#AMIGA 2000 UPGRADES??
44 messages in this thread
My firm is planning on porting over our Play By Electronic Mail
game over to the Amiga, and so I have dusted off my A2000. I have
several questions which I hope someone can answer: 1) When is WB
2.0 scheduled for release? Is there any significant difference
between WB2.0 and 1.3, as far as compiled C programs are concerned?
2) The A3000 contains an improved graphics chip set. Is there any
way to install a board or otherwise upgrade a 2000 to be 3000
equivalent? 3) If I purchase a C compiler now, will I have to get
an upgraded version of the compiler to run under WB2.0? 4) What
C++ compilers are available for the Amiga? Who makes them , what are
the costs and benefits/disadvantages for using them?
At the moment no one knows when 2.0 will be released. It should be no later
than Sept. since the ROMS are being made now, but don't hold your breath.
As for your second question, with the new ECS (enhanced chip set) the A2000
will have the same graphics capabilities as the current version of the
A3000, at least I think this is the case, anyone else?? I will let the
other guys handle the C questions.
Where do I get the enhanced chip set from? My local moron … err.
computer dealer said no such critter exists. How much does the chip set
cost?
Nick, the new chip set is not yet available, but it will be ready when the
rest of the 2.0 system is released.
Betty
Any idea of what kind of cost for this chip set? Is this something my
local dealer must do, or can I do it? Or, am I going to have to send the
beast back to the factory for a major overhaul?
Eric Pinnell
Eric,
The Chips that comprise the new chip set are coming out slowly. The first
chip out was the two new versions of the agnes chip. One will provide you
with 1 meg of chip ram (meant for the A500 and A2000) while the other one
will provide you with two megs of chip ram (meant for the A3000). Both of
these chips cost approximately $100 mail order.
Third party companies provide a board that makes it possible to use the 2
meg angus chip in A500s and A2000s. However, the board costs approximately
$250, not including the agnes chip.
The second chip of the new chip set is the new Denise chip. I don't know if
it is available yet, but some mail order people have placed tentative
prices in their ads of around $55 for this chip.
Installation of the Agnus chip pretty much requires a chip puller since the
Agnus chip is not easy to remove, then installing the new chip, and then
cutting a trace on the motherboard. If you're familiar with electronics,
some mail order places will sell you the Agnus chip, instructions, and a
chip puller for $100. If you're not, go to a dealer and they will typically
do the job for around $140.
I don't know the details of installing the denise chip, but I would tend to
suspect that it would simply involve pulling and replacing the chip. Anyone
else know the details on this one?
Hope this was of some use.
Bob Kline
– via Whap!
This was very useful. Unfortunately, my local dealer doesn't seem to
know his foot from his hand and doesn't know about this. I guess I'll have
to wait till WB 2.0 comes out for the chips sets. Bummer!
Via Tapcis! (ha, fooled you guys!)
Eric Pinnell
Hi Two weeks ago I had my A2000 by technician. He has upgraded my A2000
with the new ECS Denise (about $100.–). There he has had a new 2MB Agnus
too (about $200.– +) but nobody knows if you can put it into the old
socket. You have to know that I'm living in Switzerland and the prices may
be different in the U.S. , but normally here in Switzerland everything
comes months later and more expensive than in the U. S. of A., so you
shouldn't have a problem to find it (i.e. Grapevine, NY SuperAgnus #A8373
$129.95, SuperDenise #8362 $call 1-800-292-7445) BTW Kickstart 2.0 #5092
$call (but personally, I think that they still haven't this last part yet.)
Hope I helped ya. Bye Mike Baetscher
My local dealer has a product called the "display Enhancer" for $329
CDN. I don't know if this is the improved chip set or what. Is there any
difference between that and the Super Agnus?
Eric (Amiga Ignorant) Pinnell
Eric –
I believe that your dealer is referring to Commodore's deinterlacer board
(their equivalent to Microway's Flicker Fixer). It is independent of the 1
meg Agnus chip.
Jeff Schweiger
Well, what is the Super Agnus and Denise all about then?? What does it
cost for an upgrade?
Eric Pinnell
Eric –
The "Display Enhancer" is C='s new A2320 card and has nothing to do
with the new chip set – Agnus or any of the others. It is a Video card
much like the Flicker Fixer, and provides use of Multiscan monitors with
the Amiga.
