Official reply by elbox: Mediator PCI2AGP

[DaNi]

|^DaNi^| napisa³(a):
>
> Hello ELBOX
> Its possible run this card on a mediator or on future...?
>
> http://www.techseekers.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=230

Hello,

This device is not tested by us, but it should work in all
Mediator PCI 66Mhz models.

You can check it by installing the Voodoo3 AGP card in such converter.

See these photos how to install AGP card in this converter:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/hotline/20020601/image/nap7.html
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/hotline/20020601/image/nap8.html

Our Voodoo.card driver should recognize the Voodoo3 AGP card
and support it. This driver provide auto-detection of the Voodoo
card version (AGP or PCI) and auto-detection of the graphic memory
version installed on the graphic card (SDRAM or SGRAM). All versions
are supported.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need further assistance.

Thank you for using Elbox's online support services.

Best regards,

Support Department of ELBOX COMPUTER
Web site: http://www.elbox.com
Online Store: http://buy.elbox.com

************  Spider II USB 2.0 in Mediator!  ***********
 The best USB host controller for Amiga is ready for you.
 Get it NOW!  Special USB bundle offer:
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*********************************************************

[voytech]

WoW! They even found some pics for you

I like this here:

************ Spider II USB 2.0 in Mediator! ***********
The best USB host controller for Amiga is ready for you.
Get it NOW! Special USB bundle offer:
Click here: http://buy.elbox.com/cgibin/shop?show=7US
*********************************************************
 :-D  :-D

[patrik]

@DaNi:

I dont really understand what Elbox means with "all
Mediator PCI 66Mhz models".

All their Mediator models are currently clocked at 33MHz. Though in the future if the SharkPPC is released they say it will support 66MHz bus operation (although the same rules that apply to other PCI buses should apply to the Mediators - all cards installed on the bus have to support 66MHz bus operation or else the whole bus including all cards intalled on it will run their PCI interfaces at 33MHz).

Anyhow - to the practical issues. For the moment, without the SharkPPC - all Mediators supports 33MHz bus operation only and nothing else. PCI cards doesnt clock the bus by themselves, this is done by the bus controller - the PCI cards just listen to the clock which comes from the buscontroller. This means that if you plug in an AGP card using this adaptor it will run its AGP interface at 33MHz (using AGP 1X mode which is plain PCI) as it does in the PCI-buses of PCs supporting 33MHz operation only. Though if an AGP card with this adaptor is used in a Mediator with the SharkPPC fitted and all other cards installed on the Mediator supporting 66MHz bus operation the AGP interface of the AGP card will run at 66MHz (still in AGP 1X mode).

What I was trying to say here is that I think Elbox are a bit unclear... and then I think I got a bit carried away .

blablabla... )


/Patrik

[Jose]

Nice DaNI.

SO has anyone tried it yet?
 :-?

[Effy]

Still it is a fact that agp cards are a lot cheaper than pci cards. Trust me, I've bought 3 pci 64 Mb cards on Ebay ... pricy ...

[Lemmink]

OK old AGP-cards are a lot cheaper then the PCI version `cos all the PC users discovered them as a cheap way to connect a second monitor. But the question is, does the difference between a PCI VooDoo3 and an AGP VooDoo3 outwight the price of this adapter ? And as of today the only cards you can take in consideration here are Voodoo3 (4/5).

[patrik]

@Lemmink:

Not very exciting maybe, but you should also be able to use old S3 Virge AGP cards.

(edit):

Dont forget the old 3DFX Voodoo Banshee AGP cards also .

(more edit):

These cards mentioned should be thrown at you by PC users .


/Patrik

[Acill]

Update for all!! I got my converter on Saturday and it does work with an AGP Voodoo 3, 3000 that I have!! The cool thing is it puts the card off the mediator in the A3000 to use the slot just above the bridge slots for the Mediator card!!!!!!

[patrik]

@Acill:

Great iniative to buy this!!

Do you have the possibility to take some pictures of it?

(edit):

I mean pictures of it mounted in your A3000 .

How much did it cost with shipping and everything and where did you order it?


/Patrik

[Jose]

@Acill
Cool!
Thx for posting this.

@all

Regarding the usabiliy of the cards,  theoretically you'll be able to use other cards provided someone makes drivers. Seems that there's not much work compared to a "normal driver".
  Radeons come to mind.

[patrik]

@Jose:

Other cards could be used yes, but they have to support the signalling levels specified in the AGP 1.0 specification. All AGP-cards constructed according to the AGP 2.0 specification (those cards supporting a maximum of AGP 4X transfer mode) should support AGP 1.0 signalling levels, but the new cards constructed according to the AGP 3.0 specification (those new cards supporting AGP 8X transfer mode) will are not required to support AGP 1.0 signalling levels as it is not a requirement in the new AGP 3.0 specification.

But backwards-compability has always been a strong card, so it is not impossible that many cards are backwards-compatible even if the new AGP 3.0 specification doesnt require it.

There is only one way to find out.. or more than one way.... anyhow...  the safest way is to plug the "graphics-card to test"  into an old K6-II motherboard supporting AGP 1.0 only (boards supporting maximum AGP 2X transfer mode) and see if it works. If it works there, it should work on a Amiga-PCI-busboard with the AGP2PCI adapter. Another way to test it would be to plug it into a Amiga-PCI-busboard using the AGP2PCI adapter and running an utility to search the PCI-bus for it... I think those utilities are available to all PCI-busboards for the Amiga.

Ofcourse as Jose said you also need drivers written for a card not yet supported by drivers on the Amiga, but before drivers are written it is quite essential that the graphic-card works on the hardware-level .


/Patrik

[Doraemon]

And what about one of this for Grex 1200?
Anyone tryed it?

[TanZyr]

@Acill

Where'd you find one, and for how much?

Additionally, any photos you could provide of how the converter "puts the card off the mediator in the A3000..." - sorry, I can't visualize that based on the text description. :-)

Thanks in advance!

[MrZammler]

@Acill

photos please ! ;-)

[J-Golden]

please please PLEASE tell me where you bought it from!!!!  The site you listed was just a post and didn't even list the name of the company...  I have a VooDoo 3500 that is alos a TV card / MPEG decoder and would LOVE to give it a whirl!!!!!!! :crazy: