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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Super TWiT on March 11, 2010, 02:36:04 AM
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Hi all, I have an amiga 500 equipped with an icd adspeed, and jumpered with a physical switch. When running amiga software and flipping the switch, I see no change in active performance. I have tried various demos. I have heard I am supposed to run sysinfo, but after extracting the archive from aminet, I can't seem to figure out how to run it as no exectuables show up to wb1.3.
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I have one but haven't played withit for years. IIRC, the jumper sets the clockspeed when the machine boots. In addition, I think you could switch the clockspeed while running with an included ICD utility.
I seem to remember the performance was marginal without true fastram. With true fastram added, some operations were 1-1/2 time faster than stock (7MHz 68000).
Supra's 500RX (true fastram expansion) might be the only other hardware compatible with AdSpeed. I destroyed 2 A570s with one. They both seemed to work for a few days and then took a dive.
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If either one of you would like to sell or trade for one of these, please drop me a line :)
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If either one of you would like to sell or trade for one of these, please drop me a line :)
I'm listening.
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You have to enable this accelerator in software or it will run in compatibility mode. It's floating around on aminet somewhere.
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I have one but haven't played withit for years. IIRC, the jumper sets the clockspeed when the machine boots. In addition, I think you could switch the clockspeed while running with an included ICD utility.
I seem to remember the performance was marginal without true fastram. With true fastram added, some operations were 1-1/2 time faster than stock (7MHz 68000).
Supra's 500RX (true fastram expansion) might be the only other hardware compatible with AdSpeed. I destroyed 2 A570s with one. They both seemed to work for a few days and then took a dive.
The adspeed or Supra broke the amigas? How do I insall sysinfo to try a benchmark?
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The faster timing signals somehow did it. Better accelerators look like a stock 68000 to the motherboard and peripherals for compatibility reasons. IIRC, AdSpeed was not completely buffered. Also, the A570, which is a add-on CDrom drive sidecar (gives the A500 CDTV-like functionality), might be somewhat delicate.
SysInfo.lha is the archive. After ypu de-archive it, SysInfo is the executable. SysInfo.info is the icon for the program. There will probably also be document and hystory files, too. They should all be in the same directrory together. You could even copy them to the ramdisk or to a floppy for permanent keeping. Simply double click the icon.
If there is no icon, you will have to use cli or a shell. At the prompt, CD to the directory where you de-archived SysInfo. At the next prompt, type Sysinfo.
The program should execute.
SysInfo simply measures performance and reports that and info about installed hardware and libraries.
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Oh, I installed a different version of sysinfo, and everything was there. I ran it and it showed that indeed when I switched it one way, it was 14 mhz and another the stock 7.16. Labeled the sides and now it is clear. Thanks everyone. Just to clarify Tenacious my adspeed shows up as a standard 68000 cpu, so its not dangerous is it? By the way, some useful information along with the software for adspeed is here (http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/adspeed), altough I haven't used it.
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Sorry, I didn't intend to make it sound so bad. Your motherboard is probably completely safe. When I bought mine, I already had an A570 (and a SCSItv linking to a hard drive) that was essential to my plans for the system. When AdSpeed turned out to be incompatible, I was disappointed and gave up on it.
Do you have any true fast ram? OS1.3? How will you use your 500? Do you intend to expand it with a hard drive?
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No major plans on the horizon, I bought this a500 off ebay probably six months ago now and come to find out it had the adspeed in it. I plan on writing some demos for it and trying my hand at some 68k assembly, and overall just finding some cool things to do. It doesn't have any fast ram, and yes it does run 1.3 If nothing else, at least this way I can copy off amiga software I may buy in the future to adfs to use on my emulator.
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Hi all, I have an amiga 500 equipped with an icd adspeed, and jumpered with a physical switch. .
I have one, with the switch, in a floppy-based A1000 with fastram; as someone pointed out, the switch has to be changed at least at warm boot, maybe at cold boot. The performance boost is very noticeable with it switched on - you won't need SysInfo or anything else just to see if it's activated!
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The performance boost is very noticeable with it switched on - you won't need SysInfo or anything else just to see if it's activated!
Just received mine today (thanks Tenacious!) and installed it in a system similar to yours. I left the jumper on so that it forces 7mhz upon boot because the manual kind of scares you into thinking there's a "few" games out there that doesn't like the extra speedup. Using the software AdSpeed and changing it to 14mhz, what programs and such have you noticed a great speedup? I did not notice a faster Workbench environment, but plan on trying Distant Suns out on in later.
How have you got your system setup... 14mhz all the time or no? What kind of problems have you run into? Have you noticed faster disk access or boot-up?
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@ Save2600
You do have true fast ram installed?
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@ Save2600
You do have true fast ram installed?
I've got an external 2mb RAM board by MiniMegs it's called. So yeah, that's supposed to be true Fast RAM, right? And it autoconfigs. It's not 32-bit RAM if that's what you mean. I played around with the AdSpeed for a couple of hours last night. Gotta say.... I'm glad I left the jumper on, forcing 7mhz upon boot. So far, that's the most incompatible piece of hardware I've used on an Amiga yet! lol I read the manual and it does state that certain RAM expanders might yield problems when using the cache RAM on the AdSpeed. Must be the problem with mine. Computer would either freeze or GURU depending on what program I used. Even crashed once when I was loading up Preferences in WB 1.3. Now THAT didn't seem right, so I rebooted, turned on 14mhz mode and tried again. Did not crash that time. And yes, my expansion port edge connector is nice and clean. I know external RAM can be touchy that way. And no, the PALS on my Daughterboard are not daisychained, so that *might* be a problem all its own re: some of these crashes.
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MiniMegs expansion is "true" fast ram (not refreshed by Agnus). You seem to be all set.
How did Distant Suns work?
If you leave the AdSpeed in 7MHz mode, do you still see random crashes? It's been too long since I've played with it.
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IIRC, Distant Suns was improved because of the calculations it does. It seems I noticed less improvement in most Workbench operations, hard to remember though.
Since you're working from floppy (right?), it might be tempting to experiment with some of the replacement math libraries available on Aminet (naturally, using a back-up SYS: disk). Those, coupled with AdSpeed might be even fastr.
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MiniMegs expansion is "true" fast ram (not refreshed by Agnus). You seem to be all set.
How did Distant Suns work?
If you leave the AdSpeed in 7MHz mode, do you still see random crashes? It's been too long since I've played with it.
Never got to use Distant Suns actually because my version is too new. Will have to track down an older version, which I thought I have somewhere 'round here.
When switched to 7mhz mode, the crashes ceased.
Thanks for the advice on the math libs - will have to try that next and yes, we're talking about an all floppy system (3 of 'em). Looking through the docs of one of the programs I tried (Home Builders Cad), it says you need to disconnect the 2nd drive? lol Hmm... but it worked fine in 7mhz mode. Image Master was another program that refused to work in 14mhz mode.
BTW: I am using v2.0 of the AdSpeed software. I see there is an older version still available too (must be there for a reason). Will give that a try and see if in the off chance, it works any better with my OS1.3 system.
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Nope, resorting to the original software didn't do the trick.