only a couple of components are on the board - the ICs are a SARONIX RTC58321B and a SN7400N
A-Time remains active until the clock is read (by issuing the Read-RTC program from CLI or the Startup-Sequence), after that it becomes inactive and the parallel port is passed through transparently
without Read-RTC it will be automatically disabled when output is detected (eg. towards a printer)
when inactive, it's not possible to read or set the clock until the next reset or startup
early versions were hanging down from the parallel port, conflicting with the A1300 genlocks so later it was changed to hang upturned
A.L.F. 2 is a general hard disk driver software with 16 different hardware versions based on it
supports processor cards and does some optimizations for the better processors
handles drives up to 1 GB only
Model 1:
only ST506/412, either MFM or RLL
cannot autoboot - by making the driver reset resistent, rebooting off hard disk is possible
the Zorro II version is half length (only a Zorro - XT adaptor board), the metal hard disk mounting frame is optional
Model 2:
ST506/412 (either MFM or RLL) or SCSI
autoboot ROM - autobooting requires at least Kickstart 1.3
the Zorro II version is full length and has place for mounting a 3.5" hard disk
if a Model 1 and a Model 2 controller are installed in one Amiga at once, the Model 2 controls the Model 1 (autobooting is possible on both controllers)
the 16 versions of A.L.F. 2:
A2000 MFM - Model 1 & 2
A2000 RLL - Model 1 & 2
A2000 SCSI - only Model 2
A500 MFM (without casing) - only Model 1
A500 MFM (with casing) - Model 1 & 2
A500 RLL (without casing) - only Model 1
A500 RLL (with casing) - Model 1 & 2
A500 SCSI (with casing) - only Model 2
A1000 MFM (without casing) - only Model 1
A1000 MFM (with casing) - only Model 1
A1000 RLL (without casing) - only Model 1
A1000 RLL (with casing) - only Model 1
the A500 and A1000 versions connect to the side expansion port
those without case have no passthrough connector, the others have
sixteen DIP sockets for up to 512 kB RAM - 256 kB is preinstalled in eight of the sockets
supports 256k×1 150 ns or faster DIPs, in 128, 256, 512 kB configurations
RAM can be expanded up to 640 kB using a RAM expansion card in an XT slot
128 kB dual port RAM visible by both the Amiga and PC (8 kB for mono display, 32 kB for colour display, 16 kB used for maintenance of records, 64 kB for data exchange, 8 kB used for I/O registers)
connects to the side expansion port
covers the mouse and game ports, they are passed through to the front of the Sidecar
requires the A1000 to be expanded to 512 kB (ie. by the A1050 expansion cartridge)
turning on power to the Sidecar unless the Amiga is powered up can seriously damage the Amiga - use the attached power-cord extender so the A1000 is powered through the Sidecar, though this means the A1060 has to be turned on all the time even if it is unused
two display modes
monochrome: instead of green text on black screen, the Sidecar can display four colours in PC monochrome mode - the colour of text, intensified text and the background are independent of each other and freely adjustable
colour: text can be rendered in up to 16 colours, and graphics can be up to 4 colours
neither modes support blinking of text
can use the Amiga parallel port - it has to be dedicated to either the Amiga or the PC side exclusively
printing works only for applications using interrupt handshaking - those writen with busy-wait loops will not work (eg. Print Screen)
three XT ISA slots
optional 1 MB memory expansion for the Amiga side
360 kB 5.25" floppy drive built in - up to four floppy drives are supported
drives can be fitted into an A500 in place of the built-in floppy drive using the Shuffle Board
autobooting (adide.device or icdide.device) - requires at least Kickstart 1.3
autobooting is problematic with the CDTV - either a boot floppy has to be used (which a bare CDTV lacks), or after a reset by selecting the hard disk in the Early Startup Menu (which require at least Kickstart 2.0)
incompatible with Western Digital and IBM hard disks
rules out accelerators that connect to the 68000's socket
a broadcast quality genlock in a 19" rack mount enclosure
composite, Y/C, RGB and Y/Cr/Cb modes
the function of the video input and output connectors (Keyer 1-3, 6× BNC, 2× mini-DIN) depend on the video mode selected on the front panel:
Keyer 1
Keyer 2
Keyer 3
CVBS/YC mode
CVBS
Y
C
RGB mode
G
R
B
Y/Cr/Cb mode
Y
Cr
Cb
composite, Y/C and RGBS outputs of the Amiga signal (5× BNC, 1× mini-DIN) - all are constantly available regardless of the selected video mode
the Y/C keyer BNC terminals are parallel with the 4 pin mini-DIN Y/C multipoles - both outputs should not be used simultaneously
