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The comp.sys.apple2 Usenet newsgroup Apple II FAQs originate from
the Ground Apple II archive, 1997-2005. Administrator: Steve Nelson
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground ref: Csa2ACCEL.txt rev086 May 2005
Accelerators
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGS?
002- Why should Appletalk Delay be disabled with a ZipGS?
003- How do I set up a Transwarp on my IIe?
004- Is there a way of disabling Transwarp for games?
005- What are specs & jumper settings for a vintage SpeeDemon?
006- How does the SpeeDemon rate as an accelerator?
007- My SpeeDemon accelerator board seems to run hot. A fix?
008- How should the DIP switches be set on a v3.03 SpeeDemon?
009- How can I get a 'Cache Hit' indicator for my ZipGS?
010- How can I program the ZipGS registers?
011- How can I set up a ProDOS sys file to turn my ZipGS OFF/ON?
012- Is there some ZipGS mod that will improve performance?
013- I have a 7MHz ZipGS. How fast can the board be pushed?
014- What Oscillator freq corresponds to what upgrade speed?
015- How do I experiment with different oscillator frequencies?
016- How do I modify my ZipGS to accept the new "skinny" RAM chips?
017- Is it really necessary to increase board voltage
018- What kind of performance increase can I expect?
019- How can I modify my ZipGS for more cache and more speed?
020- Do I need new GALs to speed up my TransWarpGS?
021- How does a TWGS cache upgrade compare with a speed upgrade?
022- How can I upgrade my TWGS to 32k cache?
023- How can I upgrade TWGS speed?
024- What kind of RAMs do I need for a TWGS or ZipGS speedup?
025- How can I tell the firmware version of my TWGS?
026- For my TWGS, do I need the 2B GAL to use a SCSI interface card?
027- Why are my ZipGS settings via the Zip CDA forgotten?
028- What do the check-marks mean in the ZipGS CDA?
029- Why don't my ZipGS settings match DIP switch settings!?
030- I have a ZipGS. Sometimes my GS 'hangs' on power-up. Why?
031- The speedup has led to system crashes. What's the problem?
032- A new accelerator board has led to crashes. What's the problem?
033- How can I get a display of IIgs speed?
From: Marc Sira, David Empson, Rubywand
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGSx? I've tinkered
with "CPS Follow", "Counter Delay", and the like but have
no idea what I'm actually doing.
Bank C/D cache enable -- Leave this at the default setting (SW1-1 set to ON).
This tells the Zip if it's OK to cache bank-switched RAM (the old language card
area). Zip's own docs say "there is no know software requiring this" but that
it why it's there, in case somebody ever finds software that doesn't like it
you can try setting it the other way.
Paddle Delay lets your paddles or joystick work the way they do on 8-bit Apple
II's or an unaccelerated IIgs. The delay is necessary for playing most 8-bit
games which use paddles or a joystick. Recommended setting is to have the delay
active (SW1-2 set to OFF) unless you feel like experimenting.
AppleTalk or Interrupt Delay should always be disabled (SW1-3 set to ON). The
desktop will run much slower if you enable it. The only reason most people
needed it was for AppleTalk under system 5, and now there is an init on tybalt
that fixes that. System 6 fixed the problem but requires CPS Follow to be
enabled for the fix to work.
Counter Delay is really present just so that the ZipGS can be set to get past
one of the early IIgs diagnostic self-tests. It causes the Zip to
"deaccelerate" (actually all it does is temporarily ignore that any data can be
read from the cache instead of the motherboard) for about 5 milliseconds any
time you read one of the Video Counters. To get pass the particular self-test,
SW1-4 should be set to OFF (delay active). Otherwise, the recommended setting
is SW1-4 set to ON.
CPS Follow should always be enabled (SW1-5 set to OFF). It causes the ZipGS to
auntomatically 'follow' the IIgs-- when it switches to "Normal" speed, the
ZipGS is disabled. This is a requirement for a reasonable amount of timing-
critical software. If you disable CPS Follow you will have problems with Disk ]
['s and System 6's AppleTalk driver and anything else that expects the Zip to
slow down to 1 mhz when the IIgs is instructed to slow down to 1MHz. For
instance, border text demos (like the FTA XMAS demo) won't work if you have
this disabled. Expect weird things to happen if you play with this one.
ZipGS Enable-- The card should normally be enabled (SW1-6 set to ON).
SW1-7 and SW1-8 should be set to correspond to the size of your ZipGS's cache
memory. (see below)
SW2-1 through SW2-7 control slot delays for Slots 1-7. Set the switch OFF to
enable the delay for the corresponding Slot. This is generally only needed for
a small number of cards that are speed critical but not IIgs-aware. 5.25" disk
interface cards are covered by the CPS FOLLOW option (1-5) if they are in slots
4 to 7.
I have found that it is necessary to enable the delay for slot 6 when using a
3.5" drive connected to the IIgs disk port. There are a few rare cases in which
a long timed operation is performed in fast mode, and the ZIP throws the timing
out unless this delay is enabled. In my case, I had some strange disk errors
with certain disks until I enabled this delay.
Speaker Delay lets "old Apple II" 1-bit sounds play the way they would on 8-bit
Apple II's or an unaccelerated IIgs. The delay is necessary for getting correct
sound from most 8-bit games. I recommend having the delay active (SW2-8 set to
OFF).
Summary
The normally recommended SW1 settings are identical to the
factory default settings except for SW1-4 ...
ON x x x x m m
OFF x x m m
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1- Cxxx/Dxxx Cache: ON= enabled.
2- Defeat Joystick delay: OFF= allow delay.
