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JLPedro
7th July 2008, 01:25
Made a bid on this ebay item and now i have a doubt.... does this acelerator only acepts special GVP 62 pin ram?? or does it uses 72 pin edo ram?
If i win and it only acepts special ram from gvp it will be for sale very soon again... :whistle:

item:

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220253784941

Zetr0
7th July 2008, 02:49
@JLPedro

The Item is a GVP Jaws II 030@40 (no FPU)

Alas my friend I can confirm that the GVP uses special GVP 64pin SIMMS, (these are NOT the same as the APPLE 64pin SIMM standard)

the GVP 030 has two SIMM types available for it (if you are lucky to find them) the 4MB and the 16MB (the latter very elusive)

The max memory of the card is 32MB in 2x 16MB SIMMS, you cannot Combine 4MB and 16MB sticks.

On another note, to use the card under Kickstart 3.1 you will need to update the firmware...

this is done by removing the memory and then installing the card, then using the firmware updater on the disk to, update the firmware, once done, turn off the machine and add the memory.

more info and drivers here (http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/search.pl?product=&company=gvp&amiga=1200&intf=trap&mid=&base=dec&pid=#gvp1230mk2)

I hope that one day i can get my mitts on one of the 4mb or 16mb simms sticks so I can make my own batch :D

[Additional]
If i had an expert opinion, I would say that this is perhaps the worst 030 cards to buy for the A1200, there are many other variants that offer not only cheaper memory, but also MORE memory. I would not pay any more than £55 for the 40mhz version, upto £65 if it is the 50mhz version (all including and FPU) without FPU i would not recomend paying anymore than £45

JLPedro
7th July 2008, 10:22
Upgrade the firmware? how would i do it, and were to get the firmware? Is it very dificult to get a 16mb mem stick for this card?
I don't expect to to win (biding was an instinct as there was no bidings yet, only after doingit i realized the memory format (gvp simms look like 72pin edo rams...), but if i win and can't get a 16mb gvp simm i will sell it.

Zetr0
7th July 2008, 12:18
@JLPedro

indeed, they do look standard, but alas there not, the memory controller is very ARCHAIC to say the lest.

Memory as you know is organised as a matrix of cells now... this matrix arrangement has 3 differing types.

Square Matrix (like a map)

Fat Matrix ( like a rectangle )

Thin Matrix ( Like Door )

Now an intelligent memory handler would be able to PROBE the simm for size, and then do three tests to ascertain the Memory Matrix format, unfortunately back in the day was very expensive micro-controlling and so, a static expectance of matrix type was adopted...

GVP 64pin SIMS use a FAT matrix memory cell structure and from this auto organize the memory for use, its only when it uses two banks of memory one could see it as a square, but even then its not a REAL contiguous block.

this is from what i have managed to study atleast.

Getting 16MB ram SIMMS for it will prove VERY difficult, I know of nowhere to get them, and if you manage to, the price will be very prohibitive! :(

I have asked on AmiBay if anyone wants to donate me a 4MB or 16MB 64pin GVP SIMM for me to dismantle, this way i can have clone boards manufactured and just populate them with the common chips.

we shall see :D

Buleste
7th July 2008, 12:43
Just found this. (http://www.softhut.com/gvp.html) Basically SoftHut have managed to get someone to make GVP simms for them and the 16MB variety cost US$99.95.

Looks like they only have 4MB simms left for US$34.95. Here. (http://www.softhut.com/cgi-bin/test/Web_store/web_store.cgi?page=catalog/hardware/memory/gvp_4MBand16MB.html&cart_id=2821851_51339)

Zetr0
8th July 2008, 00:03
hmmm good luck with sofftware hut, alas i have very little good to say about them to be honest.

Harrison
8th July 2008, 01:57
I've heard a lot of bad things about Software hut too. Most of the products they have advertised on their site are not actually in stock for one.

JLPedro
9th July 2008, 22:58
Got outbid on the card, my highestbid was 45 euros, will wait for some other card compatible with 72pin edo rams (if someone was one and wants to get rid off it, please PM).

JLPedro
10th July 2008, 12:14
Anyone with a 030 A1200 accelerator without ram to sell? :please:

Harrison
10th July 2008, 12:52
May I suggest you join our http://www.amibay.com site. It is a dedicated to Amiga and other retro hardware and software selling. You can place a wanted advert on there. Someone should be able to help you out. There is a Blizzard 1230 MK4 for sale on AmiBay at the moment as well if you can afford it.

JLPedro
10th July 2008, 14:02
I've already joined Amibay and it's a site with great potencial, brought a Amitek Hawk with 4mb for 40€ free shipping!
Yes i saw the blizzard, but 170€ is to much for me, i was thinking someting cheaper, maybe a 030 33mhz, as long it acepts 72 pin edo ram (16mb or 32 max). But not beyond 60 to 70 euros without ram.

