Expand documentation suite: 30+ articles enriched with diagrams, code examples, and hardware details

Graphics: text_fonts (bitmap layout, styles), sprites (DMA, multiplexing), gfx_base (chipset detection), rastport (draw modes, clipping), ham_ehb (mermaid fixes), display_modes (HAM palettes)

Devices: scsi (per-model interfaces, Gayle limits, CD-ROM, native vs vendor drivers), console (ANSI sequences, CON:/RAW:), parallel (CIA registers, pinout), timer (resource exhaustion), gameport (quadrature, XOR state)

Libraries: workbench (WBStartup, AppWindow/Icon/MenuItem), rexxsyslib (ARexx port hosting, command parsing), diskfont (font directory, colour fonts), keymap (rawkey codes, dead keys), locale (catalogue system, date formatting), layers (ClipRect, refresh types), utility (TagItem chains), icon (DiskObject, ToolTypes), iffparse (IFF structure, ByteRun1), expansion (Zorro AutoConfig)

Networking: tcp_ip_stacks (major rewrite - Amiga vs Unix architecture, SANA-II pipeline, PPP/SLIP dial-up, Ethernet cards, MiSTer), bsdsocket (pure API ref), sana2 (buffer hooks, driver requirements), protocols (all code examples). Deduplicated overlap between the three files.

Toolchain: debugging (Enforcer patterns, SnoopDOS, GDB remote, kprintf checklist), sasc (pragma encoding, __saveds idioms), stormc (NEW - StormC IDE, C++, PowerPC)

References: error_codes (DOS, Exec, trackdisk, Intuition error tables)
Driver development: rtg_driver (Native driver analysis, P96 tuning)

All 22 README indexes updated. Root README synced with stormc.md entry.
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## Overview
The Amiga offers two unique display modes that squeeze many more colours from limited bitplane hardware: **EHB** (Extra Half-Brite) and **HAM** (Hold-And-Modify). These modes have no direct equivalent on other platforms and are critical for understanding Amiga graphics capability.
The Amiga offers two unique display modes that squeeze many more colours from limited bitplane hardware: **EHB** (Extra Half-Brite) and **HAM** (Hold-And-Modify). These modes have no direct equivalent on other platforms and are critical for understanding Amiga graphics capability and for FPGA implementation.
---
@ -14,121 +14,429 @@ The Amiga offers two unique display modes that squeeze many more colours from li
Uses **6 bitplanes** (64 possible values):
- Bitplane values 031: index into the 32-colour palette normally
- Bitplane values 3263: display the colour from register (value 32) at **half brightness** (all RGB components halved)
- Bitplane values 3263: display the colour from register (value 32) at **half brightness** (all RGB components shifted right by 1)
```
Bitplanes 04 → 5-bit colour index (031)
Bitplane 5 → "half brightness" flag
```mermaid
flowchart LR
BP["6 Bitplanes"] --> SPLIT{"Bit 5?"}
SPLIT -->|"0"| NORMAL["Bits 4-0 = index<br/>Palette lookup"]
SPLIT -->|"1"| EHB["Bits 4-0 = index<br/>Palette lookup<br/>then R>>1, G>>1, B>>1"]
NORMAL --> DAC["RGB to DAC"]
EHB --> DAC
style EHB fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800,color:#333
style NORMAL fill:#e8f4fd,stroke:#2196f3,color:#333
```
### Effective Result
```
Example pixel value = 37 (binary: 100101):
Bit 5 = 1 → half-brite
Bits 4-0 = 00101 = palette index 5
Output colour = palette[5] >> 1 (each R,G,B component halved)
- 32 programmer-defined colours + 32 fixed half-brightness versions = **64 colours**
- Zero additional palette RAM needed
- Useful for shadows and smooth gradients
Example pixel value = 5 (binary: 000101):
Bit 5 = 0 → normal
Bits 4-0 = 00101 = palette index 5
Output colour = palette[5] (full brightness)
```
### Enabling EHB
### Programming EHB
```c
/* In ViewPort ColorMap: */
/* Simply use 6 bitplanes with no HAM flag */
struct BitMap bm;
InitBitMap(&bm, 6, 320, 256); /* 6 planes */
/* No EXTRA_HALFBRITE flag needed — it's automatic when depth=6 */
/* EHB is automatic when using 6 bitplanes without HAM flag: */
struct Screen *scr = OpenScreenTags(NULL,
SA_Width, 320,
SA_Height, 256,
SA_Depth, 6, /* 6 planes → EHB mode */
SA_DisplayID, EXTRAHALFBRITE_KEY,
TAG_DONE);
/* Set the 32 base colours: */
ULONG colours32[32 * 3 + 2];
colours32[0] = 32 << 16; /* count = 32, first = 0 */
/* ... fill RGB values ... */
colours32[32 * 3 + 1] = 0; /* terminator */
LoadRGB32(&scr->ViewPort, colours32);
/* Pixels 031 use base palette directly.
