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Info-Atari16 Digest Vol. 89 Issue 649
INFO-ATARI16 Digest Tue, 14 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 649
Today's Topics:
Atari TT Block Diagram
DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING PC SWARE LIKE VENTURA
GDOS - basic information wanted
Give me a break
Tech Specialties
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Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1989 08:54 EST
From: Greg Csullog <01659%AECLCR.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Atari TT Block Diagram
Here is a bit of information extracted from the ST Report
Magazine which sheds some well needed light on the state of the
Atari TT. The spec's have been listed elsewhere, however the
block diagram of the TT inards are very interesting!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
> TT - TT/X STR Tech Notes BLOCK DIAGRAM - FUNCTIONS - FEATURES
- 16 Mhz Motorola 68030 full 32 bit microprocessor
- Optional math co-processor MC68881/68882 Floating Point.
- 2 mb or, 4 to 16mb of RAM
- 512 Kb of ROM in 4 1mb chips
- 1.44 Mb 3.5" floppy drive, will handle 2 drives
WD 1772/2793 controller.
- VME bus Eurocard expansion
[ TT ] - 1 single slot
[ TTX ] - 5 slots
- ACSI internal bus with external connector for expansion
- SCSI internal bus with external connector for expansion
- Serial ports:
------------
- 2 asynchronous RS-232 ports 68901 MFP
- 2 asynchronous/synchronous RS-232 ports (Appletalk or
PromiseLAN) Zilog 8530 SCC
- Parallel port Yamaha YM-2149
- MIDI in/out ports
- Keyboard port (including mouse and joystick)
- Digital 8 bit stereo sound
- Stereo audio output jack
Monitor output (6 modes): RGB and Monochrome
--------------------------------------------
VGA monitor for colour modes, special monochrome monitor
Video modes:
-----------
Resolution Colours Palette
========== ======= =======
320x200 16 4096
320x480 256 4096
640x200 4 4096
640x400 "Duochrome"
640x480 16 4096
1280x960 Monochrome
- Battery backed Time/Date clock and 50 byte RAM
- 145 watt power supply
- Desktop packaging
- Operating systems
- ST TOS - Unix V Release 3.1
Further, Atari added (verbally) that the co-processor was the 16 Mhz
68881 (just plug in the chip, for the small TT it is included in the TTX),
the digital sound was the same as that in the new 1040STE (enhanced 4096
colors etc.), and joystick ports would support current joysticks and the
new 15 pin analog joysticks (both machines). Also, expect to hear more
about "Demand Paging Memory Management" (Unix), GLS, X-Windows
BAD NEWS:
The monitors will be proprietry as the STs are.(ie NO EASY WAY TO HOOK
UP A MULTISYNC) although if you could get a cable/connector it should
be easy to setup.
TWO MODELS:
===========
TT
==
- A desktop version in an AT style case w/30mb Hard Disk (limited
expandability) 1 VME Bus slot A24/D16 Eurocard
- ABSOLUTELY NO UNIX ON THIS VERSION. This version will be
released first.... sometime around the end of October 1989 and
mid November.
TTX
===
- A Tower configuration w/60mb Hard Disk, Multiple hard drive -
floppy - optical drive bays (3+) Will support both TOS and Unix.
- 5 VME Bus expansion slots; A32/D32 - A24/D16 - A16/D16 Eurocard
- Unix will be a separate release Item (as per STart interview
with Sam T.)
- TTX Release dates not set but will be during 1990.
Nota Bene;
To be expected, there will be some unavoidable compatibility problems
but, Atari is taking all the neecessary steps to maintain an extremely
high level of downward compatibility with existing software.
