Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: bbond007 on August 04, 2011, 03:20:47 AM
-
I have a A1200 with 68030/40 mhz Subway USB with 4 ports, exIDE with CF (or 2.5" SATA drive, can't remember which I have installed without opening the case) adapter and SATA adapter one external SATA port.
Anyway I bought this Fast ATA MK IV thinking it was going to be smaller. Anyway, now I'm having second thoughts if I even want to try install it. It just seems like maybe something that would be better in a towered A1200. I read the instructions and it looks like the RF shielding has to go, which means my current strategy where everything is attached to the RF shielding via Velcro has to change. Also, just forgot, I don't know what I did with the stock IDE mount. I just know its lost.
Elbox only has info about the on the FastATA 1200 MK-III on their page which does not inspire confidence in and of itself.
*** The recommended configuration is: Amiga 1200 in the Mirage 1200 tower case, any 68060 (or PPC with 68060) turbo card with 32MB RAM ***
Does anyone have one of these things? Is it going to be a PIA to make this fit?
Is it that much better than stock on a slow CPU? The only requirement I meet is that I do have 64MB RAM :)
Can it really support larger HDs? Could I use the whole 8GB of my SSD?
Is it flaky like most elbox stuff?
Is it going to interfere with an Indivision AGA if I can ever get my hands one on of those?
Does it disable the existing IDE interface?
What is the difference between this and the Fast ATA MK III?
Was the Fast ATA MK III any good?
Should I sell it? I could use the money something else...
Did I ask too many questions?
Thanks,
-nate
-
I've been using the FastATA MKIII for many years now along with the SubWay USB device, all I can say is I would NEVER go back to using an Amiga without them... :)
To answer some of your questions... :)
Yes you have to remove the shielding (but I do this in all me A1200's anyway) however even then fitting it in an original "wedge" desktop A1200 can be a very tight fit especially when lowering the keyboard back into place. I really think it's best used in a towered A1200 like I use... :)
Even on a stock 020 A1200 HD read/write access should be at least twice the speed of the motherboard IDE header, on an 030 A1200 expect at least 5.6MB/s transfer speeds at PIO4... :)
Yes it can easily support very large HD's... I've been using two 500GB HD's (even tested it with a 1TB SATA HD) and two CD/DVD ReWriters on these boards for many years now and never lost one partition let alone a bit of data... :)
Can't answer the question "does it disable the existing motherboard IDE header" as I've never really tested it, not sure why you would want to use the motherboard IDE header when you have four high speed connections on the FastATA anyway... :)
Like I say the FastATA is in my opinion one of the best pieces of kit you can ever add to an A1200, the only difference between the MKIII & MIV as far as I can tell is, even faster read/write speeds and PIO5 is now stable... :)
Should you sell it... NO... give it a try first and see the difference it makes for yourself, fast disk speeds, CD/DVD burning, easy to add very large HD's... :)
Too many questions... nah... not enough... ;)
-
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed. The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster :)
(http://eab.abime.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=28761&d=1306654764)
-
Hi bbond007 :)
Does anyone have one of these things? Is it going to be a PIA to make this fit?
I have a PowerflyerGold and a FastATA MkII in my A1200's, one I have in a Towered setup under a Mediator PCI and the other in my Deasktop(Gaming) A1200 in both cases I've had no trouble fitting mine, RF shield has to be removed though.
One thing to mention, I had to modify my Subway USB's clockport cable slightly for it to fit on the Clockport but you can buy a riser socket from Amigakit. (I just sanded the plastic down a bit to get a fitment)
Is it that much better than stock on a slow CPU? The only requirement I meet is that I do have 64MB RAM :)
My Desktop is 030 (Blizzard 1230) and my Tower is 060/PPC and I get similar speeds 4.7 to 5.6mb/sec depending on PIO (3/4) on both machines, so no a lower end CPU isn't an issue. Native IDE will be pushing 1.7-2mb/sec tops.
Can it really support larger HDs? Could I use the whole 8GB of my SSD?
Yes, I'm using a 40gb HDD on mine, remember you need to use a file system that supports large partitions like SFS/PFS3 though.
Until you install the driver you wont see partitions outside 4gb unless you have patched SCSi Device. AFAIK the FastATA splits the large drive into lots of virtual 4gb drives to overcome this barrier...
Is it flaky like most elbox stuff?
I've had no issues with either of mine, even stuffed under the Mediator my MkII has been 100% reliable and has had a lot of use!
Is it going to interfere with an Indivision AGA if I can ever get my hands one on of those?
