A1200 Rev 1D4 accelerator

[Vincent]

The first accelerator card I had formy A1200 about 5 years ago had a timing problem with my motherboard (the 1D4 revision).  I think the accelerator was a Magnum, but I can't remember that far back.

About a month ago my Viper 1230 MkII 40MHz refused to work with simms fitted, now it refuses to work at all.  I was wanting to get a Blizzard 040/50 from Pwer Computing but they don't sell them anymore, and they won't be getting anymore in.

I was thinking about getting Apollo '040 MMU/FPU 40MHz (with the 2nd simm socket) instead.  I was wondering if you guys could tell me if there would be a problem with that card and my motherboard.

My full system is:

A1200 rev 1D4 with floppy fix (now uses a proper A1200 drive)
52x CD-ROM
4-Way buffered interface with IDE-fix 97
18Gb 3.5" IDE HD
2.4Gb 3.5" IDE HD
Scandoubler/Flickerfixer

Cheers for the help.


I've tried the Big Book of Amiga Hardware site, but they don't mention any conflicts.

[Karlos]

You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?

[lorddef]

Well I had an Apollo 1230LC (030 @ 33mhz) and in order to use it I had to do the mobo fix for my 1d.4 mobo.

I'm sure somebody with a 1d.4 and an 040 could tell you though.

You could always do the timing fix if it doesn't work.

[Vincent]

Karlos wrote:
You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?

Yeah, I do. :-)

Can't afford it :-(

[Karlos]

Vincent wrote:

Karlos wrote:
You don't fancy a BlizzardPPC then?

Yeah, I do. :-)

Can't afford it :-(

Bugger. I know the feeling - I want an A1 G4 XE. Still I reckon by the time I can afford one, everybody else currently waiting might just be getting theirs too :lol:

Anyhoo, a 68040 card is not a bad option. Even a 25Mhz 040 has considerably more poke than your old 030 for most jobs...

[Vincent]

ermmm, I just realised this is in the Software forum - oops :-)

@Karlos

That's why I want the 040 :-D

Besides, they don't sell them in 030s anymore (well, I couldn't find any).  But the thought of the extra speed of the 040 is a bit exciting :-D

[Ni72ous]

Check Eyetech's site, the last time i looked they had some reasonable offers on accelerators

[whabang]

I have an Elbox 1230 II, which works just fine on my 1D4 board.
Runs lika dream ( well, at least as much as you can expect from a 40 MHz CPU without FPU or MMU... :-) )

[Karlos]

Vincent wrote:
ermmm, I just realised this is in the Software forum - oops :-)

@Karlos

That's why I want the 040 :-D

Besides, they don't sell them in 030s anymore (well, I couldn't find any).  But the thought of the extra speed of the 040 is a bit exciting :-D

I got my first 040, an Apollo 1240, back in the day when they were a big deal (1995). I just wanted to play AB3D faster then...I've still got it somewhere. I'd sell it to you for a tenner if I thought you might actually be able to use it without it going wonky. It has a socketed ROM which seems to be a bit dodgy and is very fussy about SIMMs :-(

[Vincent]

@ NitrousB

That's where I'm looking to get the Apollo from.  They don't say anything about timing problems there.


I've just found a German site that's selling the Blizzard 1240/040.  Before I order it (probably tonight or tomorrow) does anyone know of anyproblems with that board and the rev 1D4?

This is the Blizzard:

Low-cost 68040 based accelerator board
72-pin SIMM socket for upto 128 MB (upto 256 MB with the optional SCSI Kit IV)
68040 @ 40 MHz
Optional FastSCSI-2 controller Blizzard SCSI Kit IV
MMU and FPU (integrated in 68040)
Battery backed Real Time Clock
Kickstart remapping
Asynchronous design for full genlock compatibility
Made in Germany, 2 years warranty

[Vincent]

Karlos wrote:

I got my first 040, an Apollo 1240, back in the day when they were a big deal (1995). I just wanted to play AB3D faster then...I've still got it somewhere.

 :lol: Nice though :-D

I'd sell it to you for a tenner if I thought you might actually be able to use it without it going wonky. It has a socketed ROM which seems to be a bit dodgy and is very fussy about SIMMs :-(

I'll keep that in mind.  It might be handy to have that as a dodgy spare if something goes wrong.  Cheers :-D

[lorddef]

@karlos

I like the sound of that 040, it would be nice to experiment with.  :-D

[Vincent]

lorddef wrote:
@karlos

I like the sound of that 040, it would be nice to experiment with.  :-D

Get your hands off that!!!! :-P

It's mine!!!!

Seriously though, I would like that accel Karlos.  I'll speak to you about it once I've figured out what I'm doing about this accelerator.

[Rassilon]

One place you could try, which would be easier than ordering from abroad is

www.analogic.co.uk

They are based in Kingston, on the outskirts of London.

They sell many amiga accelerators, and also do repairs and mods, so they should be able to answer any questions you may have.

Sometimes they can be a bit flaky, like saying they have an item in stock when they don't, but mainly they are quite good. Their amiga bloke is called Tim.

regards

Rassilon

[Vincent]

@Rassilon

Cheers for that.  I've checked their site, they only sell the Apollo cards, and they're a bit more expensive than Eyetech.

I've just emailed Vesalia about timing probs between 1D4 and the Blizzard 1240.  Hopefully I'll get a reply by tomorrow morning.


I just wish I'd ordered the Blizzard from Power Computing (and asked them about the timing probs) when I had the chance.  According to Vesalia's site, they've stopped producing the Blizzard cards now :-(