A little teaser

[amigadave]

I'm guessing that the Apollo accelerator boards might renew interest in 68k coding.  New projects that take advantage of the increased RAM, faster CPU speed, etc.

Do any of you other members who have experience with 68k Assembly programming, or any other programming languages, that might have written 1 or more software titles for the Amiga have any increased interest to work on new projects now that we may be getting such a significant boost in performance for our old Amiga computers?

Will a better Web Browser be possible with the increased performance of the Apollo boards, or will we need to also wait for better graphics modes, before a better Web Browser will be possible?

[SamuraiCrow]

Will a better Web Browser be possible with the increased performance of the Apollo boards, or will we need to also wait for better graphics modes, before a better Web Browser will be possible?

Most web designers don't take the 216 web colors recommendations seriously.  Palette graphics won't make web pages look right.  You'll have to wait for the truecolor modes of SuperAGA.

[SamuraiCrow]

So will the HDMI port output all video, including all of the classic video modes in addition to any RTG modes? And if it does output the classic modes does it scan double?

The idea is for the accelerator to have an AGA compatible core on the FPGA.  This means that the Classic video modes will work via the HDMI (or DVI if HDMI proves unworkable).  This also means AGA software will work on old ECS or OCS systems with the on-board AGA core.

Whether the on-board graphics will be standard or an add-on is another matter.

[Bif]

I'm guessing that the Apollo accelerator boards might renew interest in 68k coding.  New projects that take advantage of the increased RAM, faster CPU speed, etc.

I think it couldn't hurt at all. For me it's both the increased performance and the network port. Since I've got back into Amiga stuff I honestly haven't used them much for lack of a way to seamlessly hook them into my network. I don't have the patience to deal with floppies at all and most other solutions I have seen for network or CF cards and such weren't alluring enough in themselves to want to go out and get them.

I've had ideas for projects I want to write to help support the Amiga but reluctant to go there due to the above. With a network in place I can easily cross compile, and with the increased performance software features that wouldn't have been possible before will now be possible (more intensive media playback, etc.). That said I'd still want to support 68000 Amigas, just faster ones can actually use features slower Amigas can't.

Anyway, I do hope it comes to fruition and I'll see about getting some code written.

[Nickman]

@Gunnar,
Will you and the Apollo team be releasing these boards for sale before the RTG/SAGA is completed?  If yes, do you think you will have a standard AGA implemented when these boards are first ready for sale, so that the A500 will then be able to run AGA software and games?

I am sure most buyers would rather have the team start selling these boards as soon as possible, assuming that the softcore 680x0 is working as an accelerator for which ever Classic Amiga these boards are installed into, and hopefully the Ethernet and USB, plus 128mb of RAM are also working when first released.  The RTG/SAGA stuff can come later, as long as we have the original Amiga display still working, or standard Amiga resolutions & color depth being re-routed out through the HDMI connector, until the RTG/SAGA display is finished.

Will the Ethernet & USB2.0 connectors be completely supported and working when first released?  Are they finished now?

Edit:  Djole wrote   I was thinking exactly the same thing.  There must be a way around having to pay that large license fee for HDMI.

Quick answers until Gunnar give you more offical answers.

The idea is to first release it as an accelerator with memory. And then at a later on add RTG/AGA/SAGA with a system update.

With a Picasso96 driver written it can be possible to use the HDMI for RTG but there is no way to reroute the Amiga output before the ECS/AGA chipset is completed in the FPGA.

Ethernet driver will come when then driver is written.

There is no USB 2.0 on the card so dont know where you got that from.

[Niding]

I do not see A1200 on that list, so I assume it wont be usable with it?

[SamuraiCrow]

@Niding

I should hope it would support the A1200 since that's the only working Classic Amiga I have left!  Since the trapdoor-slot connector is only available from Individual Computer (the maker of the ACA 12xx series accelerator boards) or by custom build, it may be among the later or last ones to be supported.  I'm looking forward to it nonetheless!

[wrath of khan]

@Niding

I should hope it would support the A1200 since that's the only working Classic Amiga I have left!  Since the trapdoor-slot connector is only available from Individual Computer (the maker of the ACA 12xx series accelerator boards) or by custom build, it may be among the later or last ones to be supported.  I'm looking forward to it nonetheless!

@niding. Yes a1200 is planned to be supported laer as well as all aga systems. I will get one for my a500 to begin, if the project works out.

@samurai crow, I wondered about the trapdoor connector; I just got a nice white a1200; when I opened the trapdoor, I saw no connector pins. I rmemebr having an 030 installed there in my old a1200. I need to buy a connector?

[A6000]

The A1200 expansion board uses a "card edge connector" which plugs into the edge of the PCB where there are gold plated tracks intended to create an electrical connection with the card edge connector.

[Wolfe]

The version you link to has 1GB of memory instead of 128MB. The brand, board layout and connectors look to be the same. The price is right too. Anybody want a 1GB memory Amiga for Christmas?

One for a A1200 and I'll take one too.  Please ! ! ! ! ! !

[SamuraiCrow]

The A1200 expansion board uses a "card edge connector" which plugs into the edge of the PCB where there are gold plated tracks intended to create an electrical connection with the card edge connector.

Uhhh... What kind of A1200 are YOU looking at?  There is a socket similar to the PCMCIA with pins only bigger.  If you look inside the case toward the motherboard, you should be able to see it.  It's inside the case though so you have to look to the side.

[polyp2000]

Uhhh... What kind of A1200 are YOU looking at?  There is a socket similar to the PCMCIA with pins only bigger.  If you look inside the case toward the motherboard, you should be able to see it.  It's inside the case though so you have to look to the side.

I think you are going to have to post a picture - as that doesnt sound quite right to me ...

N

[SamuraiCrow]

@samurai crow, I wondered about the trapdoor connector; I just got a nice white a1200; when I opened the trapdoor, I saw no connector pins. I rmemebr having an 030 installed there in my old a1200. I need to buy a connector?

The FPGA doesn't fit directly in the Amiga motherboard on any model.  There will be an adapter for the FPGA to plug into.  The FPGA board will be the same for all Amigas but there will be different adapters for various models of Amiga motherboards.  The first will plug into a 68000 socket and others are planned to follow.

The reason I mentioned the socket connector for the A1200 is that Jens at Individual Computer had to custom tool RoHS compliant socket connectors for his accelerator cards.  Selling them in Europe would be illegal otherwise due to the lead content in the old ones.

Team Apollo will need sockets from him or custom tooled all over again to be able to make the adapter board for the FPGA to fit in and still be legal to sell in Europe.  Otherwise it will have to fit over the 68EC020 like an A600 accelerator.  :-(

[SamuraiCrow]

I think you are going to have to post a picture - as that doesnt sound quite right to me ...

I have my A1200 in storage right now.    The A500 and I think CD32 had edge-cards but the A1200 had ones with less capacitance with pins inside a plastic shield.

[Djole]

The FPGA doesn't fit directly in the Amiga motherboard on any model.  There will be an adapter for the FPGA to plug into.  The FPGA board will be the same for all Amigas but there will be different adapters for various models of Amiga motherboards.  The first will plug into a 68000 socket and others are planned to follow.

The reason I mentioned the socket connector for the A1200 is that Jens at Individual Computer had to custom tool RoHS compliant socket connectors for his accelerator cards.  Selling them in Europe would be illegal otherwise due to the lead content in the old ones.

Team Apollo will need sockets from him or custom tooled all over again to be able to make the adapter board for the FPGA to fit in and still be legal to sell in Europe.  Otherwise it will have to fit over the 68EC020 like an A600 accelerator.  :-(

A1200 has an edge connector.


Sell it in china then RoHS is bullsh.t anyway...

[A6000]

Picture here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_1200#mediaviewer/File:Amiga_1200_A1200_-_IMGP1130.JPG