I'm not 100% sure, I think you may need Rom Risers, in this case the FastATA might touch the Keyboard in a Desktop setup. Best wait for someone who has both to confirm, I'm IndiAGA'less :(
Does it disable the existing IDE interface?
Yes, it is a replacement to the onboard IDE so without any drivers installed it will act as the onboard scsi.device, you need to connect a cable to one of the onboard IDE pins.
What is the difference between this and the Fast ATA MK III?
New Firmware/Mach Chips to support OS4.1 Classic
Was the Fast ATA MK III any good?
Yes, I used to have one and regret selling it as it's supported by OS4.1 Classic, sadly my MkII isn't :confused:
Should I sell it? I could use the money something else...
Up to you, if you wanted to trade against my MkII/PowerFlyer + Cash since you don't need OS4.1 Support I'h happily send mine your way plus £45 cash :)
As you don't have OS4.1 is shouldn't make any difference for you - of course you wont have a brand new unit plus warranty anymore but performance shouldn't be much if any different and all my kit is 100% working.
Did I ask too many questions?
Thanks,
-nate
Not at all, we're here to help :)
Steve.
-
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed. The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster :)
Not true...
The FastATA boards only need you to set the correct PIO speed in an easy to use preference editor and it works easily with any problems... ;)
Doubt very much that IdeFix Express would beat any FastATA Board, typical speeds of 5.6 to 6.2Mbs at PIO 4 and with even faster if you can get hold of an HD that can handle PIO 5 speeds (Most high speed CD/DVD Writers work at PIO 5 on my FastATA MKIII)... :)
-
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed. The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster :)
Does anyone know a rough ETA for the SATA-Fix Express boards? I'm holding off on buying a FastATA MkIV but the wait is getting tiresome..........
-
Thanks Franko!
Can't answer the question "does it disable the existing motherboard IDE header" as I've never really tested it, not sure why you would want to use the motherboard IDE header when you have four high speed connections on the FastATA anyway... :)
I actually asked the wrong question but you gave me the answer I was looking for. I was really wondering if the FastATA becomes the primary controller or if you were still required to boot off of the on-board IDE to load a driver for the FastATA
Even on a stock 020 A1200 HD read/write access should be at least twice the speed of the motherboard IDE header, on an 030 A1200 expect at least 5.6MB/s transfer speeds at PIO4...
That is much better. Right now I know I only get about 1MB/sec with my CF and around 900K/sec with my SSD. Strangely enough, my BluRay writer on the SATA port gets around 1.6MB/sec.
Like I say the FastATA is in my opinion one of the best pieces of kit you can ever add to an A1200, the only difference between the MKIII & MIV as far as I can tell is, even faster read/write speeds and PIO5 is now stable...
I'll hang on to it for now and see if I can arrange the innards so everything fits. I will say that if it comes down to a decision between the FastATA and the Indivision AGA (if I ever get one), I'll pick the Indivision. Right now I don't use the 1200 much because I have some vision issues and even with the AmigaManiac SVIDEO adapter its way too stressful on my eyes.
Thanks,
-nate
-
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed. The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster :)
Is that different from the adapter I'm currently using?
4xEIDE'99 interface
http://www.buy.elbox.com/cgibin/shop?info=510EX4
Thanks
-nate
-
Is that different from the adapter I'm currently using?
4xEIDE'99 interface
http://www.buy.elbox.com/cgibin/shop?info=510EX4
Thanks
-nate
Yes it is.
Idefix Express (http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=425) has a Gayle adapter that take's advantage of it's signals and it's a LOT faster than the one you're using or the standard Idefix interface.
Slightly slower than FastATA that can be really picky with HD's. Personally I only found a Samsung HD of mine that worked fine under PIO4. Best bet with all other disks and every other CF was PIO3.
-
Dunno where folk get the idea that the FastATA is "picky" with HD's as it's just not true...:furious:
Over the years I've used many different brands of HD's (and CD/DVD Writers) with it and never had one problem with the FastATA board I've used Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, Maxtor, IBM, Mitsibushi, Western Digital and even unbranded HD's. All worked fine with no problems whatsoever... :)
You can of course use SATA drives too using a SATA to IDE adpter with both the FastATA & 4xEIDE boards I've done so myself on both these great products by using a cheap (£14.99) StarTech Bi-Directional SATA/ IDE adapter... :)
SATA/ IDE Bi-Directional Adapter (http://uk.startech.com/search?search_term=ide+to+sata+adapter+converter&autocomplete=)
Dunno if you lot have commission on this IDEfixExpress but all I can tell you is the Elbox FastATA and 4xEDIE are quality made products that have never given me any problems in years of use... :)
-
@ Franko:
I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the **** do you get the ****ing thing to stay in the ROM sockets? That ****ing piece of ****ing tiewrap isn't worth the **** it is made out of. :D
-
We offer a compatible SATA adapter/cabling with the FastATA MKIV as a product option (http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1052#configure) for a low price (£12). No need to source it seperately elsewhere.
