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Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Greetings - USA
« on: May 30, 2017, 01:07:29 AM »
Thanks to the Admin(s) for approval.

I'm Robert from the '89-'93  GVP Tech Support era.  I was employee #9, & started 2 weeks before  the Fall 1989 Amiga show in Germany. I actually got left behind while nearly  everyone else (all but maybe 3 employees?) went to that show.  Ee held  down the fort for about a week and a half until they returned.

I am filling out my  Amiga collection as I can.  I still remember a lot of GVP tech support,  though that was 24-28 years ago, and some things have gotten fuzzy (i.e.  I don't remember the original A30xx accelerator and Impact Series I  SCSI/RAM PAL set values to ID boards anymore, and I have to look some jumpers up).  I also hope to learn how  to build a few basic adapter PCBs in the future, possibly something of  value to a few others.  

Amiga's In the stable:

A500 6a modified for 2MB Chip on motherboard. GVP HD8/8MM/SCSI2SDv5.
A1000 + Insider 1.5MB, and more stuff lined up to go in it (trying for 10MB total, ROMs, and IDE Flash HD).
A1200 + MTec 68030/882/50/32MB + CF IDE
A2000 (4) with a 4.5 and a 6.2 operational, 2 others under repair, various cards in and out of them.
A3000 + 16MB ZIP->SIMM adapter - recently acquired.
A4000D/030 - Under repair (have all parts, will be done this summer) - recently acquired.
A4000T  - Working on filling it out; currently borrowing the /030 from the D,  needs something special in that slot, though.  Recently acquired.

Various  boards for above, including 2x GVP HC8's, AmigaNet board, GVP HC2, I/O  Extender, PP&S A2000-040/16MB/28Mhz, G-Force 68030/882/16MB/50Mhz,  plus a DKB 2MB ChipRAM, several Gotek and HxC firmware USB floppy disks,  PCMCIA Network for the A1200, a GuruROM v6.16, KS 1.x-3.x across all of  them, and on the lookout for more.  ACard, Aztek CF and SATA Monster,  SCSI2SD v6, and other flash-media adapters.
Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.
 

Offline TjLaZer

Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2018, 05:54:10 AM »
Welcome!  So you were based in the US then I take it?  GVP was awesome back then.  Always drooled over all their combo cards!  In the late 90's I finally got the GVP Combo 040 for the 2000.  Was awesome!
Going Bananas over AMIGAs since 1987...

Looking for Fusion Fourty PNG ROMs V3.4?

:flame: :banana: :banana: :banana:
 

guest21671

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2018, 06:57:41 AM »
Welcome. 
I had a few GVP products back then. Still have one, an accelerator for my A1200.
 

Offline remotenemesis

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2018, 05:33:55 PM »
Welcome @thebajaguy !
 

Offline AmigaSource

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2019, 07:30:40 AM »
Welcome back!  I know we would all LOVE to hear some stories from back in the day.

Please visit AmigaSource.com!!! Since 2001... Your NEW source for Amiga information. *** Always Under Construction *** (Over 3000+ Amiga links for your viewing pleasure! -- Please help spread the word!)
 

Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2019, 03:48:47 AM »
I finally dug out my login/password after a long hiatus.

If anyone wants some of the stories from the trenches, I wrote a bunch in the FB page Retro Computer Support Memories over the last 2 years or so.  Some technical info is also posted there.  I also help update BigBookOfAmigaHardware on hardware I have, and much GVP items.

Currently a Beta Tester for the OS 3.2 development.  I tend to put the effort into a few of the FAQs the 3.1.4 and 3.1.4.1 efforts have with them.  I also am doing the GuruROM sales.  I hope to get onto the production again this fall.

There are rumblings some may have heard in the GVP-M court over the past year, and even recently.  There are G-Force 030 enhancements that may soon be made available.  Also, an opportunity for some spare parts, like MACH chips, and replacement GALs, for some boards may be possible.  Testing and re-engineering is happening in volunteer's spare time.

