HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: alan@uts.amdahl.com (Alan Bomberger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: A4000 Hardware questions
Date: 15 Oct 92 23:31:36 GMT
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes:

>Anyone who swaps cables around with the power on gets just what they deserve

Does anyone besides me think that it is a bit much to ask me to turn off
my computer in order to plug in a modem.  Some seem to believe that
computers don't do anything that you can't stop doing at will.  As long
as this remains true, computers will remain toys.  A PeeCee only does
one thing so if I want to use a modem I clearly am not doing anything 
else.  One advantage of the Amiga is that I might have a multi-day
weather simulation going on when my new high speed modem arrives.  
If I wanted to wait 4 days before using it I would have bought 
a PeeCee.  

Sorry, I am not all that mad just curious as to why you are so
emphatic that it is silly for me to want to swap cables while my
computer is running??
From: mustang@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Paul Christopher Miranda (I love Cheese))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Upgrading ROMs on the fly
Date: 11 Oct 92 17:11:46 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

In article <1992Oct2.201341.25940@leela.cs.orst.edu> ridgwad@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU (Dean Ridgway) writes:
>In article <1992Oct2.062653.4493@desire.wright.edu> fheitkamp@desire.wright.edu writes:
>>Has any explored the possibility of using EEPROMs or FPGAs for ROMs?  If 
>>an easily reprogrammable type was found that was cheap enough it would be 
>>possible to upgrade ROMs by simply inserting a disk and issuing a few
>>commands.  No removal of the case (possibly voiding the warranty) would
>>be neccessary.
>>
>I don't think that would be very practical.  How long would it take before some
>*sshole figured out how to write a virus to your EEPROM?  I think it would
>cause more headaches than it would cure.  Just my own opinion.
>
>Dean Ridgway | FidoNet 1:357/1.103 | InterNet ridgwad@jacobs.cs.orst.edu
>	     | CIS 73225,512       |          ridgwad@atlantis.cs.orst.edu

since this would require the addition of new hardware, a hardware interlock
(even a simple switch) would prevent software-only reprogramming..
just flick the switch, put in the super-kickstart floppy(s) and call some
special library add-on.. 
actually.. this could be done as an add-on for current amigas...
a board that inserts into the rom socket with the eeprom onboard and
some simple software to access it.. of course, the programming voltage 
may not be available from the stock power supply.

-- 
"I have feelings too, I just choose to  | Paul Miranda  likes cheese 
 to hide them underneath bitter denial" | mustang@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
-- Ms. Musso on "Parker Lewis" (FOX TV) | -- THIS SPACE FOR RENT -- 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: benjamin@zds-oem.zds.com (Adam Benjamin)
Subject: Re: Is it silly to buy an A3000 now?
Organization: Zenith Data Systems, OEM Systems Engineering
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 17:12:38 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.210445.3309@news.iastate.edu> barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett) writes:
>In article <ym2asB3w165w@cybernet.cse.fau.edu> vidiot@cybernet.cse.fau.edu (Rankin Eric) writes:
>>PS.  If I understand what my local C= dealer told me, there is a 
>>video enhancer built into the ALICE chip (I think that's her name).  Is 
>>this not correct?  (this question is not directed at you, Dan, I would 
>>rather take advice from Bill Gates).
>
>   No, it is not correct.  The "promotion" feature is software-only.  If a
>program (such as an old, unsupported utility or game) insists on opening an
>interlaced screen, the screen will be opened as interlaced and there will be
>nothing you will be able to do about it.
>
>---
>| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu
>--------------------------------------------------
>              A4000: JUST SAY NO!!!

Oh yea, The AGA has nothing to do with video promotion. You must be an 
accounting major marc.  
The Video enhancer has been moved into alice as your dealer said.  What
Marc is trying to say is that it is software "controlled"  which is not
the terrible problem marc is making it out to be.  I'm sure there will be
a patch written for the few programs that do "in-error" request an interlace
screen.  Remember all video programs (titlers, etc..) will NEED to be 
15Khtz interlaced to genlock. so the promoter is a BOON, not a problem. 
After all not all of us WANT non-interlaced >15Khtz video modes marc.

Adam Benjamin   A.benjamin@mi04.zds.com

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: earl@rtsg.mot.com (Brent R. Earl)
Subject: Re: max partition size (1.3 and/or 2.04)? solved
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 15:45:56 GMT

I have finally gotten the partition problem worked out.  I
put the gvp controller out to pasture (my gvp controller is
useful - like a hangover or case of flue.)

