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[pawelkus]

Hi to amigans all over the world.

I would like to ask if any of you have an Apollo 630 turbo with 68030 @ 50MHz?

I have one bought 1994 from Elbox/PL but it operates @ 40MHz. I am courious if there are any technical differences between mine and 50MHz version - except the procesor and quartz.

[AMC258]

I guess if I were you, I'd swap out the oscillator and just see if it works. You could get a 50MHz 68030 pretty cheap too if you really wanted.

[Sir_Lucas]

He should remember about cooling if he dares to swap the oscillator.

[Matt_H]

There shouldn't be any differences. Just compare what yours looks like to the photos in the BBoAH or Amiga Hardware Database. Be aware of heat/cooling issues if you decide to upgrade your components, but I'd say a 10MHz boost probably isn't worth the hassle or risk.

[pawelkus]

I have already seen this sites. The pictures there show nothing more than I already have (40MHz versions).

Does any of you have factory made 50MHz version of apollo 630?

I do not want to make any upgrades until I am sure. Beside I have already ordered 68030 @50mhz . so for the processor there will be no risk. I do not want to harm the card...

I would be greateful for hints and photos.

[rkauer]

Many A630 owners (if not all of them) don't make the necessary hack on the board to provide direct power for it.

That's the major cause of overheat issues! Some simply put a pair of capacitors on the side of the board (and this only minimize the lock-ups).

[Mugo]

pawelkus wrote:
I have already seen this sites. The pictures there show nothing more than I already have (40MHz versions).

Does any of you have factory made 50MHz version of apollo 630?

I do not want to make any upgrades until I am sure. Beside I have already ordered 68030 @50mhz . so for the processor there will be no risk. I do not want to harm the card...

I would be greateful for hints and photos.

Hey Pawelkus,

I do have a factory 50MHz Apollo A630.

The only differences are indeed the processor and the oscilator.

Also, the 50MHz version doesn't have a FPU, as 50MHz 68882 are PGA, and not PLCC as foreseen in this board. If your 68882 is 40MHz, you can try it with the new configuration, but it's almost certain that you'll have unstability issues.

In my board the 68030 is soldered, not socketed. If you have to dessolder yours, be very carefull as this board is really fragile (i know it from experience !)

Finally, i second Matt H opinion that the gain is not really worth of the effort and risk of this upgrade.

Good luck anyways.

[pawelkus]

I have already noted problems with stability when my A600 was towerised. Even the 250W PSU from PC didn't help.

I have on the board small capacitor. It is there since I bought it. If there should be an additional power supply added directly to the card please support me with schematics, or at least photos with short description.

As I remember math DSP will not be very useful - since only raytrace software use it. Am I right?

PS. Just for information I use following configuration:
A600 rev 1.5
+1MB chip - without clock (no name)
A630 no math DSP
32MB simm (works as 16MB)
K 3.0 upgrade (made by HENS) without K-switch

Thats all - no HD, CD, etc (it will be added later).

In the begining I though that it was the issue of memory - but I ckecked with 8MB which works as 8MB with the same results.

[kolla]

rkauer wrote:
Many A630 owners (if not all of them) don't make the necessary hack on the board to provide direct power for it.

I've never read of such a hack, got more details? :-)

[kolla]

pawelkus wrote:
As I remember math DSP will not be very useful - since only raytrace software use it. Am I right?

No. First, it's not a DSP (digital signal processor), it's an FPU (floating point unit). Second, it's not just used by raytracers, lots of software supports the 68882 FPU.

[pawelkus]

Dear all,

I try to continue this thread in serious matter. So if you really know how to support A630 with electricity please be specific.

I also never saw this power hack.

Regarding the FPU (as I wrote wrong DSP) could you be also more specific? Which kind of normal, everyday use software uses FPU?

When my modification of the A630 will be ready I will also post pics. I plan to put MC68030-50 in to CPU socket - this way in any case swich of the proc. will be easy.

I kindly thank you for all your support - now and in the future.

[kolla]

pawelkus wrote:

Regarding the FPU (as I wrote wrong DSP) could you be also more specific? Which kind of normal, everyday use software uses FPU?

Datatypes for image decoding is the most obvious day-to-day usage. Any sound/image processing program will most certainly use it, spreadsheets, scientific programs, various encoders/decoders, packers/depackers. Really, there's lots of software with special versions for those with 68881/68882.

[Mugo]

There's no need to feed the board with extra power lines.

But you can replace the electrolytic capacitor, that's on the left side of the board (when the board is attached to the Amiga). These capacitors use to fail after some time, and as they are cheap, it's better to replace it as soon as possible.

Regarding the stability of the system, problems may raise from the way the board is connected to the A600. The best way to solve this is to fix the board to the Amiga in another way, sharing the mechanical stress that is originally only on top the connector that plugs on 68000. This mechanical stress is prone to cause bad contacts, even if you don't mess with the board. The heat alone is capable of cause problems in the socket contacts. Even worse is the fact that the socket don't fit the chip entirely, because it's plugging upside down . . .

About the FPU, few programs make use of this. If you use your A600 most for gaming, them you'll not miss it. You can always try to overclock a 40MHz chip, but you need to check it's temperature constantly. I think the main reason to the 50MHz version be a PGA chip, is because the PLCC plastic enclosure is not able to handle the temperature this chip can achieve.

You can also disconnect the FPU clock lines from the main clock on the board, and put another oscilator dedicated to this chip. This way you can put any FPU of any clock, and the matching oscilator. But you'll need some electronics knowledge to do that. Or some help and advice from someone experienced.

Also, note that a lot of the 50MHz 68030 chips have a faulty MMU, and this unit is onboard the processor. Seems that there's no way to diagnose this, except from use and failure. In oposition to the FPU case, the MMU is important for a lot of programs. WHDLoad is a good example. It works with no MMU, but it make good use if one is available. Not all of the installs need an MMU though.

[rkauer]

@Mugo:

I disagree with the "no need extra power lines". The whole accelerator board is feed by the tiny +5V "leg" from the A600's 68000!

There is why some ppl put that capacitor on the left side of it. Leave the capacitor in place, but add a pair of wires (GND and +5V) to it. This way you'll not have voltages drop-outs when in CPU-intensive tasks (or memory access).

If someone is worried by parasite currents (due the "dual" power feed), simply cut (yes, cut!) the original power feed from the 68000 socket!

For fixing (anchoring) the accelerator, I think the best way is putting a spacer under it (whit the right lenght!) and screw it to the motherboard (a good spot is one of the ancient IDE cradle's holes), like Jens did in the ACA630.

[Matt_H]

It seems like this important link hasn't made it into this thread yet. Lots of good advice there.