ATOP 386 BridgeBoard?
19 messages in this thread
I saw an articel in "Amazing Amiga" today for a product called ATOP which
converts your 286 BridgeBoard into a 386SX just by adding a 386SX chip in
place of the 286 and an externder to move the daughter board out futher.
Is this true? Does this work just by adding a simple 20Mhz 80386SX chip???
Is so why does the ATOP cost $449??? Boy, if this is true we could all go
out and get a 386SX chip and do it ourselves. It also said no software was
required to make this change too…. Anyone here of this product, or seen
it work? Any replyes would be appreciated.
Thanks.
It's no where near that simply, it's a curcuit board.
BEN:Leigh's Computer's
Thanks for the information. The articel was poorly written than….
Bill,
I just read a review and indeed it is just the chip. I think you
can do that for a bit less than $449.
Do you know anyone who has seen ATOP? Are you sure it's just a chip to
make the AT BB a 386 BB? The article said it was just a chip, but maybe it
was a missprint….
It's a "module" — a double-decker chip–plus "extenders" for the
various connectors that attach the daughter board to the AT board.
You can probably find all the parts separately for maybe $50 less
than you pay ATOP, but you'd have to look for them. And you wouldn't
get the Amiga-knowledgeable support that you get from ATOP.
CROSSINGS Newsletter for the Bridgeboard
I don't yet have the ATOP board, BUT Dave Keyes at ATOP lives 20 minutes
away and is a dedicated AMIGA enthusiast. He helped me set up my profess
ional AMIGAS including 120MIPS transputers and GRAPHICS boars. He is an
honorable guy. If it costs some $$ for the board, there is a reason in
there somewhere (plus some honest profit). I certainly recommend he and
ATOP for your consideration (unpaid endoresement!)…
Stephen,
I agree. I don't think the price is high at all, considering the
experimenting that went into getting the right combination. And Davehas.
Marion
CROSSINGS
Newsletter for the Bridgeboard
Thanks for clearing that up. It's been fairly confusing…
Dave Keyes of ATOP sold me both the accelerator, a special 80287
math-coprocessor that is compatible with the 80386SX, and his VGA combo
card. I stuck 'em all in my 3000 and have been very happy with their
performance. Right now, I use a MSDOS psuedo-harddrive partition under
AmigaDOS. (Noticed a significant speed increase when I reformated the
partition under AmigaDOS 2.04. Previously, Windows 3.0 had taken over 9
minutes to load … yes, with the accelerator installed! Now it takes
about 2.5 minutes.)
Dave Keyes told me that he is also considering providing 3000 owners a
tower-upgrade path. The solution would consist of a custom made tower
case, suitable power-supply and replacement daughterboard with lots more
slots.
My only wish is for an easy way to install more PC memory. The two boards
Dave sold me physically take-up all four expansion slots in the 3000.
Anybody know of a good way to add memory given my circumstance?
Thanks.
Hal Grigdesby Krannert Graduate School of Management Purdue University
– via Whap!
Harold,
Yes, memory is the tough one. There's really no way to add memory without
taking up a slot. Except, there are programs that use the hard disk to fake
memory–virtualy memory, I guess you'd call it. The one I've used is TC!
Power, but there are others.
Marion
CROSSINGS
Newsletter for the Bridgeboard
No. I read a review in a recent Amazing Amiga which related an
installation which involved removing the 286 and plugging in a 20Mhz
386 as being the entire installation. This suggests that no special
additional hardware was required. I have seen a similar report for
upgrading the 286 in an IBM PC (unrelated to ATOP). That seems to
suggest that nothing more is needed than the chip and a chip puller,
thought that may not be the case. If it is, then you can buy the chip
for a lot less than $449. But I have no first hand knowledge of
ATOP, so you may be advised to do more research.
It's a small board or "module" the 386sx and 286 are NOT pin compatible.
BEN:Leigh's Computer's
Ben,
I didn't think it was, either, but the impression I got from
both of these different sources suggested that one chip plugged into
the same socket as the other. It would make great sense that if they
aren't interchangeable, then the extra money would certainly pay for
the module needed to replace the 286 with the 386. If that's the
case, it would make a lot of sense. As a sidenote. In the latest
catalog from Elektek, I note "The Intel SnapIn 386". Says: "Pop our
your 286 … snap in the power of the Intel386." It is a 386SX
module for IBM AT and select PS/2 models. Easy installation: pop out
existing 286 and replace with the SnapIn386 module. Price $379.00.
Wonder if this is virtually the same thing? It's an Intel produce,
so you could probably check with Intel. It 'sounds' like the ATOP
product, doesn't it?
It does, but you'd have to ask them on that.
BEN:Leigh's Computer's
Ben,
I thought so, too. Oh, well, not my worry. I have an XT-BB so I
can't use either. I got a whole accelerator card which has a 16 Mhz 386SX
chip on it and room for a FPU. Although it doesn't run quite as fast as a
real 16 Mhz 386SX, it's a lot faster than the XT. Unfortunately, with it
and a video card, I don't have room for much. I can't fit both a serial
card with additional RAM to bring it up to 640K and also have EMS memory.
I've ordered an Intel AboveBoard Plus I/O, which should give me the 128k to
bring conventional memory up to 640K, and then the rest of the board can be
used for both upper, extended, and/or EMS memory. It also has a serial
port and an extra parallel port. All that in one slot, which is all I have
left. Hope it works!!
I was looking through a March 3rd Village Voice yesterday and saw an add
for a 20Mhz 386SX bridgeboard for $999. They were also offering AT
upgrades for $449. It didn't say what brand but the store was Amagination
in NY NY. The add was on page 25.
Limey
It seems that maybe I should read the other replys before I write my
own. My confirmation of the existence of a 386SX bridgeboard and
upgrade seem a little late. However to answer some of the other
questions, I work on PC's every day and I have seen no such thing as
a simple chip replacement to upgrade a 286 to a 386SX. It usually
involves either putting a upgrade card in a card slot or plugging a
small upgrade circuit board directly into the chip slot. Both
contain more than just a 386SX chip. Although I've never had to do
this myself, my impression is that it is often worth the extra money
just to get a new motherboard. I don't know how much of this relates
to the bridgeboard, but I would suspect that they are not all that
different.
Limey
Limey–
Uh…if you are looking to upgrade a real clone, it is usually CHEAPER to
swap the motherboard instead of using the '286 <–> '386sx daughterboards.
Of course, if you are using a PS/2, ALR, Epson…something that does not
use a standard motherboard and/or case, the daughtercard solution is your
only option.
Personally, I would stay away from these things; the PC world has too
many variables in it.
Jonathan
– via Whap!