key output (a standard non-composite waveform) for use with a video mixer (1× BNC)
reference input with loop connector (2× BNC)
must be provided with a stable accurate reference - direct videotape signals are not suitable
cross fade with external background signal
crossfade, key and fade to black via sliders on a separate remote control
background mode: colour zero is set to the overlay colour, video is seen through
foreground mode: the colour to be made transparent is controlled by a rotary switch
adjustable key colour, subcarrier and horizontal phase
can be used to encode the RGB output of a genlocked Harlequin graphics card, but it is not possible to obtain a signal mixed or keyed over a background video source using the VC3 internal keyers
software control via the parallel port
separate PAL and NTSC models
internal power supply
optional RGB-Link board
enables an external linear RGB signal to be processed the same way as the Amiga signal
input the RGB-Link board is via a DB25 connector which replaces the Amiga software control port - the Amiga computer control facility is lost
switching between Amiga and external RGB is provided by the manual/computer switch on the front panel
VC3C variant
provides all functions of the VC3 except for the 3 channels of keying
if fitted, the following ports are not available for use:
keyer inputs
Amiga control port
remote control port
VC3B variant
provides RGB, Sync and key outputs only
if fitted, the following ports are not available for use:
keyer inputs and outputs (3 channels)
PAL and Y/C outputs
Amiga control port
remote control port
if fitted, the following front panel controls are not available for use:
special edition of the Buddha Flash IDE controller that is intended to be used with the Phoenix A1000 motherboard, but can also be used with original A1000 as well as A500 and Zorro Amigas
differences to Buddha Flash:
smaller PCB
hardware redesign, 5 chips instead of 8
no 26 pin expansion slot
floppy power connector
the board can be installed in the following places:
Front Slot Phoenix Board
Side Expansion Port (Phoenix board, A1000 board, A500)
Zorro Slot
if the board shall be used at the A500, a special edition with a different mounted 86 pin connector is needed
the board must not be installed in the front slot of the A1000 board
when used at the Phoenix front slot, the INT6 signal has to be provided to the board as this signal is missing - the side expansion ports provide that signal, so the wire is not necessary when installed there
height of the board was chosen so that a laptop CD drive (14mm) can be fitted above the card in the A1000
when installed on the Phoenix board front slot, the L64 jumper has to be removed
2.5" hard disks can not be powered by the board due to thin PCB tracks - making them thick enough for that purpose would have been resulted in a more expensive multilayer board
it is necessary to provide power to the board via floppy power connector
in conjunction with a Phoenix X-Surf a new Mach chip is needed (includes also a fix which prevented the Amiga from booting with Kickstart v1.3)
only one jumper on the board, next to the flash chip: open = flash write protected, closed = flashing possible
small header in the middle of the board with two LED connectors
clock port
allows using expansions initially designed for the A1200 clock port
when installed in Zorro slot, pin 40 of the card's clock port is towards the front side of the computer, pin 19 resp. pin 1 towards the rear side
marked wire of clock port expansions go to pin 19 or pin 40, depending on the manufacturer's definition - e.g. expansions made by Individual Computers are installed with the red stripe on pin 40 (to the left), expansions of E3B mark pin 19 / pin 1 (to the right)
Y/C input - selectable by a jumper inside the ChromaKey's box
connects to the RGB port between the Amiga and the genlock or directly to a Video Toaster
disable switch (Genlock / Chroma) - in Genlock position the video signal is passed through unaffected
the Normal / Invert switch selects between blue background or subject-area dropout
the keyed chroma level is adjustable by the slider
gives Video Toaster users the choice between luma and chroma keying and is controlled completely from the Switcher
procedure of operating with the Toaster:
ChromaKey's video output goes into Toaster's Input 1 through a time base corrector
the background video to be keyed over is connected to Input 2
ChromaKey's key output is connected to either Input 3 or 4
the switches and the slider is bypassed, the key effect is controlled by the Switcher
in the Switcher set the Program Bus to Video 1, the Preview Bus to Video 2, and the Overlay Bus to Input 3 or 4 (where ChromaKey's key out is connected)
