA" and "expensive" don't sound promising.

[pir]

Has there been any more progress here for an A5000 version? Or another way to iterate over EPROM builds?