3- Defeat AppleTalk delay: ON= no delay.
4- Defeat Counter Delay: ON= no delay. Set OFF to pass IIgs
diagnostic self-test #05 ("Speed Test").
5- Defeat CPS Follow: OFF for floppy drives to work.
6- ZipGS enable: ON. (Set OFF to allow powerup boot in
slow mode and use an Init to turn GS back ON.)
7 & 8- Set these to installed Zip cache memory size:
ON ON 8k
ON OFF 16k
OFF ON 32k
OFF OFF 64k
The factory default SW2 settings are ...
ON x x x x x
OFF x x x
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SW2-1 through SW2-7 control whether a card in Slot 1-7 is accessed
at full speed (set ON) or "normal" speed (set OFF)*.
SW2-8 sets Defeat Speaker Delay. To play 'old Apple' music and
effects correctly, the switch should be OFF to permit the delay.
- Note: Whether or not a particular card can work without a slow-down is
something you can determine by experimentaton. This is easiest using the Zip
CDA accessed via the Desk Accessories menu (OpenApple-Control-Escape). The CDA
settings are not permanent. Once you find the settings you like, you can turn
OFF the computer and set the switches on the board to match the settings that
work best.
____________________________
From: Todd P. Whitesel
002- Why should Appletalk Delay be disabled with a ZipGS?
Because it saps performance every time an interrupt occurs.
The Appletalk delay was originally called the "Interrupt Delay" but they
renamed it at the last minute because somebody actually tried an 8/64 on an
Appleshare network and it dropped packets like crazy.
With "Appletalk delay" on, every time an interrupt occurs your Zip will disable
acceleration for 5 ms, just like it does with the paddles and the speaker and
the others. This is a significant effect because with VBL interrupts going you
have one every 16 ms, so your Zip spends nearly 1/3 of the time not
accelerating you.
Why this "fixes" appletalk: in system 5 and earlier (including the ROM
appletalk code), there are software timing loops which assume 2.8 mhz
operation. As you speed the system up, it gets more and more likely to drop
incoming packets because it thinks they are being sent too slowly to be
correct, when in reality the appletalk code is timing out too fast.
Why the Appletalk delay is not a complete solution: a full-size Appletalk
packet that you'd get from a file server takes about 14 ms to transmit. The
Appletalk delay covers the first 1/3 of the packet, the VBL interrupt covers at
most another third of the packet, but nothing is guaranteed to keep
acceleration off for the whole packet. If you speed the Zip up more, say to
10/64, it starts dropping long packets no matter what.
This latter problem was why I originally wrote ZipTalk. It required a slot
delay to be enabled (in, say, slot 6 or 7), and before each appletalk packet
was received I tweaked that slot -- slot delays are 50 ms, so the Zip stays
unaccelerated way past the end of the packet and everything works. (I also
patched packet sending, to be safe.)
In system 6 Apple fixed things correctly in the appletalk drivers. I removed
the code from ZipTalk and released what remained as ZipFix. As of 6.0.1, the
cursor flicker problem was fixed by apple in the control panel, so now you only
need ZipFix for the GS/OS SET_SYS_SPEED hook, which nobody seems to use.
______________________________
From: Jeff Brielmaier
003- How do I set up a Transwarp on my IIe?
Bank1: Sw 1-7 -> Change to OPEN if there is a memory card that uses the
"Langauge Card bank switching technique". (Normally CLOSED)
Bank1: Sw 1-7 -> Change to OPEN if the plug in card must be accessed at 1 MHz
(Normally CLOSED. OPEN for Floppy diskette controllers)
Switch 8 on both Banks: Sets the power up speed of Transwarp
Bank1 Bank2
3.6 MHz OPEN OPEN <<Normal>>
1.7 MHz CLOSED OPEN
1 MHz OPEN CLOSED
1 MHz CLOSED CLOSED
----------------------
004- Is there a way of disabling Transwarp for games?
Press <Esc> at power-up will disable Transwarp completely until the next power
off/on cycle.
A better way is to write a 01 to $C074. This will slow Transwarp down to 1 MHz
without disabling it completely. Writing a 00 to $C074 will restore Transwarp
to it's 'fast' speed.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- I recently bought an "M-c-T SpeeDemon" board. It's dated 1984
and draws a small apple on the screen after power-up. What kind
of cache RAM does it have? There's a place for jumpers near the
top of the card. Is there a way to control this thing through
software or hardware?
Your card may be a slightly later model. (I've never noticed ours draw a
hires apple on the screen-- darn it!) Possibly, McT came out with a revision
aimed at 128K IIe's.
The RAMs on our vintage model SpeeDemon are 100ns 2048x8 9128's (for a
total 8K of pretty speedy cache).
I once asked McT about the jumper block you mention, they said the jumper
is set at the factory to adjust on-card timing and to Leave It Alone. (On our
card, the jumper block has 5 pairs. The pair 2nd from the top is jumpered.)
There is also a jumper pair near the bottom middle of the card. This is
the Speed Jumper. Jumper it if you want 'demon to slow down for I/O accesses to
Slots 4 & 5. (The 'demon always slows for Slot 6 I/O ($C0E0 - $C0EF.)
According to the "Manual" (a folded card), pressing PDL-1 (Closed-Apple
on a IIe) upon power-up will engage a self-test. Pressing ESC at power-up will
turn OFF the card and allow running at normal speed. To turn OFF the card later
on, do a POKE (49152+256*S) where S= Slot # of the slot the card is in; then,
press RESET.
You can put the 'demon into any Slot; but, if you put it in Slot 0 (Slot 3
in a IIe), the card will not respond to any KB shut-off commands.
