#New Amiga 1200 Product
16 messages in this thread
MBX 1200 Specifications
FPU: Motorola 68881 (or 68882) math chip; PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) component.
CPU Clock Speeds Supported: 16MHz 68881 installed as standard, clocked at
14.3MHz. Field upgradeable to up to 50MHz 68882.
Target System: Amiga 1200 Personal Computer.
Installation: Internal to Amiga 1200; resides on the 150-pin card edge
connector. User or dealer installable.
Compatibility: Designed for general compatibility with all Amiga system
software including AmigaDOS system 3.0 and later versions.
Memory Support: Supports the addition of a single, optional one, two, four
or eight megabyte, 32 bit wide SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module). RAM
operates with zero wait-states for maximum system speed.
Memory SIMM Types: 72-pin "wide-body" SIMM organized N-megabytes x 32 bits.
For example, MIcron MT8D25632 (one megabyte); MT16D51232 (two megabytes);
MT8D132 (four megabytes); and MT16D232 (eight megabytes). SIMM socket is
first-quality, professional metal-latch type for ease of insertion and
secure contact.
System Compatibility and Mapping: RAM is autoconfigured under AmigaDOS 3.0.
RAM can be witheld from the free memory list (for test purposes) via a
jumper. Math chip can operate without installed memory.
Software: Includes MBRTest-2, a comprehensive diagnositic program for Amiga
memory.
Applications: Useful in any memory intensive and/or math intensive
application such as animation, ray-tracing, morphing, scientific
calculation, and image processing .
Power Consumption: 200 milliamps (approximate).
Configurations Available: Available with 68881 installed, without memory or
with any of the four SIMM sizes.
Product Availability: Worldwide distribution via Amiga dealers and
distributors.
USA Suggested Retail Price: $189 with 14MHz FPU and 0k memory. Actual
selling price determined by dealer.
Redmond,
The MBX 1200 sounds great. When will it be available? Guess I'll have to
get one, along with a decent-sized 2.5" IDE hard drive. Geez, what a
lousy time for RAM prices to go up…I want that 8 meg SIMM, d*mnit! 8^)
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
Dave: It will be available in December (we are in production right now). We
gave Commodore a couple of alpha versions to use at COMDEX. The 1200 is a
great little machine [at last]. Be aware that the goofy PCMCIA slot maps
into the same 4 megs area as the upper half of autoconfig space. We'll have
a utility to turn off such a credit card peripheral and let you use all 8
megs of FASTRAM –but we can't change the machine's memory map, of course.
Regards, –Redmond
Redmond,
Congrats on being the first with an A1200 add-on — sure looks like
Microbotics was on the ball! Regarding the PCMCIA use of the upper 4 megs
of autoconfig space, what happens if one were to have an 8-meg SIMM
installed – does the autoconfig logic allow for only 4 megs of it being
used if there's a PCMCIA card installed, or the full 8 megs being used if
the PCMCIA slot is empty?
– BobR
Bob: thanks! On 8 megs– we'll be supplying a utility called MBXRAM8 which
will turn off the PCMCIA slot or alternatively, the uppper 4 megs of MBX
1200. I wish we didn't have to resort to such a thing, but we didn't have
any control over the mapping of this PCMCIA slot thing.
–Redmond
Redmond,
I understand that the PCMCIA's use of 4 megs of autoconfig space is not
your "fault", but a result of the PCMCIA spec and C='s implementation
thereof. It sounds like you have things well covered for flexibility,
given the "reality as we know it".
– BobR
Redmond, thanks for the info. I doubt I'll be using the PCMCIA slot for
anything…unless some real cool product comes out that uses it. I'd
rather have the 8 megs of 32-bit Fast RAM myself.
The A1200 is a nifty little machine indeed. Not much bigger than my
A3000's keyboard!
-Dave (via AutoPilot)
You bet, Dave, glad to do it. And I agree the 1200 is a great machine for
"all of us" (i.e., those who wanted a technologically superior consumer
machine that was expandable). When you add a memory-bearing MBX 1200 and a
25MHz math chip to the 1200 you get virtually A3000 performance plus a AGA
chipset. A really nice combination for a "power user on a budget".
–Redmond
Redmond,
Am not real familiar with the 1200 yet but am curious about the
68EC020, doe your board provide for a MMU? Does it `pass thru' the slot
to allow other devices to piggy back on top of your MBX?
I think as soon as the first 030 or 040 card comes out for the 1200
will be when I seroiusly consider getty one for myself, the price is sure
right!
…Steve
On AutoPilot! (at last)
Steve: the 150 pin expansion connector on the 1200 is INTERNAL (like the
limited 501 memory clock connector on the A500). Thus no pass through is
possible (except by building a replacement case I suppose). We don't
support an MMU –not cost effective firstly; and I can't say for sure if
the EC020 would support it anyway. Tell me what would you expect to pay for
a 33 MHz MMU-bearing 030 card for the A1200? [with zero k installed].
[without a math chip and with a math chip]? –Redmond
Redmond,
The 1200 would be very attractive to me for the price IF a full 68030
(not 68EC030) with 68882 with ram expansion of at least 16 megs. What I
would pay for the board? As little as possible but in the $500-$600 range
sound fair (w/0k). Then a fun blown 1200 with 030, 100 meg hd, monitor
and about 4 megs ram for around $2000.00 sounds attractive. In a year or
so the same setup should be under $1600.00.
With the potential power of the 1200, I envision someone (MicroBiotics
maybe?) releasing some type of card cage with zorro slots that the 1200
would sit on top of and connect via the bellyboard connector, that would
allow bridgeboards, scsi ect. That was the reasoning of the ??? for a
passthru.
…Steve
On AutoPilot! (at last)
Steve: I don't think that one could implement a good Zorro III compatible
card cage –and it would be kinda dopey to do a Zorro II implementation.
But one might be able to implement a proprietary "external" large
expansion. –Redmond
Redmond,
Am no hardware guru so if you say a zorro III implimentation would be
difficult I think I could see why. But a zorro II may not be as `dopey'
as it seems at first… There are a LOT of zorro II cards out there, it
would add a lot of functionality to the 1200, ie bridgeboard, SCSI,
Firecracker type video boards, genlocks, ect. Might be worth a
feasability study. The 1200 is an intriquing beast, and will probably get
my money as soon as there are some out there and some peripherals. The
4000 is a little overkill for me right now, but if I could get an 25-33
mhz 030, about10 megs of ram and scsi, I would be hard pressed to dump my
2000 and get `state of the art!'.
Thanx for the reply,
…Steve
On AutoPilot! (at last)
Steve: instead of a Zorro II card cage what about an expandable peripheral
system with acclerator, wide RAM, scsi, and other i/o –that you don't have
to buy all at once (i.e., a modular peripheral). BTW: due to the nature of
the A1200 card edged, you can't do a video peripheral on it). –Redmond
Redmond –
> When you add a memory-bearing MBX 1200 and a 25MHz math chip to the
> 1200 you get virtually A3000 performance plus a AGA chipset.
Can you give us some numbers — from AIBB or Sysinfo, for example —
showing HOW fast this combination is?
. . . . JimDoc, on AutoPilot
I would only give you AIBB numbers –I don't consider Sysinfo to be a
reliable benchmarking program. I'm at home (and away from the load modules
with the data in them –but the native a1200 is about 2.7 times faster than
an A500. With an MBX 1200, integer operations speed up about 75% and
floating point ops are radically improved (just about scaling to the clock
speed of the FPU compared to a 3000). I'll post the loadmodules next week
when I get back to my office. –Redmond