@database A1200 Hardware Guide @master work:docs/a1200hardware.guide | work:docs/guideshit/#? @$VER: A1200 Hardware guide version 0.999ß, 02/02/97 - © Chris Appleton. @remark Created with my own fair hands © God, Inc. @index "index" @help "help" @node "Main" "A1200 Hardware guide - Contents" @prev "index" @next "intro" @{" Search " SYSTEM "run searchguide A1200hardware.guide"} @{b}@{u}The A1200 Hardware Guide - Contents@{ub}@{uu} @{b}=============================================================================@{ub} @{"Introduction and Disclaimer - Read me!  " link "intro" 0} @{b}-----------------------------------------------------------------------------@{ub} @{b}Basics@{ub} @{" A1200 Specific Problems                 " link "1200prob" 0} @{" History of the A1200                    " link "1200hist" 0} @{" The A1200 Hardware FAQ by Warren Block " link "A1200HardFAQ.txt/main"} @{b} Advanced@{ub} @{" The Motherboard                         " link "motherboard" 0} @{" The Power Supply                        " link "powersupplyindex" 0} @{" Connectors - Pinouts                    " link "pinoutsindex" 0} @{" Expansion Boards                        " link "expansionindex" 0} @{" Drives                                  " link "drivesindex" 0} @{" Monitors                                " link "monitorsindex" 0} @{" Zorro Capabilities                      " link "zorroindex" 0} @{" Other Miscellaneous                     " link "miscindex" 0} @{b}This Guide@{ub} @{" The Editor                              " link "editor" 0} @{" Credits                                 " link "credits" 0} @{" Availability                            " link "available" 0} @endnode @node "intro" "Introduction" @prev "main" @next "editor" The A1200 Hardware Guide ============================================================================= Distribution This guide has been released as an information document. You are free to post it or send it wherever you want as long as credit for the work remains with myself and the people listed in the credits section. In addition, magazines wanting to include this guide on cover disks should ask permission first. I think that covers everything ;) In addition, if this archive includes the A1200 FAQ by Warren Block, and/or the Searchguide archive, the rules for distribution of these files must be obeyed - in the case of the FAQ it is much the same as this guide's rules, but the author is Warren Block Disclaimer I have tried my best to ensure all information contained is correct. However I do not take responsibility for any incorrect information, and/or resulting damage to any hardware. Just so you're aware, my favourite is accidentally getting pinout diagrams mixed up... Introduction This guide is designed as a ultimate reference for A1200 Hardware queries. It was written by me, but includes information from many sources, most importantly the usenet comp.sys.amiga.hardware group, and quite a few individuals have contributed directly. A lot of the information is from Warren Block, who allowed me to use his FAQ as part of the links. This appears in the main menu, plus all the specific menus which are linked to the relevant section of the FAQ. Note that this is his work, and sometimes we have differing ideas or opinions. I hope to be able to continue updating this for as long as I still own my A1200. @endnode @node "available" "Guide Availability" @prev "credits" @next "1200prob" @{b}@{u}Guide Availability@{uu}@{ub} This Guide is available from several locations. @{b}AmiNET:@{ub} hard/misc/a1200hwguide.lha @{b}Pure Amiga:@{ub} ftp://ftp.pureamiga.co.uk/guides/a1200hwguide.lha @{b}My Homepage:@{ub} http://www.fuchal.demon.co.uk/amiga/a1200hwguide.html It might be posted to comp.sys.amiga.hardware when a new version has been finished, but this is not guaranteed since it may be quite large. @endnode @node "1200prob" "A1200 Specific Problems" @prev "available" @next "1200hist" There isn't much that can go wrong that is specific to the A1200. But since it's been around so long, there's a few nasties: The Power Supply is woefully inadequate, for a machine with so much expansion potential. It is very hard to get reliable Zorro compatibility. The Keyboard has a different controller, meaning it won't register two keys pressed simultaniously on the same row - lack of multiple-key rollover is the cause. See the @{"Matrix Description" link "keyboardmatrix"} Older AT machines have problems with the floppy drive - some demos and games may not run. Later this was fixed with a logic circuit. The problem was the lack of a specific line (DSKRDY), which some older less legal games and demos used to tell when the disk was ready for reading. This problem is not present in Commodore, or later AT A1200's. Video problems, including banding (shared with the A4000) and overheating of the video processors, resulting in "glitchy" screens The IDE port is non-buffered and @{b}can@{ub} result in problems with using more than one IDE device @endnode @node "drivesindex" "Drives Index" @prev "expansionindex" @next "monitorsindex" Drives Index ============================================================================= @{" Floppy Drives " link "floppydriveindex"} @{" Hard Drives " link "hddriveindex"} @{" CD-Rom Drives " link "cddriveindex"} @endnode @node "expansionindex" "Expansion boards Index" @prev "pinoutsindex" @next "drivesindex" Expansion Board Index ============================================================================= @{b}@{u}Information:@{ub}@{uu} @{"RAM Cards" link "ramcardinfo"}@{"68020 Cards" link "020cardinfo"}@{"68030 Cards" link "030cardinfo"}@{"68040 Cards" link "040cardinfo"}@{"68060 Cards" link "060cardinfo"} @{" Processor Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 249} @{" Memory Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 289} @{b}@{u} Reference:@{ub}@{uu} @{b} RAM Cards:@{ub} Amitec Prima Magnum @{b}68020 Cards:@{ub} Apollo 1220 @{b}68030 Cards:@{ub} Apollo 1230 Blizzard 1230-3 @{"Blizzard 1230-IV " link "blizzard4"} @{"Magnum 030 " link "magnum030"} @{"Microbotics M1230XA " link "m1230xa"} @{"ViperI 1230 " link "viper1"} @{"ViperII 1230 " link "viper2" } @{b}68040 Cards:@{ub} @{"Apollo 1240 " link "apollo1240" 0} Blizzard 1240T/RC Falcon 040 PowerComp 040 @{b}68060 Cards:@{ub} @{"Apollo 1260 " link "apollo1260" 0} Blizzard 1260 Falcon 060 PowerComp 060 Note: I would very much appreciate user reports on the cards currently lacking references. @{b}@{u}Relevant Sections@{ub}@{uu}: @{"Expansion Slot Pinouts" link "pinouts_expansionslot" 0} @{"Power Supply Problems" link "powersupplyprobs" 0} @endnode @node "miscindex" "Miscallaneous Index" @prev "zorroindex" @next "main" Miscellaneous Index ========================================================================== @{" The Clock Header " link "misc_clockheader"} @{" The Keyboard Matrix " link "keyboardmatrix"} @endnode @node "monitorsindex" "Monitors Index" @prev "drivesindex" @next "zorroindex" Monitors Index ============================================================================= @{" Information " link "monitorsinfo"} @{" Monitor Types " link "monitortypes"} @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link "A1200hardFAQ.txt/main" 337} @{" Common Problems " link "monitorprobs"} @endnode @node "monitortypes" "Usable Monitors" @prev "monitorsinfo" @next "monitorprobs" @toc "monitorsindex" @{" " link "main"} The Following Monitors can be used with an A1200: @{b}TV Monitors@{ub} Most types, including: Commodore 1801 Commodore 1804 Commodore 1805 Philips CM8833 Philips CM8833-II @{b}Multisync Monitors@{ub} @{u} Size Input Resizing Speakers@{uu} Amiga Technologies M1438S 14" 23D No Yes Amiga Technologies M1538S 15" 23D No Yes Amiga Technologies M1764S 17" 23D Yes Yes Microvitec 1438 14" 15HDD No No Microvitec 1440 14" 15HDD Yes No Microvitec 1402 14" ? No No Microvitec 1701 17" ? Yes No Mitsubishi Diamondscan 14" ? ? ? NEC 3D 14" ? ? ? @endnode @{b}Related Sections:@{ub} @{"Video Port Pinouts" link "pinouts_video" 0} @endnode @node "monitorsinfo" "Monitor Information" @prev "monitorsindex" @next "monitortypes" @toc "monitorsindex" @{" " link "main"} Monitor Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two types of monitor are compatible with an A1200: TV monitors and Multisync monitors. @{u}TV Monitors@{uu} These can only scan at a set rate, 15khz. Therefore they are perfectly useable with PAL and NTSC screenmodes, and will give better quality than a standard TV. However then you are limited to 1448 x 283, or 1448 x 566 if you can bear interlacing. You will notice that these screenmodes are stupidly ratioed, one being 5:1! The display will be unreadable. @{u}Multisync Monitors@{uu} These are much more versatile than TV types. For a start they can scan, or sync at different rates, hence the name. This means you can display the higer resolution screenmodes, such as DBLPAL and EURO72. These give you a much larger area to work in. Steer clear of multisyncs which don't sync down to 15khz - most don't - and which are branded "VGA Monitor" as you won't be able to play 99% of your games or demos, or see Gurus or your early startup-screen. Also don't be fooled by names - ones called Multisync, Multiscan, Bisync and Trisync might all work, the difference being the amount of different syncs they can handle. @{u}Speakers@{uu} Don't rely on monitor manufacturers' speakers. If you value your sound, get a pair of external amplified speakers as they will be much better quality. The latest AT 1438 is the worst offender, and I know from experience that the CM8833-II had terrible sound quality. @{u}Inputs@{uu} Most Amiga-specific monitors, i.e. the AT range, now come with the standard 23-pin Amiga video input. Older ones came with 9-pin plugs, especially TV types, or ones designed for PC's had 15-pin HD connectors. Some came with BNC plugs. @endnode @node "pinoutsindex" "Pinouts Index" @prev "powersupplyindex" @next "expansionindex" A1200 Hardware Guide - Pinouts ========================================================================== @{b} Internal@{ub} @{" IDE Controller Port " link "pinouts_ide" 0} @{" Floppy Drive Port " link "pinouts_intfloppy" 0} @{" Floppy Drive Power Port " link "floppypowerpinouts"} @{" Expansion Edge Connector " link "pinouts_expansionslot" 0} @{" Clock Header " link "pinouts_clock" 0} @{" LED Connector " link "pinoutsLED"} @{b} External@{ub} @{" Power In " link "pinouts_power" 0} @{" Video Out " link "pinouts_video" 0} @{" Parallel " link "pinouts_parallel" 0} @{" Serial " link "pinouts_serial" 0} @{" Floppy Drive " link "pinouts_extfloppy" 0} @{" Joystick / Mouse " link "pinouts_mouse" 0} @endnode @node "powersupplyindex" "Power Supply Index" @prev "motherboard" @next "pinoutsindex" Power Supply Index =================================================================== @{" Information " link "powersupplyinfo"} @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardFAQ.txt/main" 69} @{" Common Problems " link "powersupplyprobs"} @{b}Related Sections:@{ub} @{"Power Input Pinout" link "pinouts_power"} @endnode @node "zorroindex" "Zorro Index" @prev "monitorsindex" @next "miscindex" Zorro Adaptor Boards - Index ============================================================================= @{" Information " link "zorroinfo"} @{" Frequently Asked Question (only 1) " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 424} @{b}Related Sections@{ub}: @{"Expansion Port Pinout" link "pinouts_expansionslot"} @endnode @node "1200hist" "History of the A1200" @prev "1200prob" @next "motherboard" History of the A1200 ============================================================================== The A1200 was released to an excited community in November 1992. There had been speculation for some time about a new Amiga, and when its big brother the A4000 arrived a few months earlier everone knew the new baby, rumoured to be called the A800, was on its way. The specification has stayed the same over the years, with the change in ownership of Commodore only bringing about a new ROM upgrade to 3.1. The specification was: 68EC020 Processor, the first Amiga ever to contain one 2mb Chip RAM as with the A4000 for AGA PCMCIA card slot, as with the A600 AGA Chipset This was considered the first thing Commodore had done right in a long time. The A4000 was overpriced, and they had alienated many customers by bringing out the A500+ with little warning, then stopping production overnight to make way for the rather overpriced A600. But now there was a new low-mid range machine that everyone wanted. Commodore listened to its developers when design was underway. Thus 2mb Chip RAM was included as standard, and there was a fall-back mode for older software which disabled the CPU cache and/or the AA chipset. Also included was better sprite handling (compared to the previous base/mid machines), but for price reasons a high density floppy drive and a Digital Sound Processor chip had to be left out. They also took the lowest of their CPU choices - allowances were made for an EC020@14mhz, an 020@14mhz, an 030@14mhz and incredibly a full 030 running at over 14mhz - likely to be 28mhz. Also forgotten was an on-board FPU (you can see the mounting pads next to the CPU - U0), and little goodies like Flash RAM and an @{"on-board Clock" link "misc_clockheader"}. At its low price - £399 - it sold like hotcakes, and more and more specific software and hardware was being sold. The first flood of accelerators came pretty quickly, most being based on quicker 020s. Then it was slashed to £279 and really took off. But many things never appeared. How about games on PCMCIA cards, or even widespread RAM card availability - perhaps a 32-bit PCMCIA slot would have been a better idea. Power Computing once said they were planning a DSP add-on, but it which never materialized. The Commodore CD-Rom drive thankfully never appeared - it was overpriced and fitted into the expansion slot, but several other card slot versions did. But these were still the good days, when C= was making a profit (or hid their losses well) and all your mates had an Amiga. Then A1200s started selling for less than £100 new and all the magazines went into big-headline mode.... When Commodore went into liquidation it looked like the end of the road for the Amiga range. The A600, 1200 and 4000 were the only models left in production and they were fast becoming old news. Then Escom came along, pumped lots of cash into it and everyone thought they were our saviours. But what they did was pump all their cash into it, steal the Commodore name for their PC peripherals, sell a few OS3.1 A1200's by displaying a purple boot-screen in a shop at a 3-year old price and go bust. Now VIScorp have Amiga Technologies, and everyone is predicting the future. I'm not going to. ============================================================================== Blimey, it started off as a hardware guide and I ended up slating Escom. That's life. @endnode @node "motherboard" "All About the Motherboard" @prev "1200hist" @next "powersupplyindex" The A1200 Motherboard ========================================================================= As motherboards go, the one found inside the A1200 is pretty boring. First thing you'll notice is that there are no jumpers. There is no SCSI or fast memory as standard, unlike its bigger cousins, so it doesn't need them. Second thing you'll notice is that, like the A600, it contains 90% surface-mount technology - only the ROM's are socketed. While this is bad news for hackers due to it's complexity, or for people who like blowing chips (even the CIA's are SMD), it offered greater reliability over the socketed motherboards of old. Layout Power Video C Parallel Audio Serial Floppy Joystick ,---------------------------------------------------------------------------, | 6_________ 16 | | '---------' ______ :::::::::: ,-| | ::2 11| | | | | :: | | 14 '-| | :: ______ | | :::: 17 | | :: |3 | ,------, | | 15 | |-, :: | | |7 | |______| .-----------------------' |1| '------' |______| ::::::: 13=| ................... | | ,------. .______________. 12 =| : Mouse Port | | |4 | 8|______________| =| : ,---------------, | | |______| .