------------------------
006- How does the SpeeDemon rate as an accelerator for II+ and IIe Apples?
In terms of raw performance (once you arrange for cooling), SpeeDemon may
be the best of the 4MHz accelerators for early II's. I've never noticed any
compatibility problems and the approx. X3.5 speed increase puts real 'snap'
into your machine's response. (Besides, it's great for games like Elite!)
------------------------
007- My SpeeDemon accelerator board seems to run hot in my II+.
Is this normal? Should I add cooling?
Indeed, the 'demon is a power gobbler-- roughly 1.5A as I recall-- and
some of the IC's run hot. When the board bombed after one long session, we cut
out a square section on the back of the II+ and added a mini-fan, just to blow
air across the 'Demon board. This ended the heat problem.
____________________________
From: Douglas M. Howell
008- How should the DIP switches be set on a version 3.03
SpeeDemon board?
This is from the 1-page manual that comes with the card:
For owners without a Bank Switch Language Card in thier Apple, the first
seven DIP switches control the access speed of the following:
switch 1 -- controls -- slot 1
switch 2 -- " -- slot 2
switch 3 -- " -- slot 3
switch 4 -- " -- paddle/joystick port
switch 5 -- " -- slot 5
switch 6 -- " -- slot 6
switch 7 -- " -- slot 7
OFF indicates slot/port is accessed at High Speed.
ON indicates slot/port is to Slow Down for access.
All slots that can be accessed at High Speed and all empty slots should
have the corresponding Dip switch set to "OFF" (this is the non-bank switch
setting).
Special Note about Switch 4:
Switch 4 on the SpeeDemon DIP switch no longer controls the access speed
to slot 4. It now controls how the joystick and paddles are read.
If switch 4 is in the "ON" position, the SpeeDemon will slow down to
normal Apple speed for 50 milliseconds each time the joystick is accessed. This
allows the software to read the joystick or paddles correctly. If switch 4 is
in the "OFF" position, the SpeeDemon will not slow down when they are accessed.
Access to slot 4 is always at SLOW (normal) Apple speed.
Certain programs, such as Appleworks, use the joystick location, even when
the joystick is not in use. If dip switch 4 is set to "ON" then these programs
will not show any speed for some functions, such as calculations and sorts.
Therefor, unless you need youysticks for your applications, switch 4 should be
set in the "OFF" position.
If you have a Bank Switch Card (extended 80-col card, Ramworks II, Titan
Saturn 128k card, excetera..) set switch 8 to the "ON" position.
Bank Switch Language Card Location:
Dip Switches 1-3 encode the location of your Bank switch language card. Use
the following table to find the appropriate setting for your machine:
Dip Switch Bank Switch Card Location
1 2 3 Slot #
--- --- --- ------
off off off 0
off off on 1
off on off 2
off on on 3
on off off 4
on off on 5
on on off 6
on on on 7
If you have two bank switch cards in your system, one must reside in slot 0.
The other must be in the slot selected by DIP switches 1-3 above.
Special Note: Because the first three switches are used to encode the
location of the Bank Switch Language Card, you can no longer control the speed
of all the slots. Specifically you can not control slots 1,3, or 6. These
slots woll now always run Fast except for slot 6 which will always run Slow.
Special Note: The slot that the SpeeDemon card resides in should be set to
the "Off" position
____________________________
From: Will Baguhn
009- How can I get a 'Cache Hit' indicator for my ZipGSx?
This latest ZipGSx modification is pretty straightforward. When I decided I
wanted a Cache HIT light instead of a Cache MISS light, I went to Rat Shack and
bought a pack of Green LEDs (I like green. Blue or Orange will work just as
well.)
I tried adding an inverter to the circuit but it just didn't want to play
(obviously a cache HIT is the opposite of a cache MISS, and the LED on the
board lights up for cache MISSes). Through the experimenting, I found that I
could get the LED to light as desired without any "extra" hardware except the
LED itself.
Simple mod: solder in the Anode of the LED to the Anode of the Cache Miss.
Solder the Cathode to the Cathode of the Power LED.
(Even easier way to say it: there are four solder points for the existing LEDs.
We use the two in the middle. The long lead goes to the yellow side, the short
to the red. position as is comfortable. I can only guess that this would be a
nice thing to attach to the TURBO light on the front of a tower case, should
anyone ever mount a IIgs/ZipGSX inside a tower case... (also, it might be nice
to turn SW1-6 OFF and connect the pins to the TURBO button on front. I don't
know how useful it would be, but it might come in handy one of these days...)
____________________________
From: David Empson
010- How can I program the ZipGSx registers?
ZipChip GS Special Registers Ex ZIP Technology, 12 October 1990
Registers must be unlocked before they can be accessed (see $C05A). Locking
them will re-enable the annunciators.
Writing to any I/O location $C058-$C05F (whether registers are locked or
unlocked) will reset delay in progress.
$C058 R No operation
$C058 W Write any value to force power-on/reset bit to COLD (forces
next reset to restore ZIP registers to defaults/switch settings).
$C059 R/W 76543210
*....... Bank Switch Lang Card cache disable=1/enable=0?
