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Commodore Trivia 31
-------Commodore Trivia Edition #31 Questions and Answers Preface--------
Not to leave you in the dark for too long, here are the trivia
answers to the previous edition of Commodore Trivia. I am posting the
answers at this time, and will post the scores and winners in a few
days. This time frame is set up to allow time for any discussions on the
correctness of these answers. By this time, the newest edition of
trivia has been posted. I encourage you to enter it.
This edition of trivia answers has been posted to the USENET newsgroups:
comp.sys.cbm, alt.folklore.computers, and comp.sys.amiga.advocacy. It
has also been posted to the FidoNET CBM Echo.
Feel free to use these trivia answers in newsletters, magazines, and other
publications (please see disclaimer). If you use the trivia, I would
appreciate knowing where it has ended up. If you intend to use this
information, please wait a few days after the posting date to allow for
major errors to be corrected.
Please mail any new questions for upcoming trivia (with answers) to my
address.
This edition and previous editions the trivia can be obtained from my
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I try to post the answers for the questions shortly after the monthly
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I may have made to be worked out before scoring the contest.
-------Commodore Trivia Edition #31 Questions and Answers (BEGIN)--------
The "VIC Chip" Trivia Set
Q $1E0) We all know that VIC stands for Video Interface Chip. However,
in what computer was a VIC chip first used?
A $1E0) The VIC-I was used in the VIC-20.
Q $1E1) What is the difference between the 6566 and 6567 VIC chips?
A $1E1) The 6566 has fully decoded address lines. The '67 has multiplexed
address lines for connection to DRAM.
Q $1E2) On what computer would one find a VIC-II chip?
A $1E2) C64, C64C, 64SX.
Q $1E3) On what computer would one find a VIC-IIe chip?
A $1E3) C128, C128D
Q $1E4) On what computer would one find a VIC-III chip?
A $1E4) C65 (64DX)
Q $1E5) Versions of each VIC chip exist for each computer model/video
standard combinations suppoerted by Commodore. What model/video
standard would the 6569 work with?
A $1E5) C64 type machine using the PAL-B standard. Note that there are also
PAL-N and PAL-M standards, which required different VIC-II models.
Q $1E6) How much memory could be directly addressed by a VIC-II chip?
A $1E6) 16 kilobytes.
Q $1E7) How many control registers does the VIC-I contain?
A $1E7) 16 control registers.
Q $1E8) How many control registers does the VIC-II contain?
A $1E8) 47 control registers.
Q $1E9) The VIC-II series introduced Movable Object Blocks to the
Commodore programmer. By what common name are MOBs known?
A $1E9) "sprites"
Q $1EA) What are the dimensions of a MOB?
A $1EA) 24 dots wide by 21 tall.
Q $1EB) What difference between the VIC-I and VIC-II causes VIC-II equipped
systems to potentially operate slightly slower than VIC-I equipped
systems, all other items held constant?
A $1EB) The dot clock on the VIC-I is only 4 times the processor clock.
That is, the VIC-I can fetch 2 bytes for each 1 byte data (8 pixels)
it displays, without stopping the processor. But the VIC-II has
narrower pixels, because the dot clock is 8 times processor clock,
and as a result, it only can read 1 byte for each byte (8 pixels) it
displays. This is sufficient for fetching the character images, but the
processor must be stopped to fetch the character codes (and colours).
(Thanks to Marko Makela for this explanation)
Q $1EC) In addition to supporting graphical output to an external display,
what other vitally important function do the VIC chips (starting
with the VIC-II) perform?
A $1EC) They refresh the Dynamic RAM of the computer periodically. If the
DRAM is not refreshed, it would lose its contents.
Q $1ED) Many people know that the VIC-II can deliver up to 320x200
resolution without much trouble. What is the maximum resolution of
the VIC-III chip?
A $1ED) According to the specifications, it is supposed to handle 1280H by
400V interlaced and non-interlaced.
Q $1EE) Between the development of the VIC-II and the VIC-IIe, there was a
related, though not very similar video IC developed for CBM machines.
Name its TLA (three letter acronym).
A $1EE) TED (Text Editting Device). It was developed for the 264 series
(Plus/4, C16).
Q $1EF) How many pins does a VIC-II chip contain?
A $1EF) Every VIC-II has 40 pins.
The information in this between the lines marked by (BEGIN) and (END)
is copyright 1996 by Jim Brain. Provided that the information
between the (BEGIN) and (END) lines is not changed except to correct
typographical errors, the so marked copyrighted information may be
reproduced in its entirety on other networks or in other mediums. For
more information about using this file, please contact the address
shown below.
Jim Brain
j.br...@ieee.org
10710 Bruhn Avenue
Bennington, NE 68007
(402) 431-7754
--------Commodore Trivia Edition #31 Questions and Answers (END)---------
