Amiga CD32

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Amiga CD32
Chip RAM
Storage1 KB EEPROM
Display
320×200 to 1280×400 (NTSC), 320×256 to 1280×512 (PAL);
256 colors in indexed mode, 262,144 colors in HAM-8 mode
Graphics
Stereo audio (RCA)
  • 28 kHz sampling rate
    • Controller inputGamepad, mouse
    Backward
    compatibility    		Commodore CDTV
    PredecessorCommodore CDTV

    The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32,

    Science Museum in London
    on July 16, 1993, and was released in September of the same year.

    The CD32 is part of a family of

    RAM, and mouse, turning it into the equivalent of an Amiga 1200. A hardware MPEG decompression module plays Video CD
    .

    In the Christmas period following its launch, the CD32 accounted for 38% of all CD-ROM drive sales in the UK, exceeding sales of the

    Mega-CD; however, it was discontinued as Commodore went into bankruptcy.[2]

    Release

    Commodore demonstrated the CD32 at the

    CDTV fiasco certainly isn't reassuring. Will there be enough U.S. developers to make the investment worthwhile?"[4]

    The CD32 was released in Canada and Australia and was planned for release in the

    MPEG
    Video Module, which was not officially released by Commodore International.

    The CD32 was marketed on its box as "The World's First 32-bit CD Games Console". Although it is the first such machine released in Europe and North America, it was beaten to market by seven months by the

    386SX in the FM Towns Marty has a 16-bit data bus externally. However, because the CD32 shipped with 2MB of RAM shared between the chipset and the CPU, this means the CPU is bottlenecked when accessing memory, similar to an Amiga 1200 operating without 32-bit "fast" (CPU dedicated) RAM.[9]

    Ultimately, Commodore was not able to meet demand for new units because of component supply problems. Sales of the CD32 in Europe were not enough to save Commodore, and the bankruptcy of Commodore International in April 1994 caused the CD32 to be discontinued only eight months after its debut.[10] During the brief Amiga CD32 presence in the market, approximately 25,000 units were sold in Germany,[11] and around 100,000 units were sold in Europe.[12]

    Specifications

    The CD32's controller
    Amiga CD32 Mainboard
    Back of CD32
    Attribute Specification
    Processor
    Motorola 68EC020 at 14.32 MHz (NTSC) or 14.18 MHz (PAL
    )
    RAM
    		 2 MB Amiga Chip RAM
    ROM 1 MB Kickstart ROM with CD32 firmware

    1 KB non-volatile EEPROM[13] memory for game saves

    Chipset
    Advanced Graphics Architecture
    (AGA)

    Additional

    Akiko chip (CD-ROM controller and performs chunky to planar
    graphics conversion)

    Video 24-bit color palette (16.8 million colors)

    Up to 256 on-screen colours in indexed mode
    262 144 on-screen colors in

    HAM-8
    mode

    Resolutions from:

    • 320×200 to 1280×400
      i
      (NTSC)
    • 320×256 to 1280×512i (PAL)
    Audio 4 × 8-bit
    PCM channels (2 stereo
    channels)

    28 kHz maximum

    sampling rate

    Removable storage Double-speed (300 KB/s)
    MKE
    controller)
    Input/Output ports Front:
    • Headphone jack 3.5 mm
      TRS stereo jack with volume control[14]

    Left:

    Back:

    Expansion slots 182-pin expansion socket for official
    MPEG
    decoder cartridge or third party devices such as the SX-1 and SX32 expansion packs
    Operating system
    AmigaOS 3.1
    (Kickstart 3.1 and CD32 firmware)

    Accessories

    Commodore's MPEG module for the CD32 provides support for playing Video CD releases, attaching to the rear of the console and augmenting it with an MPEG decoder chipset from C-Cube together with 1.5 MB of video RAM. The unit, demonstrated at the 1994 CeBIT show, was priced at around £200.[18]

    The CD32 can be enhanced using these devices:

    ProModule, Paravision SX-1, DCE SX-32 (which optionally includes 68030 CPU) and Terrible Fire's TF328 and TF330 (which add 2.5" IDE, keyboard connector and 8Mb/64mb of Fastmem).