The FastATA supports larger hard disks- it was the only adapter that I could use with my 1TB drive and my new 2TB drive.
-
if you remove the stars i will post how too get a good connection with FastATA.
-
@ Delshay:
I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the smeg do you get the smegging thing to stay in the ROM sockets? That smegging piece of smegging tiewrap isn't worth the smeg it is made out of. :D
-
@ Delshay:
I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the smeg do you get the smegging thing to stay in the ROM sockets? That smegging piece of smegging tiewrap isn't worth the smeg it is made out of. :D
Like I said then, a pain in the bum ;)
I had a go a fitting one myself a few months back and almost destroyed my 3.1 ROMS trying to fit the FAST ATA whereas the IdeFix Express was basically plug-and-play.
-
Like I said then, a pain in the bum ;)
I had a go a fitting one myself a few months back and almost destroyed my 3.1 ROMS trying to fit the FAST ATA whereas the IdeFix Express was basically plug-and-play.
I actually killed an A1200 mobo because of the thing.
I pushed the damn thing into the ROM socket because it was looking loose so hard that the back of the A1200 mobo touched the metal side of my tower case... while it was running! My own damn, stupid fault, but it was due to pure frustration. Even with the tie-wraps, you can never seem to get them tight enough and with all the fiddling I was doing at the time then the damn thing would keep working loose.
If you just left it in place and didn't fiddle with any cables then it was great. I guess if you still have the "wedge" case then it wouldn't be an issue either, but when you have it in a tower it is hanging sideways and the weight of the cables plus gravity is always pulling on it.
-
I actually killed an A1200 mobo because of the thing.
So...
Its not designed well for a tower OR desktop A1200 and I'll need to get rid of the RF (a clear violation of the FCC) AND it potentially is "picky" about the drives.
As long as I'm setting my self for EPIC FAIL I may as well install it in my extremely flaky NTSC CD32. At least it has a Indivision AGA.
Well, I'm off to The Shack(the store formally known as RADIO SHACK) for supplies as I'll need an 150 watt soldering iron and possibly some other stuff. Next, he Tavern for drinks and finally I'll get started around midnight.
-
i will not post how to fix the problem unless you remove the stars (you know who you are).
-
I'm pretty sure your reply will be...
"Replace the kickstart sockets with round hole kickstart sockets. They have better contact and they even have less height."
Apart from that and for those not having the skill or soldering gun+pump, putting straps as the manual says very clearly will give a nice contact and FastATA will stay in it's place. Never had any problem with the straps even when I used the socket risers for BVision.
[URL=http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6475/dsc03032xh.jpg](http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6475/dsc03032xh.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/dsc03032xh.jpg/)
[/URL]
-
@ Franko:
I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the **** do you get the ****ing thing to stay in the ROM sockets? That ****ing piece of ****ing tiewrap isn't worth the **** it is made out of. :D
Easy peasy lemon squeezy... :D
Simply make some bends or kinks in the tie wraps that are almost the same length & height as it would be if it were fitted around the boards & the chips (ie: fold the tie wrap into a rectangular box shape) then open it out, slip it through and bobs yer auntie, one perfectly fitted FastATA... :)
Never damaged a motherboard, FastATA or the Roms even once and I've got two which I have removed and tested them on other A1200's plenty of times... (not have they ever "popped out")... :)
If anyone has destroyed or damaged anything while installing a FastATA board, I can only say what a dickhead and best get an adult to do it for you... :D
-
i will not post how to fix the problem unless you remove the stars (you know who you are).
I don't care. I put the stars in as a joke (yes, I actually typed the stars, no words were auto-censored). If you're a humourless **** then keep your tips to yourself. Christ on a bike!
-
@ Milfos & Franko:
Cheers. Next time I decide to dust off the A1200T I'll try being a bit more creative with the tie-wraps.
@ Franko:
I'll get my 11 year old son to do it. :p
-
So...
...I'll need to get rid of the RF (a clear violation of the FCC)...
