@database A570FAQ.guide @index INDEX @node MAIN @title "A570 CDRom Frequently Asked Questions List" The A570 Frequently Asked Questions List ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Technical Hints and Tips for the Commodore Amiga 570 CDRom Drive Revision 2.0-July 12, 1994 by @{"Calum Tsang" link 7} tsangC@.io.org / Calum_Tsang@comnet.cbmtor.gts.org This is, like the A2090.doc, an unofficial compilation of information, hints and tips for the Commodore Amiga 570 CDRom drive. Please send any ideas, comments and information to me at my above Internet EMail address. @{"1. Introduction - Why an A570 document? " link 1} @{"2. The Hardware - The basics of what's inside " link 2} @{"3. Theory of Operation - Chips and Salsa " link 3} @{"4. Programming Support - Whole shaking going on " link 4} @{"5. Them CD+G Discs - What are they? " link 5} @{"6. Your Mileage May Vary - Me too! Me too! " link 6} If you've been helped, please email me a note! And if you have more to add, email me too! And if you feel REALLY friendly, send me old hardware! @endnode @node 1 "Introduction" 1. Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why set up a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list for the CBM A570? Many users have purchased this drive, and are looking for more information on using it. People are attracted by it's low cost, CDTV compatiblity and design for many uses from family resource to BBS access. Many people have asked around about the A570, especially on the internet newsgroup, Comp.Sys.Amiga.Hardware. This is a compilation of notes and ideas from them. Thanks to everyone who has helped out, and special thanks again to Steve Vetzal at Commodore Canada and Dale Currie at AmiTrix Development for their technical insight. @endnode @node 2 "Hardware" 2. The Hardware ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The A570 CDRom unit is an external expansion box for the Amiga 500 series of computers. It attaches on the left side through the 86pin expansion slot, and does not pass through. The drive matches the styling of the A500 quite well, it has the same putty colour and vent styling as the back of the computer. Power is supplied via a special power adapter box, much like the A500/600/1200 power supplies, except it has a special device inside that watches for the A500's boot. The idea is you first turn on the CDRom power supply and then the A500. The power supply for the A570 will twitch if the A500 is not powered up while the CDRom is. "That's the clicking noise, BTW." The front panel has a large eject button for the disc drive, a volume switch with a disable function, a CD Access and Power LED and a 1/4" headphone jack. The drive itself is a single speed, 150KBps CDRom unit, without XA or MPC capabilities. It does not support PhotoCD, nor does it support doublespin transfer rates. @endnode @node 3 "Theory of Operation: Modus Operandi" 3. Theory of Operation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The A570 is meant to be an exact copy of the Commodore CDTV, or Commodore Dynamic Total Vision multimedia player. It has the specialized ROM chip for CDTV functions, such as CDXL and other CD related libraries. This ROM are merged into the A500. On power up of the entire system, the A570 takes control of the A500, checking for bootable floppy disks and CDRoms. It does not allow devices on the expansion bus to boot, taking all priorities. There is no way so far to disable this "feature". If a boot disk is found, either on floppy or on the special SCSI Hard Disk, never sold by Commodore, but provisioned for, the A570 goes into an AmigaDOS mode, which allows itself to be used as device CD0: Onboard is a custom CDRom interface to save money, running a Matsushita (Panasonic) or Mitsumi raw mechanism. Also onboard is the standard CDTV mixer, which combines Amiga RCA and CDRom audio into one stream. Volume and mixing are both software controlled. There are two mysterious expansion ports, a 40 pin header which is for a 2 MB RAM expansion, and a small slot port with space in the back for a SCSI HD (no space that I can see, but this looked a like a module-type design that you'd shove in, probably 2.5" GO Drive mechanism). They are mentioned in the manual, but according to CBM Canada, were never produced. AmiTrix Development makes a thing called the A570 SCSI-TV which