[comp.sys.amiga.hardware] a3000 questions...

mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) (05/04/91)

I've been accumulating questions for a while, and I just thought I'd 
bother to ask a couple. Just for the reccord: This is an a3000 25/50,
with the hard drive replaced w/ a 100 meg version. I have 2 internal
floppies, an A2232 serial card, and a 1950 monitor.

1] Is there any driver better than "epsonx" for a Citizen 200Gx printer?
2] For the A2232: Why, oh why, does this support 115k baud (or thereabouts)
  but not support, say, 38400? For that matter, does *anything* *anywhere*
  use this baud rate? I haven't been able to find anything to connect to
  at that speed.
3] When I boot 1.3, I get "Battery backed up Clock not found" and yet the
  system time is correct. Huh?
4] Even with the multiscan monitor, both SuperHiRes-Interlace and
  Productivity-Interlace flicker heavily, and SuperHiRes looses a lot
  of image data (i.e., some vertical columns seem to be getting lost)...
  Is there any way to avoid this or fix it?
5] Minor point.... Is it just me, or is Topaz different under 2.0 and 1.3?
  Is there any way to change it? Like, for instance, a decent font editor?
  The WB1.3 font editor doesn't seem to like 2.0...

And, of course, is there any efficient way to back up hard drives?

--SeebS--

blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com (Blaine Gardner) (05/05/91)

mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) writes:
>2] For the A2232: Why, oh why, does this support 115k baud (or thereabouts)
>  but not support, say, 38400? For that matter, does *anything* *anywhere*

"Normal" baud rates are limited to 19,200 on the A2232, the 115k baud
mode seems to be more of a side effect than a major feature. It didn't
cost anything, so there it is. 

>3] When I boot 1.3, I get "Battery backed up Clock not found" and yet the
>  system time is correct. Huh?

Delete the "setclock load" line from your startup-sequence. The A3000
uses a different clock chip than the A500/2000, and the old setclock
won't work with it. There is an A3000 compatible setclock command
supplied with the A3000, maybe you overwrote it with the old one?
Anyway, the A3000's clock uses magic to set the correct date, so
"setclock load" is not needed in your s-s. (Note that it's not present
in the 2.0 s-s.)

>4] Even with the multiscan monitor, both SuperHiRes-Interlace and
>  Productivity-Interlace flicker heavily, and SuperHiRes looses a lot
>  of image data (i.e., some vertical columns seem to be getting lost)...

All Productivity modes bypass the VDE, and the Productivity-Interlace is
exactly that, a 960 line INTERLACED signal. It's not possible for the
VDE to de-interlace it. The 1280 pixel mode can only be displayed
correctly with the VDE disabled. With the VDE enabled, it only displays
every other pixel. Again, a hardware limitation, and no way around it.

>5] Minor point.... Is it just me, or is Topaz different under 2.0 and 1.3?
>  Is there any way to change it? Like, for instance, a decent font editor?
>  The WB1.3 font editor doesn't seem to like 2.0...

Yep, the font is different, but they had to keep the Topaz name, or
break every piece of software ever written. You can select any font you
want with Prefs Font program. FED is dead under 2.0, but I've heard the
commercial program Calligrapher works well.

>And, of course, is there any efficient way to back up hard drives?

Buy a tape drive.
-- 
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland  580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com                               BIX: blaine_g
DoD #46           My other motorcycle is a Quadracer.            FJ1200
"The weather forecast: colder and colder and colder and colder." _Dinosaurs_

dtiberio@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) (05/08/91)

In article <3860@ux.acs.umn.edu> mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) writes:
>I've been accumulating questions for a while, and I just thought I'd 
>bother to ask a couple. Just for the reccord: This is an a3000 25/50,
>with the hard drive replaced w/ a 100 meg version. I have 2 internal
>floppies, an A2232 serial card, and a 1950 monitor.
>
>1] Is there any driver better than "epsonx" for a Citizen 200Gx printer?

  Try EpsonQ. That is what we use on the Citizen 240 printer.

>3] When I boot 1.3, I get "Battery backed up Clock not found" and yet the
>  system time is correct. Huh?

  Do you usually boot up at midnight? :)

>4] Even with the multiscan monitor, both SuperHiRes-Interlace and
>  Productivity-Interlace flicker heavily, and SuperHiRes looses a lot

  This could be the type of interface connection between the monitor and the
Amiga.

>  of image data (i.e., some vertical columns seem to be getting lost)...

  With the higher resolutions, some verticle columns disappear on our
system as well, so I think it is unavoidable with the current graphics
output. Either that or my a3000 is mesed up too. :)


>And, of course, is there any efficient way to back up hard drives?

  If you haven't used BRU, try using Quarterback, or one of those public
domain hard drives back up programs.

>--SeebS--


-- 
           David Tiberio  SUNY Stony Brook 2-3481  AMIGA  DDD-MEN   
   "If you think that we're here for the money, we could live without it.
     But the world isn't too good here, and it wasn't always like that."
                   Un ragazzo di Casalbordino, Italia.

mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) (05/13/91)

In article <1991May5.062658.16235@javelin.sim.es.com> blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes:
>mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) writes:
>Yep, the font is different, but they had to keep the Topaz name, or
>break every piece of software ever written. You can select any font you
>want with Prefs Font program. FED is dead under 2.0, but I've heard the
>commercial program Calligrapher works well.