______________. =| : | | |-' ______ 9|______________| =| : =|-, | | |5 | _____ =| : =| | | | | | 10| | =| : =|-' | | '------' |_____| =| : | | '---------------------------------------------------' | | '---------------' Plugs into end of main board 1: PCMCIA Port 10: 68EC020 CPU (U1) 2: IDE Connector (CN16) 11: 4x 512k 70ns RAM 3: Lisa (U4) 12: Clock Header 4: Gayle (U5) 13: 150-way Expension Slot 5: Alice (U2) 14: Floppy Drive Power 6: Keyboard Ribbon Connector 15: Pwr/FD/HD LED Output 7: Budgie 16: Floppy Drive Data 8: ROM 1 (U6B) 17: Mouse Port Connector 9: ROM 0 (U6A) Why the mouse port was made as a seperate part I'll never know, but apparently on earlier machines it was a cable instead. @{b}Revisions@{ub} Two main revisions of the A1200 motherboard were produced, Rev 1D and Rev 2B. They only differed in the type of RAM chips used for the Chip RAM. There was quite a shortage of RAM chips, and so measures were taken to ensure that production could keep going whatever chips were available. One took 8bit RAM, while the other took 16 bit and production was switched depending on what was available. (Thanks to Dr. Peter Kittel for that) @endnode @node "magnum030" "Magnum 68030 Reference" @prev "blizzard4" @next "m1230xa" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} Expansion board Reference: Magnum 030 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Description by PJ Goddard __________ __________ [||--------|| | |] [|| || | |] [|| CPU || | |] [|| ||_________________________ _________________________| |] [||--------| |------| || |] [| | FPU | || UNDERSIDE |] [| | | |-----| || (BLANK) |] [| |------| |-SCSI| || |] [| |------SIMM------| || |] [| || |] [|____________________________________||____________________________________|] CPU: 68030 Jumpers:SCSI Autoboot Y/N Manufactured Speeds: 33, 40 mhz RAM Y/N FPU Socket: PLCC/PGA Wait State Y/N SIMM Socket: 1 x 72/32-pin Total Memory: 32 mb max Autoconfig: Yes MMU: Yes Real Time Clock: Yes Notes: Has space for a SCSI kit, the 33MHz version is now the entry-level model, not the 25MHz as specified in advertisment! (Oh, and is only £100 for the bare board- MMU, 33MHz FPU and 33MHz '030!) Clocks in at about 7 MIPS- ridiculously fast for a 33MHz board- outruns my mate's 40MHz GVP! 0.95 FLOPS, about 9Mb/sec memory transfer rate. Supports FASTROM through "CPU" command. @endnode @node "apollo1240" "Apollo 1240 Reference" @prev "viper2" @next "apollo1260" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} Expansion Board Reference - Apollo 1240 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU: 68RC040 Speed: 25mhz or 40mhz. Memory: Upto 32mb, autoconfig. 64mb available via "add-on" board. FPU: 68882 built into CPU SCSI: SCSI-2 via plug in option module, autoboot available. Notes: Has no switch-out jumper, have to remove board to disable. Improved quality over rest of older Apollo range. Very hot. Jumpers: ______________________________________________ | | | | | | | | ::: | | | | | | ::: | | | _____________________________| | | | | | | ONLY 3 JUMPERS - |__|_____________| Position Depends on board type. RAM: On-Board RAM on/off SCSI: SCSI Controller autoboot (+delay) on/off 060: 68040 CPU (open) / 68060 CPU (closed) @endnode @node "apollo1260" "Apollo 1260 Reference" @prev "apollo1240" @next "drivesindex" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} Expansion Board Reference - Apollo 1260 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU: 68RC060 Speed: 50mhz. Memory: Upto 32mb, autoconfig. 64mb available via "add-on" board. FPU: 68882 built into CPU SCSI: SCSI-2 via plug in option module, autoboot available. Notes: Has no switch-out jumper, have to remove board to disable. Improved quality over rest of older Apollo range. Jumpers: ______________________________________________ | | | | | | | | ::: | | | | | | ::: | | | _____________________________| | | | | | | ONLY 3 JUMPERS - |__|_____________| Position Depends on board type. RAM: On-Board RAM on/off SCSI: SCSI Controller autoboot (+delay) on/off 060: 68040 CPU (open) / 68060 CPU (closed) @endnode @node "viper1" "Viper Mk1 Reference" @prev "060cardinfo" @next "viper2" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} Expansion Board Reference - Viper Mark 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU: 68030/68EC030 Memory: 1 72-pin Socket, upto 8mb by Jumpers Speed: 28mhz or 40mhz FPU: PGA and PLCC socket on board. Notes: Early board, sloppy fit. Note jumpers to set memory on board are wrongly silk-screened, consult the manual for real settings. 40mhz version always had an MMU, 28mhz version did sometimes. Now out of production. Jumpers: ,-+---------------------------------------------, | | ###### _ | | | ###### | | / | | ###### |1| \ | | _ |_| ||_________________________|| | | | |2| _________________________________| | | |_| | | | | 1: · · Turbo 2: · · Sync | | | · · Mem3 · · 28mhz |_|____________| · · Cache · · 14mhz · · Mem2 · · RTC · · Mem1 · · Mem0 0mb 1mb 2mb 4mb 8mb Turbo: 68030-OFF 68020-ON MEM0 0 0 0 0 1 Cache: 68030's Cache on/off MEM1 0 0 0 1 1 Sync : On = FPU @ crystal speed MEM2 0 1 1 1 1 28mhz: FPU @ 28mhz MEM3 0 0 1 0 0 14mhz: FPU at 14mhz RTC: Clock enable/disable. For FPU select ONE of Sync, 28mhz, 14mhz ONLY. @endnode @node "viper2" "Viper Mk2 Reference" @prev "viper1" @next "apollo1240" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} Expansion Board Reference - Viper Mark 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU: 68030/68EC030 Memory: 1 72-pin Socket, upto 128mb autoconfig Speed: 28mhz, 33mhz, 40mhz or 50mhz. FPU: PLCC socket. Notes: Couln't guarantee getting an MMU. Autoconfig works well, but design flaw means SIMM socket faces inwards when fitted. Jumpers: Single jumper - CPU/ALT. CPU: FPU at Viper CPU speed ALT: FPU at optional crystal speed @endnode @node "m1230xa" "Microbotics M1230XA Board" @prev "viper2" @next "viper1" Microbotics M1230XA Accelerator Card Description by David Bump CPU: 68030 Jumpers: TEST Manufactured Speeds: 30, 40, 50mhz FPU Speed FPU Socket: PGA SIMM Socket: 1 x 72-pin Total Memory: 128mb Autoconfig: No - Utilities supplied MMU: Only on 30mhz and 50mhz Real Time Clock: Yes Notes: Two programs supplied to configure memory. SetXA takes the specification values as arguments and configures the board at startup (every time), while AddXAMem automatically adds just the memory every time. A better option is AutoXA, which installs itself, reboots and configures the memory automatically on subsequent boots. Wait states can also be set with SetXA. It will automatically set the "proper" value, but this can be overridden. @endnode @node "blizzard4" "Phase 5 Blizzard IV Board" @pref m1230xa @next viper2 Description by Duncan Gow __________ __________ [| | |______ |] [| | || | |] [| | ||FPU | |] [| |_______ _______||_____| |] [| | | | | |] [| |__________________ _________________| | CPU | |] [| || |_3___________|(Clock)| | |] [| || |________| |] [| || _____________________ J1 |] [| || | SIMM | J2 |] [|____________________________________||_|_____________________|____________|] CPU: 68030 Jumpers:J1 MAPROM Jumper off Kickstart copied to Ram Manufactured Speeds: 50mhz J2 RamSpeed Jumper off 70ns SIMM FPU Socket: PGA on 60ns + SIMM Socket: 1 x 72-pin Total Memory: 128mb Autoconfig: Y MMU: Y Real Time Clock: Y Notes: 3 is a DMA expansion connector for SCSI-II controller(+ another 128M simm) Blizzard IV can take 32Bit or 36 Bit SIMMS (it just ignores the extra 4 Bits) @endnode @node "floppydriveindex" "Floppy Drive Index" @prev "drivesindex" @next "hddriveindex" @toc "drivesindex" @{" " link "main"} Floppy Drive Index ============================================================================= @{" Information - Internal Drive " link "intfloppyinfo"} @{" Information - External Drive " link "extfloppyinfo"} @{" Common Problems " link "floppyprobs"} @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 93} @{b}Related Sections:@{ub} @{"Pinouts - Internal Port" link "pinouts_intfloppy"} @{"Pinouts - External Port" link "pinouts_extfloppy"} @endnode @node "intfloppyinfo" "Internal Floppy Drive Information" @prev "floppydriveindex" @next "extfloppyinfo" @toc "floppydriveindex" @{" " link "main"} Internal Floppy Disk Drives - Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internal The A1200 was fitted with the standard Amiga 880k double-density double-sided drive. The most common (for the older, more common Commodore-produced machines) is the Panasonic, which is generally reliable. A few drives will work "from the box" - generally these were made specially for Commodore or an external drive manufacturer, but some will work after tweaking, the main difference is that the diskchange signal is usually on pin 34, when the Amiga expects it on pin 2. (See @{"Floppy Drive Header Pinouts" link "pinouts_intfloppy"}). The other problem is that some drives haven't got the signal connected to the header, even though the mechanism supports it. A good example of drives that nearly work is the Escom drive incident, where the drives used didn't support the DSKRDY signal. This was later fixed with a small logic circuit. I have one 1200 with a Citizen drive and another with a Panasonic drive, both work fine. The Citizen was sourced