.*...... Padl delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1 $C070/$C020
..*..... External delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1
...*.... Cntr delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1 $C02E/$C07E
....*... CPS follow disable=0/enable=1
.....*.. Last Reset warm? READ ONLY
......*. Hardware DMA READ ONLY
.......* non-GS (0)/GS (1) READ ONLY
$C05A R 76543210
****.... Current ZIP Speed, 0=100%, 1=93.75%,..., F=6.25%
....1111
$C05A W Write values as follows:
$5x Unlock ZIP registers (must write 4 times)
$Ax Lock ZIP registers
other Force ZIP to follow system clock (disable card)
$C05B R 76543210
*....... 1msclk - clock with 1 ms period
.*...... cshupd - Tag data at $C05F updated
(read $C05F to reset)
..*..... Bank Switch Language Card cache (0), don't (1)
...*.... Board disable - 0=enabled, 1=disabled
....*... delay in effect (0=ZIP, 1=Slow)
.....*.. rombank (0/1) - not in development version
......** Cache RAM size (00=8k, 01=16k, 10=32k, 11=64k)
$C05B W Write any value to force ZIP to current speed
(i.e. enable card)
$C05C R/W 76543210
*******. Slot 7-1 delay enable (all slots 52-54 ms)
.......* Speaker delay enable (5 ms)
$C05D R Current 65816 bank
$C05D W 76543210
****.... Set ZIP speed, 0=100%, 1=93.75%, ..., F=6.25%
....**** Don't care
$C05E R Read last Tag data written and force the next write
to create a trash tag value.
$C05E W No operation
$C05F R Read last Tag data written and reset cshupd.
Note: apparently any write to a ZIP register
(unlocked) will clear cshupd, but cshupd
says that this location must be read.
$C05F W No operation
----------------------------
011- Is it possible to set up a simple ProDOS-8 application
(SYS) file which turns the ZipGS OFF or ON?
From the usual BASIC prompt, get into the Monitor (e.g. CALL -151) and type in
the following code to turn OFF the ZipGS ...
2000:A9 50 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8E 5A
2010:C0 0A 8D 5A C0 20 00 BF 65 1D 20 00 00 04 00 00
2020:00 00 00 00
A 2000L should look something like this ...
2000: A9 50 LDA #$50
2002: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; write $50 to $C05A four times to
2005: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; enable access to the ZIP registers
2008: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A
200B: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A
200E: 8E 5A C0 STZ $C05A ; write $00 to $C05A to disable ZIP
2011: 0A ASL = SLOW mode
2012: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; write $A0 to stop accessing ZIP
2015: 20 00 BF JSR $BF00 ; Do a ProDOS QUIT call
2018: 65 $65
2019: 1D 20 $201D
201B: 00 00 BRK $00
201D: 04 00 00 00 00 00 00
Use the following commands to save it:
CREATE SLOW,TSYS
BSAVE SLOW,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
To enable the ZipGS (= FAST mode), simply change one byte:
200F:5B
(this changes the STZ $C05A to STZ $C05B)
CREATE FAST,TSYS
BSAVE FAST,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
____________________________
From: William Baguhn
Reference: FAQs resource file R005SPLITC.GIF (pic file)
012- Is there some ZipGSx mod that will improve performance
without going to a faster crystal, etc.?
There is; you can do the ZipGSx Split Cache Mod. As your manual explains,
Zip GSX speed comes from having a faster processor which can access code and
data from its high-speed cache RAM. The standard 'GSX has a unified cache,
which means data and code have the possibility of overlapping. If the cache
controller sees a need to bring in a lot of code, it will go to main memory and
bring in up to 64k of code (or 16k in a 16k cache system) and, possibly,
overwrite useful data.
The reverse is also true. If the controller feels that a lot of data needs
to be brought in, it will cache the data, and, possibly, overwrite useful code,
causing another slowdown when the code needs to be fetched again.
With a split cache, the code and data segments no longer overlap. Caching
code cannot overwrite data, caching data cannot overwrite code. The drawback is
that only 32k of data and 32k of code can be cached at once (in a 64k system),
but usually this provides for more speed than being able to cache a 64k mix of
both.
To do the mod, you'll need a ZipGSX version 1.02 with either 16k or 64k
cache on it. If you're not sure exactly what board you have, it's pretty
straightforward to figure things out: open the computer and look at the Zip.
The board revision is silkscreened on just beneath the processor.
The cache size can be determined from the DIP switch settings. However, a
simpler guideline is look at the TAG/DATA sockets and count the number of
chips. If there are only 2 chips, you have either an 8k or a 32k cache. If
there are 4, then you should have 16k or 64k.
To modify your Zip for the Split Cache, you'll need a good hobby knife
that can cut the traces without damaging the board underneath too badly, as
well as two or three small lengths of wire. You will also need a good pencil-
style soldering iron, desoldering pump or braid, and high quality rosin core
(NOT acid core) solder. I use Radio Shack's .032 60/40 rosin core solder.
Kester makes excellent quality solder which is sold at many electronics supply
shops.
There is a potential of damaging expensive and delicate hardware. For
example, when cutting a circuit trace be careful not to cut deeply, lest you
cut a trace in the next layer of the circuit board. If you're not experienced
with cutting traces or soldering on circuit boards, find an old board and take
some time to practice.
The actual mod is very simple. Steps 1-3 and 5 are for all boards. Step 4
is for 16k cache boards only. (Note: The picture in FAQs resource file
R005SPLITC may be helpful for doing these mods.)
1. Locate J6 and J7. They are both blocks of 3 pinholes, which may or may not
have been soldered-in, near the bottom of the board next to connector J1, where
the gray cable attaches.
2. Cut the SMALL trace between pins 2 and 3 of both J6 and J7. This trace is on
the back (solder side) of the board.
3. Solder in a piece of wire between pins 1 and 3, of both J6 and J7. A wire
that has been bent into a U shape before soldering seems to work best, both for
ease of installation and aesthetic value.
