blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) (04/04/88)
I've had my B2000 for a couple of months now (thanks for the Family
Computer Center tip, it only cost $1100, but it was a 10 week wait), so
here's a few trivial observations about the machine.
First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?).
Remember the five finger trick that produces a single finger salute?
Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces
the message "Amiga, we made it, they f**ked it up." Now it says "Still a
champion."
If you remember, the message when ejecting a disk was "Amiga,
born a champion.", this a clever way of covering up the original
message. If anyone goes to the trouble to see the hidden messages they
get "Amiga, born a champion. Still a champion." Almost sounds like it
was meant to be that way. I wonder how much it cost Commodore to change
the uncomplimentary message to something easier to swallow?
The sticker on the case has been changed. The "Amiga 2000" is very large
now, and the "C= Commodore" is very small. (Note to Dave Hayne here, a
Boing! with the background trimmed off covers the C= nicely. Thanks!)
The machine has a C= key instead of a Left-Amiga. BOO, HISS! If
Commodore will provide a part number for a Left-Amiga key, I know quite
a few people that want to order one. No :-) here, I'm serious.
The fan sounded like a jet on takeoff. Since it's a skinny (3/4") 12VDC
fan, replacing it isn't easy. Radio Shack has one that fits nicely, but
is even louder than the stock fan. My solution was to mount a fan from a
surplus A1000 power supply on the outside of the case. This is the
quietest fan never heard by man, and the power supply was only $15. The
one gotcha is the 2000's power supply shuts down unless the 12V supply
for the stock fan is loaded. A resistor across the fan terminals keeps the
power supply going with the 110VAC fan from the 1000.
Also, there is this incredibly ugly blob on the mouse cable next to
the DB9 connector. It's about 0.5" in diameter and 1.5" long. White heat
shrink over something round and hard, with a cable tie on one end.
What the heck is this here for? Surge protection on the mouse???
Will anything break when I cut it off after my warranty expires?
Other nits: The clock was gaining about 7 minutes a week, I've tweaked
it down to about a minute a week, and it will get another tweak the next
time the case is open. I was going to set it up with a frequency
counter, but when the reference signal is 1 Hz, and the bottom end on
your freq counter is 5 Hz, there's not much you can do. (Is it possible
to use the oscillator frequency to setup the clock, instead of pin one
on the clock chip?)
Last (and worst), there were 2 pins on the joystick connector and 1 on the
mouse connector that weren't soldered to the motherboard. This was an easy
fix for me (Warranty? Didn't he mention Warranty a minute ago?), but it
would have been a trip to the shop for Joe Q. Public.
On the plus side, the keyboard is much better than the one on my 1000,
and the top of my monitor has become the new keyboard garage. The angle
of the 2000's keyboard with the feet retracted is identical to the angle
of the 1000's with the feet extended. Someone was thinking here.
In spite of the little problems, it's a great machine. I'm even getting
to like it's looks. I'd like it to look a little flashier, but I guess
this is the "respectable" look that busineses like. I'm going to have to
do something to dress it up when I finally get an A2620 in it. A friend
has suggested the perfect name for a 32 bit Amiga.
Amigo (This one's got BALLS!)
Well, I like it.
--
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland 540 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
UUCP Addresses: {ihnp4,ucbvax,allegra,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne
ihnp4!utah-cs!esunix!blgardne usna!esunix!blgardne
"Nobody will ever need more than 64K." "Nobody needs multitasking on a PC."bryan@mothra.cs.utexas.edu (Bryan Bayerdorffer) (04/06/88)
In article <784@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: =-Also, there is this incredibly ugly blob on the mouse cable next to =-the DB9 connector. It's about 0.5" in diameter and 1.5" long. White heat =-shrink over something round and hard, with a cable tie on one end. =-What the heck is this here for? Surge protection on the mouse??? =-Will anything break when I cut it off after my warranty expires? Obviously, you haven't been keeping up with the latest developments in computer engineering. All the newest computers, including the Amiga 2000, are hermetically sealed and internally pressurized with SDP-RSN vapor, a foul- smelling gas which, according to the manufacturer, "makes your hard disk spin really really fast, and the trans-relativistic effects near the disk edge cause the data to enter the appropriate buffer even before the device driver receives the i/o request. Really! Honest!" The ugly blob is a high-pressure seal (patented by Apple--they're suing) whose purpose is to keep the vapor from leaking out at the junction of the mouse cord and plug. If you're like me, and don't mind the loss of the vapor, then you can perform the following removal procedure: 1. Face Washington D.C. and thumb your nose in the general direction of the FCC. 2. Cut off the plastic tie and the heat shrink casing. 3. With an expression of evil glee on your face, grasp a hammer and smash the exposed ferrite donuts to tiny bits. ______________________________________________________________________________ /_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _No dark sarcasm in the classroom|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ |____Teachers leave the kids alone__|_____|_____|bryan@mothra.cs.utexas.edu___| ___|_____|_____|_____|___{ihnp4,seismo,...}!ut-sally!mothra.cs.utexas.edu!bryan |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|
dragon@olivej.olivetti.com (Give me a quarter or I'll touch you) (04/06/88)
in article <784@esunix.UUCP>, blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) says: > First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?). > Remember the five finger trick that produces a single finger salute? > Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces > the message "Amiga, we made it, they f**ked it up." Now it says "Still a > champion." I'm sure I am only the 500th person to respond to this... Actually, that is in the workbench, since if I use an older 1.2 WB disk (from some that I set up with the 1000) I get the old message, and my newer disks report 'Still a champion.' Boy, was I surprised when I went to show the trick to a friend and it said 'Still a champion.' Then I noticed the large numerical difference in the numbers of the 1.2 revision. --Dean ---- Dean Brunette {ucbvax,etc.}!hplabs!oliveb!olivej!dragon {ucbvax,etc.}!oliveb!olivej!{dragon-oatc,lobster}!dean Olivetti Advanced Technology Center _____ _____ __|__ _____ 20300 Stevens Creek Blvd. | | _____| | | Cupertino, CA 95014 |_____| |_____| |__ |_____ 'Dancing, screaming, itching, squealing, fevered feeling hot Hot HOT!'
