Is there any interest in a new batch of Zorro IV PCI busboards?

[Overmann]

Hi there,

I've been in contact with Elbox and they have said that if there is enough interest they will make a new batch of ZIV PCI busboards. I desperately want one, and I wonder if there are other users like me.
I had one many years ago, and it was a fantastic addition to the Zorro IV busboard setup.

I've added a very simple questionaire that here, if you have the time please do have a look. These are very hard to come by these days and I very much hope that ELBOX makes a new batch. Hell, I'd buy two. :P

QUESTIONAIRE

[HardStep]

So to attach one to a A1200, you need to have a Zorro IV busboard (which is another board)?

[spudje]

I never even understood the whole Zorro IV stuff. Are there even Zorro IV cards?

[jPV]

IIRC there was at least a CV64/3D version which took advantage either of the actual Zorro IV slot or one of those double speed Zorro II slots the busboard offers. Maybe some I/O card too?

But even if you don't use those improved slots, it's a fine Zorro II busboard nevertheless. Elbox has made Zorro IV busboards itself, but I think they were also sold in different name/brand (Winner, maybe even Power?), but was it only rebadging, I don't remember.

But the Mediator ZIV made the Zorro IV busboards really interesting and useful. I think it's still the only option to get both Zorro and PCI slots working in an A1200.

When the Mediator ZIV was released I swapped my old MicroniK busboard to Zorro IV + Mediator ZIV combo, and haven't regretted. Zorro IV busboards were also sold for really low prices at then, so it didn't add much over Mediator. I got really fast graphics, network, and USB cards to PCI slot, but still could keep my Delfina Lite in Zorro for DSP decoded mp3 playback and audio mixing, and also kept MultiFaceCard3 in Zorro for extra serial/parallel ports.

[Daedalus]

There are a couple, but probably very rare at this point, and so unless you already have them, there doesn't seem to be much benefit over a plain Mediator.

[jPV]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

There are a couple, but probably very rare at this point, and so unless you already have them, there doesn't seem to be much benefit over a plain Mediator.

The benefit is that you can still use Zorro II cards. For me the plain Mediator was certainly out of question, because I appreciated my Delfina Lite too much CPU heavy Sound Blaster on PCI, no thanks. And there are many other Zorro II cards for special uses which people could want to use still.

[Daedalus]

Ah yeah, fair enough for Zorro-II cards that are still useful and can be found. But Zorro-IV cards are still far more rare than Zorro-II. I can only thing of a FastATA Zorro-IV (or whatever it was called), and it's a good while since I heard of anyone using one.

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Ah yeah, fair enough for Zorro-II cards that are still useful and can be found. But Zorro-IV cards are still far more rare than Zorro-II. I can only thing of a FastATA Zorro-IV (or whatever it was called), and it's a good while since I heard of anyone using one.

I have a Zorro IV bus-board, served me well. have a cv64/3d in it as well as a netowrk card and hypercom.

As also have a blizzard ppc and Bvision, so never seen the need to add a mediator as well as,pretty much covered by "native" cards

[S0ulA55a551n]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Ah yeah, fair enough for Zorro-II cards that are still useful and can be found. But Zorro-IV cards are still far more rare than Zorro-II. I can only thing of a FastATA Zorro-IV (or whatever it was called), and it's a good while since I heard of anyone using one.

My fast ATA is the clip on kind. Such an improvement

[cip060]

Originally Posted by overmann

hi there,

i've been in contact with elbox and they have said that if there is enough interest they will make a new batch of ziv pci busboards. I desperately want one, and i wonder if there are other users like me.
I had one many years ago, and it was a fantastic addition to the zorro iv busboard setup.

you have pm!!

[Overmann]

So, as far as I've gathered the Zorro IV busboard was the most accurate implementation of the Zorro II bus outside of the A2000, and the Mediator ZIV enables the use of PCI cards AS WELL AS Zorro II cards in an A1200 that has the Zorro IV busboard. I don't know how many there are of these around, but I have one. :P

There are still being produced Zorro II cards, and quite a few exciting ones, but Elbox seem unwilling to make a new batch of Zorro IV busboards as there are very few tower's that support them.

As far as the Zorro IV slot is concerned the only card I know of is FastATA ZIV (of which I have one on the way). I'm hoping it will prove a hassle free solution to fastata on the A1200. The Zorro IV busboard has two Zorro IV slots, one would be used by Mediator ZIV and one would be used by FastATA. It's also possible to use two fastata ZIV cards at the same time, which leaves no ZIV slots for a mediator card.

[zipper]

Stop misusing Zorro name, its ZIV - closest to ZorroII+ having double speed ZII slots. Bad practice because of Elbox misusing Zorro name.

[Overmann]

Originally Posted by zipper

Stop misusing Zorro name, its ZIV - closest to ZorroII+ having double speed ZII slots. Bad practice because of Elbox misusing Zorro name.

What are you on about? The slots? They are called Zorro IV. And the busboard I have is named Zorro IV Busboard.

Depending on price I would be interested in a Mediator ZIV as well. I already have a Zorro-IV busboard, so it might be an interesting expansion.

[grelbfarlk]

Originally Posted by Overmann

What are you on about? The slots? They are called Zorro IV. And the busboard I have is named Zorro IV Busboard.

I guess the objection is that they used the Zorro name for a couple pin array sockets which are not compatible to Zorro II/III slots. Are these Zorro IV sockets faster in any way? I'm just asking I really don't know.

[zipper]

ZIV is double speed ZorroII (in case of Cybervision) the Fast ATA IDE connectors are for up to 16MB/sec transfer .

[grelbfarlk]

Originally Posted by zipper

ZIV is double speed ZorroII (in case of Cybervision) the Fast ATA IDE connectors are for up to 16MB/sec transfer .

It looks like those two PGA type connectors are supposed to be the Zorro IV, the "custom designed 32-bit bus not supporting DMA". Or are the actual Zorro slots supposed to be the ZIV slots?

[mech]

Originally Posted by grelbfarlk

It looks like those two PGA type connectors are supposed to be the Zorro IV, the "custom designed 32-bit bus not supporting DMA". Or are the actual Zorro slots supposed to be the ZIV slots?

Elbox called overclocked zorro2,zorro IV and yes its abuse of the Zorro name, a hack basically,although a few cards supported it.

Originally Posted by mech

Elbox called overclocked zorro2,zorro IV and yes its abuse of the Zorro name, a hack basically,although a few cards supported it.

That’s not completely true. The board has a couple of standard Zorro 2 slots. Two of them can be overclocked with a jumper to double speed. You can use that with special cards like cv64/3D or some of the Buddha IDE. Additional there are 2 Z-IV Slots which are more or less connected to the expansion slot. The Mediator could be connected or a special version of the fast ata. It‘s not faster than the normal fast ata, but it is faster than Zorro 2.

[Overmann]

Right, Zorro IV is not refering to the two faster Zorro II slots. They are called "Fast Zorro II". From what I've read FastATA ZIV is supposed to be as fast as FastATA mkV. On paper at least. I have no real world experience with either, but Elbox's documentation mentions the same transfer rates for both models.

So far we have two interested. Me and Civ206. I doubt that will be enough to convince them :P