I spoke with the microbotics people, and they gave me a
procedure to get myself up and running.  Apparently the
rom reports some value that is out of range for rdbhi,
(I don't know whose fault this is, but I suspect gvp/microbotics).

I also found that there problems with roms other than "SLE"
on amigas.  The sle suffix should be the last bit on the
rom on the maxtor, rom is second chip from the scsi connector.

Thanks to everyone that replied.
From: Roger_Nordin@atb.bbs.bad.se (Roger Nordin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: A4000 Problems !
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 06:19:14 +0000
Reply-To: Roger_Nordin@atb.bbs.bad.se (Roger Nordin)
Distribution: world
Organization: ANet Test Bench, Karlstad, Sweden 
OD-Comment-To: Internet_Gateway

> I've had my A4000 for a week now. I have noticed some aberrations.
> Commodore says that the promotion feature works properly. What about the
> boot menu ?..

Since promotion isn't default as far as I know (it's been explained to me as a 
monitor driver solution), you'd have no promotion until you enable it from 
your hard drive. This does of course means that you'd be lacking promotion if 
you boot of a floppy too, unless you have WorkBench 3.0 installed on it too 
properly configured for promotion. A hit of a hassle for anyone intending to 
buy (or more probable, someone who already are in possession of one) a cheap 
VGA monitor, indeed. Especially if you can't use the boot meny.

Solution: Buy a flickerfixer. :)

                        _       .    __
    Roger Nordin     _ //      /!Net /est Bench
 2:203/602.0@fidonet \X/  Internet: Roger_Nordin@bad.se

---
From: davidme@qdpii.comp.qdpi.oz.au (David Meiklejohn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Is it silly to buy an A3000 now?
Date: 15 Oct 92 10:54:15 GMT
Organization: Qld Dept Primary Industries

In article <35813@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes:
>In article <1992Oct7.194433.7333@news.iastate.edu> barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett) writes:
>
>>   I am actively advising people to ignore the A4000, purchase A3000s instead,
>>and upgrade them later with third-party video cards as soon as DIG is
>>available.
>
>I can recommend either machine.  I guess people will have to decide who they 
>trust.

What, is Marc (CDTV is dead) Barrett sometimes wrong?  :-)

>I'm going to upgrade to an A4000 class machine at home

How do you define "A4000 class"?  What set of features define this class?  I
guess any AA system with 4x chip bandwidth and a 32-bit cpu would do.  It
seems to me that this class would define any new mid-range Amigas, but not
necessarily a new low-end AA machine.

>  Some folks still buy A2000s.

I certainly hope so - I want to sell mine!


-- 
David Meiklejohn (also known as davidme@qdpii.comp.qdpi.oz.au)
 - Regional support guy for PC's, Unix, and networks thereof.
 - But I'd rather be using an AMIGA!  Wouldn't you?
Find me in Mareeba, Australia (on the pointy bit in the northeast)
From: leekil@bbn.com (Lee Kilpatrick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Poster of AmigaDOS 3.0 Specs
Date: 15 Oct 1992 18:16:10 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Distribution: world
Reply-To: leekil@BBN.COM (Lee Kilpatrick)
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com


So what happened after that guy posted the AmigaDOS 3.0 specs here a
few months ago?  Did Commodore track him down and the guy he got the
specs from (if he wasn't a developer himself)?  What did they do to
him?


	Lee


Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: bmccnnll@unix1.tcd.ie (Barry McConnell)
Subject: Re: DMAfix, MMR, GVP (to Oleg Rovner)
Organization: Trinity College, Dublin
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 22:25:52 GMT

In <copes.718433285@marsh> copes@cs.curtin.edu.au (Simon Cope) writes:

>Yes, well.  My A3000 averages around 70% cpu (from memory), with the same 
>transfer rates, but only with 512k buffer and a 52LPS.

That's pathetic, considering you have a full-32-bit-DMA system, and I don't.
If I turn my 32-bit memory off, I get over 2MB/sec, with 97% CPU free. That
is "real" DMA, and if you're telling me your A3000 gets less CPU free while
moving half the amount of data around, then I have to say it SUCKS. ;-)

>If you already have an 030, then get a GrandSlam card.  It is faster than 
>the Impact ones, which I was told by a hacker only DMA onto an on card buffer
>then use the cpu to move it....