    Those devices extend the capabilities of the Amiga CD32, allowing it to utilize hardware such as an external 3.5" floppy disk drive,

    hard disk and IBM PC keyboard
    (a CD32-branded keyboard was officially released however, which used the AUX port on the left of the machine). An Amiga CD32 can be turned into a de facto Amiga 1200 via the addition of third-party packages. The SX-1 appears to have been designed around Commodore's mechanical specs and not the actual production units – it did not fit very well and requires an internal "modification" to equip it properly. Consequently, the SX-1 can be jarred loose if the console is not handled gently. The upgraded SX-32 expansion pack (which included a 68030 25 MHz processor) solves these problems.

    Not wishing to repeat its earlier mistake of offering a way to turn a CD32 into an enhanced A1200 as it did with the A500-based CDTV,[citation needed] Commodore itself made no hardware available for that purpose. One of its last hardware designs, however, was an external CD-ROM drive for the A1200 that featured the CD32's Akiko chip, thus turning any A1200 into a CD32-compatible system. The only currently known surviving prototype of the CD1200 drive resides at the Retro Computer Museum in Leicester.[19]

    In addition to its own special controllers, the Amiga CD32 is compatible with most controllers designed for the

    mice
    and paddles.

    Joliet
    extensions are not compatible.

    Software

    See also:
    Amiga games, Amiga demos, and List of Amiga CD32 games

    If the system is turned on without a CD, a splash screen with scrolling colors will appear and a tune will play. After this tune ends, the user can press the blue button on the game pad to enter a language selection menu. The user can also press the red button to access a menu where they can view the contents of the internal Flash ROM. Unlike most game consoles, this menu does not allow the user to delete items. Instead, the system will automatically overwrite the oldest entries when the memory runs out. The menu does, however, allow the user to "lock" files to prevent overwriting.

    The CD32 launch bundle includes two games:

    Oscar from Flair Software. A later pack includes the one-on-one fighting game Dangerous Streets, a move by Commodore that was met with derision by the press. Many reviewers had given Dangerous Streets terrible scores (Amiga Power rating it just 3%[20]) and were surprised that with a slew of powerful rival consoles about to hit the market, Commodore would choose to show off the abilities of its machine with a poor game.[citation needed
    ]

    The CD32 is capable of running most of the releases for the Amiga CDTV multimedia device, but differences in CPU speed and Kickstart version prevent some of the earlier CDTV releases from running. Most of the games released for the CD32 are simply ports of games that were already available for Amiga computers.[21] One benefit of this is that, when appropriate, many games retain the ability to use an Amiga mouse (in port 2) or Amiga keyboard (plugged into the AUX port).

    Like all later Amiga computers, the CD32 has a hidden boot menu that can be accessed by plugging an Amiga mouse into port 2 and holding both buttons down while turning the system on. Most of the options in this menu are not useful on a CD32, but from this menu the user can choose to boot in either NTSC or PAL mode. This is important, as there are some games that will not work if the system is in the wrong mode, and most games don't advertise what video mode they were developed for. Despite the naming, the menu really only allows a choice of 60 Hz or 50 Hz video output; a PAL system booted in NTSC mode will still output a video signal using PAL color encoding, which will usually result in a black-and-white picture when connected to an NTSC television.

    Deployments

    In 1993, 109 CD32 units were installed to run the interactive exhibits at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden.[22] They provided information, animations, pictures, sound, and text available in several languages, and a London Underground simulator. The systems were produced by the Odiham, Hampshire-based company Index Information, using their CD32x interface units.[23]

    In 1995, an Italian company named CD Express used the CD32 as a basis for an arcade machine called CUBO CD32.

    JAMMA
    connector for use in an arcade cabinet. The software was provided on CD-ROM. Nine games are known to exist, all of which are original games created by CD Express.

    In the mid to late 1990s, some vehicle registries in Canada used CD32 systems for interactive multimedia testing for drivers license applications.

    In the late 1990s to early 2000s, slot machine manufacturer StarGames used a stripped down CD32 motherboard in many of its slot machines. Machines confirmed to be operating on CD32 hardware are Hawaiian Delight, Leprechaun Luck, and Mister Magic.

    From 1994 to 1997, Sylvan Learning Systems used CD32 systems in its Wall Street Institute learning centers. Main features include software with voice tone recognition and interactive activities very focused on listening. Those consoles have a floppy disk drive unit attached, with a clock unit, for saving students' progress and sharing them with teachers. Data was stored in a central database and the system offered an advanced multimedia environment with statistics. It was replaced with PC systems after some years of intensive use and a very strong stock of spare consoles and pieces.

    In 1995, Taurus Ventures Inc in

    VanCity Credit Union. It features a custom modem, also designed by TVi.[25][26]

    See also

    References

    1. ^ "CD 32 Board image". bigbookofamigahardware.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
    2. ^ ""Amiga Report International Online Magazine", Issue No. 2.09 – "Amiga News"-section". March 11, 1994. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
    3. ^ "Commodore Puts In Its 32-Bits Worth". Computer Gaming World. November 1993. p. 12. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
    4. ^ Miller, Chuck; Dille, H. E.; Wilson, Johnny L. (January 1994). "Battle Of The New Machines". Computer Gaming World. pp. 64–76.
    5. ^ "Amiga CD is the Choice". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 57. EGM Media, LLC. April 1994. p. 24.
    6. ^ "Commodore: What If". amigamccc.org. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
    7. ^ "Debunking the Software Patent Myths". groups.csail.mit.edu. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
    8. ^ a b Perelman, M: "Steal This Idea", page 60. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
    9. ^ "Should the A1200 have used a 28Mhz 68000 processor instead? - Page 3 - English Amiga Board". eab.abime.net. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
    10. ^ ""Amiga history guide", the Amiga CD32 section". January 11, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
    11. ^ Bergseth, M. (November 25, 2014). "AMIGA SOLD IN UNITS BY COMMODORE IN GERMANY REVEALED". Distrita - Where to Go. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    12. ^ "'Hands on review' by Marriott_Guy". January 18, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
    13. ^ "CD32 Motherboard". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
    14. ^ a b c d e f g "Amiga CD32 Commodore Getting started". bigbookofamigahardware.com. December 23, 2004. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
    15. ^ a b "UK Brick - 9119402353_f4f6aeb404_z.jpg". June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
    16. ^ "Amiga CD32 Power". hardwarebook.info. January 27, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
    17. ^ "CD32 SVideo Out mini-DIN with 8 pins". March 9, 2008. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013. 1=Red, 2=Blue, 3=Audio (L or R, don't know), 4=Green, 5=Audio (L or R), 6=Luminance, 7=CSync, 8=Chroma
    18. ^ "Commodore at CeBIT '94". Amiga Format. May 1994. pp. 22–23. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
    19. ^ "AMIGA alive: Rarest of the rare: The Commodore Amiga CD1200". AMIGA alive. January 18, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
    20. ^ "Dangerous Streets Review". January 1994. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
    21. Imagine Media: 105. March 1995. ... although the CD32 is technically OK (but not outstanding), very little software has been anything other than shovelware
      (existing 16bit Amiga games simply given a new CD soundtrack and intro sequence).
    22. ^ "CD32: The Hyper-Museum Project" (Press release). Transport for London. July 16, 1993. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
    23. ^ "The CD32xpansion". June 21, 2002. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
    24. ^ "CD Express: CUBO CD32". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
    25. ^ Vancity Direct TV Home Banking Walkthrough. YouTube. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
    26. ^ "Amiga News". Retrieved February 23, 2015.

    External links

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