Cirrus Logic CL-GD610 / CL-GD620
The CL-GD610 / CL-GD620 chipset was released in 1989 as their third SVGA chipset, though this one was specifically designed for low-power (laptop or portable) scenarios.
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Released | May 1989 |
| Bus | ISA 8-bit | |
| Chipset | Cirrus Logic CL-GD610 / 620 | |
| Standards | MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA | |
| Memory | 1 MB DRAM (80 or 100ns) | |
| RAMDAC | (External) | |
| Part # | - | |
| FCC IDs | ||
| Cards | ||
| See Also | CL-GD510/520, CL-GD410/420 |
Unlike the 410/420 and 510/520 chipsets before it, the 610/620 came with support for converting colour to greyscales, automatic scaling, and having the ability to power down the RAMDAC - all useful features for portable computing. It was fully backward-compatible with the 510/520.
Given this was a two-chip chipset, each had these functions:
- CL-GD610: graphics controller (contains the bus interface logic and is responsible for directing memory reads and writes to and from video memory) and attribute controller (works with the sequencer to generate the correct colour index)
- CL-GD620: sequencer (responsible for converting video memory to colour indexes - operates in both text and graphics modes) and CRT controller (sends the image data to the monitor)
Known cards that use this chipset coupled it with a 50 MHz RAMDAC like the Suntac GS0276P-50, Inmos IMSG171P-50G or Inmoss IMSG177J-50. They also got a fourth crystal oscillator over the 32 MHz one on the earlier chipsets, which ran at 32.514 MHz, providing more extended graphics modes and allowing cards to also run two displays at the same time.
The core clock ran at 32 MHz.
Cards that used this chipset include:
- KS-750V/3100V
- Stingray Rev. 4+
- Card sold in the FMA 3500 486DX laptop
- Card sold in the Highscreen 386 Portable (KS-752 card with ROM BIOS v3.03 BETA 6)
Revisions
The chipset itself came in these revisions: B and C.
Known ROM BIOS versions include: 2.2, 2.22 and 3.03 BETA 6
Competition
In 1989, the CL-GD610/620 chipset would have gone up against the Tseng Labs ET4000 chipset which found itself on many third-party SVGA cards including the Orchid ProDesigner IIs, Diamond SpeedSTAR and SpeedSTAR 24, STB Powergraph and Genoa Systems Multimedia VGA Model 7900.
In the Media
Targeted for portable PC users, the new chip set, called the CL-GD610/620, provides high-quality image reproduction for 32 shades of gray while offering full hardware compatibility with LCD panels made by Asahi Optrix, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Kyocera, Sanyo, Seiko, Epson, Sharp, and Toshiba. It is also compatible with electroluminescent screens, gas-plasma panels and CRT terminals.
An Auto-Map algorithm maps the VGA standard palette of 256 colors to 32 shades of gray in mode 13, creating realistic images, the company said. Foreground/background color attributes are remapped automatically for maximum contrast, according to the company.
The chip set also uses an automatic scaling technique, called Auto-Scale, that converts the pixel formats of the different display standards into the fixed LCD format of either 640 by 480 pixels or 320 x 200 pixels. By scaling, the controller maintains compatibility with IBM's VGA, EGA, CGA, Hercules, and MDA standards.
In the controller's low-power LCD operation, the RAMDAC can be turned off and a second power level provides full CRT operation when AC power is available.
The CL-GD610/620 sells for $52.50 in quantities of 100. Volume production begins in May."
InfoWorld, 24 April 1989
Setting it Up
Most cards with this chipset have eight DIP switches on the backplate. They can be configured as follows:
| Switch | Meaning | Known Settings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Monitor Type | MDA: ON ON ON ON CGA: OFF ON ON ON EGA: ON OFF ON ON TTL: OFF OFF ON ON VGA: OFF ON ON OFF PS/2: ON ON ON OFF |
| 5 | Primary/Secondary Adapter | If you have more than one graphics card in your system, this is relevant. ON: This card is the primary graphics card OFF: This card is the secondary graphics card |
| 6-8 | Configuration | Auto: ON ON ON MDA: ON OFF ON CGA: OFF ON ON EGA: OFF OFF ON VGA: ON ON OFF |
Downloads
Operation Manual Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
Original Utility Disk Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
CLUtils
Contains Eagle VGA Controller Utility v4.01, Panel Option Switcher v1.0, and Vscreen v1.06 (inverts the colours on the display) |
ROM BIOS
Courtesy of Vogons member Jonas-fr |
Amstrad ALT-386SX ROM BIOS
Courtesy of DOS Days contirbutor Atsuko Ito, from her Amstrad ALT-38SX laptop |
Stingray ROM BIOS
Courtesy of. Vogons member Robin4 |
Stingray ROM BIOS
Courtesy of. Vogons member Robin4 |
KS-750V / KS-752 Rev.C ROM BIOS
From VogonsDrivers.org |
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