The Siamese System, WTF?

Bloodwych · 06 March 2002, 23:53

Can someone please explain what this was all about

Came across this link while surfing the net and must admit I've never heard of this system.

It's a method of combining a PC and Amiga in one, all the way back in 1996. Those who hate emulation on PCs could have been running the real thing. Sure would've saved desk space!

Probably the best add on a PC owner could get in those days - an Amiga!

It's blasphemy calling the Amiga and PC Siamese "twins" however. They're nothing alike..................

bgbennyboy · 07 March 2002, 00:16

Yeah, it was in Amiga Format quite a few times.
It was made by the same people who made the squirrel scssi interface (hisoft?).
I think there were different versions of it.
One that integrated a pc and amiga in the same case and one that just sort of networked them.
Using the Siamese you were supposed to be able to use pc keyboards and mice and access the pc drivers and vice versa.
They were very expensive though

TikTok · 07 March 2002, 01:18

I remember Amiga User International raved about this, although it didn't sell too well. It was made by HiSoft and I think it connected to the A600 and A1200's PCMCIA port. That was the way the two shared their drives IIRC. I'll try and dig out my old AUI issues when I next go home.

Twistin'Ghost · 07 March 2002, 02:00

Yeah, I have one of these units. Unfortunately, I have no PCI slot free to test it with. I am gonna try to get my other PC working this weekend and can maybe try it out, but I hear they are hard as hell to get configured.

Amiga1992 · 07 March 2002, 02:06

I thought the Siamese system is a software system? You connect two machines (Amiga and PC) through ethernet (or serial, if you want it to be slow :P), and you can map Amiga screens onoto the PC... much like if the PC was an X Server.... seems to be nice, I never tried it because my Amga has no Ethernet adapter.

RetroMan · 07 March 2002, 02:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Akira
I never tried it because my Amga has no Ethernet adapter.

Hmmm, you got an A600 and an A1200 ! Both got a PCMCIA card interface ! And you got Miami ! So why don´t you get some cheap 10 MBit PCMCIA card and link your Amiga with your PC with TCP/IP ??? I just did and can also burn a backup of my A1200 HD on my PC now

Djay · 07 March 2002, 04:20

Quote:

10 MBit PCMCIA card and link your Amiga with your PC with TCP/IP

does really work?
can i make adfs in this way?
do i need anything else to get this to work software/hardware?

kinda strange, i was thinking about this the other day!

Twistin'Ghost · 07 March 2002, 05:49

Quote:

Originally posted by Akira
I thought the Siamese system is a software system? You connect two machines (Amiga and PC) through ethernet (or serial, if you want it to be slow :P), and you can map Amiga screens onoto the PC... much like if the PC was an X Server.... seems to be nice, I never tried it because my Amga has no Ethernet adapter.

The original version of this is hardware based. That is the version I have, which includes the PCI card, the ribbon cables, etc. as well as the software. The latest version is software only. I bought it from Harv Laser on ebay.

Amiga1992 · 07 March 2002, 06:56

Wow Twistin, you got a nice one there!
BTW Retro, I think PCMCIA and Cheap are incompatible terms

Besides most amiga online shops say not all PCMCIA Ethernet cards work with the Amiga....

Do you have any recommendations?

RetroMan · 07 March 2002, 15:10

Hmmm, I just bought a kind of No-Name PCMCIA and it works like a charm

Recommendations would be a Fiberline 4680 PCMCIA, that one is tested and works for sure

Amiga1992 · 07 March 2002, 21:48

How much?

Korodny · 14 March 2002, 06:32

@Akira:

About 30 - 40 US$.

Check this file on Aminet:

http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/a...cnetdevice.lha

This is the device driver needed for PCMCIA network adaptors. It comes with a big list of cards that are supported/not supported.

Keep in mind that the PCMCIA slot on Amiga computers does not reset the card properly (you have to turn off your machine to reset the PCMCIA card). Most people will tell you that you'll need to do a hardware modification to fix that. That's not true, get CardReset instead:

http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/a.../CardReset.lha

@Djay:

>> does really work?

Yes. I've got two A1200 (and my A2000) connected this way.

>> can i make adfs in this way?

Yes. The but the Amiga needs top have a harddisk. and some FastRAM would be good too...

>> do i need anything else to get this to work software/hardware?

Once you have a TCP/IP connection established (that means the machines can "see" each other), you need software to transfer files. You could either use some Server/Client combination (FTP server on your Amiga, FTP client on your PC, or Telnet server/client). But the most common way is to use Amiga SAMBA, which lets you share drives between the machines (Windows has SMB support built in).