from a Cumana External drive, but operates well internally. Some machines allegedly came with Chinon drives. High density Drives It is reasonably difficult to get an internal HD disk drive on an Amiga A1200. Power Computing do sell an internal version of their PowerXL drive which is largely successful, but this is expensive and sometimes troublesome. The other way is for those lucky souls who have an Amiga Technologies produced machine with the "dodgy" drives, apparently it is feasable to hack these into a larger density (using HD disks). Currently the author of the hack has reached 1.5mb per disk, but hopes are high for fully working, 1.76mb Amiga and 1.44mb PC compatibility. Watch this space or see Aminet for the hack. @endnode @node "extfloppyinfo" "External Floppy Drive Information" @prev "intfloppyinfo" @next "floppyprobs" @toc "floppydriveindex" @{" " link "main"} External Floppy Disk Drives - Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many manufacturers made external drives for the Amiga range, and indeed any Amiga external drive will work, including the new high-density drives. These consist of a drive mech, which is usually Amiga-specific, and an adaptor board which converts the 23-way External Drive output into the 34-way data and 4-way power inputs. The drives have enable switches on the back, and if you don't require the drive it can be disabled to save memory - usually between 30kb and 50kb per drive. Also, some A1010 (The original Commodore external drive) had the power passthrough conenctions left unsoldered to "protect" A500 users from blowing their power supplies. Cumana drives are generally reliable, as they use a high quality Citizen mechanism. Drive are also available with built-in virus protection (which stops writes to track 0) and the highly dubious Synchro disk copier - "Can Copy Any DD Disk". Also look out for Amitek drives, which use Sony internals as these have a very long life. The 1200, as with all other Amiga models can handle upto 4 drives, one internally and 3 externally via "daisy chaining". You should be careful not to exceed the limit of your power supply when adding more drives. High Density Basically there are two makes - the Power Computing Super XL drive or the 4-Square drive. The Power Computing uses a software patch to get itself into HD mode, and it reported to work quite well but not flawlessly. The 4-Square is much newer, and it shows with the styling. It is a very slimline drive, far too thin even for a normal connector so it makes do with a edge connector. Apparently it works well, and if you can live with the, erm, different styling then it may well be the one for you. @endnode @node "floppyprobs" "Common Floppy Drive Problems" @prev "extfloppyinfo" @next "hddriveinfo" @toc "floppydriveindex" @{" " link "main"} Floppy Drives - Common Problems ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{i}My internal drive doesn't work. The light is on permanently but nothing happens.@{ui} @{b}@{i} or@{ub}@{ui} @{i}The Early-Startup menu says I have DF0-DF3 when I only have one drive@{ui} Check the power cable, with a voltmeter to check the Amiga is providing power and also for fit on the floppy drive power port. Also check the data cable is in correctly and intact. @{i}All my disks come back as read-only, but the tab is set to read/write.@{ui} Check the small switch at the front bottom left of the drive. If that can't be depressed, either due to dirt buildup or a broken shaft it will think the disk is write protected. Try and get a new switch to solder in, or unclog the dirt from around it. @{i}I keep getting read or write errors on all my disks.@{ui} Is the drive aligned correctly? If disks that you format on that drive are OK but others disks have errors this is probably the case. Re-align the drive. Is the disk seating properly? Bent guides could be a prolem. Does the disk rotate at the correct speed? Try one of Aminet's disk speed programs. Try cleaning the read/write heads with a good quality disk drive cleaner - these usually consist of a fabric "disk" and some solvent. @endnode @node "cddriveindex" "CD-ROM Drive Index" @prev "hddriveindex" @next "monitorsindex" @toc "drivesindex" @{" " link "main"} CD-ROM Drive Index =================================================================== @{" Information " link "cddriveinfo"} @{" Common Problems " link "cddriveprobs"} @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 216} @{b}Related Sections:@{ub} @{"IDE Port Pinouts" link "pinouts_ide"} @endnode @node "cddriveinfo" "CD-ROM Drive Information" @prev "cddriveindex" @next "cddriveprobs" @toc "cddriveindex" @{" " link "main"} CD-ROM Drive Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Up until quite recently the only feasible way to add a CD-Rom drive to an Amiga A1200 was to buy a custom unit, which usually plugged into the PCMCIA port. These were made by Archos (Zappo in the UK) and consisted of an IDE drive, most commonly a Mitsumi and an interface. The same principle is applied to the brand new Amiga Technologies Q-Drive. The times, they are-a-changing however. With the prices of bare SCSI units dropping weekly, many 1200 owners are turning to them. A SCSI interface is required, the most popular being the Squirrel which slots into the PCMCIA slot. Any SCSI adaptor will work however, including the Dataflyer which sits on the IDE port, and the range available to fit on Expansion boards. They haven't stopped changing yet. Suddenly IDE drives are as cheap as muck - a double speed drive can now be picked up for the same price as a cable used to connect it. PC owners are to "thank", since that's where IDE CD-Rom drives are most commonly found. After getting hold of a special cable, it's s simple job of plugging the drive in and running a custom driver, a demo of which is available on Aminet. Cheap and easy, but they can never hope to match the speed of SCSI devices. As a rule single speed drives reach 150kb/s maximum, double speed drives 300kb/s, quad speeds 600kb/s and so on. However, as with all rules it can be broken, usually by very early drives which can fail to get anywhere near the speed and take these figures with the pinch of salt you normally reserve for transfer rates. Type Interface Notes Custom Unit PCMCIA Very expensive, but simple to install SCSI Squirrel Not too hard to install, quite fast. Expensive. SCSI Dataflyer Only as fast as IDE, but more expensive SCSI Via Expansion Will go as fast as fastest drive (8x) Very expensive. IDE Internal IDE Cheap and quick, but sometimes problematic software. IDE Via PCMCIA Quick, but what's the point? @endnode @node "cddriveprobs" "CD-Rom drive Common Problems @prev "cddriveinfo" @next "monitorsindex" @toc "cddriveindex" @{" " link "main"} CD-ROM Drive Common Problems ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have an IDE CD-Rom which isn't recognised by ATAPI. Are you sure it's ATAPI compatible? It won't work with any old IDE drive you know. Most are, it usually says either on the label on the actual disk, on the box or on the driver disk. I have an IDE drive which transfers data really slowly. Try typing "setatapispeed 3" to set the atapi driver to its maximum speed. I have an IDE drive but I can't seem to sample sound from it. IDE drives which support CDDA sampling are unfortunately in the minority. Check with the manufacturer that your drive does support it @{b}through the IDE cable@{ub} @endnode @node "hddriveindex" "Hard Drive Index" @prev "floppydriveindex" @next "hddriveinfo" @toc "drivesindex" @{" " link "main"} Hard Drives - Index ==================================================================== @{" Information " link "hddriveinfo"} @{" Common Problems " link "hddriveprob"} @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 122} @{b}Related Sections:@{ub} @{"IDE Port Pinouts" link "pinouts_ide"} @endnode @node "hddriveinfo" "Hard Drive Information" @prev "hddriveindex" @next "hddriveprobs" @toc "hddriveindex" @{" " link "main"} Hard Drives - Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The A1200 was designed to take the 2.5 inch hard drives, as found in laptop/notebook PC's and the Atari Falcon. Like the A600 before it, it came with a 44-pin IDE header on the motherboard. This provides the same control as the more common 40-pin type, but has power lines included. Inside is a cradle specially designed to accomodate a 2.5" drive within a few inches of the header. About the time that the 1200 was