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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: Vincent on March 05, 2003, 02:56:47 PM
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The first accelerator card I had formy A1200 about 5 years ago had a timing problem with my motherboard (the 1D4 revision). I think the accelerator was a Magnum, but I can't remember that far back.
About a month ago my Viper 1230 MkII 40MHz refused to work with simms fitted, now it refuses to work at all. I was wanting to get a Blizzard 040/50 from Pwer Computing but they don't sell them anymore, and they won't be getting anymore in.
I was thinking about getting Apollo '040 MMU/FPU 40MHz (with the 2nd simm socket) instead. I was wondering if you guys could tell me if there would be a problem with that card and my motherboard.
My full system is:
A1200 rev 1D4 with floppy fix (now uses a proper A1200 drive)
52x CD-ROM
4-Way buffered interface with IDE-fix 97
18Gb 3.5" IDE HD
2.4Gb 3.5" IDE HD
Scandoubler/Flickerfixer
Cheers for the help.
I've tried the Big Book of Amiga Hardware site, but they don't mention any conflicts.
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You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?
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Well I had an Apollo 1230LC (030 @ 33mhz) and in order to use it I had to do the mobo fix for my 1d.4 mobo.
I'm sure somebody with a 1d.4 and an 040 could tell you though.
You could always do the timing fix if it doesn't work.
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Karlos wrote:
You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?
Yeah, I do. :-)
Can't afford it :-(
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Vincent wrote:
Karlos wrote:
You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?
Yeah, I do. :-)
Can't afford it :-(
Bugger. I know the feeling - I want an A1 G4 XE. Still I reckon by the time I can afford one, everybody else currently waiting might just be getting theirs too :lol:
Anyhoo, a 68040 card is not a bad option. Even a 25Mhz 040 has considerably more poke than your old 030 for most jobs...
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ermmm, I just realised this is in the Software forum - oops :-)
@Karlos
That's why I want the 040 :-D
Besides, they don't sell them in 030s anymore (well, I couldn't find any). But the thought of the extra speed of the 040 is a bit exciting :-D
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Check Eyetech's site, the last time i looked they had some reasonable offers on accelerators
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I have an Elbox 1230 II, which works just fine on my 1D4 board.
Runs lika dream ( well, at least as much as you can expect from a 40 MHz CPU without FPU or MMU... :-) )
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Vincent wrote:
ermmm, I just realised this is in the Software forum - oops :-)
@Karlos
That's why I want the 040 :-D
Besides, they don't sell them in 030s anymore (well, I couldn't find any). But the thought of the extra speed of the 040 is a bit exciting :-D
I got my first 040, an Apollo 1240, back in the day when they were a big deal (1995). I just wanted to play AB3D faster then...I've still got it somewhere. I'd sell it to you for a tenner if I thought you might actually be able to use it without it going wonky. It has a socketed ROM which seems to be a bit dodgy and is very fussy about SIMMs :-(
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@ NitrousB
That's where I'm looking to get the Apollo from. They don't say anything about timing problems there.
I've just found a German site that's selling the Blizzard 1240/040. Before I order it (probably tonight or tomorrow) does anyone know of anyproblems with that board and the rev 1D4?
This is the Blizzard:
Low-cost 68040 based accelerator board
72-pin SIMM socket for upto 128 MB (upto 256 MB with the optional SCSI Kit IV)
68040 @ 40 MHz
Optional FastSCSI-2 controller Blizzard SCSI Kit IV
MMU and FPU (integrated in 68040)
Battery backed Real Time Clock
Kickstart remapping
Asynchronous design for full genlock compatibility
Made in Germany, 2 years warranty
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Karlos wrote:
I got my first 040, an Apollo 1240, back in the day when they were a big deal (1995). I just wanted to play AB3D faster then...I've still got it somewhere.
:lol: Nice though :-D
I'd sell it to you for a tenner if I thought you might actually be able to use it without it going wonky. It has a socketed ROM which seems to be a bit dodgy and is very fussy about SIMMs :-(
I'll keep that in mind. It might be handy to have that as a dodgy spare if something goes wrong. Cheers :-D
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@karlos
I like the sound of that 040, it would be nice to experiment with. :-D
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lorddef wrote:
@karlos
I like the sound of that 040, it would be nice to experiment with. :-D
Get your hands off that!!!! :-P
It's mine!!!!
