A2FPGA
The A2FPGA is primarily an HD video and Mockingboard-compatible sound card for the Apple II, II+, //e, and IIgs. It's a small, Apple II peripheral card that can be installed in any Apple II computer II, II+, //e, IIgs. See Slots below for compatible slot locations by system type. The A2FPGA uses a modern FPGA (field-programmable gate array or "programmable logic") to provide precise timing-accurate interfacing to the Apple II bus. This allows the card to capture all access to Apple II display memory in order to faithfully generate Apple text and graphics in crisp 720p 60Hz HD as well as providing the functionality of a number of popular peripheral cards in a single Apple II slot. The A2FPGA has been tested with Apple II, II+, //e, and IIgs models and brings the classic Apple II experience to a whole new level on any monitor or television.
Product Status: Actively sold by ReActiveMicro.
Support: Post on the Discussion page (link above) or email ReActiveMicro Support.
Sales: Visit the ReActiveMicro Store.
Features
As of April 2024 the standard features currently are:
720x480 @ 60Hz HDMI output supporting all Apple II, II+, //e, & IIgs display modes.* Mockingboard sound compatibility (Slot 4) Both Apple II system speaker audio AND Mockingboard audio are output to your HDMI display's speakers Synetix SuperSprite and Ciarcia EZ-Color TMS9918a compatibility (Slot 7)
- If your monitor doesn't support 720x480 resolution, or some older "CCTV" type monitors, then you may not receive video. More common and newer HDMI monitors should not have any issues.
- All functionality is supported simultaneously. Users don’t have to change modes or configuration to switch between features.
- The A2N20-V2 Multicard does NOT connect the INT_IN/INT_OUT or DMA_IN/DMA_OUT daisy chain lines. Systems that have multiple cards which depend on daisy chaining may not function.
Slots:
II/Plus/e - Any Slot, We recommend Slot 7 for better HDMI cable routing
IIgs ROM0 - NOT TESTED, But Slot 3 ONLY
IIgs ROM1 - Slot 3 ONLY
IIgs ROM3 - Any Slot 1-6 but WILL NOT function in Slot 7
WARNING! This board MUST be installed with the HDMI connector facing the forward keyboard end of the chassis! Failure to do so will result in damage to your Apple II as all bus lines are active.
NOTE:
- The A2FPGA is fully DMA compliant and cards such as the MicroDrive/Turbo do work with DMA mode enabled.
- If Mockingboard is enabled, NO other card may be physically present in Slot 4. For IIgs, you must set the control panel slot 4 to "My Card"
- The FPGA used on A2FPGA takes ~2 seconds to power on and sync to an HDMI display. During this time the Apple II system is held in RESET, meaning the II will do nothing (not even beep) until the A2FPGA board has been fully setup and synched. The initial Apple II power on "beep" will be missed, but all subsequent Apple II sound can be output to HDMI if SW2 is ON.
- The A2FPGA is NOT an emulator. It is a full and complete implementation of all of the original logic for these hardware components plus bus decoding, memory shadowing, and the full range of video modes for the entire Apple II family. Plus a complete implementation of the TMS-9918A VDP and the SuperSprite and Ciarcia compatible means to hook into it.
Incompatibilities & Issues
- Any peripheral cards installed in Slots 4 or 7 might not work correctly, and other slots should be used. Slot 4 is where the Mockingboard is accessed, and Slot 7 is where the Synetix SuperSprite card is accessed. These options can be disabled with reprogramming the firmware. See Firmware / FPGA Core below for firmware options.
- IIgs Ensoniq Sound does NOT get output to the HDMI audio - yet. This is currently in the works and there will be a firmware update available listed below.
Reviews
On May 6th, 2024 Chris Torrence of Assembly Lines posted a review video of the A2FPGA in a IIgs environment. Also shows things like setting up the Control Panel in the IIgs.
On April 27nd, 2024 Chris Torrence of Assembly Lines posted a review video of the A2FPGA in a II Plus and IIe environment. Chris also reviews and does a firmware update in real time. Skip to 9:56 to see it and follow along!
On April 22nd, 2024 Joe Strosnider of Joe's Computer Museum posted a review video of the A2FPGA in a IIgs environment. Joe also reviews and does a firmware update in real time. Skip to 15:03 to see it and follow along!
DIP Switch Settings
The A2N20v2 has a 4-switch DIP switch that controls the following settings:
SW1: Enable Scanline effect when set to ON (default). SW2: Enable Apple II speaker sounds via HDMI when set to ON (default). SW3: Set to ON (default) for Power-on-Reset Hold - Delay Apple II start-up until FPGA is initialized and running. SW4: Apple IIgs - Set to ON when installed in an Apple IIgs. OFF for II, II+ and II/e systems.
The Mockingboard functionality is directly tied to Slot #4. At present there is no way to override this behavior. In order for the Mockingboard implementation to work properly, no other card may be physically present in Slot 4 on any Apple II system. Further, if you have a IIgs, you must configure slot 4 as "My Card" in the Apple IIgs control panel.
The Synetix SuperSprite functionality is also directly tied to Slot #7. If you intend to use a card in slot #7, you will not be able to access the SuperSprite (TMS-9918A / F18A VDP functions). Additionally, making slot #7 usable for your own card requires that you perform a firmware update using the "NOSPRITE7" version of the firmware located below.
Firmware / FPGA Core
The A2FPGA firmware is easily updated on any PC or Mac and is based on open-source code so that new functionality and bug fixes from the developer community can be added over time.
You can learn more about this exciting project on its public GitHub repository: https://github.com/a2fpga/a2fpga_core.
The team also maintains a presence on X (formerly Twitter) here: https://twitter.com/a2fpga.
UPDATING THE A2N20-V2 FPGA FIRMWARE
All versions of the firmware for this product are listed below and organized by date.
A2n20v2-04252024.zip a2n20v2 Multicard Firmware Version 04-25-2024 (LATEST STABLE RELEASE). Mockingboard and Synetix SuperSprite card ENABLED.
[COMING SOON] a2n20v2 Multicard Firmware Version 04-25-2024-NOSPRITE7 (LATEST STABLE RELEASE, NO SUPERSPRITE ON SLOT 7). Mockingboard ENABLED (Slot 4) and Synetix SuperSprite (Slot 7) card DISABLED. NOTE: Use this version of the firmware if you wish to use Slot #7 with any of your other cards. You will not be able to access any of the SuperSprite VDP capabilities, but there are only so many slots available in every Apple II, and many users will want to use storage or other options in Slot 7.
These .ZIP files include the latest stable version of the firmware and a PDF with instructions for performing a firmware update for Windows, Mac and Linux systems. See the review videos above to follow along with a step by step, on screen update process.
Testing
The A2FPGA displays video immediately when installed in the correct slot. Sound depends on the DIP Switch setting.
Any diagnostic program can be used to test varying video modes. Other programs, such as games, could also be used. Sound testing can more simply be performed using the Mockingboard Demo disk.
For testing Synetix SuperSprite features, this link https://mirrors.apple2.org.za/ftp.apple.asimov.net/images/hardware/video/StarSprite-SuperSprite-Programs.zip is a ZIP file with images for the Synetix SuperSprite programs. When you unpack it, the Demonstration Disk is probably the best one to use for testing.
History
September 7th, 2023 A2FPGA contacted Henry to discuss their HDMI related project and about ReActiveMicro assisting with distribution and related sales, logistics, and support.