Expanded A2000 using NO SLOTS!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Actually dude, it's really messing with my OCD-thing to think that someone with an A2000 would have to use an external drive. I've got this here drive that I bought with a bulk lot of other Amiga items recently. As you can see from the pics it's mounted in an external housing, but internally it's just a regular 50-pin SCSI drive. I'd be glad to sell you this one for $5 plus shipping from VA. You could remove it from it's external chassis and try to mount it internally (in the chain with the card reader), and if that still fails just throw it back in it's external housing. Interested?
 
Note - I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but everything else I bought from that lot has worked fine. You may need a Centronics-connector termination block for external use, or the termination jumper on the drive may be enough... let me know and I'll try to dig one of those out and throw in with it, too, if you need one.

[curtis]

As another thought, it really sounds like there's some issue with your CD drive.  It's a standard 50-pin SCSI, correct?  Have you considered just trying with another drive?  It really sounds like yours may have some defect.  The card reader works fine without the CD drive in the chain, correct?  I've bought 50-pin SCSI drives on ebay before for under $5 each, shouldn't break the bank.  

Guess that's possible.  Picked it up on fleabay with the owner saying it was pulled from a working computer.  Starting to suspect the computer was working, but the drive wasn't!  That or it was the only thing on the SCSI chain.

[curtis]

Sent a PM to Oldsmobile_Mike taking him up on his offer of the external drive.

So, will move on to installing the bridgeboard while waiting for his drive to come in.

Curtis

[curtis]

Well, this thread has been dormant a bit too long.  Time for an update.

Got the drive from Oldsmobile_Mike and dropped it in.  SCSI chain didn't lock up but the silly thing would not recognize when there was a disk in it!

Spent several nights trying to get AMICDFS to recognize a disk in the drive.  No soap.  FINALLY figured out the drive was the problem, not the driver software!

Picked up another drive on fleabay and dropped it in.  Worked like a champ!

Installed OS3.9 with no problems.

Still trying to get the Thylacine to be recognized, but at least the machine is working now.

Also have a question for the general population.

I'm thinking of adding internet capability to the machine.  Since I have a media reader that has a PCMCIA slot was wondering if it would be easier to go with a PCMCIA adapter, either wired or wireless, or drop in an ethernet adapter into a Zorro slot.

Comments would be greatly appreciated.

Curtis

p.s.  Mike, don't worry about the drive.  The external case it came in was worth the money I paid for the drive and case.  I'lll use it somewhere.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Eep, sorry about the drive, it's always hit-or-miss with this old hardware, you can use that external case with a different drive, HD, or even your media card reader, anything that has a 50-pin SCSI interface.  I've done some weird hacks with my other one to get around copying files between multiple devices, etc.  Good to keep around!  

I forget - is your media card reader one of the Mechware ones?  If so, you won't be able to use a PCMCIA ethernet adapter.  Those slots only work for storage, it's not the same as the PCMCIA slot in an A600/1200.

Thylacine is a slug under Zorro II, I'm not happy with mine, planning on ditching it as soon as they do another run of X-Surf 100's and then just waiting for the USB to be finished on those.  But that's definitely the fastest way to add networking... from what I hear the X-Surf 100 pretty much smokes everything else... supposedly a new production run coming in February.  Fingers crossed!  

[curtis]

Mike, don't worry about it.  Like I said the price was good for just the case which, like you said, can be used for a ton of stuff!

Yeah, that media card reader is like the one Mechy sells.  So guess a PCMCIA ethernet card is out.

Looked up the X-Surf 100 and that sounds like the deal!  Checked Vesalia and ETA is Feb of this year, so hopefully we'll both score!

Now to figure out how to get the  Thylacine and Bridgeboard working.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Looked up the X-Surf 100 and that sounds like the deal! Checked Vesalia and ETA is Feb of this year, so hopefully we'll both score!

Hi Curtis!

I just got an email from this company that they have X-Surf 100's in-stock:

http://amigastore.eu/en/204-x-surf-100.html

Funny, I'd never heard of them until I picked up a copy of Amiga Future and saw their ad.  :idea:  I'm going to order one this week, will let you know how it goes!

[curtis]

Definitely keep me posted.

I've never heard of the either!  Prices look comparable to amigakit and vesalia tho.

[motrucker]

Hi Curtis!

I just got an email from this company that they have X-Surf 100's in-stock:

http://amigastore.eu/en/204-x-surf-100.html

Funny, I'd never heard of them until I picked up a copy of Amiga Future and saw their ad.  :idea:  I'm going to order one this week, will let you know how it goes!

 
Why do these deals always pop up when I am flat! I hope they will around in three weeks or so....  I am not up on this card - obviously zorro II, are fast enough for real use?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Why do these deals always pop up when I am flat! I hope they will around in three weeks or so.... I am not up on this card - obviously zorro II, are fast enough for real use?

@Motrucker - try ordering one, the price actually went down after I added it to my cart and started filling out my order info.  Win!  Very slick website they've got, BTW.

There's another thread here on amiga.org where a bunch of users posted their speed test results with this card and Roadshow.  Of course most of them are on ZIII-equipped systems, will have to see what I get on ZII, but yes, the card is supposed to be able to switch speeds depending on the bus.  Not looking forward to trying to figure out Roadshow, might try it with Genesis or Miami first.

Another thing I'm not too keen on is the USB ports on the card aren't active yet (waiting on an update), but since I want this mainly for the Ethernet that's not too big a concern.

Will let y'all know how it works out, am sure I'll post some middle-of-the-night rant if I can't figure it out, LOL.  

[motrucker]

I would use the card strictly for connecting to a network (internet). Don't really care about USB - I think all Zorro USB ideas are to slow?

[curtis]

Well, guess the title of this thread should be changed to Expanded A2000 using only 1 slot!

Final configuration is:
 GVP 030 Combo board with 16MB RAM, 40MHz '030 cpu,
2MB chip RAM upgrade,
Indivision ECS for VGA output,
SMC media reader booting OS 3.9 off of a 2GB microdrive.

While I was putting it all back together, I was looking in there and thinking those slots sure do look wasted!

I was kicking around the idea of dropping in a 2286 bridgeboard that I've upgraded to a 486, but couldn't get my hard drive controller to work on the PC side AND the BLASTED thing doesn't have an external floppy port!  Only bridgeboard that didn't come with an external floppy port!

If anybody wants pictures, let me know and I'll get them posted.

Curtis

[matt3k]

@Motrucker - try ordering one, the price actually went down after I added it to my cart and started filling out my order info.  Win!  Very slick website they've got, BTW.

There's another thread here on amiga.org where a bunch of users posted their speed test results with this card and Roadshow.  Of course most of them are on ZIII-equipped systems, will have to see what I get on ZII, but yes, the card is supposed to be able to switch speeds depending on the bus.  Not looking forward to trying to figure out Roadshow, might try it with Genesis or Miami first.

Another thing I'm not too keen on is the USB ports on the card aren't active yet (waiting on an update), but since I want this mainly for the Ethernet that's not too big a concern.

Will let y'all know how it works out, am sure I'll post some middle-of-the-night rant if I can't figure it out, LOL.  

Mike, go with Roadshow. Easier to setup than Miami or EasyNet.  I tried all 3 and roadshow is super easy and performs the fastest....