A few HW mysteries

[bitman]

We have a few new hardware mysteries, that would be nice to have solved:

http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/CategoryList.aspx?id=42

Especially (but not only) the CPU card for the A3400 prototype. Can anybody add som information?

[danbeaver]

Probably Dave Haynie could answer that, but why when there are so many more questions about actual hardware out there?

[bitman]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. But the user who has the specific card, has questions about it, so we try to track down information about it. Missing information for actual hardware is alos very valuable.

but why when there are so many more questions about actual hardware out there?

[Heiroglyph]

I had two of these.  I sold one just a few weeks ago and one a few years ago, so it's possible that's one of them.

The GAL is for the MAPROM function and the card itself is identical to an A3630, but these are fully populated.

The 020 does function (at least on the second one I had), but you have to change a LOT of jumpers around.  I think the trick was disabling the MAPROM in 020 mode.  You can look at the A3630 schematics and figure it out, it's the same board.

The ones I had came from boxes in the NewTek warehouse, so they could be prototypes, but they looked like final shipping product to me.  QA stickers, different barcodes and slightly different sticker labels.

This is one of the CPU cards I intended to send you, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

I'll ask around and see if anyone remembers where they came from.

[bitman]

Great info - I'll add that.

I had two of these.  I sold one just a few weeks ago and one a few years ago, so it's possible that's one of them.

The GAL is for the MAPROM function and the card itself is identical to an A3630, but these are fully populated.

The 020 does function (at least on the second one I had), but you have to change a LOT of jumpers around.  I think the trick was disabling the MAPROM in 020 mode.  You can look at the A3630 schematics and figure it out, it's the same board.

The ones I had came from boxes in the NewTek warehouse, so they could be prototypes, but they looked like final shipping product to me.  QA stickers, different barcodes and slightly different sticker labels.

This is one of the CPU cards I intended to send you, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

I'll ask around and see if anyone remembers where they came from.

[Jeff]

The OMTI 5527 card is an 8 bit RLL HD controller. The host Amiga card that it plugs in to may have been made by PreSpect Technics in Montreal Canada. I think I still have one of these in a box somewhere

[bitman]

This is one of the CPU cards I intended to send you, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

I'll ask around and see if anyone remembers where they came from.

I've added your description together with an updated description from the original submitter. Your are quoted as one of the contrbutors, let me know if it's not ok. If you have more info or pictures it would be great.

[bitman]

Jeff, your infor has been added - if you find more info later, let me know.

The OMTI 5527 card is an 8 bit RLL HD controller. The host Amiga card that it plugs in to may have been made by PreSpect Technics in Montreal Canada. I think I still have one of these in a box somewhere

[Iggy]

The OMTI 5527 card is an 8 bit RLL HD controller. The host Amiga card that it plugs in to may have been made by PreSpect Technics in Montreal Canada. I think I still have one of these in a box somewhere

Wow! Its been awhile since I heard of that standard.
RLL?
I found an 8 bit ISA WD based MFM controller card in my stack of spare parts recently.

Once IDE was established, these two standards pretty much disappeared.

[psxphill]

I found an 8 bit ISA WD based MFM controller card in my stack of spare parts recently.
 
Once IDE was established, these two standards pretty much disappeared.

Sort of, IDE is little more than ISA on a different connector. Most of the controller card was shrunk and attached to the drive. The ISA card remained for a while as it still had the bios and the IDE connectors on, but eventually they were incorporated into the PC's motherboard.
 
Rather than disappear they were assimilated.

[danbeaver]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. But the user who has the specific card, has questions about it, so we try to track down information about it. Missing information for actual hardware is alos very valuable.

I prefer to know more about the fish than the red-herring