Advice on best A1200 accelerator

[desiv]

If ALL you want to do is play WHDLOAD games, then 95+% would be happy with 8M RAM.  Really, even 4M would probably do it..
(With my 8M card, I had it toggled to 4M for PCMCIA compatibility and I can't remember a game I needed to toggle back to 8M for...)

Now, if you want performance in 3D FPS games (and some others), then you'll want an accelerator.
I have an ACA1230/28 which I think is fine for 3D FPS, but a lot of people might disagree.  ;-)  
If you want to run things like ScummVM AGA, you'll want at least a 50Mhz 030...

All of those get spendier tho, as you know..

The best value currently is, as has been mentioned, the ACA1230's, which are new and have GOBS of memory.  ;-)

desiv

[desiv]

.. By the time the extra ram is added it will be approx £80-100 - poor value?

It's not that it's bad per se.  It will probably do what you need.  It's just that, for that price and a bit of patience, you can get an accelerator/RAM card.
 

Also if i buy a low end accelerator do i need to change my a1200 power pack to an a500 power brick? :angry: I would be devestated to see my a1200 melt :roflmao:

Just the 1200 with a 030 would probably be fine.
I've known people to run their 1200's with low end accels fine with the original power brick.  However, all these things are older, including the power bricks, so if you start have problems (quirkiness, graphic glitches), it's a main candidate.
More power hungry cards (040??) and you're asking for problems...

Too bad you're not in the U.S.  I have an MBX1200z I'd probably be willing to let go (just a RAM card with 8M and an FPU, not an accel).  I've been keeping it as a backup but my ACA1230 (which I highly recommend) has been rock solid for me..

desiv

[desiv]

that one is OK if you are absolutely sure you don't want to do anything that needs a MMU or FPU.

That was one of my concerns when I got mine.
I wasn't absolutely sure, but I pulled the trigger anyway...
Hasn't bothered me so far..

There are some things that use an FPU.  Ray Tracing programs and there's a version of iBrowse, etc...
But I haven't done any ray tracing, and the non-FPU iBrowse works OK for me.

As for the MMU, most of the uses are in the development area.
One use that I think would be nice, but I don't have is Mac emulation.
It's my understanding that ShapeShifter can have improved graphics speed with an MMU?  But the only Mac's I'm interested in are 9" b/w, so I'm OK with that too...

Now, I believe that you can replace the 030 in the ACAs with an MMU (non-EC) enabled comparable speed 030 and get an MMU.  I think Vesalia was even providing that as a service (selling them with the CPU swapped already) for a bit???  

But there is no FPU option...

All-in-all, I'm much happier with my ACA1230/28 without FPU and MMU than I was with my 1200z with FPU.  ;-)

I don't regret my purchase at all...

desiv

[desiv]

ACAtune is not allowed by the computer as it says the card is not recognised!!

It depends on the problem.
Is the card really being seen by the OS?
I take it you have it jumpered for OS 3.0, so no extra RAM shows up....

Do you have a program like sysinfo so you can see if the CPU is showing up?

While you are booting the computer, hold down both mouse buttons at the same time to go into the pre-boot menu and look at the hardware card list.  Is it showing the card?

If it's just a problem if needing the new software, I'm sure someone in the UK can help you if you don't have another way of transferring it over.

Not sure if this is the latest release, but I hope so:
http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=750493&postcount=2021

That is one thing that is driving me crazy.  I keep hearing them talk about a support page (either on Jens site or Amigakit) where you can easily find the latest version, but as far as I know when I last checked, you have to find it in the thread on EAB???:confused:

Hoping it's just the software for you...

desiv
p.s.

i really can't face changing the roms over unless i have to

That one of the great things about the ACA1230, you won't need to when you get it working.  You can softkick to 3.1.

[desiv]

no its not showing the card on boot sequence (checking under expansion card diagnostics)
 

Well, my bad on that one..
Just checked mine and it doesn't show in Expansion Card Diagnostics either..
I just assumed it would...

OK, how about opening up a shell and typing "cpu" and see what it says.

Mine says 68030 (and then some options)..

I am using a ClassicWB install, but I think the CPU command is part of the OS..

desiv

[desiv]

ok, it says........ 68020 Inst : Cache
 

So, it's not the software..
It's not seeing your card...

