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Started by Philip R. Banks
Sat, 31 Oct 1992 22:32
Comp.Sys.Acorn FAQ List Posting (Automatic)
Author: Philip R. Banks
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1992 22:32
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1992 22:32
1107 lines
43944 bytes
43944 bytes
Archive-name: acorn/faq
Comp.Sys.Acorn FAQ List. Last alterations 21/Oct/1992
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Recent alterations :-
Adjusted the '~' symbols to occur once space into a line.
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Contained below is a list of the most commonly asked questions about
Acorn machines in comp.sys.acorn. Before posting to comp.sys.acorn, if you
are new to the group, check to see if your question(s) are already answered
below. Corrections and/or additions to the list can be emailed to :-
banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
And I'll try to add them as soon as possible....
When reading this FAQ List it is reccomended that you use a text editor
if you are not interested in reading every question's answer. Each answer is
seperated by a line of '-' characters. To find the answer you are interested
in try searching for (in !Edit) "--\x0AQ##)" using Magic characters where ##
is the question number you are interested in the answer to. This will leap
directly to the answer.
Index of Questions
------------------
Q1) I have obtained [PD] program X but find it needs [version Y.YY of]
module Z, which I don't have. Where can I get it?
Q2) What version of module X can I assume that all users have?
Q3) What's the minimum version of module X that my program needs? What
features were introduced/what bugs were fixed in which versions?
Q4) I have had problems with my printer. It's a dot matrix printer, when
printing graphics or a document, it sometimes mangles a line of
output, usually printing a $ sign, too.
Q5) Why have there been no postings to comp.{binaries,sources}.acorn
recently?
Q6) What archives/FTP sites are available?
Q7) How can I protect against viruses?
Q8) Where can I obtain !Killer?
Q9) What is a VIDC enhancer? Will I need one for my new multisync monitor?
Q10) What are the main new features of RISC OS 3?
Q11) When will RISC OS 3 be available for pre-A5000 machines?
Q12) What kind of Acorn machines are there?
Q13) What are the specifications of the Acorn machines?
Q14) What are the memory limits of the Acorn machines?
Q15) What is a second processor and what second processors are there?
Q16) Are there any cards for IBM PC or compatable machines that Acorn have
produced?
Q17) What configuration of cable should I use on my Arc for modem work?
Q18) Can PC VGA Monitors be added to an Archimedes?
Q19) What is ADFSBuffers and what is the best setting for it?
Q20) What is the current File-type allocation ranges and why won't Acorn
provide a full file-type list?
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Q1) I have obtained [PD] program X but find it needs [version Y.YY of]
module Z, which I don't have. Where can I get it?
All patch modules and current versions of Clib and its ilk are sited on
the NZ info-server and can be obtained from there. Ideally your local dealer
will also have copies of them too and you should be able to obtain them from
them. (If they don't you may like to pass on the ones from the info-server
if you request them, so that they are up to-date.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q2) What version of module X can I assume that all users have?
Currently the version numbers are :-
Clib v3.75
Colours v0.52
FPEmulator v2.80
IRQUtils v0.12
Hourglass v2.02
Sound v1.13
WimpUtils v0.04
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q3) What's the minimum version of module X that my program needs? What
features were introduced/what bugs were fixed in which versions?
These details will come with the release notes accompanying the module.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q4) I have had problems with my printer. It's a dot matrix printer, when
printing graphics or a document, it sometimes mangles a line of output,
usually printing a $ sign, too.
Get your dealer to carry out Field Change Order XXX (which corrects the
problem). Or if you are competant enough do it yourself like this :-
1) Remove the circuit board from the computer.
2) Locate and identify resistor R24. Cut the leg of R24 closest to IC9, and
carefully move the free end of R24 away from the adjacent resistor. Secure R24
to the PCB with adhesive (for example Loctite TAC PAC), leaving the free end of
R24 available for soldering.
3) Prepare new IC (74HC14) by:
Removing pins 5,6,8,9,10,11,12 and 13
Lift pins 1 and 4 ready to solder leads
Lift pins 2 and 3, and solder them together
4) Position new IC onto IC15 piggyback fashion so that pin 1 of the new IC is
directly above pin 1 of IC15. Solder pins 7 and 14 of the new IC to pins 7 and
14 of IC15.
