Radeon drivers for Mediators

[DJS]

Elbox Computer is pleased to announce releasing Mediator drivers for the Picasso96 gfx system for PCI graphic cards based on the ATI Radeon 9200 series chipset.

The Radeon 9200 series PCI cards features
- Dual integrated display controllers
- 64 or 128 MB of 64 or 128-bit 400MHz DDR SGRAM memory
- 400MHz integrated RAMDACs with refresh rates up to 200Hz
- resolution up to 2048x1536x32@85Hz
- two VGA, or one VGA and one DVI-I connector
- on board S-Video connector for TV-Out

Mission
The main goal of the releasing Mediator support for the Radeon 9200 series cards is a wide availability of these powerful, in-expensive, factory new cards in the PCI format.

Radeon Advantages
Apart from faster graphic engine, bigger memory compared with the Voodoo cards, the Radeon 9200 cards provide much faster PCI-to-PCI read accesses from their graphic memory. This feature results in increasing performance of the PCI busmaster cards (like Spider or FastEthernet), which use this memory for their DMA buffers.

Radeon Overlay Support
As the Elbox Radeon driver supports Radeon overlay function, the supported PCI TV tuner cards work on the Radeon screen in all PIP and backdrop modes (as shown at TV screenshots page) without any Amiga processor load.

Radeon & Voodoo cohabitation
The Radeon PCI card can be used in the Mediator systems together with the Voodoo gfx card, which allows work on two (or more) monitors simultaneousely. Here you can see the list of currently supported screen modes in this configuration. In Mediator systems where two gfx cards are installed (Radeon and Voodoo), all DMA buffers are automatically redirected to the Radeon card memory.

Compatibility
The Radeon Mediator drivers are designed for all MEDIATOR models. However, as most of the Radeon 9200 PCI series cards require the 3.3V auxiliary PCI power supply, they will work out of the box only in the Mediator 1200 TX and Mediator 1200 SX busboards with the ATX power supply.

PCI Radeon cards may also be used in other Mediator models, but it will require installing the Radeon card in the special PCI adapter which provides an auxiliary 3.3V power supply. Elbox is planning to produce a PCI 3.3V power adapter riser. It will include the bracket for the low profile Mobility Radeon 9200 card model available in Elbox Online Store.

Availability
The OS3.x Radeon Mediator driver will be available free of charge for all Mediator Multimedia CD registered users in the upcoming 1.28 update.

The comprehensive list of supported Radeon cards will be available at the Mediator Driver Guide.

[Piru]

So DVI and TV-out work? Does the driver use 2d hw acceleration, or is just simple framebuffer device? Any plans for adding 3d support?

[whabang]

Those cards usually default to displaying a clone image on the TV-out connector. The DVI connector is used as primary display when a monitor is connected to it.

I assume that those are normal Radeon cards, and not modified ones.

[AMC258]

Instead of a riser card, would it not make more sense just to plug an extra PCI card in a free slot, with a power connector on it, just to supply the 3.3V to the rest of the bus??

Also, we don't get any OS4 support for the Radeon (yet)?

[Piru]

Those cards usually default to displaying a clone image on the TV-out connector. The DVI connector is used as primary display when a monitor is connected to it.

Well, that stuff is set up by the x86 BIOS ROM, so it's not obvious that it works with the mediator drivers.

[mboehmer_e3b]

It would make more sense, indeed, but only if the 3.3V pins of the PCI connectors were bussed on the Mediator. There were such "new adaptors" years ago when PCI was young on intel PCs, I even could get one from an old PC. It's a PCI card shaped PCB with a low drop regulator (5V -> 3.3V) with cooling device.

BTW, a modern PCI gfx cards takes around 4Amps. Linear regulation means: heating of (5V - 3.3V) * 4A = 6.8W. This is quite a lot, if you want an efficient way you will need a switching power supply and use the 12V rail, which usually is not so loaded in Amiga systems (I have such a prototype done for Prometheus, with 98% efficiency and 6A load).

