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Documentation about the Vampire hardware

CD32 Vampire?page  1 2 

Ian Parsons

Posts 230
21 Apr 2017 05:38


A separate FPGA would probably just add complexity and cost. As I understand it the contents of the FPGA is specific to a given target board so no logical units would be wasted on CIAs for a board that doesn't need them. I/O pin count could be a factor but there's a large choice of pin counts. Cost could be a factor there and not only for the chosen chip, if routing needs extra layers board cost could rise too. All the many factors will be weighed when deciding what and how to implement a set of chosen features.


Andrew Copland

Posts 113
21 Apr 2017 10:28


The CIA's being reverse engineered is great news!

Would that make using a real floppy drive possible? Obviously there's ways of getting ADFs onto SDcard but it's getting harder and harder to get stuff off my old floppies.


Ian Parsons

Posts 230
22 Apr 2017 00:13


For CD32 you'd also need the Gayle floppy functions and a bit of 74 series logic and appropriate external level shifting/protection circuitry. For a standalone board you also need the floppy functions of Paula implemented.

I do wonder what use the CIAs will be put to in a standalone. From previous discussions I was under the impression that floppy, serial and parallel ports were unlikely to be included. Maybe the full CIAs were something to do with the Natami days.


Michael R

Posts 281
22 Apr 2017 04:45


Ian Parsons wrote:

For CD32 you'd also need the Gayle floppy functions and a bit of 74 series logic and appropriate external level shifting/protection circuitry. For a standalone board you also need the floppy functions of Paula implemented.
 
  I do wonder what use the CIAs will be put to in a standalone. From previous discussions I was under the impression that floppy, serial and parallel ports were unlikely to be included. Maybe the full CIAs were something to do with the Natami days.

You are right. I wonder the same thing.

From EAB:
"CIA chips
There are two CIA chips in every Amiga. These handle most of the Amigas communication to the outside world- the serial, parallel, joystick, and mouse ports, as well as the disk drive, keyboard, and timer."

For the standalone motherboard the full CIA chip funcionality would allow legacy serial, mouse, keyboard, and with Paula, sound and floppy.

If full Super AGA support for ECS/OCS and AGA planar modes isn't finished when the standalone board is finished the Parasite video device may be used. But full planar mode support may be finished much sooner than that. Gunnar said the V1200 and standalone design were finished and being tested. How could they test the standalone board unless Paula, CIAs, Gary (IDE), and planar modes were implemented in FPGA?


Kolbjørn Barmen
(Needs Verification)
Posts 219/ 2
22 Apr 2017 12:30


The TX and RX of the serial port do not go through CIAs, and CD32 already has its serial port in the combined keyboard/serial port :)


E Penguin

Posts 46
30 May 2017 12:51


Now that Brian is in the process of mailing out the last of the V600s (thanks, by the way), I thought it would be a good time to give this a little bump ;)

The CD32 seems to have the best Wife-Acceptance-Factor of my Amigas, and is allowed in the living room. A vampire for it would be marvelous.


Cunn Pole

Posts 29
30 May 2017 12:57


Lol, an important factor to consider!


David Homer

Posts 2
04 Aug 2017 09:43


*stretches and cracks knuckles*

Right, with the announcement of V4 it looks like someone needs to resurrect this post... ;)

Any CD32 news on the horizon, guys?


Vojin Vidanovic

Posts 770
12 Aug 2017 17:19


David Homer wrote:

  Any CD32 news on the horizon, guys?

I suppose lack of certain functions inna CD32
and spacement restrictions makes it least possible Amiga to be Vampirized.

I suppose some SX expansion that adds expansion port and certain adapter would make a "dongle" expansion possible, but no way clean
as in even CDTV - simply it has more space.

