DFFD on Scorpion

Greetings, dear All!

I would like to know more about subj!
How compatible is subj's Scorpion with PROFI (Screen, access to VG, etc)
Have our manufacturers screwed us over again?

With respect, Andrey Mihaylow

AM> I would like to know more about subj! How compatible is the subj'ev Scorpion
AM> with PROFI (Screen, access to VG etc) Haven't our
AM> manufacturers screwed us over again?

Alas, very weakly. #DFFD implements ONLY the lower 3 bits - page switching. But in general, here it is:

*** Area: ZX.SPECTRUM Date: 14 Sep 97 3:11:50 ***
From: Serge Zonov (2:5030/529.16)
*** To : Pavel Fedin
*** Subj: Some ???????

Hello, Pavel !

Somehow Thu Sep 11 1997 23:23, Pavel Fedin wrote a letter to All:
PF> A couple of questions to the Scorpion company.
PF> 1) Please tell me, what are the remaining
PF> bits of the #FFBA port? I looked at the diagram, and I have one version, which
PF> I will not post here because of respect for your copyright. I'll say
PF> I just know exactly what bit 0 is for, and approximately the rest.

PF> 2) Please describe the ports and GMX bit layout, as well as where the
PF> screen is located. It’s interesting how everything coincides with PROFI, and I’m also looking
PF> for an upgrade opportunity.

Graphic Memory eXpander (GMX)
I/O ports
>>WORKING OPTION

All ports work only for writing (port xxFF - read).
Idle bits are not used.

xxFE Border port
D0 - G
D1 - R
D2 - B

xxFF Screen attributes port (read only)

7FFD Configuration port (standard)
D0 - SYS0
D1 - SYS1
D2 - SYS2
D3 - SCR
D4 - ROM1
D5 - BLKPK1

1FFD Scorpion expansion port
D0 - BLK1
D1 - ROM2
D4 - SYS3

7EFD Additional modes port
D0 - reserved
D1 - reserved
D2 - Normal/Turbo (0/1)
D3 - Graphic 256*192 / 640*200 (0/1)

DFFD Port eXpanded Memory (Profi)
D0 - SM0
D1 - SM1
D2 - SM2

78FD Port of the 2nd window of RAM expansion (#8000-#BFFF)
D0 - SW0 SYS0
D1 - SW1 /SYS1
D2 - SW2 SYS2
D3 - SW3 SYS3
D4 - SW4 SM0
D5 - SW5 SM1
D6 - SW6 SM2

7AFD Scroller port ml. byte (8 bits)
DO - ml. bit
...
D7 - st. bit

7CFD Scroller port st. byte (6 bits)
D0 - ml. bit
...
D5 - st. bit

xx00 Global settings port
D0 - CONF0
D1 - CONF1 - Four bits to select one of 8options
D2 - CONF2 circuits.
D3 - RECONF
D4 - A18 - 1 includes 64K ROM with standard firmware
D5 - BLKEXT - 1 blocks all xxFD ports, 7FFD is addressed by FD

ROM firmware map

#00000 - #3FFFF - Scorpion Professional ROM ver 5.0 ... (256K)
#40000 - #4FFFF - 8 circuit configuration options
#50000 - #5FFFF - Standard firmware (48+128+TRDOS),
#60000 - #7FFFF - Free for now

All information is preliminary and subject to change !!!!

PF> Offer for the Scorpion company. Since your GMX is so easily
PF> reprogrammed, why don't you add another video mode -
PF> each dot with its own color. 256 colors are possible, but this is no longer so important.
Setting extended colors requires more than one digit for each color, which
leads to an increase in the number of used pins in the Altera chip.
There are no free ones today. Therefore, the implementation of this proposal
will lead to an increase in the price of GMX.
Once again I would like to note that the main purpose of GMX in terms of screen
capabilities is a full-fledged 80*25 text mode. And it is needed for: 1)
email programs, see below for more information on this
2) for a more or less full-fledged text editor
We do not set other tasks (if we look at things realistically) today.

As for the e-mailSoftware, about which there is now a lot of talk, I would like
to give brief excerpts from the materials of our company:
------cut---------------------------------------------------------------------
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>ZX Terminal 97 - your way to the Internet (based on materials from the Scorpio company)

This is not an advertising gimmick, but a very real opportunity to access the World Wide Web,
but more on that below. First of all, we would like to introduce you to the new program. Our company, with the active participation of BAGroup (Alexey Beketov and Ilya Afonin), has developed a new terminal program for the Scorpion computer, which allows you to work in text mode with BBS stations, and using Unix-shell servers on the Internet. What is needed for this: a Scorpion computer with any Professional ROM,
SMUC controller and any internal Haye's modem connected to Scorpion via
SMUC controller.
Here are the main technical characteristics of the terminal program: *
Screen mode 64 or 42 characters per line (for the GMX board - 80 characters) *
TTY terminal
* work in your own operating room system (compatible with MS_DOS) *
support for X-Modem and Z-Modem file transfer protocols! * maximum
reception and transmission speed for the Turbo+ card - 2600 characters per second
* availability of service functions (auto-dialling) * use of hardware
flow control (RTS/CTS)

We will immediately respond toYour first question is: why do you need your own operating system?
Currently, there are 2 systems available on Speccy: TR-DOS and IS_DOS. The first
is not suitable for this task for many reasons (limitation on the
maximum file size - 64 kB, a small number of files on the disk, absence
of directories and subdirectories, inability to append a file, etc.). With IS - DOS
it is more difficult - the system is not bad in principle, but the disk space limitation is 16 MB,
and some kind of closed system makes it quite difficult to write programs for it
although, if it is really necessary, ZX-Terminal will be released for IS-DOS.
Our OS is built on the principles used in MS-DOS, and for release program
(November-December 1997) will support MS-DOS and TR DOS disks directly.

The main goal of creating a new program and a new operating system is
first of all to ensure convenient operation of the entire hardware and software complex
for the ability to work on BBS, work on the FidoNet network and the Internet (connecting
to Unix-Shell servers, this service is now provided by almost everyone providers), and
just download any interesting program or information. The software part of this complex will include all mail
programs necessary for convenient work in Fido - fido mailer, tosser, etc. Currently, active work is underway to create these programs. Well, then whoknows, maybe
Internet Explorer for Scorpion will appear.
For the program to work, you need to connect to Scorpion a Professional ROM, a
SMUC controller, an internal modem for an IBM PC that uses an ISA slot, or rather its 8-bit
part (any from 1200 to 33600). Any intelligent
modem supporting hardware flow control can be used (XON/XOFF control is not
implemented). Currently, a HDD connected via
SMUC is required for operation.
Now a little about protection: the program will not be protected from copying! But there will be
protection against the use of illegal copies of the program, and the damage will be borne
both by the one who uses the illegal copy of the program, and by the one who
contributed to the “creation” of this illegal copy.

We are waiting for your suggestions and wishes!
Write to us at the address:
199048 St. Petersburg, PO Box 083 to Sergei Yuryevich Zonov or by phone:
(812)-298-0653, 251-1262 (service center, from 10 to 19) or at e-mail:
2:5030/529.16 E-mail: sc...@spb.tsi.ru
or 2:5030/588.21 E-mail: ba...@aura.ru

What will it be the program depends to a large extent on you and on your adviceand
wishes!
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PF> bye, with all the best wishes, Pavel Fedin.

Serge !

--- GOL-grandfather 2.50+
* Origin: If you suffer for a long time, something will work out!

bye, with all the best wishes, Pavel Fedin.