Marty 1 = Marty 2

I opened a Marty 1 and a Marty 2 yesterday, and checked out their mainboards. They are exactly the same. Both have AMD 386 CPUs running at 16MHz.

Marty 2 is not running at 25 MHz, that's for sure.

CF

 

SX(L) or DX(L)?

 

I always though the Marty 2 had more RAM...no more.

 

I think that is an excellent question Jamtex. The CPU is the same in both versions of the Marty. It is from AMD and is labeled DS39473A - but is it a 386 DX or SX? To be honest, I don't know that 100% yet.

I think it is a 386SX. Why? Because the japanese FM TOWNS wikipedia says 386SX, and that has proven to be a good source of information. But how can we be sure... Fujitsu marketed the Marty as a 32-bit system alright, but "is the databus 32-bit or 16-bit wide (?)" is really the question. I remember that the BIOS was split into two Toshiba PROMs that can be used in either 16-bit and 8-bit mode - so both configurations are possible with regard to that. I would need to check the motherboard again...

For a minute I was thinking about trying to write a small inline assembly snippit to do a check from software. The CR0 ET-bit test often used to differentiate the 386SX from the 386DX should work on Marty, since the test is known to work correctly for all AMD 386SXs. The thing is that the test must be done in realmode and that all EXP executables under TownsOS run in protected mode. I am sure it can done, but it's not as easy as I first thought....

 

Getting an extra meg, to get Mahou Daisakusen working, would be nice

 

Is it just me, or couldn´t it be very easy making an FM Towns Marty clone with off the shelf parts, if somebody could figure out. How to dump the bios, and "clone" the sound system of it ? Or am I just saying rubbish ? And maybe even have a bios that can change between Marty 1 and 2 and so forth ?

 

There are a ton of custom chips in the Marty so good luck.

As for the processer can you give me the number below the DS39473A on the Marty 1 and Marty 2? As these will give the type and speed.

 

Ok, thanks for correcting me, I didn´t exactly know. That it had tons of custom chips in it. Since the English version lacks major info in that department.

 

The FM Towns was way ahead of the awful crap that was the PC in the west. Probably the last dedicated system of the time. That's one reason why a number of western games appeared on the FM Towns format because the system was streets ahead. In the West VGA (MCGA) was still not a standard and a number of games used EGA (smooth scrolling is quite easy to do) and CGA mainly because it was faster to use. It had a built in Yamaha sound chip where as PCs in the west probably had the inbuilt speaker and maybe at a push a Adlib compatable soundcard or an 8bit soundblaster clone...

If only Fujitsu had released the FM Towns in the west...

 

Getting RGB/non-interlaced output would be even better.

 

You mean the datecode?

Marty 1 = D 250HBR8
Marty 2 = D 250HNF2

As you see the chips are made in week 50, 1992 - about a year before the Marty was released. That might be an indication of a SX... but how do you figure out the speed?

Anyway - I am really stupid, hehe... I didn't tell you that the chip is a QFP-100!!! The 386DX is 132-pin, so it has to be a SX I guess

CF

 

Yeah! You know that's why I opened the Martys in the first place

I wanted to identify the video DAC. Turns out it is a MB40968V. It doesn't output RGB I'm afraid.... It gets digital video from a big custom 160-pin chip - the "CE31755". I need to read up on the subject before I start experimenting with replacement DACs and stuff...

Anyone else who have looked into this?

 

I don't think MD runs on MArty 2 either..didn't on one of mine iirc. But then perhaps it depends on the OS level? I can get Rayxamber to run on some of my consoles but not others!

 

Could it be that later Marty 1s were updated?

I have a Towns OS CD that doesn't run under the emulator with 2MB selected, but runs on both the Marty 1 and 2.

The Frog Feast code supports the idea that the systems are the same (or close) speed wise.

 

Nope, MD requires 3MB RAM, and since Marty 1 and Marty 2 have the same hardware with 2MB RAM, it will not work. If you're interested in Marty hardware details, I noticed that the Marty has it's 512kB VRAM in four 128kB TMS48C121DZ chips and the 128kB Sprite RAM in one TC511664BJ-80 chip

About Rayxamber.... Would be cool to solve that mystery I havn't actually checked the versions of the various OS components in the BIOS...

Not related, but do you happen to have an english translation of the most common menu items and dialogue boxes in TownsMENU V1.x?

 

I reckon so. I'm sure my marty2s have at least 2 different OS. I've got a load of master cds and os cds for fm towns. Some run on marty too so I reckon you could update it.

 

What's that?

 

Frog Feast? It's a game I've developed for the FM Towns Marty (among others).

Check out http://frogfeast.rastersoft.net

 

The first disc I booted on a Marty

 

such a mess for such an easy solution....

Marty 1 = (Marty 2) / 2