5) Solder thin insulated lead from pin 1 of the new IC to the free end of R24.
Solder a second insulated lead from pin 4 of the new IC to the vacated pad of
R24. Keep these leads as short as possible, and secure them to the PCB with
adhesive.
6) Reassemble the computer and check operation of the printer port.
The 74HC14 IC is widely available.........(Acorns part No)....
Please note that it is particularly important that a profile of this
modification is kept as low as possible, to ensure that there is no fouling of
the modification on any podules that may be fitted to the computer.
Be warned that modifying your Archimedes invalidates the warranty on it and
should preferrably be carried out by an Acorn sanctioned technician.
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Q5) Why have there been no postings to comp.{binaries,sources}.acorn
recently?
The moderators run c.b.a and c.s.a in their spare time. They may not
have any at the moment - they're studying hard at University.
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Q6) What archives/FTP sites are available?
See the regular (fortnightly) posting by Gerben Vos.
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Q7) How can I protect against viruses?
Acorn have produced a program called !Killer, which is the definitive
means of checking for or killing viruses. See the next question.
There are also a few PD programs around, but these tend to detect only
a small subset of the viruses in circulation. !VKiller used to be OK,
but it is no longer maintained and is now seriously out of date.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q8) Where can I obtain !Killer?
It is now a commercial product and will be distributed by Pineapple
Software. Who can be reached at:-
39 Brownlea Gardens, Seven Kings, Ilford, ESSEX IG3 9NL
Tel. +44 (81) 599 1476 Fax +44 (81) 598 2343
Early versions (up to 1.26) are PD. There is a version on the April RISC
User magazine disc.
However, the PD version is set to stop working in May 1992, to ensure
that you get the commercial version. This is a good idea in any case,
since it will allow you to keep up to date with new viruses as they
appear (damn their authors).
The PD version can be obtained from the NZ info-server and from your local
dealer.
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Q9) What is a VIDC enhancer? Will I need one for my new multisync monitor?
A VIDC enhancer is basically a clock change for your VIDC. Most Arcs (bar
the A5000 and the A540) have 24 MHz VIDC chips installed in them. A VIDC
enhancer increases this to 36 MHz allowing much higher resolution screen
modes to be displayed on your Arc. (800x600x16 or SVGA standard becomes
available.) You do *not* need one to use a Multisync monitor - the standard
VIDC handles that just fine. However having a VIDC enhancer is only really
useful if you do have a Multi-sync monitor.
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Q10) What are the main new features of RISC OS 3?
Most of the features of Risc OS 3 are behind the scenes stuff for
programmers, improving the program to OS interfaces. However there are quite
a few improvements to the user interface :-
* Multitasking Filer operations.
Copying, moving, and deleting files no longer takes control away
from the user. The user can now go on using the computer
while the filing operations are taking place.
* Multitasking Format/Verify/Backup
These operations, which used to take a long time on RISC OS 2.00
are now performed in the background, enabling the user to continue
and make other use of the computer while they are taking place.
* Multitasking Free space display.
The free space display for floppy and hard discs now gives a
continuous view of the free space on the disc while the computer
is being used.
* Additional Filer operations.
It is now possible to search for a file, set a file's type, and
date stamp a file from the Filer menu.
* Applications in ROM.
Improved versions of many of the main applications that were
provided on disc with RISC OS 2.00 are now resident in ROM.
These applications can be accessed using the Apps icon on the left
hand side of the icon bar.
* Automatic starting of applications
Any of the ROM applications can be set to start automatically when
the computer is powered on.
* Fonts in ROM
Many of the fonts that were provided on disc with RISC OS 2.00 are
now resident in the RISC OS 3 ROM.
* No limit on number of open windows.
There is no longer a limit on the number of windows that can be
opened at once.
* Ability to move windows off screen.
Windows can now be moved partly off screen, to increase the usable
screen space.
* Desktop saving
Ability to save the computer's state and restore it when the user
next uses the machine.
* Computer shutdown.
An option is provided to safely close the computer down, ready for
turning it off.
* Pinboard.
Frequently used files can now be held on the desktop background
for easy access.
A background picture can also be displayed on the desktop.
* Iconized windows.