Pixels 3263 are automatically half-brightness versions.
No need to set colours 3263 — hardware does it. */
```
---
## HAM — Hold-And-Modify (OCS/ECS)
## HAM6 — Hold-And-Modify (OCS/ECS/AGA)
### How It Works
### Pixel Encoding
Uses **6 bitplanes**. Each pixel's 6 bits are interpreted as:
Uses **6 bitplanes**. Each pixel's 6 bits are split into a 2-bit command and 4-bit data:
| Bits 54 | Meaning | Bits 30 |
|---|---|---|
| `00` | **SET** — index colour register | 4-bit palette index (015) |
| `01` | **MODIFY BLUE** — hold R,G; set B | New blue nibble |
| `10` | **MODIFY RED** — hold G,B; set R | New red nibble |
| `11` | **MODIFY GREEN** — hold R,B; set G | New green nibble |
```mermaid
flowchart TD
subgraph "6-Bit Pixel Value"
direction LR
CMD["Bits 5-4<br/>(command)"] --- DATA["Bits 3-0<br/>(data)"]
end
### Effective Result
CMD --> C00["00 = SET"]
CMD --> C01["01 = MOD BLUE"]
CMD --> C10["10 = MOD RED"]
CMD --> C11["11 = MOD GREEN"]
- Each pixel can set one of 16 base colours, OR modify one component of the previous pixel's colour
- Theoretical maximum: **4,096 colours** on screen simultaneously
- Practical result: colour fringing at sharp edges (each pixel depends on its left neighbour)
C00 --> R00["Output = Palette at data<br/>R,G,B all from palette"]
C01 --> R01["Output = prev_R, prev_G, data<br/>Only Blue changes"]
C10 --> R10["Output = data, prev_G, prev_B<br/>Only Red changes"]
C11 --> R11["Output = prev_R, data, prev_B<br/>Only Green changes"]
### OCS/ECS Limitations
style C00 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,color:#333
style C01 fill:#bbdefb,stroke:#1565c0,color:#333
style C10 fill:#ffcdd2,stroke:#c62828,color:#333
style C11 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,color:#333
```
- Only 16 base colours (SET mode uses 4 bits → 16 palette entries)
- Only 4-bit component modification → 16 levels per channel
- Total colour space: 12-bit (4096 colours)
### How the Hardware Decodes — Per-Pixel Pipeline
```mermaid
flowchart LR
PREV["Previous pixel<br/>R=A G=7 B=3"] --> DECODE{"Command?"}
DECODE -->|"00 (SET)"| PAL["Palette[data]<br/>R=F G=0 B=8"]
DECODE -->|"01 (MOD B)"| MODB["R=A G=7 B=data"]
DECODE -->|"10 (MOD R)"| MODR["R=data G=7 B=3"]
DECODE -->|"11 (MOD G)"| MODG["R=A G=data B=3"]
PAL --> NEXT["Current pixel<br/>→ becomes 'previous'<br/>for next pixel"]
MODB --> NEXT
MODR --> NEXT
MODG --> NEXT
```
> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Each scanline starts fresh** — the first pixel of each line has no "previous pixel" to modify. The hardware resets to the background colour (register 0) at the start of each line. This is why HAM images often have a visible "colour ramp" at the left edge.
