Wizztronics

09/20/2026

Falcon Re-Imagined Update – Sept 20, 2026

We’ve reached an exciting milestone in the Falcon Re-Imagined project!

We're currently finalizing work on our new CPLD, which will control the functions previously handled by discrete GALs as well as manage the VME and ISA buses.

Once verified, this CPLD will be integrated directly into our Revision 3 motherboard layout, which we expect to start this October. Rev 3 incorporates all hardware fixes from earlier revisions and represents the final push toward a compact, easily serviceable production board after 3 years of engineering.

🛠️ We need your input on the Enclosure Design!
Before we begin designing the final case, we want to hear from the community. Here are the concepts on the table:

1️⃣ TT-Style Desktop Case: Higher clearance to accommodate full VME/ISA expansion cards.

2️⃣ Modular 2-Piece System: A standard base unit with a stackable top enclosure for ISA/VME card users.

3️⃣ 19" Rackmount Enclosure: Built specifically for music production and studio environments.

Tell us in the comments:

Which enclosure option would you buy?

Do you prefer Plastic or Metal?

What are your ideal limits for Max Height, Width, and Depth?

All feedback is appreciated as we bring this system to the finish line!

https://wizztronics.com/atari-sales-and-service/falcon-re-imagined/

Falcon

Falcon Update 7-11-2026 Project Update: We’re Back, Refreshed, and Advancing to Revision 3 To our community, First and foremost, the team is doing well. We want to sincerely apologize for our recent extended absence from the platform. After working tirelessly on this project for the past three yea...

07/13/2026

We are back!
Quick update on where we’ve been and what’s next:

First, the team is doing great! After 3 years of intense work, we took an extended vacation to clear our heads and ensure we are heading in the right direction.
Building this project has cost us 5x our initial budget, but we have officially secured enough inventory for our first 300 units!
The Tech Update:
Subsystems are running 100% as expected! Out of a project this size, we had fewer than 20 minor design errors (some from bad data sheets, some silly mistakes—but all are now fixed!).
📊 Status Check:
• SCSI, Floppy, Parallel, MIDI: 100%
• Audio Board: 100%+ (Separate plugin for future upgrades,

Falcon Update 7-11-2026 Project Update: We’re Back, Refreshed, and Advancing to Revision 3 To our community, First and foremost, the team is doing well. We want to sincerely apologize for our recent extended absence from the platform. After working tirelessly on this project for the past three yea...

02/06/2026

February 6, 2026 We have a quick progress update—with a bit of a "learning moment" included. While running diagnostics, a sub-board was accidentally misaligned by a single pin during installation, leading to a short on one of our test boards. It’s a setback, but we’re setting that specific board aside to focus on the bigger picture for now.

On the bright side, the functional tests are looking fantastic! We’ve officially passed diagnostics for:

DSP & Blitter

MFP, Glue, and Timing

ROM, RTC, and MIDI

The momentum is still high, and we’re back to working overtime to keep the Falcon Re-Imagined flying!

02/04/2026

The Falcon is taking flight! 🚀 | Project Update: Jan 31, 2026
We know you’ve been waiting, and we’re ready to pull back the curtain on the Falcon Re-Imagined project. It’s been a massive undertaking, but the progress is real. 🛠️
The Battle with the Schematics Redesigning a 30-year-old motherboard isn't just about "copy and paste." We’ve been finding and fixing errors in the original Atari schematics that have been hidden for decades! After 11 Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and a lot of troubleshooting with legacy parts, we’ve finally smoothed out the wrinkles.
The "VGA Tearing" Fix Ever wonder why standard parts don't always work? Atari used custom oscillators with incredibly tight tolerances. Using "close enough" parts caused VGA screen tearing. We didn't settle. We found 3 manufacturers to make us custom oscillators to the original specs. Samples are on the way! 💎
Major Milestone Reached! We are thrilled to announce that the system is officially booting to the desktop via IDE! Even though R&D costs have climbed higher than we ever expected, seeing that desktop icon pop up makes it all worth it.
What’s Next? (The $1,200 Socket Board) We’re building a specialized Rev 3 Burn-in Motherboard. This board uses $1,200 worth of specialized sockets just so we can test and "qualify" every custom Atari chip BEFORE it gets soldered. This ensures 100% reliability for every unit we ship.
Coming Soon: New Cases!
• Rack Mount: User-friendly and sleek.
• Mezzanine Desktop: A "stacked" design for a tiny footprint and maximum power.
We’re a small, dedicated team pouring everything we have into this. Thank you for your patience and your passion for the Falcon. We’re doing this right, not fast.
What would you like to see in the final product? Let us know in the comments! 👇

01/27/2026

Falcon Reimagined Update! (Jan 26, 2026)
We’re getting closer! We’ve been knocking out bugs one by one to get this machine perfect. Here’s what’s working today:
• Booting: IDE Compact Flash is a go! Hard drive access is officially working.
• Graphics: Video and color modes are looking solid and stable.
• Testing: We ran the Falcon diagnostics and passed almost every test.
We still have some finishing touches to handle, but we’re pushing hard to get this across the finish line. Take a look at the GEM BENCH clip below to see it running! Stay tuned for more info soon.