An open window can be shrunk to an icon, and stored on the
desktop background. It can later be restored to its previous size
be clicking on the icon. This helps reduce the space used by
windows when they are not being actively used.
* Improved printer support.
A new printer driver manager !Printers is provided with RISC OS 3
which makes printing easier.
RISC OS 3 makes it possible to have more than one printer
connected to your computer at the same time, with all connected
printers accessible from the desktop.
* Ability to read MS DOS(tm) format discs.
It is now possible to use discs that were created on a computer
running MS DOS(tm) from RISC OS 3 to move data between the Acorn
range of computers and any computer running MS DOS(tm).
* Support for new A5000 high density floppy formats.
It is now possible to use 1.6MB floppy discs on computers which
support it such as the A5000.
* Broadcast Loader.
RISC OS 3 includes support for broadcast loading on Econet
networks. This greatly improves the speed at which applications
and data are loaded on multiple computers on the network.
* ARM3 support.
RISC OS 3 includes built in support for the ARM3 processor that is
used on the A540,R260 and A5000 computers.
* Ability to use named hard discs.
Hard discs which are given a name now have their name displayed
under their icon on the icon bar, eliminating the need to refer to
the same disc by both its name and number.
* Grouping of icon bar icons.
On RISC OS 3 icons of the same type will appear on the icon bar in
a group, regardless of the order they were added to the icon bar.
For instance all hard disc icons will appear in a group, and so
will all the fileserver icons. This makes finding the icon you
want easier.
* Enhanced interactive help.
When running !Help, help can now be provided on menu items as well
as on icons and windows, making it easier to learn how to use new
application software.
* Extension modules in ROM.
All of the standard extension modules for RISC OS 2.00 such as
ColourTrans, the floating point emulator, the outline font
manager and the shared C library are now in the RISC OS 3 ROM
leaving more memory for application software.
* Up to 128 tasks.
RISC OS 3 can support up to 128 tasks running together in the
computer as opposed to the 32 allowed by RISC OS 2.00.
* New hot keys.
New hot keys are provided to open a task window, move the icon bar
to the front, and start a shutdown.
* Screen blanker.
A screen blanker is included in the RISC OS 3 ROM to help preserve
the monitor screen.
(lifted from Ran Mokady's RO3 Q&A posting. Thanks Ran....)
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Q11) When will RISC OS 3 be available for pre-A5000 machines?
The new ROMS for RO3 are two megabyte ones and as such older machines
like the A300 and A400 series will require a small hardware upgrade to fit
the ROMs into them. Newer machines like the A3000,A540 and the A400/I series
will not need any modification. RO3 is expected to be released Real Soon Now
(tm).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q12) What kind of Acorn machines are there?
There is a diverse range of Acorn machines basically classifiable into two
ranges. Older 8 bit machines and the newer 32 bit machines. The list is:-
Acorn System 1 - the earliest of the Acorn machines. Powered by a 6502 CPU
it had a staggering 1k of memory and a 512 byte monitor program.
Described as a `pig to use` it marked the begining of Acorns long
association with the 6502 chip. Released in 1979.
Acorn System 2,3,4,5 - A eurocard rack system with a combination of cards
including 6502 cpu, 6809 cpu, 32k ram, 32k battery backed cmos ram, disc
interface, versitiale interface adaptor, lab interface, econt, analogue
interface, VDU interface and a 6502 ICE (In Circuit Emulation I am told).
Acorn Atom - this was powered by a 6502 chip and had 4k of memory. A bit of
a rarity these days to see a working model it had an integer only BASIC
supplied in ROM as well as the OS. Via an extension ROM floating point
operations could be added to the BASIC. Released early 1980 (I think).
Acorn Proton - early version of the BBC Model A. Capabilities presumably
very similar to the Model A. Apparently never commercially released.
BBC Model A - cut down version of the very popular BBC Model B. Powered by a
6502 chip it featured 16k of memory. Released November 1981.
BBC Model B - the `full` version of the Model A this machine became one of
the most popular eight bit machines in Britain. It also ran on a 6502
chip and had 32k of memory along with a facility to easily include
anywhere from 4-16 `sideways` ROM expansions. By default the machine was
only capable of taking 4 ROMs with two slots taken by BBC BASIC ( either
versions I or II) and the other usually taken up by a Disc Filing System.