does the same job. CBM Canada has referred me to them, so give them a shout. @endnode @node 4 "Programming" 4. Programming Support ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Apparently, there is no service manual for the 570, or they are extremely hard to come by. Programming wise, the 570 is identical to the CDTV, which is very close to a 500. The CDTV libraries, by Carl Sassenrath of CDXL fame, is placed into the system via a ROM patch-this is put in on boot up. It ensures CDTV compatibility. There are many who are working on the 570. Some of the people below are interested in learning and programming this device. @endnode @node 5 "CD+Graphics" 5. Them CD+G Discs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CD+G are special CD-Audio discs which have graphical information on them, of low resolution still images. These are not be confused with CDVideo discs which have about 20 minutes of video. Unfortunately, they are not very popular. I have seen two discs with CD+G on them, one is Laura Brannigan (an adult-oriented-radio, pop singer) and another is a JVC Animé Japanese cartoon with karoake disc. The only other CD+G player I've seen outside of the CDTV/570 and other computer-based devices is a JVC product in the form of a hexagonal "tower", in grey colour. It had an onboard mixer for microphones and mixed karoake CD+G's with your voice in the mike. I don't see why people wouldn't buy a normal LaserDisc player...for the price the JVC people were asking. @endnode @node 6 "The A570 Fan Club" 6. Your Mileage May Vary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments and Notes from Internet 570 Users. Stefan Berg (sgberg@charon.bloomington.in.us) says -he didn't use the grounding plate/clip, but it works without. -Next, I had problems using the AlfaRAM memory expansion together with the A570. They work fine only when both or either one of them are disabled. The AlfaRAM is a regular 8MB memory expansion with pass-through and ON/OFF switch. I ordered a SupraRAM memory expansion and hope that it will work ok. Dale Currie said that he heard of people who succesfully used the SupraRAM and the A570 together. I can let you know about it once I get the unit if you want to add that to your FAQ. -CDFix program by Thomas Moore, dark@judy.indstate.edu. It's available on Aminet. Before I ran his patch I could not remove and re-insert some CD disks while operating in standard AmigaDOS mode. The A570 would simply not recognize the CD after having inserted it. Basically I had to reboot my computer every time I swapped the CD and had to make sure that the CD was in the computer _before_ I booted with a disk. Jim Cook (lrfredrick@athena.ualr.edu) writes -he's using a 25 foot parnet cable -is successfully switching between digitizer, printer and parnet hardware with his A1200, connected to a 500 w/570. -the AlfaData Expansion Connector, a two place Y device, will not let the A570 and an A590 run at the same time. Dale Currie (Dale_Currie@CUEHere.Edmonton.AB.CA) writes -his company, AmiTrix Development sells 570/CDTV products. -SCSI/TV570 is a RDB SCSI adaptor for the expansion slot at the back of the 570 chassis. It takes a GODrive like 2.5" mechanism, and works with HDToolbox. -CD-RAM570, an upcoming board, will attach to the 40 pin header of the 570 for adding AutoConfig RAM to the 570 system. Frank Lazar (franklazar@aol.com) is quoted -Just pop in the CD+G disk then move the cursor all the way to the bottom right. push the A button and then Play and you're off. By the way, one of the latest titles is Lou Reed's New York album. Calum Tsang (myself, tsangC@io.org) notes -the Supra Corporation SupraDrive 500XP SCSI expander doesn't like to boot with the 570 attached. -grounding is crucial to the operation of the 570. Attach the including grounding shield clip extender. You may have to connect the shield ground further with a piece of sheet metal in order for a proper boot. -Danny Amor's CDTVPlayer works VERY well with the 570. The Auto-Album recognization feature is excellent. -Users have recommended JukeBox, availible on AmiNet. @endnode @node 7 "Who is Calum" 7. Calum Explained ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm an industrial engineering student at the University of Toronto. My life centers around my girlfriend, Lego, and working in UNIX environments. @endnode