Hi-Resolution - Astrocade
By Michael Matte
August 10, 2018

Attached are photos of MCM Design's low/high-res Astrocade. Below is a listing 
of this Astrocade's hardware specs and plans for hi-res software.

HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

Operates in low (160x102 pixels) or high (320x204 pixels) resolution, software 
selectable.

Screen RAM - low resolution, 4K bytes addressed 4000-4FFFH.
             high resolution, 16K bytes addressed 4000-7FFFH.

User RAM - 32K bytes addressed 8000-FFFFH, write protectable.
           socket compatible with 32K byte EEPROM.

           8k bytes addressed 6000-7FFFH, write protectable.
           switchable to 2000-3FFFH.
           socket compatible with 32K byte EEPROM, 8Kx4 multi-cart selectable 
via
           2 dip switches.

ROM - standard 8K byte low-res ROM addressed 0000-1FFFH.

      8K byte hi-res ROM interface addressed 0000-1FFFH.
      manually selectable via dip switch to allow system to run in hi-res only
      with low-res ROM disabled.

Z80 DART interface.

Full size matrix keyboard interface.

Wired connector for remote 24 button keypad.

50 pin expansion header for connection to BalcheckHR or other user PC or 
wirewrap boards.

Standard LM1889 circuitry, less rf circuitry, for unmodulated composite video
signal. Same composite video driver used in Datamax UV-1R computer for 
connection
to TV/monitor with composite video input jack.

LM377 audio amplifier with volume control will drive 8 ohm passive speaker.  
Includes output jack for connection to TV/monitor audio input jack or amplified 
speaker system.

Interior fused 120vac receptacle for Bally power transformer.

Rear mounted 120vac receptacle for use with audio cassette recorder.

Forced air flow over top of motherboard and out Astrocade console openings via 
fan mounted in Viper cabinet and hole in bottom left of console.

Final motherboard modification Planned?
Modified 2000-3FFFH cassette connector interface (PC board modified only) to  
provide option to manually select, via 2 mini-toggle switches mounted on the 
right side of the console, and run 32K byte game cartridges addressed 8000-
FFFFH or standard 8K byte cartridges addressed 2000-3FFFH.

HI-RES SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PLANNED

BalcheckHR - Includes commercial Balchek plus optional routines/demos to
             Further test standard or modified for hi-res motherboards.
             development status - expected completion, Nov 2018.

Hi-Res ROM - conversion of low-res UPI/on-board subroutines for use on
             high-res screen map. Will include 4K bytes of extended (EUPI)
             graphic routines.
             development status - low-res to high-res conversion near
             completion,  but, not fully tested. Need to add power up/menu
             display, GETNUM and GETPAR routines.

Hi-Res Machine Lanquage Manager (MLM) - upgraded version of Bit Fiddler's
             MLM.
             development status - Written and tested. May add extended
             graphics subroutines.

SEAWOLF Hi-Res - 8K bytes with SEAWOLF conversion to high-res plus
             high-res demos.

THE INCREDIBLE WIZARD Hi-Res - 32K byte conversion to high-res with custom
             Game introduction.


End of document.
Aug 2018.
MCM Design.