User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:48 am

Let’s sort this out.

The onboard-driver is in the EEPROM and requires some jumpers to be set. As the previous owner already had that installed, I assume the jumpers are set correctly.

For the advanced, software-based driver, you need to execute the „Phoenix“ command. It depends on one prerequisite, though. You need resident RAM, i.e. a RAM that can survive a reset. Reason being, the driver installs itself with this command and in order to become effective, needs to reboot. If there is no RAM that survives a reboot, that will obviously lead to a restart-loop or apparently even to a crash. You could try to execute the command at any time after boot from CLI, though. It will install the driver and reboot.

Same for the driver that requires the hardware-mod. Only it will be ignored in case the hardware is missing.

User avatar
jamesyoung

Posted Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:29 pm

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It makes much more sense now. I'm probably not going to activate the polled-pbscsi driver, and just continue using the phoenix pbscsi driver, as it takes a while to boot and having to wait for it to boot twice is going to annoy me. When the rest of the parts for my bluescsi arrive, I might install it as the BlueSCSI is much faster than my 2gb seagate.

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:50 pm

You could try to find a Buddha Flsh Phoenix edition. It was a limited Production run of the Buddha IDE host adaptor that you could equip with an expansion port adapter so that it would fit exactly behind the front panel.

Much faster and would allow e.g. CF cards or so.

User avatar
jamesyoung

Posted Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:59 pm

I have a PiStorm coming from archi-tech. Not sure whether to put it in the stock A1000 or the Phoenix. I don't think I'll find a phoenix buddha for less than a pistorm.

User avatar
Mickatroid

Posted Sat Mar 11, 2023 5:33 pm

Hi Amiga Love and Intric8. I have recently built up a Phoenix board into a display case. Details of it are in my blog: Benjamin's Bench Phoenix Board Build

Image

My blog post has plenty of information for Phoenix board tinkering :D It seems Intric8 that you got all the original floppies you were after, if not I can help.

I joined these forums to share this, though have read stuff on here for quite a while including this Phoenix stuff, thanks. Happy to be here.

Can discuss the build here in this thread or can start a fresh one. Was not sure which way to go as a newby here.

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:41 am

Hi Mickatroid,

that’s a great setup there!!
The cabling is well done and the board looks like factory-new. Even the sticker on the front slot looks untouched!

Is it one of the original boards from the 90ies or one of 2006 runs?

It looks like you put a LOT of effort into this. The result looks great.

Are you planning to put some upgrades into it? Like an accelerator or an Indivision??

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sun Mar 12, 2023 7:17 am

Impressive build, Benjamin. Thanks for sharing. (It probably deserves its own thread tbh - it's amazing.)

Curious - you made the top of your case with some rubber feet on the top like you might stack something on top the thing. Almost like a small table. Is that what you do? What do you put above it?
Attachments
feet.jpg

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:28 pm

I tried posting the fancy build above to Reddit, but in typical head-scratching Reddit gatekeeping it hasn't been well-received for some reason. Utterly baffling to me. :?

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:26 pm

Hi mickatroid,

by the way I see still two unpopulated options for the Kickstart 😉.

I solved the Kick-dependent selection of the boot drive by checking for exec.library. It seems a bit more robust with regards to the question, how much the Kicks and Workbenches differ from each other.

If you’re interested let me know.

User avatar
Mickatroid

Posted Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:55 pm

Thanks :)

intric8: I noticed the default picture on Reddit is a weird one, maybe that is the problem? If I can help with a fix let me know. Reddit is something I really only lurk on.

The rubber feet on the top are to turn the whole apparatus upside down. The bottom of the board is interesting too. I pulled them off though, they are ugly. I will just have to be careful about how I set it down.

Do you still need an early revision floppy? Does my WB install process help?

McTrinsic: Two Kickstarts will do for now :) I would like to see how you check the exec.library. That said what I have done seems to work just fine for discriminating between KS1.3 and 3.1. This is an original board from the 90s (thanks for asking I updated the blog). The sticker is something I made on the Dymo ;)

I have a 50mhz derringer 030 and a bracket to mount it vertically on the right. It will go on a ribbon cable adapter. The problem I had with it is that the MB socket would not grip the 68000 end of the adapter. I have a few different ideas about what to do with the nuclear option being to try and adapt the white socket on the board to an A2000 processor slot or 68000 socket. That last option though is something I would need help with.

For now I am just using that MAST 2meg fast RAM expansion. Honestly though I don't want to remove it yet. The fast RAM activity LED on it is too cool.

No indivision, I have an AGAMkII in my rack mount 1200 also hidden away on that blog and while it works well it is not a favourite peripheral. With the phoenix board having a video slot I am going to go with an A2000 RGB2HDMI, that is what the three buttons on the left are for. Just need to find a pi Zero...

It has been a huge amount of work, I am in Australia though and this thing is local gold. I have added some more detailed photos to the blog too.

PS: Hyperlinking text on these forums is non-trivial compared to my beloved home forum (Overclockers Australia). I have done it a few times now. Do I win a prize?





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