Sonnet 7200 PCI programming

[Hedeon]

And the SWAP CONFIG is open on my config (IO SPACE before MEM SPACE). Don't know if closed works.

Jack had some trouble setting up Warp3D (also on the 68K side) and I can't remember how I set it up in the first place. I think I just installed the 68K Warp3D from the Mediator CD and patched and copied the PPC ones in place. My first mistake here was to use Warp3D from Aminet, which differs from the Mediator ones. Then there are the Warp3D ENV parameters....

I really should start thinking about documentation at this point...

Made a movie about some of the emulation stuff (WarpSNES, DarcNes, AmiGenerator, UAE). Should be posted soon.

I'm almost getting at the point that I should test some programs on real WarpOS to see if it is really the sonnet.library which has the bug or whether it is the program itself (besides the obvious problems with Paula sound for example).

[strim]

Should be posted soon.

[ Show youtube player ]

[S0ulA55a551n]

Pretty impressive stuff

Don't know if it was thje video but sonic looked a little bit jerky and mario looked a bit teary

[Hedeon]

Originally Posted by S0ulA55a551n

Pretty impressive stuff

Don't know if it was the video but sonic looked a little bit jerky and mario looked a bit teary

Don't know. I only saw after watching the video back that Sonic had a little jerk at the start (can't see any others, but maybe that's me). Tearing could be the video compression.

ScummVM is definitely a bit teary while scrolling. I can see the code addressing normal Amiga memory about 20-30 times a second which is a costly context-switch you normally don't have with CS/BPPC. I could probably optimize that further.

[Hedeon]

Also saw a hic-up in the decompression of AIBB in the video which I do not remember. Just tested it and no hic-up IRL.

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by Hedeon

Don't know. I only saw after watching the video back that Sonic had a little jerk at the start (can't see any others, but maybe that's me). Tearing could be the video compression.

ScummVM is definitely a bit teary while scrolling. I can see the code addressing normal Amiga memory about 20-30 times a second which is a costly context-switch you normally don't have with CS/BPPC. I could probably optimize that further.

I thought the whole problem with CS/BPPC was that context switches are a Problem ? |That's why warpOS etc is not as fast you would expect ?

[Hedeon]

I meant EXTRA context switches needed by the sonnet to access Amiga RAM, which the BPPC/CS does not have to do as they have direct access to all memory.

Originally Posted by S0ulA55a551n

I thought the whole problem with CS/BPPC was that context switches are a Problem ? |That's why warpOS etc is not as fast you would expect ?

[AMike]

Which SNES Emulator have you used for this video and where can I find this pretty piece of software? Thanx

[strim]

It's WarpSNES . Can be found on AmiNet.

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by Hedeon

I meant EXTRA context switches needed by the sonnet to access Amiga RAM, which the BPPC/CS does not have to do as they have direct access to all memory.

Got you. Thanks for exposing

[Hedeon]

If a WarpOS demo is very neatly programmed, you get something like

http://amigafun.blogspot.nl/2016/03/...on-sonnet.html

[strim]

Originally Posted by Hedeon

If a WarpOS demo is very neatly programmed, you get something like

http://amigafun.blogspot.nl/2016/03/...on-sonnet.html

Just awesome !

[jack-3d]

G3/400 MHz (512k) with Voodoo4 on A4000 and with huge Hedeon's support will make this:

[jack-3d]

-> Hedeon

[strim]

Sw33t. I guess you could also record some movies and put them on YouTube . I think the project could still use some publicity.

[Hedeon]

Regarding the placement of the cards: Voodoo4/5 needs to sit on a 256MB boundary in PCI memory to work with Sonnet (restraint in the way the MPC107 is set-up). If it is configured after Sonnet, it sits on a 128MB boundary. Cards are configured from bottom up inside A3000D & A4000D.

I think I have thought of a way to configure the Sonnet before the voodoo. It involves a patch in the pci.library. I'll try it this evening.

[Hedeon]

Originally Posted by strim

Sw33t. I guess you could also record some movies and put them on YouTube . I think the project could still use some publicity.

I'll be at the Amiga meeting near Wolfburg early april for people who want to see it in action. Though the project needs more Sonnets than publicity in my opinion..

[jack-3d]

So far we are three czech Sonnet club members ;o) But one waits for Mediator to buy and the other needs to find a time to build a A4k setup from scratch. BTW will be Mediator with Sonnet working with just A3640? Should be right?

Originally Posted by Hedeon

... Though the project needs more Sonnets than publicity in my opinion..

Our US Amiga colleagues should check their local MAC secondhand stores if they dont have Sonnets inside old Powermacs. I bet Sonnet company produced more Crescendos then Phase 5 Cyberstorms PPC.

[Hedeon]

Originally Posted by jack-3d

BTW will be Mediator with Sonnet working with just A3640? Should be right?

It should work with the minimum requirements of the mediator and I think that is EC030. There is 040 code in the library source (cache manipulation) but it is not used at the moment. There is no MMU code in the library at the moment. FPU code is executed when an FPU is detected, but that is only for the context switch to save/restore fp registers.

It's untested though. But full 040 should definitely work.

[jack-3d]

[ Show youtube player ]

Comparison of two big Amigas in Quake2 under Warp3D in 640x480.

Right side: A4000T, CSPPC 604e/333MHz, CVision PPC
Left side: A4000, CSMK3, Sonnet G3/400MHz, Voodoo4

... in this case Warp3D is very limited by Permedia 2 chip, because I had absolutely same benchmark result when 604e was on stock 200 MHz. I will make soon realtime comparison in software rendering soon...