Seriously though, I would like that accel Karlos. I'll speak to you about it once I've figured out what I'm doing about this accelerator.
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One place you could try, which would be easier than ordering from abroad is
www.analogic.co.uk (http://www.analogic.co.uk)
They are based in Kingston, on the outskirts of London.
They sell many amiga accelerators, and also do repairs and mods, so they should be able to answer any questions you may have.
Sometimes they can be a bit flaky, like saying they have an item in stock when they don't, but mainly they are quite good. Their amiga bloke is called Tim.
regards
Rassilon
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@Rassilon
Cheers for that. I've checked their site, they only sell the Apollo cards, and they're a bit more expensive than Eyetech.
I've just emailed Vesalia about timing probs between 1D4 and the Blizzard 1240. Hopefully I'll get a reply by tomorrow morning.
I just wish I'd ordered the Blizzard from Power Computing (and asked them about the timing probs) when I had the chance. According to Vesalia's site, they've stopped producing the Blizzard cards now :-(
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Hi Vincent
I gotta warn you it's not in good condition, the strain of a SIMM pushing against the ROM caused grief after a bit. It was an early revsion, later ones were much better designed. Expect the odd red or yellow startup screen. Anyway, it's 25MHz 68040/FPU/MMU, single SIMM socket, no SCSI. You can clock it to 30MHz reasonably but the FPU falls over sometimes. The fan is a bit puny and it's damn noisy!
That said, I have to find the flipping thing first ;-)
-edit-
Also, if any accelerator ever was going to have timing problems it would be this one :-P
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Karlos wrote:
The fan is a bit puny and it's damn noisy!
:lol:
That said, I have to find the flipping thing first ;-)
:lol:
I know how that feels, I can't find 2 16Mb simms and 2 32Mb simms that a got a month ago ;-)
If it's only gonna be £10, it doesn't really matter about the condition ;-)
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@Vincent:
Make sure you do get a 40MHz 040. 25 MHz 040's are still dog slow =).
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I have such a revision Amiga board.
A Blizzard 1230-IV worked in it and a BlizzardPPC too.
I think you're allright with any Blizzard card!!!!
Just buy a second hand Blizzard 1230-IV or higher. Can't go wrong I think. These boards are sollid as a house and you can use Blizkick. ;-) ;-) ;-)
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odin wrote:
@Vincent:
Make sure you do get a 40MHz 040. 25 MHz 040's are still dog slow =).
Yeah, I know they're still a bit slow. I'm (hopefully) gonna get Apollo '040 MMU/FPU 40MHz with the extra simm socket. I might have to wait a week before I order it though.
<--- post 300! hehe :-D
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odin wrote:
@Vincent:
Make sure you do get a 40MHz 040. 25 MHz 040's are still dog slow =).
Hey, my BlizzPPC setup has a 25MHz 040 still. It's not that slow for everyday use. Having said that, the PPC datatypes etc. may be helping :-)
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Hi Vincent,
Did you check out those Viper accelerators
out at Vesalia? Check under their previews
section. They're due in on the 15th, and
the '060 with 64megs is going to sell
for about 230 euros. In my honest opinion,
the '060 is well worth the extra money...
I think you could pick up that new Viper
'060 card for the price of the current '040
Blizzard (the '040 is fine, but if you're
not going PPC get the '060 :))
I'm running a Blizzard 1260 with a 1D4 (escom)
motherboard with zero problems.
AFAIK The Apollo cards can't be disabled like
the Blizzard (and probably Viper) cards can be
for compatability.
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@Lorddef
I have also a 1d4 1200 mobbo revision.
Do you know where to get the info uin order to make the timming fix?
I have got a Mediator and It seems to recognice the pci devices when it wants.
I dunno what´s the pro. maybe the timming!
I have and 040@33 and PPC@266 and when it boots (recognice the pcis) in the picasso mode it´s fast enough. Warpdatatypes rules!
