Atari Coldfire Project
| Developer | Firebee Volunteers[1] |
|---|---|
| Release date | May 2012[2] |
| Introductory price | 599 Euro |
| Website | www |
The Atari Coldfire Project (ACP) is a volunteer project that has created a modern Atari ST computer clone called the FireBee.[3][4]
Reason for the project
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2025) |
A new clone named Phenix never made it to market in final form.[5]
Specifications
[edit] | This section needs to be updated. (March 2025) |
The specifications for the ACP have changed considerably over time, in response to advancing technology and price considerations. However, it seems the following will be in the final design according to former Atari Coldfire Project homepage:[6]
- Processor: Coldfire MCF5474, 264 MHz, 400 MIPS
- RAM: DDR, 512 MB Main- + 128 MB Video- and Special-RAM on Board, Speed: 1 Gbit/s
- Flash: 8 MB onboard for operating systems
- Atari compatible interface ports:
- Other Ports:
- Ethernet 10/100, 1 Port
- USB 2.0 Host (ISP1563), 5 Ports
- Compact-Flash, 1 Port
- SD-Card, 1 Port
- AC'97 Stereo Codec with DMA-Sound Output and 48 kHz Sampling Input
- Sound_Connectors: LineIn, LineOut, Mic (Mono), DVD/CD internal
- New Video Modes about 2 megapixels, true color
- PS2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
- Battery Powered (if desired)
- PCI 33 MHz direct Edge for passive backplane
- Power controller with real time clock, PIC18F4520
- Extension socket: 60Pol (DSPI 33 megabaud, serial sync or async about 33 megabaud, 26 bit I/O about 133 MHz, I2C-Bus)
- Asynchronous 512 KB static RAM for DSP or similar already planned extensions in the future: Falcon DSP in the FPGA
- Format: Card 90 × 260 × 20 mm
- Power consumption of the complete board: 3 to 5 watts
Operating systems
[edit]On the 8 MB ROM, FireBee devices have the following pre-installed software:
- BaS (BasicSystem)
- FPGA config
- FireTOS
- EmuTOS
There's a ready to use FreeMiNT and GUI environment setup with applications ported to work on ColdFire which can be ordered on CompactFlash card with the device.
μClinux has also been ported to FireBee.[7]
Compatibility
[edit]There are different strategies for dealing with the differences in ColdFire and 68K instruction set and opcodes:[8]
- FireTOS includes 68K emulation based on an illegal instruction exception handler and CF68KLib
- 68Kemu program (based on Musashi 68k emulator) can be used to run 68K programs with EmuTOS
- Most of the operating system and basic desktop software has been ported and built for ColdFire and rest is able to run with emulation
- Several commercial and shareware Atari SW packages have also either been ported to ColdFire or open sourced so that they could be ported to FireBee
FireBee FPGA doesn't yet provide DSP functionality which means that any Atari Falcon specific programs requiring DSP won't run. Many Falcon games and demos use it to play background music.
Development tool support
[edit]- GCC, VBCC and (Pure C compatible) AHCC[9] C-compilers and their libraries have fully working ColdFire support
- Digger disassembler supports ColdFire
- RSC-editors like ResourceMaster work on Firebee
- GFA Basic has been modified to support FireTOS
- SDL library and its (Atari specific) LDG dependency are ported to ColdFire/FireBee
References
[edit]- ^ About, Atari ColdFire Project, Started by Atari Coldfire Project volunteers 2009
- ^ About, Atari ColdFire Project, The FireBee was available for end users since May 2012
- ^ Atari Firebee – An Atari Coldfire Clone Built for Music Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 18 May 2010, Atari Music Network
- ^ Atari Coldfire Project, 16 December 2010, Noble Master Developer's Blog
- ^ Miro Kropáček (4 May 2009). "Phenix 060 Overview". mikrosk.github.io. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Former Atari Coldfire Project Website". Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "μClinux binaries for FireBee". Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ^ Atari ColdFire Project news
- ^ AHCC C-compiler
External links
[edit]- Official website
- former website
- ACP FireBee on YouTube