page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page) (04/06/88)
blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) wrote: >First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?). Not true. >Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces Go back to an old copy of LoadWB. Notice the difference in file sizes? Suddenly CBM added a lot of code to 'LoadWB'. What do you think would cause them to add that much code, just to bring up Workbench? ..Bob -- Bob Page, U of Lowell CS Dept. page@swan.ulowell.edu ulowell!page
langz@athena.mit.edu (Lang Zerner) (04/06/88)
In article <784@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: >First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?). >Remember the five finger trick that produces a single finger salute? >Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces >the message "Amiga, we made it, they f**ked it up." Now it says "Still a >champion." I remember hearing that a list of all the hidden messages was published or posted, but I never did find them. Would some kind soul be willing to mail me the info? Please? Be seeing you... --Lang Zerner langz@athena.mit.edu ihnp4!mit-eddie!athena.mit.edu!langz "To be clever enough to get a great deal of money, one must first be stupid enough to want it." -- G.K. Chesterson
grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) (04/07/88)
In article <784@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: > > First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?). > Remember the five finger trick that produces a single finger salute? > Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces > the message "Amiga, we made it, they f**ked it up." Now it says "Still a > champion." Same ROMs but there's some trickery going on to inhibit the embarrassing messages... > The machine has a C= key instead of a Left-Amiga. BOO, HISS! If > Commodore will provide a part number for a Left-Amiga key, I know quite > a few people that want to order one. No :-) here, I'm serious. Most of the newer keyboards with the large function keys have the C=. > Also, there is this incredibly ugly blob on the mouse cable next to > the DB9 connector. It's about 0.5" in diameter and 1.5" long. White heat > shrink over something round and hard, with a cable tie on one end. > What the heck is this here for? Surge protection on the mouse??? > Will anything break when I cut it off after my warranty expires? It's to insure that the system doesn't violate the FCC limits. Infernal electrons love to crawl out the mouse cable. If you remove it, watch out for grey vans with little ratating antennae. It's just a couple ferrite cores. > Other nits: The clock was gaining about 7 minutes a week, I've tweaked > it down to about a minute a week, and it will get another tweak the next > time the case is open. I was going to set it up with a frequency > counter, but when the reference signal is 1 Hz, and the bottom end on > your freq counter is 5 Hz, there's not much you can do. (Is it possible > to use the oscillator frequency to setup the clock, instead of pin one > on the clock chip?) You need a special non-loading capacitive probe to keep from shifting the crystal frequency. Tweaking, or measuring the period of the reference signal is probably the best you can do... -- George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)
walker@sas.UUCP (Doug Walker) (04/08/88)
In article <784@esunix.UUCP> blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) writes: >The machine has a C= key instead of a Left-Amiga. BOO, HISS! If >Commodore will provide a part number for a Left-Amiga key, I know quite >a few people that want to order one. No :-) here, I'm serious. I LIKE having the C= key. Now when I reboot, for at least a few seconds I can CONTROL-COMMODORE-AMIGA.
blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) (04/11/88)
From article <6008@swan.ulowell.edu>, by page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page): > blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner) wrote: >>First off, there is a new Kickstart ROM in the later machines (1.2a ?). > Not true. >>Well the shift-shift-alt-alt-fkey-insert-a-disk gag no longer produces > Go back to an old copy of LoadWB. Notice the difference in file > sizes? Suddenly CBM added a lot of code to 'LoadWB'. What do you > think would cause them to add that much code, just to bring up > Workbench? Ok, got me here. I tried it out, and the LoadWB on my A2000 WB disk is about 500 bytes longer. Running the new LoadWB produces "Still a champion", while the old LoadWB gives "We made Amiga, they....". I made the assumption that Workbench is in ROM so changes in WB meant changes in the ROM. I forgot how flexible this machine is. A snoop through the new LoadWB didn't show anything interesting though, so the new message is encoded somehow. Now Bob, have you got a simple fix for this C= key here to the left of my space bar? If I just run an old version of SetMap maybe? :-) -- Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland 540 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 UUCP Addresses: {ihnp4,ucbvax,allegra,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne ihnp4!utah-cs!esunix!blgardne usna!esunix!blgardne "Nobody will ever need more than 64K." "Nobody needs multitasking on a PC."