DMA coprocessor

[TeamMB03+]

The DMA is a classic Z80 CPU accessory chip that does a job independently of the main processor and helps to perform a time-demanding operations. Z80-DMA is a coprocessor similar to special chips in other, more complex home computers. It was widely used on the ZX Spectrum with the MB03+´s predecessor, the discdrive interface MB02+ and it´s operating system BSDOS.

Now the DMA chip logic is implemented in the FPGA of the MB03+ and is supported by ESXDOS 0.8.7 (via setting in ESXDOS.CFG), in order to accelerate the data transfers from and to IDE storage devices and memory cards.

However, the DMA chip has a wide scope od usability, it can simply and quickly do various jobs when cpu does another tasks and has several operational modes, for example it can accelerate graphics effects and screen data transfers in games and demos.

It is also able to accelerate the processing of a video memory in a way the normal Spectrum is able to display an advanced Timex computer screens (with 8x1 attribute graphics).

We encourage you to test software listed in sections "DMA test", "DMA Multitech test" and "Games with DMA support" in the Quick Start manual, https://sites.google.com/view/mb03plus/docs

The Z80DMA was also available for the ZX Spectrum as a standalone interface - DataGear.

For more information, please read the webpage https://velesoft.speccy.cz/data-gear.htm