From: jdz1@Ra.MsState.Edu (John D. Zitterkopf)
Subject: Re: Atari Falcons $799!!!!!
Summary: {Forwarded from another Newsgroup}
Keywords: Falcon
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 05:21:43 GMT

>From: kjohnson@castor.cs.uga.edu (Kristopher Johnson)
>Keywords: Falcon specs.
>Message-ID: <1992Aug31.194719.17630@athena.cs.uga.edu>
>Organization: University of Georgia, Athens
>
> Atari Falcon 030 Specifications
> -------------------------------
> 
> CPU: Motorola 68030 32-bit microprocessor @ 16MHz w/ 32-bit bus
> FPU: Motorola 68881/68882 @ 16MHz (optional)
> DSP: Motorola 56001 Digital Signal Processor running in parallel @ 32MHz 
>         w/ 32kWords (24-bit) of local zero wait state static RAM
> ROM: 512kB
> RAM: 1, 4 or 16MB(14MB usable) on daughterboard (RAM is 32-bit wide)
> 
> Expansion bus: Internal 'Processor-Direct' slot for 386SX emulation 
>                (third party 386SX emulator nearly completed) or other 
>                co-processors/etc.

	Third party huh? Well I figured I'd start a discussion on the 
possiblity of getting an 8bit emulator in there... Something to discuss,
huh? All we would really have to get would be the rights/permission of the 
Atari to use their OS... Not a small task I'm sure... This would defiantly
be a start on the "Super 8bit"... 
> 
> Video: (See below for specific video modes/resolutions.)
>        16-bit BLiTTER @ 16MHz (also handles hard drive access)
>        Accepts external video sync to allow high quality genlocking
>        Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
>        Overscan support
>        Hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
>        VIDEL (video controller) sits on 32-bit bus
> 
> Audio: Stereo 16-bit Analog-to-Digital DMA input
>        Stereo 16-bit Digital-to-Analog DMA output
>        Eight 16-bit audio DMA record/playback channels
>        SDMA sound/DMA co-processor
>        
> Ports: 128kB cartridge port
>        2 9-pin mouse/joystick ports
>        2 15-pin STe enhanced analog/digital controller ports (Atari also 
>           has new analog controllers w/ a joystick, 3 fire buttons, and a 
>           12-key keypad)
>        MIDI IN, OUT/THRU
>        Bi-directional parallel port
>        RS232C serial port
>        SCSI II w/ DMA
>        Analog RGB/VGA/composite video connector
>        Stereo headphone out (1/8" mini-jack)
>        Stereo microphone in (1/8" mini-jack)
>        DSP port (up to 1MHz data transfer rate)
>        RF modulator for TV hookup
>        Localtalk compatible LAN (up to 250kbaud transfer rate)
> 
> Misc:  Internal 1.44MB 3.5" HD floppy
>        Internal IDE 2.5" hard drive (optional)
>        Pre-emptive mulitasking OS (MultiTOS) w/ memory protection 
>           and inter-process communication (also 68040 compatible)
>        Realtime clock and battery backed up RAM
>        1040ST-style case w/ internal fan
>        North American availability in mid-October
> 
> Price: 1MB/no HD -  $799 list
>        4MB/65MB  - $1399 list
>
>
>     Resolutions available on the Atari Falcon030 (c) 1992 Atari Corp.
>                         Written by John Townsend
> =========================================================================
> This document may be re-printed again and again as long as the Atari 
> copyright remains intact.
> =========================================================================
>
> A couple of notes: Unlike previous machines, there are just too many
> resolutions to give each resolution a name. Therefore, I will do my best
> to describe what the resolution is and which monitor it is on.
>
> - NOTE: TV and a Color Monitor are the same.. by Color Monitor, I am
>   talking about the standard SC1224. By VGA, I mean a standard VGA
>   Monitor.
>
> 40 column modes ( "column" means the number of x pixels divided by 8)
> ---------------
>    4 color, normal, TV:         320x200,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, normal, TV:         320x200,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, normal, TV:         320x200,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, normal, TV:         320x200,  true color
>
>    4 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, interlace, TV:      320x400,  true color
>
>    4 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, normal, VGA:        320x480,  true color
>
>    4 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,  true color
>
> 80 column modes
> ---------------
>    2 color, normal, TV:         640x200,    2 colors, 1 plane
>    4 color, normal, TV:         640x200,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, normal, TV:         640x200,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, normal, TV:         640x200,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, normal, TV:         640x200,  true color
>
>    4 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,  256 colors, 8 planes
> True color, interlace, TV:      640x400,  true color
>
>    2 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,    2 colors, 1 plane
>    4 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,  256 colors, 8 planes
>
>    4 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,    4 colors, 2 planes
>   16 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,   16 colors, 4 planes
>  256 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,  256 colors, 8 planes
>
>and lastly.. there are compability modes for ST Low, ST Medium, and ST 
>High on both VGA monitors and SC1224 monitors. (On a color monitor, ST 
>High is achieved by using the interlace mode).
>
>Also, the ST Monochrome monitor (the SM124) will work with Falcon030 as 
>well. However, it only supports one resolution: ST High Resolution.
>
>All modes on a TV can be overscanned. This means multiplying the X and Y
>resolution by 1.2. For example, modes with 320 pixels of horizontal 
>resolution (X res) will become 384 pixels across, and modes with 640 
>pixels will become 768 across. Overscanning is done in the X and Y 
>resolution. You can't do them independently. Special Note: On a VGA 
>monitor, overscan is "faked".. since the video hardware doesn't have the 
>capability to do overscan on a VGA monitor, we made it so that if a 
>overscan mode is set on a VGA monitor, you still see the normal size 
>screen, but the screen is a window onto the bigger overscanned image. 
>Make sense? We did this for compatibility. This way if a game that has an 
>overscanned starup picture can use the same pic on both the VGA monitor 
>and the TV monitor. Pretty cool, eh? <grin>
>
>BTW.. Overscan can NOT be set from the desktop. The AES and Desktop will 
>work just fine with it, but because you can't see the parts of the 
>screen, we thought that that option shouldn't be available from the 
>desktop. We don't want to confuse people. However, Overscan can be set 
>using a new XBIOS call (Vsetmode()).. so it is still available.
>
>I hope I haven't made any mistakes. I triple-checked this document in 
>search of errors and I couldn't find any. If you do find some, send me 
>Email on GEnie (to TOWNS) or CIS (70007,1135) and let me know.
>
>-- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
>
>P.S. Anyone who would like to reprint this message, please do so!
>     The smaller the number of times I have to type that message, the
>     more my fingers with thank you! ;-)
>
>     After looking at this one more time.. one point to clear up: By
>     saying SC1224 Color Monitor, I mean any Color Monitor that Atari
>     have manufactured for the ST/Mega/STE/MegaSTE computers. Clear
>     as mud? ;-)

John

--
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