(C) SCORPION
IRON.
ABOUT GMX.
Continuation (beginning in the second room).
All is well, tell the user the Scorpion, but what do I do with
the computer that I bought and spent a lot of money on it?
Therefore, in anticipation of these are fair questions, we want
to beforehand to reassure owners of any scorpions. When
creating a new model of computing system, it was decided that
all users of the old computers should be able to modify your
computer to new opportunities. It was always when there are new
Boards of Scorpio, so it will be this time. Moreover, this
every opportunity to refine the old model of Scorpio to the new
features will appear even before production starts a new board.
To this end, our company develops and prepares for mass
production cost under the working title: GMX (Grafic Memory
eXtension device for Scorpion 256). Working copy of the
controller was presented at the ENLIGHT 97. This board performs
all function expansion and modification of old boards Scorpio
256 to level of the new board Scorpion-2000 on the
characteristics of graphics, RAM, ROM, additional options for
compatibility with ZX SPECTRUM and PENTAGON'om, download and
modify charts, etc. In short, with any model of the Scorpion as
a brand and non-proprietary, you can easily modify it to your
new computer by connecting the board GMX.
Here you can speak briefly about the technical performance of
the device.
1. Expandable memory up to 2 MB.
Among diverse as image do so and the options
organization, the choice fell on the option that performed in
Profi. Ie done so that only 256 KB are addressed as
and was a regular skorpionovsky standard, and all that above -
standard Profi (port # DFFD). Since the maximum Profi
memory up to 1 MB, then we can work with all the memory from 0
to 1 MB standard Profi. Just physically, it will be more pages
memory. For example, you can download any program for any
Profi, which uses the memory to 1 MB, and at the same time
painless use Shadow Service Monitor (TCM). Gradation of the
capacity of memory: 256 KB, 512 KB, 1 MB, 1256 kB, 2 MB -
Standard Simm-ins. And you can install one module volumes
256 KB (get memory Scorpio) up to 2 modules of 1 Mb (together -
2 MB!). At large volume we have not specifically laid out by
the fact that, firstly, it is becoming expensive, and secondly,
after all few people want, and pay something in one way or some
extent have everything, and thirdly, by using the Z-80
processor is very big memory can not be used effectively. Why
was chosen as the standard Profi? The answer is simple: why
invent new standards, if you already have computers with
extended memory, and there are no technical restrictions on the
use those the same port for its addressing. In addition, the
chosen standard addressing immediately run the program from the
Profi, calculated on the extended memory. Again, the appearance
of any new standard memory expansion requires at least time to
the appearance of programs under him, addictive users. A
In this embodiment, it is not required. In addition, used and
additional addressing modes of upper memory, which can
significantly increase performance when working with her. This
is especially true for SCI (from ROM), and the programs that
use it (remember the hard drive). SCI is experiencing
considerable difficulties because of restrictions imposed by
the opportunity to address the extended memory through one
window in the address space processor. Similar problems were
experienced by all program, one way or another using extended
memory for transfer of fragments from one bank to another.
Continued in the next issue.