(The machine was released without the DFS to begin with.) Released
November 1981 - early 1982. It appears that there was also released an
American/Canadian version of the Model B that had several differences -
namely that econet and speech systems were built in and that the machine
was set up for American monitors by default requiring a *UK to enable it
to run most software.
BBC Model B+ - this machine was the predeccesor to the BBC Master range of
machines and came in two models. The default model was equiped with 64k
of memory and a D.F.S. be default. It was the first of the Acorn machines
to come with a double density disc system as default. It had alot of the
annoying `glitches` of the model B cured and was also powered by a 6502
chip. Released early 1984 it was quickly superceded by the Master range
of machines and Acorn drew loud criticisim for releasing the machines so
close together.
Reuters board - Effectivley a BBC Model B+ on a big eurocard for rack
mounting.
Acorn Business Computer- Acorns first attempt at entering the business
market and it was not a great success. It consisted of a BBC Model B+
with a variety of second processors all packaged in a new case with an
integral monitor and seperate keyboard. Second processors included a
32016 running Panos, 80186 running DOS & a Z80 running CPM. These
machines were and are very rare, indeed I have yet to hear from someone
who has actually used one of these machines. They consisted of eight
models and were released late 1984.
Acorn Electron - this was Acorns `cut down` BBC Model B machine. Designed to
be a cheap alternative to the model B it had alot of design trade offs in
it to keep it cheap. A feature of it was its series of expansion options
that offered people the ability to upgrade it to almost the same specs as
a Model B. It was slower than the Model B even though it was clocked at
the same speed due to the fact that its screen refresh demands were not
done asycronously to the CPU resulting in cycle stealing from the CPU
especially in the higher resolution screen modes.
British Telecom M2105 - An Electron with an expansion box containg a speech
synthesier and modem. Designed as a `smart` comms terminal.
Communicator - A comms machine based on a 65816 processor with an on board
modem, comms software and featured 32k of CMOS RAM.
Briefcase Communicator - Basically the same hardware as the communicator
repackaged in a breifcase with an added ramcard interface.
BBC Master range - this was the successor to the Model B range and came out
as three close but different machines. Powered by a 65C02 chip it was
slightly faster and had alot of software improvements as well as hardware
improvements that made it a large step foward. It came by default with
a new and greatly improved Disc Filing System called ADFS (Advanced Disc
Filing System) as well as 128k of memory as standard. Released late 1984-
1985.
Acorn M19 - Re-badged Olivetti M19 PC-clone. Based on an 8088 processor it
also came with it's own monitor. (Indeed that's what powered it...)
A500 - never sold commercially this machine will be a little hard to find.
It was the development machine for the A300/A400 series of machines. One
of its major `idiosyncracies` is that it uses the older VIDC1 chip which
used different logic for sound output than all commercialy released Arcs
and thus most sound modules sound very odd on it...
A3xx - the first of the Archimedes range of computers it was powered by a
custom designed chip set based around the ARM a 32 bit RISC chip. The
range started with half a Meg of memory up ran up to 1 Meg of memory.
They came out with the Arthur Operating system that while it was more
advanced than the 8 bit machines OS's it was not an OS doing justice to
the hardware it was running on. Released around late 1987 they heralded
the start of new shift in Acorn machines away from their previous 6502
only base.
A4xx - released at the same time as the 300 series of machines the 400
series features an in built st506 hard drive controller and some models
came equiped with hard drives built in as standard and the series also ,
by default, was capable of handling 4 expansion cards including a
co-processor card unlike the 300 series.
A680 - development machine for RISCiX. This is another development machine
and again was never sold commercialy. Thus it is somewhat rare. It was
different from most Arcs in the respect that it does not have RiscOS in
ROM at all and can only use high resolution monochrome monitor for
display. It came with a 67 Meg SCSI drive by default.
R140 - Acorn's entry machine into the Unix market, it suffered problems due
to the Archimedes chip set not being optimal for running Unix on.
Functionally identical to an A440 machine it had 4 Meg of memory and was
provided with an 52 Meg st506 drive with RISCiX (Acorns brand of Unix) on
it.