I'd try removing it, cleaning the card edge on the A1200 motherboard (pencil eraser first and maybe some rubbing alcohol and q-tips..) and try it again..

Hopefully, it's just a bad connection..

desiv

[desiv]

i tried that earlier :confused:
 should i try spraying compressed air around the connectors?

I doubt it...
A good eraser cleaning and alcohol is going to be more than compressed air can do...

I'd try again, putting it all the way in the slot and see what happens.

And then back it out ever so slowly in really small increments.
That worked for me, but it was just backing it out a tiny bit..

If you got the card from Amigakit, I'd call them. (Well, tomorrow I'm guessing.)

They really know what they are doing...
It doesn't sound like the "timing" issues around.  It sounds like a connection problem.

I supposed it could also be power.

A normal 1200 (underpowered) PSU should still be enough for just that, but it's possible your PSU isn't working as it should....

desiv

[desiv]

By the sounds of things i need to be altering my Start Sequence in order for the computer to recognise the card (I think this comes back to having rom 3.0?)

Yes and no...

When you tried the CPU command and it said 68020, that meant your computer wasn't seeing the ACA.

I booted my Amiga with no startup-sequence (from the boot menu) and used the CPU command, so there was no acatune loaded...

It said I had a 68030...

So yours should say that also, even without the software.

Once you get your Amiga recognizing the ACA (using the CPU command should show you), THEN you need to add acatune to the startup-sequence.

I usually just use
ed s:startup-sequence

desiv

[desiv]

But are you using rom 3.1? As i think rom 3.1 auto detects the ACA card, i gather rom 3.0 does not auto detect the card? so do i need to install rom 3.1 into the devs folder and change the SS command line to ROM3.1 hmmmm

No, I'm using ROM 3.0.  I softkick to 3.1 (using ACATune)...

With ROM 3.0, you should see the 68030 with the CPU command..

desiv

[desiv]

HOORAH!!!! E123C & E125C removed this morning and A1200 has been running for over 4 hours with ZERO lock-ups!

YEAY!!!!
 

But my question is did these people have their card work (even momentarily) as mine doesn't even appear to register with the a1200

I have to admit, yours is the first one I've read about that wouldn't do anything with the card installed.
From what I remember reading before, the fix was for stability.  Glitchy graphics, random crashes.  Not that the 1200's wouldn't see the card...

So yours presented a bit different....

You're special!  Don't you feel lucky!!  :roflmao:

Glad it's working!!

desiv

[desiv]

no i was quoting some one else!!!!!!!
 Mine is still as dead as a do-do!!!!!

Oh sorry..

and the card is WORKING!

Yeay!..

er.. wait.. are you quoting again??  :-)

Yeah, the fitting of that card is a bit tricky....

desiv

[desiv]

Yeah, I was worried about the timing fixes and fits with mine when I ordered it, because I'm almost always the one that something fails for if there's a possibility.. ;-)

But I got lucky (this time)...

I had to take my 1200 apart to install it, but I only had to pull it back just a tad to get it to work(I had that problem with my 8M RAM card, so I was prepared for that) and it fit without even removing the RF shield (that everyone hates and I probably should have removed anyway....).

I think you'll love your ACA...

I think it's awesome..  ;-)

Enjoy!

desiv

[desiv]

Kual!!

...i've edited my wb start up sequence to this:

Quick question:
What do you mean when you say your "wb start up sequence?"

You mean s:startup-sequence?
 

C:ACATune - maprom Devs kick31 -cache on -burst on>NIL:

I don't think that is quite right.  More like:
C:ACATune -maprom Devs:kick31 -cache on -burst on >NIL:
 
(Not at my Amiga now, so not positive.  That  is assuming that there is a file called kick31 (no extension, just kick31) in the DEVS: folder.)

and this replaced my previous command line which was something like WBPatch <> NIL:

Generally, you don't want to "replace" anything.

You want to add the ACATune line as the first line in your s:startup-sequence.

 desiv

[desiv]

TDo you think the problem could be the jumper on the accelerator board, ie. now that i am kicking to a 3.1 rom i should now remove the jumper?:confused:

Nope, you need the Jumper still when you softkick to 3.1...

desiv