Yes, you need to watch out for that. Yesterday a black helicopter gunship hovered over my house and a 10-man SWAT team kicked in my front door and held automatic rifles to my head until I agreed to put the RF shielding back on all of my Amigas and screw the cases together. Then they told me to "have a nice day now, y'all" and raided the next-door neighbour because he has a crack in his car's windshield. Bastards! ;)
As long as I'm setting my self for EPIC FAIL I may as well install it in my extremely flaky NTSC CD32. At least it has a Indivision AGA.
Well, I'm off to The Shack(the store formally known as RADIO SHACK) for supplies as I'll need an 150 watt soldering iron and possibly some other stuff. Next, he Tavern for drinks and finally I'll get started around midnight.
Nah, it will be fine. Just attach it better than me. Thinking about it now, I wonder if some double-sided sticky tape would help...
-
two can play this game but i don't help out a******. there is no need for * for something so general and a excellent hardware.
-
two can play this game but i don't help out a******. there is no need for * for something so general and a excellent hardware.
And I don't need help from a **** either.
Who said that the hardware wasn't excellent? It has issues, which is to do with the way that it connects to ports that were not designed to have huge circuit boards attached to them, especially when the mobo is rotated in a manner that also wasn't originally intended. These are facts, so learn to live with them.
Meanwhile, I'll also point out that I own a Mediator 4000, FastATA4000, 2 x Elbox 1200 towers and an Elbox 4000 tower and one of their 256MB Radeon cards. I'm hardly targeting Elbox for the fun of it. They've given me excellent support to my problems in teh past. UNLIKE YOU.
-
go and **** yourself. your use to it, you faggot. go and get 12 inchs up your ass.
-
@ Milfos & Franko:
Cheers. Next time I decide to dust off the A1200T I'll try being a bit more creative with the tie-wraps.
@ Franko:
I'll get my 11 year old son to do it. :p
Good idea, as at your age the old mind has started to go and things like tie wraps can be a bit confusing to old fuddy duddies like yerself... :)
-
Good idea, as at your age the old mind has started to go and things like tie wraps can be a bit confusing to old fuddy duddies like yerself... :)
I just spent 1 hour wondering why my A4000 that had been working perfectly until then had started freezing when loading Workbench, but before loading the wallpaper. Meanwhile, any USB devices I plugged or unplugged would show the usual pop-ups and when the pop-up vaished it would show a small "square" of the missing Wallpaper. 20 reboots using various drives and after checking very connection later... I noticed the power cable to the floppy had worked loose. Once teh cable was reinserted I got my lovely 1920x1080 workbench screen in all of its glory again! Floppy power cable???!!! Since when has that locked up Workbench?
-
Hello,
I have one of these devices (Mk III). I can't say I found it difficult to install, but I do remember having to apply a lot of force to get the thing clipped into the ROM sockets - but once it was in it was in, and the tie-wrap wasn't even needed to hold it in place.
I have mine inside a desktop case, with the shielding removed. I also have in there a Prelude 1200 clockport sound card, and an Apollo 1260/66. I have a 2.5" 3.25GB HDD attacked to the FastATA running in PIO mode 5 and I get raw reads of up to 8 MB/s.
Without the driver that is loaded at the beginning of your startup-sequence, my hard drive interface speed reverts to the standard slow interface of the 1200's IDE (PIO 0).
The FastATA has a special OPTIONAL way to handle large drives - it is able to split up the huge space ie 40GB into smaller "Amiga friendly" partitions, so it will create different drives (below 4GB manual says)... ie DH0,DH1,DH2,DH3,DH4... and so on so that you end up with all of your drives capacity but as those additional units (depending on size of drive).
I can't remember whether I have ROM riser sockets or not, maybe I have...it was years ago when I assembled my 1200, and I haven't had the machine apart since then.
I do have everything in the case though without problems or modification (except RF shielding removed). Then again, RF shielding in a 1200 case with an accellerator card is a bad idea due to heat considerations. I do have one fan in the case that circulates air over the CPU and around the case.
The FastATA clears the keyboard by a long way, so there is no need for a tower case.
The only problem I have had with Amiga keyboards is that they warp, they "sink" in the middle. The simple and effective solution is to bend it until it is straight again, and it bends very easily. I had to bend my keyboard back to spec because if the Apollo card.
There are always people who will attack FastATA's saying they eat CPU cycles, but this certainly isn't an issue on an 040 or 060. They only tickle the CPU, if at all that.
I've never had any problems with my FastATA, it's built well, it's rock solid performance, and it's seemingly glued onto my motherboard even without the tie-wrap.
Not sure about physical compatibility with Indivision, so I'm unable to answer that question.