#AMAX II Plus SHIPS!
34 messages in this thread
I received my AMAX II Plus (internal board) today!!! I'll try to do
the install tonite and let everyone know my results. Hmmm… now I
have to go out and get System 7! Anyway, I just wanted to let people
know _it really does exist_.
I don't follow sports, so can't quess where on 'the north coast' the
'Cavs' are. Please tell me, do you live in the U.S. (ie: how long
did it take to get through customs)? Now, tell me what you think of
it. I am breathlessly waiting my new board, and just hope it shows up
before I have to get rid of my old AMAX (I have a friend who is
buying my old AMAX and external drive). I'd hate to find out that the
internal floppy DOESN'T work, or some other bad news (I'm not
EXPECTING any problems).
I live in Cleveland, Ohio. ReadySoft shipped the Amax II Plus board
on Monday (first class mail) and it arrived here today. I'll try to
get it installed tonite if I get both the time and energy, and then
post messages.
Michael,
I got mAMAXII Plus board on Monday also (yay!) After some pushing, shoving,
and rerouting of cables, I got the board installed. It should be trivial
for most people, but I have the 'pleasure' of having a Video Toaster
installed in my 3000 in the slot ReadySoft recommends using. Installation
was 'exciting' to say the least – I ended up routing the floppy cables
through a small 1/2"sq hole between the motherboard and the plug-in board
w/ the Zorro slots. Having a second hard disk wedged into the box didn't
help either.
Everything works fine, except that the File Transfer Util is not supporting
my AmigaDOS Hard disk partitions (I have the stock A3000 controller & 2
HDs). The internal floppy drive seems to read and format MAC floppy disks
just fine. (I still can't figure out how you would use the internal floppy
to format an AMAX format disk though . . .) I haven't had a chance to try
system 7.0.1, nor have I tried the new I/O ports on the card, but I will
soon.
I have been in touch w/ ReadySoft about the File Transfer Util problem, and
they took my name and number. I am hoping to hear a solution soon. They
have not had many reports of this kind of problem, so most people should be
able to use it just fine. BTW, have you tried? And did it work?
Anyway, thanks for the info, Erik Flom
(BTW, since when is Cleveland, Ohio on 'the north coast' :^)
Erik:
I also have the A-MaxII+ board installed in a 3000 with two HD's (Q105S &
Q80S). While I don't have a Toaster in there (what, are you nuts!?) I do
have an ATBB. Since I have only one floppy drive installed, instead of
switching the floppy drive cable from the motherboard, I just unplugged the
cable from the back of the Amiga Floppy and plugged that in tho the AMAX
board (to CN4), and then used the supplied readysoft cable to go from the
board (CN5) to the Amiga floppy. That made installation a lot easier.
The File Transfer 2.5 utility program works fine for me, and I recall
Margaret Copeland also reporting that it worked for her as well.
I downloaded MAC-CIM last night and it worked flawlessly through the Amiga
serial port. I just picked up a MAC-to-Hayes serial cable and hope to check
out the AMAX serial port shortly.
I haven't picked up System 7 yet (my local dealer gets $99.00 for it and
it's not even 7.01!), but I'm sure I will soon. Keep us up to date on
anything you learn.
Michael
….from the north coast
Yes, I have a Toaster in my 3000, and I don't even make money with it.
Yes, I AM nuts, but bought the 3000 three months before I went to the FAUG
meeting where the Toaster was introduce, and they stated that 'Yes, it
doesn't fit in an A3000' Grrrr!
My main problem is that the cables were to short to snake around the
Toaster board and reach down to the connectors. I also didn't want to
install the AMAX + directly below the toaster (for cooling reasons).
Glad to hear the file xfer util is working for you. Double Grr!! Are both
drives internal, and what is your termination setup like? I tend to get
errors from SCSIprobe about termination when installing ext. SCSI devices
(w/ or w/o terminators).
How much is the MAC-CIM? I have used a modem on my AMAX for years now, but
won't try the custom cable until I find gainful employment (and a source of
income).
Thanks, Erik Flom
Erik:
Both my hard drives are internal, but I can't remember if I had to pull the
terminating resistors on one or both or any. I did the set up quite some
time ago and just plain can't remember. Looking over at my hardware bag of
misc. stuff, I don't see any terminating resistor packs, so I assume that
both drives have them installed, but without looking, I can't be sure. I
haven't plugged any external scsi devices in yet, so I don't know how well
such devices work.
