# MESS System Information File # All corrections and submissions are welcome. Please zip either a patch file or the entire # modified file and send it to: # Hobie Troxell [ht1848@yahoo.com] # This file contains the basic documentation for most of the drivers presented in the MESS # distribution. Please read the readme.txt, mess.txt and messnew.txt prior to reading this # supplementary documentation. This file should be placed in the same directory as the MESS # executable when using the DOS version of MESS. # Driver entries are usually divided into sections such as: Features, Usage, Known Issues, # History and Trivia, Links, MESS Emulation State and Other Emulators. # Features - Usually a quick list of important or unique features of that system. # Usage - This section lists any helpful commands for the computer or console in question, # such as disk operating system and file loading BASIC commands. This information is not # intended to replace a proper owner's manual for the system in question, and only contains # the most simple commands that can also be found on any of dozens of websites devoted to # the system. Moreover, this section can often have subsections devoted to the use of # Cassettes, Floppies, Cartridges and/or other particular hardware. We also show here, # when available, the original layout of keyboard and keypad. # Known Issues - This section lists any known issues or bugs for the driver. These will be # fixed as time and knowledge permit. Please be patient. If you have information that may # help the MESS team resolve these issues go to www.mess.org. # History and Trivia - This section contains various background pieces for a system. Much # of the information in these section (and in the Features one) was kindly provided by # Thierry Schembri and Olivier Boisseau of the "Old-computers.com Museum". Visit theit # excellent site at: http://www.old-computers.com. # Links - This section lists links to information resources on the web. If any link is # outdated, or if you know any interesting link missing, please let us know. # MESS Emulation State - This section highlights the overall status of the MESS driver. # Some system drivers are TESTDRIVERS. Notice that the State depends only on the flags # present in the source. So 'no flags'= Good, 'GAME_IMPERFECT_XXX flag'=Imperfect, # 'GAME_NOT_WORKING flag'='GAME_NO_XXX'= Preliminary (as per src/emu/info.c). Please, refer # to Known Issues section for more detailed explanation on what is working and what's not. # Other Emulators - This section lists alternative emulators for that system. If any link is # outdated, or if you know of any good emulator missing, please let us know. #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=3do $bio 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (1993) Features: --------- * CPU: 32-bit 12.5 MHz RISC CPU (ARM60) made by Advanced RISC Machines (roughly equivalent to 25 MHz 68030), Math co-processor, 32kb SRAM * Display: Interpolated 640x480 resolution output to screen, upsampled from 320x240 or 320x480 internal resolution with either 16 bit palettized color (from 24 bits) or 24 bit truecolor. Two accelerated video co-processors capable of producing 9-16 million pixels per second (36-64 megapix/s interpolated), distorted, scaled, rotated and texture mapped * System board: 50Mb/s bus speed, 36 DMA channels, 2 megabytes of main RAM, 1 megabyte of VRAM, 2 expansion ports * Sound: 16-bit stereo sound, 44.1 kHz sound sampling rate, Supports Dolby Surround Sound, Custom 16-bit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Known Issues: ------------- This system does not work. MESS supports the following 3do models: "Panasonic FZ-10 R.E.A.L. 3DO", "Goldstar 3DO v1.01m", "Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO", "Goldstar 3DO Alive II", "Sanyo TRY 3DO". You can switch between them, changing the -bios parameter. At command line, "-bios 0" or "-bios panafz10" = Panasonic FZ-10 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer "-bios 1" or "-bios goldstar" = Goldstar 3DO Interactive Multiplayer v1.01m "-bios 2" or "-bios panafz1" = Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer "-bios 3" or "-bios gsalive2" = Goldstar 3DO Alive II "-bios 4" or "-bios sanyotry" = Sanyo TRY 3DO Interactive Multiplayer History and Trivia: ------------------- 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (most commonly referred to as the 3DO) is a line of video game consoles which were released in 1993 and 1994 by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar, among other companies. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical of New Technology Group. The system was conceived by entrepreneur and EA Games founder Trip Hawkins. Despite a highly-promoted launch (including being named Time Magazine product of the year in 1994) and a host of cutting-edge technologies, the system's high price ($699.95 USD at release) and an over-saturated console market prevented the 3DO from ever achieving any real market penetration. The consoles had very advanced hardware features at the time: an ARM60 32-bit RISC CPU, two custom video co-processors, a custom 16-bit DSP and a custom math coprocessor. They also featured 2 megabytes of DRAM, 1 megabyte of VRAM, and a double speed CD-ROM drive for main CD+G, view Photo CDs, and Video CDs with an add-on MPEG video card. The 3DO also included the first music visualizer in a console system, converting CD music to a mesmerizing color pattern. A notable feature of the console is that it is one of few CD-based consoles that feature neither regional lockout nor copy protection, scoring it points amongst import gamers and software pirates alike, though reports have suggested that the Goldstar model isn't particularly durable when used for either of those purposes. Although there is no regional lockout present in any 3DO machine, a few Japanese games cannot be played on non-Japanese 3DO consoles due to a special kanji font. At the request of the 3DO company, most third- party developers included this font directly on the game CDs so that they could be played on any 3DO console; however, a few did not, including Sword and Sorcery (which was released in English under the title Lucienne's Quest) and a demo version of Alone in the Dark. It is often said that the 3DO software library exhibited many of the worst aspects of home video gaming at the time. This was the dawn of CD-ROM gaming, so cutscenes of pixelated video footage dominated many titles at the expense of good gameplay. The most well-received titles were commonly ports of games from other systems, such as Alone in the Dark, Alone in the Dark 2, Myst, Out of This World, Return to Zork, and Star Control II. Other notable titles include Need for Speed, Road Rash, Jurassic Park Interactive, Crash N' Burn, Gex, Slayer, Killing Time, and the first console port of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which exceeded the original with its CD-quality audio. Game series that started on 3DO by Electronic Arts, Studio 3DO and Crystal Dynamics established themselves on other 32-bit consoles. One major hit for the 3DO, Return Fire, an advanced tank battle game, was ported from the 3DO to the Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft Windows, but met with limited success. However, few titles utilized the console's full potential. In addition to the consoles, a 3DO Blaster ISA peripheral card for PCs which offered all the features of the home console was manufactured by Creative Technology. The 3DO Company also designed a next-generation console called the M2, which was to use a PowerPC 602 processor, but the company abandoned the console business and sold the technology to Matsushita, who rebranded the hardware and sold it in the kiosk market competing with the CD-i system. Konami later made an M2-based arcade board. As games ran straight from the CD-ROM drive, it suffered from long load times and a high failure rate, so very few games were developed for it. For a significant period of the product's life cycle, 3DO's official stance on pricing was that the 3DO was not a video game console, it was a high-end audio-visual system and was priced accordingly, so no price adjustment was needed. Price drops announced in February of 1996 were perceived in the industry to be an effort to improve market penetration before the release of the promised M2, heavy promotional efforts on the YTV variety show It's Alive and a stream of hinted product expandability items supported that idea. The 3DO system was eventually discontinued at the end of 1996 with a complete shutdown of all internal hardware development and divestment of the M2 technology. 3DO restructured themselves around this same time, repositioning their internal software development house (Studio3DO) as a multi-platform software company supporting the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC gaming platforms with a re-launch of Star Fighter as well as the PC Launch of the first commercial, 3-D MMORPG, Meridian 59. The businesses' most successful post 3DO software release is considered to be the Army Men franchise which was their featured product line up until the company filed for bankruptcy and liquidated its assets in 2003. Take 2 Interactive acquired the rights to the Army Men series. * Models: - Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (Japan, Asia, North America and Europe): The first 3DO system, which was initially priced at $699.99 in the U.S. The price was later reduced to $499 in the fall of 1994. - Panasonic FZ-10 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (Japan, North America and Europe): Less expensive than the FZ-1, the FZ-10 is smaller compared to the FZ-1. The primary selling point of this unit (at least in the U.S. market) was the top-loading design, which addressed the main failure point in FZ-1 of the CD tray. - Goldstar 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (South Korea, North America and Europe): Early models of the Goldstar systems cause some games not to work. - Goldstar 3DO ALIVE II (South Korea only) - Sanyo TRY 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (Japan only) - Creative 3DO BLASTER - PC card (ISA slot) with a 2X CD-ROM drive and one controller that enables a PC to play 3DO games. (info from Wikipedia) Links: ------ * 3DO Today -- http://3do.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ MESS Emulation Status: ---------------------- Preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * FreeDo -- http://www.freedo.org/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=990189 $bio Texas Instruments TM 990/189 Microcomputer (1979) Usage: ------ This driver emulates a TM990/189 with University Basic. This computer has a 10-character 8-segment LED display and a 45-key keyboard. Key mapping can be read in the TAB menu. Programs can be saved to tape with 'SAVE', and restored with 'LOAD'. The 10-char window can be moved horizontally with Shift+V, Shift+W, Shift+Y, and Shift+Z. Previously typed characters can be deleted with Shift+M. You can discard the current line, exit List mode or break program execution with Shift+9 (ESC). History and Trivia: ------------------- The TM990/189 University Board Microcomputer was designed in 1978 and probably released in early 1979. Its primary target was University computing courses. It was sold with a simple assembler & debugger, UNIBUG, and a 500-page textbook titled "Introduction to Microprocessor". The UNIBUG program has not been dumped, and is therefore not available. TI additionally sold University Basic for the TM990/189. It is a relatively simple Basic interpreter. This program is emulated. (info from Raphael Nabet, author of the MESS driver) MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=990189v $bio TM 990/189 University Board microcomputer with University Basic and Video Board Interface (1980) Usage: ------ This driver emulates a TM990/189 with University Basic and the optional Color Video Board. You can use all the video opcodes documented in the University Basic Manual. The optional demonstration EPROM set includes demonstration programs. They can be loaded with LOAD 0, LOAD 1, LOAD 2 and LOAD 3. Some programs are supposed to do some user interaction, but they were set up to run in demo mode, so that you must edit the source code to run the programs interactively: for instance, to play the brick-wall game, you must type 'LOAD 2', then enter '5 SP=0' to disable demonstration mode, then 'RUN'. There are two undocumented built-in Basic instructions that can be used if you have the demonstration EPROMs installed: PLOT and JOY. These instructions are not fully implemented in University Basic, and they rely on assembly language subroutines located on the Demonstration EPROMs. The PLOT instruction draws lines in multicolor mode (which is entered by "MODE 8" through "MODE 15"). "PLOT 0,n" sets up the screen for multicolor mode, and must be executed before any other PLOT instruction (n is ignored). "PLOT 1,c[,x,y]" sets the pen color to c, and sets the coordinates of the lower left corner to (x,y). "PLOT 5,x,y" sets the pen position absolutely, and "PLOT 3,x,y" sets the pen position relatively to the current pen position. "PLOT 6,x,y" draws a line from the current pen position to a new pen position expressed absolutely, and "PLOT 4,x,y" draws a line from the current pen position to a new pen position expressed relatively to the current pen position. "PLOT 2,x,y" and "PLOT 7,x,y" do not do anything. The JOY function reads the state of either joystick. "JOY 0" reads the analog X-axis for joystick 1, "JOY 1" reads the analog Y-axis for joystick 1, "JOY 2" reads the button state for joystick 1, "JOY 3" reads the analog X-axis for joystick 2, "JOY 4" reads the analog Y-axis for joystick 2, and "JOY 5" reads the button state for joystick 2. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Color Video Board was released in 1980. It includes a TMS9918 VDP, a joystick interface, and two EPROM sockets. The VDP enables to display colorful graphics on a video monitor. This board was not designed by TI, but an external society (Eyring Research Institute). (info from Raphael Nabet, author of the MESS driver) MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a1000n $bio Commodore Amiga 1000 (1985) Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola MC68000 7.16 MHz * Co-Processors: Denise (video), Agnus (memory manager, blitter & copper), Paula (sound and disk access) * RAM: 256kb, upgradeable to 512k internally. Extensible to 8.5 MB with extension card (512 KB CHIP RAM + 8 MB FAST RAM) and to 10 MB * ROM: 8 KB (The Kickstart isn't in ROM but loaded at the boot in RAM, where it takes 256 KB) * Text Modes: 60 x 32 / 80 x 32 * Graphics Modes: 320 x 200 and 320x400 (32 colors), 640 x 200 and 640 x 400 (16 colors) * Colors: up to 64 colors among 4096 (EHB mode) The Amiga can display 4096 colors simultaneously (HAM mode) but only for static display. * Sound: Four 8 bit PCM voices, 9 octaves * I/O Ports: RGB, RF & composite video ouputs, external floppy disk port, Centronics, RS232c, Expansion port, stereo sound, Atari Compatible joysticks (2), RAM expansion port, keyboard connector * Keyboard: full-size typewriter style, 89 keys, 10 function keys and numeric keypad * Built In Media: one 3.5'' disk-drive, double sided double density, 880k formatted storage capacity * OS: AmigaDOS (1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3) + WorkBench (GUI) Known Issues: ------------- Sound is not currently supported. The driver is now working fairly well, though some games may need more memory than currently emulated. History and Trivia: ------------------- The conceptor of the Amiga 1000 was Jay Miner, who created the Atari 800 many years before. He wanted to make the most powerful computer ever, then he joined a little California company called Amiga. He used the principle of the three coprocessors (again) to help the main processor. At the beginning, the Amiga had only 64 kilobytes of RAM!, Atari wanted to buy the Amiga but finally, Commodore succeeded to buy it (then there was a lawsuit, which Commodore won). It was meant to be a competitor to the Atari 520 ST. The operating system was done by Metacomco, a British company who specialized in the 68000 processor (they also made languages for the Sinclair QL). It is a fully multitasking system which looks like UNIX with a graphical user interface. It was the very first personal computer with great graphics and sound capabilities with a GUI environment. Amiga BASIC was written by Microsoft (like most other versions of BASIC). The Amiga 1000 began to lose popularity one year later with the creation of its two main successors: the Amiga 500 and the Amiga 2000. There were two versions of the Amiga 1000. The first one, just called "Amiga", was sold only in USA, had a NTSC display, and didn't have the video modes EHB and HAM, later versions would have this built in. The second one, called "Amiga 1000" (to avoid confusion with its successor, the Amiga 2000) had a PAL display, enhanced video modes (HAM & EHB) and was built in Germany. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Amiga Technologies Homepage -- http://www.amiga.de/ * Amiga Interactive Guide -- http://amiga.emugaming.com/ * AMIGART.COM -- http://www.amigart.com/ * Hall of Light - the database of amiga games -- http://hol.abime.net/ * Amiga 1000 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=28 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * UAE (Ubiquitous Amiga Emulator) -- http://www.freiburg.linux.de/~uae/ * WinUAE -- http://www.winuae.net/ * Experimental UAE -- http://www.rcdrummond.net/uae/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a2600 $bio Atari 2600 Video Computer System (1977) Features: --------- * Resolution: 160 x 260 (horz.) at 60.00 Hz * CPU: MOS 6507 1.19 MHz * Graphics Clock: 1.19 MHz * Bits: 8 * ROM: 4k max * RAM: 128 bytes, in VLSI * Video Display Processor: Stella * Sprites: 32 * Colors: 256 (static) * Sound Processor: Two Channel Square or Noise (TIA) * Cartridge ROM: 2k up to 64k Usage: ------ Original Atari 2600 has six switches on its top: Power (On / Off), TV signal (B/W or Color), Difficulty for each player (called A and B), Select, and Reset. Except for the power switch, games sometimes assign other functions to these switches. On later models the difficulty switches were miniaturized and moved to the back of the unit. Atari 2600 games can be controlled either through joysticks or paddle, the latter being much more precise. Both kinds of controller have a single button on its left. Some cartridge requires the 12-keys keyboard controller (or the kid's controller) which has the following layout 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 * 0 # Among these games, A Game of Concentration (Hunt & Score, Memory Match), Alpha Beam with Ernie, BASIC Programming, Big Bird's Egg Catch, Brain Games, Codebreaker, Cookie Monster Munch, Grover's Music Maker (prototype), MagiCard, Oscar's Trash Race, Star Raiders. Sentinel and Shooting Arcade (prototype) use a lightgun, while Indy 500 and Stell-A-Sketch use a driving controller. Known Issues: ------------- * Good compatibility (few games are even more accurate than in Stella, e.g. Solaris and its space warp) * Support for almost any kind of controller (lightgun support is missing): joystick, paddle, keypad, booster grip and driving controller * Support for Starpath Supercharger and Kid Vid Voice Module * You can select between joysticks or paddles in the "Input Devices" menu, accessible by pressing TAB History and Trivia: ------------------- The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) was released in 1977 at a suggested retail price of $299, which dropped quickly as sales soared; about 340,000 systems were sold the first year alone. Joe Decuir, Steve Mayer and Ron Milner designed the VCS. The Atari VCS was developed under the project codename "Stella". The VCS later became known, both commonly and officially as the Atari 2600 (from the model number CX2600). It is rumored that the number 2600 was chosen because 2600 cycles was a prominent long distance access tone, and that one of the developers had created devices that would trick pay phones into granting long distance access as a hobby. The 2600 became hugely popular and millions of its cartridge were sold. It was produced until Jan 1st, 1992, when Atari Corporation officially retired it. The Atari 2600 success was so huge that still today, after more than 25 years from its appearance, many hobbyists produce and sell new games for the console! * Many versions of Atari 2600 were released. - Atari VCS CX2600: Original model. Woodgrain and black plastic enclosure. Light and heavy weighted plastic. Six silver switches across the upper front panel. Bundled accessories included two CX40 joysticks, one CX30 paddle controller, AC adapter, TV switch and a CX2601 Combat game cart. - Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade I: Same as above except external cosmetic differences (the "difficulty" switches are labeled "skill level", the switch panel is silver instead of black, and the woodgrain pattern is different.) - Atari VCS 2600A: Revised model. Externally it is nearly identical to the original, except there are four silver switches across the upper front panel instead of six. The difficulty switches were moved to the rear of the unit. Internally, the motherboard is a simplified one-piece design. - Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade I(A): Same as above except for external cosmetic differences. - Atari VCS 2600A (black): Second revised model. Externally it is nearly identical to the 2600A, except the enclosure has a more modern looking "black out" treatment. The areas of woodgrain on the original models are now simply black plastic. Internally, the motherboard is a slight revision of the 2600A. - Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade II: Entirely new model of the 2600 designed exclusively for Sears. Black wedge-shaped enclosure, with push button switches and LEDs on top panel. Essentially an Atari 7800 shell. Four joystick connectors on lower front panel with rocker switch. Internally very different from other 2600 models, but still uses the same basic chipset. Bundled accessories include two combination joystick/paddle controllers, AC adapter, TV switch and a Space Invaders game cart. - Atari 2800: same as Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade II but with Atari label. Released only in Japan. Very rare. - Atari 2600 "Jr.": Third revised model. It is slightly larger than a VHS video tape case. Some versions have "Jr" stamped onto the bottom sticker. Large black buttons. Power and b/w switches slide, while Reset and Game Select are push buttons. Jet black with large metallic silver strip running lengthwise across the front with "Atari 2600" on it. Marketed as the "Under 50 bux, the fun is back!" machine. Bundled accessories include one joystick, AC adapter, TV switch box, and RCA connecting cable. Box is designed as a carrying case with handle and a white section which reads: "This Atari 2600 belongs to:". No bundled cart. The unit came in either a maroon or silver box. - Atari 2600 "Jr.": same as above except silver plate has a larger rainbow strip without an embossed border. * A few miscellaneous notes: All 6 switch Ataris had a large shield casing. There were at least two 6-switch versions: (6-1) The original. The entire bottom half of the console was made of quarter inch thick plastic (~6mm)! Combined with the thick aluminum RF casing, this is the heaviest 2600 ever made. Also, this 2600 has no 2/3 channel select switch. There is a channel select hole in the case and it's marked Channel A/B, but there's no switch inside on the PCB. These consoles came with "01 combat". (1977 models only) (6-2) The lighter 2600. No armor plating. Bottom half of console is made of thin plastic, like the 4 switch models. Channel switch now present. Thick RF shield still present. Plain ol' "combat" included. The were also minor variations on 4 front switch, woodgrain panel models. On some, the difficulty switches are marked "Expert/Novice" (or was it "Advanced/Beginner"?) and others are marked only as "A/B". Many Atari 2600 clones exists. Probably the most famous is the Gemini, an inexpensive clone 2600 made by Coleco. It sports an all black, box-shaped enclosure with six small slide switches (say that fast) on top of front panel. On the back panel, there is an RF modulator port and a power adapter port. Two joystick ports and difficult switches live on the front panel. Bundled bits include two dual-joystick/paddle controllers, a 9volt/500ma DC adapter, an RF cable, a TV switch and Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap carts. * Finally, quite a bit of 2600 hardware was announced but never released. Some examples: - 2600 keyboard by Atari, called the Graduate or My First Computer. It was designed by Peripheral Visions Inc. - 2600 voice command system - a headband controller, Mindlink - Atari 2500 (http://www.atari-history.com/videogames/2500.html) - Atari 2700 - Remote control joystick/paddles, touch sensitive console buttons. - Amiga Power Module for 2600. Similar to the Supercharger, it had dialup capability (to play against others). Also, some 3D games were planned for it as well. (info about 2600 versions, clones and unreleased hardware from Zube's "Atari 2600/7800 FAQ") Links: ------ * Atari Age -- http://www.atariage.com/2600/history.html * Atari Historical Society -- http://www.atari-history.com/a2600.html * Atari Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600menu/2600menu.htm * Atari2600.com -- http://www.atari2600.com/ * Dan B's Atari 2600 Tech Page -- http://www.atarihq.com/danb/a2600.shtml MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Stella -- http://stella.sourceforge.net/ * PCAE (PC Atari Emulator) -- http://www.classicgaming.com/pcae/ * z26 -- http://www.whimsey.com/z26/ * x26 (z26 front-end) -- http://www.wintersolace.com/ * StellaX -- http://www.emuunlim.com/stellax/ * no$2k6 -- http://nocash.emubase.de/2k6.htm $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a310 $bio Acorn Archimedes 310 (1988) Features: --------- * CPU: ARM-2 32 bit RISC (ARM-3 in the A500 series) 4 / 8 MHz * Co-Processor: MEMC (memory), VIDC (Video and Sound), IOC (I/O) * RAM: 512 KB (up to 16 MB) * ROM: 512 KB * Text Modes: 132 chars. x 32 lines maximum * Graphic Modes: 21 screen modes - Up to 640 x 512 in colour mode, up to 1280 x 960 in monochrome mode * Colors: 256 maximum * Sound: 8 voices * I/O Ports: Centronics, RS423, Video composite, RGB, Econet (network 250 KBits). Optional 4 expansion slots (podule slots), the 400/500 series came with 4 slots. * Keyboard: Complete 102 keys full-stroke keyboard - PC/AT layout * Built in Media: 800 KB 3.5'' floppy drive, 3.5'' disk-drive, from 20 to 53 MB * OS: ARTHUR (and RISC OS later) * Built in Language: BBC BASIC V History and Trivia: ------------------- The Archimedes was the first RISC home computer. There were three series, the 300, 400 and 500 which shared the same hardware basis: the ARM-2 processor (ARM-3 for the A500) and three custom chips dedicated to memory (MEMC), video (VIDC) and I/O (IOC) controls. The 300 series had 512 KB to 1 MB of memory and two expansion slots (64 pin). The 400 series had 1 to 4 MB of memory and four slots (three 64 pin and one 96 pin). The 500 series had 16 MB of RAM. The operating system, first named Arthur then subsequently RiscOS, was in ROM along with the WIMP graphic interface (Windows Menu Icon Pointer), the fast BBC BASIC V interpreter and various utility programs, among them a Paint package, a music editor and an Acorn BBC model 2 emulator. The built-in 800 KB 3.5" floppy drive was compatible with the old 640 KB format. A lot of expansion cards were developed for the Archimedes : MIDI, SCSI, Oscilloscope, IEEE 488, speech recognition, scanner, floating point co-processor. Many programming languages were released as well : BASIC (which could be loaded from disk and ran faster than the ROM BASIC), C, Fortran 77, Pascal, Prolog and Lisp. Although it was at least two times faster than the Atari ST and Amiga models, the Archimedes had no real success because of its high price, except in its country of origin (Great Britain) where it was very well-known and commonly used (especially in schools). These computers were followed by a great family of computers called RISC PC which are still in production. Here are the different Archimedes A300 - A400 - A500 versions : - A305 - 512 KB RAM - A310 - 1 MB RAM - A410 - 1 MB RAM - A420 - 2 MB RAM, 20 MB Hard disk - A440 - 4 MB RAM, 40 MB Hard disk - A540 - 16 MB RAM, 120 MB Hard Disk (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Wocki's Acorn Site -- http://acorn.revivalteam.de/ * Chris' Acorn Page -- http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/Archimedes.html * Archimedes 310 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=75 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- This system is a TESTDRIVER. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Archie (DOS & Mac) -- http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Campus/5427/ * Arculator -- http://b-em.bbcmicro.com/arculator/ * Red Squirrel -- http://www.red-squirrel.org/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a400 $bio Atari 400 Home Computer (1979) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 6502 1.79MHz * Co-Processors: ANTIC (Scrolling, Sprites, Video), CTIA / GTIA (Color, Sprites, Collisions), POKEY (Timers, Sound, Keyboard, Serial I/O), PIA 6810 (I/O including controller ports) * RAM: 8K or 16K (newer models) * ROM: 10K * Display: 24 x 40 text, 320 x 192 monochrome, 160 x 96 with 128 colors * Expansions: 2 internal expansion slots, 1 cartridge slot under front cover and a daisy-chainable expansion bus * Ports: 4 controller ports * Keyboard: QWERTY membrane keyboard with 61 keys, 4 function keys (Reset, Option, Select, Start) * TV video output * Storage: external 5.25" floppy drive, cassette recorder * OS: Atari OS Usage: ------ Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. Most disk and cartridge images should work, though some graphic issues may exist. Note that the Atari 400 has less memory than the Atari 800, and some disk images may not work as a consequence; this is not a bug in the emulation. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Atari 400 and 800 were the first home computers to use custom coprocessors and the first to use "sprites" and special video interruptions like display lists, features that will be implemented several years after on the Commodore Amiga. It offered high graphic resolution, lots of colors and great sound capabilities, more than other computers could do then! The two models had same characteristics, the 400 is the low-cost version, it has only 16 KB (instead of 48 KB), one cartridge port (two for the 800) and a membrane keyboard (a typewriter style keyboard one for the 800). Originally, the 400 was sold with 8 kb RAM, but later most 400's with 16 kb. The Atari 400 was known inside Atari as code name "Candy". (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Atari 400 at the Atari Hystory Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/400800/400/400.html * Atari 400 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/atari400.shtml * Atari 400 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=76 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good Other Emulators: ---------------- * Atari800 (Unix, Amiga, MS-DOS, Atari TT/Falcon, SDL, WinCE) -- http://atari800.sourceforge.net/ * Atari++ -- http://www.math.tu-berlin.de/~thor/atari++/ * Atari800Win Plus -- http://www.a800win.atari-area.prv.pl/ * Raibow (historical) -- http://www.chrislam.co.uk/ * PC Xformer (historical) -- http://www.emulators.com/xformer.htm $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a500n $bio Commodore Amiga 500 (1987) Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola MC 68000 7.14MHz * Co-Processor: Agnus (MMU), Denise (video), Paula (Sound & I/O) * RAM: 512 KB (expandable to 9MB : 512 KB CHIP RAM + 512 KB Slow RAM + 8 MB FAST RAM) * ROM: 256 KB (DOS 1.2) * Text Modes: 60 x 32 / 80 x 32 * Graphic Modes: 320 x 256 / 320 x 512 / 640 x 256 / 640 x 512 * Colors: 32 (for 320 x X modes), 16 (for 640 x X modes) among 4096 + 2 Special modes: EHB 64 colors and HAM 4096 colors on static display. * Sound: 4 voice 8 bit PCM * I/O Ports: Centronics, RS232, Mouse, Joystick, RGB, Composite, External Audio, Bus * Built in Media: one 3.5'' disk-drive * OS: AMIGA WorkBench 1.2 (first deliveries) then 1.3 Known Issues: ------------- Sound is not currently supported. The driver is now working fairly well, though some games may need more memory than currently emulated. MESS supports various Kickstart ROM versions: v1.2, v1.3, v2.04, v3.1. You can switch between them, changing the -bios parameter. At command line, "-bios 0" or "-bios kick13" = Kickstart 1.3 (34.5) "-bios 1" or "-bios kick12" = Kickstart 1.2 (33.180) "-bios 2" or "-bios kick204" = Kickstart 2.04 (37.175) "-bios 3" or "-bios kick31" = Kickstart 3.1 (40.63) History and Trivia: ------------------- The Commodore Amiga 500 was the low-end successor of the Amiga 1000 and the predecessor of the Amiga 1200. It was the main competitor of the Atari 520 STf (there was a great "war" between the owners of these two computers). It used a special system for its RAM configuration: 512 KB of Chip RAM which could be accessed by the Paula and Denise custom chips (sound & I/O and video, respectively) and Fast RAM which could be accessed only by the CPU. The 68000 bus had two connectors, an external and an internal one. An extension card could be added through the internal connector on bottom of case and offered 512 KB of additional RAM and a battery-backed clock. The Amiga 500 was followed by the Amiga 500+. The Amiga 500+ had the same characteristics as the Amiga 500 except it had 1MB of Chip RAM and used the AmigaOS 2.04, this version of Amiga OS needed 512 KB of ROM. The Amiga A500+ was the shortest lived Amiga, lasting only 6 months before being replaced by the A600. Ironic that a machine designed to be cheaper and sold 'below' the 500+ should replace it and be sold for the same price(!) Both versions could be connected to a TV set or to a video monitor with a better resolution. Two Amigas could be networked using a null modem cable. This computer was, and is still used a lot in the "demoscene" to create cool videoclips with breaking graphics and sounds! (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Amiga Technologies Homepage -- http://www.amiga.de/ * Amiga Interactive Guide -- http://amiga.emugaming.com/ * AMIGART.COM -- http://www.amigart.com/ * Hall of Light - the database of amiga games -- http://hol.abime.net/ * Amiga 500 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/amiga500.shtml * Amiga 500 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=65 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Imperfect. Other Emulators: ---------------- * UAE (Ubiquitous Amiga Emulator) -- http://www.freiburg.linux.de/~uae/ * WinUAE -- http://www.winuae.net/ * Experimental UAE -- http://www.rcdrummond.net/uae/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a5200 $bio Atari 5200 SuperSystem (1982) Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola 6502C (8-bit) 1.78 MHz * RAM: 16K * Colors: 256, 16 on-screen * Resolution: 320x192 * Sound: 4-channel Usage: ------ The 5200 featured a controller with an analog joystick, numeric keypad, two fire buttons on both sides of the controller and game function keys for Start, Pause, and Reset. Keyboard input is a little difficult, using a joystick or mouse is recommended. Few games are known to have problems (Bug #522). Known Issues: ------------- Most games are playable. See a5200.hsi for a fairly exhaustive compatibility list. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Atari 5200 was introduced in 1982, and was actually designed to be a competitor to the Intellivision, before ColecoVision entered the market. Developed under the name of "Pam" (Atari, at the time, typically named projects after well-endowed female employees), Atari considered releasing it with that moniker; PAM in this case an acronym for "Personal Arcade Machine". The 5200 shared much of the architecture of the Atari 400/800 computers, but featured a different cartridge connector and completely different controllers. Non-centering analogue joysticks which offered a full 360 degrees of mobility, were both innovative and unreliable. Other controller features included a keypad, and an ahead-of-its-time pause button. The Atari 5200 suffered from its initial incompatibility with the VCS/2600 (an adapter was later released) and fierce competition from Coleco. When Warner Communications sold Atari Corp. to the Tramiels in 1984, they quickly removed it from the market. Different versions of the Atari 5200 were marketed. The initial 1982 release of the system featured four controller ports, where all other systems of the day had only two ports. It also featured the innovation of the first automatic TV switchbox, allowing it to automatically switch from regular TV viewing to the game system signal when the system was activated (previous RF adapters required the user to slide a switch on the adapter by hand). A single cable coming out of the 5200 plugged into the switch box was used for both electricity and the television signal. The 1983 release of the Atari 5200 saw a scaled down controller port (2 instead of 4 ports) and a change back to the more conventional separate power supply and standard (non autoswitching) RF switch. It also saw changes in the cartridge port address lines to allow for the Atari 2600 adaptor released that year. While the adaptor was only made to work on the 2 port version, modifications can be done to the 4 port to make it line compatible. Furthermore, towards the end of the 4 port production run there were also an extremely limited number of 2600 adaptor compatible consoles produced. These much harder to find 4 port versions can be identified by an asterisk in the serial number. (info on the different hardware versions from Wikipedia) Links: ------ * Atari2600.com (covers many classic systems) -- http://www.atari2600.com/ * Dan B's Atari 5200 Tech Page -- http://www.atarihq.com/danb/a5200.shtml * Atari Age -- http://www.atariage.com/5200/history.html * Atari Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/5200/A5200.html MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Jum52 (Jum's A5200 Emulator) -- http://www.geocities.com/james7780/emulators/emu5200.html * Virtual Super System (Dan Boris' 5200 emulator) -- http://atarihq.com/danb/a5200.shtml#emulator * kat5200 -- http://home.cfl.rr.com/jberlin/kat5200/index.html Because of the hardware's similarity to the 400/800/XL/XE line of computers, 5200 emulation is also included in: * Atari800 -- http://atari800.sourceforge.net/ * Atari++ -- http://www.math.tu-berlin.de/~thor/atari++/ * Atari800Win Plus -- http://www.a800win.atari-area.prv.pl/ * Rainbow -- http://www.chrislam.co.uk/  $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a7800 $bio Atari 7800 ProSystem (1986) Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola 6502C (8-bit) 1.79 MHz * RAM: 32 KB * Resolution: 320 x 200 * Colors: 256, 16 on-screen Usage: ------ On the console, four buttons are present: POWER, PAUSE, RESET and SELECT. The slim controller features a central joystick and two buttons (one at each side of the controller). Known Issues: ------------- The Pause key "P" is hard-coded and not able to be re-mapped. Most games work fine, but a few have graphic and playability issues. See a7800.hsi for a full compatibility list. History and Trivia: ------------------- Originally developed in 1984 as the Atari 3600, the Atari 7800 Prosystem was released to the US market in 1986, in an attempt to compete in a revitalized home videogame market. The 7800 was actually designed by Gencomp as part of a lawsuit settlement (Gencomp had been sued for releasing a speedup chipset for Atari coinop Missile Command). The 7800 was compatible with pre-existing Atari 2600 game program cartridges, without the need for expansion modules or turning switches, but was also designed to use enhanced 7800-only cartridges such as the pack-in "Pole Position 2". (n.b., only the 7800-specific cartridges are currently supported in MESS.) Many peripherals, including a computer/keyboard and high score saving cartridge were planned but never released. Unfortunately for Atari, the system did poorly in the late 1980's market dominated by Nintendo. www.atari-history.com has this interesting anecdote: "In the summer of 1984 the first 5,000 Atari 7800's had just been built in the new El Paso assembly plant. The production line manager, Brad Saville was eager to meet with Jack Tramiel to show him the new flagship Atari video game console. The meeting ended abruptly as Jack Tramiel was quoted "Get your pollution out of here! We make computers now and we don't want your garbage." The line manager was fired 2 days later. About 8-9 months later the line manager received a phone call from Atari asking him as to the whereabouts of the die molds for the Atari 7800. The ex-line manager responded that he did in fact know where they were and for $50/hour for about 200 to 300 hours of his time