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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: marcfrick2112 on April 06, 2008, 02:52:47 PM

Title: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: marcfrick2112 on April 06, 2008, 02:52:47 PM
Hi everyone, there's an old saying, 'Those the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad...'
Well, I thought my A1200 Tower was dying.. my original HDD died, and a replacement HDD didn't seem to work....
Well, I ordered an A4000T system from a guy in Kansas, of course, now my A1200T now seems to work fine :) OK, so I'm getting an A4000T,
some questions: From what I know, this machine has a Toaster/Flyer/TBC in it (grr, the guy sold the PAR card..). I know the Toaster needs a video slot, what about the Flyer? Could I get a graphics card and use it in the second video slot with the Toaster still installed? Second, I was told that this has a HD floppy, it means I have a Commodore-made unit, right? I use a PC floppy drive on my A1200T with a 'partially twisted' cable (two signals reversed on the cable) , can this be done with the A4000T, as well? What type of connector is the ext. SCSI?

Many thanks for any help....  :roll:

Edit: anyone know if the version of Genesis that comes with OS 3.9 will work with OS3.1? Anyone using a Toaster/Flyer setup under OS 3.9?? Anything I should watch out for on an A4000T? Sorry for all the questions...  :-)
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Boot_WB on April 06, 2008, 03:01:42 PM
1) The flyer only uses a zorro slot and does not require a video slot.
2) Therefore you can use a RTG card in the second video slot (although many RTG cards only use zorro anyway).
3) Not necessarily, it may (and probably will) be an AT unit, with a Chinon FZ-357A HD floppy. This may have been supplied with the A4000T, or the original owner may just have upgraded at some point.
4) Don't know tbh.
5) SCSI2 HD50 - assuming the disk module is included with the A4000T package.

Regards



Rich
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: marcfrick2112 on April 06, 2008, 03:24:08 PM
Boot_WB: Wow, thanks... super-quick reply! Well, pretty sure it has the disk module, the seller said only that the ext. SCSI connector was '50-pin' , just no mention whether it was HD or not. Just have to get a HD50 to DB-25 converter from SCSISource for my other 'bits'. Thanks again, Marc
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: mdivancic on April 06, 2008, 03:25:17 PM
I've run my toaster with 3.9 without any major problems, but I'm using it mostly as a display for Lightwave. One thing to note if the tower has the QuikPak 060 accelerator card, the first video slot is blocked by this card. This means if you want to run something like the Picasso IV that has a scan doubler you can't do it with the Video Toaster. This is a major drawback to the QuikPak accelerator in the A4000T. I've moved my QuikPak accelerator to my A3000T where it doesn't block with anything because of this. Of course the A3000T only has one video slot.
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 07, 2008, 07:36:38 PM
Afaik, the Picasso IV is the only RTG you can use with a Toaster 4000. - Something to do with the Toasters Genlock.
Looks like the QuickPak 060 fouls the slot, but I have never had one to try.
Perhaps I should fire mine up & have a play. Just no time to do jack thesedays tbh! :-(
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Boot_WB on April 07, 2008, 08:08:35 PM
Quote

Kin-Hell wrote:
Afaik, the Picasso IV is the only RTG you can use with a Toaster 4000. - Something to do with the Toasters Genlock.


Really!?! I didn't know that.
I've got a toaster on the way, and WAS thinking of using it with a Voodoo via prometheus.
Have you (or anyone else) tried and found other cards not to work? I knew there was a problem with scandoublers, but not with RTG cards too...
BTW - does the PIV scandoubler still work with a toaster active?

Regards



Rich
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Matt_H on April 07, 2008, 10:17:13 PM
Another thing to note with the Toaster and 4000T video slots is that if it's in the topmost slot, the lowermost SIMM socket will be physically blocked. If you want 16MB of motherboard RAM, then, you need to use 2 8MB SIMMs. A single 16MB module might work too.
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 07, 2008, 11:02:57 PM
Really!?! I didn't know that.
I've got a toaster on the way, and WAS thinking of using it with a Voodoo via prometheus.
Have you (or anyone else) tried and found other cards not to work? I knew there was a problem with scandoublers, but not with RTG cards too...
BTW - does the PIV scandoubler still work with a toaster active?

Regards

Rich[/quote]

Talk to misterdee RE toaster & PIV. You can find him on this forum. I sold him an Escom cased A4KT with PPC/PIV/VT4000/Flyer arrangement. We still stay in touch occasionally & afaicr, he sussed it out okay.