select the Art Card effect and set the luminance key to white
use the T-Bar to reveal the video background
external power supply
jumper settings
J1 ON OFF
J2 OFF ON
- key color - red (R-Y) - blue (B-Y)
J3 1-2 2-3
- key selection - chrominance part of Y/C - derived from composite
allows the connection of PC mice and trackballs by converting PC mouse protocols to Amiga format
basic movements and the three mouse buttons do not require software - the conversion is done by a microprocessor
mouse wheels (vertical and horizontal movement) and 4th and 5th mouse buttons need driver software
supports PS/2 and USB-PS/2 mice using the following protocols: Standard 3-byte PS/2, Microsoft Intellimouse wheel, Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer wheel, Genius NetScroll Optical
Mr Mysza means Mr Mouse in Polish
Punchinello is a name variation by Power Computing
the 48 bit mode means a 24 bit image with a 24 bit overlay
plugs into the 23 pin video port - it uses the four digital signals intended for digital TTY monitors (red, green, blue and intensity) to transfer image data to the board from Chip RAM
1.5 MB display memory (12 ZIPs)
can store up to four 24 bit colour frames at once
realtime animation of 4096 colour frames
the ColorBurst memory can be written by the Blitter
realtime horizontal and vertical scrolling
dynamic Amiga graphics overlay
supported fileformats: IFF24, IFF21, RGB8, TIFF, REND
when not displaying 24 bit images, it passes through the normal Amiga video
compatible with flicker-fixers but may have problems with certain genlocks (the Video Toaster requires modifications in order to work with the ColorBurst)
grabs 4096 colour (HAM) or 16 gray level monochrome images
eight resolutions from 320×256 to 704×560 (overscan)
composite input
1993:
supports the AGA screen modes, including HAM8
composite and Y/C inputs
software revision 3.0
saturation, brightness and contrast knobs
test mode: grabs 75 monochrome images per second in 320×256 using a fixed palette for each picture (not user definable)
in lores modes Digi Tiger captures images continuously and stops only when a mouse button is pressed
in hires modes only a single frame is captured while the display is turned off due to the limited data rate to Chip RAM (except on Amigas with AGA chipset)
both can be installed internally or externally, to the internal or external DB25 parallel port
the Digi-Gen has to be connected to the Amiga's parallel and joystick ports
when the the digitizer is installed internally, the external DB25 port acts as a parallel passthrough port - the DI/PR switch selects between the digitizer and passthrough
when installed outside, the digitizer is fed with composite video signal through the DI output connector (RCA)
digitizes colour images in three pass using a colour filter wheel
the wheel has to be mounted on a monochrome camera and rotated for each successive scan - an optional motor drive (Digi-Droid) allows automatic rotation of the wheel
the composite video signal is fed to the RCA jack on the DigiView unit
12 bit accuracy in colour, 4 bit in monochrome
connects to the A1000 parallel port, requires gender changer for later Amigas
supports all Amiga resolutions for digitizing and display, from 320 × 200 to 768 × 480
uses the Amiga RAM as framebuffer - requires at least 1 MB memory for functioning
two sockets can be occupied by 32256 static RAMs (buffered by battery)
A500 / A1000 version:
16 sockets accept 1 MB
can be expanded with 16 more sockets for 2 MB capacity
connects to the side expansion port
passthrough connector
Zorro II version:
32 sockets accept 2 MB
the start of the address range can be set by two DIP switches to avoid conflicts with other cards - 0x400000, 0x600000 or 0x800000
can be used as a physical drive - supports up to 8 partitions
autoboots with Kickstart 1.3
the boot partition can be selected in the boot menu, which can reached by pressing the left or right mouse button (depending on revision) during startup
can be used as Kickstart disk for the A1000
cannot burn EPROMs, only read (seperate EPROM burner needed)
autoboot ROM (harddisk.device) - autobooting requires Kickstart 1.3
autoboot disable jumper
DB25 external SCSI connector
the controller has no internal SCSI connector and there's no place provided for an internal drive - the host adaptor was supplied with an external SCSI drive enclosure and cable
A-Max II driver (harddisk.amhd)
optional memory module - FastRAM 1000
four 30 pin SIMM sockets accept up to 8 MB RAM
supports 256 kB, 1 MB and 4 MB SIMMs in groups of two
SIMM sizes cannot be mixed
possible configurations are 512 kB, 1, 2, 4 and 8 MB
notes
the unit can take power either from the A1000 or from the bundled external hard drive - the latter is recommended with the RAM board installed
