Individual Computers - New accelerator cards for A600 & A1200

[AmigaDave]

Originally Posted by ndial

Being there since 1987 my friend, as a user for playing games, not a researcher on Amiga hardware.
Never had problems at least with memory expansion bought for my Amigas (500,600,1200)
Look, I do not accuse IC here. I do appreciate their job on making hardware nowadays for our beloved Amigas.
But I do accuse myself, for not buying an old good accelerator stuff with slower memory speeds.
Again I do feel like being cheated, not from IC, but from my impatience to get this board before it extinct.

Have you tried raising your A1200, or any other means of providing extra cooling?

Since you say that the problem did not occur until after several minutes of running the first 15 games and then was still there with warm and cold booting, but was fixed after you waited 10 minutes, but then returned, it sounds very much like an over-heating problem.

The over-heating problem could even be in the PSU causing a low voltage to occur, if the over-heating is not inside the A1200 case itself from the accelerator.

[Mick]

Just out of curiosity did the A1200's that were sold by Amigakit already have these timing fixes done? I purchased a NOS one about a year ago.

[ndial]

Originally Posted by AmigaDave

Have you tried raising your A1200, or any other means of providing extra cooling?

Since you say that the problem did not occur until after several minutes of running the first 15 games and then was still there with warm and cold booting, but was fixed after you waited 10 minutes, but then returned, it sounds very much like an over-heating problem.

The over-heating problem could even be in the PSU causing a low voltage to occur, if the over-heating is not inside the A1200 case itself from the accelerator.

Well, that's what I thought too Dave, but the trapdoor was always open as it doesn't fit. But eitherway if more cooling is needed, other than having the trapdoor open, then this is not a proper hardware for a A1200 system i guess.

Now I really don' t know if the PSU is over-heating, but what I do know is that I've also used the original stock PSU of the A1200 initially. When all these crashes etc started I decided to use an A500 PSU requiring more power for the use of the accelerator .... but same things happened.

[fitzsteve]

Originally Posted by Mick

Just out of curiosity did the A1200's that were sold by Amigakit already have these timing fixes done? I purchased a NOS one about a year ago.

I doubt it since they only need to be done should you have a problem.

For example some Motherboards have similar issues with 040/060/PPC cards.

Steve.

[Retrofan]

I told I was saying how was the speed with an Idefix Express and the ACA 1230/56. Finally I had a bad IDE cable, and now it's working. Well, it's 4,161,015. It's much more now, but still I can't play the Novacoder's Scummvm for 030. Perhaps it's a matter of the version.
Well, I've been busy this afternoon and have prepared my "mounted for pieces" (mb, case, floppy, retrobrighted keyboard...) Amiga for the new ACA, as I was keeping it for it.

I've redone two things I had previously done in my other Amiga, a tray cd and a lateral slot for the Cf HD. As the time before, I've done the bezzel of the tray in the plastic of the Amiga cutting an spare trapdoor... even the button is made with that plastic, (I was going to use an slot cd system, but I don't like the huge hole it leaves) and I've done too in the lateral slot for the HD a plastic clear window (using one of a bezel cd, 2x1mm) for the light of the HD, beside it.
I don't want to open a thread for something so simple, it's just to show where I'm going to use my new ACA:

[fitzsteve]

@retrofan, you should open your own thread really and then you can put all your updates in there, like my project threads

Glad you got the IDEFix working, 4mb/sec is much better.

Steve.

[Retrofan]

Thanks fitzsteve. I've been doubting for a while, but I don't find much to say to open it. It was a time ago when I did the same for the other that I opened one at A-org for the cd, and about the lateral CF Hd, I put a photo in the Phipscube's one, comenting it, but really I never did a thread here.

I will open one when I'll make something I'm planning in the other Amiga (which looks exactly the same)...

