Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Forums
« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)  (Read 7508 times)

Description:

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline bbond007Topic starter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2009
  • Posts: 1517
    • Show only replies by bbond007
Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« on: August 04, 2011, 03:20:47 AM »
I have a A1200 with 68030/40 mhz Subway USB with 4 ports, exIDE with CF (or 2.5" SATA drive, can't remember which I have installed without opening the case) adapter and SATA adapter one external SATA port.

Anyway I bought this Fast ATA MK IV thinking it was going to be smaller. Anyway, now I'm having second thoughts if I even want to try install it. It just seems like maybe something that would be better in a towered A1200. I read the instructions and it looks like the RF shielding has to go, which means my current strategy where everything is attached to the RF shielding via Velcro has to change. Also, just forgot, I don't know what I did with the stock IDE mount. I just know its lost.

Elbox only has info about the on the FastATA 1200 MK-III on their page which does not inspire confidence in and of itself.

*** The recommended configuration is: Amiga 1200 in the Mirage 1200 tower case, any 68060 (or PPC with 68060) turbo card with 32MB RAM ***

Does anyone have one of these things? Is it going to be a PIA to make this fit?

Is it that much better than stock on a slow CPU? The only requirement I meet is that I do have 64MB RAM :)

Can it really support larger HDs? Could I use the whole 8GB of my SSD?

Is it flaky like most elbox stuff?

Is it going to interfere with an Indivision AGA if I can ever get my hands one on of those?

Does it disable the existing IDE interface?

What is the difference between this and the Fast ATA MK III?

Was the Fast ATA MK III any good?

Should I sell it? I could use the money something else...

Did I ask too many questions?

Thanks,

-nate
« Last Edit: August 04, 2011, 03:28:51 AM by bbond007 »
Logged
 

Offline Franko

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 5707
    • Show only replies by Franko
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2011, 06:10:42 AM »
I've been using the FastATA MKIII for many years now along with the SubWay USB device, all I can say is I would NEVER go back to using an Amiga without them... :)

To answer some of your questions... :)

Yes you have to remove the shielding (but I do this in all me A1200's anyway) however even then fitting it in an original "wedge" desktop A1200 can be a very tight fit especially when lowering the keyboard back into place. I really think it's best used in a towered A1200 like I use... :)

Even on a stock 020 A1200 HD read/write access should be at least twice the speed of the motherboard IDE header, on an 030 A1200 expect at least  5.6MB/s transfer speeds at PIO4... :)

Yes it can easily support very large HD's...  I've been using two 500GB HD's (even tested it with a 1TB SATA HD) and two CD/DVD ReWriters on these boards for many years now and never lost one partition let alone a bit of data... :)

Can't answer the question "does it disable the existing motherboard IDE header" as I've never really tested it, not sure why you would want to use the motherboard IDE header when you have four high speed connections on the FastATA anyway... :)

Like I say the FastATA is in my opinion one of the best pieces of kit you can ever add to an A1200, the only difference between the MKIII & MIV as far as I can tell is, even faster read/write speeds and PIO5 is now stable... :)

Should you sell it... NO... give it a try first and see the difference it makes for yourself, fast disk speeds, CD/DVD burning, easy to add very large HD's... :)

Too many questions... nah... not enough... ;)
Logged
 

Offline NovaCoder

Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2011, 07:43:23 AM »
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed.   The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster  :)

« Last Edit: August 04, 2011, 07:47:02 AM by NovaCoder »
Logged
Life begins at 100 MIPS!


Nice Ports on AmiNet!
 

Offline fitzsteve

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Join Date: Feb 2010
  • Posts: 362
    • Show only replies by fitzsteve
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2011, 09:01:06 AM »
Hi bbond007 :)

Quote from: bbond007;652925

Does anyone have one of these things? Is it going to be a PIA to make this fit?

I have a PowerflyerGold and a FastATA MkII in my A1200's, one I have in a Towered setup under a Mediator PCI and the other in my Deasktop(Gaming) A1200 in both cases I've had no trouble fitting mine, RF shield has to be removed though.

One thing to mention, I had to modify my Subway USB's clockport cable slightly for it to fit on the Clockport but you can buy a riser socket from Amigakit.  (I just sanded the plastic down a bit to get a fitment)

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Is it that much better than stock on a slow CPU? The only requirement I meet is that I do have 64MB RAM :)

My Desktop is 030 (Blizzard 1230) and my Tower is 060/PPC and I get similar speeds 4.7 to 5.6mb/sec depending on PIO (3/4) on both machines, so no a lower end CPU isn't an issue.  Native IDE will be pushing 1.7-2mb/sec tops.

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Can it really support larger HDs? Could I use the whole 8GB of my SSD?

Yes, I'm using a 40gb HDD on mine, remember you need to use a file system that supports large partitions like SFS/PFS3 though.