Never trust a hacker. :-)  As I have just shown, the GVP Series II *is* 
real DMA, and is well capable of outperforming the A3000 in some situations.
The original GVP Series I used the "on-card buffer" method you outlined
above. The Series II uses this method only when it encounters non-DMA memory.

>Their 030 cards are better.  They can dma into the 32 bit ram on them.

Same with the GVP Combo, PP&S '040, CSA Magnum, etc. etc.

>copes

Barry.
From: kopnicky@owlnet.rice.edu (Lyle Warren Kopnicky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Avoid the Amiga 4000
Date: 14 Oct 92 23:43:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: rice.Bw4xw1.J3t
Organization: Rice University

I have a great idea for those who like to complain about lack of SCSI
in the A4000, who currently are using 2000's.  Look.  Commodore is prob-
ably going to have some sort of PowerUp program to the 4000.  Are they
going to care whether your 2000 has a hard drive in it or not?  Of course
not.  So when you power up, put the 2000's SCSI card and drive into the
A4000.  Now you can get 200MB+ of storage, IDE and SCSI!  Furthermore,
put your RAM card into the 4000 and get a few extra megs of RAM!  Sure,
it's quite slow RAM, but it beats running out of memory or paying for
a 4MB SIMM (although they are getting pretty cheap).

+----------------------------Ren & Stimpy--------------------------------+
| "Psst. Hey Guido. It's all so clear to me now. I'm the keeper of the   |
| cheese. And you're the lemon merchant. Get it? And he knows it. That's |
| why he's gonna kill us. So we gotta beat it. Yeah. Before he lets      |
| loose the marmosets on us! Don't worry, little missy! I'll save you!"  |
+--------------- Quantum Seep -- kopnicky@owlnet.rice.edu ---------------+
From: PunisherX@cup.portal.com (M Phil Collins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: AE HD Disk drive
Date: Wed,  7 Oct 92 08:14:01 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

I have an AE High Density Disk Drive and I am having a problem getting it to
work with Workbench 2.0. I need to know if anybody else is having problems
with this and if anybody else has any suggestions on how to deal with it.


PunisherX@cup.portal.com

         or

mcollins@st6000.sct.edu
From: georg@bluemoon.GUN.de (Georg Sassen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Avoid the Amiga 4000
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 16:55:09 GMT
Reply-To: georg@bluemoon.GUN.de (Georg Sassen)
Organization: just me
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

In article <1992Oct15.073221.4832@desire.wright.edu> fheitkamp@desire.wright.edu writes:

>       Psssst.  The 2091 will not work in the A4000.

Of course it will. A friend of mine uses it without problems (with
6.6 ROM's in the 2091).

It might be a little bit slow, though, but you can run DMAFix by Barry
McConnell until newer ROM's from C= are available which might handle
transferring data to non-dma'able memory better.

    Georg

--
Georg Sassen, Duesseldorf, Germany. Voice +49 211 255799, Fax +49 211 255798
From: dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca (David Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: I am getting Hard Disk Errors, May Day, May Day ...
Distribution: world
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:23:18 EST
Organization: Dejital Software

In article <mac1.718912364@Ra.MsState.Edu> mac1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Mubashir Cheema) writes:
>
> Hello World,
>	 	I have an A590 HD controller and a Quantam 52 LPS HD.
> It has been working fine for about a week since I installed it. Earlier
> this morning I started getting this horrible message " Error on dh0:
> sector 6787" and "dh0: is not validated, cant write XXXX "

If the connector on the 52 is anything like the connector on the 104
then you could have a cable mashing problem.

Here's the problem: the 590's guts were made to take the XT drive well,
and the SCSI drive awkwardly.  The SCSI cable is much wider than the XT
cable, and your SCSI cable is probably partly pushed down by the fan.

This in itself is not a problem.  But take a look at how everything touches
the power connector on the drive itself.  Chances are that this connector
is being worked a little loose, which leads to intermittent power
interruptions, punctuated by "wwwwwhhhhirrRRRRR THUNK!" sounds.

If this is the case, then take an X-acto knife and cut the SCSI cable
such that one part fits nicely under the fan and the other part fits
WELL over the power connector.