A3000 - this is the low end Arc. It was the first machine to be released
with the newer and faster MEMC1a built in as standard as well as the
newer Risc OS by default. Designed to be a cost effective cheap Arc it
features only one full expansion port with a single internal `mini`
expansion card slot limiting expansion somewhat. It also came by default
without a serial port. This machine has proved very popular with schools
as a cheap entry into the new Archimedes machines.
A4xx/I - this series was functionally identical to the 400 series but
featured a newer memory controller the MEMC1a that gave it a slightly
faster speed. It also came with a 53 Megabyte hard drive in the higher
end models that came with HD's rather than the 400 series's 20 Meg one.
A540 - the current high end Archimedes machine this machine comes with 4 Meg
of memory by default and an ARM 3 processor running at 26 MHz. It comes
with a 100 Meg SCSI drive by default and a slightly newer version of
Risc OS updated to cope with up to 16 Meg of memory and features for
handling the ARM 3 processor.
R260 - functionally identical to the A540 the R260 comes with Unix (well
RISCiX ) by default and due to the increased power of the hardware runs
it much better.
R225 - A diskless version of the R260 it was designed to be a cheap
networked Unix station. Released at the same time as the R260.
A5000 - the A5000 is the first machine to feature high density (quad - 1.6 Meg
formated) drives by default as well as the latest version of Risc OS -
version 3. It also features an inbuilt IDE drive on it's higher end model.
Released late 1991.
A4 - Acorns first portable machine. The A4 is functionally an A5000 in portable
form. Featuring power save modes, an LCD screen and software configuration
of the power saving features it was released July 1992. It is called the A4
because it's footprint on a desk is apparently that of an A4 piece of paper.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q13) What are the specifications of the Acorn machines?
This is a long and complicated list. Listed below are the defaults for
the machines. Through Acorn and third party upgrades all of the machines
could be expanded upon considerably from the defaults.
Acorn System 1
1k Memory
Cassette interface.
6502 processor
1 MHz RAM (I think).
512 bytes Monitor in ROM.
~0.09 MIPS (at a guess....)
Acorn System 2,3,4
32k Memory.
Disc interface.
Variable Processor.
1 MHz RAM (I think)
Unknown ~0.09 MIPS (at a guess....)
Acorn Atom
4k Memory. (Expandable to 12k)
Unknown. I believe it was tape.
6502 processor.
1 MHz RAM (I think).
8k OS in ROM (I think).
~0.09 MIPS
Acorn Proton
16k Memory
Tape filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
BBC Model A
16k Memory
Tape filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
BBC Model B
32k Memory
Tape filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model PA (Personal Assistant)
64k Memory
Disc Filing System by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
32k of OS in ROM with ViewSheet.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model Terminal.
64k Memory
No filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
32k of OS in ROM with a VT100 emulator in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 100.
64k Memory
Disc Filing system by default.
Z80 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite Z80)
Unknown
32k of OS in ROM. Largely unused being replaced with CP\M.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 110.
64k Memory
Disc Filing system by default. (10 Megabyte hard drive)
Z80 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite Z80)
Unknown
32k of OS in ROM. Largely unused being replaced with CP\M.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 200.
512k Memory (Unknown exactly)
Disc Filing system by default.
32016 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite 32016)
Unknown
32k of OS in ROM. Largely unused being replaced with Xenix.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 210. (Later known as the Cambridge Workstation)
512k Memory (Unknown exactly)
Disc Filing system by default. (10 Megabyte Hard Drive)
32016 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite 32016)
Unknown.
32k of OS in ROM (PANOS). Largely unused being replaced with Xenix.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 300.
1024k Memory
Disc Filing system by default.
80286 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite 80286)
Unknown.
32k of OS in ROM. Largely unused being replaced with CP/M,MS-DOS or PC-DOS.
~0.17 MIPS
Acorn Business Computer Model 310.
1024k Memory
Disc Filing system by default. (10 Megabyte Hard Drive)
80286 processor. (6502 processor acting as host for parasite 80286)
Unknown.
32k of OS in ROM. Largely unused being replaced with CP/M,MS-DOS or PC-DOS.
~0.17 MIPS
BBC Model B+
64k Memory
Double Density Filing system by default. (include tape as well)
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
Reuters Board
64k Memory
Unknown
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.17 MIPS
British Telecom M2105
32k Memory
Tape filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.14 MIPS
Acorn Communicator
512k (32k battery backed CMOS ram extra) Memory. (Expandable to 1024k)
CMOS RAM and NET filing systems by default.