### Practical Example — Encoding a HAM6 Scanline
Suppose we want to display these colours on a scanline:
```
Target: RGB(A,7,3) → RGB(A,7,F) → RGB(F,7,F) → RGB(F,0,8)
Encoding:
Pixel 0: 00 xxxx (SET palette[n] = A,7,3) → SET to base colour
Pixel 1: 01 1111 (MOD BLUE = F) → A,7,3 → A,7,F ✓
Pixel 2: 10 1111 (MOD RED = F) → A,7,F → F,7,F ✓
Pixel 3: 00 xxxx (SET palette[m] = F,0,8) → SET to nearest base colour
Note: pixel 3 needs to change ALL THREE components.
Since HAM can only modify ONE component per pixel, we must either:
a) Use 3 pixels to transition (changing R, G, B separately) → "fringing"
b) Pick a base palette colour that's close to the target → "SET"
```
### The Fringing Problem
```mermaid
flowchart LR
subgraph "Desired: sharp edge"
direction LR
R1["R:F,0,0"] --- R2["R:F,0,0"] --- R3["R:F,0,0"] --- G1["G:0,F,0"] --- G2["G:0,F,0"] --- G3["G:0,F,0"]
end
subgraph "HAM6 reality: 2-pixel fringe"
direction LR
H1["SET red<br/>F,0,0"] --- H2["SET red<br/>F,0,0"] --- H3["MOD_R 0<br/>0,0,0"] --- H4["MOD_G F<br/>0,F,0"] --- H5["SET green<br/>0,F,0"] --- H6["SET green<br/>0,F,0"]
end
style H3 fill:#ffcdd2,stroke:#c62828,color:#333
style H4 fill:#ffcdd2,stroke:#c62828,color:#333
```
Pixels H3 and H4 are **fringing artifacts** — wrong colours visible during the transition. The encoder must change R, G, B individually (one per pixel), so sharp multi-component transitions always produce visible intermediate colours.
The encoder (usually offline) optimises palette choice and pixel encoding to minimise fringing. Common strategies:
- Choose 16 base palette colours via **median-cut** from the image histogram
- Use SET pixels at strong edges
- Sequence MODIFY commands to approach target in fewest steps
```mermaid
flowchart TD
IMG["Source Image<br/>(24-bit RGB)"] --> HIST["Histogram Analysis"]
HIST --> MEDCUT["Median-Cut<br/>Select 16 base colours"]
MEDCUT --> PAL["Optimal 16-entry palette"]
IMG --> SCAN["Process scanlines<br/>left to right"]
PAL --> SCAN
SCAN --> DECIDE{"Distance to target?"}
DECIDE -->|"Close base colour exists"| SET["SET command<br/>(no fringing)"]
DECIDE -->|"Only 1 component differs"| MOD["MODIFY command<br/>(no fringing)"]
DECIDE -->|"2-3 components differ"| FRINGE["2-3 MODIFY sequence<br/>(fringing visible)"]
style FRINGE fill:#ffcdd2,stroke:#c62828,color:#333
style SET fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,color:#333
style MOD fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,color:#333
```
### Programming HAM6 from C
```c
/* Open a HAM6 screen: */
struct Screen *scr = OpenScreenTags(NULL,
SA_Width, 320,
SA_Height, 256,
SA_Depth, 6,
SA_DisplayID, HAM_KEY,
TAG_DONE);
/* Set the 16 base palette colours: */
ULONG hamPalette[16 * 3 + 2];
hamPalette[0] = 16 << 16; /* count=16, first=0 */
/* Palette entry 0: R=$A0, G=$70, B=$30 (12-bit values scaled to 32-bit) */
hamPalette[1] = 0xA0000000; /* R */
hamPalette[2] = 0x70000000; /* G */
hamPalette[3] = 0x30000000; /* B */