Until you install the driver you wont see partitions outside 4gb unless you have patched SCSi Device.  AFAIK the FastATA splits the large drive into lots of virtual 4gb drives to overcome this barrier...

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Is it flaky like most elbox stuff?

I've had no issues with either of mine, even stuffed under the Mediator my MkII has been 100% reliable and has had a lot of use!

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Is it going to interfere with an Indivision AGA if I can ever get my hands one on of those?

I'm not 100% sure, I think you may need Rom Risers, in this case the FastATA might touch the Keyboard in a Desktop setup.  Best wait for someone who has both to confirm, I'm IndiAGA'less :(

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Does it disable the existing IDE interface?

Yes, it is a replacement to the onboard IDE so without any drivers installed it will act as the onboard scsi.device, you need to connect a cable to one of the onboard IDE pins.

Quote from: bbond007;652925
What is the difference between this and the Fast ATA MK III?

New Firmware/Mach Chips to support OS4.1 Classic

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Was the Fast ATA MK III any good?

Yes, I used to have one and regret selling it as it's supported by OS4.1 Classic, sadly my MkII isn't :confused:

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Should I sell it? I could use the money something else...

Up to you, if you wanted to trade against my MkII/PowerFlyer + Cash since you don't need OS4.1 Support I'h happily send mine your way plus £45 cash :)

As you don't have OS4.1 is shouldn't make any difference for you - of course you wont have a brand new unit plus warranty anymore but performance shouldn't be much if any different and all my kit is 100% working.

Quote from: bbond007;652925
Did I ask too many questions?

Thanks,

-nate

Not at all, we're here to help :)

Steve.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2011, 09:05:25 AM by fitzsteve »
Logged
 

Offline Franko

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 5707
    • Show only replies by Franko
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2011, 12:22:29 PM »
Quote from: NovaCoder;652947
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed.   The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster  :)


Not true...

The FastATA boards only need you to set the correct PIO speed in an easy to use preference editor and it works easily with any problems... ;)

Doubt very much that IdeFix Express would beat any FastATA Board, typical speeds of 5.6 to 6.2Mbs at PIO 4 and with even faster if you can get hold of an HD that can handle PIO 5 speeds (Most high speed CD/DVD Writers work at PIO 5 on my FastATA MKIII)... :)
Logged
 

Offline nicholas

Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2011, 01:55:40 PM »
Quote from: NovaCoder;652947
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed.   The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster  :)


Does anyone know a rough ETA for the SATA-Fix Express boards? I'm holding off on buying a FastATA MkIV but the wait is getting tiresome..........
Logged
“Een rezhim-i eshghalgar-i Quds bayad az sahneh-i ruzgar mahv shaved.” - Imam Ayatollah Sayyed  Ruhollah Khomeini
 

Offline bbond007Topic starter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2009
  • Posts: 1517
    • Show only replies by bbond007
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2011, 08:28:30 PM »
Thanks Franko!

Quote from: Franko;652934
Can't answer the question "does it disable the existing motherboard IDE header" as I've never really tested it, not sure why you would want to use the motherboard IDE header when you have four high speed connections on the FastATA anyway... :)

I actually asked the wrong question but you gave me the answer I was looking for. I was really wondering if the FastATA becomes the primary controller or if you were still required to boot off of the on-board IDE to load a driver for the FastATA

Quote from: Franko;652934
Even on a stock 020 A1200 HD read/write access should be at least twice the speed of the motherboard IDE header, on an 030 A1200 expect at least 5.6MB/s transfer speeds at PIO4...

That is much better. Right now I know I only get about 1MB/sec with my CF and around 900K/sec with my SSD. Strangely enough, my BluRay writer on the SATA port gets around 1.6MB/sec.

Quote from: Franko;652934
Like I say the FastATA is in my opinion one of the best pieces of kit you can ever add to an A1200, the only difference between the MKIII & MIV as far as I can tell is, even faster read/write speeds and PIO5 is now stable...

I'll hang on to it for now and see if I can arrange the innards so everything fits. I will say that if it comes down to a decision between the FastATA and the Indivision AGA (if I ever get one), I'll pick the Indivision. Right now I don't use the 1200 much because I have some vision issues and even with the AmigaManiac SVIDEO adapter its way too stressful on my eyes.

Thanks,
-nate
« Last Edit: August 04, 2011, 08:43:51 PM by bbond007 »
Logged
 

Offline bbond007Topic starter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2009
  • Posts: 1517
    • Show only replies by bbond007
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2011, 08:39:34 PM »
Quote from: NovaCoder;652947
They are a bit of a pain in the ass to install, and can also be a pain in the ass to get working a decent speed.   The easy option is to either grab an IdeFix Express (>4.5 mb/s) or wait for the new SATA enabled IdeFix Express which should be even faster  :)

Is that different from the adapter I'm currently using?

