Transfer files

[Xanaa]

Hi
I have 2 Amiga computer a 2000 and a 1200. I want to know how to get files off the 1200 to the 2000 WITHOUT a PC computer. What cables do I need to get or make and software and a someone to explain this to me. The 1200 has  CF card in it and the 2000 a CD Rom drive.
Thank you

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Many, many ways of doing this. Assuming you already nixed the obvious idea of "sneaker net", you'd want a parallel or serial connection. Seeing as you'll probably also want the correct cable, you can either make your own or just order this one from AmigaKit:

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=653

And then just download the software (I believe it's on Aminet).

[Darrin]

Been a while since I did it via a cable, but wouldn't SERNET be faster using a serial null-modem cable?  Should be able to grab one of them from any electrical shop (with gender changers/pin adapters if necessary).

[danbeaver]

Parnet = 1 byte at a time, Sernet = 1 bit at a time.

[takemehomegrandma]

wouldn't SERNET be faster using a serial null-modem cable?

Sernet/null-modem is much slower, Parnet is the way to go...

[commodorejohn]

Serial is still plenty viable though if you want to just grab a cable from the local computer shop and go. (Assuming you have a local computer shop that still stocks this stuff and isn't just a glorified tablet/phone store - my area has a couple, but I'm not sure how common they are in the world at large these days.)

[Darrin]

Cheers guys.  I wasn't sure how fast the parallel port was compared to the serial.  I used to use the serial port with Siamese to connect my old Amiga to old PC and that allowed file transfer and RTG graphics.  Ah, the good old days...

Edit:  The Siamese software even allowed you to network over the SCSI ports.  Never tried it myself.

[danbeaver]

Hmm, how fast is one bit at a time versus 8 bits at a time.  I'm sorry the math is just too difficult.  Anyone got a calculator?

[giZmo350]

Hmm, how fast is one bit at a time versus 8 bits at a time.  I'm sorry the math is just too difficult.  Anyone got a calculator?

Ahhh! So what your really saying is... "It's sorta like a guy sittin around the shanty, on a Saturday afternoon, eatin a Chilly Dog with Mr Bongy, watchin Mystery Science Theater 3000" -vs- "How many Tacos can a guy eat in ten minutes?"

[QuikSanz]

maybe easier to just move the CF to the 2000 with files on it.

Chris

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Ahhh! So what your really saying is... "It's sorta like a guy sittin around the shanty, on a Saturday afternoon, eatin a Chilly Dog with Mr Bongy, watchin Mystery Science Theater 3000" -vs- "How many Tacos can a guy eat in ten minutes?"

I have no idea what that reference is, but it's bloody hilarious!  :laughing:

[Darrin]

Hmm, how fast is one bit at a time versus 8 bits at a time.  I'm sorry the math is just too difficult.  Anyone got a calculator?

If the data transfer speed of the serial port is more than 8 times faster than the parallel port then...

As most Amigas seem to suffer from slow serial ports, I wasn't going to assume that the parallel port was up to snuff.  Is the A1200 port a newer EPP?

Edit:  A bit of Googling and it appears even the old parallel port would kick the Amiga's serial port into touch!

[danbeaver]

If the data transfer speed of the serial port is more than 8 times faster than the parallel port then...

Although in a closed loop, tightly controlled artificial environment the Amiga serial Theoretical Throughput is 115,200, one cannot forget the parity, stop bits and handshake requirements of the Amiga serial port which give it a maximum usable speed of about 57,600 bits per second vs the standard parallel port of 12,000,000 bits per sec (12,000 kbits per second).  The add-on Zorro cards were capable of more speed, but only a Silver Surfer Clockport adapter and Surf Squirrel were really available for the A1200.  The parallel port had 4 additional lines for control/handshaking and does not use the data lines for this purpose.  Hence, Darrin, if you divide 12,000,000 by 57,000 you end up with a wee bit more that an "8 times increase.". If one uses a faster processor and or a better serial port and parallel port card, you would in theory be pitted against a EPP port that can transfer at 2 Mbps.  

Again, I'm real bad with math; anyone got a calculator?

[pVC]

Hi
I have 2 Amiga computer a 2000 and a 1200. I want to know how to get files off the 1200 to the 2000 WITHOUT a PC computer. What cables do I need to get or make and software and a someone to explain this to me. The 1200 has  CF card in it and the 2000 a CD Rom drive.
Thank you

As both Amigas are perfectly cabable computers for ethernet, I'd foreget serial or parallel hacks, they're soo slow. With ethernet you can share devices of each machine to other and use them just like local drives with quick connection.

Ser/par cables are of course very cheap, but if you can afford to Zorro2 network card for A2000 (used ones probably aren't that expensive) and get practically free PCMCIA network card  for A1200, it's a much better solution in long term. Unless you just plan to make only one transfer with little data.

[Darrin]

Although in a closed loop, tightly controlled artificial environment the Amiga serial Theoretical Throughput is 115,200, one cannot forget the parity, stop bits and handshake requirements of the Amiga serial port which give it a maximum usable speed of about 57,600 bits per second vs the standard parallel port of 12,000,000 bits per sec (12,000 kbits per second).  The add-on Zorro cards were capable of more speed, but only a Silver Surfer Clockport adapter and Surf Squirrel were really available for the A1200.  The parallel port had 4 additional lines for control/handshaking and does not use the data lines for this purpose.  Hence, Darrin, if you divide 12,000,000 by 57,000 you end up with a wee bit more that an "8 times increase.". If one uses a faster processor and or a better serial port and parallel port card, you would in theory be pitted against a EPP port that can transfer at 2 Mbps.  

Again, I'm real bad with math; anyone got a calculator?

Yeah, I managed to work that out for myself with the use of a calculator once I looked at the max transfer speeds possible.  As "actual" speeds are the ones that count, the best benchmarks I could find for PARNET (after lots of digging) shows that it achieves between 33%-50% of the "theoretical throughput" using a 68030 (which still beats even the fastest Amiga serial port setting).  Shame I only ever used the port for my printer, but serial transfers still worked well when you consider the size of the files the average Amiga user has.

Don't become a teacher.