released, Commodore was experiencing the first strains of financial difficulty. Hence many different makes of hard drive were bundled with the A1200HD models, usually Seagate 120mb models but some came with 80mb drives. Later the Escom models came with a 170mb drive. It is perfectly possibly to autoboot off this controller, but many 1200's have problems in this; or to be more specific, many hard drives have problems with the A1200. If the hard drive is not ready when the A1200 wants to boot then it will not be seen by the system and it will go straight into floppy boot, or display the purple screen if there is no floppy. The most simple solution is to reset, as the problem only occurs on powerup. The other problem is that some drives, Conners in particular, don't like a reset being performed. In this case the reset line of the IDE cable should be cut. It's usually the red one, but you can follow the wire up from the motherboard where it's marked to make sure. It won't hurt other drives (if you get another one) not to do a reset - you are not then restricted to Conner drives. Now technology is cheaper, many people are wanting hard drives internally. So instead of getting the snug little 2.5" model they cram a larger 3.5" drive in there. I can see why, as I am one of those people - it's much cheaper. But the A1200 was never designed for this size of drive, and you have to remove various bits of shielding and case to get it in there. The controller is quite a good one - it'll happily perform at quite high speeds (1.7mb/sec) and it is hard to overload it, for example by connecting a CD-Rom drive as well. It @{b}can@{ub} be overloaded though, so don't try too hard! @endnode @node "hddriveprob" "Hard Drive Problems" @prev "hddriveinfo" @next "cddriveindex" @toc "hddriveindex" @{" " link "main"} Hard Drive Common Problems ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I get errors when moving large files. Welcome to the real world. Seemingly every A1200 user except myself has this problem, so take a look at the @{"MaxTransfer section" link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main" 178} of the FAQ which will probably fix it for you. My HD seems to draw a lot of power - the power light flickers when it access and sometimes it crashes. It's not the HD at fault, but the power supply. See the @{"PSU Information" link "powersupplyinfo"}. It just doesn't appear at bootup - I get the "insert floppy" screen. It doesn't spin up fast enough. You can get a new HD, get OS3.1 which has a longer checking time or live with it. It appears at bootup, but not after a reset. It spins down when you reset. Cut line 1 on the IDE cable - it might be the red one, but follow the line from the motherboard just in case. @endnode @node "monitorprobs" "Monitor Common Problems" @prev "monitortypes" @next "zorroindex" @toc "monitorsindex" @{" " link "main"} Monitors - Common Problems ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- My monitor will show high-frequency screenmodes, but not normal PAL. Are you sure it can sync down to 15khz? Most normal "multisync" monitors can't, especially if bought from a PC-biased shop. My multisync monitor has got huge black borders down the sides. Mine too. It's a "feature" of most low-range multisyncs, that don't have digital resizing. You can try MonEd, from Aminet, which stretches the screen slightly and makes them a bit thinner, or if you're loaded get a better monitor that supports digital resizing. (Try the @{"monitor types" link "monitortypes"} page) @endnode @node "pinouts_clock" "Clock Header Pinout" @prev "pinouts_expansionslot" @next "pinouts_power" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} "Clock" Header Pinout ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22-pin Male Header ,----------------------------------, | 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 | | 19 21 23 25 27 39 31 33 35 37 39 | '----------------------------------' 19: GND Ground 30: A2 Address Bus Bit 2 20: +5v +5v DC 31: D23 Data Bus Bit 23 21: INT6 Interupt Request 32: D22 Data Bus Bit 22 22: _SPARE_CS 33: D21 Data Bus Bit 21 23: _RTC_CS Real Time Clock CS 34: D20 Data Bus Bit 20 24: _PWR_BAD 35: D19 Data Bus Bit 19 25: _IORD IO Read 36: D18 Data Bus Bit 18 26: _IOWR IO Write 37: D17 Data Bus Bit 17 27: A5 Address Bus Bit 5 38: D16 Data Bus Bit 16 28: A4 Address Bus Bit 4 39: GND Ground 29: A3 Address Bus Bit 3 40: +5V +5v @{b}NOTES:@{ub} @{i}Why does it start at 19?@{ui} Because the header does. Look closely and the marker for pin 1 is right down on a row of solder-holes (unless you have a very early release). Since the header starts at 19, I did too.@{i} So why the blank holes on the PCB?@{ui} I've explained this in the @{"Miscallaneous" link "misc_clockheader"} section. @endnode @node "pinouts_expansionslot" "CPU Expansion Slot Pinouts" @prev "pinouts_intfloppy" @next "pinouts_clock" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} CPU Expansion Slot Pinout ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1: Reserved Address Bus Bit 31 76: D2 Data Bus Bit 2 2: Reserved Address Bus Bit 30 77: D1 Data Bus Bit 1 3: Reserved Address Bus Bit 29 78: D0 Data Bus Bit 0 4: Reserved Address Bus Bit 28 79: GND Ground 5: Reserved Address Bus Bit 27 80: +5V +5v DC 6: Reserved Address Bus Bit 26 81: /IPL2 Int Pri Lvl 2 7: Reserved Address Bus Bit 25 82: /IPL1 Int Pri Lvl 1 8: Reserved Address Bus Bit 24 83: /IPL0 Int Pri Lvl 0 9: GND Ground 84: Reserved -- 10: +5V +5v DC 85: /RST Processor Reset 11: A23 Address Bus Bit 23 86: /HLT Processor Halt 12: A22 Address Bus Bit 22 87: Reserved -- 13: A21 Address Bus Bit 21 88: Reserved -- 14: A20 Address Bus Bit 20 89: SIZE0 15: A19 Address Bus Bit 19 90: SIZE1 16: A18 Address Bus Bit 18 91: /AS Address Strobe 17: A17 Address Bus Bit 17 92: /DS Data Strobe 18: A16 Address Bus Bit 16 93: R/W Proc. Read/Write 19: GND Ground 94: /BEER Bus Error 20: +5V +5v DC 95: Reserved -- 21: A15 Address Bus Bit 15 96: /AVEC 22: A14 Address Bus Bit 14 97: /DSACK1 Data Send Ack. 23: A13 Address Bus Bit 13 98: /DSACK2 Data Send Ack. 24: A12 Address Bus Bit 12 99: CPUCLKA CPU Clock 25: A11 Address Bus Bit 11 100: E CLOCK Perip Enable Clk 26: A10 Address Bus Bit 10 101: GND Ground 27: A9 Address Bus Bit 9 102: +5V +5v DC 28: A8 Address Bus Bit 8 103: FC2 Function Code 2 29: GND Ground 104: FC1 Function Code 1 30: +5V +5v DC 105: FC0 Function Code 0 31: A7 Address Bus Bit 7 106: /RMC 32: A6 Address Bus Bit 6 107: Reserved -- 33: A5 Address Bus Bit 5 108: Reserved -- 34: A4 Address Bus Bit 4 109: Reserved -- 35: A3 Address Bus Bit 3 110: Reserved -- 36: A2 Address Bus Bit 2 111: /BR Bus Request 37: A1 Address Bus Bit 1 112: /BG Bus Grant 38: A0 Address Bus Bit 0 113: Reserved -- 39: GND Ground 114: /BOSS 40: +5V +5v DC 115: /FPUCS FPU CS 41: D31 Data Bus Bit 31 116: /FPUSENSE FPU Sense 42: D30 Data Bus Bit 30 117: CCKA 43: D29 Data Bus Bit 29 118: /RESET General Reset 44: D28 Data Bus Bit 28 119: GND Ground 45: D27 Data Bus Bit 27 120: +5V +5v DC 46: D26 Data Bus Bit 26 121: /NETCS 47: D25 Data Bus Bit 25 122: /SPARECS 48: D24 Data Bus Bit 24 123: /RTCCS 49: GND Ground 124: /FLASH 50: +5V +5v DC 125: /REG Register Enable 51: D23 Data Bus Bit 23 126: /CCENA 52: D22 Data Bus Bit 22 127: /WAIT Interrupt 53: D21 Data Bus Bit 21 128: /KBRESET Keyboard Reset 54: D20 Data Bus Bit 20 129: /IORD IO Read 55: D19 Data Bus Bit 19 130: /IOWR IO Write 56: D18 Data Bus Bit 18 131: /OE 57: D17 Data Bus Bit 17 132: /WE DRAM Write Enbl. 58: D16 Data Bus Bit 16 133: /OVR Override SysDec 59: GND Ground 134: XRDY Ext. Data Ready 60: +5V +5v DC 135: /ZORRO 61: D15 Data Bus Bit 15 136: /WIDE 62: D14 Data Bus Bit 14 137: /INT2 Interrupt Req. 63: D13 Data Bus Bit 13 138: /INT6 Interrupt Req. 64: D12 Data Bus Bit 12 139: GND Ground 65: D11 Data Bus Bit 11 140: +5V +5v DC 66: D10 Data Bus Bit 10 141: SYSTEM1 Ground 67: D9 Data Bus Bit 9 142: SYSTEM0 Ground 68: D8 Data Bus Bit 8 143: /xRxD 69: GND Ground 144: /xTxD 70: +5V +5v DC 145: /CONFIG OUT 71: D7 Data Bus Bit 7 146: AUDIO GND Audio Ground 72: D6 Data Bus Bit 6 147: AUDIO L Left Audio 73: D5 Data Bus Bit 5 148: AUDIO R Right Audio 74: D4 Data Bus Bit 4 149: +12V +12v DC 75: D3 Data Bus Bit 3 150: -12V -12v DC Signals marked "--" are shown not connected on the schematics. Signals with no description are still present - I couldn't find the name. Pins 1 to 8 are marked Reserved but are shown connected to the Address Bus at invalid bits. @endnode @node "pinouts_extfloppy" "External