connects into the Denise socket, Denise is replaced onto the board - does not use the video slot in the A2000 so other video boards can be used simultaneously
does not fit correctly onto the German A2000-A motherboards
if installed in an A1000 (which lacks two required signals at the Denise chip) some modifications have to be applied to the motherboard
3 megabit video buffer
motion artifacting may occur when an object on the screen changes position drastically - it will appear at both the start and end positions for 1/60th of a second
PAL and NTSC compatible
does not support ECS Productivity, Super72 and SuperHires modes
realtime digitizing in 1/60th of a second - but transferring the image to the Amiga takes several seconds
separate PAL and NTSC versions
supported NTSC resolutions are 320×200, 384×240 (overscan), 320×400, 640×200, 640×400
can digitize in colour (except in 640×400) in 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 (EHB) or 4096 (HAM) colours, in 16 grays or in definable pseudo colours
uses its own built-in RAM to digitize
external control knobs for intensity (brightness), hue (colour bias) and saturation
composite input (RCA connector)
connects to the parallel port (Centronics) and between the monitor and the RGB port (2× DB9)
external power supply
FrameGrabber 2.0 software
pre-digitizing options:
Over Sampling - digitize an image any specified number of times up to 50 and combine them into a composite (gives far better results than a single capture)
Multiple Exposure - gives two samples
Mirror Image
Weighted - modifies the automatic contrasting performed
Auto Zone - improves image quality in the center at the expense of the border areas
these options can be combined in a variety of ways
grabs images in 256 gray levels (the original colour capable FrameGrabber can achieve 16 gray levels only) - suitable for capturing 24 bit images in three pass
24 bit colour images can be obtained with three pass digitizing using the supplied colour wheel
cannot digitize in realtime - digitization takes 1/30th of a second and transferring the image to the Amiga plus displaying it takes 5 to 25 seconds
uses its own built-in RAM to digitize and display 256 gray levels on the Amiga screen (framebuffer)
supported resolutions are 320×200, 320×400, 384×240 (overscan), 384×480 (overscan)
external control knobs for intensity and black level
four composite inputs (RCA connectors) working in two ways:
all inputs accept independent video signals, each of which can be either monochrome or colour composite (treated as monochrome) - the active input is selected via software
the first three inputs accept colour video as separate red green and blue signals, and the fourth accepts the composite synchronization signal - in tandem with a colour RGB video camera, a colour image can be taken without colour wheel, in three pass
connects to the parallel port (Centronics) and between the monitor and the RGB port (2× DB9)
optional FPU - it can either run at 14 MHz, or use a separate crystal up to 50 MHz
memory
32 DIP sockets accept up to 16 MB RAM
supports 256k×4 (514256) or 1M×4 (514400) DIPs, 80 ns or faster
accepts DIPs in groups of eight
notes
connects to the side expansion port
passthrough connector - has mechanical problems with expansions whose plug is thicker than 9.5 mm
68000 fallback mode (also disables the memory expansion)
has problems with old hard disk systems without any kind of handshake (either hardware or software handshake) - most of the RLL/MFM controllers (e.g. OMTI) do not work
does not work with some old hardware like memory expansions or clock modules - they need a modification
shares the RGB display with the Amiga - it can even display both on a split screen
when HAM-E detects a special display-line signature (magic cookie) in a 640 pixels wide screen, then converts it to one that is half as wide with twice as many colour bitplanes
a side effect of sharing the screen is that this signature data can be seen as a couple of slim lines of garbage at the top left side - they can be eliminated by using an overscan screen on which they are above the visible screen area
register mode:
analogous to the Amiga lo-res mode, whereby a hardware colour register controls the colour of each individual pixel
up to 256 colours from a 24 bit palette
supports colour cycling
extended HAM mode:
similar to the normal Amiga HAM mode
uses compression techniques to achieve 18 bit colour form 8 bits of data
diminishes precise control over individual pixel colour
accepts DIPs in groups of 16 giving 0.5, 1 or 1.5 MB configurations
banks have to be filled beginning from bank 0
connects into the 68000 socket
the 68000 is replaced onto the board
battery backed-up clock
