Re: Transwarp?

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <Jc5defe.xebec@delphi.com>,  <xebec@delphi.com> wrote:
> Hi I recently decided to give a second chance to the old apple iie that was
> dying in my cellar. So I was wondering to give him some boost with tools
> Like Transwarp, Cpu 65812 Or Cpu 65816.

I think you mean "65802".  They aren't made any more by Western Design
Centre, but I don't know if any other companies make them.  Roger
Wagner Publishing used to sell them for US$25, but I don't know if
they have any left.

There has been some discussion here recently about whether it is a
good idea to use a 65816 in a IIe.  The official word is that it is
not safe, and from my own analysis I wouldn't recommend it, as there
will be floating inputs, conflicting outputs and bus clashes occurring
all the time.

The 65816 is not designed to be a plug-in replacement for the
6502/65C02.  The 65802 was.

There is little benefit gained from putting a 65802 into a IIe, unless
you have software that can take advantage of it by using native
(16-bit) mode.  The only commercial program I know of that can do this
is the Merlin-16 assembler from Roger Wagner Publishing, which
requires a 65802 or 65816.  (It is part of their Merlin-8/16 package,
including Merlin-8, which works on a 6502/65C02 machine but is
considerably slower and less powerful.)


Using a 65802 in a IIe prevents the use of a CPU-socket accelerator
such as the ZIP Chip or Rocket Chip.

The IIe version of the TransWarp can be used with a 65802.  It may be
difficult to get hold of one, though.

Some versions of the RAMWorks card from Applied Engineering had a
"16-bit" option that sounding like it was a socket for a 65802 or
65816 (not sure which), but I don't know how it worked.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand