About FRANK
FRANK is a versatile hardware emulation platform based on Raspberry Pi Pico. It is a hardware fork of the Murmulator project by Alex Ekb, incorporating numerous additional features.
The name "FRANK" is derived from "Frankenstein" as it integrates various components from different projects, similar to how Dr. Frankenstein created his monster from different parts. This combination enables FRANK to offer a unique and powerful set of capabilities.
Hardware features (* - optional):
- Raspberry Pi Pico + Raspberry Pi Zero*
- HDMI/VGA/Soft Composite/TFT video output
- MicroSD (TF) card slot
- DB9 gamepad port(s*) (compatible with Atari/Sega controllers)
- RS232 port*
- PS/2 Keyboard port
- USB Keyboard & Mouse ports*
- 3.5mm audio jack audio output
- 3.5mm audio jack tape input
- TDA1387 DAC support*
- PSRAM support*
Most of the firmware only supports PS/2 keyboards. Many keyboards have dual USB and PS/2 support, but it's hard to find a proper PS/2 keyboard. Therefore, there are two options available: FRANK supports USB by utilizing the RP2040-Zero board, or you can use a USB to PS/2 adapter (based either on RP2040-Zero or RP2040, both options are available).
Also, the "big" FRANK has all possible video outputs available, but the mini versions of FRANK only support HDMI output. Many variants of firmware only work with VGA, so you will need a passive HDMI to VGA adapter in that case, which is implemented as an additional device.
Currently, there are two hardware variants of Murmulator/FRANK: M1 and M2. The difference is that M1 is designed for RP2040-based boards, while M2 is designed for RP2350A-based boards. Because RP2040 and RP2350A are pin-compatible, the same FRANK board can be used with both types of boards. However, M2 has a different pinout which is optimized for HSTX and relies on the PSRAM chip which is soldered along with the flash chip. This gives much more speed for RAM operations.
The naming convention is quite simple: M1 indicates that the model is designed for the first generation of Murmulator compatibility, while M2 is for the second generation (Murmulator 2). The prefix "R" signifies that the board uses RP chips instead of Pico boards.
Overall costs for building the simplest FRANK board are around $20, depending on the components used. The board is designed to be as cheap as possible, while still providing a wide range of features. More advanced versions of FRANK may cost more, depending on the components used (for example, TurboFRANK relies on hardware AY chips which are harder to find and cost more).
Another version which may arise in the future is the RP2350B-based board. It has more GPIO and allows building more complex hardware emulation projects.