MAC-CIM is FREE (go maccim) and free of connect time charges for the
download.
Michael
….from the north coast
Thanks for the info re: your termination. You might want to look for a util
called SCSIProbe (v3.x I think) that runs on the Mac. It was able to tell
me when I didn't have the bus terminated properly. If you have 3 set of
terminators (1 on each drive, and 1 on the motherboard), you probably have
too many.
According to most controllers, the last device on both internal and
external SCSI chains should be terminated. The motherboard should also be
terminated.
I was running with just one set (at the end of the internal SCSI chain),
and none on the motherboard – this seemed to work fine, especially if I
hooked up external devices. Yesterday, I re-installed the terminators on
the motherboard with no change in performance.
I am pretty sure you shouldn't have terminators on the first drive on your
internal SCSI chain. But if it hasn't blown up already, you might not want
to change it.
Thanks for the info re: MAC-CIM also.
Keep On Toastin'
Erik FLom
Erik:
Thanks for the info on terminating the scsi bus, etc. I know I looked over
all of the rules when I set this sucker up, I just don't remember what I
did. I guess when I need to do it again, I'll look it up and post a querry
here in the forum. I've never had any trouble with my scsi hard drives.
I'll probably learn real quick if it's set up correctly when/if I ever plug
anything in to the external port though <g>.
Michael
….from the north coast
Yeah, Michael! — "north coast", indeed!
Regards, Whap!penned…
Pat @Oxxi (310) 427-1227
<curious look> huh?
Michael
….from the north coast
As in, "Hurrah, Mr. Gerard, I appreciate the sly change in your Whap!
signature, y'know".
Regards, Whap!penned…
Pat @Oxxi (310) 427-1227
hehe..
Pat,
The only change I've made to my Whap! forum tag, was the deletion of the
"(GO CAVS!)" bumper sticker, after the Bulls 'deleted' us from the
playoffs… is it that to which you refer? "Sly"? I was going to change
it from "(GO CAVS!)" to "(CAVS GONE)", but I just didn't have the heart
<g>.
Michael
….from the north coast
Erik,
It's interesting that you are having a problem with File Transfer.
I have the Plus card on a 2000 with a GVP 3001 card. I have no problem
with File Transfer, but I cannot read/write or format a mac disk in the
Amiga drive if the accelerator is plugged in. Even disabling it doesn't
seem to work, it must be physically removed! Seems that there are still
some small hardware dependent bugs. I was also trying to install Pagemaker
(with the accelerator removed) and found that when the install program
asked for the disk to be switched, that the emulator never responds to the
disk change. I've reported my problems as well. Interestingly, these
problems all disappear when I use the cartridge (with the 2.5 software).
Oh well . . . glad to hear of others able to use the HD partition transfer
option.
Sorry to hear of your problems w/accelerator. GVP has gotten rave reviews
from others.
At least they confired they were able to duplicate my problem. How about
yours?
I've sold my cartridge already, so can't check.
Of course the guy who bought my cartridge has a Microbotics SCSI controller
which is not supported by ReadySoft yet (by the end of the summer they
say!), and it appears that Microbotics is violently opposed to being
involved in writing a drive (at least based on the flame fest I read about
AMAX in the BIX Microbotics SIG).{
Anyone heard of a hand-rolled Microbotics SCSI (.amhd) driver for AMAX?
Thanks for the info,
Erik Flom
Erik,
Are you sure that you entered the drive correctly in the gadget?
Should be the actual drive id (dh1:, dh4:) and not a name. You also must
use the 2.5 version of File Transfer. It won't work with the old one.
I don't know if they have as yet been able to replicate my problem.
I had several (many) phone discussions with the tech person as we tried to
narrow down exactly where the problem lay. I think they don't have a 3001
to test with, although they were working on a fix for the new GVP cards
which use the 68EC030, which apparently was also causing compatibility
problems of some sort. I still have my cartridge and found that everything
worked as expected with the cartridge. I think it is definitely a hardware
related problem, but they seemed to think they may find a software fix and
said they would let me know when they resolved the problem. I've also
found that a number of inits I used wouldn't work under the new Amax, even
though they worked under the old one and also work on my SE at work. I
will say this, though, the new Amax runs much faster. My benchmarks show
that it runs as fast as the Mac II ci!
