Lynx-Documentation

(c) 1987 by EPYX
HTML-version 1996 by M.Domin and B.Schick
Last updated : 1998/01/14

1. General Overview
   1. Marketing Feature Set
   2. External Specification
2. Hardware Overview
3. Software Related Hardware Perniciousness
   1. Don't Do These Things
   2. PIease Don't Do These Things
   3. Do It This Way
4. CPU/ROM
   1. CPU Cycle Timing
   2. ROM
   3. CPU Sleep
5. Display
   1. Frame Rate
   2. Pen Numbers/Color Palette
   3. Display World/Suzy Painting Buffer/Mikey Display Buffer
   4. External Power Plug Detector
6. Sprite/Collision
   1. General Sprite Features
   2. Specific Sprite Functionality
   3. Collision Description
   4. Sprite Data Structure
   5. Bits in Bytes
   6. Sprite Engine Description
   7. Sprite Engine Use
   8. Sprite Engine Initialization
7. Audio
   1. Audio Channel Specification
   2. Audio filter
   3. Audio stereo
   4. Audio bug
   5. More to Sound
8. Magnetic Tape
9. ROM Cart
   1. ROM Cart Address Space
   2. ROM Cart Data Read
   3. ROM Cart Data Write
   4. ROM Cart Power-Up
10. Timers/Interrupts
    1. Timers
    2. Timer Utilization
    3. Interrupts
11. UART
    1. Connector Signals
    2. Baud Rate
    3. Data Format
    4. Break
    5. Transmitter Status Bits
    6. Errors
    7. Unusual Interrupt Condition
    8. left out
12. Other Hardware Features
    1. Hardware Multiply, Accumulate and Divide
    2. Upward Compatibility
    3. Parallel Port
    4. Qbert Root
    5. Everon
    6. UnsafeAccess
    7. Howie Notification
    8. General I/O Port
13. Expansion Connector
14. System Reset/Power Up
    1. Suzy Reset Recovery
    2. Mikey Reset Recovery
15. Definitions and Terminology
16. Known Variances From Anticipated Optimums
    1. Mikey
    2. Suzy
17. Approved Exemptions
18. Common Errors
19. SaveGame-Option

Appendix

1. System Bus Interplay
2. Interrupts and CPU Sleep
3. Hardware Addresses
4. Sprite Engine

 

 

1. General-Overview

Handy is a portable hand held programmable video game. It is totally self contained with its own power source, display screen, fluorescent backlight speaker, and data input reader.

1. Marketing Feature Set

   The unit is portable, allowing its use in many areas previously untouched by arcade games. The unit is programmable thru the use of small data cartridges. The unit can be privately used with earphones. The marketing advantages are obvious. They can be detailed in a marketing document. Certain advantages, however, are worth mentioning here.

   In addition to using the game in the usual play areas, the player can easily carry the game and several of the compact data cartridges to nearly any play location. For example, long car rides, airplane flights, sales meetings, and visits to relatives. With the use of an earphone, the game can be played without audible disturbance of the other car passengers, relatives, or classmates.

   By adding the expansion module (an infrared communications pod ), many players may play simultaneously and interactively in a common game (car race, space battle, snow ball fight, etc.) Additionally, a matching receiver unit could plug into the joystick connector of a C64 or other game machine and Handy could be used as a wireless joystick.

   Inter game communications can also be done with a wire. Many players can be connected in parallel on the same wire.

2. External Specification
   • The display is a 3.4 inch diagonal color LCD with a resolution of 160 horizontal triads and 102 vertical lines. The LCD can display 16 levels (each) of red, green, and blue, for a total of 4096 colors.
   • There is a fixed intensity backlight for the display.
   • There is a contrast contral (viewing angle) for the LCD.
   • The display rate is programmable and includes 50 and 60 Hz.
   • The display can be used in 3 orientations, allowing for both left handed and right handed landscape as welt as portrait operation.
   • The audio system is mono with 4 voices and a frequency response from 100Hz to 4kHz.
   • There is a 2 inch speaker, a volume control and an earphone jack for private listening.
   • The required batteries are 6 'AA' cells.
   • There is a power jack for use with an external power supply.
   • The game input controls are a thumb controlled joy stick, two sets of two independent fire buttons, pause, and two flablode buttons.
   • The data input is a ROM cartridge with 1 Mbyte of address space and can contain writable elements.
   • The expansion connector interfaces to a bi-directional serial communications port. The only expansion devices considered at this time are an infra-red communications pod (or wire) to allow for multiple player games, a steering wheel adaptor, and a wireless joystick adaptor.

 

2. Hardware-Overview

(see the Handy Block Diagram, appx 1)

See here for the addresses.

The system hardware consists of: Mikey and Suzy. custom digital ICs.
A 16 MHz crystal.
Two 64k by 4