If the above sounds really wierd and funny, don't laugh.  It happened to
me, and the cut down the cable made the problem go away forever.

(And now for the real solution: buy a 3000 and move the drive over :-)

--
 David Jones, 6730 Tooney Drive, Orleans, Ontario K1C 6R4 CANADA
       email: dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca    Fido: 1:163/109.8
 AMIGA: Advanced Multimedia with Interactive Graphics and Audio
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 11:18:34 EDT
From: <JBK4@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Bad exp. with GRAPEVINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Distribution: orst
 <1992Oct08.215516.10839@CS.ORST.EDU>

Here's another bad word for GRAPEVINE.  Our lab order a new AGNUS for one
of our machines on July 29.  Guess what.  We don't have it yet.  They told
us several weeks ago that it was back ordered and we'd get ours within a
week, we still don't have it 3 weeks later.  Now whenever we call we get stuck
on the infinite hold.  All I can say is that's the last time we will deal with
Grapevine.

JK
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: nilsco@ifi.uio.no (Nils Liaaen Corneliusen)
Subject: A4000 graphics
Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 12:09:23 GMT
Originator: nilsco@ondur.ifi.uio.no


I have followed the "Avoid the Amiga 4000" debate and would like to have the
following questions answered:

Fact: All old screenmodes will be shown with scanlines/flicker because the
the A4000 has no flickerfixer.

1. Will old type flickerfixers work for these modes?

2. Does the double pal mode support full overscan?

3, Is the promotion mode smart enough to open ALL new screens in this mode?

4. If I add a flickerfixer, is it possible to combine the two monitor
   connectors so I don't have to change cables all the time? I WANT flickerfree
   old resolutions AND the new ones without a lot of switching and plugging.

------------------------------------------------------------
INCLUDE "disclaimer.i"                     snail-mail:
Nils Corneliusen                           Heyerdahls vei 17
internet: nilsco@ifi.uio.no                OSLO, Norway
From: copes@cs.curtin.edu.au (Simon Cope)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Should there be a M of 16bit ram in A3000?
Date: 16 Oct 92 08:27:04 GMT
Organization: Curtin University of Technology

lionel@cs.city.ac.uk (Lionel Tun) writes:

>Sysinfo shows that of the 2M chip ram and 4M fast ram, most is
>32 bit but not all - over 1M is listed as 16 bit.

>I thought the A3000 was 32 bit throughout? Is this not so then?

Various versions of sysinfo have some intersting 'features' (read: bugs).
The whole system IS 32 bit.


>--
>Lionel Tun   (lionel@cs.city.ac.uk)
>Vision Group, City University, London, EC1V 0HB. 071-477 8000 x 3889


--                      
Simon Cope           	 
AFS Designs             
                        
copes@cs.curtin.edu.au
From: Holger.Lubitz@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Holger Lubitz)
Subject: Re: Amiga 4000 is HERE :)
Organization: University of Oldenburg, Germany
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:36:48 GMT

wwarner@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Art Warner) writes:
>In article <1992Oct5.090051.23346@arbi.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE> Holger.Lubitz@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Holger Lubitz) writes:
>>As I understood it, you weren't supposed to use both (video) ports at the
>>same time. 

>Why not?  

I don't know exactly. I had my 3000 in for repair once (I blew the serial
port by improper use of a serial line tester). The one who repaired it
is one of those guys who simply don't want to let non fully working
machines out of their work room. So he also fixed the LED panel and 
a micro fuse at the video port. He said that I might have blown the
latter by having a 2024 and a VGA monitor at the same time. Operation
was not affected, but he explained that I might have had problems using
genlocks. Since I had only borrowed the VGA monitor (for the rare 
occasions where you _need_ color, like software that does not allow
you to choose a palette, yet does not come with a palette suited for
the 2024), I gave it back and continued to use the 2024 only.