65816 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
256k of OS and bundled software in ROM.
Unknown.
Briefcase Communicator.
See Acorn Communicator - hardware functionally identical.
Acorn Electron
32k Memory
Tape filing system by default.
6502 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM.
~0.25 MIPS
BBC Master
128k Memory
ADFS filing system by default. (Also came with DFS and tape)
65C02 processor.
2 MHz RAM.
16k of OS in ROM. (bundled with 48k more other ROM material)
~0.18-0.19 MIPS
Acorn M19
256k Memory.
DOS filing system.
8088 processor.
Unknown.
Unknown.
Unknown.
A500
4096k Memory.
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM. (Ocassional unit with 12MHz RAM.)
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
A680
8192k Memory.
SCSI by default. (67 Meg drive)
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
Unknown. (Runs RISCiX...)
~4 MIPS
A305
512k Memory.
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
A310
1024k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
A410
1024k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
A420
2048k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
A440
4096k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default with Hard Drive. (43 Meg)
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4 MIPS
R140
4096k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default with Hard Drive. (53 Meg)
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM. RISCiX OS supplied on Hard Drive.
~4 MIPS
A3000
1024k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4.7 MIPS
A410/I
1024k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4.7 MIPS
A420/I
2048k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default.
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4.7 MIPS
A440/I
4096k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
St506 Hard Drive interface by default with Hard Drive. (53 Meg)
ARM 2 processor.
8 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~4.7 MIPS
A540
4096k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
SCSI Hard Drive interface by default with Hard Drive. (100 Meg)
ARM 3 processor.
12 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM.
~13.5 MIPS (I am guessing here...)
R260
8192k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
SCSI Hard Drive interface by default with Hard Drive. (100 Meg)
ARM 3 processor.
12 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM. RISCiX OS supplied on Hard Drive.
~13.5 MIPS
R225
4096k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default.
ARM 3 processor.
12 MHz RAM.
512k OS in ROM. RISCiX OS booted off from Network connections.
~13.5 MIPS
A5000
1024k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default with High Density drives.
IDE interface by default.
ARM 3 processor
12 MHz RAM.
2048k OS in ROM.
~13.5 MIPS.
A4
2048k Memory
Advanced Disc Filing System by default with High Density drives.
ARM 3 processor (6 MHz in power save mode.)
12 MHz RAM. (3 MHz in power save mode.)
2048k OS in ROM.
~13.5 MIPS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q14) What are the memory limits of the Acorn machines?
For the most part the 8 bit machines were limited to a maximum of around
256k of memory. Although various expansion systems including second
processors effectively meant the upper limit was about 1 Meg.
For the 32 bit machines *the* upper limit currently is 16 Meg of memory.
Not all of the range of machines are capable of this however and the list
looks something like this :-
A3xx - 8 Megs maximum through third party, 1 Meg official limit.
A4xx & A4xx/I - 8 Megs maximum through third party, 4 Megs official
limit.
A3000 - 4 Megs maximum through third party, 2 Megs official limit.
A540 - 16 Megs maximum.
A5000 - 8 Megs maximum through third party, 4 Megs official limit.
A4 - 4 Megs official limit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q15) What is a second processor and what second processors are there?
A second processor was the generic name for a range of parasite
processors that could be linked to Acorn's 8 bit machines via what was
called the `Tube` interface. Basically the host machine became dedicated
to handling the Input and Output while the second processor would do the
higher level functions (like running your programs). The second processor
ran asyncronously to the host processor allowing incredible increases in
execution speed for programs. A wide range of processors were supported
this way allowing Acorn's eight bit range of machines to remain viable
and useful for much longer than their technology would suggest.
The Second Processors that existed are :-
Z80 second processor.
6 MHz RAM.
64k Memory.
CP/M OS.
External second processor for all eight bit machines.
6502 second processor.
3 MHz RAM.
64k Memory.
Extended version of the BBC MOS.
External processor for all eight bit machines.
16032 second processor.
Unknown.
256k-4096k Memory.
Unknown. (Panos at a guess)
External processor for all eight bit machines.