/* ... fill remaining 15 entries ... */
hamPalette[16 * 3 + 1] = 0;
LoadRGB32(&scr->ViewPort, hamPalette);
/* Write pixels directly to bitplane data: */
/* Each pixel = 6 bits across 6 bitplanes */
struct BitMap *bm = scr->RastPort.BitMap;
UBYTE *plane[6];
for (int p = 0; p < 6; p++)
plane[p] = bm->Planes[p];
/* Encode pixel at position x on line y: */
void SetHAMPixel(UBYTE *plane[], int x, int y, UBYTE cmd, UBYTE data)
{
int byteOffset = y * 40 + (x >> 3); /* 40 bytes/line for 320px */
int bitPos = 7 - (x & 7);
UBYTE val = (cmd << 4) | (data & 0x0F); /* 6-bit HAM value */
for (int p = 0; p < 6; p++)
{
if (val & (1 << p))
plane[p][byteOffset] |= (1 << bitPos);
else
plane[p][byteOffset] &= ~(1 << bitPos);
}
}
/* Example: SET colour 5, then modify blue to $F: */
SetHAMPixel(plane, 0, 0, 0x00, 5); /* 00 0101 = SET palette[5] */
SetHAMPixel(plane, 1, 0, 0x01, 0xF); /* 01 1111 = MOD BLUE = $F */
```
---
## HAM8 — AGA Enhanced HAM
### How It Works
### Pixel Encoding
Uses **8 bitplanes**:
Uses **8 bitplanes**. Same principle, wider data:
| Bits 76 | Meaning | Bits 50 |
|---|---|---|
| `00` | **SET** — index colour register | 6-bit palette index (063) |
| `01` | **MODIFY BLUE** | 6-bit blue value |
| `10` | **MODIFY RED** | 6-bit red value |
| `11` | **MODIFY GREEN** | 6-bit green value |
| `00` | **SET**palette index | 6-bit index (063 of 256-entry palette) |
| `01` | **MODIFY BLUE** | 6-bit blue value (063) |
| `10` | **MODIFY RED** | 6-bit red value (063) |
| `11` | **MODIFY GREEN** | 6-bit green value (063) |
### Effective Result
### Improvements over HAM6
- 64 base colours from the 256-entry palette
- 6-bit component modification → 64 levels per channel
- Total colour space: **18-bit** (262,144 colours)
- Significantly reduced fringing compared to HAM6
| Aspect | HAM6 | HAM8 |
|---|---|---|
| Base palette entries | 16 | 64 |
| Colour component precision | 4-bit (16 levels) | 6-bit (64 levels) |
| Total colour space | 12-bit (4,096) | 18-bit (262,144) |
| Fringing severity | Severe | Mild (more base colours to SET from) |
| Memory per 320×256 screen | 6 × 40 × 256 = 60 KB | 8 × 40 × 256 = 80 KB |
### HAM8 Memory Layout
### HAM8 Palette Setup
```
8 bitplanes × 320 pixels × 256 lines = 81,920 bytes per plane × 8
= 655,360 bytes (640 KB) for a single HAM8 320×256 display
```c
/* HAM8 uses 64 of the 256 AGA palette entries as base colours: */
struct Screen *scr = OpenScreenTags(NULL,
SA_Width, 320,
SA_Height, 256,
SA_Depth, 8,
SA_DisplayID, HAM_KEY, /* HAM flag + 8 planes = HAM8 on AGA */
TAG_DONE);
/* Load all 256 palette entries (HAM8 uses entries 063 as base): */
ULONG palette[256 * 3 + 2];
palette[0] = 256 << 16; /* count=256, first=0 */
/* AGA palette is 24-bit — each component is 8 bits stored in upper byte: */
palette[1] = 0xFF000000; /* Entry 0 red = $FF */
palette[2] = 0x00000000; /* Entry 0 green = $00 */
palette[3] = 0x00000000; /* Entry 0 blue = $00 */
/* ... fill 255 more entries ... */
palette[256 * 3 + 1] = 0;