EDIT: In A-Org the threads were this for the other Amiga:
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthre...light=internal
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthre...light=internal

[CU_AMiGA]

just thought i d contribute here. finally got my aca1230@56 a1200 setup running. after going through like 3 motherboards (each having different unrelated faults) i finally found a motherboard that is fully compatible with this thing. i think i had a little of cammys problems with the socket being a tad higher but managed to wedge the thing into the accelerator socket. and the graphical issues i had with my older motherboard is exactly like the one ndial posted. well i ve tested this thing for half an hour or so playing doom and a couple of whd games. but i might have a longer session on it to fully test it. hopefully i ve cracked it though! need to update my acatune!

[ndial]

Still having those problems, whereas I tried the newer version of ACAtune (beta 5 and 6 later). Need to find another mobo I guess then. ANd unfortunately I do not have another mobo on my hands guys, and considering that after all these issues found and described here concerning, the ACA + mobo revisions problem, made everyone suspicious and unwilling to sell their spare A1200 mobos to help people like me. A total mess for me... bad luck ...

[CU_AMiGA]

i think this accelerator might tax the hell out of the amiga 1200 so even if its a small slight fault that older accereators dont pick up, the aca will magnify it by a trillion! i m waiting for amigakit to resell some new or refurbished so i can get a backup one!

[ndial]

Originally Posted by CU_AMiGA

i think this accelerator might tax the hell out of the amiga 1200 so even if its a small slight fault that older accereators dont pick up, the aca will magnify it by a trillion! i m waiting for amigakit to resell some new or refurbished so i can get a backup one!

it's getting worst then! you know what? in this case I'll quit. me and many others playing this sport called "own an A1200". so lets see then who's gonna benefit from that... or not

[FOL]

K, taken me over 3 hours to gather up all info I can fine.

I will create a general support page, explaining how to install and use the supplied software.
Plus any info to help solve problems, if any after installing.

I will post here once its ready, Id say give me a week to gather all relavent pics etc etc.

[RMK]

I might just hold off installing the s/w for my ACA56 in that case.... Scared incase I completley bugger something when doing it

[fitzsteve]

Originally Posted by FOL

K, taken me over 3 hours to gather up all info I can fine.

I will create a general support page, explaining how to install and use the supplied software.
Plus any info to help solve problems, if any after installing.

I will post here once its ready, Id say give me a week to gather all relavent pics etc etc.

Nice one FOL

[NovaCoder]

Yep cheers FOL, that will come in handy when I try to get mine installed

[Retrofan]

I told that the Fast Ata wasn't working with my ACA. No, it works. Perhaps I had bad configured the ACATune. Now I've taked out (no, I won't sell it) the IDEFix, and I've installed a Gold Fast Ata MKII (the other I tried was MKIII). Now I've got 8,192,000 of speed in DH0 with SysInfo, using Pio 4 (I've not tried Pio 5).

...no, Novacoder, Scummvm still doesn't run right.

[JACK98]

Originally Posted by ndial

Well, that's what I thought too Dave, but the trapdoor was always open as it doesn't fit. But eitherway if more cooling is needed, other than having the trapdoor open, then this is not a proper hardware for a A1200 system i guess.

Now I really don' t know if the PSU is over-heating, but what I do know is that I've also used the original stock PSU of the A1200 initially. When all these crashes etc started I decided to use an A500 PSU requiring more power for the use of the accelerator .... but same things happened.

Another practice is to remove the top half of the metal sheeting.if you have a jig saw cutter,open up the A1200,and remove the parts.on the bottom half of the case,cut away the small plastic step with the cutter.the card will have less of a bulge.

[ndial]

Well I've already removed the metal upper shield years now. Never used it anyway as it's totaly useless, only the bottom one is still in place though.
Look, it's not overheating the problem here. It's mobos' fault (well probably along with ACA's fast mem usage). But who knows how to cope with it? none! Should buy a new (used) mobo to test the ACA but still it's pure luck anyway. And I don't have the money nor the time to send my mobo and ACA to Germany for an inspection although Jens kindly indicated to post them both.

[Akiko]

Will my Rev 1B potentially have problems with the ACA 1230/28 ?

[NovaCoder]

Originally Posted by Akiko

Will my Rev 1B potentially have problems with the ACA 1230/28 ?

Nobody can say for sure because they are all different (eg one version of 1B may have had the fixes at the applied at the factory and another one won't)

Best revision is ID3 apparently (rare).