two clips have to be connected to the DPALEN (A1000 NTSC version) resp. PALEN (international version) PAL chip to provide the OVR* and *XRDY signals to the expansion
does not really autoconfig its memory - it recognizes the installed amount, but places the memory outside of the autoconfig space
Jumper Settings
JP1-JP3 OFF: 1.5 MB with Autoconfig (banks 012)
JP1-JP2 OFF, JP3 ON: 1.0 MB with Autoconfig (banks 01)
JP1 OFF, JP2-JP3 ON: 0.5 MB with Autoconfig (bank 0)
JP1-JP3 ON: no Autoconfig (memory has to be added with AddMem)
all Amiga video modes up to Super Hires are supported and flicker-fixed (with the exception of the A2024 mode)
picture refresh rate of at least 60 Hz for all screen modes (can be reduced to 50 Hz to avoid tearing effects)
can output ECS screen modes even with an OCS denise installed, as long as a ECS Agnus is installed
scanline emulation for non-interlaced modes
built-in Graffiti emulation
stacked operation of two Indivision ECS allows a dual screen setup (with different content on each screen)
PAL and NTSC screen supported
supports border blanking
HD15 VGA connector
header on the board to attach the ribbon cable with the VGA connector
installs in the Denise socket, the Denise is replaced onto the board
grounding connection is recommended, a cable (with cable lugs) is provided
no driver needed, however additional screenmodes are supported:
HighGFX (1024×786)
HD720 (1280×720)
SuperPlus (800×600) - 16 colors out of 4096
with Picasso96 driver, 256 colors can be displayed on workbench screen
config tool provided to update flash memory and make adjustments to the output
suitable for all OCS and ECS Amigas, however acessories or modifications may be required:
A1000: adapter required due to the power supply being in the way
A500: no modification necessary
A500+: no modification necessary
A600: A603, A604 or A604n memory expansion required, metal shield (if present) has to be removed or cut
A2000: only for Rev. 4.1/4.3, one electrolytic capacitor (C225) must either be moved or replaced by a flatter version
A3000: RTC battery has to be moved or removed
A3000T: card has to be lifted with at least two additional sockets, covers the video slot and interferes with full-length Zorro cards in the uppermost slot
accepts DIPs in groups of four giving 0.5, 1, 1.5 MB configurations
battery backed up clock
connects to the 68000 socket, the 68000 is replaced onto the board
compatible with the DKB KwikStart II and ICD AdSpeed boards
NTSC A1000s: a clip has to attached to pin 14 of the chip at location P6 on the daughterboard
PAL A1000s: due to space constraints the clip doesn't fit, so it has to be cut off and the wire has to be soldered to pin 7 of the chip at location U4S on the motherboard
RAM banks have to be occupied starting from bank 1 (the bank toward the 68000)
a public domain hardware hackers project, designed by Brad Fowles of Anakin Research
sold as a kit (only the PCB, programmed PALs and how to build documentation) all other parts (CPU, FPU, RAM, capacitors, diodes, sockets, etc.) had to be purchased separately
it did not fill the RFC rules so it was not possible to sell it all in one
processor
68020 @ 12 - 20 MHz
68881 or 68882 @ 12 - 20 MHz
the first asynchronously clocked 68020 board
originally designed for 16 MHz
could be upgraded to 68030 using an adaptor board but the data caches are not supported (so no significant speed increase is possible)
optional memory board - Frances
Fast Ram At Nominal Cost for Expanded Storage
32 DIP sockets accept up to 4 MB RAM
possible configurations are 1, 2, 3 or 4 MB with 256k×4, 80 - 100 ns DIPs
8421 DMA RAM controller chip
interleave access
notes
connects into the 68000 socket
no 68000 fallback mode
selectable wait states
has to be fine tuned for specific A1000s (differnet timings) - this process is well documented
very noisy design, does not like 3rd party hardware connected to the side expansion port
serves as host for IBM compatible HD controller cards
semi-"do it yourself" project - the interface is partly assembled and tested but still needs some soldering and assembling
supports IDE, ST-506 / ST-412 (MFM and RLL) and ESDI interfaces
supports WD 1002/1004/1006/1007, OMTI 8127/5527 and DTC 5150 controllers
can take up to four controller cards for a total of eight drives - types and drive sizes can be mixed
autoboot ROM
the priority of booting and mounting is selectable
programmed I/O transfers with multi-sector blocks (up to 256 sectors)
write-thru track buffer with selectable read threshold sensing for faster file transfers
A500 / A1000 version:
passthrough connector
no case for the controller and drive, no power supply
Zorro II version:
optional hard disk mounting bracket
