Bridgeboard
17 messages in this thread
I'm interested in buying a Bridgeboard to develop Ada programs. Which is
better, faster? The Atonce or the Amiga bridgeboards? I would be using an
Amiga 2000 running Workbench 1.2. I also have a GVP harddrive which I
would like to partition and use. Are there any potential hardware interface
problems? One last question: what is this Connections newsletter?
Chuck,
Why do you want to use a bridgeboard to develop Ada? I have an XT
BB with an AST SixPakPlus from Bulldog Computers in Georgia (mailorder) and
a Rambank by Diamond Flower Electric Instrument Co. These increase my
conventional memory to 640K and gives me expanded memory. The Rambank is
sold by Altex Electronics, Inc. 1(800)531-5369 as a Memo-2000X.
Unless you just don't want to buy an IBM clone and got the
bridgeboard at a low price, it might be more cost effective just to buy an
IBM clone. 386 systems can be had for a good price. I haven't had any
experience with the ATOnce arrangement.
Hope this helps!
Sincerely,
(Mr.) Gayle Lee Fairless
'Perfessor Fearless'
What is the Rnk by Diamond Flower Electric? Just now setting up a BB and
still not sure which way is up.
Since You've done it already, could you please tell me how you got Jlink to
work. I added the line DEVICE=JDISK.SYS in config.sys but get 'can't find
file'. When I add the line in the docs "C:\janus\jdisk.device", it still
can't find the file.
I don't have a "C:", and can't make one till I can JLINK, but can't Jlink
to a "C:" until I have a C: . I'm dizzy. Can you help ?
Thanx for any help'
Paul
–pt–not seattle– 😉
Paul,
I don't have my BB manual available to me right now, but it sounds like
you're confusing setting up an MS-DOS partition on an Amiga HD and setting
up an Amiga partition on a MS-DOS (i.e. BB side) HD.
Check the manual to find which program to run in your Amiga's
startup-sequence to start the PC hard drive emulation on the Amiga disk.
There's also different ways to set things up depending on whether you want
to boot from the Amgia side partition or not.
I may be misinterpreting what you're trying to accomplish, so please feel
free to clarify your objective.
David
David,
I am trying to set up a MS-DOS partition on an Amiga HD. I am following the
explicit directions in the manual. When I give it the neccesary command BB
can't find a particular file (on c: drive) but I can have no c: drive till
the command takes…catch 22. Bad Docs. Rookie User.
I think I need to know how to use AmigaDos path command in MS-DOS. The
needed file "MUST be in the root directory" but it wont fit!
Paul
–pt–not seattle– 😉
Paul,
You have confused 2 different types of files. As you noted, it is not
possible to create a Jlink virtual drive unless the bridgeboard is already
booted. The Jlink virtual drives are a MSDOS or DRDOS device set up in
your CONFIG.SYS file, more on this later.
'To set up a MS-DOS partition on an Amiga HD' is not necessary to setup
a file to use as a C drive for the bridgeboard. What you can do is to
partition your hard drive into more than one partition. You can then use
one of those partitions exclusively for the special BB file by creating it
in your special partition to the size of the partition (or smaller).
However, you do not have to partition your Amiga Harddrive if you are
reasonably certain you will not accidently delete the special BB file. On
page 88, the A2286/A2088 Bridgeboard manual refers to this special BB file
as 'dh0:fake_c'; however, you may call it any name acceptable to AmigaDOS
that you like. You can also put it in a subdirectory. You do need to note
the FULL PATHNAME. As the manual states you use a text editor such as ED
to create a text file that must be named ABOOT.CTRL and must be placed in
the SYS:PC/system subdirectory. This special BB file becomes your apparent
C drive and IS NOT a Jlink virtual drive. You create the special BB file
with the MAKEAB command and are prompted for the parameters that you wish
to be emulated. You should calculate the number of heads, sectors/track,
and the number of cylinders that you want on your special BB file or fake_c
file.