Floppy Drive Port Pinout" @prev "pinouts_serial" @next "pinouts_mouse" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Floppy Drive Port ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,----------------------------------------, Female DB23 \\ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 / \\ 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 / '-----------------------------------' 1: /RDY Disk Ready 13: /SIDE Select Disk Side - 0 Upper 2: /DKRD Disk Read Data 14: /WPRO Disk is Write Protected 3: GND Ground 15: /TK0 Position Head over Track 0 4: GND Ground 16: /DKWE Disk Write Enable 5: GND Ground 17: /DKWD Disk Write Data _ 6: GND Ground 18: /STEP Step Head - Pulse ( _| ) 7: GND Ground 19: DIR Sel Head Direction - 0 In 8: /MTRXD Disk Motor Control 20: /SEL3 Select Drive 3 9: /SEL2 Select Drive 2 21: /SEL1 Select Drive 1 10: /DRES Disk Reset 22: /INDEX Disk Index Pulse 11: /CHNG Disk Removed 23: +12V +12v DC (160mA Max) 12: +5V +5v DC (250mA Max) Pins 8-10 and 16-21 are Open Collector @endnode @node "pinouts_ide" "Internal IDE Pinouts" @prev "pinoutsindex" @next "pinouts_intfloppy" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Internal IDE Header ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Male 44-DIL Header ,------------------------------------------------------------------, | 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 | | 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 | '------------------------------------------------------------------' 1: _RESET Drive Reset 23: _IOWR IO Write 2: GND Ground 24: GND Ground 3: D7 Data Bit 7 25: _IORD IO Read 4: D8 Data Bit 8 26: GND Ground 5: D6 Data Bit 6 27: WAIT IO Channel Ready 6: D9 Data Bit 9 28: -- 7: D5 Data Bit 5 29: -- 8: D10 Data Bit 10 30: GND Ground 9: D4 Data Bit 4 31: _IDE_IRQ Interrupt Request 10: D11 Data Bit 11 32: -- 11: D3 Data Bit 3 33: A1 Address 1 12: D12 Data Bit 12 34: -- 13: D2 Data Bit 2 35: A0 Address 0 14: D13 Data Bit 13 36: A2 Address 2 15: D1 Data Bit 1 37: _IDE_CS[1] IDE CS 1 16: D14 Data Bit 14 38: _IDE_CS[2] IDE CS 2 17: D0 Data Bit 0 39: _IDE_LED Drive active LED 18: D15 Data Bit 15 40: GND Ground 19: GND Ground 41: +5V +5V DC 20: -- 42: +5V +5V DC 21: -- 43: GND Ground 22: GND Ground 44: -- @endnode @node "pinouts_intfloppy" "Internal Floppy Drive Pinout" @prev "pinouts_ide" @next "pinouts_expansionslot" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Internal Floppy Header ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Male 34-DIL Header ,---------------------------------------------------, | 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 | | 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 | '---------------------------------------------------' 1: GND Ground 18: DIR Head Direction 2: _CHANGE Disk Change 19: GND Ground 3: GND Ground 20: _STEP Step the Head 4: _IN USE Disk Access LED 21: GND Ground 5: GND Ground 22: _DKWD0 Disk Write Data 6: -- 23: GND Ground 7: GND Ground 24: _DKWE0 Disk Write Enable 8: _INDEX Disk Index Pulse 25: GND Ground 9: GND Ground 26: _TRK0 Head Over Track 0 10: _SEL0 Select Drive 0 27: GND Ground 11: GND Ground 28: _WPROT Disk is Protected 12: _SEL1 Select Drive 1 (?) 29: GND Ground 13: GND Ground 30: _DKRD Disk Read Data 14: -- 31: GND Ground 15: GND Ground 32: _SIDE Side Select 16: _MTR0 Motor Control 33: GND Ground 17: GND Ground 34: _RDY Disk Ready @endnode @node "pinouts_mouse" "Mouse / Joystick Port Pinout" @prev "pinouts_extfloppy" @next "expansionindex" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Mouse / Joystick Ports ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,------------------, Male DB9 \\ 1 2 3 4 5 / \\ 6 7 8 9 / '-------------' Mouse Light Pen Digital Joystick Analogue Joystick 1: V-Pulse -- /Forward Button 3 2: H-Pulse -- /Back -- 3: VQ-Pulse -- /Left Button 1 4: HQ-Pulse -- /Right Button 2 5: Middle Button Pen Press -- Pot X 6: Left Button /Beam Trigger /Button 1 -- 7: +5v +5v +5v +5v 8: GND GND GND GND 9: Right Button Button 1 Button 2 Pot Y Not all buttons are compulsory in all devices @endnode @node "pinouts_parallel" "Parallel Port Pinout" @prev "Pinouts_video" @next "pinouts_serial" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Parallel Port ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,------------------------------------------, Female DB25 \\ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 / \\ 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 / '-------------------------------------' 1: /STROBE Strobe 14: +5V PULLUP +5v DC (10mA) 2: D0 Data Bit 0 (LSB) 15: --- 3: D1 Data Bit 1 16: /RESET Reset 4: D2 Data Bit 2 17: GND Signal Ground 5: D3 Data Bit 3 18: GND Signal Ground 6: D4 Data Bit 4 19: GND Signal Ground 7: D5 Data Bit 5 20: GND Signal Ground 8: D6 Data Bit 6 21: GND Signal Ground 9: D7 Data Bit 7 (MSB) 22: GND Signal Ground 10: /ACK Acknowledge 23: GND Signal Ground 11: BUSY Busy 24: GND Signal Ground 12: POUT Paper Out 25: GND Signal Ground 13: SEL Select @endnode @node "pinouts_power" "Power Input Pinout" @prev "pinouts_clock" @next "pinouts_video" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Power Input Pinout -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5-pin square DIN Female ,----,_,----, | 1 4 | | 3 | | 2 5 | '-----------' 1: +12v DC 2: Shield Ground 3: -12v DC 4: Ground 5: +5v DC Pin 2 is directly connected to the connector shield. @endnode @node "pinouts_serial" "Serial Port Pinouts" @prev "pinouts_parallel" @next "pinouts_extfloppy" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Serial Port ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,------------------------------------------, Male DB25 \\ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 / \\ 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 / '-------------------------------------' 1: SHIELD Shield Ground 14: --- 2: TXD Transmit Data 15: --- 3: RXD Recieve Data 16: --- 4: RTS Request to Send 17: --- 5: CTS Clear to Send 18: AUDI Amiga Audio In (Right) 6: DSR Data Set Ready 19: --- 7: GND System Ground 20: DTR Data Terminal Ready 8: CD Carrier Detect 21: --- 9: +12V +12v DC (20mA Max) 22: RI Ring Indicate 10: -12V -12v DC (20mA Max) 23: --- 11: AUDO Amiga Audio Out (Left) 24: --- 12: --- Speed Indicate 25: --- 13: --- @endnode @node "pinouts_video" "Video Port Pinouts" @prev "pinouts_power" @next "pinouts_parallel" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Pinouts - Video Port ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,----------------------------------------, Male DB23 \\ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 / \\ 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 / '-----------------------------------' 1: /XCLK External Clock 13: GNDRTN Return for /XCLKEN 2: /XCLKEN External Clock Enable* 14: /PIXELSW Genlock Overlay* 3: RED Analog Red** 15: /C1 Clock Out* 4: GREEN Analog Green** 16: GND Video Ground 5: BLUE Analog Blue** 17: GND Video Ground 6: DI Digital Intensity* 18: GND Video Ground 7: DB Digital Blue* 19: GND Video Ground 8: DG Digital Green* 20: GND Video Ground 9: DR Digital Red* 21: -12V -12v DC (10mA) 10: /CSYNC Composite Sync* 22: +12V +12v DC (100mA) 11: /HSYNC Horizontal Sync* 23: +5V +5v DC (100mA) 12: /VSYNC Vertical Sync* Pin 13 can be considered Digital Ground Signals marked * are 47 Ohm Signals marked ** are 75 Ohm @endnode @node "floppypowerpinouts" "Floppy Drive Power Port Pinout" @prev "pinouts_power" @next "pinouts_parallel" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} Internal Floppy Power Pinout --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,---------, | Accelerator Male Polarised 4-pin | 1 2 3 4 | V Slot '---------' 1: +5v 2: GND 3: GND 4: +12v @endnode @node "pinoutsled" @prev "pinouts_power" @next "pinouts_parallel" @toc "pinoutsindex" @{" " link "main"} LED Connector Pinouts ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5-pin SIL Male ,-----------, | Accelerator | 1 2 3 4 5 | V Slot '-----------' 1: Power LED 2: Floppy Access LED 3: Hard Drive Access LED 4: Key (No Pin) 5: Common Ground @endnode @node "powersupplyinfo" "Power Supply Information" @prev "powersupplyindex" @next "powersupplyprobs" @toc "powersupplyindex" @{" " link "main"} Power Supply Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- At first glance the power supply shipped with the A1200 seems to be identical to the A500 model before it. It is actually not as powerful as the A500 version, as it supplies exactly 3A on the +5v rail