#A1200 RAM expansion?
29 messages in this thread
How much RAM can you put in a 1200? Can you use standard SIMMs? If you put
in an accelerator that includes a PMMU (i.e. an accelerator with a 68030),
would it work with that shareware "virtual memory" utility? ===Scott
Scott,
You can add up to 8MB of RAM to a stock A1200. The expansion card you'll
need uses standard *32-bit* SIMMs, which are 72-pin SIMMs. If you're
thinking of bringing SIMMs over from an older Amiga, they won't work, as
those are likely 16-bit SIMMs.
GVP just announced the $499 A1230, a 40MHz 68EC030 expander with two SIMM
slots that will let you add up to 32MB of RAM (for a total of 34MB) to
your A1200. It also has a socket for a 68881 or 68882.
Nobody's announced a board that uses the non-EC030 yet, but if they do,
you could use virtual memory. But with 32MB of RAM, who needs it? 😉
Where did you hear about this GVP board?
Dave
Elite MicroComputers – via Whap!
GVP sent me a press release.
What features does it have….someone mentioned a 68030 40MHz and up to 32
megs ram expansion….does it have a 68882 ?
Dave
Elite MicroComputers – via Whap!
Dave,
It's a 40MHz 68EC030, 2 SIMM sockets supporting up to 32MB of 32-bit Fast
RAM, and a socket for an 881/882. It comes with a 1MB 32-bit SIMM and
retails for $499. The press release indicated that you can mix SIMM sizes,
so you don't have to toss the 1MB SIMM when you first add memory to it.
Shesh, another 68EC0xx! Are they that much cheaper than a full fledged
680xx? I know there is not much use for the mmu on the amiga now, but
looking ahead……
Everyone I know that has the EC030 plans to replace it (if they can).
…Steve
====>>> Motorola 68030 Inside <<<====
EC0xx! Are they that much cheaper than a full fledged xx?
In a word: Yes. It also happens that Motorola doesn't make a 40MHz
"normal" 030. So for about the same price as a 25MHz 68030, you get a chip
60%+ faster that will run just about anything a body would want.
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
\X/
Sounds like a killer expansion to me…..
I may delay the MBX1200 purchase. But then again, the 1200 is by no means
scheduled to replace my 3000. I want the 1200 because it's easier to carry
than the 3000.
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
\X/
Denny,
Have you heard any comments on power shortages with these A1200 add-ons? I
noticed that the 1200's power supply is even smaller than the 500's. It's
only rated at 3 amps on the 5v. I had one customer tell me his 1200
wouldn't work reliably with an external floppy drive connected and using
the 1200 PS. It worked fine with a 500 power brick….
Jim
Jim,
I have the Microbotics ram board with 4 meg, the 85 meg Maxtor, and an
external floppy on my A1200 and have had no problems so far. I was a bit
suprised to see that the 1200's power supply was smaller than my 500's.
Commodore didn't realy intend for the 500 too be expanded very much but
the 1200 is a different story.
Dennis ….on AutoPilot
Dennis,
Maybe we just had bad luck… Our first 1200 had a bad power supply and
a flakey HD. I had to open the second & reseat the ROMS and HD cable. The
third was fine… In fairness the boxes looked well-traveled, so I'm not
surprised at some flakiness. I put an 85 meg Seagate in the third 1200,
we'll see how that goes.
Jim
You are using the 85 MB Maxtor drive? I had heard some horror stories
about it. How well does it work saving LARGE (165+k) files and reloading
them?
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
\X/
It works fine. Way faster than the AdIDE and Quantum LPS setup that I had
in my A500. I did reset the MaxTransfer to 0x1ffff as had been suggested.
I never tried it with the stock setting.
Dennis ….on AutoPilot
I'll have to pass that on. 128KB max transfer size…. Got it.
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
\X/
concerning that (transfering large files) the maxtransfer has to be set to
$1ffff with th HDtoolBox .(That limit is set by the drive) Doing this
it will clear your problem. Bye Michel
Thanks. That way when the computer FINALLY arrives, I'll be able to INSURE
that it is set up right.
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
\X/
yeah "FINALLY ARRIVES" i order mine before XMAS and it's not in yet. I even
left a complaint message on their 800-line nobody bother to call me back
I saw lot of messages here and on Genie complaining about Commodore and
with my experience with them i feel betrail( spelling maybe wrong i'm
a frenchie you know') Bye Michel
Jim,
Nope, I haven't heard of this problem, but 3 amps isn't much. One thing
I'm curious about is whether the A1200HD ships with the same power supply
as the A1200. I heard reports in the UK that they were shipping 4.5 amp
supplies with some and 3 amp supplies with the other.
Commodore seems to have been really crippling the A1200's without HDs by
taking anything and everything they can out of the box that can save them
a buck–I wonder if they're using smaller power supplies as well?
Can someone who bought a Commodore-configured A1200HD with the 40MB drive
look at the bottom of their power supply and see what the amp rating is on
the 5v line?
Denny,
All of the 1200's I've seen, a whopping 3 🙂 have had the 3A supply. Two
were HDs, the other a plain. At least they left in the HD mounting bracket
in the non-HD machine. If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll hack an ammeter
into the bench supply and see how much power the 1200 is really taking.
Jim
3 Amp supply here… Will a 500 power supply work?
I have no problems here, but if I put anything more on it, I don't
know…
Bob Comer
Bob,
Yep, a 500 supply will work. That's what the pre-release A1200 we reviewed
for Resource had–a 4.5 amp A500 supply.
Thanks! I wasn't sure if the pinouts are the same… (I just happen to
have a A500 PS sitting here doing nothing, and if I add more, a Bigfoot PS
🙂
Bob Comer
Denny,
My A1200HD came with the 3 amp A600 power supply. I intend to get a
beefier brick once I pop an accelerator and/or additional RAM in the belly
slot.
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
I just looked, and it says 3.0 Amps. It also says "Power Supply A 600" What
does that tell ya?
Allan, and everyone else who answered:
Thanks, that confirms what I thought. I wasn't sure if the HD models
shipped with a larger supply or not. I'm glad they don't, because I'd hate
to see _another_ difference between the A1200 and A1200HD models.
Denny –
My 1200hd/40 has a 3-amp +5v output. NEAT MACHINE!!!!
Mike
>Nobody's announced a board that uses the non-EC030 yet, but if they do,
you could use virtual memory. But with 32MB of RAM, who needs it? ;-)<
It's just that HD space is cheaper than buying RAM. It would be nice to be
able to buy an accelerator, and as a side benefit, be able to get more
"RAM" (virtually) at the same time, perhaps adding "real" RAM at a later
date, after the budget has recovered from buying the accelerator. I guess
the non-EC versions must be noticeably more expensive, if no one's doing
it. ===Scott
Scott,
You can add up to eight megs of RAM to a standard A1200 via its belly
slot. The type of RAM used is, I imagine, up to the company making the
expansion board. MicroBotics' MBX 1200, as far as I know the only A1200
RAM board currently on the market, uses the same SIMMs as the A4000 (and
lots of PCs).
With an accelerator board you also gain full 32-bit memory addressing.
GVP has just announced an A1200 accelerator; this board features a 40 mHz
68030 (it may be a 68EC030…not sure) and can accept up to 32 megs of
RAM. If GVP's accelerator uses a proper '030, not the EC variety, then
it'll work with the various virtual memory utilities.
-Dave (via AutoPilot)