he would remember where they were and find them. The Atari Corp. representative who called was infuriated and informed the former production line manager that Atari's lawyers would be in contact with him. He never heard from Atari again." * Three revisions of the Atari 7800 exist: - Atari CX7800: Vastly modified and enhanced 2600 model. Two joystick ports on lower front panel. New chipset (except sound chip; pokey chips could be added to carts). Side expansion port for upgrades and computer add ons. Bundled accessories included two CX24 ProLine joysticks AC Adapter, switchbox, RCA connecting cable, and Pole Position II cartridge. Plays all 2600 games except 3 or so (which ones?). - Atari CX7800 Second Revision: Expansion port connector removed from mother board but is still etched. Shell has indentation of where expansion port was to be. - Atari CX7800 Third Revision: As above but only a small "blemish" mark on shell. (info on 7800 models from Zube's "Atari 2600/7800 FAQ") Links: ------ * The Atari 7800 Page -- http://www.atari7800.org * Atari2600.com (covers many classic systems) -- http://www.atari2600.com/ * Dan B's Atari 7800 Tech Page -- http://www.atarihq.com/danb/a7800.shtml * Atari Age -- http://www.atariage.com/7800/history.html * Atari Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/7800/7800menu/ MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * EMU7800 -- http://emu7800.sourceforge.net/ * ProSystem Emulator -- https://home.comcast.net/~gscottstanton/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=a800 $bio Atari 800 Home Computer (1979) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 6502 1.79MHz * Co-Processors: ANTIC (Scrolling, Sprites, Video), CTIA / GTIA (Color, Sprites, Collisions), POKEY (Timers, Sound, Keyboard, Serial I/O), PIA 6810 (I/O including controller ports) * RAM: 8K base, up to 48K (with memory expansion boards) * ROM: 10K * Display: 24 x 40 text, 320 x 192 monochrome, 160 x 96 with 128 colors * Expansion: 4 internal expansion slots, 2 cartridge slots * Ports: 4 controller ports, RGB video output, TV video output * Keyboard: QWERTY full stroke keyboard with 62 keys, 4 function keys (Reset, Option, Select, Start) * Storage: external 5.25" floppy drive, cassette recorder * OS: Atari OS Usage: ------ Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. The Atari800 driver now has two ROM slots. It really had two slots, so the code was modified to optionally read the second part of a 16K ROM from the second cartridge filename provided (right slot). The previous version had a800_cartridge_32k flag which was wrong. Cartridges are either 8K or 16K, so that was renamed to ..._16k too ;) Known Issues: ------------- Most disk and cartridge images should work, though some graphic issues may exist. The Atari 800XL driver (a800xl) is not currently working. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Atari 400 and 800 were the first home computers to use custom coprocessors and the first to use "sprites" and special video interruptions like display lists, features that will be implemented several years after on the Commodore Amiga. It offered high graphic resolution, lots of colors and great sound capabilities, more than other computers could do then! The two models had same characteristics, but the 800 had 48 KB of RAM (instead of 16 kb), two cartridge ports (only one for the 400) and a proper mechanical keyboard (a membrane keyboard for the 400). In fact the very first Atari 800 Computers were shipped with 8 or 16 KB memory, expandable to 48 KB. After initial release, the 800 came standard with 48 KB memory. Prior to production, the 800 was known inside Atari as code name "Colleen". It is rumored that Colleen and Candy (the 400 code name) were actually secretaries at Atari. (info from old-computers.com) Many peripherals were product for the 800. Among these we recall: Atari 810 floppy drive, Atari 820 impact dot-matrix printer, Atari 850 Interface Module, Atari 830 Acoustic Couple Modem and Atari 835 Direct Connect Modem. The floppy drive uses single-sided 5 1/4-inch floppy disks, holding 90K of data on a disk. The data is transfered in serial format at 19200 baud. Up to 4 drives can be hooked up. The printer can produce 40 columns of 5x7 characters, at approximately 40 characters per second. The 810 and 820 are considered "intelligent" peripherals - they have built-in processor chips which lighten the load on the computer's main processor. They can each be plugged directly into the Atari 400 or 800, with no other inteface required. The Interface Module provides 4 separate RS-232-C serials ports and a single Centronics compatible printer port. It plugs into one of the controller jacks on the computer, which are actually both input/output, analog and digital ports. The Acoustic Couple Model requires both the Atari 850 Interface Module and the TeleLink I ROM cartridge to operate. On the other hand, the Direct Connect Modem requires only the Atari Telelink II ROM cartridge (and not the Interface Module) to operate. Additional accessories include the external keypad, for fast data entry and the cassette tape drive, cheaper than the floppy drive but less reliable too. In 1983, Atari released the 800XL computer. It has the same CPU as the Atari 800, and runs at the same speed. Basically a cheaper version of the 800, it is supposed to be compatible with all Atari 800 software and peripherals, but it isn't. Improvements include: 64K base RAM vs. 8K, parallel I/O port (PBI), general purpose I/O port. (info from oldcomputers.net) Links: ------ * Atari 800 at the Atari Hystory Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/400800/ATARI800/A800.html * Atari 800 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/atari800.shtml * Atari 800 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=460 * Atari 800XL at the Atari Hystory Museum -- http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/XL/XL-Pages/xl-range-main.htm MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good, with the exception of a800xl which is preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Atari800 (Unix, Amiga, MS-DOS, Atari TT/Falcon, SDL, WinCE) -- http://atari800.sourceforge.net/ * Atari++ -- http://www.math.tu-berlin.de/~thor/atari++/ * Atari800Win Plus -- http://www.a800win.atari-area.prv.pl/ * Raibow (historical) -- http://www.chrislam.co.uk/ * PC Xformer (historical) -- http://www.emulators.com/xformer.htm $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=abc80 $bio Luxor ABC 80 (1978) Swedish computer system. Features: --------- * CPU: Z80 3MHz * RAM: 6 KB (up to to 32 KB) * ROM: 16 KB * Text Modes: 40 x 24 (ViewData and Teletext compatible) * Graphics Modes: 78 x 75 * Colors: Monochrome * Sound: 1 channel - Built-in speaker * I/O Ports: V24 / RS232 * Storage: Optional 2 x 5.25'' disk-drives (built in) * Keyboard: Full-stroke 55 keys * Built in Language: Luxor Basic History and Trivia: ------------------- Luxor is a Swedish company that have made TV's and radio's for many years. However, the originators of the ABC-80 were not to be found at Luxor, but at the Swedish Zilog agent Scandia Metric and Computer Contruction Agency Dataindustrier (DIAB). Luxor were brought into the deal for their competence in CRTs and larger scale development. Many schools in Sweden had ABC 80 or ABC 800 for the students. It was possible to connect together several ABC 80 thanks to a network called ABC NET. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * ABC Mastodont Manual (Swedish) -- http://hem.passagen.se/mani/abc/ * Goran Lundberg's web site -- http://www.hultsfred.org/luxor.htm * Luxor ABC 800 homepage -- http://www.devili.iki.fi/Computers/Luxor/index.en.html * Rikard's ABC80 links -- http://www.etek.chalmers.se/~e7rikard/abc80.html * Luxor ABC 80 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=37 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Imperfect. Other Emulators: ---------------- * WinABC80 (ABC-80 emulator by Erik Isaksson) -- http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=abc800c $bio Luxor ABC 800 (1981) Swedish computer system, successor of the ABC 80. Two versions are available: ABC 800M/HR (monochrome) and ABC 800C/HR (color) Features: --------- * CPU: Z80 3MHz * RAM: 32 KB * ROM: 32 KB * Text Modes: 40 x 24 / 80 x 24 * Graphics Modes: 240 x 240 dots in four out of eight possible colours * Colors: Monochrome or colour monitor * Sound: 1 channel * I/O Ports: 2 x RS232, expansion bus slot * Keyboard: Full-stroke with function keys and numeric keypad History and Trivia: ------------------- This computer is the successor of the Luxor ABC 80. There were several successors to the ABC800, most notably the ABC802 with built-in small 9" monitor and the ABC806 with more memory and more advanced 512x240x16 graphics. The ABC 800 series was also sold by Facit under the DTC (DeskTop Computer) name, in a darker enclosure. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * ABC Mastodont Manual (Swedish) -- http://hem.passagen.se/mani/abc/ * Goran Lundberg's web site -- http://www.hultsfred.org/luxor.htm * Lars Christoffersson page -- http://user.tninet.se/~lmx072e/abc800/ * Luxor ABC 800 homepage -- http://www.devili.iki.fi/Computers/Luxor/index.en.html * Luxor ABC 800 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=357 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * WinABC80 (ABC-80 emulator by Erik Isaksson) -- http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=adam $bio Coleco Adam (1983) Features: --------- * CPU: Zilog Z80-A 3.58MHz * Co-Processor: 6801 Master-microcomputer * RAM: 64 kb (25 kb available with Smart Basic), upgradeable to 144 kb * VRAM: 16 kb * ROM: 32 kb * Display: TV (RF) & composite video, 36 x 24 text, 16 colors, 256 x 192 graphics * Ports: cartridge, video, AdamNet * Keyboard: Full-stroke keyboard with 75 keys, separated arrow keys, ten command keys and six programmable function keys. * Expansion: 3 internal expansion slots * Peripherals: Daisy-wheel printer (required) * Storage: 1 or 2 internal cassette drives (Custom Digital Data Packs that look surprisingly like audio cassettes, but aren't the same), external 5.25" floppy drive available * OS: EOS (Elementary OS) similar to CP/M, OS-7, SmartBASIC (loaded from cassette) Known Issues: ------------- Emulation is incomplete due to missing MC6801 AdamNet MCU dumps (Tape, Disc, Keyboard). It should nevertheless work ok. History and Trivia: ------------------- The ADAM was available in two models, the complete system and Expansion Module #3. When the memory console of Expansion Module #3 is connected to the ColecoVision, the two models are essentially identical in function. The expansion module #3 uses part of the ColecoVision hardware, thus the memory unit doesn't have any cartridge slot, and isn't delivered with any controllers nor TV switch box. The whole system is made of the daisywheel printer, the memory unit and the keyboard. The power supply is built-in the printer! The Smart Basic isn't in ROM and has to be loaded from a tape, however there's a little word processor in ROM, this word processor prints the text to the printer at the same time the user types on the keyboard, but can also be used as a classic wordprocessor. The Adam had a pretty short life, only two years! Despite this there is still a community of Adam fans who still use their system. Nowadays, most Adam users use a 320k 5 1/4 inch disk drive, an external 2400 baud modem, and a 20, 30 or 40 megabyte IDE harddisk. Adams often have memory expanders up to 2 MB in size (which is usually used as a RAM disk), and also a parallel printer (like a bubble jet)! (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * eColeco -- http://coleco.freeservers.com/ * Coleco Adam Technical Manual -- http://drushel.cwru.edu/atm/atm.html * Adam Family Computer System -- http://www.sacnews.net/adamcomputer/ * Coleco Adam at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/adam.shtml * Coleco Adam at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=57 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * ADAMEm -- http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/adamem.html $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=advision $bio Entex Adventure Vision (1982) Cartridge based handheld system from Entex Industries Features: --------- * CPU: Intel 8048 733kHz * RAM: 1K + 64 bytes internal to processor * ROM: 1K Cartridge ROM, 1K BIOS * Sound: COP411L 52.6 kHz micro controller with custom sound generation software. 16 Pure Tone, 13 Sound Effects * Graphics: 40x1 LED array and spinning mirror, 15fps * Colors: 2 * Resolution: 150x40 * I/O: 4 direction joystick, 4 buttons * Ports: Cartridge port, expansion port, headphone jack Usage: ------ The Adventure Vision has a central Joystick and four control buttons (numbered from 1 to 4) at each side of the joystick, so that both a right or left handed player can play in comfort. Known Issues: ------------- All four games are playable. Sound is also supported since MESS 0.103. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Adventure Vision was a cartridge based, electronic handheld video game that was manufactured by Entex Industries in 1982. It measured about 13 1/4" X 10" X 9" and used one vertical strip of 40 red LEDs and a spinning mirror to produce a screen with a 150X40 resolution drawn at 15 frames/sec. There were only four cartridges produced for it: Defender, Turtles, Super Cobra, and an Asteroids clone, Space Force. Visit http://www.adventurevision.com for more information. Links: ------ * AdventureVision.com -- http://www.adventurevision.com * Dan B's Atari Adventure Vision Tech Page -- http://www.atarihq.com/danb/adventurevision.shtml * Adventure Vision at handheldmuseum.com -- http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Entex/AV.html MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=aim65 $bio Rockwell AIM-65 (1977) Very early computer Thanks to Richard A. Cini: provided help and pictures Features: --------- * CPU: Rockwell 6502 1MHz * RAM: 4 KB (up to 32 KB of static RAM) * ROM: 12 KB * Integrated 20 digit (16 segment) display * Full size keyboard * Integrated printer * Connector for tty input/output * Tape interface Known Issues: ------------- * Display and keyboard working * Usable picture of the display with its white frame as artwork would be nice. * Would suffer from support for intelligent terminals as tty equipment. * Stopped. For me (PeT, author of MESS driver) it is much to cryptic to operate, and therefore not interesting for me anymore. History and Trivia: ------------------- This strange computer was designed to be a development system for 6502 based computers. It had no display except for a small 20 character LED screen and a very small thermal printer located directly on the motherboard which could print everything that was typed on the keyboard. The board featured five 4 KB-ROM sockets. Two of them were dedicated to the AIM monitor program, including an instant input assembler (no labels) and a disassembler. Various programming languages (BASIC, FORTH...) or custom applications could be added in the three remaining sockets. Several cards were developped for this machine, especially language cards and ROMs: a BASIC card (BASIC language with floating point mathematics capabilities), PL/65 (a mixture of the PL/1 and Algol languages), Instant Pascal (an interpreted version of Pascal), Assembler and the FORTH programming language. In 1981 Rockwell introduced an improved model with a 40 character display as the AIM-65/40. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * AIM-65 Documentation -- http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/my_docs.htm#RWS * AIM-65 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/aim65.shtml * AIM-65 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=58 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- This system is a TESTDRIVER. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apexc $bio APE(X)C (All Purpose Electronic X-Ray Computer) (1951?) Features: --------- (from the source code) * 32-bit data word size (10-bit addresses): uses fixed-point, 2's complement arithmetic * CPU has one accumulator (A) and one register (R), plus a Control Register (this is what we would call an "instruction register" nowadays). No Program Counter, each instruction contains the address of the next instruction (!). * memory is composed of 256 (maximal value only found on the UCC - APE(X)C only has 32 tracks) circular magnetic tracks of 32 words: only 32 tracks can be accessed at a time (the 16 first ones, plus 16 others chosen by the programmer), and the rotation rate is 3750rpm (62.5 rotations per second). * two I/O units: tape reader and tape puncher. A teletyper was designed to read specially-encoded punched tapes and print decoded text. (See /systems/apexc.c) * machine code has 15 instructions (!), including add, substract, shift, multiply (!), test and branch, input and punch. A so-called vector mode allow to repeat the same operation 32 times with 32 successive memory locations. Note the lack of bitwise and/or/xor (!) . * 1 kIPS, although memory access times make this figure fairly theorical (drum rotation time: 16ms, which would allow about 60IPS when no optimization is made) * there is no indirect addressing whatever, although dynamic modification of opcodes (!) allows to simulate it... * a control panel allows operation and debugging of the machine. (See /mess/systems/apexc.c) Usage: ------ You should specify a cylinder image with code to run in it. Arguably, APEXC does not require such an image, since you may enter code in the control panel, but this would be a pain in the ass. If the program you run use punched tape I/O, you may specify tape image files. The first unit is read-only, the second unit is write-only. On a CLI MESS port, the resulting MESS command line may look like this: mess apexc -cyln ram_image.apc -ptap input.tap output.tap Note that, when you quit MESS or the APEXC driver, the contents of the cylinder are saved to the image you specified. This simulates the behavior of the APEXC, where the cylinder image IS the working memory. If you don't like this behavior, you may either write-protect the cylinder image file, or keep a backup copy elsewhere on your hard disk (highly recommended). Note that the APEXC CPU is stopped on start-up, so that you may check the machine state and enter the start-up program address. On start-up, the instruction at address 0 is loaded into the Control Register, then the machine is stopped. To run the program starting at address 0, just press the Run/stop switch (the Run/stop switch is mapped to the Return key on the main keyboard). To start a program at another address, you need to load the first instruction into the Control register with the control panel. To do so, use keys 1 through 0 on the main keyboard to enter the 10-bit address into the 10 most significant bits of the Control Panel display, and set other bits to 0 with the three rows of keys under 1 through 0 (each key toggles a bit in the control panel display; don't be intimidated if it sounds complicated, it should eventually appear straight-forward when you try, provided you know what binary scale is). You have thus generated a Stop instruction pointing to the first instruction of the program. Write this instruction into the Control Register, by holding Left Shift pressed and pressing 1 on the numeric keypad. You should now press the Run/stop switch twice (mapped to the Return key on the main keyboard). First press executes the stop order, but fetches the first instruction of the program into the control register. Second press starts running the program, starting with the first instruction. - Control panel usage. This is relatively simple. The Control Panel may hold and display a 32-bit value. Display is made of 32 lamps, which show the current value in binary scale (each lamp represents one bit). Hence, the normal usage is loading the value you want to edit into the control panel, editing it, then saving it to the proper location. - Default key map. Run/stop switch: Return key on main keypad The next 6 keys may be used alone to read the register into the control panel display, or in combination with the Left Shift key to write the value in the control panel display into the register. Read/write Control Register: 1 key on numeric keypad Read/write Accumulator: 2 key on numeric keypad Read/write Register: 3 key on numeric keypad Read/write current Head Block (never used on APEXC - used for bank switching): 4 key on numeric keypad Read/write Memory Location: 5 key on numeric keypad Read/write memory location pointed to by ML register: 6 key on numeric keypad write instead of reading: Left Shift key (when you press one of the 6 keys above, the designated register is read into the control panel display, unless this key is being pressed, in which case the value in the control panel display is written into the register) Toggle bits 1 through 10 in display: keys 1 through 0 on the main keyboard Toggle bits 11 through 20 in display: key row directly below the former on the main keyboard (Q through P if your keyboard is QWERTY) Toggle bits 21 through 30 in display: key row directly below the former on the main keyboard (A through ; if your keyboard is QWERTY) Toggle bits 31 and 32 in display: key row directly below the former on the main keyboard (W and X if your keyboard is QWERTY) Known Issues: ------------- Since I have no description of the control panel of an actual APEXC, I implemented a common-place control panel, so this part of the emulation is not accurate. I don't even know how an actual APEXC was operated, and the procedures I describe above are not accurate, either. The driver should work correctly as of MESS .37b15. Still, it needs development tools, sample code and usage instructions desperately. I have tons of sample code (which was the reason for starting to write this driver), but still need to retype it. I have started work on an assembler, too. History and Trivia: ------------------- The APEXC was designed by Andrew D. Booth at Birkbeck College, London, in the early 50's. From 1943 on, he started working on the determination of crystal structures using X-ray diffraction data. The computations involved were extremely tedious and there was ample incentive for automating the process. In 1947, along with his collaborator and future spouse Kathleen Britten, he spent a few months with von Neumann's team, which was the leading edge in computer research at the time. Booth designed an electromechanical computer, the ARC, in the late 40's. Later on, they built an experimental electronic computer named 'SEC' (Simple Electronic Computer), and finally the APEC (All-Purpose Electronic Computer) series. According to a 1956 document, the APEC series included the following machines: - APE(X)C: Birkbeck College, London (before 1955) - APE(N)C: Board of Mathematical Machines, Oslo ('N' must stand for 'Norway') - APE(H)C: British Tabulating Machine Company (No idea what 'H' can stand for) - APE(R)C: British Rayon Research Association ('R' must stand for 'Rayon') - UCC: University College, London (circa January 1956) - MAC (Magnetic Automatic Calculator): "built by Wharf Engineering Laboratories" (February 1955) - The HEC (Hollerith Electronic Computer - silly name invented by BTM directors), built by the British Tabulating Machine Company (later to become International Computers and Tabulators (ICT), then International Computers Limited (ICL)), a commercial machine sold in several models (I have heard of HEC 1, HEC 2, HEC 2M (no idea what the difference with HEC 2 is) and HEC 4) (before 1955) Only one of each of these machines was built, with the exception of HEC (and possibly MAC) which were commercial machines produced in small series. They were similar in design, with various small differences, mostly in I/O equipment (either punched-card machines - APEXC, APEHC - or teletypers (keyboard and printer, and paper tape reader and puncher) - APERC, APENC). Also, the UCC had 8k words of storage, instead of 1k word for other machines, and the MAC used germanium diodes in replacement of many tubes. The HEC used standard Hollerith punch cards; the HEC 4 had a printer, too, and it featured several instructions (divide) and registers not found on the APEXC. I am sorry I know little more about Booth, his team, and the history of these machines. * Technical Description. The APEXC is an incredibly simple machine. Instruction and Data words are always 32-bit-long. The processor uses integer arithmetic with 2's complement representation. Addresses are 10-bit-long. The APEXC has no RAM, except a 32-bit accumulator and a 32-bit data register (used along with the 32-bit accumulator to implement 64-bit shift instructions and hold the 64-bit result of a multiplication). Instructions and data are stored in two magnetic drums, for a total of 32 circular magnetic tracks of 32 words. Since the rotation rate is 3750rpm (62.5 rotations per second), the program execution speed can go from as high as the theoretical maximum of 1 kIPS to lower than 100IPS if program instructions and data are not contiguous. Nowadays, many a pocket calculator is faster. One oddity is that there is no program counter: each machine instruction includes the address of the next instruction. This design may sound weird, but it is the only way to achieve optimal performance with this cylinder-based memory. The machine code is made of 15 instructions only, namely addition, subtraction, multiplication, load (3 variants), store (2 variants), conditional branch, right arithmetic bit shift, right bit rotation, punched-card input, punched-card output, machine stop, and bank-switching (which is never used on the APEXC, since it only has 1024 words of storage, and addresses are 10-bit-long). A so-called vector mode enables to repeat the same operation 32 times with 32 successive memory locations. Note the lack of bitwise and/or/xor and division. Also, note the lack of indirect addressing modes: dynamic modification of opcodes is the only way one may simulate it. Another oddity is that the memory bus and the ALU are 1-bit-wide. There is a 64kHz bit-clock and a 2kHz word-clock, and each word memory and arithmetic operation is decomposed into 32 1-bit memory and arithmetic operations: this takes 32 bit cycles, for a total of 1 word cycle. The processor is fairly efficient: most instructions take only 2 word cycles (1 for fetch, 1 for read operand and execute), with the exception of stores, shifts and multiplications. Yes, the APEXC CPU is a RISC: there is no other adequate word. Note there is no ROM, and therefore no 'bootstrap loader' or default start-up program whatever. As far as I know, no executive or operating system was ever written for the APEXC, although there were subroutine libraries of sorts for common arithmetic, I/O and debug tasks. Operation of the machine is normally done through a control panel which allows the user to start, stop and resume the CPU, and to alter registers and memory when the CPU is stopped. When starting the machine, the address of the first instruction of the program to be executed must be entered in the control panel, then the run switch must be pressed. Most programs end with a stop instruction, which enables to check the state of the machine, possibly run some post-mortem debugging procedures (a core dump routine is described in an APEXC programming book), then enter the address of another program and run it. Two I/O devices were supported: a paper tape reader, and a paper tape puncher. The puncher output could be fed to a printer ('teletyper') unit when desirable. Printer output is emulated and is displayed on screen. Tape input was either computer-generated by the APEXC, or hand-typed with a special 32-key keyboard (each tape row had 5 data holes (<-> bits), which makes 32 different values). MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apfimag $bio APF Imagination Machine (1979) Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola 6800 3.579 MHz * Co-Processor: Motorola MC-6847P video display generator * RAM: 9 KB expandable to 17 KB * ROM: 14 KB * Text Modes: 16 lines x 32 char. (8 colours) * Graphic Modes: 128 x 192 (8 colours) - 256 x 192 (4 colours) * Colors: 8 * Sound: Built-in music synthetiser & speaker, one channel, 5 octaves * I/O Ports: TV aerial output, Microphone jack, expansion port * Keyboard: Full-stroke keyboard - 53 keys * Built in Media: 1500 baud, stereo cassette deck * Peripherals: 5.25'' disk drive unit, expansion box, RS-232 & 8 KB RAM cartridges * Built in Language: APF Basic on cartridge Usage: ------ - BASIC. In basic, pressing "FUNCTION" (currently mapped to CTRL) and a letter/number will display a basic keyword making it easier to enter programs. FUNCTION+Q = IF FUNCTION+W = STEP FUNCTION+E = STOP FUNCTION+R = READ FUNCTION+T = NEXT FUNCTION+Y = PRINT FUNCTION+U = END FUNCTION+I = LIST FUNCTION+O = REM FUNCTION+P = USING FUNCTION+1 = GOSUB FUNCTION+2 = LET FUNCTION+3 = DATA FUNCTION+4 = INPUT FUNCTION+5 = DIM FUNCTION+6 = FOR FUNCTION+7 = RETURN FUNCTION+8 = THEN FUNCTION+9 = ON FUNCTION+0 = GOTO FUNCTION+- = RESTORE FUNCTION+ENTER = CLOAD - Cassettes. Use CSAVE"" to save a file, and CLOAD"" to load the file back. - Discs. Use SAVE"" to save a file, and LOAD"" to load the file back. You can use "DIR " e.g. "DIR 0" and "DIR 1" to give a directory of the disc. Basic disk images with the ".APD" extension are supported. Known Issues: ------------- * Cassette loading and saving is working * Interrupts are not exact. I don't know enough about them, any info would be appreciated. * Disc interface is working, but there may be some bugs. * Keyboard is mostly working but some keys may be missing * Keypad is not emulated * The M6847 emulation is very advanced *BUT* I don't think I have set it up correctly for the APF Imagination, therefore the graphics are wrong. * Memory emulation is not complete History and Trivia: ------------------- This strange hybrid computer came in two parts: a videogame console and a computer. The game system, called the APF MP-1000, was released in 1978. It had two controlers, each with a joystick and a numeric keypad. It came with a built-in game called "Rocket Patrol". The computer console, the "Imagination Machine" was sold as an add-on for the MP-1000. You could also buy both at the same time (most people did). The computer has a 53-key standard typewriter keyboard, a built-in stereo cassette deck (1500 baud), a built-in sound-speaker and an internal operating system and BASIC language interpreter. The APF BASIC, delivered on cartridge, was quite poor. You had to use a lot of POKEs and CALLs to play with graphics. For example, to clear the screen, the command was CALL 17046. The video game system nestled on top of the keyboard module. This computer add-on concept would later be used by several game system manufacturers like Coleco with their ColecoVision game system connected to the Adam Computer, or Intellivision and their ECS module (and keyboard component). An additional disc interface was available. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Imagination Machine page -- http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm * The APF-M1000, APF-MP1000 & Imagination Machine F.A.Q. (by Sylvain De Chantal) -- http://www.digitpress.com/faq/apf.txt * Imagination Machine at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=584 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * APF Imagination Machine Emulator (Enrique Collado's APF emu for DOS) -- http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm * Virtual APF (by emucompboy) -- http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apfm1000 $bio APF M-1000 (1978) The APF M-1000 is a console. It has a built-in game. The emulation is not exact and the built in game does not work. Features: --------- * CPU: Motorola 6800 (8 bit) 3.579 MHz * Co-Processor: Motorola MC-6847P video display generator * RAM: 1K * ROM: None (Game Rocket Patrol built-in) * Graphic Modes: 128 x 192 (8 colours) - 256 x 192 (4 colours) * Colors: 8 * I/O Ports: 2x Joystick, Cartridge, TV output Usage: ------ Games are controlled through the non-detachables joysticks and keyads. The 12-keys keypads are placed under the joystick and have the following layout 7 8 9 0 4 5 6 C 1 2 3 E * C,E=Clear and End, maybe there is a trigger too?? (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APF_Imagination_Machine) Known issues: ------------- * internal game does not work * keypad is not emulated History and Trivia: ------------------- The APF M1000 was released in 1978. It's a Video game system cart based, comes with 2 non-detachables joysticks with a numeric keypad on each ones (look likes a mini-calculator with a joystick), has "Reset" & "Power" buttons on the unit. It could be played on a Color TV only. This system seems to have been the pack-in unit with Imagination Machine. A second model, the APF MP1000, was released in 1978. This system is basically the same as the M1000 model and both systems does come with built-in game called "Rocket Patrol". Both of these systems had the ability to be expanded to the Imagination Machine & both can play each other cartridges. Links: ------ * Imagination Machine page -- http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm * The APF-M1000, APF-MP1000 & Imagination Machine F.A.Q. (by Sylvain De Chantal) -- http://www.digitpress.com/faq/apf.txt MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Preliminary. Other Emulators: ---------------- * APF Imagination Machine Emulator (Enrique Collado's APF emu for DOS) -- http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm * Virtual APF (by emucompboy) -- http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple1 $bio Apple 1 (1976) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS Technology 6502 1 MHz * Memory: 4 kB DRAM, expandable to 8 kB on board, or up to 52 kB with third-party expansion hardware * Screen: 40x24 characters * Storage: Optional cassette interface * Keyboard: No keyboard (sold separately) Usage: ------ Upon boot or reset, the system displays a "\" and a blinking "@" cursor on the next line. The blinking "@" is the Apple 1's video cursor. The "\" is the prompt for the Monitor program. From the Monitor, you can examine or change memory or execute another program. You can always interrupt a program and return to the Monitor by pressing the Apple 1's RESET switch (F12). This will not clear the screen or disturb memory contents. To cold-boot the system, clearing the screen and memory, press the MESS Reset key (F3, in partial emulation mode only). The Apple 1's CLEAR SCREEN switch (F2) will clear the screen and place the cursor at the upper left corner. This only clears the video hardware, not the computer's memory, so you can use it whenever you like. - Cassettes. To start the cassette interface's mini-monitor from the Monitor, type the Monitor command: C100R This mini-monitor will let you write memory regions to a cassette image or read a cassette image into memory. It will only execute a single line of commands, and will then return you to the main Monitor, but this line can contain several write or read commands. Cassette write command, writing data from memory at $xxxx-$yyyy: xxxx.yyyyW Cassette read command, reading data into memory at $xxxx-$yyyy: xxxx.yyyyR The starting and ending addresses xxxx and yyyy should be 4-digit hexadecimal addresses. The starting address can actually be shorter than 4 digits, but to be safe, the ending address should be exactly 4 digits. (A bug in the cassette mini-monitor will cause digits missing from the ending address to be replaced by the trailing digits of the starting address, and if the starting address does not end with zeroes, much more data will be written or read than expected.) If a command line contains multiple write or read commands, the corresponding memory regions will be written or read in sequence. These commands may be separated by spaces, which are ignored. When a region is written, its data is preceded by a 10-second leader. When a region is read, the leader can vary in length but should be at least 4-5 seconds. If the cassette image doesn't contain enough data to fill a region, the mini-monitor will hang waiting for the remaining data, and the system must be reset. When all the cassette commands have been executed, the mini-monitor will return to the Monitor, which will display a "\" prompt. Some cassette command examples: To read Apple 1 BASIC from cassette: E000.EFFFR To write a BASIC program to cassette, with BASIC's default LOMEM= setting of 2048: 4A.00FFW800.FFFW To read a BASIC program from cassette, with LOMEM=768: 4A.00FFR300.FFFR Once Apple 1 BASIC is loaded into memory, it can be started with the Monitor command: E000R This will start BASIC from scratch, removing any existing BASIC program and data. To return to BASIC from the monitor while preserving the current program and data, use the command: E2B3R The BASIC prompt is a ">". Apple 1 BASIC is generally similar to Apple II Integer BASIC, but without the latter's graphics commands. Known Issues: ------------- * The cassette interface and $E000-$EFFF DRAM are always included; they cannot be switched off. * The DRAM at $E000-$EFFF is not included in the RAM configured by MESS's -ram option, due to limitations in how MESS presently manages configurable RAM. * Optional cassette interface is included and emulated. * 4 KB of DRAM is mapped to $E000-$EFFF. This is required for Apple 1 BASIC. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple 1 was a kit computer that was introduced and sold in small quantities in 1976. Steve Wozniak ("Woz"), who worked for Hewlett-Packard at the time, wanted to build his own computer. He could afford neither the Intel 8080 (the most popular microprocessor at the time) nor the Motorola 6800 (his own preference). Therefore, he decided to build his computer around MOS Technology's new 6502 chip, which was quite compatible with the Motorola 6800 but far less expensive. He proceeded to write a BASIC interpreter for the chip, and then turned to designing the computer that would run it, using an earlier paper design for the Motorola 6800. The resulting computer was easier to use and more affordable than many other kit computers of the time, sporting a keyboard interface and TV-compatible video terminal circuitry, all on a single circuit board. To keep costs down, the video memory was implemented using shift registers rather than RAM, with the downside being a slow display rate (60 characters per second). However, this was still much faster than the 10-character-per-second electromechanical Teletypes used with many early home computers. Wozniak's computer also used new, more compact 4-kilobit dynamic RAM chips instead of the 1-kilobit static RAMs used by most other designs. Wozniak promoted his computer and enhancements for it at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California. Steve Jobs, who had worked with Woz on the game "Breakout" for Atari, convinced Woz to try to market and sell the computer. Together they formed the Apple Computer Company. Paul Terrell, the owner of The Byte Shop, a new local computer store, was interested in this computer, but only if it was fully assembled and came with a cassette interface, so Wozniak designed one. Normally, the Apple 1 was sold "naked", simply as a circuit board, without a monitor, power supply, keyboard, tape drive, etc. These would be added by the owner. Wozniak and Jobs assembled about 200 systems and sold about 170 of them. Most of these were later traded in to Apple for Apple IIs and were destroyed. About 30 to 50 are still in existence. This machine was so popular that Jack Tramiel of Commodore (!) offered to buy Apple. Apple was, at the time, a major purchaser of MOS 6502 processors and Commodore owned MOS Technologies. Wozniak wanted $15,000 more than Tramiel offered. Needless to say, the deal fell through. (info from old-computers.com) Links: ------ * Apple I Owners Club -- http://www.applefritter.com/apple1 * Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/ * Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/history/ah02.html * Apple 1 Manual -- http://emulation.net/apple1/manual/apple1manx.html * Apple 1 at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=67 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple2 $bio Apple ][ (1977) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 6502 1MHz * Memory: RAM 4kB expandable to 48kB, 12kB ROM * Screen: 6 colors at 280x192, 4-bit color at 40x48 * Data path: 8-bit * I/O Ports: Video out (composite), 8 expansion slots, Tape recorder, Paddles * Keyboard: Full-stroke keyboard - only supports uppercase letters * Built In Language: Integer Basic Usage: ------ Upon booting, you'll get the ROM monitor prompt ('*'), from which you can examine/modify/run at different memory locations. (Note: you would normally need to press RESET to get to the prompt, but this doesn't seem to be necessary in MESS.) From the Monitor, press control-B then ENTER to get to Integer BASIC, which uses the greater than prompt ('>'). You can invoke the mini-assembler by entering 'F666G' at the Monitor. To backspace, use the left arrow key. The "Backspace" key is mapped to the Apple ][ "DEL". Known issues: ------------- * Colors are incorrect (Bug #475). Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple ][ is an improved version of the Apple 1 kit computer first released in 1977. Along with the TRS-80 and the PET, it constituted one of the "second-generation" of computers, aimed at the general user rather than the specialized hobbyist. The Apple ][ featured a beige plastic case, color graphics, and seven (eight?) expansion slots. It included a version of BASIC called "Integer BASIC" on the ROM which came with the machine. It was an excellent home gaming platform. It shipped with two game paddles (various models were used) and supports up to four. It also included a built-in speaker. The cassette interface required a cassette recording deck and was quite finicky. The treble and bass on the cassette deck had to be fiddled with in just the right way. Apple ][ was the very first commercial success of the Apple Computer Company. Because Steve Wozniak wanted to demonstrate his Breakout game with the new Apple ][, he decided to add colour, sound and minimum paddle support to the Apple 1's heir. The Apple ][ came with 4 KB RAM, but it was possible to add 4 KB or 16 KB RAM chips. Thus, the system could have memory in the following sizes: 4K, 8K, 12K,16K, 20K, 24K, 32K, 36K, or a full 48K. This was one of the strong points of the Apple ][: from the beginning, it was designed with expansion in mind. The 8 expansion slots were further proof of that - users could expand their system easily, just by plugging cards into the slots. The ROM included the monitor, a 6502 disassembler, 'Sweet 16' a 16-bit CPU emulator and the Integer Basic written by Wozniak in machine language, assembled by hand on paper! Not having to load a language from tape or disk to start programing was also a significant advantage over competitors. Even the innovative plastic case proved to be an important feature to attract customers. Just a few months after the Apple ][ presentation at the First West Coast Computer Fair in April 1977, Apple received about three hundred orders for the Apple ][, over a hundred more than the total number of Apple-1's sold. The Apple ][ was followed in 1979 by the Apple II+, which brought some enhancements. * Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" -- which is correct? "][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction. "][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The "//" usage is generally associated with the "c" and newer "e" models. The generally preferred machine designations are: Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-][+ models Apple ][+ or Apple II+ Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers Apple //e for 128k-enhanced IIe computers Apple //c Apple IIc+ Apple IIgs or GS or best (if you have the fonts) ||GS Links: ------ * Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/ * Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/history/ah03.html * Apple ][ Emulator Resources Guide -- http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/apple2/emulators-faq/part1.html * Apple II - Apple II gs (A lot of documentations here!) -- http://www.apple-iigs.info/home.htm * Apple2.org (pictures of Apple II and other related hardware, articles, the Apple ][ FAQ, and lots more) -- http://www.apple2.org/ * Applefritter (Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc...) -- http://www.applefritter.com/ * Caltech Apple II archive -- http://apple2.tffenterprises.com/apple2/ * Forever 1970..80..90 (Very complete information for each model) -- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fabrice.montupet/ * Iowa universiry Apple II archive -- http://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/apple2/ * www.apple2clones.com -- http://www.apple2clones.com/ * Apple ][ at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/apple_ii.shtml * Apple ][ at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=68 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Dapple - Apple II (II+, IIe) emulator for DOS and Unix with C source code -- http://sourceforge.net/projects/dapple/ * AppleWin - A great apple 2+ and apple 2e emulator for windows -- http://applewin.berlios.de/ * Apple Oasis - Emulates Apple IIe system including hard disk, clock, CP/M card, etc. -- http://www.geocities.com/APL24WIN/index.html * Catakig - MacOS -- http://www.radix.net/~cklipsch/ctkgdoc/ * Bernie ][ the rescue - Mac & BeOS -- http://www.bernie.gs/Bernie/ * YAE, Yet another Apple ][ Emulator - Unix -- http://quark.netfront.net:6502/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple2c $bio Apple //c (1984) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 65C02 1.4MHz * Memory: 128kB RAM expandable to 1mB, 32kB ROM * Screen: 16 colors at 560x192 (double-hi-res); 4-bit color text mode at 40x48 * Data path: 8-bit * I/O Ports: Monitor, Joystick/Mouse, RGB, Floppy Disk, RS232c (2) * Keyboard: Full-stroke 62 keys with arrows keys * Built In Media: one 5.25'' diks-drive * OS: DOS 3.3, ProDOS, UCSD Pascal * Built In Language: AppleSoft BASIC Known Issues: ------------- Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple //c was the compact (the "c" stands for compact) version of the Apple IIe. It had the same basic characteristics as the Apple IIe but included a lot of features which were optional on the IIe: floppy disk drive, 80-column display, color display, 128 KB RAM. But unlike the Apple IIe, it had no expansion slots, so it was hard to add features to this computer. It ran either with DOS 3.3 or with ProDOS. The Apple //c was originally designed to be a portable version of the Apple ][, but it wasn't a stand alone system, it had no batteries and no LCD screen (Apple would soon release these items), it could also be used with a small 9" monochrome green screen which plugged into the unit. The Apple //c was mainly used as a desktop computer. The Apple //c was replaced with the Apple IIc+ in 1988. (info from old-computers.com) * Apple //c went under several revisions: you can discover which machine you are using issuing the command PRINT PEEK(64447). If 255 is displayed, you have the first, original model. This model is known to have problems producing accurate baud rates for serial communications. If 0 is displayed, you can use 3.5" drives, but you don't have the memory expansion connector. If 3 is displayed, you have the memory expansion connector and you can plug in extra memory. If 4 is displayed, you have the latest model with memory expansion connector and extra upgrades. If 5 is displayed, you have an Apple IIc+. * Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" -- which is correct? "][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction. "][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The "//" usage is generally associated with the "c" and newer "e" models. The generally preferred machine designations are: Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-][+ models Apple ][+ or Apple II+ Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers Apple //e for 128k-enhanced IIe computers Apple //c Apple IIc+ Apple IIgs or GS or best (if you have the fonts) ||GS * Easter Egg: Enter 100 IN#5 : INPUT A$ : PRINT A$ at the ']' prompt (Applesoft Basic) and 'RUN' it. The names of the developers will display! Links: ------ * Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/ * Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/ * Apple //c .dsk Archive -- http://www.multimania.com/apple2c/ * Apple ][ Emulator Resources Guide -- http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/apple2/emulators-faq/part1.html * Apple II - Apple II gs (A lot of documentations here!) -- http://www.apple-iigs.info/home.htm * Apple2.org (pictures of Apple II and other related hardware, articles, the Apple ][ FAQ, and lots more) -- http://www.apple2.org/ * Applefritter (Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc...) -- http://www.applefritter.com/ * Caltech Apple II archive -- http://apple2.tffenterprises.com/apple2/ * Forever 1970..80..90 (Very complete information for each model) -- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fabrice.montupet/ * Iowa universiry Apple II archive -- http://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/apple2/ * www.apple2clones.com -- http://www.apple2clones.com/ * Apple //c at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/apple2c.shtml * Apple //c at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=69 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good (except rev. 4 and some clones which are preliminary). $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple2cp $bio Apple IIc Plus (1988) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 65C02 4MHz * Memory: 128kB RAM, 128kB ROM * Screen: 16 colors at 560x192 (256 colors with a upgrade that was availble in 1989); 4-bit color text mode at 40x48 * Data path: 8-bit * I/O Ports: Monitor, Joystick/Mouse, RGB, Floppy Disk, RS232c (2), Video Expansion, Internal Modem Connector * Keyboard: Full stroke keyboard * Built In Media: one 3.5'' diks-drive * OS: DOS 3.3, ProDOS, UCSD Pascal Known Issues: ------------- Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple IIc Plus unit was a direct response to the Laser 128EX/2. Apple retrofitted the IIc design to try to compete with Video Technology's high-speed Apple II clone. The retrofitting is evident in the design of the motherboard. The motherboard runs at 1MHz, unlike the Laser 128EX/2. In order to run its programs faster, Apple used a 4MHz 65C02 with 8k of high speed SRAM cache and licensed the accelerator design from Zip Technologies (makers of the ZipChip accelerator for the IIe and IIc). They built an accelerator into a 1MHz motherboard rather than designing a faster motherboard from scratch. The designers of the Apple IIc Plus originally wanted to make a portable IIGS. Apple's management, bent on promoting the Mac, balked at the idea. At the same time, the Laser 128EX/2 made a quick design cycle mandatory. The result was an updated IIc. The Apple IIc Plus was the finest Apple 8-bit computer ever built, but due to a lack of marketing, the apparent backward step in technology compared to the 16-bit Apple IIGS, and the aggressive sales of the Laser 128EX/2, the IIc Plus also was to be the most short-lived of the Apple II models. (info from old-computers.com) * Apple //c (the series of computer which Apple IIc+ belongs to) went under several revisions: you can discover which machine you are using issuing the command PRINT PEEK(64447). If 255 is displayed, you have the first, original model. This model is known to have problems producing accurate baud rates for serial communications. If 0 is displayed, you can use 3.5" drives, but you don't have the memory expansion connector. If 3 is displayed, you have the memory expansion connector and you can plug in extra memory. If 4 is displayed, you have the latest model with memory expansion connector and extra upgrades. If 5 is displayed, you have an Apple IIc+. * Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" -- which is correct? "][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction. "][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The "//" usage is generally associated with the "c" and newer "e" models. The generally preferred machine designations are: Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-][+ models Apple ][+ or Apple II+ Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers Apple //e for 128k-enhanced IIe computers Apple //c Apple IIc+ Apple IIgs or GS or best (if you have the fonts) ||GS Links: ------ * Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/ * Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/ * Apple //c .dsk Archive -- http://www.multimania.com/apple2c/ * Apple ][ Emulator Resources Guide -- http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/apple2/emulators-faq/part1.html * Apple II - Apple II gs (A lot of documentations here!) -- http://www.apple-iigs.info/home.htm * Apple2.org (pictures of Apple II and other related hardware, articles, the Apple ][ FAQ, and lots more) -- http://www.apple2.org/ * Applefritter (Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc...) -- http://www.applefritter.com/ * Caltech Apple II archive -- http://apple2.tffenterprises.com/apple2/ * Forever 1970..80..90 (Very complete information for each model) -- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fabrice.montupet/ * Iowa universiry Apple II archive -- http://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/apple2/ * www.apple2clones.com -- http://www.apple2clones.com/ * Apple //c at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=36 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple2e $bio Apple IIe series (IIe 1983 - //e 1985 - //e Platinum 1987) Features: --------- * CPU: MOS 6502 1MHz [Apple IIe]; MOS 65C02 1MHz [Apple //e] * Memory: 64kB RAM standard, 128kB RAM with extended 80-column card, 16kB ROM * Screen: 16 colors at 560x192 (double-hi-res); 4-bit color text mode at 40x48 * Data path: 8-bit * I/O Ports: Monitor, Internal Slots (6), Memory slot, Tape, Joystick * Keyboard: Full stroke 52 key with cursor keys * Built In Media: None * OS: DOS 3.3 or ProDOS * Built In Language: Basic Known Issues: ------------- Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key. History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple IIe is the successor of the Apple ][+. It was developed after the Apple III failed to catch on with the public, and released in 1983. It was a very great success and was widely used in schools. The Apple IIe features an optional 80-column text display, new keys on the keyboard, upper- and lower-case text, and bank-switching to increase the amount of addressable RAM. The Apple IIe also supported the new ProDOS operating system released in 1984. Note the Apple IIe emulation includes the 80-column card and motherboard revision B, meaning that