Date   : Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:21:31 +0100
From   : jgh@... (Jonathan Graham Harston)
Subject: A500 development ROMs

Jules Richardson wrote:
> The ARM Eval Kit also has Brazil in ROM (albeit only 16KB), as did the M4 -
 
Are you sure? My ROM dumps from ARM Eval kits don't mention Brazil
anywhere. See <http://mdfs.net/Software/Tube/ARM>.
 
"ARM Second Processor", "Executive", "Supervisor" appear, but not
"Bazil".
 
> Although I don't think they *had* to have a TUBE link present - the ones
I've
> seen have a pretty enormous keyboard to them. (Unless you're talking about
the
> A500 copro, not the A500 machine?? Never have figured out why Acorn used the
 
The A500 machine with Tube podule. The machine refered to in Acorn
history as "we carefully disconnected the umbilical, rebooted with
fingers crossed, and it worked!".
 
Maybe the two have the same name because they are the same thing -
an Archimedes motherboard with ARM, VIDC, MEMC and socket for Tube
podule. The A500 machine being inside a metal case. All the photos
I've seen suggest this.
 
> same system designation for two completely different boards!)
 
Can somebody point to seperate pictures showing them?
 
Pete Turnbull wrote:
> That would make complete sense.  The A500 was purely a development
> system for the Archimedes range, and as such was used to test and
> develop the modules that made up Arthur, one by one.  In the early
> stages of development it was hooked up to a BBC as a second processor,
> so the Beeb would provide all or part of the I/O -- and I still have one
> of the Tube podules that was used for that purpose.  Later, when they
 
That's the bunny ? I'd fogotten the Tube interface was on a
seperate podule. Any chance of a ROM dump?
 
Pete Turnbull wrote:
> Yes.  IIRC the last Springboard was sold in early 1897, about 4-5 years
> before PCI (released 1992).  I expect Jonathan just meant "PC expansion
> bus" and wrote "PCI" because that's what came to mind, being most common
 
Yes, thinko caused by not bothering to go downstairs and read the
Springboard manual.
 
> At first, the A500s were used as second processors connected to a Beeb,
> not to give a Beeb a second processor to play with, but to give the A500
> (a complete but at that stage dumb computer) I/O capability while its
 
That was my understanding. Effectively a full hardware Archimedes
with just enough on-board firmware to use a Beeb for I/O so that
native firmware could be written.
 
Pete Turnbull wrote:
> Arthur etc.  One of the pages also says Chris got his A500 second
> processor from Mike Harrison; Mike did some work for Watford Electronics
> (when he was a student, I think), built the first video digitiser for
 
The Mike Harrison I knew at Watford Electronics in 1990 seemed to
be in his late-20s-ish. I dunno, he was just generically "older
than me" :)
 
"chris whytehead" wrote:
> I really must try and dump the ROMs on the A500 co-processor, anyone
> recommend an EPROM programmer/reader to do this?
 
What size are they? 16Ks can be read by plugging them int a Beeb,
32K by plugging them in a Master.
 
-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh@...                - mdfs.net/User/JGH
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