Super Snapshot

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Super Snapshot Screenshots
Super Snapshot Screenshots
Technical Info
ROM S64 - 4 kbyte

SS64 - SS2: 8 kbyte
SS3 - SS4: 32 kbyte

SS5: 64 kbyte
RAM S64 - SS4: None

SS64 - SS4: 8 kbyte

SS5: 8 kbyte (32 optionally? - Note to self: write test program!)
Hardware features 1 Button Freeze

optionally 1 button RESET

C128 ON/OFF switch for an additional $8
Manual PDF: Snapshot64 Instruction Manual

PDF: Super Snapshot v2.0 Operating Manual
PDF: Super Snapshot v3.0 Operating Manual
Super Snapshot v4.0 Operating Manual Project64.txt
PDF: Super Snapshot v4.0 Operating Manual
Super Snapshot v4.0 Operating Manual Project64.txt
PDF: Super Snapshot v5.0 Operating Manual

and more at Binaries and category.
CRT ID S64: None yet

SS64/SS2: None yet
SS4: 40

SS5: 20
Programming See Tech Section
Super Snapshot v5

The Super Snapshot series was started with the introduction of the Snapshot 64 by the end of 1985. The Snapshot 64 was following the Codebuster freezer which names ISEPIC on the manual already hence we assume availability of the cart between spring 1985 and end of 1985. Three canadian based companies were somehow involved in production and distribution of the Super Snapshot being Marshview Software Ltd., CSM Software Inc. and LMS Technologies originally. During the evolution to SS5 the copyright was kept by LMS Technologies while e.g. Software Support International (SSI) was distributing the cartridge in the US. SSI was also selling a ROM replacement named SYSRES so the user was able to swap EPROMs on the (likely) SS3 and SS4 hardware to suite his needs. (Ed.: Sounds a lot worse than cartridge swapping.)

Nowadays the copyright is said to be held by PBM who either ignored or junked our emails - maybe someone else wants to point him here and make him contact us.

Many interesting features were added making SS3 to SS5 serious competition towards other prominent freezers at the time. The manual states Super Snapshot was designed and written by Marcel LeBlanc and Ron Smith. Quite a few features were added by other people such as Matthew Desmond (author of Desterm -> (Snapterm for SS5)), Richard Bond (Turbo25), Steve Boyko (Sprites), George Tylor (Samples), John Finaly (PAL fixing) - resulting in 64 kbyte of a nicely interfaced and well thought multi function cartridge.

During time LMS Technologies released: 

S64  - Snapshot64           - Initial Hardware
SS64 - Super Snapshot 64    - New hardware
SS2  - Super Snapshot 64 v2 - Likely a ROM update only
                            - Abbreviation needs to start somewhere
SS3  - Super Snapshot 3     - LMS might have though the same
                            - Super Snapshot 3 with new hardware
SS4  - Super Snapshot 4     - ROM update - No hardware change
SS5  - Super Snapshot 5     - Final hardware
SS5  - Super Snapshot 5.01  - (5.10 is rumoured to exist - PAL/NTSC?)
                            - ROM update - No hardware change
SS5  - Super Snapshot 5.22  - ROM update - No hardware change
Codebuster
Codebuster
Snapshot64 Advert
Snapshot64 Advert
Ahoy! Issue 25, January 1986
Super Snapshot64 Advert
Super Snapshot64 Advert
Ahoy! Issue 42, June 1987

Super Snapshot documentation always was quite complete and the wiki contains a large deal of it so we will save all of us the trouble of a complete feature rundown. However, a few noteworthy options should be mentioned here. Since at least SS3 the command @TV displays the current ROM version with PAL added whenever the ROM was fixed. Minor version numbers were so far only seen with the SS5 series on which even two different v5.22 PAL versions exist. The Super Snapshot v5.22 v2 PAL carries additional fixes for the Snapterm part which likely were not quite right in the first attempt. The SS5 hardware change not only added more ROM and the RAM extension option (including software support) but also made it REU compatible. Monitor can access the REU (though the manual doesn't mention how to e.g. transfer REU memory to C64 RAM.) and copiers takes advantage of it as well.

It may entertain some people to take a look at the very first CODE INSPECTOR (the Super Snapshot monitor) on the Snapshot 64 ROM which has four commands (Jump to, Memory view, Load and start ML prg, Return to basic). Nevertheless the strings CODE INSPECTOR and (c) 1985 LMS TECHNOLOGIES also appear on Action Replay MK2 and MK3 ROMs.

Last but not least one may wonder why on so many ROM updates no developer ever got the idea of unifying the process of leaving a sub menu. RUN/STOP may have served an excellent purpose here. Instead the user is forced to leave one menu by pressing "3", another one goes by "4" and yet different ones by "5" or even higher. There must be some obvious reason - we just don't get it.

The 1541 Ultimate is emulating the Super Snapshot v5.