In the meantime, I sold the 3000 and got a 4000, as you already
know :)

Holger

-- 
Mail: Holger.Lubitz@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de | Local: hal@faramir
-----------------------------------------------------| Home:  hal@caty.north.de
Im Kopf ist nicht viel, in der Hand liegt ein Stein, | IRC:   holgi
und alle sind stolz, Deutsche zu sein (Abwaerts)     | - This space for rent! -
From: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: cisc -vs- risc
Date: 10 Oct 92 02:00:16 GMT
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

mks@cbmvax.commodore.com (Michael Sinz) writes:
>>-> well.  The 040 averages an instruction every 1.3 clock cycles, which
>>-> is how
>>-> they get 19.2 mips out of one at 25Mhz.  A good risc chip today gets
>>-> 1 per
>>-> clock cycle.  They're not that far behind.
>>
>>I'm not overly familiar with '040 performance, but here are a few facts:
>>Second-generation RISC processors (R3000, etc ...) *completed* one
>>instruction every 1.2-1.6 clock cycles.  The latest third-generation
>>RISC processors (R4000SC, Alpha, etc) *issue* as many as two
>>instructions per clock cycle and *complete* 1.2-1.3 instructions per
>>clock cycle via superpipelining or superscalar designs.  If an '040 can
>>*complete* an instruction in 1. clock cycles then I'm impressed.
>
>The 68040 will *complete* a number of instructions in just 1 clock.  It
>will also issue instructions internally as fast as 1 per clock.  The
>average of 1.3 cycles per instruction is *completed* instructions.

	Remember, everyone, that "MIPS" are Meaningless.  Truely.  I could
create a 1000 MIPS machine that would be slower to use than a 68000.  I
could also create a 10MIP machine that was snappier than an '040.  (Well,
at least in theory I can do those - I'm not likely to waste my time that
way in fact.)

	If you want to talk SPEC ratings (primarily integer for me), fine.
Right now, the RISC processors are out-SPECing the CISC processors introduced
at the same time, even more so when you factor in cost-to-design and/or
manufacture (Intel spends Big Bucks trying to overcome their architecture).

>Watch for future processors in both CISC and RISC that can do more
>than one instruction per cycle.  (both issue and complete)

	This is already happening: Alpha (2x superscalar), 88110 (2x super-
scalar plus), SuperSPARC (3x superscalar, I think), etc.  The superscalar
CISCs will come, but they will trail as usual, because of the design effort
and cost required.

[Former member of the GE RPM-40 design team (40Mhz RISC, 1st working silicon
in fall of '87).]

-- 
To be or not to be = 0xff
-
Randell Jesup, Jack-of-quite-a-few-trades, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is anything other than my personal opinion.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: easton@zds-oem.zds.com (Jeff Easton)
Subject: Re: New Amiga(s) Expansion/Future
Organization: Zenith Data Systems, OEM Systems Engineering
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 01:50:15 GMT

In article <1bi71rINNste@function.mps.ohio-state.edu> vidynath@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Vidhyarath K Rao) writes:
>In article <bruce.0b8d@zuhause.MN.ORG> bruce@zuhause.MN.ORG (Bruce Albrecht) writes:
>>The PCMCIA peripheral market is starting to ramp up, because most of the
>>PC laptops now use it.  I can't say that all PC PCMCIA cards will be usable
>>on the A600, but if they are, the A600 users will have a lot to choose from.
>
>In some article I read several months back in some PC magazine, there was
>a complaint that the PCMCIA cards can be used only one at a time. If that
>is the case with the A600 also, I don't see A600 as a a good replacement
>for the 500.
>
>I use the 500 with 2M fast ram, and two floppies. It is very easy to add
>a hard disk if need be. I have asked several times on the net, but no
>one has said categorically that I can add fast ram *and* other stuff
>to the 600 via the PCMCIA at the *same* time. Till I see such a statement
>made by some one from CBM, 600 is not a replacement for a 500.

  Well, since the A600 has only _one_ PCMCIA slot, it would tend to support
the theory that it can only support a single card at a time.  Unless your
talking about hot insertion or something...

  Lets see,  The A600 can have an internal IDE hard disk, megabytes of
RAM in the trapdoor expansion slot (anybody know how much?)  and a
LAN/memory/etc card in the PCMCIA slot.  It looks more expandable than
the A500 to me.

  (Please, no flames.  I'm assuming one SLOTS hanging off the 86 pin
expansion connetor (C= recommended qty) and no internal do-hickeys
plugged into CPU socket etc. (again, C= recommended) on the A500).

>Vidhyanath Rao			It is the man, not the method, that solves

-- 
  ___  ___    Jeff Easton             easton@zds-oem.zds.com
 (__  (__     Zenith Data Systems     j.easton@mi04.zds.com
 ___) ___)    Saint Joseph, Mich.     easton@andrews.edu
Monte Carlo   Z-433/DX   Team Rigel