Blow Up FX

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Introduction

With the Blow Up FX Accelorator board, you can switch from 32/36/40Mhz speed on Falcon Motherboard and also speeds up DSP to 50Mhz. It also includes Blow Up resolution enhancer. Installtion does require soldering. This board mounts on Falcon interface.

Information

Finally BlowUP-The Falcon Company has finished it's ultimate extension-card for the ATARI Falcon030: 

FFFFF X    X
F      X  X
FFF     XX
F      X  X
F     X    X  the Falcon Xtender

And these are the Features:

FastRAM-Expansion (max. 32MB)

    • 4 SIMMxSlots onboard (fits into original case)
    • 4 additional slots on optional daugther-card
    • 1MB and 4MB SIMMs, two-by-two
    • The original 4MB of the Falcon stay active.
    • With only 2*4MB and 2*1MB inserted, your Falcon then has 14MB!
    • Memory over 14MB is organized virtually.
    • With speeder: data throughput up to 20MB/s (standard 8MB/s).
    • No soldering for RAM-function neede!
    • Expansion-port daisychained! Tested with NOVA & FalconSpeed!

Hi-Speeder: CPU, DSP & Systemclock:

    • Systemclock 32, 36 or 40MHz
    • CPU/FPU-Clock 16,18,20,32,36 or 40MHz
    • DSP 50 instead of 32 MHz
    • Switchable by software.
    • Soldiering needed.

Resolution-Expansion BlowUP Hard I

The original with the Video-Mode-Generator with improved bustiming higher resolutions/refreshrates in 256 colors/TrueColor.

Installation:

If only the RAM-option is to be used, no soldering is needed for installation.

The card is simply plugged into the expansion-slot, which is daisychained, so that other expansions might be used in rebuilt (tower-)Falcons. Only a small piece of the shielding has to be removed in normal Falcons. For the speeder-option soldiering is needed as with other speeders available, so that rebuilding from those other Speeders is easy. Soldiering should only be made by routiened people.

Fast-RAM:

The Fast-RAM follows the Falcon RAM (4MB), the original 4MB-RAM-PCB in Falcon will still be used! There are 4 SIMM-sockets on the FX-card giving you two 16bit memory-banks. With an optional daugther-card two further Banks are available (fits only in rebuilt Falcon e.g. tower). The memory-banks may be filled with 1MB or 4MB SIMMs. This is an easy way to get 14MB with only 2 x 4MB and 2 x 1MB SIMMs. Our FastRAM can be used for all functions , including DMA-access, except video. As there are no video-accesses on the FX-RAM it is up to 50% faster in color modes. The FX-RAM normally has no problems with installed Speeders. If the Speeder on the FX-card is used, a special Page-mode will be used for RAM-access in the 32/36/40MHz-modes. This allows RAM-access with no waitstates and increases the memory throughput from normally 8MB/s to max. 20MB/s. If you don't need the speeder FX is a simple "plug'n'play" memory-card.

If more than 10MB is inserted into FX the upper part is switched by the MMU an the FX-logic. The management of the extended memory is done fully invisible for all applications with the PMMU of the 68030 CPU. The speed-loos with this is minimal compared to virtual RAM on a harddisk. This optional configuration allows a maximum use of 32MB. So that 8MB are standard FastRAM (no video-access) and 24MB are EMS-RAM. For standard applications there is no difference.

CPU-Speeder:

The Speeder included on the FX-card increases the system-clock from 32 MHz to 36 or 40MHz. The CPU then can run with 16MHz (normal), 18MHz, 20MHz, 32Mhz, 36MHz or 40MHz. With the special FX-logic now nearly all Falcon can use the 40MHz clock. The clock may be switched on booting or later with a CPX-module. We have also solved the problems some programms had with the DSP if the CPU ran at 40MHz and the DSP at 50MHz. Soldiering is needed for installation.

DSP-Speeder:

Increases the DPS speed from 32MHz to 50MHz! Superb for MPEG-Decoder. Solved problems with CPU at 40MHz. Soldiering is needed for installation.

BlowUP Hard1:

The well known and time-tested resolutionexpansion also found a place on the FX-card. With the confortable Software and super resolutions (e.g. 800*608 at 84Hz ni, 1024*768 at 104Hz i). Soldiering is needed for installation.

Tecnical data: size ~160mm*65mm, simply plugged into the expansion-slot (put trough) power taken from expansion-slot 4 SIMM-sockets onboard for 1M*9/1M*8/ 4M*9/4M*8 SIMMs (min 70ns), with changed FIRMWARE 16M*9 can also be used 4 additional SIMM sockets on daughter-board with 2*4MB and 2*1MB SIMMs power consumption of ~200mA. Controllerchip reprogrammable by software (Hardware-update by Software possible)

And even better!! the price: 349,-DM Order information:

FX is now available from all ATARI dealers, our distributors in the UK, France, Sweden and the U.S.A. If you have problems to get it, order directly from us:

Either by normal mail - including a cheque or by normal mail or FAX - paied by CREDIT CARD (VISA or DINERS donxt forget to include card-number and Exp. date) -

Please state the way of delivery you prefer:

UPS expedited or air-mail (with insurance - w/o insurance)

e.g. U.S.A. 90DM 45DM 

                30DM

e.g. London 40DM 30DM 

                20DM

BlowUP - A.E.S.GbR Eslarner Str. 34 81549 Muenchen Germany Fax: 0841-86480 e-mail: ac...@informatik.tu-muenchen.de

Gallery

  • Board Top

    Board Top

  • Board Bottom

    Board Bottom

  • Manual and installation wires

    Manual and installation wires


Magazine References

  • ST Format, issue 85, p20-21
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