Remember, your special BB file or fake_c AmigaDOS file must have its
complete pathname in the SYS:PC/system/ABOOT.CTRL text file. The program
at SYS:pc/system/pcdisk can be run from your startup sequence. The
PC/Services/TimeServ program can also be run if you plan to run atime on
the bridgeboard to get the Amiga time and date.
Once you create this special BB file, it is possible to boot the
bridgeboard (BB) with your system diskette in the A: drive. You should be
able now to access the C: drive. I don't remember whether you have to
reboot the Amiga. Anyway, you must now use FDISK to prepare the internal
MSDOS parameters of your C: drive which is really a special Amiga DOS file
whose pathname is already in ABOOT.CTRL.
Once you have run FDISK and FORMAT with the /S key to setup the C: drive
as a bootable drive according to instructions, you start transfering your
files from your system diskettes to the C: drive. One of the lines in your
CONFIG.SYS should be DEVICE=C:\JANUS\JDISK.SYS, assuming that you created a
subdirectory JANUS in the root directory of your C: drive and copied the
JANUS programs to this subdirectory. You put the atime.com and amouse.com
programs in your autoexec.bat file. Of course, you also put amouse.drv in
your config.sys file, assuming that you plan to use the Amiga mouse with
the bridgeboard. If you've gotten a separate mouse and/or card for the
bridgeboard, then of course, you would use its driver and program. I'm
assuming that you are aware that the autoexec.bat and config.sys files
should be in your C: root directory.
When you are able to copy files to your C: drives, you need only to
reboot the bridgeboard assuming you have already started the Amiga programs
PCDISK and/or TIMESERV.
Hope this gets you started. Now I have skipped over a bunch of stuff
that you should get from your manuals.
Sincerely,
(Mr.) Gayle Lee Fairless
'Perfessor Fearless'
Thanx Gayle, That was a very helpfu answer, I appreciate the effort very
much. I was doing the right thing in the wrong order, you put me back on
track. All is fine now! I am happpily auto-booting off of c:
It took so long to get my BB up and running I don't remember why I bought
it in the first place 🙂 . Can I ask what you use it for that can't be done
our real machine. Any one else? I think many would be interested in what
can be done with a Ami-BB combo. My first thought was OCR.
Thanx again.
Paul
–pt–not seattle– 😉
Paul,
I use my bridgeboard for Roots3, a genealogy program that nothing on the
Amiga can begin to touch in ability; for Quicken and TurboTax which
likewise have no Amiga counterparts that have even half the capabilities.
You are right that no one has offered OCR for the Amiga, but I'm told that
one of the companies is working on it and should release it soon. That
would be awfully nice to have!
Betty
I use my BB xt w/386 and Targa+ to lay Amiga animations over 24 bit targa
graphics over live video. Try doing that on a Toaster!
Fred E.
Fred, what are you using to get the 386? I'll trade you my toaster for your
targa plus 🙂
Paul
–pt–not seattle– 😉
Paul,
You whould trade a Toaster for a Targa+. sounds like that may be
workable whats the deal….
I'm using the SOTA 386si, cost about 300 to 400 but moves the XT up
about 5 times i.e. 5.1 Norton, I just ordered 2meg of 32 bit ram for it so
if you know anyone who is looking for a 2 meg ram card for thier XT let me
Know.
Fred E.
(703)-799-3859
amouse.drv? Why?
Ron
I think I meant amouse.com.
Ron,
I guess I had something else on my mind when talking about amouse.
Now I have amouse in my autoexec.bat to use amouse.com. And now that I
think about it, the amouse.drv is for Windows, GEM, and other applications
that take a mouse driver.
See you later!
Sincerely,
(Mr.) Gayle Lee Fairless
'Perfessor Fearless'
Chuck,
Do you have the Ada package available to you? Since most Ada packages are
big $ purchases, it would probably be worth your while to do some testing
on a BB or ATonce equiped Amiga before actually buying the hardware. The
BB's are highly compatible clones and generally work well with programs
that interface at the DOS level, _but_ not everything works on them. The
major hardware caveats are that LPT1: and COM2: addresses and interrupts
are dedicated to the janus chips/sw on the Commodore BB's. (I'll have to
let somebody else address the ATonce.)
David