> TT - TT/X STR Tech Notes BLOCK DIAGRAM - FUNCTIONS - FEATURES
========================
_____________ _______
Midi in/out mouse
------------ Joystk
# -------
# #
__________ ___________ _____________ _________ _________
MC 68030 ROM 512kb MC 1468 18a 6850 ACIA 6850 ACIA
16mhz 4 x 1mbit --------- ---------
---------- ----------- ------------- # #
# # # # #
######################################################################
# # _______________ ____________
____________ ##### Yamaha YM2149 ____ Centronics
MC 68881/2 # Sound Chip __ Parallel
16 mhz __________ # ---------------_ ------------
------------ _ ST DMA # __________________ ______________
___________ "ACSI" ## Dual Purpose RAM ---- Drive Select
ACSI port - ---------- # 2 mb 64 bits wide --------------
----------- # ------------------
___________ _____________ # ______________ _______________
Flop port flop contrl # Memory Cntrl Stereo Audio
1mb - 2mb - WD 1772/2793 # -------------- ---------------
----------- ------------- # ________
_________ ## FUNNEL -------- _______________
TT glue ######## -------- _ _ _ Sound Shifter
--------- # ________ ---------------
___________ ______ ## FUNNEL -------- ___ _______ _______
SCSI port SCSI # -------- - VIDEO - Video
25 pin "D" ### Cntrol ###### ______________ Shifter out
----------- ------ #### MCS 8901 MFP __ ------- -------
# 2.4576 mhz _______________
# -------------- -- RS 232 Async.
# ---------------
# ______________ __ _______________
# MCS 8901 MFP -- RS 232 Async.
# 2.4576 mhz ---------------
# -------------- ________________
# -- Ext. Interrupts
# ----------------
_________ ______________ # _____________ __________________
VME Bus VME - Bus ## NIBBLE Mode ####### Sys. Ram Option
System # R32/D32 ## Memory Cntr 4 - 16 mb Dram
--------- R24/D32 # ------------- ------------------
R24/D16 #
-------------- #### _____________ ___________________
# "A" Channel -+- RS 232 Serial 25p
# ------------- -------------------
## 8530 SCC DMA _ LAN Systems
------------- -------------------
"B" Channel --- RS 232 Async 9p
------------- -------------------
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------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 89 23:51:14 GMT
From: nis!pwcs!stag!daemon@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU (John Stanley)
Subject: DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING PC SWARE LIKE VENTURA
[ia4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) writes...]
>
> DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING XEROX VENTURA ETC.
Yup...
PCDitto has a mouse emulation that emulates a microsoft mouse. This
covers 95% of all mouse driveable sw on an ibm.. (Which is to say, just
about everything that works with a mouse on an IBM...)
In addition, it has an alterante mouse mode which uses the mouse to
send arrow-key keystrokes to the application running and the two mouse
buttons can be preset to send specific keystrokes. This allows using the
ST mouse even with applications that don't normaly allow using a mouse.
---
John Stanley <dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP>
Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems
------------------------------
Date: Tue Nov 14 14:35:00 UTC 1989
From: VCD51661%DS0RUS54.bitnet@jade.berkeley.edu
Subject: GDOS - basic information wanted
Hello, out there in netland!
From time to time the same question seems to appear on the net:
What is GDOS, and more important: How can i use it? Did i miss
the answer? As i once bought GDOS myself but have no luck in
using it (it came with almost no documentation) i want to post
the question again. More specific:
1.) What does GDOS consist of? It is, as far as i know, a
supplement to TOS/GEM. Which functions belong to it? Is
it just some environment/kernel for device drivers, or do
drivers belong to it?
2.) What is the general format of the assign.sys file (which
seems to be some startup information file)? Are there other
files needed (except for font files)?
3.) How do i use the GEM Metafile device? Can i, e.g., open a
virtual workstation with a metafile as device, and do all
kinds of VDI operations on it, and then - somehow and some=
where - a metafile is produced? And how can i use this meta-
file later? Where do i get a metafile driver, if it isn't
part of gdos itself?
4.) How can one write own drivers, i.e. what specifications
has a driver to fulfil?
This is a catalog of questions. The answer would be a handbook
on GDOS, i guess. I suspect that no one would like to answer
in full detail, even if he/she knows. However, every information
is welcome. Maybe some literature hint, if any. Documents in
the style of Allan Pratt's "Pexec cookbook" or Tim Oren's "Pro-
fessional GEM" would be perfect, but i doubt that such a document
on GDOS exists.
Again, every hint is welcome.
/*
** Benno Salzgeber
** Institute for Computer Applications
** University of Stuttgart
** Pfaffenwaldring 57
** D-7000 Stuttgart 80 (FRG)
** VCD51661@DS0RUS54.BITNET
*/
-- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD
-- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD
------------------------------
Date: 13 Nov 89 23:51:51 GMT
From: nis!pwcs!stag!daemon@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU (John Stanley)
Subject: Give me a break
[UUCJEFF@ECNCDC.BITNET (jeff beer) writes...]
> I have FLASH 1.52 and its only trouble is that it cannot send a break, or
> it has not been documented. Does anyone know, has FLASH a more recent
version,
> and does it send a break?
There is version 1.60, which I recommend you get if/when you can.
There's a patch program on GEnie (and probably elsewhere) that will
update your 1.52 prg and rsc files into 1.60 files or you can get Antic
to send you the update for not much more than the cost of the disk +
postage...
Even the older versions allowed sending a break (quite easily at that).
Take a look in your manual (on page 50 in the older manuals) in the topic
"Other Features" (which is all of about 15 lines long)...
---
John Stanley <dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP>
Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 89 10:35:48 EDT
From: BAILEYS%FSU.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Subject: Tech Specialties
Yikes,
Well, I am glad I said something about the company before I bought
anything! I guess an impressive catalog does not a good company make.
Thanks to all who responded for the information.
___________________________________________________________________________
Bob Marley "To err is human, to compute devine,
trust your computer, but not it's
FSU Comp Sci programmer." - Moris Kingston -
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #649
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