There is also another potential effort, which is related to the TekMagic 68040/060 boards (Z2 and Z3 machines), but that has a pile of logistics to be solved to happen.  The hope is to have enough for a short run of 75-100 boards built (mix TBD) once the stocks of parts in storage can be itemized and shipped to a manufacturing facility.    The main problem is the parts are in the US, and the place they need to be at for the sort and package for production is around the other half of the world.  So far the recent personal priorities of owner Michael W. from GVP-M have stalled the previous planing from the previous Fall 2019 into what we hope will be sometime in the 2020 time frame.  We do have dialog with Michael W. on the issues, but this is not a day job thing for any of us.

My hardware list has gotten extensive since I fell into this rabbit hole again in ~2015.  About the only Amiga I feel I'm missing is my old A3000T from GVP with the G-Force 68040/40Mhz prototype board in it.  I have all the others (no A600, or CD units - they were not my thing) if not two or more of each.

Hopefully I'll check in more here, and life won't get too busy for me.
Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.
 

Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2019, 04:01:11 AM »
guest21671: I have a JAWS-II/030/882/32MB/50Mhz for my A1200, and the A1291 module - makes an A1200 nice and smooth with the updated 3.1.4.1 OS and the flash media for the HD.

TjLaZer: I also have the G-Force 040/33 for the A2000.  Sans any Zorro II cards in the expansion bus, with GuruROM V6.16, and the up-clock of the DPRC, it's the A2000 SCSI speed record owner with Sync SCSI and a 33C93A chip.  However, I live on the G-Force 030/50 board mostly because my GF-040 has a flaky Mach socket, and the 68030 is a middle of the road CPU for OS testing purposes.  I need to get around to fixing the MACH chip socket, though.  It always was a sweet board - the Philadelphia Amiga Users Group BBS ran off one with 2x I/O Extenders - it could always swallow an entire week of FidoNET message bases and file bone processing from the Z1C when they had satellite delays, and nobody knew it was happening in the background. 

On the other hand, an A2000 TekMagic 68060/66 with it's 53C710 SCSI and memory running in burst mode is just scarily fast.  I has two - one is not working (yet).
Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.
 

Offline midway

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2019, 08:56:30 AM »
Welcome!

New 2060 boards would be cool. I have a TekMagic 2060. It needs to run for one or two minutes until it gets warm then is stable, before, a couple of gurus.
One day I hope to have this fixed :)

Where in the USA are you ?
 

Offline trekiej

Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2019, 12:55:31 PM »
Welcome to the A.org
Amiga 2000 Forever :)
Welcome to the Planar System.
 

Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2019, 01:22:32 PM »
midway: I'm in the New England area, with occasional visits to the Mid-Atlantic region.

Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.
 

Offline amigakit

Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2019, 02:18:00 PM »
Welcome!

A nice collection you have there!
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Offline klx300r

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2019, 07:53:57 PM »
@ thebajaguy
welcome back!
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Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #12 on: September 04, 2019, 10:52:44 PM »
Thanks F1Lupo

For AmigaKit (you have likely contributed?) Additions/changes to the machines (from the 2017 post list above) include:

The A4000D ended up becoming the donor part of the ASCILL A4000D Rev B motherboard clone project.
An A500 Rev 5 joined the party from a Craigslist find in Virginia while planning my traveling route further south.  Had mouse, PSU, spare floppy, A520 - $75.  It gained an HC533+IDE DOM soon after.
A special TekMagic 060/60Mhz/64MB made for the A4000T Ultrasound medical machines now runs in the A4000T.  This is my primary machine.
The previously owned A500 Rev 6/GVP-HD8 system gained a VXL-30/50Mhz with full populated memory board. An 18MB A500.
The A1000 now has a dual-Kickstart switcher, and an HC533+IDE DOM in it.  A 10MB A1000.
A family was selling an A3000D (SuperKickstart ROMs, no HD) on AmiBay / pick up only, as part of an estate sale back in NJ where I used to live.  I was going to be there in a week and a half.  Keyboard, mouse, monitor, manuals - Friend picked it up for me - $50 total.  Added 16MB of SCRAM ZIPs.  This is my Software developer rig for FastPrep/ExpertPrep.  Yup - 2019 dev work in progress to modernize it.
A TekMagic T-REX II/128MB was acquired.  Runs nice in the A4000D, and still tweaking it.  SCSI doesn't like the A4000T, and A3000's don't have the Int fix on them (yet)
A TekMagic A4040 was acquired / not working.  Still working on it.

