12 Apr
2003
12 Apr
'03
8:26 p.m.
Doc Shipley writes:
Hi.
I ran across an Amiga 2000 yesterday, with the front of the case
silk-screened "Video Toaster Powered". No cables, keyboard, docs, or
anything else, but the price was right.
You're kinda SOL without a keyboard as a PC keyboard will not interchange.
You can get an adapter that translates the keycodes from PC to Amiga and
then use a cheap PC keyboard for about the same price you'd pay for an Amiga
2000/3000 keyboard. The mouse is incompatible as well, and if you had the
keyboard you could work around that.
The motherboard is probably junk. The battery has
leaked and etched a
pretty large area, plus the GVP 030 accelerator (A3001) has dumped rubber
sludge on the board. The rubber button on the back of the board *melted*
and ran like hot fudge.
Does it boot up -- should give you a picture of a hand inserting a workbench
1.2 or 2.x disk out both the RGB and the composite video jacks.
http://amiga.resource.cx/gallery/A3001-50-back.jpg shows the button
intact. Beware; that's a half-meg pic.
There is a RAM-32 daughterboard, too, with 2x 4MB SIMMs,
http://amiga.resource.cx/gallery/A3001-RAM32.jpg
and a GVP SCSI hardcard with a 340MB drive and no DRAMs installed.
The Video Toaster boardset is labeled v1.0, but there's a sticker that
reads "Eval Board 08/90" It's cabled to a Faruodja Labs board, a
"Y/C
Separator Board"
That gives you s-video output --- seperates the chroma from the luminance
information, like on S-VHS recorders. A bit better video quality doing
things this way..
http://amiga.resource.cx/photos/photo.pl?id=ycp100
Also installed are 2 ISA cards by RGB Computers and Video.
These are probably TBC's needed for two tape inputs for the Toaster. They
only got DC power from the ISA buss.
http://amiga.resource.cx/photos/photo.pl?id=amilink
The short card I have has only 3 BNC connectors - positions 1. 3, and 5,
and the long card has only the bottom two.
Got me there.
I have another working 2000, so I could replace the
motherboard, but I'm
not sure I'd gain anything. I have a bunch of questions. I'm not really
an "Amiga person", so don't assume any reasonable level of prior
knowledge.
Where the heck is the video out?
The connectors on the Toaster should be Inputs 1-4 , preview, and video
output top to bottom. All inputs have to be sync timed to the #1 input,
which is the reference that the Toaster works from. The monitor has to be
RGB, attached to the DB23 ouput connector. Composite video is available at
the RCA jack, but is not color encoded (b&w)
Are there docs for the original VT? Software?
I don't have copies yet, but it is out there. You can get a CD ROM from
Newtek for $100 that has all the versions of the software.
I have an OpalVision, with documentation and
software. Which is the
better board for general futzing around? For animation & graphics?
Stick with the native gfx for general futzing/games/etc. The Opalvision and
other gfx boards just provide greater resolution/color resolution, and
usually feed a VGA/SVGA mornitor. Native video mode is NTSC rates RGB
analog output. You'll soon find out why Amigas needed a flickerfixer.
Any docs or software at all for the Amilink setup?
I'm sure there is -- might check aminet.org for anything pertinenet.
Are the SIMMs for the A3001 unobtainium? I have a
33MHz CSI "Derringer
030" in the other 2000, but I don't like the clearance between the top of
the accelerator and the drive bay - basically none. Plus, a 50MHz 68030
would be much nicer than a 33MHz. The hardware database page claims that
the RAM-32 board needs 4x 1MB SIMMs installed to use the 2 4MB sticks, but
this one just has 2x 4MB in the top two slots. Is the database page
smoking crack?
I think GVP-M still has those SIMMs available, as they used those in quite a
few of their products. They ain't cheap.
I haven't seen any pics or mention of the A2000
with the Toaster label
on front. I get the impression that this machine is pretty much original
- that it wasn't built a piece at a time. Anyone know anything about
that?
The Amigas with the Toaster racing stripe were OEM machines built by Newtek
and sold turnkey with whatever was needed to make things all work. The GVP
SCSI controller was needed for HD access, and the 030 made things a bit
livlier than the 7 mHz 68000 in the stock A2k.
Thanks. Any pointers or help would be appreciated.
Glad to help out there. I have 15 Toaster cards here collecting dust . . .
. .
Gary Hildebrand
St. Joseph, MO