Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: NeuteK on July 10, 2009, 02:49:45 PM
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Hi all, My first post here and i have searched for the answer to my problem but can't find any solution...
I have spent ages trying to install an Orinoco PCMCIA card and then checked the PrepCard and card_info utils to find that it wasn't even detecting my PCMCIA slot never mind the card itself.
So now i started to try taking things out of my Amiga and found that if i take my expansion card out with the 8mb thats onboard then the PCMCIA port is detected and works fine.
I still want to use my 8mb and my wifi card together and maybe hope to actually put a blizzard or something in there one day... but don't want to sacrifice one for the other.
Anyone had this problem?
Any pointers?
Cheers
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It's a common problem for expansion cards. If you want to use your PCMCIA port, you have to go down to 4 MB. Otherwise, get a decent accelerator for your Amiga.
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To expand on doctorq's point, the memory window for the PCMCIA slot and trapdoor slot is a combined 8MB, owing to the 24-bit addressing of the cut-down 68020 in the 1200. With an accelerator (030 or higher), expansion RAM is mapped in a different area, freeing up that other window for PCMCIA stuff.
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Just to add to Matt's reply, please bear in mind some 030 accelerators are not PCMCIA friendly but most are OK, so best checking the BBOAH before purchasing one, Blizzards are great boards :)
Hope this helps
Tajmaster
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Hey guys thanks for the info don't think i have any 4mb bits around to try that option out but i will be sure to try and pick up a blizzard as soon as i can, I'm excited as hell about that.
Thanks for the help
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I know this is an old thread but it helped me, so thanks! What i've done to get around this is use a double throw switch and connected it to my expansion card jumpers (used old 2 pin IDC connectors from PC LEDs), so when the switch is off it open a jumper that disables the first 4Mb of the 8 on the board, and it shorts a pin to say PCMCIA is used. The opposite happens when switched the other way. ie. the first 4Mb is renabled (jumper shorted), and the PCMCIA jumper is open circuit.
Obviously you can only do this if your expansion has similar jumpers to configure it, and only switch when its powered down.
I've mounted the switch under the floppy, in the expansion plate (the one that clips out), next to the other switch I mounted there for HDD selection (1, none, or 2).
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I like to use a serial null-modem cable hooked up to an online PC and Multilink (http://aminet.net/package/comm/net/mlink132) to go online from my A1200 with the 8MB RAM card, so I can use all the RAM. With a 14Mhz EC020, the net isn't much faster through PCMCIA than serial so the difference is negligible.
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Just to add to Matt's reply, please bear in mind some 030 accelerators are not PCMCIA friendly but most are OK, so best checking the BBOAH before purchasing one, Blizzards are great boards :)
Hope this helps
Tajmaster
Well that has been exactly my problem with my m-tec Viper EC030 and the surfsquirrel; Is there any way to remap things either via software or hadrware or can be invented one???
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I like to use a serial null-modem cable hooked up to an online PC and Multilink (http://aminet.net/package/comm/net/mlink132) to go online from my A1200 with the 8MB RAM card, so I can use all the RAM. With a 14Mhz EC020, the net isn't much faster through PCMCIA than serial so the difference is negligible.
Thats a good tip, will have to note that one down.
Thanks Cammy.