Enhanced Chip Set
Encyclopedia
The Enhanced Chip Set is the second generation of the Amiga
computer
's chipset, offering minor improvements over the original chipset
(OCS) design. ECS was introduced in 1990 with the launch of the Amiga 3000
. Amigas produced from 1990 onwards featured a mix of OCS and ECS chips, such as later versions of the Amiga 500
and the Commodore CDTV. Other ECS models were the Amiga 500+
in 1991 and lastly the Amiga 600
in 1992.
Notable improvements were the Super Agnus and the Hires Denise chips. The sound and floppy controller chip, Paula, remained unchanged from the OCS design. Super Agnus supports 2 MB
of CHIP RAM
, whereas the original Agnus/Fat Agnus and subsequent Fatter Agnus can address 512 KB
and 1 MB, respectively. The ECS Denise chip offers Productivity (640×480 non-interlaced) and SuperHires (1280×200 or 1280×256) display modes, which are however limited to only 4 on-screen colors. Essentially, a 35 ns
pixel mode was added plus the ability to run arbitrary horizontal and vertical scan rates. This made other display modes possible, but only the aforementioned modes were supported originally out of the box. For example, the Linux Amiga framebuffer device driver allows the use of several other display modes. Other improvements were the ability of the blitter to copy regions larger than 1024×1024 pixels in one operation and the ability to display sprites in border regions (outside of any display window where bitplanes are shown). ECS also allows software switching between NTSC and PAL video modes.
These improvements largely favored application software, which benefited from higher resolution and VGA-like display modes, rather than gaming software. As an incremental update, ECS was intended to be backward compatible with software designed for OCS machines, though some pre-ECS gaming titles were found to be incompatible. Additionally, features from the improved Kickstart
2 operating system were used in subsequent software, and since these two technologies largely overlap, some users misjudged the significance of ECS. It is possible to upgrade some OCS machines, such as the Amiga 500, to obtain partial or full ECS functionality by replacing OCS chips with ECS versions. ECS was followed by the third generation AGA
chipset with the launch of the Amiga 4000
in 1992.
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
's chipset, offering minor improvements over the original chipset
Original Amiga chipset
The Original Chip Set was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities...
(OCS) design. ECS was introduced in 1990 with the launch of the Amiga 3000
Amiga 3000
The Commodore Amiga 3000, or A3000, was the third major release in the Amiga computer family. Released in June 1990, it features improved processing speed, improved rendering of graphics, and a new revision of the operating system...
. Amigas produced from 1990 onwards featured a mix of OCS and ECS chips, such as later versions of the Amiga 500
Amiga 500
The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST...
and the Commodore CDTV. Other ECS models were the Amiga 500+
Amiga 500+
The Commodore Amiga 500 Plus is an enhanced version of the original Amiga 500 computer. It was notable for introducing new versions of Kickstart and Workbench, and for some minor improvements in the custom chips, known as the Enhanced Chip Set .- Introduction :The A500+ was released in several...
in 1991 and lastly the Amiga 600
Amiga 600
The Amiga 600, also known as the A600 , is a home computer that was introduced at the CeBIT show in March 1992. The A600 was Commodore International's final model based on the Motorola 68000 CPU and the ECS chipset. It is essentially a redesign of the Amiga 500 Plus, with the option of an internal...
in 1992.
Notable improvements were the Super Agnus and the Hires Denise chips. The sound and floppy controller chip, Paula, remained unchanged from the OCS design. Super Agnus supports 2 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of CHIP RAM
Chip RAM
Chip RAM is a commonly used term for the integrated RAM used in Commodore's line of Amiga computers. Chip RAM is shared between the central processing unit and the Amiga's dedicated chipset...
, whereas the original Agnus/Fat Agnus and subsequent Fatter Agnus can address 512 KB
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
and 1 MB, respectively. The ECS Denise chip offers Productivity (640×480 non-interlaced) and SuperHires (1280×200 or 1280×256) display modes, which are however limited to only 4 on-screen colors. Essentially, a 35 ns
Nanosecond
A nanosecond is one billionth of a second . One nanosecond is to one second as one second is to 31.7 years.The word nanosecond is formed by the prefix nano and the unit second. Its symbol is ns....
pixel mode was added plus the ability to run arbitrary horizontal and vertical scan rates. This made other display modes possible, but only the aforementioned modes were supported originally out of the box. For example, the Linux Amiga framebuffer device driver allows the use of several other display modes. Other improvements were the ability of the blitter to copy regions larger than 1024×1024 pixels in one operation and the ability to display sprites in border regions (outside of any display window where bitplanes are shown). ECS also allows software switching between NTSC and PAL video modes.
These improvements largely favored application software, which benefited from higher resolution and VGA-like display modes, rather than gaming software. As an incremental update, ECS was intended to be backward compatible with software designed for OCS machines, though some pre-ECS gaming titles were found to be incompatible. Additionally, features from the improved Kickstart
Kickstart (Amiga)
Kickstart is a commonly used term for the bootstrap firmware of the Amiga computers developed by Commodore.Most Amiga models were shipped with the Kickstart firmware stored on ROM chips...
2 operating system were used in subsequent software, and since these two technologies largely overlap, some users misjudged the significance of ECS. It is possible to upgrade some OCS machines, such as the Amiga 500, to obtain partial or full ECS functionality by replacing OCS chips with ECS versions. ECS was followed by the third generation AGA
Advanced Graphics Architecture
Advanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
chipset with the launch of the Amiga 4000
Amiga 4000
The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030....
in 1992.
See also
- OCSOriginal Amiga chipsetThe Original Chip Set was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers and defined the Amiga's graphics and sound capabilities...
- Amiga Ranger ChipsetAmiga Ranger ChipsetAmiga Ranger was a prototype computer that was supposed to be the second generation Amiga chipset prior to ECS. It was designed by the original Los Gatos Amiga team including Jay Miner. However Commodore International didn't release this chipset due to its high cost-History:After the release of...
- AGAAdvanced Graphics ArchitectureAdvanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
- Amiga custom chipsAmiga custom chipsIn addition to the Amiga chipsets, various specially designed chips have been used in Commodore Amiga computers that do not belong to the 'Amiga chipset' in a tight sense.- Gary :...
- AAA
- AA+Commodore AA+ ChipsetThis was the last classic Amiga compatible chipset that Commodore announced in 1992. They planned to release it in 1994 for low end Amiga computers along with AAA.-History:...
- Hombre chipsetHombre chipsetThe Hombre chipset was to be a chipset for use in game machine hardware. However, because of Commodore International's bankruptcy, the Hombre chipset was never released.-History:...
- List of home computers by video hardware