Expanded A2000 using NO SLOTS!

[curtis]

I'm in the process of expanding an A2000 I picked up a while back.

So far, I've added a kipper2 8MB memory card.

Got a minimeg installed for 2MB chip RAM which gives me a total of 10MB!

Am considering using a cfide68K for the hard drive.  Now that mkl has figured out the IDE hard drive problem with the adapter, it'd be perfect.

Probably add a ROM switcher just for s&g's.

Anyone else ever try this?  I know it kind of defeats the purpose of the slots for the A2000, but it's still kinda cool looking!

Curtis

[curtis]

Well, I'm thinking I'm going to have to pass on the CFIDE68K adapter as when I add the Vortex 286 board, it sticks up too high with the IDE adapter installed!

I've got a Dataflyer IDE and will probably use it, but have a question.  Can you run a CD-ROM drive with the Dataflyer?  

I know the Dataflyer uses a special format program, but there isn't anything in the manual regarding a CD drive!

Actually, I may have to do some hacksaw work on the drive cage as the Vortex/kipper2 stack is touching the bottom of the drive/power supply support.  Tried both ways with the memory expansion on top and bottom.  No joy!

Bummer!

Oh, BTW, I also added a Indivision so I've got VGA output without an Amber card!  Guess I'll have to change the name of the thread to using only 1 slot!

Curtis

[curtis]

Pics?

Decided to pass on the Vortex 286 board as with the memory module it would intrude with the support for the floppies and power supply.

Fitted the CFIDE68K and it's a bit lower so I think I'll go with a bridgeboard IF I decide I want DOS/Winblows compatibility.  Does anyone know if 3.1 will work with a bridgeboard?  The ROM I've got in there right now is 3.1.  Guess I could use a switcher with 1.3 if 3.1 doesn't support the bridgeboards.

@TheMagicM.  Here's some pictures.  Note the clearance between the "stack" and the support.  Not a whole lot of room there!

Looking at the pictures you'll notice there is ZERO clearance between the "stack" and the minimeg!  Guess you could take a Dremel tool to the memory module...

Also, looking at the second picture you'll see the Indivision adapter for vga output.

Third picture shows there's only 1/4" clearance in this configuration.  Better than with the Vortex 286 where there was negative 1/4" clearance!  Yeah, it was actually forcing the metal UP!  

Had to boost the stack with 2 sockets to clear the ROM chip.  That really pushes things up!

Curtis

[curtis]

Well, hit a major snag in this project.

I had decided to go with a GVP 030 combo board for the cpu accelerator.  Yeah, using 1 slot.

Picked up a good working board, thanks DutchinUSA, dropped it in and suddenly my CFIDE68K adapter, CD-ROM, and expanded memory disappeared!

It seems the GVP combo board disables the cpu socket AND everything in it so anything plugged in there is a fleeting memory unless I disable the GVP board which sort of defeats the purpose of having it in there.

Considered rigging a switch to disable the combo board if I wanted to use the other stuff, but it didn't really make sense to have anything in the computer that wasn't being used!

So I've decided to go a little more conventional route and use the combo board as memory expansion, SCSI interface, and (obviously) cpu accelerator.

Still, I've got the vga output using an Indivision vga adapter without using a slot.

Anyway, I proved the concept is feasible to a point.  Perhaps even more so if an accelerator for an A500 is used that plugs into the cpu socket.

So, next stop for my A2000, a SCSI media reader so I can boot from a CF microdrive and read other format memory cards.  Add a SCSI CD-ROM, and a 386SX bridgeboard!  

Should be pretty nice.

Pictures to come later, after I get the CD drive!

Curtis

[curtis]

Mechy, I was just trying to see what could be done!

Yeah, it's easier to use the slots, but sometimes you just have to try something to see if you can do it.  Sort of like the last words of a redneck, "Hold my beer and watch this!"

[curtis]

A quick update on progress so far.

Pulled the kipper2 memory expansion and the CFIDE68K since with the GVP 030 combo card they were just drawing electricity and not doing any good.  They'll find a new home in an A500 when I finish with this project.

Next was planning on dropping a 2286 bridgeboard upgraded to a 486SX, but suddenly remembered bridgeboards don't like more than 6MB of RAM and there is no way to configure the memory on the combo board to push 3 banks of memory to outside the Zorro map area, so it's out.

Finally installed a media reader with the compact flash/microdrive as the boot device.  Added a CD drive and turned it on.  No boot!

Checked the addresses on the media reader and CD.  For some strange reason the media reader has to be set as device 6 to boot.

It also appears that with the media reader set as device 6 any address I set the CD to will not allow the media reader to be bootable.  The system tried to boot from the CD.  So out the CD drive goes!  It'll be installed in an external case and plugged into that side of the SCSI chain.

Out or curiosity and to refresh my (obviously) failing memory, does SCSI automatically default to the lowest device number for booting?

