From kivanov@mindspring.com Tue Mar 14 14:48:51 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!eunet-de!hansebox!mindspring!kivanov
From: kivanov@mindspring.com (Katrin Ivanov)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump
Message-ID: <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 14:48:51 GMT
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Hardware teardown of the dual-68000 DSP accelerator board used in the Stardust project.

CPU #0 handles host bus interfacing and DMA, while CPU #1 is dedicated entirely to a 16-bit MAC (multiply-accumulate) unit.
At ROM offset 0x0909, the string 'M.H. // THE HATCH IS OPEN // ADVANCED ACOUSTICS LAB' is stored in ASCII.

One 28-pin EPROM socket (labeled U14) is completely empty. What firmware was supposed to be in that socket?

-- 
Katrin Ivanov | kivanov@mindspring.com
PGP Key fingerprint: A4EC 014A 11CE BAFD
"Keep the channels open."

From dito@tum.de Tue Mar 14 18:14:51 1995
Path: ashpoly!bigsur!pacrim!jpgate!kamome!tum!dito
From: dito@tum.de (Diego Ito)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump
Message-ID: <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 18:14:51 GMT
References: <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com>
Organization: Technische Universität München
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In article <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com>, kivanov@mindspring.com (Katrin Ivanov) writes:
> Hardware teardown of the dual-68000 DSP accelerator board used in the Stardust project.

That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely.

-- 
Diego Ito
Opinions expressed are solely my own and not those of Technische Universität München.
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From bmartinez@pacbell.net Thu Mar 16 03:40:51 1995
Path: ashpoly!bigsur!pacrim!krgate!eunha!pacbell!bmartinez
From: bmartinez@pacbell.net (Bastien Martínez)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump
Message-ID: <1995Mar16.034051.4386@pacbell.net>
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 03:40:51 GMT
References: <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com> <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>
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In article <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>, dito@tum.de (Diego Ito) writes:
> That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely.

Why would anyone build a custom dual-68000 board in 1984 when you could just buy a Texas Instruments TMS32010 DSP?

-- 
Bastien Martínez | bmartinez@pacbell.net
PGP Key fingerprint: 6498 AA02 7977 1033
"Keep the channels open."

From jkang@cmu.edu Fri Mar 17 17:41:51 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!sunet!nordrelay!cmu!jkang
From: jkang@cmu.edu (Joachim Kang)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump
Message-ID: <1995Mar17.174151.8114@cmu.edu>
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 17:41:51 GMT
References: <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com> <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>
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In article <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>, dito@tum.de (Diego Ito) writes:
> That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely.

That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely.

-- 
Joachim Kang
Tape trading list upon request. SASE required for international mail.

From yvasiliev@netcom.com Sat Mar 18 00:02:51 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!sunet!nordrelay!netcom!yvasiliev
From: yvasiliev@netcom.com (Yuki Vasiliev)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump
Message-ID: <1995Mar18.000251.4964@netcom.com>
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 00:02:51 GMT
References: <1995Mar14.144851.5493@mindspring.com> <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>
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In article <1995Mar14.181451.3907@tum.de>, dito@tum.de (Diego Ito) writes:
> That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely.

Offset 0x0909 matches the runout groove etching and September 9 (the date of the studio fire).

-- 
Yuki Vasiliev
Opinions expressed are solely my own and not those of NETCOM On-Line Communication Services.
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