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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: locutus on December 16, 2003, 04:14:42 PM

Title: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on December 16, 2003, 04:14:42 PM
I just orderd a Mirage3000 from vesalia, and i wanted to ask if anyone has any comments or so about that case :-)

(damn, stupid, ordering before reviewing ;-) , it was on the advent action....)
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: darksun9210 on December 16, 2003, 04:15:57 PM
or an ADVERT reaction?  :-)
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: Acill on December 16, 2003, 04:42:15 PM
I use one and love it! Take a look at my profile and see my system opened up and a front view of the completed unit. Its a sweet and very clean design. The pictures are in the "My photo album" part.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on December 17, 2003, 04:18:06 PM
That indeed looks good!

I think i'll be very happy this christmas :-D
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on December 31, 2003, 01:44:23 PM
I just got my Mirage3000 !

Holy ####, that's one big tower :-) and it looks just so nice from the inside and the outside !

Now i got to build like hell :-)
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: Acill on December 31, 2003, 02:05:33 PM
I've got one and I love it! Its got LOTS of room in it. The A3000 motherboard fits well, and it looks great. I hope you got the Mediator as well? The stock daughter card will not work in the tower. It sith up instead of flat like the mediator. None of your slots would line up.

The ONLY think I dont like about it. Elbox does not provide any docs on how to conect the wires. Look at my profile and then go to my photos. I have some close ups of the wire conections from the tower to my A3000 and the mediator boards. I'll help with any other problems you have too. Oh and also as you put the mounting screws in for the motherboard. Do not tighten them at first. Put them in just enought to grab untill all are i. Then tighten them up. That way the holes are line up correctly.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: SOFISTISOFTWARE on December 31, 2003, 03:24:29 PM
It is a good product, i have a Mirage 4000 with Voodoo3/3000, SB128, TV Card, FastEthernet, Spider USB2.0, FastATA4000 it works very well
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on January 01, 2004, 03:43:56 AM
Okay i installed my A3000 in it, put in 3.1 ROM's a new SCSI chip and she wont boot anymore :-(

after a session of reseating, testing old and new ROM's and SCSI chips pretty much nothing.

i removed the busboard and hah ! she gives a yellow screen !

does that mean that the mainboard is still more or less alive ? as i recall the yellow screen is allways given on the A3000 when booted without the busboard.

Btw i'm using the original busboard, with some tiewraps and the removal of the backplate to wich you screw the boards it fits actually pretty sturdy and nicely (pictures will follow ofcourse) except that the cards hang verticly ofcourse.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: dslcc on January 01, 2004, 04:56:50 AM
That's a good looking system! :)
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: Acill on January 01, 2004, 01:42:10 PM
Quote
Btw i'm using the original busboard, with some tiewraps and the removal of the backplate to wich you screw the boards it fits actually pretty sturdy and nicely (pictures will follow ofcourse) except that the cards hang verticly ofcourse.


Well I would think thats the problem. Its not meant to run like that at all. Clean the card edge real well and see if it helps.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on January 01, 2004, 01:51:48 PM
would some cleaning alcohol and an old cloth be a good way  to clean it ?
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on January 02, 2004, 01:28:55 PM
Completely removed the board from the case, plugged in the original ROM's, SCSI chip, reseated the DRAM's (iffy stuff) checked all jumpers, pressed down all the big chip's a bit, prayed for half an hour the God of Technology and switched on the power to watch to a black screen.


Moral of the story, the God of Technologoy does not care about us Amigans and Amiga's.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: Acill on January 02, 2004, 04:49:48 PM
Ouch thats a shame. The 3000 is a tough machine to kill. I would look on Ebay for a used one. I see a few on the USA site now. They go for a steal most of the time.  I traded a few PC systems for a few A3000 machines not long ago. I wish I still had them to give you one. Give Visalia a call too. They may have some advice or a NOS board for you.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on January 02, 2004, 05:21:37 PM
I have a friend who still has a couple of A3000 systems, he's prolly willing to sell me one.

But what strikes me is that the machine gives a Yellow screen when booted up with no Busboard, so that means the CPU can still load the kickstart from the PROM's and startup, -right- ?

Or i could just get over it, and face it that she's dead :'-(
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: x56h34 on January 02, 2004, 10:15:22 PM
Don't give up so easily. Disassemble everything and start from the beginning. Once you've got everything assembled together, tighten the screws so they hold everything firmly.

Yellow screen indicates some sort of a CPU error.

Also, try putting back your motherboard into the old C= desktop case and see if it works like that again.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: x56h34 on January 02, 2004, 10:20:27 PM
What I don't like about the A3000 Mirage Tower is that it forces you to buy a Mediator as the Zorro/PCI busboard is not included. :-(

The old A4000 Power Tower (Winner Tower) had it included, so you've had the standard Zorro functionality, and for activating the PCI slots you just needed to buy a Mediator card, and if you didn't want to use PCI, you didn't have to pay anything extra. Other than that, it's a very nice looking case.
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: locutus on January 03, 2004, 12:36:17 AM
SHE BOOTS !!!!!!!!!!

the problem was in the SCSI chip.

I orderd a new one from Vesalia, but as it seems it didn't work (prolly killed it by static electricity) i have now inserted the old one and the board boots up, hooked up a drive, installed my RTG board and booted up fine, ran sysinfo and some other utils and everything looked okay, so i'm now rebuilding it in the Mirage case.

O and btw, i'm using the original Busboard, i'll post on some pictures of how i strapped it in the case when i get hands on my sisters digital camera :-)
Title: Re: Mirage3000
Post by: artman on January 03, 2004, 02:32:00 AM
It's nice to hear such glowing reviews of the Mirage for the A3000.  I've got a pretty much bone stock A3000 sitting here, just waiting to be towered.  I really think all I'm waiting for is the release of OS4 so I can buy a Shark and the tower case and get on with it. :-D