AA3000+ Amiga 3000 AGA motherboard

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Wrangler

Hi folks,

Just reporting that I've created a tool chain for programming the DSP3210 on the AA3000+ motherboard:

Asm3210 v2.2 is out on Aminet and has a few bug fixes from earlier versions. It's a DSP3210 assembler plus a program to create an executable from the final object file (elf2exem68k).

Also out on Aminet as of this morning is gcc 3.2 for DSP3210.

I've spent a long time getting this working and now you can program in C, compile with gcc, assemble with asm3210, link to M68k source and construct an executable using elf2exem68k, all on a modern computer.

Why only gcc 3? I have tried gcc 4 and 6 but I get internal compiler errors when compiling which is related to register usage tracking deep within gcc. If anyone actually does anything interesting with gcc3 for the DSP, that would motivate me to look at this again. For now gcc 3 is as far as it goes.

How optimised is it? Fairly... but a compiler will never produce code as good as a human. Again, if I get motivated, I may looking at improving the optimisation.

@Wrangler, Wow, that sounds pretty awesome. I applaud the effort although I know its a niche within a niche. Is there any abandonware back from the Mac Quadra 840AV days that could be "ported"?

[Wrangler]

Mandel_dsp (the source for which is on my github site) is exactly that, being a port (of sorts) of ARTAbrot.

There are two challenges with Mac software: having the source code, which often doesn't seem to exist; and we don't have ARTA (aka VCOS on the Amiga) to help with integration into the OS.

[AJCopland]

@Wrangler very cool work, that's the Github here yes https://github.com/Wrangler491/AA3000-DSP/

[Wrangler]

Yep, that's the right page. You've also reminded that the versions of asm3210 and gcc on there are very out of date - see Aminet for the latest versions.

[codepoet]

Is there a confirmed path to getting an ATI Radeon 92xx PCI card to work in this beast? I'm acquiring one to transplant into my A3000D and want a good RTG solution. I'm waiting on my ZZ9000 still, and the older PCI Radeon card may better it anyways, along with a cheap Realtek NIC

[codepoet]

Originally Posted by trixster

The problem now is sourcing the custom chips, but it’ll be broadly:

Lisa + Paula + Fat Gary £73
PAL oscillator £3
Buster 11 £30
Alice £35
Ramsey 07 £45
2x Altera EPM7128SQC160 -15 chip £60
Lucent DSP3210 £70
68030 CPU £32
DSUB 23-pin connectors (1x male, 1x female) £25
A3000 CPU slot connector £30
SCSI AM33C93A-16PC £5
ADV101KP30 Video DAC £3
DMAC-02 £23
M514221B-30R DIP-16 x6 £29
6x MSM514221B-30RS DIP16 £15
NEC UPD42101C-3 x6 £44
2x 391078-02 CIA £68
BOM - £286
2x Kickstart 3.1 ROMS £40ish
2x 768-JR400 capacitor Trimmers £18
68882 FPU £3
Sockets £15
PCBs £160

So around £1050

Then add:

Case and power supply £loads if you’re lucky to find one
Keyboard £again, loads

Pcb soldering/assembly by Hese: £265

You will get zero change from £1500

And good luck finding dmac!

In 2023, alot of these items have tripled in price :| SuperBuster 11 is basically $100+ now, same with 2MB Agnus chips, etc. :'(

Too bad that the plans were lost on producing custom chips, or a run of 1000 could be made for each chip or something

[trixster]

Yeah, sad times. When Hese announced the release of pcb’s I thought about not building one but thankfully Wrangler talked me into it. I’m glad he did now as a fully built AA3000+ for 1050 now seems to be good value.

[jkdsteve]

Is anyone using this with a cybppc? I can’t get the Cyberstorm SCSI to work at all, DMA and Phase Mismatch.

I’m talking about a cable, drive l, termination setup that worked previously in an A4000.

I feel like maybe the DSP DMA maybe interfering? Anyway to test this idea?

[qz3fwd]

Originally Posted by codepoet

In 2023, alot of these items have tripled in price :| SuperBuster 11 is basically $100+ now, same with 2MB Agnus chips, etc. :'(

Too bad that the plans were lost on producing custom chips, or a run of 1000 could be made for each chip or something

I had a board built end of last year and I had to provide the custom chips. I ordered the AGA chips set from IComp.de and SuperBuster from Analogic.co.uk, which left the SuperDMAC.

I thought it might take months to years to find the unobtanium SDMAC chip but just after my built boards arrived I came across a NOS SDMAC on Amibay. So I was lucky as I have no donor 3000 boards.

I am super happy I ordered both the A4000TX and AA3000+ as I do not have the skills to build the boards myself, and Hese stopped taking assembly jobs just a couple weeks after I received my boards.

When unique projects like this present themselves, you have to jump on the opportunity in case it disappears tomorrow. I did list over both boards for a year then finally decided to pull the trigger for my birthday last fall.

[qz3fwd]

There are people working on a ReSDMAC chip, but I think it is a long way off.
But if/when it does come out it will elevate the main stumbling block preventing 3000 builds.