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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: on October 28, 2002, 12:39:25 AM

Title: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: on October 28, 2002, 12:39:25 AM
This looks to be something nice. Support for amiga-joysticks, PCI interface, etc. Does anyone know if image-writing will be possible under Windows with this? I know there are new image-write-drivers for the ISA-version that are supposed to do this, but I couldn't find any info on this for the new card. However, a purchase is justified by the ability to connect those brilliant Wico-joysticks to the PC and WinUAE alone.  :-)

It would be nice to be able to chunk som adfs of old games back to disk and play on the real amiga though. Cinemaware, for example, have released Defender of The Crown, Wings, It Came From The Desert,  etc as free adfs on their website. Nice guys. :-)
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: odin on October 28, 2002, 12:56:02 AM
But EUR 20,-  for a SiD?!? Ain't that a bit steep? You can practically find C64 in trashbins and salvage SiDs from that....or not?
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Korodny on October 28, 2002, 12:59:59 AM
Quote

But EUR 20,- for a SiD?!? Ain't that a bit steep? You can practically find C64 in trashbins and salvage SiDs from that....or not?


Well, sombody has to locate the C64s in the trashbins, rip them apart and desolder the SID chips... That's what you pay for, I guess.
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: redrumloa on October 28, 2002, 01:01:07 AM
Quote

odin wrote:
But EUR 20,-  for a SiD?!? Ain't that a bit steep? You can practically find C64 in trashbins and salvage SiDs from that....or not?


Not it is NOT steep. very fair IMO from a legit company. Chances are these are NOS (new old stock) chips, not used.
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: redrumloa on October 28, 2002, 01:03:33 AM
Quote
Well, sombody has to locate the C64s in the trashbins, rip them apart and desolder the SID chips... That's what you pay for, I guess.


That's not very likely. If you read the product disription this card uses other original C64 components also, and Individual computers have a healthy stock of them. Chances are they have a good stock of new SID chips also. Raping old trashed C64s would not go very far!
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: redrumloa on October 28, 2002, 01:05:01 AM
I must say this new board is too cool for words! I will be buying at least one, probably more! :-)  :-)
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: odin on October 28, 2002, 01:10:02 AM
Quote

redrumloa wrote:
I must say this new board is too cool for words! I will be buying at least one, probably more! :-)  :-)


My idea exactly =). If only I could find some money...oh well...guess I'll have to rob another bank =).
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Glaucus on October 28, 2002, 07:24:05 AM
Quote
If only I could find some money...oh well...guess I'll have to rob another bank =).


Hey, rob one for me too!  Thanks!  ;-)

  - Mike
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: JimS on October 28, 2002, 06:16:06 PM
This board makes me curious.... it's got a Zorro interface on one side, and a pci on the other... I wonder if it's possible to plug it into a zorro slot, then access a pci card on the other side from the Amiga? Could be a cheap way to get a fairly good graphic card in a 2000...
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Kronos on October 28, 2002, 06:22:12 PM
@JimS
I don't think it could act as busmaster (or however that is called)
on the PCI-side, so the idea is moot.


Put your hope on the ColdFire-project  ;-)
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: redrumloa on October 28, 2002, 06:41:33 PM
Quote

JimS wrote:
This board makes me curious.... it's got a Zorro interface on one side, and a pci on the other... I wonder if it's possible to plug it into a zorro slot, then access a pci card on the other side from the Amiga? Could be a cheap way to get a fairly good graphic card in a 2000...


No way, there is no PCI controller built in it. Your best bet would probably be a second hand Picasso II or Spectrum.
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: JimS on October 29, 2002, 05:59:32 AM
Quote

Kronos wrote:
@JimS

Put your hope on the ColdFire-project  ;-)


Ahh, well... just a notion. I was thinking about getting a pci bus in the 2000 after reading the Coldfire project's page. I hopre they come up with something interesting. After reading their page, I did some web searching. I did find a 680x0 to pci interface that could be done with two (big) chips. (V3's V3-292PBC and a PLD for the curious) ..  Enough to make me think it could be done by someone more adept than I.  ;-)

-jim
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: on December 13, 2002, 10:02:58 AM
Has anyone got this card yet? I'd like to know if someone can confirm whether it can write amiga floppies? It can read them and write for example C64-disks, but it doesn't say _exactly_ that it can write amigadisks. The old (ISA) Catweasel can (from what I understand) write amigadisks since this fall with a new driver/utility. It seems likely that this new version would do it to begin with, but I'd really like to know for sure before I get one.  :-)
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Effy on December 13, 2002, 10:33:12 AM
Doesn't that Flipper like the other two Catweasels read and write every format that is in their (long) list ?? You only need to connect a pc discdrive. Being an ex-C64 freak it could be hard to find old 5,25" drives ...
About that Zorro and PCI connector of the Flipper, don't forget the clockport connector for the A1200 or every card with clockport connector(s) !!!
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Ohno on December 13, 2002, 10:34:28 AM
I ordered it quite some time ago already, but apart from a order-confirmation I haven't heard anything from it since (My Credit card hasn't been charged so far either).. So I guess they're still not shipping.


Regards,

Onno
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Ohno on December 14, 2002, 05:31:18 PM
... And today I got it in.... Too bad I have to leave in a minute already.. am very busy...
Will try it as soon as possible and let you know.

Regards,

Onno
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: on December 14, 2002, 07:09:54 PM
Quote
... And today I got it in.... Too bad I have to leave in a minute already.. am very busy... Will try it as soon as possible and let you know.


Great! :-)

Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: Ohno on December 16, 2002, 05:59:18 PM
Hmmm... not much luck so far with my first experiences using the Catweasel MK3 Flipper board. The board looks really nice, but the documentation is just one page, which basically tells you that the hardware is in its final state, but the software still needs a lot of work (what is it with Amiga-companies selling hardware before the software is done?) and to look on the internet site at the docs of the other Catweasel Amiga-board for information.
Also it tells you that there are no Windows-drivers available for the joystick-ports and that there is no software-support for the SID-chip other than what Win2K/WinXP provides through P&P.

Then there is a label-less CD-R provided with a set of emulators (doesn't seem to have an Amiga-emulator for Windows on there), but a lot of other emulators are provided (like Frodo for C64-emulation). Also the Windows-drivers for the floppy-controller are on that CD-R.

Also there is an ImageTool for Windows on the CD. When I started it, it offered me to read/write Amiga/PC Floppies in Double Density or High Density. But reading Amiga disks just failed for me (errors on each sector, while the diskdrive doesn't even make a sound). So it looks as if I'm using an unsupported diskdrive: They recommend using TEAC drives and inform you that some drives like Mitsumi or Samsung don't work at all :(

I still have to check that, but it looks like I won't be able to give you any real review of how well it works on short notice.

Regards,

Onno
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: on December 16, 2002, 08:17:32 PM
Ok, great that you have tried it out though. :-) Guess it's no use trying to do something with it until final software versions are available.
Title: Re: New Catweasel (PCI/Flipper)
Post by: on December 18, 2002, 01:47:35 AM
Today I noticed in the news section at Individual Computers that there's a driver update for the Catweasel. :-)