In true, CD32 is ugliest and worse of all Amiga designs. If Amiga was ever to be console they could make it of better materials, better looking and at least 040/RTG/FASTMEM/SCSI :-)

However, standalone might fit some custom CD32 or similar stylecase or CD32 case with heavy modding


Vojin Vidanovic

Posts 770
24 Aug 2017 09:18


Daniel Lakey wrote:

Hi,
  I'm thinking about getting a CD32 which of course begs the question of whether I can get a Vampire 2 for it.

Even I am sceptic, Gunnar did mention V4 is intended
for A3000,A4000 and CD32. Not when and how (connector)

Gunnar von Boehn
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 2715
05 Aug 2017 07:54

  To answer some questions:

- The Vampire4 is a system this will come out for many AMIGA models.
  (standalone, A500, A2000, A1200, CD32, A3000/4000)



Rob M

Posts 60
26 Aug 2017 17:20


Vojin Vidanovic wrote:

David Homer wrote:

  Any CD32 news on the horizon, guys?
 

  I suppose lack of certain functions inna CD32
    and spacement restrictions makes it least possible Amiga to be Vampirized.
       
    I suppose some SX expansion that adds expansion port and certain adapter would make a "dongle" expansion possible, but no way clean as in even CDTV - simply it has more space.

       
    I think the Vampire V4 may actually be smaller than the SX32.  I don't think there will be much of a problem to fit a V4 inside a CD32 case.
       
   
  In true, CD32 is ugliest and worse of all Amiga designs. If Amiga was ever to be console they could make it of better materials, better looking and at least 040/RTG/FASTMEM/SCSI :-)

       
    I thought it looked like the bastard child of an Atari VCS and a Megadrive when I first saw it but the design did grow on me. 
       
    You have to bear in mind that the CD32 was engineered to beat SEGA on price and specification.  That's why they chose cheaper looking plastic and a top loading mechanism for the CD drive.
       
    If they'd built it to your specifications then it would have cost more than an A4000T and I'm not sure why you'd need SCSI in a games console/media player.
       
   
However, standalone might fit some custom CD32 or similar stylecase or CD32 case with heavy modding
   

       
    As I said above, I think it'll go in without having to hack the case up.


Apollon Jan

Posts 27
04 Jan 2021 11:17


EXTERNAL LINK

EXTERNAL LINK 
This has not been discussed here yet, what do you think about the Vampire 1200 working on the CD 32 with the internal CD Rom? Unfortunately, that doesn't work yet.


James Husted
(Needs Verification)
Posts 81/ 3
04 Jan 2021 11:21


This is old news and has been mentioned quite some time ago.


Apollon Jan

Posts 27
05 Nov 2022 02:21


I would be interested to know how many of you would be interested in a simple Vampire card for the CD32. I am a fan of the CD32 and would welcome a card, but it should also be well compatible with the console library of the CD32 so a mode with board own AGA would be desirable, or even a V2 card. How do you see this?


Eddie Cejvan

Posts 25
09 Nov 2022 07:09


+1

I would be interested in an Apollo V2/V4 card for my CD32.


Nick Fellows

Posts 176
10 Nov 2022 13:54


Would be interesting to see a "CD32" reboot.
Could have a nice case + CDROM and a vampire standalone inside.

Can play existing CD32 discs out of the box but new games can be made and sold on disk that take advantage of the Vampires additional power.


DiscreetFX Studios

Posts 140
12 Nov 2022 04:47


Nick, that's a fantastic idea!


Nick Fellows

Posts 176
16 Nov 2022 08:11


you heard it here first!


Manuel Jesus

Posts 155
02 Feb 2023 18:16


"

30 May 2017 12:51

Now that Brian is in the process of mailing out the last of the V600s (thanks, by the way), I thought it would be a good time to give this a little bump ;)
The CD32 seems to have the best Wife-Acceptance-Factor of my Amigas, and is allowed in the living room. A vampire for it would be marvelous."

THIS AND CDTV are the best.... Of course my V4SA in a tiny black case is accepted as well.


posts 39page  1 2