I have been involved with Commodore Computers since 1984, starting with the VIC-20 and ending up with the Amiga series of computers. Electronics is also one of my other hobbies. Fortunately the two compliment each other nicely.
The Amiga was and truly is one of the most versatile computers ever designed. Too bad Commodore didn't realize how unique this platform really was, things could have turned out much differently.
Join me in my adventures in repairing, upgrading and discovering the subtle nuances the Amiga computers have to offer. I will also throw in the odd tutorial and Commodore 64 video for good measure. Sit back, relax and I hope my videos are entertaining and informative.
Very powerful card. Just a few notes: although you got the latest, C revision on 68030, thermal output of 0,8 micron is safe without cooling only on stock 50Mhz, so maybe you should slap a nice copper heatsink with few ribs of fins. Next, there's new version of maprom tool (v1.12 from 06.06.2024) which enable AutoBoot ROM update (lide.device) from lideupdate command (no need to take out flash out of PLCC socket and dig out TL866). The last one, you can try to move Kickstart from ROM to 32-bit RAM using maprom kickrom command. I'd guess you could reach very close to 10MB mark and squeze a bit better MIPS score.
Thanks for the suggestions. I plan on adding a passive heatsink in the near future. I am using MULibs from Aminet, and from that, the MuFastRom option. This copies and maps the Kickstart into 32-bit Fast Memory. I will definitely try the newer MapRom tool. New software is always fun, especially when it adds features. Programming the Boot ROM from a command prompt versus having to physically remove it (like I did the last time) is a great addition to this already great card.
Great Amiga product review, subscribed. The old school with a lot of screen/benches and personal touch. I'm not surprised by CPU/FPU results as they are consistent with general 68030/6882 at 50Mhz, IDE was also fine, much more what we used to get with GVP's SCSI interfaces and Guru ROMs. I also have some Individual products (1st gen ACA500 and ACA 1232) which were well designed but also very expensive; now there are more solutions from opensource which is brutally great considering the age of our Amigas.
@counterair173 I am glad you liked the Video. I am always amazed at how many developers and enthusiasts are keeping the Amiga relevant after all these years. May it never end 😀
@@amigaretro4765 Spot on. I just saw that took on 'Dicke Olga'....just great. I have built myself a close cousin, 'Little Igor' for my A500. The card is incredible, brute force, especially new IDE driver which support CF drives above 16gigs and low IDE wait states reaching 11MBps on 60Mhz 68030.
No calculations were used. Amiga OS > 3.1 defaults t0 80 versus the usual 30 (for FFS). I guess they assume you would have more system memory available in this day and age. SFS recommends 200 buffers. This can eat a bit of memory if have multiple partitions that use this filesystem.
@@amigaretro4765 ok thanks, I'm trying to figure out best setting with A600 and 9.5MB ram (Furia) & 3x4gb partitions. I went with PFS as it seemed to work well on my A1200.
@@rossedwards6503 I found this on the internet of things, it may help since the author explains disk buffers in a bit more detail than the Amiga OS Manuals... www.jaruzel.com/amiga/amiga-os-command-reference-help/addbuffers.html#:~:text=The%20default%20buffer%20allocation%20is%205%20for%20floppy,by%20taking%20RAM%20away%20from%20other%20system%20functions.
It's called Tools Daemon. It comes with the installer and needed libraries: aminet.net/package/util/boot/ToolsDaemon21a It is recommended that you download and install this patch after you have 2..1a installed , for improved O.S compatibility: aminet.net/package/util/boot/ToolsDaemon22
Thanks for watching! This too, is appreciated. I use Magic Workbench. OS 3.2 comes with the Glow Icons as an option during the install, but I was never a fan of that look, so I stuck with Magic Workbench (MWB). The System Icons come with it, the rest are from various Aminet archives. MWB was very popular back in the day, thus there are many available Icon packs. I also use Tools Menu for the Workbench menu system. Most of my Workbench Fonts are either Zen or XHelvetica. They come as part of MUI (Magical User Interface), another must have for the Amiga Classic Computers.
There are several PCB versions, the one featured in my Video is the fully loaded version. mSATA works well, a bit faster access than the CF Card. I may try the M.2 SATA again with the CD-ROM to see if I can get it to work. Future Boot ROM updates may resolve this. For now, I am using the Buddha Controller - 20th Anniversary Edition for CD-ROM access.
