PCI graphics cards with PassThru

[alexh]

A long time ago when PCI graphics cards were the norm, some (all?) of them had an internal passthru connector on them.

This internal connector could be used with MPEG decoder cards and Voodoo 1 & 2 cards etc. to connect them internally and avoid using the loopback cables.

Do any popular Amiga enabled PCI gfx cards still have these interfaces? (They looked a little like a clock port header)

I've not looked for a long time, but if any of them do, it would be easy to make a cheap Automon.

[motorollin]

There aren't any drivers for cards like that unfortunately.

--
moto

[keropi]

The PCI voodoo3 3000 has one, 26pins in 2 rows...
it is stupid, the pci busboards should offer by default a built-in switcher like the picassoII...

[alexh]

There are for at least 1... my VIRGE DX card has one.

[keropi]

also my generic virge 375 has one, as well as the Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 (same 375) has one...
interesting idea Alexh, tell me more!

[alexh]

keropi wrote:
The PCI voodoo3 3000 has one, 26pins in 2 rows.

Oooh, I'll ask about (and everyone here do the same) and lets see if we can get details about the connector and its signals.

It should be EASY to convert one of these cards + internal scandoubler into a CHEAP, quality, Automon solution.

the pci busboards should offer by default a built-in switcher like the picassoII...

And how do you suggest they do that?

They would have had to include a cable which clipped over the AGA chip, probably a scandoubler too, it would have doubled the price of the PCI adapter dont you think?

[Boot_WB]

Ahh, is that what they were for, I always though it must be some factory testing/digagnostic header.

[keropi]

yes they could, they would only have to provide 2 inputs, an output and a digital switch which would be controlled by p96/cgx like it does on zorro RTG.
but let's search this FutureConnectors on the vga's... interesting!

[alexh]

I think I've found it...

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/pc/vga_feature.html

It is not what I thought it was and possibly useless

I could have sworn that you could CHROMA-KEY data IN through this port, but it appears it is nothing more than a glorified internal VGA connector.

[keropi]

so alexh do you understand it? how would it be possible to make the pci-vga to understand when to switch to this input?

[alexh]

If it can be made to an input I thought it used a form of chroma-key.. If the screen is all MAGENTA it replaced these pixels with pixels from input.

If it CAN be made an input... maybe AGA in a window would be possible... but I am stretching a bit far on this one without finding out if it can be an input.

I thought that MPEG cards and TV cards etc. came INTO the VGA cards... but perhaps it was the otherway around.

If it was bidirectional then YES!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_connector

[keropi]

so we bonned again?  :lol:

[alexh]

I will ask around and have some talks with other Amiga hardware designers. I'll concentrate on the connectors on the Virge and Voodoo3 (hopefully the same) and see if it has any use.

[Angus]

alexh wrote:
Do any popular Amiga enabled PCI gfx cards still have these interfaces? (They looked a little like a clock port header)




Alex, are we talking about the connector at the top, in the middle, of the card?



My Voodoo3 3000 has one like that.

Edited because....

Hmmmm............. seem to have messed that up. The image URL is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:V5-5500-press.jpg

[CLS2086]

One the Amiga Side, you can get the signal at the entrance of the VP101-3BA (or ADV191KP30 depending of your A1200 mobo...) :
http://assets.zarlink.com/DS/zarlink_VP101_JAN_01.pdf
but i'm sure that you'll need at least a buffer system like on commodore VGA adapter.
Good Luck.