with two controllers, only one slot position is taken when installed in the rightmost Zorro slot
incompatible with Lucas / Frances
supports FFS and Kickstart 1.3 / 2.0
A-Max II driver
with the proper software the Palomax can be used for any type of hardware (like serial cards or disk interfaces) - drivers for DSP and other complex PC hardware were in development
a do it yourself project including complete interface schematics, list of components and vendors, assembly and installation instructions, and the software (driver and tools)
serves as host for Western Digital WD-1003 compatible controller cards
controller cards are connected to the MAX through a backplane with two 8 bit XT slots - up to four hard disks are supported
recoverable RAM disk (rrd.device) - a warm boot takes about 45 seconds, including 12 seconds of memory diagnostics
the design is licensed from ASDG, the card is technically the same as the ASDG 2MI
the A1000 and A500 versions both rehouse the Zorro II card and provide a second Zorro slot for an additional card - however, as no slot breakout exists, only internal Zorro cards can be used
A500 version:
external power supply
power switch and power indicator LED
passthrough connector - in order to use it, some terminator resistors have to be removed
grabs 320×200 or 320×400 images with 16 gray scales
grabs the entire image in one video frame time (1/60th seconds non-interlaced, 1/30th seconds interlaced) so it can digitize a moving source without smearing
stores the frame in its own 64 kB memory
it takes about half a second to send the image to the Amiga through the parallel port
the board is based on the BSC AT-Bus 2008 but designed to fit inside an A1000 with the Phoenix motherboard
a do it yourself project - everything needed to build the board (layout and PLD / GAL files) is available on the author's website (an At-Bus 2008 card should be used as donor)
the memory expansion is omitted
connects to the Zorro slot on the Phoenix motherboard
optional PGA FPU up to 16 MHz with separate oscillator
notes
later revisions of the board have a Kickstart socket, eliminating the need for the Kickstart disk and freeing 256 kB of memory - installing a Kickstart ROM however requires some modifications on the A1000 motherboard, including the replacement of a PAL chip
in 14 MHz mode the Kickstart ROM can be also driven at 14 MHz
optional battery backed up clock
connects to the 68000's socket
works in the A2000, but the battery on the motherboard has to be relocated
Zorro slot converter, EPROM burner and Kickstart switcher combined into one expansion
ProKick XL features 4 Zorro II slots (ProKick only one)
plugs into side expansion connector
passthrough connector
EPROM burner
meant for burning Kickstart EPROMs from 256 KB (Kickstart v1.x) to 512 KB (Kickstart v2.x/v3.x)
supports 27C2001 (2 MBit) and 27C4001 (4 MBit) EPROMs
already prepared for 8 MBit EPROMs - using them require a change of GAL and FPGA (IC1 and IC2)
Kickstart files may not be split
only burning possible, no erasing
Notes
the ProKick / ProKick XL can also be installed in an A2000, with limited use though
Zorro cards are mounted vertically
the Kickstart installed on the ProKick is mapped to the memory range $F80000-$FFFFFF, thus the original Kickstart ROM, or the Kickstart WOM and Bootloader ROM in case of A1000, is not accessible
512 kB or 1 MB of EPROM space can be installed in total
expansion doesn't work with only one EPROM equipped, so always both sockets have to be occupied
part of the EPROM can be used for own software, e.g. Autoboot driver, if the Kickstart doesn't occupy all of the EPROM space
optional angled adapter:
available as an accessory for the ProKick (not suitable for the ProKick XL)
plugs into the Zorro slot
allows horizontal Zorro card mounting
offers an additional Zorro II slots (two in total)
a design tower case was available that allowed mounting the ProKick XL and an A500 motherboard in it
768 kB RAM expansion - expands the A1000 to 512 kB Chip RAM and 512 kB ranger RAM (slow Fast RAM)
24 64k×4, 120 ns DIPs
supplied with a special Kickstart disk (Kickstart 1.2+) which enables the additional 512 kB
the additional 512 kB can be disabled at any soft reset by pressing the left mouse button
connects to the front panel expansion slot
the A1000 front slot lacks the required amount of signals for addressing 768 kB so 12 wires and four ICs have to be soldered into the A1000
made of two circuit boards like a sandwich - does not fit under the original front slot cover
the supplied replacement face plate protrudes 1.5 cm to the front and also a bit downward so the keyboard cannot be pushed under the Amiga - raising the A1000 a bit helps
allows the use of 1 MB Fat Agnus or 2 MB Big Agnus (8372B)
eight DIP sockets for 1 or 2 MB Chip RAM
