Atari Coldfire Project
Encyclopedia
The Atari Coldfire Project (ACP) or (FireBee) is a volunteer project that aims to create a modern Atari
computer clone.
, TT and Falcon
) were popular home computers in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s. Atari withdrew largely from the computer market in 1993, and completely in 1995-1996 when Atari merged with JTS
and all support for the platform by Atari was dropped. The systems Atari had built became increasingly left behind as newer and faster systems came out. The few dedicated users who were left wanted more processing power to develop more-advanced TOS
applications, paving the way for a number of "clone" machines
, such as the 68040
-based Milan and the 68060-based Hades, both of which were considerably more powerful than the 68030-based TT and Falcon and the 68000-based ST/STe. These machines support ISA
and PCI
buses, which make the use of network and graphics cards designed for the PC
possible (something no original Atari machines could do). The machines also support tower cases, making it possible to use internal CD drives.
A new clone named Phoenix never made it to market in final form. However, the powerful rev. 6 68060 CPU it would use did make it into a new accelerator board for the Falcon, the CT60/CT63 series, which meant that, for the first time, the Atari platform had a CPU rated at over 100 MHz. The use of a high-speed bus
and PC133 RAM
also accounted for a big performance improvement and significantly increased the Falcon's on-board memory limit from 14 MiB
to 512 MiB with a CT60.
These systems were not mass-produced and are now hard to find. While the CT60/CT63 needs a Falcon “donor” system, and is still not as powerful as the ACP potential system could be, the ACP will use a completely new design, moving away from 68K CPUs to the newer ColdFire class, more powerful than even the fastest 68K
chips while still having a largely similar (but not completely compatible) instruction set. It will also allow for the integration of many I/O ports that are currently only available through extensive hardware modification on the Atari platform.
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
computer clone.
Reason for the project
The Atari 16 and 32 computer systems (STAtari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, TT and Falcon
Atari Falcon
The Atari Falcon030 Computer System was Atari Corporation's final computer product. Codenamed Sparrow, the machine was based on a Motorola 68030 main CPU, and had a Motorola 56000 digital signal processor, a feature which distinguished it from most other microcomputers of the era.-History:The...
) were popular home computers in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s. Atari withdrew largely from the computer market in 1993, and completely in 1995-1996 when Atari merged with JTS
JT Storage
JT Storage was a maker of inexpensive IDE hard drives for personal computers based in San Jose, California...
and all support for the platform by Atari was dropped. The systems Atari had built became increasingly left behind as newer and faster systems came out. The few dedicated users who were left wanted more processing power to develop more-advanced TOS
Atari TOS
TOS is the operating system of the Atari ST range of computers. This range includes the 520 and 1040ST, their STF/M/FM and STE variants and the Mega ST/STE. Later, 32-bit machines were developed using a new version of TOS, called MultiTOS, which allowed multitasking...
applications, paving the way for a number of "clone" machines
Home computer remakes
A home computer remake is a re-creation or re-implementation of classic home computer hardware, usually using updated technology, such as FPGAs....
, such as the 68040
68040
68040 may refer to:* The Motorola 68040 computer processor chip* The Zip Code for the town of Malmo, Nebraska...
-based Milan and the 68060-based Hades, both of which were considerably more powerful than the 68030-based TT and Falcon and the 68000-based ST/STe. These machines support ISA
ISA
Isa is the name by which Jesus is known in the Muslim world.Isa may also refer to:* Isha Upanishad, Hindu religious text* Isa , 2004 album by Enslaved* Isa , common Arabic and Turkish male name...
and PCI
PCI
-Organizations:* Paralympic Committee of India* Pharmacy Council of India, a statutory body in India* Presbyterian Church in Ireland, a Protestant denomination in Ireland* Press Council of India* Project Concern International, a humanitarian organization...
buses, which make the use of network and graphics cards designed for the PC
PC
PC most commonly refers to:* Personal computer, a computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals* Political correctness, language or behavior that appears calculated to provide a minimum of offense...
possible (something no original Atari machines could do). The machines also support tower cases, making it possible to use internal CD drives.
A new clone named Phoenix never made it to market in final form. However, the powerful rev. 6 68060 CPU it would use did make it into a new accelerator board for the Falcon, the CT60/CT63 series, which meant that, for the first time, the Atari platform had a CPU rated at over 100 MHz. The use of a high-speed bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and PC133 RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
also accounted for a big performance improvement and significantly increased the Falcon's on-board memory limit from 14 MiB
MIB
MIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision...
to 512 MiB with a CT60.
These systems were not mass-produced and are now hard to find. While the CT60/CT63 needs a Falcon “donor” system, and is still not as powerful as the ACP potential system could be, the ACP will use a completely new design, moving away from 68K CPUs to the newer ColdFire class, more powerful than even the fastest 68K
68k
The Motorola 680x0/m68000/68000 is a family of 32-bit CISC microprocessors. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they were popular in personal computers and workstations and were the primary competitors of Intel's x86 microprocessors...
chips while still having a largely similar (but not completely compatible) instruction set. It will also allow for the integration of many I/O ports that are currently only available through extensive hardware modification on the Atari platform.
Specifications
The specifications for the ACP have changed considerably over time, in response to advancing technology and price considerations. However, it seems the following will be in the final design according to Atari Coldfire Project homepage:- Processor: Coldfire MCF5474, 266 MHz, 400 MIPS
- RAM: DDR, 512 MB Main- + 128 MB Video- and Special-RAM on Board, Speed: 1 GB/s
- Flash: 8 MB on Board for Operating Systems
- Operating system: TOS3.06 for the beginning (we're trying for EmuTOS as TOS 4, from which we can maybe get even the source code, also)
- Atari compatible interface ports:
- TT/Falcon-IDE,
- ST/TT-Floppy
- TT-SCSI (but faster)
- ACSI
- ROM-Port: 2×2 mm Connector
- Printer Port, parallel
- ST/TT-serial
- Midi
- ST-Sound, YM2149 over AC'97
- ST/TT/Falcon-Video
- Atari-Keyboard with Mouse
- Other Ports:
- Ethernet 10/100, 1 Port
- USB 2.0 Host (ISP1563), 4 Ports
- Compact-Flash, 1 Port
- SD-Card, 1 Port
- AC'97 Stereo Codec with DMA-Sound Output and Sampling Input
- Sound_Connectors: LineIn, LineOut, Mic (Mono), DVD/CD internal
- New Video Modes about 2MegaPixel, true color
- PS2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
- Battery Powered (if desired)
- PCI 33 MHz direct Edge for passive backplane
- Power controller with real time clock, PIC16F506
- Extension socket: 60Pol (DSPI , serial sync or async about , I/O about , I²C-Bus)
- Asynchrone static RAM for DSP or similar already planned extensions in the future: Falcon DSP in the FPGA
- Format: Card
- Power consumption of the complete board:
External links
- ACP FireBee, Youtube