4. 16k systems ONLY: (See the "16k" insert on the picture in FAQs resource file
R005SPLITC.) Cut the trace between pins 1 and 2 of J8 on the top side of the
board. (J8 is below the Cache SRAM sockets) Then, solder a piece of wire
between pins 2 and 3 of J8.
5. Set the DIP switches appropriately. The DIP switches needing to be set are
SW1-7 and SW1-8, they control the cache size. SW1-7 should be OFF for 64k, ON
for 16k. SW1-8 should be ON.
Reversing these changes is fairly easy. If you decide that the performance
change was detrimental, simply desolder the wires that you installed, and
solder in wires to replace the traces that were cut.
I found that the split cache sped up my system notably, especially under
the Finder and other desktop applications. Improvement was much less noticeable
under text applications. (I haven't checked affect on compiling speed, yet.)
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
I tried the split-cache mod on my 10MHz/64kB ZipGSx. Before/after timings
were done for several tasks including Scrolls through Finder windows, Scrolls
and Find/Replace through Coolwriter (super-res) and Appleworks (plain text)
documents, and Platinum Paint fills.
Timing differences were very small-- usually within the error normally
experienced when clicking a stopwatch for repetitions of identical events.
Where a difference was observable, it favored the unified 64kB cache.
Evidently, at least on a 64kB board, the ZipGS does a fairly good job of
managing the unified cache. Possibly, the mod comes out ahead in some tasks not
sampled; or, it may work better on 16kB boards.
____________________________
From: Richard Der
013- I have a 7MHz ZipGS. How fast can the board be pushed without
getting new SRAMs or a new CPU? What parts do I need?
You may be able to get it to run at up to 10MHz by just replacing the
oscillator with a faster one for less than two dollars!
I have a Zip GS that came as a 7/32 and was used at 7MHz for a long time.
The board came with a socketed oscillator, so one day I swapped out the 28MHz
oscillator for a 36MHz one. The computer booted up at 9MHz. When the 36MHz osc
was replaced with a 40MHz osc, the Zip ran at an amazing 10MHz!
Your mileage may vary, though. The GS that this upgraded Zip resides in
has a high output power supply. Still, considering these oscillators cost $1.39
each, it is worth getting three or four and trying an oscillator swap alone
first. If a faster oscillator alone won't do the trick, then a faster CPU
and/or faster cache chips may be necessary.
Good Luck!
____________________________
From: Frank M. Lin
014- What Oscillator freq corresponds to what TWGS/ZipGS operating speed?
For TWGS and ZipGS, the crystal oscillators runs at 4 times the speed of
the 65816. Below is a chart showing osc and corresponding TWGS or ZipGS speed.
Osc Frequency MHz TWGS/ZipGS Speed MHz
28 7
32 8
33.3333 8.3333
36 9
40 10
42 10.5
46 11.5
48 12
50 12.5
55 13.75
60 15
My understanding is that, if you over-clock a CPU. It just won't function.
You can't damage it. As the disclaimer said, do it at your own risk. I have
tried to run my TWGS at 20 MHz, system won't boot at all. No damage.
----------------------------
015- How do I experiment with different oscillator frequencies?
Most of the following is from a piece on ZipGS upgrading by Long. It is
also a useful guide for TranswarpGS owners.
The ZipGS can use three types of crystal oscillators: the common 4-pin
"full size" oscillator module (about the size of a 14-pin TTL IC), a 4-pin
"half size" oscillator module (also used on TWGS), or an on-card circuit with a
separate crystal (little 2-pin metal canister). To be able to use a separate
crystal, your ZipGS must have a resistor at R1 and capacitors at C13 and C14.
These three parts are often omitted from Zips which use an oscillator module.
If your accelerator does not have a socket for the oscillator module, you
should probably install one (14-pin for ZipGS; 8-pin for TranswarpGS).
Experimenting with different frequencies will be much easier. (If your ZipGS
has eyelets for a 16-pin socket*, leave the top two pins open.)
On ZipGS boards, only 6 of the 14 socket pins are connected (picture A).
The Ground (GND) pins 1, 4, and 7 are connected together. The Power pins 11 and
14 are connected together; and, pin 8 is the module Output. Full size
oscillator modules use pins 1, 7, 8 and 14 (refer to picture B). Half-size
oscillator modules use the bottom four pins (4, 7, 8 and 11; picture C).
TranswarpGS uses an 8-pin socket intended for holding a half size
oscillator module (picture D).
Make sure the module is oriented with the marked end (usually having a
dot, squared corner, and/or notch) facing upward. Make sure the module is
oriented with the marked end (usually having a dot and/or notch) facing upward.
The lower two pins of the module should be in the lowest two pins of the
socket.
WARNING: The oscillator may be damaged if installed incorrectly.
ZipGS
* x x * _______
GND 1 o o 14 POWER 1 |o \ 14
NC x x NC | |
NC x x NC | FULL | ______
GND 4 o o 11 POWER | SIZE | 1 |o \ 8
NC x x NC | | | HALF |
NC x x NC | | | SIZE |
GND 7 o o 8 OUTPUT 7 \______/ 8 4 \_____/ 5
(A) (B) (C)
TranswarpGS
______
GND 1 o o 8 POWER 1 |o \ 8
NC 2 x x 7 NC | HALF |
NC 3 x x 6 NC | SIZE |
GND 4 o o 5 OUTPUT 4 \_____/ 5
x - no connection (NC)
----------------------------
016- How do I modify my ZipGS to accept the new "skinny" RAM chips?