double-hi-resolution modes are available. The Enhanced Apple IIe, a.k.a. the Apple //e (MESS system name, "apple2ee") was released in 1985. It included ROM bugfixes, replace the 6502 processor with the 65C02, and added a character genrator ROM with new graphic characters called "MouseText". The 65C02 and MouseText hurt compatibility with the older models slightly but gave it slightly better performance. The Platinum Apple //e adopted the ||GS keyboard layout and minor motherboard modifications. * Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" -- which is correct? "][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction. "][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The "//" usage is generally associated with the "c" and newer "e" models. The generally preferred machine designations are: Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-][+ models Apple ][+ or Apple II+ Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers Apple //e for 128k-enhanced IIe computers Apple //c Apple IIc+ Apple IIgs or GS or best (if you have the fonts) ||GS Links: ------ * Apple History -- http://www.apple-history.com/ * Apple ][ History -- http://apple2history.org/ * Apple ][ Emulator Resources Guide -- http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/apple2/emulators-faq/part1.html * Apple II - Apple II gs (A lot of documentations here!) -- http://www.apple-iigs.info/home.htm * Apple2.org (pictures of Apple II and other related hardware, articles, the Apple ][ FAQ, and lots more) -- http://www.apple2.org/ * Applefritter (Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc...) -- http://www.applefritter.com/ * Caltech Apple II archive -- http://apple2.tffenterprises.com/apple2/ * Forever 1970..80..90 (Very complete information for each model) -- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fabrice.montupet/ * Iowa universiry Apple II archive -- http://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/apple2/ * www.apple2clones.com -- http://www.apple2clones.com/ * Apple IIe at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/apple2e.shtml * Apple IIe at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=83 MESS Emulation State: --------------------- Good. Other Emulators: ---------------- * Dapple - Apple II (II+, IIe) emulator for DOS and Unix with C source code -- http://sourceforge.net/projects/dapple/ * AppleWin - A great apple 2+ and apple 2e emulator for windows -- http://applewin.berlios.de/ * Apple Oasis - Emulates Apple IIe system including hard disk, clock, CP/M card, etc. -- http://www.geocities.com/APL24WIN/index.html * Catakig - MacOS -- http://www.radix.net/~cklipsch/ctkgdoc/ * Bernie ][ the rescue - Mac & BeOS -- http://www.bernie.gs/Bernie/ * YAE, Yet another Apple ][ Emulator - Unix -- http://quark.netfront.net:6502/ $end #---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------# $info=apple2gs $bio Apple ||gs (1986) Features: --------- * CPU: Western Design Center 65C816 (16 bit) 2.8 MHz, switchable to 1 MHz * RAM: 128 KB (ROM 0, ROM 1) or 1 MB (ROM 3), expandable to 8 MB * ROM: 128 KB (ROM 0, ROM 1) or 256 KB (ROM 3), expandable to 1 MB * Text Modes: 40 or 80 chars x 25 lines * Graphics Modes: 320 x 200 / 640 x 200 + Apple II graphic modes (see below) * Colors: 4096 * Sound: Ensoniq ES5503 32-voice wavetable synthesizer. The ES5503 was designed by Bob Yannes after leaving Commodore and it's the true sequel to the C64's SID chip. The 5503 has 64k of dedicated wavetable RAM in the IIgs. The IIgs also retains the speaker toggle of previous Apple IIs. * I/O Ports: 7 slots, memory expansion, RS422c (2), analogue RGB, Apple Desktop Bus (mouse & keyboard), Composite video, joystick, audio, disk port, AppleTalk * Keyboard: Detached 80-key full stroke with 10-key numeric pad and ADB pass-through port for the mouse. * Built In Media: None. * OS: All 8-bit Apple II OSes plus ProDOS 16 (a 16-bit translation layer over ProDOS, similar to how Windows 9x rode on top of DOS) and later GS/OS, a full 16-bit native OS with much better performance and advanced features like hot-swappable device drivers and plug-in filesystem modules to read CD-ROMs, MS-DOS FAT disks, and Macintosh HFS disks. The IIgs also included a full port of the Macintosh's "Toolbox" - GUI applications written in a high-level language such as C or Pascal were relatively easy to port aside from the endian and screen resolution differences. In fact, the IIgs was the first Apple released with a color version of the Mac UI (although the Mac II followed it very closely). History and Trivia: ------------------- The Apple IIGS was originally the "IIX" project, which was intended to use the 65816 along with a special slot that could be used to add either an 8088 (for PC compatibility) or a 68000 (to run Mac software). But the 65816 was running late (William D. Mensch famously laid it out by hand on his kitchen table, using no computer assistance) and Apple management killed the project. It was later resurrected under the codename "Phoenix" (and later "Gumby" and "Rambo") when the 65816 was ready, and it did make it to market despite a lukewarm response from Apple management. The IIGS was made possible by the development of the "Mega II" ASIC, which contained the entire circuitry of an enhanced Apple IIe except for the CPU, ROMs, and RAM on a small single chip, but it was Steve Wozniak himself who gave a crucial boost to the engineers, coming up with a scheme that would maintain very high Apple II compatibility while still letting the IIgs be its own machine. In tribute, the first production run of the IIgs had Woz's signature stamped onto the case. Sales were strong initially and the IIGS even outsold the black and white Macintosh units that were its contemporary. The IIGS was the first Apple released that could show the Mac GUI in color and the first released machine with the new ADB peripheral connection (the Mac II and SE were introduced several months later). Apple management was terrified of hurting Mac sales so they had forced the engineers to run the 65816 much slower than the 7 MHz 68000 of the Mac Plus. (Wozniak and the engineering team had wanted to run the 65816 at 8 MHz). Even so, the IIgs's all-assembly language Toolbox was eventually tuned to the point where even at 2.8 MHz the GUI felt as snappy as its more powerful cousin. The slow CPU did hurt it for games though - games on the IIgs typically looked good and sounded great but animated poorly. The Apple IIGS disappeared from the market in 1992. In one final gasp, the Apple II supporters at Apple designed the Apple IIGS Plus, code named "Mark Twain". It was rumored to have an 8 MHz 65C816, a built in SuperDrive, 2MB on the motherboard, and a hard drive. Apple management originally green lighted the new machine and reserved time during a satellite broadcast in September of 1991 to introduce it to the world, but it was killed at the last minute due to the usual objections that it could hurt the Macintosh. A prototype leaked out of Apple years later and was much less ambitious than was originally thought: it contained the same ROM 3, but with 2 MB of RAM, an on-board SCSI controller, and an internal SCSI HDD. So even if it had been introduced it would have been too little too late. The Ensoniq chip in the Apple IIGS was a brilliant move by Apple, but like a lot of things related to the IIgs it was something of an accident. Although the 5503 powered several successful Ensoniq synthesizers (the ESQ-1, SQ-80, and the Mirage sampler), Bob Yannes remembered the impact of his SID on the Commodore 64 and wanted to get the chip into a computer. He first called Commodore, but they weren't interested in chips they didn't make (they also passed on the 65816 CPU - imagine a C64 sequel with the 65816 and 5503!) He called Apple and got bounced around to various people until it hit an engineer on the IIgs team who was heavily into electronic music. As usual getting management to accept the chip was an uphill fight - originally the sockets for the 5503 and its RAM were to be placed on the board and the chips sold separately, but finally they realized the cost difference was minor at that point and included the chips in every machine sold. It was so close that the system software shipped with an error code defined for "Ensoniq not present". The chip also caused legal trouble with Apple Records, which resulted in Apple never again putting a hardware synthesizer chip into a computer. The Macs relied on a 4-voice DMA setup similar to the Commodore Amiga for years and now just use software synthesis. The IIGS had a lot of graphic modes: All modes used a 12-bit palette for 4096 colors. - 320x200 with 16 colors per scanline. There were a total of 16 hardware palettes that could each be assigned to one or more scanlines, making 256 colors on screen possible at once. Later software discovered that there was (barely) enough CPU time to rewrite the palette as the beam marched down the screen, giving 16 unique colors on each scanline and up to 3200 colors on screen at once (similar to the Amiga's HAM mode, but more limited). - 640x200 with 4 colors. The pixels were small enough in this mode that adjacent pairs of pixels blended to create the illusion of 16 colors, although this of course effectively reduced the effective resolution for things which weren't in black and white. Most apps using the GUI Toolbox ran in this mode, although the aspect ratio was pretty terrible. - Fill mode can be enabled on scanlines which are in the 320x200 mode. This makes color 0 repeat the last non-0 color present on the scanline, making it possible to draw filled polygons at a much higher speed than would otherwise be possible. It was used mostly in a few Eurodemos and a port of the Amiga game "Out Of This World". - Each scanline could independantly be in 320 or 640 mode, although such mixes weren't commonly seen. A per-scanline interrupt was also available for raster effects (such as the "3200 color" mode). - SVGA modes with 24-bit color could be added with a 3rd party VGA card, but it came late in the life of the IIGS and had little software support. The Apple IIGS also had all the graphics modes found on the Apple IIc. - Text mode: 40x24 and 80x24. Characters are formed by a 7x8 pixel matrix. Text mode is monochrome but can be set to a specific color. The background and border can each be set to different colors. Text mode is rarely used in GS programs since the OS, GS/OS, had a graphic desktop. - Low Resolution: 40x48 pixels in 16 colors. Double Low Resolution: 80x48 pixels in 16 colors. - High Resolution: 280x192 pixels in 6 colors Double High Resolution: 560x192 pixels in 16 colors. - Combinations/Variations: 4 lines of text mode could be mixed with a truncated Low Resolution or High Resolution mode graphic. The text in mixed mode could be either 40 column or 80 column. Double Low Res and Double High Res modes couldn't be mixed with text. The "SmartPort" external drive port supports both Apple IIe/IIc UniDisks (3.5" and 5.25" models) and the newer Apple 3.5 Drive which was shared with the Macintosh. You could have a total of 2 UniDisks and 4 Apple 3.5 Drives daisy-chained, although such a configuration would have put quite a strain on the stock power supply. Some companies also made SmartPort compatible harddisks, but these were relatively slow and most IIGS users used an add-on SCSI card and drive instead. The difference between a UniDisk and a IIGS 3.5" drive is that the IIGS drive is controlled directly by the computer while the UniDisk has a separate processor. The UniDisk is thus much slower (up to 4x slower) than a IIGS 3.5" drive. Apple and third parties both sold SCSI cards for the IIGS, and Applied Engineering sold a "high density" floppy drive that got double the density by spinning the disk at half speed. There was never any official Apple support for the more conventional 1.44 MB SuperDrives that were used with the Mac - those required the newer "SWIM" controller chip, while the IIgs still had only the original "IWM" (shared with Macs up through the Mac Plus). The IIgs was available initially as an upgrade motherboard for the Apple IIe - you got a board which would fit in the IIe case and had connectors for the IIe's power supply and internal keyboard and replacement stickers which changed the old "Apple" and "IIe" in Apple's original font into "Apple IIgs" in the newer Apple font. All the other connectors were still present, and you could buy an ADB keyboard and mouse to use with it as well. A IIe upgrade version of the ROM 3 motherboard was never made however. The initial ROM 0 IIgs shipped with defects in the "Video Graphics Controller" custom ASIC that caused fringing in the old Apple II video modes under some circumstances. A new VGC and a new ROM chip were a free upgrade to bring those systems up to ROM 1 specs. (info from old-computers.com and other sources) * Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" -- which is correct? "][", "II", and "//" tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction. "][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The "//" usage is generally associated with the "c" and newer "e" models. The generally preferred machine designations are: Apple ][ or Apple II for pre-][+ models Apple ][+ or Apple II+ Apple IIe for non-enhanced IIe computers Apple //e for 128k-enhanced IIe computers Apple //c Apple IIc+ Apple IIgs or GS. Ideally on a modern system you'd set "Apple II" in one font size then "GS" in a smaller font. The "Apple IIGS" on the case was in Apple's corporate font of the time, a varient of Garamond. (This same font was also used on the cases of many Macs and the platinum Apple IIe). * Easter Egg: The IIGS with ROM version 3 has an audio recording built-in. Upon booting, when you see the "Open Apple" move back and forth on the screen, press