Besides, this is one of the PCI Spec 2.1 things which were not implemented in the Mediator (claimed to comply to Rev 2.1 PCI Spec).
I posted on this issue on the Mediator list, but my posting (as well as any before after Elbox took over the list) has been censored by the list owners (aka: Elbox) without comment. So I post it here, as I don't like this kind of censorship. Apparently Elbox does not like the fundamental right of free speech:

> That's right - at least it is part of the truth.
> If you look carefully into the specification
> (which is available online on several web sites,
> just google for "pci21.pdf"), take a look on
> page 142 (section 4.3.4.1 - Power requirements):
>
> "Systems implementing the 5V signaling
> environment may either ship the 3.3V supply with
> the system, or provide a means to add it
> afterward (i.e., bus and decouple all 3.3V power
> pins) to support expansion boards that require
> it, but must provide the other three power rails
> with each system."

Michael

[AMC258]

I guess I shouldn't worry too much.  It would be a very easy DIY job to retrofit the Mediator busboard with a 3.3V supply.  It could easily be wired to each slot individually if necessary.  That would be ideal anyway in case the traces on the board if they exist are too small, which I assume they would be.

[redrumloa]

I posted on this issue on the Mediator list, but my posting (as well as any before after Elbox took over the list) has been censored by the list owners (aka: Elbox) without comment. So I post it here, as I don't like this kind of censorship. Apparently Elbox does not like the fundamental right of free speech:

How ironic that Amiga.org allowed bashing by a certain Elbox individual of competing products, yet they censor technical discussion on their list.

[mboehmer_e3b]

...yet they censor technical discussion on their list.

Which is annoying for me (and Jens, which is also set "moderated" aka "censored" on the list). I guess they like happy customers only on their list, and I'm not one of them.
It's their list now, and not an independent one as it used to be, and if they feel like handling things in this old style way then it is their right.
As well as mine to express my opinion, and there are other free platforms to do so. :-)

Michael

[amigagr]

[color=000000]The OS3.x Radeon Mediator driver will be available free of charge for all Mediator Multimedia CD registered users in the upcoming 1.28 update.[/color]

free? how? the cd cost 35$...

[nyteschayde]

@amije



This is my biggest gripe about Elbox. I have given up faulting them for never shipping things like the Shark, but for their existing (real) products why the @#$@ can't they post their drivers online like a normal company?!

If they are concerned about security they could simply put the drivers behind a product registration, but nonetheless make them available. I requested a copy of the latest drivers via email 3 weeks ago and haven't gotten a single response.

It's also very easy for someone (if they ever get the drivers) to simply mirror them despite Elbox's distaste for such a maneuver so it's not like the CD is preventing people from sharing.

It's almost like they are deliberately making life difficult for people, just because they can.

[adonay]

Poster: amije  Posted: 2008/3/16 23:04:16

The OS3.x Radeon Mediator driver will be available free of charge for all Mediator Multimedia CD registered users in the upcoming 1.28 update.

free? how? the cd cost 35$...

I think you can download the updated drivers from their webpage if you have registerd your mediator like i have :-p
I am curious about trying this although i will use the voodoo3 for main gfx and radeon for dma buffer that could incrase performance ...

[kreciu]

When I registered my Mediator (new bought directly from Elbox, btw. very good communication, I got it after 10 days from order) next day I received update of the driver.

Drivers for Radeons 9200 are good thinks for me. I'm  considering a chance from Voodoo do Radeon since I really don't like the stupid NAME of VOODOO :-D, yes NAME.

[amigagr]

@Adonay: i have register, yes, and i hope you are right. time will tell :-D

[Trev]

@Piru

They could be bootstrapping the BIOS with an emulator, similar to the way it's done in MILO on Alpha, U-Boot on the AmigaOne, and many other non-x86 platforms. If they *are* doing that, a generic VGA driver (or a VBE driver with emulation) is possible, too. It's something I started working on, but my PCI memory access emulation wasn't working properly. I haven't looked at the code in a couple years.

@amije

Elbox makes money by rebranding and upselling commodity hardware and the associated software. And sometimes, they just sell you the hardware without telling you that you can't actually use it in an Amiga.

EDIT:

It may be too little, too late. Radeon 9200 cards are already becoming scarce. What cards there are, however, are less than what Elbox charges. If the Elbox price included a bundled 3.3V riser and a modified back plate, then I'd consider the price competitive given what's available at this moment.