4xEIDE'99 interface

http://www.buy.elbox.com/cgibin/shop?info=510EX4

Thanks
-nate
« Last Edit: August 04, 2011, 08:43:28 PM by bbond007 »
Logged
 

Offline mfilos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Aug 2005
  • Posts: 662
    • Show only replies by mfilos
    • http://mfilos.blogspot.com/
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2011, 09:06:15 PM »
Quote from: bbond007;653063
Is that different from the adapter I'm currently using?

4xEIDE'99 interface

http://www.buy.elbox.com/cgibin/shop?info=510EX4

Thanks
-nate
Yes it is.
Idefix Express has a Gayle adapter that take's advantage of it's signals and it's a LOT faster than the one you're using or the standard Idefix interface.

Slightly slower than FastATA that can be really picky with HD's. Personally I only found a Samsung HD of mine that worked fine under PIO4. Best bet with all other disks and every other CF was PIO3.
Logged
Visit my Amiga blog here
- A600: Vampire V3, 128MB, A604n, 16GB CF, Indivision ECS, RapidRoad, MAS-Player + Custom Audio Mixer (internal), HxC SD + Slim floppy (internal)
 

Offline Franko

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 5707
    • Show only replies by Franko
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #9 on: August 04, 2011, 09:40:37 PM »
Dunno where folk get the idea that the FastATA is "picky" with HD's as it's just not true...:furious:

Over the years I've used many different brands of HD's (and CD/DVD Writers) with it and never had one problem with the FastATA board I've used Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, Maxtor, IBM, Mitsibushi, Western Digital and even unbranded HD's. All worked fine with no problems whatsoever... :)

You can of course use SATA drives too using a SATA to IDE adpter with both the FastATA & 4xEIDE boards I've done so myself on both these great products by using a cheap (£14.99) StarTech Bi-Directional SATA/ IDE adapter... :)

SATA/ IDE Bi-Directional Adapter

Dunno if you lot have commission on this IDEfixExpress but all I can tell you is the Elbox FastATA and 4xEDIE are quality made products that have never given me any problems in years of use... :)
Logged
 

Offline Darrin

  • Lifetime Member
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2002
  • Posts: 4430
    • Show only replies by Darrin
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2011, 10:07:35 PM »
@ Franko:

I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the **** do you get the ****ing thing to stay in the ROM sockets?  That ****ing piece of ****ing tiewrap isn't worth the **** it is made out of.  :D
Logged
A2000, A3000, 2 x A1200T, A1200, A4000Tower & Mediator, CD32, VIC-20, C64, C128, C128D, PET 8032, Minimig & ARM, C-One, FPGA Arcade... and AmigaOne X1000.
 

Offline amigakit

Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2011, 10:20:00 PM »
We offer a compatible SATA adapter/cabling with the FastATA MKIV as a product option for a low price (£12).  No need to source it seperately elsewhere.

The FastATA supports larger hard disks- it was the only adapter that I could use with my 1TB drive and my new 2TB drive.
Logged
www.AmigaKit.com - Amiga Reseller | Manufacturer | Developer

New Products  --   Customer Help & Support -- @amigakit
 

Offline delshay

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2004
  • Posts: 1009
    • Show only replies by delshay
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2011, 11:04:14 PM »
if you remove the stars i will post how too get a good connection with FastATA.
Logged
-------------
power is nothing without control
 

Offline Darrin

  • Lifetime Member
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2002
  • Posts: 4430
    • Show only replies by Darrin
Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2011, 11:12:31 PM »
@ Delshay:

I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the smeg do you get the smegging thing to stay in the ROM sockets?  That smegging piece of smegging tiewrap isn't worth the smeg it is made out of.  :D
Logged
A2000, A3000, 2 x A1200T, A1200, A4000Tower & Mediator, CD32, VIC-20, C64, C128, C128D, PET 8032, Minimig & ARM, C-One, FPGA Arcade... and AmigaOne X1000.
 

Offline NovaCoder

Re: Fast ATA MK IV question (A1200)
« Reply #14 on: August 05, 2011, 12:45:50 AM »
Quote from: Darrin;653088
@ Delshay:

I've got a FastATA in my A1200T too (and never had any issues), but how the smeg do you get the smegging thing to stay in the ROM sockets?  That smegging piece of smegging tiewrap isn't worth the smeg it is made out of.  :D


Like I said then, a pain in the bum ;)

I had a go a fitting one myself a few months back and almost destroyed my 3.1 ROMS trying to fit the FAST ATA whereas the IdeFix Express was basically plug-and-play.
Logged
Life begins at 100 MIPS!


Nice Ports on AmiNet!
 
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up
« previous next »