Pegasos on the way - yay!

[KennyR]

Is a standard ATX case sufficient?

Yes. Keep in mind your Peg wont boot without a PS/2 keyboard though - the first time, anyway.

If you get a blank screen with everything plugged in, make sure that CPU card is pushed in all the way. The bugger had me panicking for almost a whole day.

If everything is in and you still get a blank screen, your RAM is not accepted (blame Articia).

Unfortunately the only way to definitely see that your RAM is not accepted is serial debug output, which is why the nullmodel cable is a good idea. Blame the x86 init code on GFX cards...

[KennyR]

Oh, and bed down for some serious tinkering. I swore more times in one day than I have in 10 years, even if the end result was fantastic. ;-)

[Wilse]

@KennyR:

Keep in mind your Peg wont boot without a PS/2 keyboard though - the first time, anyway.

I'll use the one on my g/f's PC for now.

Unfortunately the only way to see that your RAM is not accepted is serial debug output, which is why the nullmodel cable is a good idea.

How does it work? I connect the peg's serial port to the PC's and then what? (Excuse my ignorance.)

Oh, and bed down for some serious tinkering. I swore more times in one day than I have in 10 years, even if the end result was fantastic.

I always thought that would be the case.  :-)
Hopefully I won't swear too much.

[KennyR]

I'll use the one on my g/f's PC for now.

Be careful. I tried to use my family PC's keyboard and it wasn't detected. Cheap TIME crap. The Peg just stalled in the OF screen.

How does it work? I connect the peg's serial port to the PC's and then what? (Excuse my ignorance.)

Load some kind of serial terminal on the PC. I used AmTerm on the Amiga, I don't know what is available for Windows. Edit: its 115000 baud, no error checking and XON/XOFF handshaking.  (Edit: NOTE: make sure machines are OFF before playing with serial cables. The Peg is ATX and isn't really off until you switch it off at the back (or pull out its power cable). This goes for playing with cards, dimms and cpu cards also!)

I always thought that would be the case.  
Hopefully I won't swear too much.

Don't get too angry if MOS seems buggy at first - there's a lot you have to do to get it stable. For the first two days that reset button is your friend, so don't get a tower with the crappy little reset button that needs a pen to press. ;-) And DONT just copy all your Amiga files over to the Peg, if you have them.

I also recommend you burn some Amiga apps onto a CD for quick installation on the Peg, including Miami/MiamiDX and samba or an ftp server and client, (Edit: and ARexx commands, libs, and Rexxmast). Miami itself is a pain in the arse to install, since its installer is dumb and makes wild assumptions that fail on MOS. Easier just to copy from a CDRW and make the add the assign manually to user-startup.

Cheap TIME crap. The Peg just stalled in the OF screen.

:lol: My missus is lower managment at Time head office.  Indeed it is all crap. Never a truer word said.

[Wilse]

@KennyR:

I picked up some stuff on my way home:

300W ATX Case;
40gb Maxtor HD;
512meg Twinmos RAM which the shop said I could take back in it doesn't work;
1 UDMA cable.

Be careful. I tried to use my family PC's keyboard and it wasn't detected. Cheap TIME crap.

This one is Packard Bell.

I've fixed the mobo to the case and plugged the power supply into the socket at the top of the board.
Are there any other connections to the mobo?

I've also connected the Radeon 8500, the CPU card and seated the RAM in the first slot from the left 9nearest the cpu). Is this the right slot?

The HD and CD are on the same IDE channel for now as I only have one cable. I've connected them to the right hand channel, nearest the front of the case.

I just tried switching on the power and nothing happened at all, not even the fan in the PSU came on. I know I'm probably missing something obvious but any ideas would be appreciated.

Cheers,

I just tried switching on the power and nothing happened at all, not even the fan in the PSU came on.

Have you tried plugging the 3-pin plug into the wall and flicking the switch Wilse? ;-)

[Wilse]

mdma wrote:

Have you tried plugging the 3-pin plug into the wall and flicking the switch Wilse? ;-)

:lol: I'm pretty absent-minded but I did try that. :lol:

[Wilse]

I just had a look at a photo on Morphzone and there are obviously some connections to the mobo I haven't made but the picture is too grainy to see exactly what. I'm not sure what the orientation is forconnecting the power switch lead to the mobo. It has two sockets, one connected to a red wire, the other white. The connection point has three pins.
My RAM appears to be in the wrong slot too.
-update- RAM moved to slot nearest front of case.

I just had a look at a photo on Morphzone and there are obviously some connections to the mobo I haven't made but the picture is too grainy to see exactly what.
My RAM appears to be in the wrong slot too.

Hmmmm.... So I'd be wrong in assuming it's the same process as building a PC then?

Just a thought, is there any voltage settings that you might have missed or something like that?

[Wilse]

@mdma:

So I'd be wrong in assuming it's the same process as building a PC then?

I've no idea. This is first computer I've built. The nearest I've come to this before was towering my A1200.

Just a thought, is there any voltage settings that you might have missed or something like that?

Possibly but nothing I've noticed.

[DaveP]

Fuse?

Normally the PSU fan comes on unless there is:

1. a dead short
2. a blown fuse
3. you didn't switch on at the power

[Wilse]

@DaveP:

Fuse?

No, I tried the same kettle lead on my amiga and it powered up.

1. a dead short

Of the three options you mentioned, this is the only one I can't rule out. What is a dead short and how do I check for one?

Thanks again,

[KennyR]

I've fixed the mobo to the case and plugged the power supply into the socket at the top of the board. Are there any other connections to the mobo?

Yes, you must connect up the on switch to the board, otherwise the PSU won't even come on, because in ATX its the board that tells the PSU to fully power up. But your pegasos is on and dormant - you just can't see it. So be careful when you're hauling out dimms and stuff.

I've also connected the Radeon 8500, the CPU card and seated the RAM in the first slot from the left 9nearest the cpu). Is this the right slot?

It doesn't matter.

I just tried switching on the power and nothing happened at all, not even the fan in the PSU came on. I know I'm probably missing something obvious but any ideas would be appreciated.

Connect that PWRON on the motherboard to the on switch. Then you'll have luck. This is different from PWR-LED. See the sheet of A4 with the schematic that came with your Pegasos - but I can tell you right now its the "bottom" two pins on the connector that's just next to floppy connector. It looks like a connector for a cable but its just for jumpers and leads - that confused me a bit too.

[Warface]

AFAIR If you have a Radeon 8500 and a fan on it, the first life sign will be the fan on the GFX card starts to spin, regardless that your ram is faulty, the whole mobo got trashed during transfer, whatever. When the mobo is on, the fan spins.

If you have some trouble, for example bogus rams, the debug output will tell you.

Wishing luck! Hope you will succeed. :-)

[Wilse]

@KennyR:

Connect that PWRON on the motherboard to the on switch.

Is that "POWER SW"? (I don't have "PWRON")

See the sheet of A4 with the schematic that came with your Pegasos

I don't seem to have one. I was actually thinking it was odd that there were no instructions. That explains it.

but I can tell you right now its the "bottom" two pins on the connector that's just next to floppy connector.

Should the orange wire go at the bottom or the top?

Cheers,