LoadRGB32(&scr->ViewPort, palette);
```
---
## Enabling HAM
## DMA Timing — How Bitplane Data Reaches the Display
### Bitplane-to-Pixel Pipeline
```mermaid
flowchart LR
CHIP["Chip RAM<br/>(Bitplane data)"] -->|"DMA fetch"| SR["Shift Registers<br/>(6 or 8 parallel)"]
SR -->|"1 bit per plane<br/>per pixel clock"| MUX["Bitplane MUX<br/>6/8-bit value"]
MUX --> MODE{"Display Mode?"}
MODE -->|"Normal"| PAL["Palette Lookup<br/>32/256 entries"]
MODE -->|"EHB"| EHB["Palette + Halve"]
MODE -->|"HAM"| HAM["HAM Decoder<br/>(cmd + prev pixel)"]
PAL --> DAC["RAMDAC<br/>→ Video Out"]
EHB --> DAC
HAM --> DAC
style HAM fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#f9a825,color:#333
style EHB fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800,color:#333
style PAL fill:#e8f4fd,stroke:#2196f3,color:#333
```
### Scanline DMA Fetch Cycle
The display hardware fetches bitplane data in DMA slots during each scanline:
```
One scanline (~64 µs PAL):
┌────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────┬────────┐
│ HBlank │ Active Display Area │ HBlank │
│ │← DMA fetch window (variable width) → │ │
└────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────┴────────┘
DMA slots consumed per bitplane per lowres line:
1 bitplane = 8 DMA words (16 bytes)
6 bitplanes = 48 DMA words (HAM6/EHB)
8 bitplanes = 64 DMA words (HAM8)
```
### HAM Decode Pipeline (Hardware)
The HAM decoder operates **one pixel clock behind** the bitplane data output:
```
Bitplane DMA → Bitplane shift registers → HAM decoder → Colour register → DAC → Video out
1-pixel delay
(needs previous pixel's colour)
```
For FPGA implementation, the HAM decoder is a simple combinational circuit:
```verilog
// HAM6 decoder (simplified)
always @(*) begin
case (pixel_data[5:4])
2'b00: begin // SET
out_r = palette[pixel_data[3:0]][11:8];
out_g = palette[pixel_data[3:0]][7:4];
out_b = palette[pixel_data[3:0]][3:0];
end
2'b01: begin // MODIFY BLUE
out_r = prev_r;
out_g = prev_g;
out_b = pixel_data[3:0];
end
2'b10: begin // MODIFY RED
out_r = pixel_data[3:0];
out_g = prev_g;
out_b = prev_b;
end
2'b11: begin // MODIFY GREEN
out_r = prev_r;
out_g = pixel_data[3:0];
out_b = prev_b;
end
endcase
end
```
---
## Standard Palette Modes — For Comparison
### Setting Palette Colours (Non-HAM)
```c
/* Via ViewPort: */
vp->Modes |= HAM; /* HAMF flag in modes */
/* OS 3.0+ — 24-bit precision (AGA): */
ULONG colours[3 * 3 + 2]; /* 3 colours */
colours[0] = 3 << 16; /* count=3, first entry=0 */
/* Entry 0: black */
colours[1] = 0x00000000; colours[2] = 0x00000000; colours[3] = 0x00000000;
/* Entry 1: bright red */
colours[4] = 0xFF000000; colours[5] = 0x00000000; colours[6] = 0x00000000;
/* Entry 2: pure blue */
colours[7] = 0x00000000; colours[8] = 0x00000000; colours[9] = 0xFF000000;
colours[10] = 0; /* terminator */
LoadRGB32(vp, colours);
/* Via SA_ tags (Intuition screen): */
struct TagItem scrTags[] = {
{ SA_Width, 320 },
{ SA_Height, 256 },
{ SA_Depth, 6 }, /* 6 for HAM6, 8 for HAM8 */