1 MB Chip RAM: 8 256k×4 DIPs have to be installed
2 MB Chip RAM: 4 1M×4 DIPs occupy sockets U6, U8, U10 and U12, jumper J103 has to be set
the motherboard Chip RAM becomes true (not pseudo) Fast RAM
motherboard RAM addressing can be changed with jumpers to avoid conflicts with other internal RAM expansions - only one address supports autoconfiguring, the others require software
supports the expansion of motherboard RAM to 1 MB (piggyback hack)
Kickstart ROM socket
Kickstart source (disk or ROM) can be selected by a switch
battery backed up clock - disabled if other expansions have also a clock installed
A2000 style video slot subset (audio and parallel support missing):
if necessary, the missing signals can be fed to the video slot by connecting wires from the mainboard - the necessary eyelets are already existent and labeled
replaces the WCS daughterboard in NTSC and early PAL A1000s (later PAL A1000s have no such daughterboard, therefore they are not supported)
Agnus, Paula and Denise have to be removed, the latter two goes to the Rejuvenator
support for ECS Denise - together with Big Agnus, a full ECS chipset is present
connects to the motherboard with some of the existing WCS connections and with custom connectors to the empty custom chip sockets
no modifications are required to the motherboard, only three jumper wires have to be connected
level adjustment potentiometer (manual gain control)
audio input: line level mono (1× RCA socket)
connects to the parallel port
reversible design features two parallel connectors, one for the A1000 specific female connector, and one for regular parallel port (all other Amigas)
the parallel port is passed-through - with male / female connector on either side, it can be plugged in-between existing parallel expansions on A1000 and other Amigas
on/off switch
very small unit
supplied with sampling software, providing basic functions:
32 256k×1, 150 ns DIPs for 1 MB RAM (on "Main Deck")
optional "Upper Deck" module with 32 DIPs for the other 1 MB
both decks have four sockets for parity chips which can be utilized with the Multifunction module
two StarBoards can be connected together for 4 MB RAM total
optional Multifunction module
68881 @ 14 MHz
StickyDisk - rebootable ram disk with hardware write protection
allows parity checking of memory in the host StarBoard when extra parity RAM is installed - if a parity error is detected, the Amiga crashes with a GURU message
battery backed up clock
optional SCSI controller - StarDrive
AMD 5380 controller IC
pseudo-DMA
DB25 external SCSI connector
battery backed up clock
notes
one StarBoard can hold either a Multifunction or a SCSI module, as they connect to the same headers
connects to the A1000 side expansion port
removing the StarBoard's case, it can be installed in the A2000 using the SB2000 Zorro II adaptor card
controls: contrast, resolution (100/200/300/400 dpi), bit depth
supplied with Telmex Scan-Kit software
the same scanner is used for Atari and IBM PC scanner interfaces
Scanner Interface
large interface box for desktop placement
connects to the parallel port
for use with A1000 an adaptor is needed
scanner connector on front plate
passthrough connector - simultaneous usage of scanner and other parallel devices is not possible, a button on the front plate switches between scanner and passthrough mode
without this RAM card, the 68020 performs 15% slower than the original 7 MHz 68000, because of the additional time it takes to generate 24 bit addresses for the motherboard memory
the card fits into a free Zorro I slot, but instead of transmitting data via the Zorro bus, it attaches directly to the CPU card via four ribbon cables, and create a 32 bit memory bus
with the memory card installed, performance is increased to 2.8 times of a standard A1000
sixteen 32 pin DIP sockets for up to 512 kB static RAM
takes 32k×8, 100 ns SRAM chips in groups of four
does not autoconfig its memory
multiple Turbo Amiga Memory cards can be installed
some Zorro cards are not compatible with these slots
only five of them is autoconfig - the other two is for the 32 bit static RAM cards which connect to the Turbo Amiga CPU card through four 40 pin ribbon cables
4× ISA slots
2× 5.25" drive bays
200 watt internal power supply
connects to the side expansion port - no passthrough connector
composite video output for viewing the grabbed image
pressing the space bar, the entire colour image is freezed on the composite monitor in 1/60th seconds and stored in VD-1's own 24 bit framebuffer
stores images in RGBN format internally
pressing the return key, the image is sent from the framebuffer to the Amiga and converted to 320×400 HAM
image transfer takes about 25 seconds through the parallel port