Free from a former enthusiast I helped online (he now has a kid and prefers emulation over trying to repair it) - he was extremely generous:
A2000 rev 6.2 with a 2MB ChipRAM module.  It seems mostly fixed (testing, after battery damage clean up, new 68000 and sockets).
A4000D Rev B with battery damage.  Caps and battery damaged parts are off, it's booting and stable with ChipRAM only.  I have accelerators with RAM, so no biggie.  Test Mule! At least until I get it transferred over to a clone A4000D Rev B from ACILL.
A P5 CSPPC/060/128MB came with the A4000D - I cleaned it up and it runs well when tested in the A400D or the A4000T.  Yes, it was free.
A TekMagic 2060 also came with the above A2000.  It's either happy with 128MB in page mode access, or 32MB in burst mode access.  No biggie, as I use the latter, and just wow - it's fast (bustest memory benchmark, and the Fast SCSI all tops).
A CSA Derringer 030/25 also came in the pile.  Pins bent/broken - are now fixed.  Just need a SIMM for it.  Looking at the 128MB hack now, and to see what it may need for the 50Mhz version - TBD/research this fall. 
A CyberVision 64/3D card (have yet to poke at it).
An A2320 in the A2000 video slot - no definitive home yet.
A pair of PC TBC (one reportedly not working - going to a friend of mine)
Spectrum 28/24 repaired by ACILL (CAPS! - If you have GVP boards with the yellow caps sprinkled on them for basic noise filtering, get them done! Use modern SMD Electrolytic hybrids).
Another HC8 (Rev II).  Soon to be given a ZIF ROM socket and will let me easily test GuruROMs again on it.
An Amiga port test rig
Keyboards and mice for the A4000 and A2000.

An A2620 and an A2630 joined the stable for test hardware against 3.1.4 and later betas.
A G-Force 040/33 was acquired, and yes the DPRC up-clock jumper works with no Z2 memory boards in the host.  Need to replace the MACH socket/flaky.
A second TekMagic A2000 board was acquired (040), is not working.  Still working on it.
Added Network cards: X-Surf 100 (A4000T), Ariadine II, Ameristar AE2000, AmigaNet Rev 1.2 (has Ethernet RJ45, in the Dev A3000)
The A1200's M-Tek accelerator started losing it's memory, so I replaced it with a GVP JAWS-II 030/50/32MB+A1291
Added two BigRAM Z3 256MB memory cards.
An A2090 was located for some testing I wanted to do.
An A3001 front card (borrowed from former GVP Co-worker)
Two GVP Impact HC Rev 3 cards (original series).  Two of the very rare 128K AutoConfig I/O PIC type.  Helped a lot with some of the 3.1.4 AutoConfig testing.
An A2091/2MB hacked to 14Mhz and part of my test bed for the GuruROM V6.16
A Golem FastSCSI / IDE that I have yet to truly figure out (low priority).
A Golden Gate 386 from Germany.
An A3640/Adapter to 68060.
Maxtor Magnito/Optical SCSI
SyQuest 44/88
Spare A1010
A rare A1020 5.25" drive
A rare GVP RAM8/0MB (no DIPs/original serial shrink)
Gotek with a rotating knob and OLED <- Love this.  now to upgrade the others...

Still no A3000T or G-Force 040/40 prototype in it from the days at GVP, but I keep vigilant for it...

« Last Edit: September 04, 2019, 10:54:28 PM by thebajaguy »
Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.
 

Offline hese7

Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2019, 04:55:45 AM »
@thebajaguy

What happened to the A4000+ Alice motherboard PCB? Did you get it assembled?
 

Offline thebajaguyTopic starter

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Re: Greetings - USA
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2022, 12:44:39 PM »
hese7: I still have the motherboard and all.  My time to build any of the motherboards I have picked up been nil.  One day I will get it and others done. 
Former GVP Tech Support 1989-1993 - Bloodied in the original trenches of the Amiga Wild Wild West.