Darth_X · 25 December 2013, 09:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodwych

Can someone please explain what this was all about

Came across this link while surfing the net and must admit I've never heard of this system.

It's a method of combining a PC and Amiga in one, all the way back in 1996. Those who hate emulation on PCs could have been running the real thing. Sure would've saved desk space!

Probably the best add on a PC owner could get in those days - an Amiga!

It's blasphemy calling the Amiga and PC Siamese "twins" however. They're nothing alike..................

I'd like to know if the software for the Siamese system could be open sourced? It might allow guys working on cheap devices like Arduino and Raspberry Pi to do cool things.

alexh · 26 December 2013, 00:01

Long since surpassed by VNC. Even on the Amiga There is a reasonable VNC server & headless capable client. Couple with amigaexplorer and it's pretty great for linking the two machines

Darth_X · 22 August 2014, 08:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

Long since surpassed by VNC. Even on the Amiga There is a reasonable VNC server & headless capable client. Couple with amigaexplorer and it's pretty great for linking the two machines

Anyone know if this uses Amigas serial port or a faster SCSI connection?

06 March 2002, 23:53	#1
Bloodwych Moderator Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: I'm behind you! Posts: 3,763	The Siamese System, WTF? Can someone please explain what this was all about Came across this link while surfing the net and must admit I've never heard of this system. It's a method of combining a PC and Amiga in one, all the way back in 1996. Those who hate emulation on PCs could have been running the real thing. Sure would've saved desk space! Probably the best add on a PC owner could get in those days - an Amiga! It's blasphemy calling the Amiga and PC Siamese "twins" however. They're nothing alike..................

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07 March 2002, 00:16	#2
bgbennyboy Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK Posts: 55	Yeah, it was in Amiga Format quite a few times. It was made by the same people who made the squirrel scssi interface (hisoft?). I think there were different versions of it. One that integrated a pc and amiga in the same case and one that just sort of networked them. Using the Siamese you were supposed to be able to use pc keyboards and mice and access the pc drivers and vice versa. They were very expensive though

07 March 2002, 01:18	#3
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	I remember Amiga User International raved about this, although it didn't sell too well. It was made by HiSoft and I think it connected to the A600 and A1200's PCMCIA port. That was the way the two shared their drives IIRC. I'll try and dig out my old AUI issues when I next go home.

07 March 2002, 02:00	#4
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	Yeah, I have one of these units. Unfortunately, I have no PCI slot free to test it with. I am gonna try to get my other PC working this weekend and can maybe try it out, but I hear they are hard as hell to get configured.

07 March 2002, 02:06	#5
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	I thought the Siamese system is a software system? You connect two machines (Amiga and PC) through ethernet (or serial, if you want it to be slow :P), and you can map Amiga screens onoto the PC... much like if the PC was an X Server.... seems to be nice, I never tried it because my Amga has no Ethernet adapter.

07 March 2002, 06:56	#9
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	Wow Twistin, you got a nice one there! BTW Retro, I think PCMCIA and Cheap are incompatible terms Besides most amiga online shops say not all PCMCIA Ethernet cards work with the Amiga.... Do you have any recommendations?

07 March 2002, 15:10	#10
RetroMan Registered User Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Germany Age: 51 Posts: 3,704	Hmmm, I just bought a kind of No-Name PCMCIA and it works like a charm Recommendations would be a Fiberline 4680 PCMCIA, that one is tested and works for sure

07 March 2002, 21:48	#11
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	How much?

14 March 2002, 06:32	#12
Korodny Zone Friend Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 812	@Akira: About 30 - 40 US$. Check this file on Aminet: http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/a...cnetdevice.lha This is the device driver needed for PCMCIA network adaptors. It comes with a big list of cards that are supported/not supported. Keep in mind that the PCMCIA slot on Amiga computers does not reset the card properly (you have to turn off your machine to reset the PCMCIA card). Most people will tell you that you'll need to do a hardware modification to fix that. That's not true, get CardReset instead: http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/a.../CardReset.lha @Djay: >> does really work? Yes. I've got two A1200 (and my A2000) connected this way. >> can i make adfs in this way? Yes. The but the Amiga needs top have a harddisk. and some FastRAM would be good too... >> do i need anything else to get this to work software/hardware? Once you have a TCP/IP connection established (that means the machines can "see" each other), you need software to transfer files. You could either use some Server/Client combination (FTP server on your Amiga, FTP client on your PC, or Telnet server/client). But the most common way is to use Amiga SAMBA, which lets you share drives between the machines (Windows has SMB support built in).

26 December 2013, 00:01	#14
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,331	Long since surpassed by VNC. Even on the Amiga There is a reasonable VNC server & headless capable client. Couple with amigaexplorer and it's pretty great for linking the two machines

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