I wish I still had a 2000 to try one of these out! It is so cool to see all the new hardware that has been coming out for Amigas in recent years. What other 35+ year old platform sees this kind of action these days?
Cool video and very cool card. I just got a 2000EATX board and decided on this accelerator. DJCook built me a card which is with DHL now. Exciting times. Keep up the cool videos. Not many on this particular card. Only 1 other from Retronaut.
Se ho capito bene quella scheda in origine ha una CPU 030ec a 40 mhz,ma e' aggiornata al 030 a 50 mhz,questo spiega perche il socket FPU e plcc e non pga
You can order the card with fall 68030, which is binned from the factory rated at 40 MHz, which can clock up to 60 if desired. I opted to install one of my spare 68030s rated at 50 MHz, since I planned on overclocking the CPU to 60 MHz, just incase :)
Dicke Olga - 030 CPU 64/128MB Accelerator card for A2000 Amiga (Official host) www.amibay.com/threads/dicke-olga-030-cpu-64-128mb-accelerator-card-for-a2000-amiga-official-host.2443695/
Using a mSATA has a number of advantages over compact flash. Typically CF cards do not support wear leveling. Do not have a DRAM cache and do not support SMART. mSATA drives typically do.
I bought the CPU with the board. It is most likely a 68030 at 40 MHz. I did remove the paint but the silkscreen was removed down to the heatsink (lid). I am not sure why this was done or by whom. The 40 MHz 68030's run fine at 50 MHz, 60 MHz may be a stretch but "should" be fine. I did replace the CPU with with the ceramic 50 MHz version which will run fine at 60 MHz, if I choose to overclocked the CPU (which will happen 😀 ). Thanks for watching!
At that time I had a hard drive larger than 4MB. For this I had to use a different file system. This was loaded into the bootloader area of the hard drive. Another method was to make the first drive smaller than 2MB and load the file system from there. Then the Amiga did a soft reset again with the new fast file system.
@@amigaretro4765 I thought the limit for Workbench 3.0/3.1 was 8GBHD with 2GB Partitions using FFS (fast filesystem), I remember buying a 13GB HD for my A1200 back in the day only for it to detect 8GB only. Had to change the filesystem to break the 8GB limit, think it was either PFS (professional filesystem) or SFS (smart filesystem). But as you say once KS 3.1.4 and WB 3.1.4 and 3.2 arrived then this was fixed but they still didn't update the file system fully. I've changed all my partitions to PFS3 for my A1200 and using WB3.2, My A500+ with ACA500+ uses PFS3 already as default. So my A500+ with ACA500PLUS and with the ACA1221LC accelerator or 68k@42Mhz, on a Compact Flash HD. The drive speed I was getting was over 6MB/s. It would be interesting to see the mSATA drive with PFS3 installed.
You will need the SAGA Drivers for Picasso96 RTG Graphics, Ethernet, and SD card operation. It can be found in the Download section of the Apollo Knowledge Forums (the Download link is near the bottom of the page). apollo-core.com/index.htm?page=downloads
If I want to connect via HDMI to a LCD TV, is that possible without all of the extras after connecting the Startech to the PAL C64 video output? In other words, just use a HDMI cable from the Startech straight to the TV? Or is the conversion to S-video required somewhere along the line? Thank you! Joe
I bought mine from eBbay, AmigaKit also sells them. eBay; www.ebay.ca/itm/293002300337?itmmeta=01HVCXEG3FCFT2QZ0DRE3T2SRC&hash=item44384c4bb1:g:WYkAAOSwBA1chh~z&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0I16hF%2FuFeIoNxTsAg%2BIHaWYQdGT6LD9l%2B2yqy%2FDWqO5Mva3DlVXmN07UxqshLzqkvlBqMeLBdUN20ewg3tsj9LKhN7F%2F8cpZ8j7LBJr9o3lNTKKoLNfn%2Bddnp4SwIkzFCRe77Km9KceohDKkG4nDH7BrNAo0UAodJolCVbWsMDb1dItfa02m7B4P%2Buj0WvpJU7JU85g7b7Szq2VlvECxxufulGtCYlbBmMbBpuYhfYulRV0H%2Byh3xs9%2Fqt%2BklFAi7CIZjrrQc%2BUWSmdFUAHvuM%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-yBup3bYw AmigaKit: amigakit.amiga.store/68000-socket-amiga-5002000-p-12661.html?aksid=2osbsp4d5jkjdlffa3mskb5mpa¤cy=USD&aksid=2osbsp4d5jkjdlffa3mskb5mpa
@9:20 not sure if youll get to this later in the video but note the NOTE on the adapter top left with the switch saying 5V <- ->3.3V. the A1200 is a 5V IDE device, so the switch should stay left like yours. it may be tempting for someone to flip the switch, especially since the mSATA drive sticker says 3.3V. I think flipping the switch to 3.3V may directly connect the drive to the A1200 5V rail?