{ SA_DisplayID, HAM_KEY }, /* or SUPER_KEY|HAM for Super-HiRes HAM */
{ TAG_DONE, 0 }
};
/* OCS/ECS — 12-bit precision: */
UWORD oldPalette[] = { 0x000, 0xF00, 0x00F }; /* 4 bits per channel */
LoadRGB4(vp, oldPalette, 3);
/* Direct hardware (bypass OS — for demos/games): */
custom->color[0] = 0x000; /* $DFF180: COLOR00 (background) */
custom->color[1] = 0xF00; /* $DFF182: COLOR01 */
custom->color[2] = 0x00F; /* $DFF184: COLOR02 */
/* AGA: extra bits via BPLCON3 bank select */
```
### Colour Cycling (Palette Animation)
```c
/* Rotate palette entries for animation — common demo/game technique: */
void CyclePalette(struct ViewPort *vp, int first, int last)
{
ULONG saved[3]; /* save last entry */
GetRGB32(vp->ColorMap, last, 1, saved);
/* Shift all entries up by one: */
for (int i = last; i > first; i--)
{
ULONG rgb[3];
GetRGB32(vp->ColorMap, i - 1, 1, rgb);
SetRGB32(vp, i, rgb[0], rgb[1], rgb[2]);
}
/* Wrap last to first: */
SetRGB32(vp, first, saved[0], saved[1], saved[2]);
/* Force display update: */
MakeVPort(GfxBase->ActiView, vp);
MrgCop(GfxBase->ActiView);
LoadView(GfxBase->ActiView);
}
```
> [!TIP]
> Colour cycling is extremely cheap — only palette registers change, not pixel data. A single `SetRGB32` call costs a few microseconds vs redrawing the entire screen. This is why palette animation was so popular on the Amiga.
---
## Comparison Table
| Feature | EHB | HAM6 | HAM8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitplanes | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Chipset | OCS/ECS/AGA | OCS/ECS/AGA | AGA only |
| Base palette | 32 | 16 | 64 |
| Max on-screen colours | 64 | 4,096 | 262,144 |
| Colour depth | 12-bit | 12-bit | 24-bit (via 18-bit HAM) |
| Fringing | None | Significant | Mild |
| Good for | GUI, sprites | Photos, static art | Photos, video stills |
| Bad for | — | Animation, scrolling | Memory-hungry |
| Feature | Normal (5-plane) | EHB | HAM6 | HAM8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitplanes | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Chipset | OCS/ECS/AGA | OCS/ECS/AGA | OCS/ECS/AGA | AGA only |
| Programmable colours | 32 | 32 | 16 | 64 |
| Total on-screen | 32 | 64 | 4,096 | 262,144 |
| Colour depth | 12-bit (OCS) / 24-bit (AGA) | 12/24-bit | 12-bit | 18-bit |
| Fringing | None | None | Significant | Mild |
| Good for | GUI, games | GUI with shadows | Photos, static art | Photos, video stills |
| Bad for | Photo-realism | Limited palette control | Animation, scrolling | Memory: 80 KB/frame |
| DMA words/line (lores) | 40 | 48 | 48 | 64 |
---
## References
- HRM: *Display modes* chapter
- HRM: *Display modes* chapter — HAM decode logic
- NDK39: `graphics/displayinfo.h``HAM_KEY`, `EXTRAHALFBRITE_KEY`
- See also: [display_modes.md](display_modes.md) — ModeID system and chipset comparison
- See also: [copper_programming.md](copper_programming.md) — Copper-driven palette tricks
- See also: [bitmap.md](bitmap.md) — bitplane memory layout