Super Snapshot64 v2 Advert
Super Snapshot64 v2 Advert
Ahoy! Issue 48, December 1987
Super Snapshot v3 Advert
Super Snapshot v3 Advert
Ahoy! Issue 52, April 1988
Super Snapshot v4 Advert
Super Snapshot v4 Advert
Ahoy! Issue 59, November 1988
Super Snapshot v5 Advert
Super Snapshot v5 Advert
Run Issue 74, February 1990
SYSRES Advert
SYSRES Advert
Ahoy! Issue 61, January 1989

Tech

The following is cited from snapshot64.c found at the VICE project page: 

    Snapshot 64 (LMS Technologies)

    FIXME: this implementation is purely based on guesswork

    on reset NO menu is shown. FREEZE blanks the screen and waits for

    f1 - analyze and save backup
    f3 - clear memory
    f5 - format disk
    f7 - restart
    return - starts the "code inspector"
       l - load and execute ml program
       j - jump to address
       d - dump memory (hex)
       e - return to basic


    - 4K ROM (2732)
      - mapped to 8000 and e000 (ultimax mode) ?
    - NE555, 7406, 7474
    - one button (freeze)


    io2 - df00 (r/w)
     0 - cart off
     1 - cart enabled

SuperSnapshot v3 should be compatible to this - the info is somewhat lacking though. supersnapshot4.c: 

    Super Snapshot v4

    - 32K ROM,2*16K Banks
    - 8k RAM

    io1: (read/write)
        second last page of cart ram

    io2 (read)
     df01 - ram config (register)
     else - cart rom (last page of first 8k of current bank)
    io2 (write)
     df00 -  (register)

        7xxx3210

        bit 0 - ?
        bit 1 - ? (write 1 to release freeze mode)
        bit 2 - ROM bank select
        bit 3 - write 1 to disable cartridge
        bit 7 - ?

        if bit0, bit1, bit7 are all 0, then
            - ultimax mapping is selected
            - RAM is enabled at ROML
        else if bit 0 is 0, then
            - 16k mapping is enabled
            if bit 0 is 1, then
            - 8k mapping is enabled

     df01 - ram config (register)

        if written value == last value - 1, then
            - ultimax mapping is selected
            - RAM is enabled at ROML

        if written value == last value + 1, then
            - ROM is enabled at ROML
            - exrom is deasserted (switch to either 8k or 16k mapping)


Super Snapshot v5.x emulation is handled by supersnapshot.c and reads: 

    Super Snapshot v5

    - 32K ROM,4*8K Banks
    - 32K RAM,4*8K Banks

    io1: (read)
        cart rom

    io1 (write)

    de00/de01:

    bit 4 - rom/ram bank bit1
    bit 3 - rom enable
    bit 2 - rom/ram bank bit0
    bit 1 - ram enable, EXROM
    bit 0 - release freeze, !GAME

Finally an excerpt from a posting by Tom Cwikla on comp.sys.cbm: 

Subject: Re: ssv5 32k ram
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Date: 8 Dec 96 02:52:40 GMT
Organization: The University of Manitoba


George Taylor writes:

>I own a super snapshot version 5 utility cartridge.  It has been
>expanded internally to 32k ram.  I know the pokes to access the standard
>8k of ram, but don't know how to access 32k.  Can someone tell me how?.
>Btw, you can access the extra 8k of memory with a lda #2:sta $de00..


bit 0   connected directly to the GAME' line on the C64 and to the PAL
bit 1   connected to OUTPUT ENABLE' of the RAM chip and to the PAL
bit 2   connected to A13 on the RAM chip and A14 on the ROM chip
bit 3   connected to ENABLE' on the ROM chip and to the PAL
bit 4   connected to A14 on the RAM and A15 on the ROM
bit 5   connected to A16 on the ROM (only if 128K ROM in installed)

So to toggle between the four 8K banks of the ROM chip you would write one
of four different values to bits 2 and 4.

You can also use the *X command in the monitor to do the same thing. I
haven't tried this yet, but apparently this will work:
*X2, *X6, *X12, *X16 gives you the four ROM banks at $8000-$C000
*X0, *X4, *X10, *X14 gives you the four RAM banks at $8000-$A000
*X1                  puts you back into normal mode

Trivia

  • The Snapshot 64 manual states:

Snapshot64 Important Notice.jpg

  • The Super Snapshot category page has many reviews, several additional articles (which someone could hack into this wiki) and the usual amount of adverts

Missing

  • More Codebuster ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • More Super Snapshot64 ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • More Super Snapshot64 v2.0 ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • More Super Snapshot v3.0 ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • More Super Snapshot v4.0 ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • More Super Snapshot v5.0 ROM Dumps (for comparison)
  • SYSRES ROM Dump
  • More info, schematics and utility programs
  • Super Snapshot Slideshow Creator software

Binaries

Super_Snapshot_binaries_rr.c64.org_2011-03.rar contains just the C64 binaries:

  • Codebuster .bin and .crt - the predecessor to the Snapshot64 and Super Snapshot
  • Snapshot64 v1 and v2 .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v2.0+ B ROM Dump .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v3.0 ROM Dump NTSC .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v4.0 ROM Dumps NTSC + PAL .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v5.00 ROM Dump NTSC .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v5.01 ROM Dump NTSC + PAL .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v5.22 ROM Dump NTSC .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot v5.22 ROM Dumps 2 versions PAL .bin and .crt
  • Super Snapshot 5 System Disk Side A (likely PAL and NTSC versions but current naming is guessed - a one byte change on dual41 copier) (to be verified)
  • Super Snapshot 5 System Disk Side B (includes Shotgun II as parameter nibble copier)
  • Snapshot64.d64 (includes fast load maker and cartridge maker) from www.bombjack.org
  • Snapfix-v2.2 by Jon 'Gullible' Purkey. Original Snapfix (Wanted!!!) by Andy Barbolla.

Super_Snapshot_all_rr.c64.org_2011-03.rar contains:

Weblinks

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