Yeah, I entered the right name in the gadget.
On my 3000, my 'work' partition is really logically 'WORK' in the HDToolBox
list. I did use File Transfer 2.5 also.
ReadySoft CAN duplicate my problem, which is a good thing. :^)
Hopefully, solutions to all of our problems will be forthcoming.
BTW, are you using the same system as before your upgrade?
Many INITs are incompatible with system 7.0.x.
Thanks, Erik FLom
Erik,
Yes, I am using the same system. I know a lot of inits aren't
compatible with system 7, but these are inits I use on my SE with system 7.
They work at the office, but not on the Amiga. I also get infrequent bad
F-line bombs and an occasional Finder error. I'm trying to track those
down, but I think they are memory related. I believe that 2.5 software
incorrectly determines available memory. For instance, if I have 4 meg of
fast ram available and 2 meg of chip, the system says I have 6 meg of
available ram, less some bytes here and there. However, if you disable
slow ram or chip ram, you can still allocate more system ram than is
actually available! When running I have only 3.9 meg of the 4 meg of fast
ram actually available, but I can allocate 4 meg. If I do, then things
don't work quite right because the Mac thinks it has 4 meg of ram, but
actually has less. I think they need to do some work on this to assure
that you cannot allocate more system ram than is truly available. I have
also found that unless you have an MMU you can have gaps in the memory map.
Although I can allocate 4 meg of fast ram, if I allocate chip ram as well
(use all expansion ram) I only have about 3 meg of contiguous memory, which
is all the Mac "sees". So with 4 meg of system ram, I really have much
less that finder actually uses, so my system only shows about 1.5 meg of
available ram after system 7 is loaded. (continued)
(continued) Now, if I run the accelerator and have the MMU in place, when I
allocate 4 meg of system ram, I actually have about 4 meg of system ram.
The MMU takes care of those memory gaps. This should be more thoroughly
explained in the docs, because a lot of less experienced users might miss
this and wonder how they can allocate a large amount of system ram, yet
have so little truly available for programs. I found that without the MMU
I cannot boot system 7 even with 3 meg allocated to system ram. I must
have at least 4 meg. That is less of a problem if I have the accelerator
running with the MMU. These minor little problems were a puzzle when I
initially installed the Amax board. I was having strange boot errors and
bombs, which it turned out were all related to not being attentive to how I
allocated memory.
Steven,
Could you briefly explain how to allocate system memory using AMAX II+ ???
My startup screen lets me allocate about 3900K for "Ram", but when I look
in the Finder while AMAX is running, the system memory only gets about
700K. Is this right? or is there a more efficient way? I've got an '030
and a MMU, but this has me stumped!
.. Tim Trompeter…
Tim,
The top gadget indicates what is allocated to system ram, ram which
the Mac uses. You should probably set the gadget on the left for all
expansion ram, then set the mac ram gadget to what you want to allocate.
How much memory and what kind do you have in your system? Do you have the
MMU locked by Enforcer? If so, you want to turn Enforcer off. The problem
with ram allocation is that ram in the Amiga doesn't have to be in
continguous locations, but it does for the Mac. If you have a total of 4
meg of ram, but some of that is chip, while some is fast, then the Mac only
"sees" whatever is contiguous. Are you running 2.04 or 1.3? If you are
running 1.3, be sure to run fastramfirst in your startup sequence. What
kind of accelerator do you have? Is it a new GVP Series II? If so, you
may have the EC version of the 030, which does not have an MMU. Give me
some more specifics so I can understand how your system is structured.
Steve,
Thanks for the info as to your setup.
I was having no proble with my system, until yesterday – when I upgraded to
system 7.
It worked fine, I was able to restart, etc.
But, the next morning, when I loaded the AMAX emulator, I got a happy mac
for about 1 second, then the screen went black and gave me a '?' in the
Mavc – indicating it wanted a boot disk.
Well, it appears I can no longer boot of the system 7 partition and when
running Disk First Aoid from the 7.0 DiskTools disk I get a message ]saying
the disk is not an HFS disk. GAK!
At least the partition shows up when I boot from a floppy, but I am a
little leery of this whole new 2.5 thing. There seem to be some problems
still.