01/19/2026

# # 🚀 Houston, we have liftoff!

A major milestone has been reached at [Wizztronics](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063913393264)! After a long, focused journey, the **Falcon Re-Imagined** has officially taken flight—we have reached the desktop! 🖥️

It hasn't been without its challenges. Just this morning, we identified and corrected our 7th engineering change order (ECO). For a project of this magnitude, we’re incredibly proud of that precision.

**What’s next?**

* **Fine-tuning:** We’re currently ironing out some memory issues to ensure peak performance.
* **Progress:** Every fix brings us one step closer to making this new computer a reality for the community.
* **Recharge:** After working on this for a long, long time, the team is going to take a well-deserved short break before the next phase.

Check out the quick video below to see the heart of the system beating. Thank you for staying on this journey with us!

01/19/2026

Update: The Falcon Re-Imagined Journey in 2026
Happy New Year! Our team has been heads-down working on the Falcon Re-Imagined. We’re excited to report that while we aren't at the desktop stage just yet, the heart of the system is beating—activity logs show everything is running as intended.
This isn't just a 1:1 clone; we’re building a modernized, high-speed powerhouse that honors the Atari Falcon while pushing the specs forward. Thanks to our new Zeroplus logic analysis tools, we’ve already caught and fixed six minor design bugs.
What’s happening now:
• Diagnostics: Our programmers and engineering team are currently building a custom diagnostic board and cartridge to make system testing faster and more accurate.
• Shrinking the Footprint: By optimizing our logic gates and SDRAM, we’re planning to shrink the motherboard size by 30% without sacrificing power.
• Hardware & Cases: We’ve secured components for hundreds of builds and are already 3D-printing case prototypes! The final version may feature a mezzanine design for easy upgrades.
We know you're eager to get your hands on one, but we won't ship until it’s perfect. Thank you for your patience and your suggestions—we’re doing this for the community, and we’re going to get it right.

12/28/2025

Falcon Re-Imagined | Progress Report 12-27-2025

For those who speak the language: we have liftoff! 🚀

The Titan Zeroplus Logic Analyzer is showing 602E0404, confirming that we are successfully reaching the OS layer. We’re still troubleshooting the final jump to the desktop, but the clocks are rock solid and the "magic smoke" is staying exactly where it belongs (inside the chips!).

The grind continues through the weekend. Stay tuned for what we hope will be a successful maiden flight to the desktop! 🦅✨

12/20/2025

Falcon Re-Imagined: Project Update (December 19, 2025)
Progress continues on the Falcon Re-Imagined! With our new logic analyzer now in hand, we are laser-focused on getting this "bird" flight-ready.

Current Status
Successes: We have achieved video output, and several subsystems are powered up and running smoothly—thankfully, with no "magic smoke" in sight.

Challenges: Initial assembly at our fabrication house encountered a few hurdles. As is common with complex new designs, we’ve issued several Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to address necessary corrections.

Efficiency in Testing
To streamline our workflow, we’ve developed custom analyzer connector boards (pictured). These allow us to swap the logic analyzer between different test machines instantly, saving us the tedious task of moving over 200 individual wires every time we switch setups.

Looking Ahead
While this project is proving to be a significant challenge and is taking longer than initially anticipated, we are tackling it one step at a time. Our team will be working through the holiday season to maintain momentum, and we look forward to sharing each milestone as it happens.

From all of us at Wizztronics, we wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season!

12/02/2025

Falcon Re-Imagined Update — 12/2/2025

Wizztronics has been closed for the past week, but we’ll be back on December 8th to continue pushing forward on the Re-Imagined project.

Great news: Zeroplus has offered to sell us their newest 150-channel Logic Analyzer—the same unit used by NVIDIA. We’re proud to be only the second company to gain access to this cutting-edge technology.

We expect to be back in the lab by December 10th, and with a little help from the computer gods, we should be able to resolve the remaining issues with this new system. This will also allow us to move into Phase Two: rewriting and consolidating the existing GAL logic from the original Atari Falcon, reducing part count and making the system both more efficient and faster.

During this phase, we will also have the ability to remove the 16 MHz limit and move to a 48 MHz processor, marking a major leap forward for the platform.

More updates coming soon! 🚀