PREFACE
This manual provides information about the Amiga[tm] graphics and audio hardware
and about how the Amiga talks
to
the outside world through peripheral devices. A por-
tion of this manual
is
a tutorial on writing assembly language programs
to
directly con-
trol the Amiga's graphics and hardware.
This book
is
intended for the following audiences:
o Assembly language programmers who need a more direct way of interacting with
the system than the routines described
in
the Amiga
ROM
Kernel Manual. You
can find information here
to
help you make your programs run faster or do
things
that
the ROM kernel routines don't do.
o Anyone who wants
to
add new peripherals
to
the Amiga
or
just
wants
to
know
how the hardware works.
We suggest
that
you
use
this book according
to
your level of familiarity with the Amiga
system. Here are some suggestions:
o If this is your initial exposure
to
the Amiga, read chapter 1, which gives a sur-
vey of all the hardware features and a brief rundown of graphics and audio
effects created by hardware interaction.
o
If
you are already familiar with the system and want to acquaint yourself with
how
the various bits
in
the hardware registers govern the way the system func-
tions, browse through chapters 2 through 8. Examples are included in these
chapters.
o For advanced users, the appendixes give a concise summary of the entire register
set and the uses of the individual bits. Once you are familiar with the effects of
changes in the various bits, you may wish
to
refer more often
to
the appendixes
than to the explanatory chapters.
Here is a brief overview of the contents:
Chapter
1,
Introduction. An overview of the hardware and survey of the
Amiga's graphics and audio features.
Chapter
2,
Coprocessor Hardware. Using the Copper coprocessor
to
control the
entire graphics and audio system; directing mid-screen modifications
in
graphics
displays and directing register changes during the time between displays.
-v-
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