cpct_pageMemory

Makes accesible a memory zone from the upper 64Kb on a standard CPC 6128 or from a memory extension.

C Definition

void cpct_pageMemory (u8 configAndBankValue);

Input Parameters (1 byte)

(1B A) configAndBankValueRAM pages configuration

Assembly call (Input parameters on registers)

call cpct_pageMemory_asm

Details

This function modifies the memory layout.  The memory address is changed based on the current configuration, and depending on the configuration, extended memory can be accessed using 16 bit addresses.  Due to the address bus size, the address only represents 64Kb of data.  In order to use memory higher than the first 64Kb, memory must be “paged-in”.  The process of paging the memory can also be used to alter the order of the pages, whether in the first 64Kb of data or higher.

Memory layout is defined by: The RAM pages configuration and the memory bank we will use to page.  There are 8 possible RAM configurations, shown below:

-Address-     0      1      2      3      4      5      6      7
0000-3FFF   RAM_0  RAM_0  RAM_4  RAM_0  RAM_0  RAM_0  RAM_0  RAM_0
4000-7FFF   RAM_1  RAM_1  RAM_5  RAM_3  RAM_4  RAM_5  RAM_6  RAM_7
8000-BFFF   RAM_2  RAM_2  RAM_6  RAM_2  RAM_2  RAM_2  RAM_2  RAM_2
C000-FFFF   RAM_3  RAM_7  RAM_7  RAM_7  RAM_3  RAM_3  RAM_3  RAM_3

Default configuration is the 0 config, where only the first 64Kb of memory are accessed.

The actual pages represented by RAM0-RAM7 depend on the bank number.  The bank number is 0 for the first 64Kb in the expansion, 1 for the next 64Kb, and so on.

The Video RAM is always located in the first 64K, VRAM is in no way affected by this register.

For example, it is typical to bank using the 0x4000 memory address as target.  In this scenario the configurations 0, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are used in conjunction with the BANK 0, which is the first 64 Kb of memory, because you want the selected RAM page to be loaded in the first 64Kb.

In order to easily use the banks, there are macro definitions available to use either in C or in assembly (see Memory Pagination Macros).  For C users, they are directly available when one of these headers is included: cpctelera.h, memutils/banks.h.  Assembly users may include memutils/cpct_setBank_const.asm.

Destroyed Register values

AF, BC

L (when called through C-interface)

Required memory

C-binding9 bytes
ASM-binding8 bytes

Time Measures

  Case      | microSecs (us) | CPU Cycles |
-------------------------------------------
   Any      |       13       |    52      |
-------------------------------------------
Asm saving  |       -1       |    -4      |
-------------------------------------------
unsigned char (u8 = unsigned 8-bits, 1 byte )
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