cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) (04/20/91)
Now this might be a dumb question, but here goes... Has anyone considered using those IBM-PC slots in the A2000 (and A3000) _WITHOUT_ a bridgeboard? What I mean is getting a cheap Clone-on-a-board and putting it inside the Amiga (much like a cancer tumor? :^) Would this work? A system like this could be put together as follows: 286 motherboard, 16MHz $125 1 MB RAM $100 monochrome w/printer port $ 20 serial/game I/O ports $ 25 hard/floppy cntroller $ 70 3.5" drive $ 65 40MB hard drive (slow) $250 -------------------------- ---- total $655 This would require all 4 of the slots, and the extra bays of the A2000, but you would have a quite respectable AT-clone inside, although any commo between the two computers would have to occur externally through either the serial or parallel ports. Maybe this is silly (does the A2000 supply power to these slots without the Bridgeboard present?), but I was just wondering.... If someone has tried this, please let me know. If this is stupid, well let me know that, too (I can take the criticism, I think :^) (Some of you out there might just be thinking, "why not just get a cheap clone, then?" I guess I've just always wanted to fill up all my A2000's slots, or something.) Charles Michael Davis cdavis@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (No cute signature block! :^)
milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu (Daryl Cantrell) (04/20/91)
In article <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) writes: >Now this might be a dumb question, but here goes... > >Has anyone considered using those IBM-PC slots in the A2000 (and A3000) >_WITHOUT_ a bridgeboard? What I mean is getting a cheap Clone-on-a-board >and putting it inside the Amiga (much like a cancer tumor? :^) > >Would this work? A system like this could be put together as follows: [...] The most immediate problem that comes to mind is a lack of keyboard. More generally, I don't think that the 286 "accelorator" cards you can buy for ISA are a "whole" computer, I imagine they rely on support electronics on the motherboard... >Maybe this is silly (does the A2000 supply power to these slots without >the Bridgeboard present?), but I was just wondering.... [...] I'm not sure. It's not even on the schematics that came with my 3000 (not that I'm very good reading that "hardware" stuff...), so it might not be hooked up to the outside world at all... -- +---------------------------------------+----------------------------+ | // Daryl S. Cantrell | These opinions are | | |\\\ milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu | shared by all of // | | |// Evolution's over. We won. | Humanity. \X/ | +---------------------------------------+----------------------------+
jpbaker@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Jon P Baker) (04/21/91)
milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu (Daryl Cantrell) writes: >In article <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) writes: >>Has anyone considered using those IBM-PC slots in the A2000 (and A3000) >>_WITHOUT_ a bridgeboard? What I mean is getting a cheap Clone-on-a-board >>and putting it inside the Amiga (much like a cancer tumor? :^) >> >>Would this work? A system like this could be put together as follows: >[...] > The most immediate problem that comes to mind is a lack of keyboard. >More generally, I don't think that the 286 "accelorator" cards you can >buy for ISA are a "whole" computer, I imagine they rely on support >electronics on the motherboard... I think what he was referring to is the 80286 computer-on-a-card. Its a full IBM 80286 (usually 10MHz or so) computer on one card. No motherboard necessary. There are also 80386 versions of these. They have keyboard ports, EGA or VGA, 1-4 (or 8) MEG of RAM on them, 2 serial and one parallel, floppy controller, and usually SCSI port or IDE. Mostly they are used for industrial applications and are fairly expensive, but I have not bought one for 3 years or so. Any clues guys? Add a hardcard (you can make your own, no need to buy a hugely expensive one) and a switcher on your monitor and you have a PC in your 2000. True, it would not use any Amiga hardware, but it would allow you more flexibility than the BB. There is a PD program for IBM called ZCOPY that copies using the serial port. My father uses it to transfer software between machines. If someone could get the source to it and port it, just make a null modem cable to run between the Amiga serial port and the IBM serial port. The speed would be limited by the Amiga (assuming your IBM had the 118kbps serial card). Then again, even 38kbps would be pretty quick. Jon -- +------------------+--------------------------------+ | Jon Paul Baker | jpbaker@silver.ucs.indiana.edu | | Chaos Foundation | jpbaker@rose.ucs.indiana.edu | +---+--------------+--------------------------------+---------------+ | "We were lost ten miles ago. There's got to be a new | | word for what we are now." Terry Pratchett, _Wyrd Sisters_ | +---------------------------------------------------------------+
dtiberio@libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) (04/22/91)
In article <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) writes: >Now this might be a dumb question, but here goes... > >Has anyone considered using those IBM-PC slots in the A2000 (and A3000) >_WITHOUT_ a bridgeboard? What I mean is getting a cheap Clone-on-a-board >and putting it inside the Amiga (much like a cancer tumor? :^) >Maybe this is silly (does the A2000 supply power to these slots without >the Bridgeboard present?), but I was just wondering.... > > Charles Michael Davis > cdavis@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu > > (No cute signature block! :^) If I remember correctly, the power is not connected unless there is a Bridgeboard present. Otherwise the only use for these slots is to mount hard drives on dead circuit boards plugged into the IBM slots. I guess you could also hook up an external modem and mount it here. -- David Tiberio SUNY Stony Brook 2-3481 AMIGA DDD-MEN Tomas Arce Any students from SUNY Oswego? Please let me know! :) Un ragazzo di Casalbordino, Italia.
dltaylor@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Dan Taylor) (04/23/91)
In <3216@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> cdavis@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Charles Davis) writes: >Would this work? A system like this could be put together as follows: > 286 motherboard, 16MHz $125 > 1 MB RAM $100 > monochrome w/printer port $ 20 > serial/game I/O ports $ 25 > hard/floppy cntroller $ 70 > 3.5" drive $ 65 > 40MB hard drive (slow) $250 > -------------------------- ---- > total $655 It's not really silly, BUT, those clone on a card things aren't that cheap. I've not seen a new one for under $1000. Remember, the CPU card has to fit in an AT(ISA) expasion form-factor, then drive the bus. Several companies make industrial CPUs and card cages to do just that. However, they are relatively low volume, so more expensive. An alternate source might be trade-ins from some company that packages "upgradable" CPUs on their clones, AST, maybe. I looks like you plan to A-B switch the keyboard and monitor, since you don't list them. There are compatible monitors, just choose carefully. The keyboards put out different scan-codes, so switching them isn't likely to work. I saw an announcement of lower prices for the BridgeBoards. Maybe, if you don't need a blazing (well, they could all go to blazes ;->) PC an A2088 would do. Dan Taylor /* My opinions, not NCR's. */
drysdale@cbmvax.commodore.com (Scott Drysdale) (04/23/91)
In article <1991Apr21.225048.6100@sbcs.sunysb.edu> dtiberio@libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes: > If I remember correctly, the power is not connected unless there is >a Bridgeboard present. Otherwise the only use for these slots is to >mount hard drives on dead circuit boards plugged into the IBM slots. >I guess you could also hook up an external modem and mount it here. you do not remember correctly :) the bridge slots are indeed powered even with no bridgecard. they look like a passive AT backplane - power and wires, no active signals. > David Tiberio SUNY Stony Brook 2-3481 AMIGA DDD-MEN Tomas Arce --Scotty -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Scott Drysdale Software Engineer Commodore Amiga Inc. UUCP {allegra|burdvax|rutgers|ihnp4}!cbmvax!drysdale PHONE - yes. "Have you hugged your hog today?" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=