RE Voodoo On a Prometheus, I have no experience & can not advise.
Afaik, all cards in the Miggy are always active & will be initialised during the Boot process after having installed the appropiate software. The last time I used a VT4000 & PIV, I had access to the Early Starup screen, so I guess it is possible. Another option for a FF/SD with Toaster is to use a ToastScan as supplied orginally by softhut in the USA. This is of course an External solution. My A4KT is currently using a Mediator which blocks off one of the A4KT`s Video Slots (ffs) & the remaining slot is using a PIV with TV Card & MPEG decoder. Perhaps I should get my finger out & whip the Toaster into the A4KT without the Mediator, but right now, the Toaster is in an A4KD & using a ToastScan from the RGB port. Just never enough time to do much & I`m currently trying to get sorted here for a B-I-G clearout which involves 2 Big Box Amigas on PPC cards. Until my recently aquired Mediator PCI 4000D turns up, I don`t yet know which direction I am going in.

Matt H is quite right RE the Memory slots in the A4KT when using a Toaster. I use 2 x 8mb modules & again can`t vouch for a single 16Mb module actually working. If you need 2 x 8Mb modules, I have sh1t loads of them here & the Toaster still goes in.

All the best & Good luck,

Kin  :-)
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Boot_WB on April 07, 2008, 11:27:16 PM
Holy crap Kin Hell,

That's a whole lot of PPC Amigas you have there. And I thought Keropi was bad. :lol:
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 07, 2008, 11:28:44 PM
Yeah m8....3 of em & one is a RevD A4kD with G-REX!  :-D
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Boot_WB on April 07, 2008, 11:32:13 PM
Show off :-P
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 07, 2008, 11:33:33 PM
Well, being a Yorkshire Lad meself, it`d be rude not to! :lol:
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Boot_WB on April 08, 2008, 12:04:29 AM
What made you turn all Southerner on us then? :lol:

I'll be down that way myself in July, I'm going on a longbow making course at Yurtworks near Bodmin (here (http://www.yurtworks.co.uk/courses.htm)). I'll buy you a pint if you're around (if they serve a decent pint down there  :inquisitive:)
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 09, 2008, 09:33:46 PM
Quote

Boot_WB wrote:
What made you turn all Southerner on us then? :lol:

I'll be down that way myself in July, I'm going on a longbow making course at Yurtworks near Bodmin (here (http://www.yurtworks.co.uk/courses.htm)). I'll buy you a pint if you're around (if they serve a decent pint down there  :inquisitive:)


Pi$$ed of with the Industrial Air tbh. Palm Trees, Dolphins & sea views from my Living room kinda won over my roots. Stopped pints years ago & the Jack Daniels took over from there too!
RE decent beer; Tetleys has to made using water from the Pennines. Elsewhere, the Peat is missing so you will have to make your own mind up on that one! Local Beer down here makes ur Farts stink over time! :-o
PM me for further OT discussion.

Apologies for the Off Topic Waffle marcfrick2112.  ;-)
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Jose on April 09, 2008, 10:31:59 PM
"5) SCSI2 HD50 - assuming the disk module is included with the A4000T package."

Hi, that wrong, at least with mine it simply wouldn't even boot without the disks module. So if you buy one without it and it doesn't boot, don't waste too many hours trying to figure out what's wrong with it (as happened to me), just buy a disks module from Vesalia or AmigaKit...
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: marcfrick2112 on April 09, 2008, 11:01:10 PM
Hi everyone, Well I got the beast today. Disk module is there, and it's an Amiga Technologies model.

Kin-Hell: no worries about the OT bits , if your offer about the 8MB SIMMS still stands, I may take you up on it...

 :-D
This machine has 64MB on the CyberStorm card, anyone know if I could max. it to 128MB without too much hassle (space issues with the Toaster/Flyer, etc.)

Now, the slightly disappointing bits....
I didn't get a TBC with my A4K tower, or a PAR card. And for the life of me, I don't know how I could cram them in this thing.
If anyone has a PAR card or TBC for sale, let me know.

Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Jeff on April 10, 2008, 01:51:17 AM
I can confirm that the Cybervision 64/3D with Scan Doubler will also work in an A4000T with the Toaster/Flyer. It isn't quite as nice as the Picasso IV because it lacks the flicker fixer, but it does work.

-Jeff
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 10, 2008, 05:01:38 PM
Quote

marcfrick2112 wrote:

Kin-Hell: no worries about the OT bits , if your offer about the 8MB SIMMS still stands, I may take you up on it... :-D



It would be a pleasure.  :-)
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: marcfrick2112 on April 10, 2008, 10:59:57 PM
Kin-Hell: you've got PMail :)

(And lots of expensive Amiga's )

 :-D
Title: Re: A4000T Questions ...
Post by: Kin-Hell on April 11, 2008, 10:17:06 AM
Quote

marcfrick2112 wrote:
Kin-Hell: you've got PMail :)

(And lots of expensive Amiga's )

 :-D


Yeah m8y. 2 of them have to go & will be in the next few weeks or so. I might have 128Mb of 60ns Ram kicking around here. I`ll check me bits & bobs box l8r.

Have replied RE Extra Hard Drives in A4KT & will update you on Shipping costs l8r too.

Cheers 4 now!  :-)