– Roy Pahnke – Casper, Wyomin'
– Crazy Mountain Software –
What will the new Super Agnus and Denise chips do for my system? Will
they give me additional graphics modes on my machine? More colors?
Eric Pinnell
Mike,
The 2M Agnus is not a direct replacement part in the 2000. The only way to
use it in the 2000 is with the addition of a 3rd party board called
MegaChip (I think) by DKB Software.
-sja
Steve
You're right. I forgot to mention that (I think it got's more pins?) Bye
Mike
Mike,
Sorry, but the 2M Agnus cannot fit into the same socket as the 1M one.
There is some missing circuitry, I believe, but I'm not certain about that.
At any rate, if you want the 2M Agnus, you should talk with Dean Brown. He
has a little board you can put in your computer that lets you use the 2M
Agnus along with the necessary 2M of memory, I believe.
Betty
Betty Thanx. Same comment as given to Steve. Sorry to answer this late, but
I have been in the holidays in Vienna, Hungary and Slowenia. Now I'm back
but only until Thursday when I'm leaving for PARIS, France….
Bye Mike
Mike,
I do envy your schedule!!!
Betty
Your local dealer should have the chips and be able to do the work, or to
have arrangements with some local technician who can do it.
I have NO idea what the cost will be. Sorry. The cost will be announced
when the chips become available.
Betty
BTW:
Upgrading a 2000 to 1 meg of chip ram is not difficult. I am NOT a
technoid, and NOT familiar with chips, but I ordered the 1 meg agnus
upgrade from The Grapevine Group and installed it with no problem.
They sent the Fatter Agnus, a chip puller and detailed illustrated
instructions for $94. You have to open the 2000 case (5 screws), remove
the power supply/drive platform (5 screws?), remove the old chip (a pain,
but really rather simple) cut a trace on the PCB with an exacto knife
(un-nerving, but again, rather simple), and I think change a jumper
setting(?)… all in all, 15 minutes, tops.
It's a good adrenalin rush for those of us who are timid about even
plugging in exapnsion boards!
– Whapping from the North Coast Michael
Well, I want to wait until the chips that will give my 2000 the same
graphics mode as the 3000's arrive. Then, I can let the poor beast suffer
one operation.
BTW, is the Amiga DISKCOPY supposed to let you copy the contents of an
entire floppy disk to the hard drive? Otherwise, how do you copy all the
various sub-directories on the floppy to the HD?
Eric (it's been 6 years since I used my Amiga.Eeesh!) Pinnell
Eric:
No, Diskcopy formats the destination disk and only allows copying of
identical disk formats. To ocpy the entire contents of a floppy, including
subdirectories, to a hard drive you would use:
COPY df1: DH1: ALL QUIET ALL is a reserved AmigaDos keyword,
specifying all files and subdirectories… QUIET will do the copy without
reporting the status to the screen.
While this command works well, you might want to consider one of the
Directory Utilities available in the libraries here, like SID 1.06. Use
AmigaFileFinder to read a description of the available shareware programs.
These programs provide non-cli-masters, an easy interface to the CLI
commands.
– Whapping from the North Coast Michael
Thanks for the info. I had the devil's own time finding IBeM and LHARC
and LHARC.LZH, but I've managed to get that mess sorted out with. I'll
have to go through my startup-sequence file to fix it to work prperly,
though. Do you know of any full-screen editors with a WYSIWYG that I can
get? I don't need anything fancy, but the editor supplied with the Amiga is
the pits!
Eric Pinnell
Eric:
I'm going to leave it to others to recommend a text editor… everyone here
would throw tomatoes if they knew I still used Scribble! for most of my
text editing (so don't tell anyone, ok?) 🙂 BTW, what's wrong with your
startup sequence?
– Whapping from the North Coast Michael
Two things. First, it duplciates the "AMIGA 500/2000 WHATEVER" line, and
it insist I have Workbench in my floppy drive to boot off of. Any way I can
convince my machine to ignore the floppy?
Eric Pinnell
There are several editors in Library 7 of AmigaUser. Might have a look at
some of them.
Betty
Eric;
I don't believe that there is any such thing as a WYSIWYG editor.
WordProcessors and desk top publishers provide that but not editors (by
definition).
An excellent commercial editor is TurboText, PE by Word Perfect is one of
the best. In the shareware/pd realm there is DME (Matt Dillion's editor),
EMACS (or MEMACS, but not all are shareware/pd), UEdit (by Rick Stiles) and
no doubt others.
