SupraDrive 500 expansion Question

[luvtofish]

I just picked up a Supra sidecar expansion, 2MB MEM, with a 20MB hard drive for my Amiga 500. The hard drive and enclosure connects to the back of the sidecar via SCSI cable.  

I noticed the sidecar itself has what appears to be an expansion port on the left side (accessed by removing a few screws) that would allow connecting an additional sidecar or other device. Does anyone know what this is for and what it does for sure?

Also, if I wanted to update the hard drive, does any 50 pin SCSI work?

Thanks

-ltf

[Ral-Clan]

There is an updated ROM chip available for this drive, which you may want to purchase.  I got mine from someone on eBay years ago.

You need it so that the controller can access drives over a certain size (can't remember how much) and also use removable media SCSI devices (ZIP drives, CD drives, etc) without problems.

Maybe the BBOAH has info on the ROM updates.

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=26145
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25246

I think this originally shipped with a 105MB drive, and I have one in my Supra XP500 that is that size....Sorry if my memory is not good on this drive as don't use it much and it's in storage right now.

As for the passthrough, can't remember but perhaps the manual is online:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Famiga.resource.cx%2Fmanual%2FSupraDrive_Series_I.pdf&ei=igZKUJ-uFqbY0QGv5YDQAg&usg=AFQjCNF47rHp1KsqhC8H0fHZFa3_-re7LQ&cad=rja

http://amigarealm.whdownload.com/archives/manuals/SupraDrive%20Addendum%20-%20Manual-ENG.pdf

http://amigarealm.whdownload.com/archives/manuals/SupraDrive%20Series%20I%20-%20Manual-ENG.pdf

...a quick scan of the manual shows a picture of some sort of passthrough being used.

[zipper]

Action Replay, Supraturbo28, Apollo A520 etc.

[luvtofish]

It appears I have the AMAB5 CHIP. Do you know how big a drive is supported by this chip? I know there is an AMAB6 chip out there, just don't know where I can find one.

I would love to get something larger than 20MB but I'm not sure what drive to get. Do these take SCSI I 50 pin?

Thanks

[Ral-Clan]

Yes, you can use 50 pin SCSI drives.

I have no idea what the different revisions of the AMAB chip do, but you *might* be able to get a new AMAB chip burned by a fellow that goes by the handle "Eslapion" both here and on the VIC-20 Denial forum.  He might also have the ROM image.  If not, you can download the ROM image for one of the later AMAB revisions at the EAB link posted above.

I found an old message I posted years ago just after I updated by AMAB chip. In it I state some information about the revisions I don't even remember:

Check and see what version of the ROM you have installed in the Supra controller card in the 500XP. You have to look for a sticker on the ROM chip which will say AMAB#. The old versions of the ROM have problems with other hard-drives and newer versions of Workbench. You need the latest version (there was someone on Ebay selling the latest ROMs for $15US about 6 months ago, I bought mine then and am now running WB2.1 no problem). I think the drive installed is a 105MB Quantum. Before the new ROM was installed, it would not recognise all the partitions, now it does. With the AMAB6 ROM chip installed, I can use the HDtools included in Workbench 2.1 without problems.

The chip is IC9 located under the internal hard drive.

The new ROM also helps with using multiple SCSI devices, CD-ROMs and processor cards. I wouldn't be surprised if you have version AMAB4, which could possibly also give trouble with later versions of Workbench (beyond 1.3).

http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/supra500xp

From and old message on Usenet:

"If the rom is labeled AmaB6 the supra controller will support large hard drives and Cd-Rom drives. If it is labeled AmaB5 there is no Cd-Rom drive support and if it is labeled AmaB4 or earlier there is no large hard drive support.

and from another:

"According to the Supra Faxback Document 1501 dated 4/24/96, the current version of the autoboot ROM is "AMAB6". The document also says that the "AMAB6" ROM is required for use with Workbench 2.0x and above."

[Ral-Clan]

This guy was selling them recently, too:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amiga-4091-GVP-Supra-Series-III-SCSI-ROM-update-/130584240572

[luvtofish]

Thanks! I'll contact him via ebay and see if he has any for sale!!

[zipper]

Well, why don't you PM to him - seems to be online here just about atm...

[AAACHIPSET]

I just picked up a Supra sidecar expansion, 2MB MEM, with a 20MB hard drive for my Amiga 500. The hard drive and enclosure connects to the back of the sidecar via SCSI cable.  

I noticed the sidecar itself has what appears to be an expansion port on the left side (accessed by removing a few screws) that would allow connecting an additional sidecar or other device. Does anyone know what this is for and what it does for sure?

Also, if I wanted to update the hard drive, does any 50 pin SCSI work?

Thanks

-ltf

i  have  a 8gig  drive  attached  to mine  ..old  apple  external  ..an have had a dvd drive  attached  to the internal  connection  ...i never could get my action replay to work with the drive  plugged in to the a500  ..also  check the switches  on the side ..jumpers for drive on/off  ram  on/off ..i know  the big book of amiga  site has this  drive on it an details..
dunno if that helps  ..just my experience with the drive ..good  a500 drive..

[Ral-Clan]

Note, that the SupraDrive sidecare CAN run only off the A500's power supply, but it might be a bit flaky, especially if you start daisy-chaining devices to it's expansion slot.

I got the extra power supply with the SupraDrive I have.

[luvtofish]

The drive bay has a built in power supply. I merely had to plug in the standard PC power cable to power it up.

[Ral-Clan]

That's weird.  Mine has a connector for an external power supply (looks like a DIN socket).  You can see it on the circuit board here (black thing at the upper left corner):

http://amiga.resource.cx/photos/supra500xp,1

Perhaps you have the SupraDrive 500?  I have the SupraDrive 500XP.

You'd better make sure then that you are buying the correct AMAB chip.  The one listed on that guy's eBay page is for the SupraDrive 500XP - not sure if it will work with the older SupraDrive 500.

[luvtofish]

Mine is the SupraDrive 500, not the XP model. I'm not sure what the difference is.