So, anyway, I'm up to 1 card in the A2000 and I only plan to add one more card, the Thylacine I have laying around.

Curtis

[curtis]

It will be a couple of days before I have time to get the model number on the media reader.  Christmas time is a bit hectic!

However, IF I remember correctly, it's a SMC.  Just don't hold me to that.

Curtis

[curtis]

Okay, the media reader is the SCM PCD-50B.

Tried finding a manual for it online.  No joy.  Since it's the same thing that mechy sells, I may drop him a line and see if he's got a scanned copy I can get from him.

However, I also did some checking on the CD drive I was using, a TEAC CD-56S.  Come to find out, to DE-activate the terminator on it, you put the shorting block in place, NOT REMOVE IT!  Totally bass-ackwards of what I was expecting.

Since it's now bedtime for this tired old body of mine, I'm going to try it with the shorting block in place tomorrow after I get off work.  I strongly suspect I may have some interesting results to report...

Stand by to stand by!

[curtis]

Well, turning the termination on the CD didn't help a bit.

Tried setting the ID on the CD from 1-5 with no change.

Tried switching places on the cable.  Didn't make a bit of difference.

No matter whether the CD is terminated or not, in any position on the cable, any address; if the CD is in the chain, the SCM is not recognized.

Oh, did notice one other odd thing.  With the CD in the SCSI chain, when I turn the computer on, I get 6 short flashes on the power light and a dark gray screen.

So, I'm really thinking about bowing to the invertible and taking the CD external.

However, to keep the space from going to waste, I am going to try and mount the 286 board in the computer and poke a microdrive reader in that space.

On the 286 board, I found a "Make It 486" adapter that swaps out the 286 processor for a Cyrix 486 clocking at double the clock speed.  That should be interesting to see how it runs.

Updates later...

[curtis]

As another thought, it really sounds like there's some issue with your CD drive.  It's a standard 50-pin SCSI, correct?  Have you considered just trying with another drive?  It really sounds like yours may have some defect.  The card reader works fine without the CD drive in the chain, correct?  I've bought 50-pin SCSI drives on ebay before for under $5 each, shouldn't break the bank.  

Guess that's possible.  Picked it up on fleabay with the owner saying it was pulled from a working computer.  Starting to suspect the computer was working, but the drive wasn't!  That or it was the only thing on the SCSI chain.

[curtis]

Sent a PM to Oldsmobile_Mike taking him up on his offer of the external drive.

So, will move on to installing the bridgeboard while waiting for his drive to come in.

Curtis

[curtis]

Well, this thread has been dormant a bit too long.  Time for an update.

Got the drive from Oldsmobile_Mike and dropped it in.  SCSI chain didn't lock up but the silly thing would not recognize when there was a disk in it!

Spent several nights trying to get AMICDFS to recognize a disk in the drive.  No soap.  FINALLY figured out the drive was the problem, not the driver software!

Picked up another drive on fleabay and dropped it in.  Worked like a champ!

Installed OS3.9 with no problems.

Still trying to get the Thylacine to be recognized, but at least the machine is working now.

Also have a question for the general population.

I'm thinking of adding internet capability to the machine.  Since I have a media reader that has a PCMCIA slot was wondering if it would be easier to go with a PCMCIA adapter, either wired or wireless, or drop in an ethernet adapter into a Zorro slot.

Comments would be greatly appreciated.

Curtis

p.s.  Mike, don't worry about the drive.  The external case it came in was worth the money I paid for the drive and case.  I'lll use it somewhere.

[curtis]

Mike, don't worry about it.  Like I said the price was good for just the case which, like you said, can be used for a ton of stuff!

Yeah, that media card reader is like the one Mechy sells.  So guess a PCMCIA ethernet card is out.

Looked up the X-Surf 100 and that sounds like the deal!  Checked Vesalia and ETA is Feb of this year, so hopefully we'll both score!

Now to figure out how to get the  Thylacine and Bridgeboard working.

[curtis]

Definitely keep me posted.

I've never heard of the either!  Prices look comparable to amigakit and vesalia tho.

[curtis]

Well, guess the title of this thread should be changed to Expanded A2000 using only 1 slot!

Final configuration is:
 GVP 030 Combo board with 16MB RAM, 40MHz '030 cpu,
2MB chip RAM upgrade,
Indivision ECS for VGA output,
SMC media reader booting OS 3.9 off of a 2GB microdrive.

While I was putting it all back together, I was looking in there and thinking those slots sure do look wasted!

I was kicking around the idea of dropping in a 2286 bridgeboard that I've upgraded to a 486, but couldn't get my hard drive controller to work on the PC side AND the BLASTED thing doesn't have an external floppy port!  Only bridgeboard that didn't come with an external floppy port!

If anybody wants pictures, let me know and I'll get them posted.

Curtis