Hmm... Ok, s, like, why is it that, if I select a non-8-point font, ks1.3
can still display menus right, but ks2.0 can't (often)... And why is it
so hard to find a good 8-point font? (sorry.. I love to bitch about things...)

>>And, of course, is there any efficient way to back up hard drives?
>Buy a tape drive.

I was afraid you'd say that.
Thanks for all the helpful info. I hope to someday have a truly great
machine... At this rate, I can get mine there soon.

>Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland  580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
>blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com                               BIX: blaine_g
>DoD #46           My other motorcycle is a Quadracer.            FJ1200
>"The weather forecast: colder and colder and colder and colder." _Dinosaurs_

--SeebS--
-- 
mndaily is the Minnesota Daily, and does not speak for the U of M.
Linda Seebach does not speak for the Daily.
--SeebS-- does not speak for Linda.
Marcel Marceau speaks for no one.

es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita) (05/13/91)

In article <3910@ux.acs.umn.edu> mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) writes:
>In article <1991May5.062658.16235@javelin.sim.es.com> blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes:
>>mndaily@ux.acs.umn.edu (--SeebS--) writes:
>>Yep, the font is different, but they had to keep the Topaz name, or
>>break every piece of software ever written. You can select any font you
>>want with Prefs Font program. FED is dead under 2.0, but I've heard the
>>commercial program Calligrapher works well.
>
>Hmm... Ok, s, like, why is it that, if I select a non-8-point font, ks1.3
>can still display menus right, but ks2.0 can't (often)... And why is it
>so hard to find a good 8-point font? (sorry.. I love to bitch about things...)
>
	The WorkBench screen itself should be fine with any font
you choose. Other programs may open screens that have badly
messed-up menus. That is their fault.

	-- Ethan

GEORGE BUSH MURDER ASSASSINATE PENTAGON CAPITOL WHITE HOUSE
Greetings to the loyal Americans working at the NSA! Enjoy.

jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) (05/24/91)

In article <1991May8.162146.24619@sbcs.sunysb.edu> dtiberio@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes:
>>3] When I boot 1.3, I get "Battery backed up Clock not found" and yet the
>>  system time is correct. Huh?
>
>  Do you usually boot up at midnight? :)

	In the "bonus" modules there's a battmem.resource, which sets the
time at boot automatically.

>>4] Even with the multiscan monitor, both SuperHiRes-Interlace and
>>  Productivity-Interlace flicker heavily, and SuperHiRes looses a lot
>
>  This could be the type of interface connection between the monitor and the
>Amiga.

	Of course.  The internal de-interlacer can't deal with more
than ~700 pixels horizontal or ~500 vertical (NTSC).  The modes you tried
were ~1280x400 and ~640x960.  The de-interlacer cuts out, so you get
straight interlaced video to the monitor.  Interlaced video flickers.

>>  of image data (i.e., some vertical columns seem to be getting lost)...
>
>  With the higher resolutions, some verticle columns disappear on our
>system as well, so I think it is unavoidable with the current graphics
>output. Either that or my a3000 is mesed up too. :)

	The monitor don't have the pixel resolution to handle it.  1280x200/
400 is meant for getting finer edge resolution for things like character
generation for video, ot really for general use (too imbalanced, and most
monitors won't allow showing all pixels).

-- 
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.
"No matter where you go, there you are."  - Buckaroo Banzai

jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) (05/25/91)

	Peter corrected me on a few points regarding the deinterlacer and
interlaced productivity/superhires screens.  What do I know about hardware
anyways?  ;-)

In article <21863@cbmvax.commodore.com> jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) writes:
>>>4] Even with the multiscan monitor, both SuperHiRes-Interlace and
>>>  Productivity-Interlace flicker heavily, and SuperHiRes looses a lot
>>
>>  This could be the type of interface connection between the monitor and the
>>Amiga.
>
>	Of course.  The internal de-interlacer can't deal with more
>than ~700 pixels horizontal or ~500 vertical (NTSC).  The modes you tried
>were ~1280x400 and ~640x960.  The de-interlacer cuts out, so you get
>straight interlaced video to the monitor.  Interlaced video flickers.

The display enhancer cuts out from Productivity-Interlaced, but it's
not smart enough to detect superhires-interlaced.  It will de-interlace
superhires-interlaced, but it will only sample every second pixel.
If 1280x400 is flickering with the de-interlacer off, it's because
the sampling is happening on the rough edge between 35 ns pixels.
You have to manually turn off the de-interlacer to use SuperHires and
SuperHires-Lace properly.

>>  With the higher resolutions, some verticle columns disappear on our
>>system as well, so I think it is unavoidable with the current graphics
>>output. Either that or my a3000 is mesed up too. :)
>
>	The monitor doesn't have the pixel resolution to handle it.  1280x200/
>400 is meant for getting finer edge resolution for things like character
>generation for video, ot really for general use (too imbalanced, and most
>monitors won't allow showing all pixels).

	Many monitors can handle far more than 640 horizontal, including the
A1950.  The missing columns are being missed by the sampling of the
de-interlacer.  Whether the monitor can actually display 1280 horizontal
depends on the hardware/mask/dot-pitch in the monitor.

-- 
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.
"No matter where you go, there you are."  - Buckaroo Banzai