PPC Developers Board

[HenryCase]

First of all, let's start by introducing the device we are discussing:
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=239

According to amiga-hardware.com, the PowerPC developer board was designed to plug in to the 060 socket of the Cyberstorm Mk-II, but I know it works in the Blizzard 2060 060 socket too.

Seems to me that the only link the PPC developers board has to the main accelerator is the 060 socket. My question is this: If new drivers were written, could the Phase5 PPC developers board work in any Amiga 060 accelerator without hardware modification?

This is just a technical question. Please leave the reasons I am asking this aside for a moment. Thank you in advance.

[rkauer]

 Maybe the answer is yes, but where you hope to find one? That is an Über-rare prototype board!

 Rarer than hen's teeths!

[HenryCase]

rkauer wrote:
Maybe the answer is yes, but where you hope to find one? That is an Über-rare prototype board!

Maybe I don't intend to find one, merely create a device like it. As I said before, this is a technical question, please focus on that aspect. Thank you.

[odin]

I smell secret plans to acquire world domination =).

[Homer]

I tried to read between the lines, but all I could see was white bits :lol:
Sounds like HenryCase has a cunning plan  :idea:

[Tahoe]

Does indeed sound cunning.

I don't have one, so I cannot tell you for sure, but the fact that it not only works on a CS MK2 but also on a 2060 is indeed hopeful.

It really depends on if you have to flash the CS MK2/2060 to work with the PPC board. If you do it will be a no-no, if you don't you might have a chance.

It would be very interesting to see if OS4 would run on the 2060/PPC combo, or is the A2000 just too different...

[Lemmink]

[reading mind]
Well there are 601 / 603e accelerators for old 68k MACs but don`t get you hopes up. There is a flash / ROM, whatever, with special amigish content in it.
[/reading mind]

Back to your basic question: Yes, if there are drivers (in ROM and / or on HD) it should be possible to make such a thing work. But getting drivers done is usually the hardest part, otherwhise we would already have Radeon9800s for G-Rex/Mediator/A1....

[Framiga]

.

[downix]

I theory yes.  Actually a good basis to work from, if you had the schematics for it.

[HenryCase]

Thanks for all of the responses.

My query actually comes out of desperation, I had a much better plan that now seems unlikely to come to anything. Let me explain...

After reading a topic on amiga.org about PPC hardware for Minimig, I decided to contact DCE about acquiring the rights to the Blizzard 2060, Blizzard 2604 and PPC developers board. This would have given us a great head start in putting a PPC Minimig together, as we would have had the hardware designs, the driver source code, all documentation, etc...

However, despite a long discussion that lasted over a month, the negotiations are becoming increasingly difficult, due to DCE's reluctance to do any Amiga business at all. I did find out that we would need Specctra-compatible router software to view the PCB designs, but that's all the technical information I extracted.

The deal would have been good for DCE as it would have given them money for technology they no longer have a use for. However, at the moment I am looking to change my approach to obtaining more PPC hardware for Amiga by doing the following:
1. Seeing if DCE will sell all remaining stock they have for OS4 compatible A1200/A3000/A4000 accelerators.
2. Looking into reverse engineering the PPC developer board, to start PPC Minimig developments going.

I am really not knowledgeable enough at the moment to do all of the reverse engineering work myself, but I'm hoping if I start the work others will be willing to help me where they can. Here's how I see the reverse engineering being possible:
1. Develop a board that mimicked the original developer board (603PPC, 060 processor) with one major difference, an FPGA replacing the control chips.
2. Decompiling the Developer Board drivers to gain a better understanding of how the control chips work.
3. Using the knowledge gained from decompiling drivers, and the API information Framiga mentioned, program the FPGA so that the new device works with the existing drivers.

This would just be the first step towards PPC Minimigs, but an important step IMO. Downix, your Minimig accelerator slot project is also key here, how have things been going?

Tahoe wrote:
It would be very interesting to see if OS4 would run on the 2060/PPC combo, or is the A2000 just too different...

I have been wondering this myself. If anyone does have a suitable A2000 setup to try OS4 on, please look into this.

Incidentally, this is the video that really sold me on the idea of the possibilities of the Blizzard 2060 and PPC developers board combo, it shows the device being installed on an A2000 along with OS3.9:
http://8bit.dk/pepe/a2000ppc.html

Any thoughts?

[itix]

603PPC, 060 processor

Are those CPUs available anymore?

[downix]

HenryCase wrote:

This would just be the first step towards PPC Minimigs, but an important step IMO. Downix, your Minimig accelerator slot project is also key here, how have things been going?

Schematics are done, it's the pcb that I am slow at.  (never been fast at pcb's sad to say)  Would you like me to post the schematics as/is so as to see what I am attempting to do?

[Tahoe]

HenryCase wrote:
After reading a topic on amiga.org about PPC hardware for Minimig, I decided to contact DCE about acquiring the rights to the Blizzard 2060, Blizzard 2604 and PPC developers board. This would have given us a great head start in putting a PPC Minimig together, as we would have had the hardware designs, the driver source code, all documentation, etc...

However, despite a long discussion that lasted over a month, the negotiations are becoming increasingly difficult, due to DCE's reluctance to do any Amiga business at all. I did find out that we would need Specctra-compatible router software to view the PCB designs, but that's all the technical information I extracted.

Actually, tha fact that you have been negotiating for over a month in itself is pretty revolutionary, usually DCE bins everything even partly relating to Amiga.
I still wonder why they are so adiment in not wanting to do business with us.

All I can say is don't give up, get them to read forums or postings there. I think there are quite a few people around that want to do business with DCE. Either by buying them out , or even wanting them do do a new production run on newly designed hardware. I have even heard people try to persuade DCE to build MiniMigs.

In the end I suspect it is a money issue, I can't image them rather having it gather dust then making a last profit on selling the technology.

[kolla]

I dont get it. I also dont get the point of UAE with PPC emulation to run OS4 - why emulate the old Amiga hardware when OS4 was made to not need it? Why bother with PPC on the MiniMig, when OS4 doesnt need it? (Hohum, does it even support ECS directly, or does it rely on the CVPPC?)

It should really be alot easier to hack OS4 to boot on PearPC and old Macs than to build new "old" PPC acc-boards. I'd guess it's even easier to build new proper PPC boards using modern chips, than to build old acc-boards.

[downix]

itix wrote:

603PPC, 060 processor

Are those CPUs available anymore?

Yes, 060's come at up to 100Mhz now, and 603e's can reach 300Mhz.

Incidentally, I have a bus interface module designed for the 750-series as well.  Was going to use it in Eddas back when I flirted with using a PPC (too many headaches for me), but glad to donate it if you'd like.