This is a very "religous" subject, but personally I find that each of the
above has its own strong points and week points. I probably like PE best
because I use WordPerfect so much and the two share their operating
characteristics. I also find the macro capability in PE to suit my need
best.
UEdit (shareware) is probably the most configurable editor of them all, so
if you don't like the way that it operates, change it.
An Amiga message processed by Whap!,
bill
Well, because I'm using WB1.2 it limits my options. For now, all I
need is something like TEXTRA (which I have downloaded) to do my work. I
just wanted something like the MSDOS EDIT command that gives a full screen
editor with cursor keys, instead of a line editor. I'll keep you rother
suggestions in mind, though. Thanks
Eric Pinnell
Eric –
Bill Leach comments,
> UEdit (shareware) is probably the most configurable editor of them all,
> so if you don't like the way that it operates, change it.
He also mentions Turbotext, which is what I use. TT has a drawer of ".dfn"
definition files, to configure it in numerous ways, and you can modify
these anyway you want, and it's really easy to do.
. . . . . JimDoc
Have you tried
COPY DF0: ALL DH0:DIRECTORYNAME
I think that is what I did last time.
Betty
I didn't realize about the keyword ALL. I have the regular manuals
that come with my A2000, and it isn't mentioned. Maybe I should get a
decent Amiga book (can you recommend one?).
Eric Pinnell
Eric: if you're using 1.3 you might want to pick up a copy of Compute's
AmigaDos reference guide… it's pretty easy to follow and gives several
examples of how to use each command.
– Whapping from the North Coast Michael
I'm using 1.2 version 33.59? or some such ancient dinosaur.
Eric Pinnell
I picked up a copy of the 'AmigaDOS Manual – 3rd Edition' published by
Bantam/Commodore-Amiga today. Covers all AmigaDOS through 2.04, the
'official' 2.0 release. If I was looking for one AmigaDOS reference now, I
think I'd look for this one, or…. does Compute have a 2.0 guide out yet?
–jp–seattle–
Probably the best book available on the CLI commands is the late Rob Peck's
THE AMIGA COMPANION. It is based on 1.3, though, and we are almost ready
now for 2.0. Anyway, the book comes from AmigaWorld, and is still the best
we have, in my opinion.
Betty
Thanks for your suggestion. I guess having 1.2 shows how long it's been
since I've been using my Amiga (it's a long story….)<g>!
Eric Pinnell
The only ECS chip available is the 1 meg Agnus I believe.
Nick
Not quite. Any Rejuvenator(A1000 daughterboard replacement) owner can
purchase the ECS Denise from Expert Services for Approx $60.00. 🙂
Last I looked there was at least 50 in stock.
-Greg
I'll try to answer your questions in order: 1) Release: not sure,
I'd _guess_ soon. Differences only if you aren't following the rules
or want to use some of the new features. 2) The 'ehanced chip set'
SHOULD be available for the 2000 (it's NOT a board, simply a set of
replacement chips). 3) I can think of no _requirement_ to upgrade a
compiler for 2.0. The one we've been using for some time (SAS 5.10a)
works fine on 2.0. 4) Commeau (sp) makes a C++ (I think the price
is around $250), I'm not sure what the advantages are, mayhaps Greg
will jump in here.
In addition to the answers you've already gotten, I'll add this one
suggestion: Become an Amiga Registered Developer. This will give you
access to important info about 2.0, including being able to get a beta
release of it to work with, as well as being able to purchase equipment and
the like.
–>Steve Bennett
Who do I speak to about becoming a registered developer? My firm is
based in Canada, so the usual US sources don't apply (whoever that is).
Eric Pinnell
Eric –
If CATS-Admin in West Chester (215-431-9180) can't help you, they should be
able to tell you who to contact at CBM Canada.
Jeff Schweiger
Thanks. I'm dying to get my hands on WB 2.0 and the new chip set!
Eric Pinnell
The thing most often that breaks is that 2.0 allows for different screen
fonts (especially with windows on the workbench screen). These can now be
made much larger. The simple fix is to hardcode topaz 8 for all fonts. This
means screens/windows/menus will be readable in both 1.3 and 2.0. There si
code available to developers that shows how to determine what size font is
default, and how to size menus, etc. but it is lengthy and I'm not sure of
its 1.3 compatibility. To get access you can become a registered developer
and get access to all the 2.0 goodies.
-Greg