With a little modification you can make a Zip with wide sockets accept
both the wide (600 mil) and the newer 300 mil skinny 32k x 8 Static RAMs
(SRAMs). Ground yourself then carefully pry out the static rams. Look at the
socket and you will notice two or three horizontal bars holding both sides of
the socket together (Picture D). Carefully snip those out (wire cutters work
well for snipping plastic). This will expose a column of holes. Now, solder in
half of a socket.
Refer to Picture E below. Plug your skinny SRAMs into the left and center
columns making sure the notch on the static ram is facing up-- i.e. toward top
edge of board. (Applying power with a chip incorrectly socketed could damage
the chip.)
_______ Added center strip
Snip out |
___ ___________ Skinny RAMs plug in here
| | | | notched end facing up.
____ ____ _ _ _
|o __V__ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
(D) (E)
-----------------------------
017- Is it really necessary to increase board voltage
to do a TWGS/ZipGS speedup?
With the new 14 MHz parts, you should not need to mess with the voltage at
all. It _may_ be necessary to increase voltage at 15-16MHz and will likely be
necessary at higher frequencies (e.g. 20MHz).
-----------------------------
018- If I do a TWGS/ZipGS speedup mod, what kind of performance
increase can I expect?
This is just to give you a rough estimate of how much faster you might be able
to achieve...
BenchMark v5.0 results:
CPU Stock TWGS TWGS TWGS ZipGS ZipGS ZipGS
Version ROM 01 1.8s 1.8s 1.8s 1.0.2 1.0.2 1.0.2
Cache/Spd 32k/15 32k/15 32k/15 64k/?? 64k/?? 64k/??
Clock Spd 2.8 15 13.75 12.5 16 15 14
======= ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ======
Sieve 410.00 99.00 108.00 117.00 98.00 99.00 110.00
String 1151.20 270.00 292.00 303.67 259.00 262.00 282.00
Float 1 472.00 92.33 87.00 111.33 123.00 128.00 135.00
Float 2 1535.00 317.00 394.00 381.67 395.00 415.00 432.00
Fibinacci 2006.00 605.00 634.00 645.33 507.00 523.00 548.00
Integer 1553.40 307.00 330.00 346.67 420.00 431.00 443.00
Dhrystone 236 1136 1063 1000 NA NA NA
* 1351 1183 1282 NA NA
- Dhrystone v1.1 re-compiled under ORCA/C v2.0.1
System Software 5.0 QuickDraw II improvement test:
Stock //gs: 5648 ticks
TWGS 15 MHz: 1332 ticks (over 4x faster than stock)
If you look at the numbers, a 12 MHz or faster TWGS/Zip will make everything
just about 4x faster than a stock //gs.
____________________________
From: Scott G.
019- How can I modify my ZipGS for more cache and more speed?
The process described below is very simple. It aims for a speed of 12.5MHz
(or better) with 64k cache.
First, you will need one of the new Western Design Center 14MHz 65C816's.
Students, teachers, and professors can order the IC in single quantities
directly from WDC ( http://www.wdesignc.com ). Otherwise, the minimum order is
$100. Price is about $20 each.
adapters: Nearly all of the newer, faster 32k x 8 SRAMs are in skinny 300-
mil packages. If you would rather not modify your ZipGS for the skinny SRAMs,
Digi-Key stocks 28-pin 300-mil to 600-mil adapter sockets from Aries
Electronics for about $12 each (Aries no. 1106396-28). You can plug a 28 pin
SRAM into the 300-mil adapter socket and the adapter in turn plugs into the
600-mil socket on the Zip. (If you have some spare sockets lying around, you
can build your own cheap, but that's another story.)
2-4 32k x 8 SRAM chips: There are many sources for 32k x 8 SRAMs and
several types that will work. I got mine (HM62832-15, $5 each) from JDR
Microdevices. You'll want 15ns in the Tag RAM sockets. Up to around 12.5MHz,
you want 70ns or faster Data RAM. If current cache size is 64k, your old TAG
RAM chips will, usually, work as Data RAM and can be transferred to the Data
sockets. Otherwise, go ahead and get two 25ns-35ns 32k x 8 SRAM chips for the
Data RAM.
Data RAM should always be slower than Tag RAM. Barry Rees posted his
experiences on this matter (that Data should be significantly slower than Tag)
and I found that the original Tag chips were fast enough.
A "full size" oscillator module: Digi-Key, JDR, Mouser, ... have these.
Divide oscillator speed by four to get Zip speed. JDR has the OSC50.0 (50MHz
oscillator), which will make a 12.5MHz Zip. The oscillators are cheap enough to
get two or three for experimenting with higher speeds.
So, you just plug your Tag and Data RAM chips into the Digi-Key adapters
and plug the adapters into the Tag and Data sockets of the Zip. Then, you
install the new 65C816 and oscillator and make sure DIP switch 1-7 and 1-8 are
both set OFF (for 64k cache). That's it, done completely without soldering.
ZipGS boards vary. On some you may be able to go above 12.5MHz by just
plugging in a faster oscillator. On others, you may have to choose between
getting faster Data RAM or settling for a lower speed. The new 65C816 is rated
for 16MHz and many users have gone to 14MHz and above. For speeds above
12.5MHz, the usual recommendation is to get Data RAM rated at 35ns or better.
For a step-by-step guide, download my ZipUpgrade.SHK HyperCard stack at
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Hypermedia/Hypercard/ .
----------------------------
From: Wayne Stewart
I've sped up several ZipGS's and always topped out at 12 or 12.5MHz until
I replaced the 74F00 on the board with a 74HC00. I'd strongly suggest taking
the ZipGS as far as you can with plug-in parts, which'll likely be to about
12MHz; then, give the 74HC00 swap-in some thought.