once the image is displayed on the Amiga screen, it can be refined (RGB levels, brightness, colour dithering) without recapturing - just press the return key to transfer the image from the framebuffer with the new settings
produces higher quality colour images than FrameGrabber
housed in a 14×14×2 inches box with internal power supply
framebuffer
768×480 (full overscan) in 24 bit
allows outputting 24 bit raw RGB images from the Amiga
a professional video switching system featuring luma-keying, genlocking, local 24 bit colour generation, video fading/wiping and stereo audio mixer
four channels: composite video in with passthrough, externally synchronized RGB in, Amiga RGB in, and the internal colour generator for background color
hue, saturation and contrast control is provided on the front panel
connects to any Amiga (including the A1000) through the RGB port
controlled through the serial port
RGB out port (DB23, for Amiga graphics)
stereo audio out (2× RCA)
two stereo audio input channels (4× RCA)
composite video: 1× in, 2× out, 1× passthrough (BNC)
RGB in (3× BNC)
does not require time-base corrected inputs
available in PAL and NTSC
features
genlocking:
overlay Amiga graphics onto any video source or onto a solid one-colour screen
four genlock modes: foreground, inverted, mixed and encoded
notch filter and fade capability gives a wide range of genlocking options and effects
the Video Blender software does not need to be active during the genlocking process
fading:
fade between any two sources
smooth fading from 0 to 10 seconds in increments as small as 40 ms
supported in all genlock modes, including luma-keying
fully programmable and sequenceable with other events
mixing:
mix any two video sources for ghost, double exposure or tinting effects
mix delay can be set from 0 to 10 seconds in increments as small as 40 ms
switching:
switch between any two of Video Blenders four channels
switching is instantaneous and flicker-free, and is fully programmable and sequenceable with other events
keying:
key between any two of Video Blenders four channels for effects such as weather map, split screen video, any size or shape picture-in-picture, invisible man
all effects have sharp, crisp edges with notch filter option
key on 256 shades of gray from black to white
fully programmable and sequenceable with other events
wiping:
pixel level control of wiping between any two sources
every aspect of each wipe is adjustable: size, direction, speed, repetition, delay, rows, columns and more
with Video Scriptor (wipe sequencer and control tool) any IFF animation can be used as a wipe in addition to the algorithmic wipes
MixMaster custom wipe-paint software for easy creation of spectacular IFF wipes
fully programmable and sequenceable with other events
stereo audio:
Video Blender's two stereo input channels can be switched, mixed or faded
fade times are adjustable from 0 to 10 seconds in increments as small as 40 ms
the mixed audio output may be synchronized to video events
attenuation control knobs on the front panel allow the matching of stereo input levels
programming and sequencing:
every setting and feature may be saved as a Video Blender event
events may consist of a series of wipes, fades, mixes, etc.
in addition titling sequences, external tasks and other software may be part of an event
multiple events may be sequenced and saved in video sessions
24 bit colour generator for background screens and colour transitions
black burst out, synched with composite video in
key in for chroma-keying and other effects
GPI trigger allows the sequencing of Video Blender with other studio equipment
loop through for previewing composite video output without sacrificing a video channel
serves as host for IBM compatible HD controller cards
supported controller cards (A1000 version):
Western Digital WX1 or DTC5150
Western Digital WX2, but drives attached are limited to 20 MB
National Computer NDC5127-50, but 2.5 times slower than the WX1
the A500 version supports the Western Digital DTC5150 / 5160 cards only
the controller card is connected to the WEDGE card through a backplane with 8 bit XT slots - multiple controllers are supported by using a backplane with additional XT slots
basically the WEDGE hardware just maps the 8 bit I/O memory space of an attached card to the Amiga memory space ($EA0000 by default)
with proper software the WEDGE can be used with any type of XT cards (like serial cards or disk interfaces)
uses programmed I/O transfers
does not autoconfig
connects to the side expansion port
no passthrough connector
the system was sold either as a single WEDGE card or as complete package containing WEDGE, backplane, WX1 or DTC5150 controller card, case with power supply and a 20 MB or 40 MB MiniScribe hard disk drive