I believe this switch enables the Voltage regulator when using 5 Volts to supply the mSATA with the required 3.3Volts. If this is the case, setting the switch to 3.3V may harm the mSATA device. I would need to perform some tests to confirm this. I added further clarification to the pinned comment at the top of this video forum. Thanks 😀
Really cool video and perfect timing. There are really no other videos on YT for this card. I just got an 2000 EATX board and was debating what to put in it: PiStorm, Vampire Firebird, some other accelerator, then stumbled onto this card on Amibay. I reserved a card with DJCook so this summer will hopefully have one too. I look forward to your next in-depth review video of it! Thanks for posting. It seems perfect. RAM, Storage, CPU, IO....
Good stuff! I would encourage the usage of properly grounded ESD work mats and wrist straps to prevent shocking of circuit boards which create undiagnosable, intermittent issues that ultimately result.
The cost is anywhere from 230 to 270 Euro before shipping, depending on the configuration. The card I will be reviewing cost 270 Euro, has all options with the 68030 CPU installed. I will add the 68882/40 MHz PLCC FPU since I have a spare left over from a previous project. It's a pretty fair price for a newly designed card, with the various options and features it offers.
Hey, if you can swing the cash, buy a pair of RODE Wireless II Go microphones. A single mic is all that is needed for your setup. Turn it on, pop it on your lapel and record the video. Then sync its audio with your cameras audio and you'll get a MUCH more professional output. No background sounds, just your voice. Think about all the food you wont spoil :)
I have tried different microphones in the past but haven't found anything that seemed to work as well as I expected. I will definitely give your suggestion a shot., probably in time for my next video, Thanks :)
@@amigaretro4765 I bought the pack, which has the receiver and two microphones. The receiver is not necassary, I mainly use a single microphone which can be setup to auto record when turned on. I have found it works very well. The 2nd mic has been useful for interviews, but other than that it COULD I suppose be put next to a noisy thing, a hard disk or fan to show it off in video. I have not tried a lavalier ext mic with it, but that might be on my list to buy, as the RODE is a little big and can hang awkwardly off some collars. But overall its been pretty epic. BTW, if you want, I think you CAN connect the receiver to your phone/camera and get the mic to record ONTO the video audio, replacing it. BUT I find the video audio is usefully sometimes as it picks up more background sound, which can be mixed into a video if i imroves it. Anway, try the RODE kit, you wont be disapointed :)
The socket I did not change is for the 2MB of ChipRam, which was in good condition, and since it is needed to boot the computer, will seldom need to be swapped out or upgraded.
@@amigaretro4765 but the plastic will get older and more brittle,and will brake sooner or later,and then you have to do the work all over again,it may take 5 years it may take 20 years,but it wont last forever,and who knows maybe that part is not available then.
Understood. I do have spare sockets, I have been debating on changing it when I change all 5 on the other A4000 I have. Once you get used to how long it takes per socket, it's not too bad :)
Nice video. I’m guessing you didn’t want to use the PCMCIA port with a PCMCIA to SD adapter due to the FastRAM off the Individual computers Accelerator? If you had a Phase 5 or something with 32-bit FastRAM then I would look to do something similar with Compactflash.device and FAT95 👍🏻
I like the idea of using the SDBox to host the AmigaOS CD. I must try that one myself on next install. I was primarily using it for file transfer between my A500's 1.3 WB install and my PC.
It is a great solution to the usual problems when trying to install the most modern Amiga OS's onto a new or existing devices. The install came as one of the options when I purchased my SDBox, I added the latest updates later on.
Thanks. I like to leave my mistakes/errors in my videos so others can learn from them. This practice can have it's downsides, such as drawing harsh criticism from time to time, but it's worth it.
Me too. It shows users, that the Amiga OS uses T: as a temporary folder for storage during installations. It's such an easy fix when you know what it is and how to fix it. That caught me out a couple of times back in the 1980s when I first got an Amiga 2000 during a hard disk installation. A friend had to come over and fix it exactly with those two commands.