ARM 2 second processor.
8 MHz RAM. (Guess...)
4096k Memory.
Brazil OS.
External processor for all eight bit machines.
6502 co-processor. (internal second processor).
4 MHz RAM.
64k Memory.
Extended version of BBC MOS.
Internal processor for Master 128 machines but could be fitted external to
the other eight bit machines.
80186 co-processor.
10 MHz RAM.
512k Memory.
MS-DOS.
Internal processor for Master 128 machines but could be fitted external to
the other eight bit machines.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q16) Are there any cards for IBM PC or compatable machines that Acorn have
produced?
Yes. Three cards in total :-
Springboard.
ARM 2 processor.
4096k Memory.
8 MHz RAM.
Brazil OS.
PC ARM development system.
Precursor to Springboard. Hardware functionally identical.
Ecolink.
An econet link card for the PC.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q17) What configuration of cable should I use on my Arc for modem work?
Here follows a diagram of the necessary connections for common terminal
programs to work properly. They are as far as I know the informal standard
agreed upon by commercial comms software developers for the Arc.
Pins 1, 4, and 8 must be connected together inside the 9 pin plug. This
is to avoid the well known serial port chip bugs. The modem's DCD (Data
Carrier Detect) signal has been rerouted to the Arc's RI (Ring Indicator)
most modems broadcast a software RING signal anyway, an even then it's not
really necessary to detect it for the modem to answer the call.
Arc (9 pin) Modem (25 pin)
----------- --------------
+---1---DCD
|
| 2---RxD------------------------RxD----3
|
| 3---TxD------------------------TxD----2
|
+---4---DTR------------------------DTR---20
|
| 5---0v-------------------------SG-----7
|
| 6---DSR------------------------CTS----5
|
| 7---RTS------------------------RTS----4
|
+---8---CTS
9---RI-------------------------DCD----8
Of course you can connect the Modem pin 20 to any one of pins 1, 4, or 8
on the Archimedes plug, as they are all connected together anyway.
Chocks Away Extra Missions (the flight simulator from 4th Dimension)
suggests that the serial cable be wired as above except that pins 1-4-6 are
connected together and the modem's CTS (pin 5) be connected to the Arc's pin
8 (ie the connections at pins 6 and 8 be swapped over at the Arc's end).
This has been and it also seems to work fine.
However newer Arc's like the A5000 have come out (and indeed the
occasional A310) with a `corrected` serial port. This newer serial port
operates as it should and is directly compatible with standard PC cables.
Most comms software about at the moment does not take this in account and
assumes that you have a cable patched in the manner described above. If you
do not use such a patched cable on these `fixed` serial ports the software
will generally fail to work.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q18) Can PC VGA Monitors be added to an Archimedes?
It depends on what monitor you have, and what Archimedes you have. There
are two main types of PC VGA monitors out there...
1) Fixed Frequency
These monitors will only display video signals with certain
line and refresh rates. They will typically only display
CGA / EGA / VGA modes.
2) Mutil Frequency
These monitors will display any video signal within a certain
range, typically 30-50Khz line rate and 50-80Hz refresh rate.
Type 1 almost always require seperate syncs as the monitor uses the
polarity of the syncs (mainly positive going negative or mainly negative
going positive) to determine what the line and refresh rate should be.
Type 2 vary. Some require seperate syncs (vertical and horizontal) and
others will work with composite syncs (vertical and horizontal EOR
together).
As PC monitors typically start at a line rate of 30Khz compared to the TV
broadcast modes (mode 12 etc.) that have a line rate of 15Khz, VIDC has to
do more work to obtain a 30Khz line rate. This means that you computer will
slow down silghtly if you use a 30Khz+ line rate monitor. If you have an ARM
3 fitted such slow downs will probably be negligable.
Now, depending on what type of Archimedes you have depends on what type
of monitor you can use.
A540 / A5000
Has software control over the polarity of the syncs and what
frequency VIDC is clocked at.
The A540 with RiscOS 2 can only use modes 26-28 (640x480)
[I can't rember if an A540 has a mode 31, help?]. However, by
changing links and a *configure option, you can get the computer
to generate seperate syncs with no problem.
