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ZZ9000 firmware v2.8.0-rc3

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@github-actions github-actions released this 04 Sep 04:09
v2.8.0-rc3
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midwan Dimitris Panokostas
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Learn about vigilant mode.
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Learn about vigilant mode.

ZZ9000 firmware 2.8 RC3 is the audio release candidate. It rebuilds how the card handles sound from end to end, fixes the picture artifacts reported on ZZ9500CX scandoubler systems, and improves how USB devices behave. This is still a release candidate, so feedback is welcome. The version shown by the card remains 2.8.

The biggest change: audio the card manages itself

RC3 moves audio control into the firmware and gives every sound path the same carefully measured 48 kHz conversion core.

  • Consistent sound everywhere. Recording, playback, and media decoding now share one qualified conversion path, so levels and quality stay the same no matter which program is making noise.
  • Audio scenes. The firmware now keeps the master mix and per-device level trims, together with level metering. The matching ZZTop 2.9 adds an Audio window where you can adjust all of this, and the settings persist in ZZ9000.CFG.
  • Two audio programs at once. Playing music while another program also uses audio no longer causes dropouts. A single card-side mixer now owns the output for all clients.
  • AHI playback on the new engine. AHI audio runs on the new audio fabric with correct pause behaviour, honest failure reporting, and fair sharing with MP3 decoding.

Picture fixes since RC2

  • ZZ9500CX scandoubler artifacts are fixed: the row-freeze and corruption family reported on A500/A500+ capture systems, including the corrected A500+ capture configuration.
  • Template and pattern blits no longer overrun their rows, fixing graphics corruption in RTG screen modes.
  • RTG and native display output are more stable, including overlay handling around screen changes.

USB improvements

  • The card's USB host handling is hardened end to end, with a new isochronous transport for streaming devices, stable realtime transfers through hubs, and safe handling of hub removal.

Known issue: USB audio does not work yet. Playing sound through USB audio devices (for example with Poseidon) is not functional in RC3 — the transport groundwork in this release is preparation for a future fix, not a working feature. Please use the card's own audio outputs (AHI/MHI) instead.

Important: install the matched set

Please update the firmware and the matching v2.8.0-rc3 drivers package together. The audio control plane and the new AHI engine require both sides of the matched set. On Zorro II, mixing an older driver with this firmware is not recommended.

Which ZIP should I download?

ZIP name Use it for
zorro3 A3000 or A4000 with Zorro III; this is the usual choice
zorro3-nofast A3000 or A4000 when you do not want the additional ZZ9000 Fast RAM
zorro2 A2000 or another Zorro II system using the 4 MiB window
zorro2-2mb Zorro II system using the 2 MiB window
a500 A500 with ZZ9500CX Denise adapter and 4 MiB window
a500-2mb A500 with ZZ9500CX Denise adapter and 2 MiB window
a500plus A500+ or Super Denise system with ZZ9500CX Denise adapter

Each ZIP contains the firmware file, BOOT.bin, and a commented sample ZZ9000.CFG.

How to install it

  1. Extract BOOT.bin from the correct ZIP.
  2. Copy it to the root of the ZZ9000's FAT32 microSD card, replacing the existing file.
  3. Install the matching RC3 drivers.
  4. Power the Amiga completely off and back on.

If your current firmware supports ZZFwUpdate, you can transfer BOOT.bin from AmigaOS without removing the microSD card. The old file is kept as BOOT.bak. You must still power-cycle afterwards.

What has been tested?

  • The audio conversion core, control plane, and fabric coexistence passed the approved hardware qualification matrix: six sample rates, pause and resume, warm reset, Zorro II single-slot behaviour, both client join orderings, concurrent playback, rejected secondary allocations, and teardown in both orders.
  • Automated tests passed for native video, RTG graphics, media playback, audio, USB, configuration, and Zorro II memory handling.
  • All seven downloadable FPGA versions were rebuilt from the RC3 sources.

Reporting a problem

Please include your Amiga model, monitor model, the ZIP you installed, your driver version, and any custom ZZ9000.CFG settings. The ZZDiag tool from the matching drivers package can collect the most useful technical information.

Report a firmware issue

Changes since v2.8.0-rc2

Full technical changelog: v2.8.0-rc2...v2.8.0-rc3

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