Harrison
10th July 2008, 14:18
Someone might still be able to help you with what you are looking for if you place a wanted advert on there.

JLPedro
15th July 2008, 22:04
Received today this pair of 8mb edo ram simms http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=180260805782 (tested and working fine as the seller cotes), but when testing with my Amitek Hawk they dont even boot the machine. I have other amount of edo ram sims all 8mb and some 16mb (60ns) and none works as 8mb on the Hawk, the all work as 4mb... (except for the 16mb ones, the machine doen't boot).
Is it possible that the Amitek Hawk is damaged and dont accept an 8mb simm? or is just coincidence that at least 7 8mb simms don't work and now this two... :no:

The chips are from hiunday ref: M5M417805CJ 623CE03 -6

Harrison
16th July 2008, 00:43
Do you have anything plugged into the PCMCIA slot on your A1200? If so, then many older A1200 memory cards and accelerators were not compatible with the PCMCIA slot if more than 4MB of ram was installed.

Zetr0
16th July 2008, 01:13
@JLPedro

now dont get upset with me.... did you configure the jumpers on the board correctly ?

JLPedro
16th July 2008, 09:53
Jumpers correctly configured and nothing on the pcmcia... :huh:, maybe just coincidence, will remove all chips and the fpu and trie without it.

Buleste
16th July 2008, 10:00
Are all 8mb RAM showing as just 4MB? Have you checked with the manual here? (http://amiga.resource.cx/manual/Amitek_Hawk.pdf)

JLPedro
16th July 2008, 10:04
Those 8mb simms are double sided so the board is just reconizing one side, so only 4mb i think.

Buleste
16th July 2008, 10:15
You're probably right.

Zetr0
16th July 2008, 14:33
Have you checked the seating of all the PAL chips on the board?

do any of them get very hot after been on for a short while? if so it may well mean that one of the PAL (programmable array logic) chips has died or is dying.

fear not as i can help you getting a new one :)

JLPedro
16th July 2008, 22:03
Will trie to see if those chips get warm, by the way, i'ts the ones on the sockets or the ones solded to the board (socketed are marked with a circle)?? :

http://vlrqyg.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pF5Z5B8WMe_K7Tdf754YFiVkMQkT1Lg2pHsMMhzxWI6VormySag45lore7PJ7xP_xJY_oGehKGjY/hawk.jpg

(This photo is from amiga hardware book, it's not from my card, but its the same pcb)

Other thing, if i use an 4mb or an 8mb simm and set the card to 8MB by jumpers, the amiga boots and shows 7xxx mb fast ram, but when testing with Amitek Hawk Ram testing program it fails at $600000, with the 4mb modules that would be expected, but with the 8mb ones someting is wrong.

Zetr0
17th July 2008, 01:18
I believe the Jumpers are nothing more than a passive assurance of memory on the card, theres no probe or sensing of the PAL's

This shows that the CARD reports and ADDMEMS 8MBFast however when testing its failing around halfway through the memory space...

now this is VERY interesting, do you have a multi meter? if so we need to check some lines in the unit to see if its functioning

JLPedro
17th July 2008, 11:16
Tested the card again, none of the chips gets hot, all of them normal temperature (don't heven noticed any warm), tested the card on another motherboard (same result), now will test the simms on a pentium 100 or a 486 (if i can find one) to see if they are damaged.
Zetr0, you were saiyng to test with a multimeter, i have one, can you show on the hawk picture the points were i should test? Thanks for the help. :thumbs:

Zetr0
17th July 2008, 14:32
@JLPedro

I shall hit the specs in a little bit, and post here a where and how to :)

JLPedro
10th August 2008, 00:11
Sorry to bring this up again but still no luck with 8mb simms (tested most of them on a pentium100 system and all ok, only don't work on the Hawk) :whistle:, but can i trie to switch the pal ships :dry:? if some are bad then the card won't even boot with 4mb right? :eyebrow:
Other question... are they all the same? why are some solded and others mounted? :nuts:

ps: i'm asking this questions about the Amitek Hawk 8mb/fpu card.

Zetr0
10th August 2008, 00:17
@JLPedro

my friend,

PAL chips, (PALice) are Programmed Array Logic, so each chip has a specific method of quanting signals and outputs. changing them around wont make any difference and will only make the logic completely out of wack.

If anything you will need a Pre-programmed PAL chips to replace the ones that are specific to each socket on the board.

JLPedro
10th August 2008, 00:24
Spoken like that it heven sounds easy... :blink: , so what you are sayng is that i should be happy to have 4mb of fast ram and live with it right? LOL

Zetr0
10th August 2008, 00:51
YES! :)