The A5000 with RiscOS 3 can do even better. If you tell the
computer that you have a VGA monitor it will re-map all of the
15Khz line rate modes up to 30KHz line rate. This means that
you can play your games that require mode 12 / 13.
However, as a PC monitor is designed to display 320 lines
minimum then you will get a 'letterbox' effect as mode 12 has
only 256 lines.
Both the A540 / A5000 have a 24Mhz, 25.175Mhz and 36Mhz crystals to
drive VIDC with. The 25.175Mhz crystal is needed to obtain the
correct video rates for PC monitors displaying 640x480 screens.
The 36Mhz crystal is used to obtain higher resolution modes, like
800x600x16 colours.
A3000
This can generate seperate syncs but requires links to be set to
determine the polarity. It has only a 24Mhz crystal and can
therefore only drive 'forgiving' monitors correctly that don't
mind the 640x480 video mode timings being slightly incorect.
In order to obtain proper timings, and software control of the
sync polarity, you will need a VGA VIDC Enhancer for the A3000.
A400 series.
The situation gets more complex. Due to an 'error' in the PCB
/ circuit diagram, the A400 series cannot generate seperate
syncs satisfactorly. The video signal loses the green component
when seperate syncs is selected.
As standard, there is no polarity control over the syncs. In
common with the A3000, there is only a 24Mhz crystal.
If the PC monitor can handle composite syncs then the monitor
can be used in 640x480 mode only.
A300 series.
Most, if not all, of the A300 series had the circuit board
hardwired into composite mode continously. There is only a 24Mhz
crystal, and only composite PC VGA monitors can be used.
Conclusion:
Apart from the A5000, no computer as standard can drive either a fixed
frequency or multi-frequency PC monitor in all of the Archimedes modes
satisfactorily. However VIDC enhancer boards can be bought to upgrade an
Archimedes to handle the needed timing and signals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q19) What is ADFSBuffers and what is the best setting for it?
ADFSBuffers are Read Ahead and Write Behind buffers for ADFS on your
Archimedes. These are designed to improve the speed of filing operations by
doing work at optimum times. There are some side effects of using them though.
When active under Risc OS v2.00 and v2.01 discs *must* be dismounted before
being removed from the floppy drive. Failure to do so results in the dreaded
'FileCore in use.' error. However if you are prepared to sacrifice the speed
improvment they give configuring the buffers to 0 does remove this problem. (Or
so I am informed.)
Under Risc OS v3.00, as supplied with the A5000 machine, these buffers
generate a different problem and must *always* be configured off. Failure to do
so results in spurious errors when using the Hard Drive on an A5000. Symptoms
include reformating of crucial sectors of the disc, disc address errors and
general failure to save files to the drive. So when using an A5000 remember to
configure them to off!
As for the optimum settings for ADFSBuffers, as far as I am aware no one has
done any speed tests to see what is the best setting. Presumably though Acorn
will have arranged for the system to start up (Well except for the A5000...) in
the optimum state for most uses. I would be interested in anyone who has done
speed tests sending me the results of their investigations....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q20) What is the current File-type allocation ranges and why won't Acorn
provide a full file-type list?
Acorn have reallocated the File-type ranges for applications. The new
ranges are :-
Non-user area
&E00-&FFF Acorn
&B00-&DFF Commercial software
&A00-&AFF Acornsoft, and other commercial software
&400-&9FF Commercial Software
User area
&100-&3FF Non-commercial distributed software (ie PD)
&000-&0FF User's personal usage (ie non-distributed)
75% of the user area is for PD/Shareware, with allocations co-ordinated by
Acorn. If your software is going to be distributed, you should have an allocated
filetype to avoid clashes.
Acorn cannot publish it's master list of filetypes because, at any given
time, it will contain allocations made for products which have not yet been
announced. Therefore, Acorn would be in breach of confidence by doing so -
and the editing overhead for producing a sanitised list is too great.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks go to Julian Wright for his diagrams and comments on the serial
port. Also thanks go to all the people who have contributed corrections and
additions to the list. Without this help this list would be a hell of alot
buggier (spot the programmer... :-) ) than it is...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All additions, corrections & suggestions for the FAQ List should be sent to
-=> banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz <=-
Being a student I reserve the right to be wrong, incorrect, slow, out of
date and generally how I please with the FAQList.
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