Janus/Bridgeboard problem

[tone007]

If you're still using the 8mb board you got from me, I think it has jumpers that'll let you set it to 6MB without pulling chips.

Don't quote me on that, though.

[curtis]

If you're still using the 8mb board you got from me, I think it has jumpers that'll let you set it to 6MB without pulling chips.

Don't quote me on that, though.

OOPSSS!!!  Didn't mean to quote you on that!  : )

I'll check it and see.

[curtis]

YES!!!!!

Only had to move one jumper to drop apparent memory down to 6Mb and booted up.

Heard several beeps which I had never heard before.

Clicked on PCPrefs and it came right up!  Saved that and clicked on the color PC.

There is was just waiting for some sort of boot media!

Now to get the IDE controller in it, boot the DOS diskette, and install it on the IBM Microdisk.  After that, I may tinker with putting Windows 95 on the disk and go from there.

Again, thanks to all the people who responded and help me jog the cobwebs of my memory.  It definitely reaffirms my trust in most of the people in the Amiga community.

[curtis]

The bridgeboard still needs room in the Zorro II address space. You can NOT run 8MB of Zorro II ram with a bridgeboard. 6MB is the max.

http://www.l8r.net/technical/bridgeboard.html

That link has some great information.  However, when I tried to download the 2 ftp files, I ended up in virtual no-where land.

Anyone have those files?  The info on upgrading the bridgeboard and the replacement Janus tools?

[bozimmerman]

Bridgeboard (of any kind) needs 2Mo of ZorroII address space, so with 8Mo of RAM, there is no space for it, and your bridgeboard is not seen by the janus.library .

The max you can is 6Mo of RAM (set jumpers on your ram card ?) and the bridgeboard.

Good lord.  I've an 2386 and a 2088 I've never gotten to work, first in my a4000t fully memoried up, and now on my 8mb amiga 2000.


Can this drop in memory be done with software?  Like isn't there a "no fast mem" tool with os3.1 that zeroes out everything but chip memory...?

If that works, dammit, I'm pulling those bad boys back out -- I've some dos archiving software I run, and if I can do it without my C= PC50 taking up desk space, all the better.

- Bo

[guest11527]

Can this drop in memory be done with software?

Nope. That's all "autoconfig" logic and hardware. Unless some of your RAM expansions offer a proprietary logic to have them disabled. (As, for example, a switch).

[danbeaver]

Janus the 2 faced Greek God of gateways and doors looks to the past and future through a 2MB "window" of Zorro II address space; but does this make him a Voyeur?

[spirantho]

Bridgeboards can be quite useful with enough modifications. My main bridgeboard in my A4000 (CSPPC/060) has a Cyrix 486SLC/2 50MHz chip, with an ISA bus running at nearly 20MHz, I think it is (can't remember for sure, but it's way overclocked). Coupled with a fast EIDE card with a 4GB Disk-On-Module SSD, a good SVGA card and an ISA sound card (Yamaha OPL-3 I think it is), it runs Ultima VII perfectly.... and that was what it was installed for. Getting cards that work on the overclocked ISA bus is the tricky bit, but the speed increase on graphics-heavy stuff is huge.

[utri007]

I have also problems wit the BridgeBoard. I can install it and it works, but randomly it says "can't open janus.library".

Also my GVP 030 accelerator has a full 030 CPU including MMU, but it maps memory to Zorro II space and my memory options are 1, 2, 4 and 8mb. So if I can't my BB work I need to disable 4mb ram

Bad that there is no working guide for my accelerator. It is this one http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/a3001 but those jumper settings doesn't work / are not same

[Ral-Clan]

For you guys that want to use a bridgeboard but don't want to permanently sacrifice 2mb of your Amiga's RAM, maybe you can connect the RAM config jumper on your memory board to a switch mounted externally....i.e. on a dummy card slot plate. That way you can disable the 2MB only when you plan to use the bridgeboard (while the Amiga is off, of course).

[utri007]

Some how my system requires that at lest one sim is removed to boot with 4mb ram.

[kvasir]

Wouldn't it be possible to re-map the 2MB area somewhere else using an MMU equipped Amiga?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Janus the 2 faced Greek God of gateways and doors looks to the past and future through a 2MB "window" of Zorro II address space; but does this make him a Voyeur?

:lol: :lol:

[Motormouth]

There are two things you can to make bridgeboard experience better. (ok 4)

One:
If your A2000 does not have the 16 bit ISA  extensions in the last two slot, get some and solder them in, this allows you to have access to three 16 bit ISA cards.

Two:
If you are up to it Upgrade your 2386 to 16 megs using one of the hardware mods on aminet:  http://aminet.net/search?query=2386

Three:
find a Cardinal SoundVision 16 bit ISA card that comes with SVGA-Sound-SCSI, and Game port.   As amiga owner I know you have extra SCSI stuff lying around and it only takes one 16 bit ISA slot.  These come up on ebay occasionally.

Four:
As spirantho has already said a 486SLC/2 or 486SLC/3 that snaps on top of the 386sx is nice to have.  The Cryix 50 mhz, like Spirantho's, is easier to overclock the ISA bus.
The Evergreen 486SLC/3 75 mhz does not like the ISA bus overclocked.
The Cryix is better if video graphic are more important to you the Evergreen is better if you want raw CPU performance.

[Motormouth]

Three:
find a Cardinal SoundVision 16 bit ISA card that comes with SVGA-Sound-SCSI, and Game port.   As amiga owner I know you have extra SCSI stuff lying around and it only takes one 16 bit ISA slot.  These come up on ebay occasionally.

Sorry to quote myself, but their is a Cardinal Soundvision 16 bit card up on ebay right now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cardinal-SoundStudio-16-Bit-ISA-Card-With-Floppys-And-Manuals-MPC500S-/121454742329?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c47444b39

But it is way expensive, and no this not my auction.  I love my amiga stuff too much to part with any of it.

Edit:  After looking at the ebay listing a bit closer this version of the card does not have the SVGA on it.  It as the layout for the SVGA chip and hardware associated hardware, but it is not included.  too bad.

[spirantho]

Incidentally, you can if you're handy ity an SMT rework statistics n remove the 80386sx chip entirely, and fit a Cx486SLC2e/50 chip directly to the bridgeboard - this is what I did. I have a brand new SLC2 chip waiting patiently for the next 386sx bridgeboard (CBM or golden gate) to come along.