____________________________
From: Scott G. and Andrew Roughan
020- Do I need new GALs to speed up my TransWarpGS?
Probably not. The new 14MHz 65C816's available from WDC make it generally
unnecessary to swap in new GAL chips to go to higher speeds. In fact, one user
with the faster GALs already installed reports that his TransWarpGS would not
work until GAL 3E was replaced with an older GAL 3A.
If you are attempting to use an older 65C816-- e.g. a 10MHz chip released
in the early 1990's-- then, it may be necessary to upgrade the GALs (especially
GAL 3A) to run reliably above 10MHz. Due to variations in boards and parts,
about the only way to find out is to experiment.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
021- I have an 8kB TransWarpGS. How does a cache upgrade compare
with a speed upgrade?
John Link charted some comparisons in 1991 involving nine setups: no-TWGS,
and 7, 8, 9, 10mHz boards before and after the 8kB-to-32kB cache upgrade. He
used three benchmarks:
1. time to calculate page breaks in a 218-page Appleworks document
2. time to scroll through a 39-page Awks-GS document
3. time to compile 4800 lines of MD-BASIC source code
For a 7mHz 8kB TWGS, the speed gain for the 32kB cache upgrade is roughly 33%
to nearly x2.5 plain GS speed.
For a 10mHz 8kB TWGS, the speed gain for the 32kB cache upgrade is roughly 33%
to about x3.25 plain GS speed.
His charts shows that a 7mHz TWGS with the 32kB cache performs slightly
better than a 10mHz TWGS with 8kB cache on tests 1 and 3; it is a bit slower on
test 2.
----------------------------
022- How can I upgrade my TWGS to 32k cache?
SHH Systeme ( http://www.wbwip.com/shh/ ), a German company, sells the
cache upgrade piggyback board in various states of 'do-it-yourself' readiness.
The ready-to-go version is $69 (+ $14 S&H). It includes three 32K cache RAMs
(62256-15 or equivalent) and can support speed upgrades to 14MHz or better.
SHH does not automatically include the firmware ROM. If your firmware
version is not v1.7 or v1.8, you will also need to order the v1.8 EPROM which
SHH sells for $12.
____________________________
From: Scott G., Andrew Roughan, Rubywand
023- How can I upgrade TWGS speed?
The process is very similar to that described earlier for the ZipGS. That
is, you swap in a new 14MHz 65C816, a higher speed oscillator module, and,
possibly, faster 32k x 8 SRAM chips. As mentioned in Q&A 020, you should not
have to upgrade to faster GAL chips. Users with the newer GAL 3E in place may
actually need to swap in an older GAL 3A.
According to a 1992 Appleworks Forum article by John Link, you can get to
12.5MHz with an older 10MHz 65C816, a 50MHz oscillator, and 35ns SRAM without
upgrading to the faster GAL chips.
As with ZipGS, TransWarpGS speed = Osc Speed divided by 4. One difference
is that the TransWarpGS oscillator module is of the "half-size" kind. Another
is that, if RAM is upgraded, the usual practice is for all three to have the
same speed rating. If you do the SHH cache upgrade, there should be no need to
worry about replacing SRAM.
TransWarpGS boards vary just as do ZipGS boards. Some can be pushed to
higher speeds than others. If you decide to do a speed upgrade, get two or
three oscillators to allow for some experimentation.
For a step-by-step guide, download Scott G's TWGSupgrade.SHK. HyperCard
stack at ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Hypermedia/Hypercard/ .
----------------------------
From: Wayne Stewart
I have a TransWarpGS with rev A GALs and a rev 1.5 ROM. It came as 7mhz
with an 8k cache. It was pretty unstable when I recieved it, so I put in a
spare 14mhz 65c816 I had which stabilized it. Since I had a lot of rectangular
oscillators from my ZipGS upgrade experimenting, I made up an adapter so I
could use them in the TransWarp. With those two changes it's running at 14mhz.
----------------------------
From: Andrew Roughan
It's time (June 2003) for an update on this article. I have recently
purchased some more oscillators from Clarke & Severn Electronics. They can now
provide custom programmed oscillators in 1/2 TTL packages for AU$6.98 each.
I am currently running my ROM 3 system at 14Mhz. I have a Transwarp GS
with ROM 1.8S and the 32k cache from Applied Engineering (35ns SRAMs). The GAL
versions are TWGS1A1, TWGS2B1, TWGS3B1, TWGS4B1, TWGS5A1, TWGS6A1, TWGS7A1,
TWGS8A1. I have the 14Mhz 65816 available from WDC. I have not purchased faster
SRAMs or modified the power supply.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
024- What kind of RAMs do I need for a TWGS or ZipGS speedup?
If you upgrade your accelerator RAM, go for fast 32k x 8 Static RAM in a
28-pin Dip package. If your RAM sockets are "skinny" (about as fat as a typical
74xx TTL IC), you want a 300-mil wide package. Otherwise, you will need a 600-
mil wide IC or a socket adapter for 300-mil (or do the socket mods described
earlier in this FAQ).
Fast 600-mil package 32k x 8 SRAMs are fairly rare. However, the IDT71256
is supposed to be available at good speeds (25ns-40ns) in a 600-mil version
from Integrated Device Technology.
The selection of 300-mil 32k x 8 SRAMs is much larger: Cypress's CY7C199,
Hitachi's HM62256, ... .
____________________________
From: Sandy
025- How can I tell the firmware version of my TWGS?
With the IIGS turned on, press CONTROL-Apple-ESCAPE And go to the
Transwarp CDA The ROM version will be displayed on the screen.
