Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watdragon!skeppeljones From: skeppeljones@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Stephen Keppel-Jones) Subject: Re: Vague OS-9 mutterings (was Re: New computer? Message-ID: <1990Oct19.171749.27634@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Keywords: MM/1 Organization: University of Waterloo References: <38306@ut-emx.uucp> Date: Fri, 19 Oct 90 17:17:49 GMT Lines: 66 Info about the MM/1 and the TC070... Both are OS-9/68000 (OS-k) machines that use the same two major chips as do the CD-I computeres. These are the Signetics 68070cpu and 66470vsc. The 68070 is a MC68000 compatible (though slower) cpu with build in DMA, UART, MMU, and IIC interface. It runs a 15MHz. The 66470 is a Video System Controller that supports resolution of up to 720x420 with N.Americal 60Hz monitors. (The double verticle resolution is via interlace. Though double scan rate is supported, I don't know if it has been implemented.) The colors available are 16 on resolutions of 640/720 and are 256 on 320/360 dots per line. The MM/1 implements a palette controller so these 16/256 colors can be chosen out of 16 million (2**24) colors. I don't know about the Tomcat (TC070). The MM/1 comes with 1Meg RAM, the TC070 with 1.5Meg RAM, both with shared access between the CPU and VSC. The MM/1 uses a standatd XT keyboard while the TC070 uses and AT keyboard. Both also have DMA floppy controllers capable of handling normal and HD (1.2/1.44 Meg) drives. I should also mention powered serial mice ports and a "supposed" standard of 3-button mice. A separate board for the MM/1 includes such thigs as DMS SCSI, a couple more serial ports (2 on main board), another parallel port (1 on main board), and DMA stereo 8-bit sound (main board also has 1-bit PC style sound). This separate board also allows mem expansion of up to 9Meg more of dedicated cpu RAM. Once this additional 2/8Meg of RAM is added, the VSC thes uses the other 1Meg exclusively. This makes for about another 50% increase in speed over the shared RAM configuration. These two cards can be plugged directly into one another, or a 32/16 bit bus can be purchased separately which allows for further expansion. The IIC bus is also available for networking of up to 128 MM/1's with no additional hardware. The TC070 is a has mono 8-bit sound, 2 serial ports and 1 parallel port. The SCSI controllor is built onto this board, but mem expansion must be over the included K-Bus. Up to 14Meg can be added. I have no idea how accessing memory over the bus affects access times. Both machines come with OS-9/68000, Basic09, and C. The MM/1 also includes (or so it is said) some additional software. Kenneth-Leigh (MM/1 marketter) also announced the porting of MicroSoft Quick Basic which will bring many PC programs to the MM/1. Of course, Quick Basic will also be available to us users/programmers. They also have an "Early Deveopers Plan" which can get 20% off a full system. ----- Well, that is a quick info note. Some of the numbers about io port counts might be off by one or two, but the info here should be mostly correct. Hope all that helps. I'll try to answer any questions if you have them... After midterms. Brian White (using a friends unix account) -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steve Keppel-Jones | Clarke's Second Law: The only way to skeppeljones@watdragon.waterloo.edu | discover the limits of the possible is or steve@watcsc | to go beyond them into the impossible.