A2FPGA: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:57, 5 April 2024

The A2FPGA is primarily an HDMI video and sound for the Apple II, II+, //e, and IIgs. It's an Apple II peripheral card that can be installed in any Apple II slot (slot-7 recommended except for the IIgs which requires slot 3) that 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 480p HDMI 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 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.

History

A2FPGA contacted Henry on September 7th, 2023 to discuss their HDMI related project and about ReActiveMicro assisting with distribution and related sales, logistics, and support.

Features

As of April 2024 the standard features currently are:

720x480 HDMI output supporting all Apple II, //e, & IIgs display modes.
Mockingboard sound compatibility
Both Apple II system audio AND Mockingboard audio are output to your HDMI display's speakers
Synetix SuperSprite and Ciarcia EZ-Color TMS9918a compatibility
Super Serial Card compatibility communications over USB for ADTPro

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/e systems.

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.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 The A2FPGA is primarily an HDMI video and sound for the Apple II, II+, //e, and IIgs. It's an Apple II peripheral card that can be installed in any Apple II slot (slot-7 recommended except for the IIgs which requires slot 3) that 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 480p HDMI 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 any monitor or television.
-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.
 <strong>Product Status:</strong> Actively sold by ReActiveMicro.
@@ Line 27: / Line 26: @@
   Synetix SuperSprite and Ciarcia EZ-Color TMS9918a compatibility
   Super Serial Card compatibility communications over USB for ADTPro
+== DIP Switch Settings ==
+The A2N20v2 has a 4-switch DIP switch that controls the following settings:
+ SW1: Enable Scanline effect when set to <b>ON (default).</b>
+ SW2: Enable Apple II speaker sounds via HDMI when set to <b>ON (default).</b>
+ SW3: Set to <b>ON (default)</b> 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/e systems.
+== 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.