From: dburnett@emunix.emich.edu (Don Burnett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: MINI-REVIEW: Microbotics MBX1200 RAM/FPU expansion for A1200
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Date: 6 Jan 1993 03:59:41 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Distribution: world
Reply-To: dburnett@emunix.emich.edu (Don Burnett)
NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu
Keywords: hardware, expansion, FPU, RAM, SIMM, A1200, commercial



	A lot of people have been sending me mail asking me to talk more
about my new Microbotics MBX-1200 I have installed in my Amiga 1200.  This
device adds a Floating Point Unit (FPU) and a RAM expansion to the Amiga
1200.

	First, the list price is $199 (US dollars).  This is for the board
with 0K populated. It comes with a PGA type MC68881 16MHz chip installed.
This chip speeds up math operations significantly and is transparent to the
machine's operation.  This means if you have a 3D renderer or something
that will use an 020 power wise already, you will be able to use it. Until
now all C= equipment that was accelerated came with an FPU, so you will need
one, if you don't want just slow 68000 only software. 

	The FPU can be replaced by a faster 68881 or '882. You have to get a
PGA style chip to replace it with. You also can clock it at 25 or 50 Mhz, if
you have a 25 or 50 MHz chip and a clock crystal. The installation sheet
warns heavily against trying to overclock the FPU chip saying you could
damage your Amiga. So, buy the right chip and the right crystal if you plan
to do this.  SysInfo says my 1200HD system with only CHIP RAM (no FAST RAM)
is "RIGHTEOUS" with this board installed.  If you want more specifics, please
send me email.

	The board supports the addition (without removal of the board from
your system) of one wide-body 72 pin 32-bit wide SIMM. Caution again:  don't
try plugging your cheap run-of-the-mill PC or MAC 8-bit-wide SIMM. This plug
is for the same type of chip you can place inside an A4000. With the
exception that it supports an 8mb SIMM instead of just the 4mb ones that I
know the A4000 supports. 

	The following is a list of supported MICRON SIMMS (you may
substitute others as appropriate):

	80ns, 72-pin "wide-body"
	SIMM organized N-megabyte x 32 bits.

	MICRON PARTS:
   
		MT8D25632   (1MB)
		MT16D51232  (2MB)
		MT8D132     (4MB)
		MT16D232    (8MB)

	The instructions suggest that 70 or 60ns SIMMS will cost you more
money and will provide you with no additional benefits.

	All in all it's a great board. No, there's no clock. Someone alluded
to the fact that there might be a jumper pad on the A1200 Motherboard to
allow you to plug in a CBM clock mod, that doesn't use the CPU slot..

	For more information contact Microbotics at:

		Microbotics, Inc.
		1251 American Parkway
		Richardson, Texas 75081
		USA
		(214) 437-5330 (Central Time Zone, 0900 to 1700 hrs.)

"MBX 1200" is a Microbotics' trade name for it's FPU/Memory device for
the Amiga 1200; "Amiga" and "Amiga 1200" are registered trademarks of
Commodore/Amiga

******************************************************
dburnett@emunix.emich.edu
EMU Mathematics Lab Consultant
Enabling Solutions
PO Box 318
Ypsilanti, MI  48197
*****************************************************
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