But then again, it could well be user error 🙂
Thanks, Erik Flom
Erik,
Whoa! That's a strange occurance, all right. I didn't have a
problem like that. I was able to get system 7 up, but it wouldn't run
until I removed all my startup inits. Then I experimented with a couple,
that did work. However, my Pyro version won't work (it works at the office
under system 7) and I had a PD print spooler which drove it all haywire.
So now I am keeping it simple — so far, so good! I agree with you, I
think 2.5 still has some bugs in it, and some which are serious, but it is
working after a fashion. I just hope they can get me back to where I can
read a mac disk in my drive without having to disassemble the computer and
remove the 030 board.
There are some 4-color AMAXII icons in the Amiga User library for Icons.
The file is called AMAXIC.LZH, and has WB20 and WB13 icons that have been
touched up to look like little SE/30's w/ an animated Mac smiley face when
you click on it. There are icons for all versions of AMAX (1.0 to 2.5), and
I even threw my Disk.info icon (a 16 color Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's
apprentice) in as a 'bonus'.
Just use whichever icon is appropriate, and trash the rest. The whole arced
file is about 4K.
Still unsure as to how to post an original message,
Erik Flom
"Still unsure as to how to post an original message"
What terminal software are you using? Whap! not only automates your forum
messaging and file ul'ing/dl'ng but simplifies things like REPLY/ORIGINATE.
Check out the demo version in the AmigaVendor ATI/WHAP library
(WHP19G.SFX).
As far as icons for AMAX go, I don't use any. I use a hot key (or workbench
menu choice) via ToolsX. Thanks though. Actually, they sound cute… I'll
check them out for the heck of it!
Michael
….from the north coast
I just kind of muddle along using JR-Comm. I'll probably try using MAC-CIM.
I d/l'd the Whap thing, but didn't like the 'look' of it.
Maybe I'll take another 'look' at it myself.
Thanks, Erik FLom
Whap! may be wearing dated clothes, but it's functionality is great. It
will operate MUCH faster than anything using the HMI libraries (CIM) when
it comes to messaging, U/DLL'ing, mail etc.
Stay tuned for the release of a 2.0 only replacement for Whap! in the next
several months (no time frame announced yet). The interface of the new
product will follow the Amiga Style guide very closely and have a 2.0 look
to it.
Michael
….from the north coast
A 2.0 compatible/friendly version would be much appreciated.
I took one look at the User Interface of the current WHAP! and 'just said
NO'.
I will take another look at it, and also compare it to MAC-CIS.
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
There is no comparison between MAC-CIM and Whap!. They are two completely
different animals. Whap! is far more effecient (read, faster) than any of
the CIM products for messaging, mailing and file transfer.
CIM was developed with ease of use in mind, not efficient navigation. And
that's not to knock CIM, it's purpose in life is just different than a
program like Whap! or TapCIS.
Michael
….from the north coast
The problem I have with Whap!, is that I D/L'd the demo
version, and it forces me to sit through this lo-res 'BUY NOW!' message
whenever I do anything.
It takes about 5-7 seconds to clear, and took up 50% of the first 10
minutes I spent configuring it.
I am writing you this message from MAC-CIM. Which I D/L'd at no charge, and
there is no sales message popping up every 10 seconds.
It also has a very nice iconic interface which I was able to get running
instantly.
I doubt I will try Whap! after this solely because of they way they
crippled the demo!
Thanks anyway,
Erik Flom
Erik…
Whap! is 'try-before-you-buy' software. You must get it up and running and
like what it does, or you don't have to buy it! Once again, CIM is not
designed to reduce your online charges, it is designed to help you navigate
through CIS easily. Whap! is designed to keep your online time (and thus
charges) to a minimum. Whap reduced my monthly CIS charge by 75% the first
month I used it.
Michael
….from the north coast
AH! (sigh of relief) Got the A-Max II software installed and BOTH hard
drives working in my Amiga this weekend… What a lovely new system! It's
so neat to be able to save Control Panel docs, and the entry screen is most
elegant.
Makes it worthwhile to own an Amiga, cum Macintosh…
Regards, Whap!penned…
Pat @Oxxi (310) 427-1227
Pat…
I feel the same way! With the old A-Max s/w & cartridge, I hardly ever
bothered to load the MAC… now, because I can do it just as quickly as
openening any other Amiga application, I find that I don't hesitate to run
A-Max.
Michael
….from the north coast
Ooh! I can't wait to hear!
(looking for my own nest egg to get the Plus…)