Is this what I think it is?

[Pat the Cat]

I make it an original issue  Commodore Bridgeboard, 286 PC on a card for Zorro 2 or Zorro 3 Amigas.

Probably too big a job for me to handle, but I pass is on in the hope it will go to a good home, or somebody who actually needs to test on ancient IBM PC compatible hardware. (Don't scoff, a LOT of defence contract and financial services work has to pass that hurdle).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/amiga-a2000-emulator-card-/262767509281?hash=item3d2e29ff21:g:BYoAAOSwImRYVjqU

[CodePoet]

Bid placed, looks like a very interesting card!

Edit: it's an A2286AT (http://amiga.resource.cx/search.pl?product=A2286AT)

[CodePoet]

I won!

I've been trying to rescue an A2000 from a high school storage room for close to 15 years now. The head teacher is retiring and told me I'd finally be able to pick it up in January

Here's hoping he comes though, otherwise the new bridgeboard will sit on the shelf indefinitely :\

[Pat the Cat]

A2000 is a great choice for that card. It likes roomy Amigas, because you nearly always end up fitting extra PC cards too (dirt cheap, the Bridgeboard is the expensive part). Get the permission off the retiring head teacher in writing, should make that A2000 yours in a very legally enforceable way, when you print out the authorization and show it to whoever has the cupboard key.

Looks in excellent condition, and still has the socket for the 286 FPU - again, dirt cheap, fairly available.

The long ribbon cable is a floppy connector for a PC floppy, I remember that much.

May it bring you much luck.

As the 286 is soldered in, it will be very difficult to overclock or replace, and if it is an early version of the chip (very unlikely) it might not like DR-DOS. Only snags I can see with it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_80286

CBM did not ship that many of these cards. They produced a 386 version, and I think Vortex did a 486 based version, very briefly.

[Matt_H]

Vortex made their own 486 Bridgeboard-type card. I don't think they did 486 upgrades for the 2386. There was a company here in the States that did, however.

I actually have a kit that upgrades the 2286 to use a 386. Pop the 286 out of its socket, plug the new board into the socket, and voila. The 2286 is already a double-width card with its daughterboard, and this thing makes it ever wider! (it came with risers for the daughterboard)

[Kronos]

Vortex made their own 486 Bridgeboard-type card. I don't think they did 486 upgrades for the 2386.

No and no...

Vortex did their own bridgeboards, the ones designed for A2000/3000/4000 were all based on the 386SX.

Later on the they sold them with Cyrix CPUs falsly advertised as 486 but still a 386SX at heart (no intregrated FPU, 16bit data, 24bit address).

[Matt_H]

Vortex's board (http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/goldengate) is distinctly different from the Commodore Bridgeboards. Different PCB, different software. It's "based on" the 2386 only in that it's also a 386 (or 486). Unless you're thinking of a different Vortex board.

This is the 486 version of the 2386: http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/product.aspx?id=331

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

The 286 board is very mundane. I'd look for one of the 386 or 486 boards (mentioned above) if you are interested in "high performance" PC emulation. Even PC-Task can probably outperform some of those lower-end boards, lol.

[scuzzb494]

I have a few bridgeboards for the 2000. Probably one of the machines that I have most cards for to be honest..... Here is the A2088XT version.

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz276.htm

I'll have a dig around in my big bucket... I'm pretty sure I have one of those. Looks very familiar.

[CodePoet]

All things considered, ~$130 isn't terribly much for a nice piece of Amiga history. I don't expect much from it, there's always virtualbox/dosbox for anything requiring a sane level of performance

[Pat the Cat]

Vortex's board (http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/goldengate)  is distinctly different from the Commodore Bridgeboards. Different PCB,  different software. It's "based on" the 2386 only in that it's also a  386 (or 486). Unless you're thinking of a different Vortex board.

This is the 486 version of the 2386: http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/product.aspx?id=331

I always wondered about that, at the time. I could not understand why a true 486  would need an empty socket for an FPU... did not make sense to me at the  time, unless it wasn't for an FPU but a different upgrade
.
Seem to recall an embargo on international calls at the time from Future, so just phoning up Vortex and asking wasn't  really an option. Email was similarly very problematic at the time. And  my German is very simplistic, not very good for technical questions and  answers anyway.

Thank you.

All things considered, ~$130 isn't terribly much  for a nice piece of Amiga history. I don't expect much from it, there's  always virtualbox/dosbox for anything requiring a sane level of  performance

WRONG. There is a helluva lot of old CNC and CAM kit that demands a hardware PC to control it, and a software only emulated system just will not do the same job. Having 2 sets of hardware in the same box is definitely recommended for development and test systems.

Fancy going into business refurbishing old GERBL hardware? Or come to that, ANY old hardware that needs a 90s PC? I'm talking industrial robotic kit, mills, lathes, that kind of thing.

Specialist job, but it can pay very, very well.