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DeQuevedo wrote:
I have and 040@33 and PPC@266 and when it boots (recognice the pcis) in the picasso mode it´s fast enough. Warpdatatypes rules!
Overclocked?
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Yep. It´s overclocked, but the accelerator works like a charm in overclock mode.I have benn testing over AGA for over a year.
I also thought maybe the overclock, but I have tried with an 030 blizzard 4 and the result its the same: intermitent pcis recognition.
I will get crazy! I can´t use my Miggy!
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I asked Power Computing (eyetech said they couldnt tell me so I shold send my board to them and they would rip me off for a 5 minute job).
Basically:
revision 1D.4 with Budgie revision 1 requires E123C and E125C removing from motherboard
revision 1D.4 with Budgie revision 2 also requires removing one of the smt resistors and moving it somewhwere else.
I only have Budgie revision 1, so I didn't need to do the second bit, thats why I'm unsure what you have to do there. Give Power Computing an email, they'll tell you. :-)
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Overclocked the BlizzardPPC, eh?
What about cooling? I dont have a fan on my 040 (but do have a big heatsink) - I couldn't if I wanted to, not without milling a hole in the side of my tower.
My old 040 card had problems at 33MHz, the FPU used to go manky after a few minutes.
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You could try ebay ive seen some 030 based cards and there was an 060 but that was qiute a high price . :-?
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Yeah.....
Why is there no one that knows this stuff, puts it in a guide and place it on Aminet!
I can fix these things easilly myself
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-D- wrote:
Hi Vincent,
Did you check out those Viper accelerators
out at Vesalia? Check under their previews
section. They're due in on the 15th, and
the '060 with 64megs is going to sell
for about 230 euros. In my honest opinion,
the '060 is well worth the extra money...
I think you could pick up that new Viper
'060 card for the price of the current '040
Blizzard (the '040 is fine, but if you're
not going PPC get the '060 :))
I'm running a Blizzard 1260 with a 1D4 (escom)
motherboard with zero problems.
AFAIK The Apollo cards can't be disabled like
the Blizzard (and probably Viper) cards can be
for compatability.
Thanks for pointing them out -D-.
I've actually emailed them about their Blizzard boards, but haven't got a reply yet. I'm not wanting to buy from a company that doesn't reply to their customers. What if I need a replacement/help/etc?
I think I'll be buying from somewhere in the UK (which probably means Eyetech), but I'm going to wait until next week when I (should) have answers from Vesalia/Eyetech/AmigaDeals.
@odin
The 030/40 that I've got runs at 7.11Mips (from sysinfo), so I know what slow is like ;-)
PulsatingQuasar
Yeah.....
Why is there no one that knows this stuff, puts it in a guide and place it on Aminet!
I can fix these things easilly myself
That's a great idea :-D
Anyone willing to do that for us unknowledgables? :-)
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Vincent wrote:
@odin
The 030/40 that I've got runs at 7.11Mips (from sysinfo), so I know what slow is like ;-)
Well, to put things in perspective, expect about 19 Mips from 040/25, 25Mips from 040/33 30Mips from 040/40 and upto 80 Mips on 060/50 for superscalar code (over 100 for 060/66)...
My old 040 was my first accelerator. I didn't even have fast ram before that. The jump from 2Mb chip-only 020/14 to 16Mb 60ns 040/25 was just staggering...Happy days ;-)
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Karlos wrote:
Well, to put things in perspective, expect about 19 Mips from 040/25, 25Mips from 040/33 30Mips from 040/40 and upto 80 Mips on 060/50 for superscalar code (over 100 for 060/66)...
:-o :-D :-o :lol:
Cheers, Karlos :-D
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Hey Vincent,
You may want to check with KDH (where I ordered
my '060 from). They're one of the best amiga
companies left IMO.
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Well i had an apollo 1260/75mhz which worked fine on my 1d4 which had ioblix clockport.But i sold that because eyetech said the 75mhz version cant have another simm socket fitted due to the size of the chips on the back.So i bought a blizzard 1260 and also a powerflyer the powerflyer works fine alone but if the 1260 is in the screen goes red.