compared to 4.5A on the older model. The -12V and +12V supplies differ as well. Why Commodore decided to give its more powerful, more expandable new machine a smaller supply is beyond me, but whatever the reason the fact is that you need a better one. Well, you do if you have any kind of serious setup. They usually get flakey with a 030 board and a 3.5" hard drive, but as always with Commodore's manufcaturing record that's no guide. A while ago I converted a batch of PC power supplies for people with dodgy supplies on an exchange basis, and of the 6 I got back no two were the same. Some 1200's were running A600 supplies, some had PCB's twice the size of others. The 5-pin square DIN plug is a rather special design. It's shared with the other smallbox Amiga's, but no other device uses it. I did have the address of a company in America who were selling them for $4 each, but unfortunately it was mislaid. I would welcome a source of these items. @endnode @node "powersupplyprobs" "Power Supply Common Problems" @prev "powersupplyinfo" @next "pinoutsindex" @toc "powersupplyindex" @{" " link "main"} Power Supply Common Problems ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{i} Help! My Computer keeps crashing, but only with my HD/RAM board plugged in@{ui}. You are experiencing what's known as Commodore Cheapness. The power supply that came with the 1200 was of a lower rating than the A500, and bizzarely of a lower rating than even early A600's. Get a new one - either an aftermarket 200W one or a A500 supply might cure it. @{i} My supply makes a whining sound when it's on at the plug but not at the supply switch - is it dangerous?@{ui} Not really dangerous to you, but your Amiga is very susceptible to power spikes. If a transformer is on the way out, which a noise like this points to, it could shoot some large currents into your machine. See if you can get it repaired - most of the components are quite common. @endnode @node "editor" "About the Editor" @prev "intro" @next "credits" @{b}About the Editor@{ub} Oh, right, it's me. Umm, My name is Chris Appleton, and I've had exactly no experience of commercial computer repair, I've never done a course in it and I don't get paid for anything like it. So why do it? Believe it or not, I like writing stuff like this. I reckon it's my way of doing some good. I'm only 17, and I got my first 1.3 A500 back when I was 11. I swapped it for a A1200 in late 1993, and since then I've hacked it into a tower case with an 68040 and a CD-Rom drive. It's kinda cool, but I'm addicted to hacking it. A little by-line of mine is writing. So little I, ummm, set up a WWW magazine with a couple of mates. You can catch my inane dribblings on Pure Amiga at http://www.pureamiga.co.uk/. If you have any questions, contributions, error reports or gold bullion you can reach me at @{b}chris@fuchal.demon.co.uk@{ub}. @endnode @node "credits" "Credits" @prev "Editor" @next "available" @{b}Thanks to:@{ub} My wonderful beta testers, who hopefully prodded this guide until all the errors fell out. @{i}Philip Ayres Warren Block Katy Appleton, spellchecker extrordinaire@{ui} @{b}Contributors@{ub} @{i}Warren Block, for the A1200 Hardware FAQ references and the monitor info. All the really great people who spent ages describing their accelerators @{ui} @{b}And those who didn't know they contributed...@{ub} @{i}The guy who posted A1200 Schem's to Aminet :) Commodore + AT for a great machine ( ) @{ui} @endnode @node "misc_clockheader" "That Mystery Clock Header" @prev "miscindex" @next "keyboardmatrix" @toc "miscindex" @{" " link "main"} That Shortened "Clock" Header ------------------------------------------------------------------------- P9A and P9B Just below the Chip RAM you'll see a little header. It's only use is to connect an aftermarket Real Time Clock unit. So why are there another 18 unused solder holes next to it, and why does the header start at pin 19? :::::::::::::::::::::: P9A ,-----------, U16 | | :: Empty Solder-holes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | U19 @{bg shine}::@{bg back} Header '-----------' :::::::::@{bg shine}:::::::::::::@{bg back} P9B Here's what I think: Early on in the A1200 development it wasn't decided how much memory it would have on-board. Above the memory chips is another blank row of holes. An expansion could have been designed to piggy-back over the on-board memory, however it is unlikely that it would have provided more chip RAM - as with the A4000's Free-Sex-And-Beer jumper which was originally designed to give 8mb Chip RAM, the changes to the custom chips were never made and they reverted back to 2mb. On the schematics, the full two rows are shown, and most of the connections are to the data bus and the address bus. There are also connections to the DRAM Data Bus. All a bit heavy for just a clock header? Hmmmmm :) BUT! Don't go trying to connect anything to it, will you? Unless you like your 1200 as part of a fry-up..... Those who went for 8mb Chip RAM on their 4000's regretted it, you will to. So what can connect to it? The HyperCOM serial devices, that's what. I haven't seen one yet, but apparently they are super fast serial and parallel devices which connect here. The serial port has a 64-byte buffer, good for (allegedly) 4000kbps! There are a number of versions available with different combinations of serial and parallel ports. Try this information (I hope it's right!) Email: vmc@amicon.east.de Support BBS: ++49-6205-392066 @endnode @node "zorroinfo" "Zorro Busboard Information" @prev "zorroindex" @next "miscindex" @toc "zorroindex" @{" " link "main"} Zorro Boards Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You may have worked out that the main difference between the A1200 and the A4000 is the 1200's lack of Zorro slots. So we can't use graphics cards, extra HD controlers, cheaper SCSI and so on. Well, some companies have tried to change all this. They have designed, in conjunction with a tower case, a Zorro busboard which usually provides 5 Zorro slots (and sometimes a Video slot?). Sounds good? It usually is. There are hundreds of compatibility problems. Because the 1200 expension slot is just short of being a full Zorro slot (albeit the wrong sex), compromises have to be made. Also you'll have to buy a huge tower case to use it, the cost for these is often twice the price of a A1200, even without the motherboard. Finally, some A1200 cards won't work when there is a Zorro busboard present, such as the Blizzard 1260. But is it worth it? Probably not at the minute. You pay a large sum of money for Zorro-2 slots which may or may not work with the card you had in mind, have to rebuild your 1200 into a case and then find out your expensive accelerator won't work (possibly). Or for the same overall price you could get a medium spec secondhand A4000 with Zorro-3, then sell your A1200. You choose. @endnode @node "ramcardinfo" "Ram Card Information" @prev "expansionindex" @next "020cardinfo" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}RAM Card Information@{ub} RAM Cards are the basic type of board. Usually they let you add memory via a standard 72 pin socket, and often they have an FPU socket too. Some older boards, which date from the time of the first 1200, have only memory on-board with no sockets. An FPU added to this board will make only a marginal difference to the 020. It will make no attempt to speed up games, or anything like normal screen redrawing. It will only speed up maths-intensive operations, like raytacing. This is because a program has to use FPU commands to use the unit, therefore a FPU-specific version has to be used instead. Some boards, especially early ones, have problems with memory address mapping in that it overwrites the PCMCIA slot with more than 8mb on board, rendering it useless. @endnode @node "020cardinfo" "68020-based Card Information" @prev "ramcardinfo" @next "030cardinfo" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}68020 Card Information@{ub} 68020 cards contain a faster processor, but of the same type that the A1200 has internally. Usually they run at 28mhz, twice the old speed. They also contain a 72-pin SIMM socket, and they sometimes have a built-in FPU which is separate from the CPU. They make a good starting point into the world of accelerators, they are fast enough for most simple operations, and give the OS a little bit of oomph. @endnode @node "030cardinfo" "68030-based Card Information" @prev "020cardinfo" @next "040cardinfo" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}68030 Card Information@{ub} The 68030 is the next step up from the A1200's internal processor. Cards with this processor on usually have at least one 72-pin SIMM socket, and either a PGA (Pin Grid Array) or PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier) FPU socket, or in some cases both. Speedwise it's quite a step up from the 14mhz 020, although for screen redraws and the like you still aren't trying to outrun AGA. However it can be fast enough to require 70ns SIMMs, so make sure you get these for it. Beware of overclocked CPU's - the 68020 was produced in 20mhz, 28mhz, 40mhz and 50mhz flavours, and later 33mhz was added. However, many manufacturers assume (correctly, in most cases) no-one is going to read the processor before they install it, and many 28mhz 030's came with overclocked 20mhz processors. Also, the EC version exists which doesn't have an MMU, but many manufacturers won't or can't tell you if a specific board has the MMU or not before you buy. And many EC marked CPU's have a part-working MMU which seems like a fully functioning one, for example it might run well enough to run VMM. @endnode @node "040cardinfo" "68040-based Card Information" @prev "030cardinfo" @next "060cardinfo" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}68040 Card Information@{ub} The 68040 is probably the biggest step between processors. Although numerically speaking it's only "10" away from an 030, when it comes to speed it'll seem like "100". the biggest difference is that the 040 comes with both a FPU (68882) and MMU built into it. Therefore you can run virtual memory programs, and raytrace faster than a speeding bullet. There is much less demand for overclocking the 040, and so manufacturers only offer 25mhz and 40mhz versions - these are the speeds that Motorola rate them at. The 040 runs very hot, because although it has stacks more power than an 030, it's crammed into a unit only about twice the size (remember there's an FPU and MMU in there too), and it still runs on 5v technology. Hence you@{b}will@{ub} need a fan. @endnode @node "060cardinfo" "68060-based Card Information" @prev "040cardinfo" @next "viper1" @toc "expansionindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}68060 Card Information@{ub} The 68060 is the top of the range of Motorola Processors. It's based on the 040 in that it too includes a FPU and MMU, but it uses 3.3v technology so even after running Imagine for a week you won't need to fan-cool it. Basically, it's really fast but really expensive. @endnode @node "help" "Help with the A1200 Hardware Guide" @prev "contents" @next "index" @{b}@{u}Help:@{uu}@{ub} AmigaGuide® Buttons: Contents: Changes with page content Index: Takes you to the main alphabetical index Help: Da-dah! Browse: Attempts to go through guide in order. @{b}In the Contents Page:@{ub} Click on the section you need. Most lead to other indexes, a few directly to pages. Contents: No effect. @{b}In the section menus:@{ub} Most have at least 3 sections - Information, frequently asked questions and common problems. Some have more, and some have related sections. Contents: Main Contents @{b}On the Information pages:@{ub} Click on the top-left box to return to the very first menu. Contents: TopicIndex This guide supports SearchGuide. Wherever you see a @{"Search" system "run searchguide A1200Hardware.guide"} button, you can click it to search for a specific topic. You must have SearchGuide installed for this to work, it is included in the original archive (see @{"Availability" link "available"}) or look on Aminet in text/hyper. Buttons marked @{"FAQ" link "A1200HardFAQ.txt/main"} will take you to the A1200 Hardware FAQ, by Warren Block. This will only work if the FAQ is in the same directory as this guide, and named "A1200HardFAQ.txt". When pressed from a specific area, it will take you to the related section within the FAQ. @endnode @node "index" "Alphabetical Index" Wny not try @{"Search" system "run searchguide A1200hardware.guide"}ing? @{" 68020 Card Information " link "020cardinfo"} @{" 68030 Card Information " link "030cardinfo"} @{" 68040 Card Information " link "040cardinfo"} @{" 68060 Card Information " link "060cardinfo"} @{" A1200 Specific Problems " link "1200prob"} @{" Apollo 1240 Reference " link "apollo1240"} @{" Apollo 1260 Reference " link "apollo1260"} @{" Availability " link "available"} @{" Blizzard 1230-IV Reference " link "blizzard4"} @{" CD-ROM Drive Information " link "cddriveinfo"} @{" CD-ROM Drive Problems " link "cddriveprobs"} @{" Clock Header Pinouts " link "pinouts_clock"} @{" Credits " link "credits"} @{" Disclaimer " link "intro"} @{" Drives Index " link "drivesindex"} @{" Expansion (CPU) Slot Pinouts " link "pinouts_expansion"} @{" Expansion Board Index " link "expansionindex"} @{" Editor, About the " link "editor"} @{" FAQ, A1200 Hardware " link "a1200hardfaq.txt/main"} @{" Floppy Drive Index " link "floppydriveindex"} @{" Floppy Drive Pinouts, Internal" link "pinouts_intfloppy"} @{" Floppy Drive Pinouts, External" link "pinouts_extfloppy"} @{" Floppy Drive Problems " link "floppyprobs"} @{" Floppy Drive Info, External " link "extfloppyinfo"} @{" Floppy Drive Info, Internal " link "intfloppyinfo"} @{" Floppy Drive Power Pinouts " link "floppypowerpinouts"} @{" Hard Drive Index " link "hddriveindex"} @{" Hard Drive Information " link "hddriveinfo"} @{" Hard Drive Problems " link "hddriveprob"} @{" History of the A1200 " link "1200hist"} @{" IDE Port Pinouts " link "pinouts_ide"} @{" Introduction " link "intro"} @{" Keyboard Matrix " link "keyboardmatrix"} @{" LED Connector Pinouts " link "pinoutLED"} @{" Microbotics M1230XA Reference " link "m1230xa"} @{" Miscellaneous Index " link "miscindex"} @{" Motherboard " link "motherboard"} @{" Monitors Index " link "monitorsindex"} @{" Monitors Information " link "monitorsinfo"} @{" Monitor Problems " link "monitorprobs"} @{" Monitors Types " link "monitortypes"} @{" Mystery Clock Header " link "misc_clockheader"} @{" Parallel Port Pinouts " link "pinouts_parallel"} @{" Pinouts Index " link "pinoutsindex"} @{" Power Input Pinouts " link "pinouts_power"} @{" Power Supply Index " link "powersupplyindex"} @{" Power Supply Information " link "powersupplyinfo"} @{" Power Supply Problems " link "powersupplyprobs"} @{" RAM Card Information " link "ramcardinfo"} @{" Serial Port Pinouts " link "pinouts_serial"} @{" Video Port Pinouts " link "pinouts_video"} @{" Viper 1230 Mk1 Reference " link "viper1"} @{" Viper 1230 Mk2 Reference " link "viper2"} @{" Zorro Board Index " link "zorroindex"} @{" Zorro Board Information " link "zorroinfo"} @endnode @node "keyboardmatrix" "The Keyboard Matrix" @prev "misc_clockheader" @next "main" @toc "miscindex" @{" " link "main"} @{b}The Keyboard Matrix@{ub} This applies to the GB keyboard, but on each row the keys are listed left-to-right, so you know which key replaces it on other keyboards - for example the blank keys on GB. One notable change from earlier keyboards, which does not lie in the matrix as such, is the lack of multiple-key rollover. This annoys most users - speed typists have to keep their speed down, and most annoyingly gmaes have to have silly keys to avoid the fact that two keys on the same row cannot be pressed together. @{b}Layout:@{ub} Row Key Connects Pins | Row Key Connects Pins | Top Esc 7 to 15 | 2nd 12 to 30 F1 7 to 17 | 3 to 15 F2 7 to 18 | Z 3 to 16 F3 7 to 19 | X 3 to 17 F4 7 to 20 | C 3 to 18 F5 7 to 21 | V 3 to 19 F6 7 to 23 | B 3 to 20 F7 7 to 25 | N 3 to 21 F8 7 to 26 | M 3 to 22 F9 7 to 27 | , 3 to 23 F10 7 to 28 | . 3 to 24 5th ' 5 to 15 | / 3 to 25 1 5 to 16 | 6 to 30 2 5 to 17 | Btm 13 to 30 3 5 to 18 | 14 to 30 4 5 to 19 | 3 to 27 5 5 to 20 | 10 to 30 6 5 to 21 | 8 to 30 7 5 to 22 | 8 5 to 23 | Numberpad 9 5 to 24 | 0 5 to 25 | Top 2 to 28 - 5 to 26 | 7 to 29 = 5 to 27 | ( 7 to 16 \ 5 to 28 | ) 7 to 22 3 to 28 | / 7 to 24 4th 1 to 15 | * 4 to 15 Q 1 to 16 | 4th 7 4 to 25 W 1 to 17 | 8 4 to 21 E 1 to 18 | 9 4 to 17 R 1 to 19 | - 4 to 29 T 1 to 20 | 3rd 5 to 29 Y 1 to 21 | 4 4 to 26 U 1 to 22 | 5 4 to 22 I 1 to 23 | 6 4 to 18 O 1 to 24 | + 4 to 16 P 1 to 25 | 2nd 1 to 29 [ 1 to 26 | 3 to 29 ] 1 to 27 | 2 to 29 1 to 28 | 1 4 to 27 3rd 11 to 30 | 2 4 to 23 2 to 15 | 3 4 to 19 A 2 to 16 | 4 to 24 S 2 to 17 | Btm 0 4 to 28 D 2 to 18 | . 4 to 20 F 2 to 19 | G 2 to 20 | H 2 to 21 | J 2 to 22 | K 2 to 23 | L 2 to 24 | ; 2 to 25 | # 2 to 26 | 2 to 27 | @endnode