____________________________
From: Mitch Spector
026- Do I need I need the 2B GAL for my Transwarp-GS to use a
SCSI interface? If I do, where can I get one?
The TWGS-2B GAL was a DMA fix Applied Engineering issued for the board. It
is an absolute requirement for Transwarp to work at all with at least some
RamFAST SCSI boards (e.g. the revision C boards).
With Applied Engineering long since out of business and the GAL virtually
impossible to duplicate by convential means, that leaves no good source for
replacement GALs. I found it much more affordable (and less hassle) to just
purchase a used TransWarp GS board with the 2B GAL to replace your old one.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
RamFAST revision D does not require the 2B GAL. The Apple High Speed SCSI
card works with all TransWarps GS units.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
027- When I change my ZipGS's Speed, Misc, and Slot settings via
the Zip CDA, they are always lost after turning OFF the GS.
What's wrong? Do I need a new BatRAM battery?
No. The reason the settings are forgotten is that they are not saved in
BatRAM or on-disk. ZipGS settings made via the Zip CDA or via the Zip Control
Panel are only in effect for the current session of computing.
----------------------------
028- What do the check-marks mean next to settings in the ZipGS
CDA? Are they original factory settings or what?
More like "or what". The check-marks indicate the settings of the DIP
switches on your ZipGS board.
----------------------------
029- After installing my ZipGS along with the ZipGS CDA and other
software I've noticed that my ZipGS settings never seem to
match the ones I originally set via the on-board DIP
switches!?
There are two likely explanations. One is that your interpretation of the
settings is confused due to the rather poor explanations provided in the Zip
on-disk HyperStudio 'manual'. It does not help that names/descriptions of the
settings are not quite the same in the 'manual' and in the CDA or NDA.
For info on setting your on-board DIP switches, see question 001.
Another possibility is that when you installed the ZipGS software, you
installed ZipInit in your SYSTEM/SYSTEM.SETUP folder. If you did, then whatever
settings ZipInit is set up for will be the settings for your ZipGS after
booting. That is, ZipInit will over-ride your DIP switch settings.
ZipInit is intended for use on diskettes which, when booted, will set up
the ZipGS in some special way to match the software on the diskette. For
example, you might want to turn OFF the ZipGS or reduce its speed when booting
an arcade games diskette.
The cure for unwanted influence from ZipInit is to delete it from your
SYSTEM/SYSTEM.SETUP folder.
----------------------------
030- I have a ZipGS. Usually, it runs like a champ; but, sometimes
when I power-ON my GS, I get an all-white screen and the computer
just 'hangs'. What's going on?
It may be that your ZipGS card is not making good contact in its Slot
socket. This is a fairly nasty problem which has led users to pursue a number
of false cures.
With power OFF, pull your ZipGS board and inspect the bottom-of-card
connectors. What you will, most likely, notice is that the connector traces end
approximately 1/8 inch or so from the bottom of the card.
Unfortunately, the GS Slot sockets make contact rather near the bottom of
cards plugged into them-- roughly 1/8 inch or so from the bottom. The reason
your GS sometimes hangs is that, sometimes, the ZipGS card is not making good
contact with all Slot connectors.
One 'cure' is to make sure the ZipGS card's contacts are clean and that
the card is thoroughly plugged in-- i.e. well lined-up with Slot contacts and
inserted as far as it will go into the Slot socket.
A mildly tricky additional step is to use a small jeweller's screwdriver
to reach into the Slot socket and _carefully_ twist/pull/bend-out each contact
very slightly (naturally, with power OFF). You do not want any contact to
normally touch a contact across from it.
Whatever, if your GS starts okay and does not exhibit the same kind of
hanging in the future, you know that the ZipGS card is well socketed.
A more permanent, reliable cure is one _not_ recommended for someone
without experience working on circuit boards: You find a better Slot connector
socket-- one with gold contacts which touch plugged-in cards higher up and with
circuit board connections which will fit into the original holes-- and replace
the connector. This is a _very_ tricky replacement which requires careful de-
soldering of the original Slot socket, cleaning of contact holes, and
soldering-on the new socket-- all without burning the circuit board or slicing
traces on either side. Actually, slicing traces is okay, IF you are prepared to
repair the damage. (Yes; I did this replacement on our GS. It works; but, If I
had known what a hassle it would be, I probably would never have done it!)
----------------------------
031- Ever since my accelerator speed upgrade it seems like my GS is
always experiencing random system crashes. What's the problem
and how can I fix it?
When a GS equipped with an accelerator experiences frequent crashes into
the monitor after a speed upgrade, the usual explanations are ...
1. the accelerator is over-clocked for the microprocessor or RAM;
2. there are serious noise spikes on the Slot power lines.
If you are 'pushing' your current RAM or using an old 65C816, you can
upgrade to faster chips or swap in a slower oscillator.
Often, the problem will be noise spikes related to increased current load
and/or increased sensitivity to noise related to faster clocking. See the POWER
FAQs for Power Supply and motherboard mods which should help.
----------------------------
032- I added a new accelerator board to my Apple and now my
system is constantly bombing. What's the problem and how
can I fix it?
Most likely, the accelerator board's current load has led to increased
noise on the +5V bus. See the POWER FAQs for Power Supply and motherboard mods
which should help.
----------------------------
033- How can I get a display of IIgs speed?
You can use SpeedGS. This is a STARTUP program selector for ProDOS-8 on
the Apple IIgs which features display of Boot Volume, Date/Time, and current
Speed. Speed is shown as a rounded multiple of 'Normal'-- i.e. 1MHz. For
download sites, see Csa21MAIN4.txt .