Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: techie on October 29, 2006, 04:09:07 AM
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Hey Everyone,
I apologize for not posting this sooner but things have been pretty hectic here lately and I’ve only just managed to get things back in order (sort of :-) ).
So basically since my last post I have been able to contact both aPEX and Andrew to ask about the Phoenix board and what they think about doing another production. While I haven’t had much response from Andrew yet (we’ve only exchanged about one or two emails so far) I have spoken with aPEX a few times and he has been able to provide me with a good deal of information. So with his permission I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far:
1) Currently there are no (or almost no) PCB boards left to make more Phoenix Motherboards. The defective/incomplete boards that were discussed before (see previous phoenix threads) were actually the boards that Andrew used to make Phoenix boards for the A1k.org users.
So if a new production was going to be done it would have to be done from scratch (aka all new boards with all new parts).
2) In speaking with aPEX it seems that (in his opinion) it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to find many of the necessary parts to assemble all new boards.
“[…]in my opinion a complete new production run seems impossible. Parts
and making such big blank boards are expensive, really expensive. In Europe it
is hard to get the needed memory and the FatAgnus 8372B (needed for 2MB chip) is sold-out world wide”
3) Production may also be difficult as it seems not all motherboard fixes/patches can be found in the Phoenix Diagrams.
Now given all this aPEX did offer the following suggestions if we were still interested in trying to produce more boards:
1) “To get an acceptable price you need about 100 units... and some good partner to
layout the board and so on...“
2) If we reached those numbers we may be looking at a price of about 500 dollars per person per board. (sorry no currency was specified but I’d assume 500 US to be on the safe side)
So that’s basically where we are at right now but I do have to emphasize that these numbers are not fixed in stone. They could well change if we were able to procure all of the necessary components for the boards at a reasonable price but I must admit it does look a bit grim.
So I guess the question now is, do we want to move forward with this project or are we better off waiting for Jens Schoenfeld to release his Clone-A project (perhaps in a year or two) and adapt it to work inside an Amiga 1000 case?
What do you guys think?
Techie
edit: if you are still interested in a Phoenix board please sign up on the Revival website here (http://techsupportcomics.com/phoenix/)
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I would commit to buying at least one aPEX board. When/if Clone-A becomes a reality I'm most likely going to buy one of those, too.
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Same thing here in France... we justly discussed yesterday about the A1K phoenix !
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Well, I am interested in a blank Phoenix PCB board, that on itself is a piece of art :-D
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I dont see why the clone-A board (if it ever gets created) couldnt fit inside the A1000 case.. it would need port extenders but it should fit.
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@alexh
As long as Jens does go with a miniitx format for the board then there should be no problem fitting it inside the A1000 but I guess part of what I'm asking is, which solution do people think would be best?
Modding an A1k case to take a miniitx format board that is based entirely on new, easy to find, components or investing money in a older (but proven) design specifically suited to the A1000 but possibly more difficult to get off the ground.
I guess if enough people are willing to commit to purchasing a Phoenix board (say 100 like aPEX suggests) AND are willing to spend as much $500 bucks on it (more or less) then going in either direction is possible.
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I think the question can also be; would an A1000 with a mini-itx board still be an A1000? Or would it be an A1000 case with a mini-itx board inside?
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Doppie1200 wrote:
I think the question can also be; would an A1000 with a mini-itx board still be an A1000? Or would it be an A1000 case with a mini-itx board inside?
An A1000 case with a Clone-A mini-itx board inside is no more an A1000 than if, say, an A600 motherboard was shoehorned in.
However, IMO if the Clone-A board acts like an Amiga, to the extent that it is indistinguishable from the real thing in everyday operation, then it's an Amiga :-)
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I guess you could look at it like that, but to me no matter which product ends up inside I'd still consider it to be an "Amiga."
Of course with a Clone-A mini-itx board inside it could be an Amiga with AGA and coldfire accelerator built in :-)
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Well unless someone can give me a reason otherwise I'm going to be closing down the Phoenix 2 website at the end of the month (November 30th).
So sign up now as this is your last chance to show your support for more Phoenix boards.
Techie
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If anyone is looking for a new Phoenix Board check this:
http://cgi.ebay.de/Amiga-1000-Phoenix-Board-TOP_W0QQitemZ290052435519QQihZ019QQcategoryZ8142QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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I just registerd as I would like to see a board.
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@TjLaZer
Thanks for registering :-)
Don't forget to activate your account (you should have received an email at the address you entered).
@DJBase
That's pretty cool!
Too bad they don't seem to be shipping to North America :-(
@All
Just a small reminder to everyone that the Phoenix Revival site will be closing at the end of November.
Once the site has closed I will be sending a list of everyone who has participated to aPEX so that he will (at least) have the option to add their names to his records (Note: if you do not want your name added to this list please contact me)
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@ techie
They ship worldwide. Just ask them.
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@All
In case anyone is still interested there's just under a week left until the Phoenix 2 site closes down. So if you want to register now is the time :-)
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Suprising that only nineteen people have registered. I would have thought to get at least fifty or so. Not very often we get a second chance at these kinds of things.
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make that 20
;-)
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by stopthegop on 2006/11/25 12:47:38
Surprising that only nineteen people have registered. I would have thought to get at least fifty or so. Not very often we get a second chance at these kinds of things.
Yeah the lack of enthusiasm has been disappointing :-(
But in retrospect I think there's a lot more I could have done to try and get people's interest.
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I registered. What do you think the price will be?
500.00?
Thanks.
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Well...im number 23 who has registered...
Hope this helps a little...
Please reconsider about the closure of the site...
I guess there are many users out there who would love to get a new Phoneix board..
Regards
Sebastian
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I signed up the otherday but I won't be able to finalise it until i can get to my email when I get home monday evening.
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@All
Well everyone it's Nov 30th so today is your last chance to register at the Phoenix website before I take it down. Thanks to all who participated your registrations will be forwarded to aPEX as soon as the site has closed tomorrow afternoon.
@Gavilan
I might be willing to reopen the site if I can get some help to get things going but for now I guess I'll stick with the plan and shut it down.