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From: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: 286 Bridgeboard
Keywords: bridgecards, 286
Message-ID: <599@cbmger.UUCP>
Date: 29 Nov 90 09:27:38 GMT
References: <24@microsoft.UUCP>
Reply-To: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Organization: Commodore Bueromaschinen GmbH, West Germany
Lines: 56

In article <24@microsoft.UUCP> timha@microsoft.UUCP (Tim HARRIS) writes:
>
>  This has probably been covered umpteen million times
>but bear with me and e-mail any comments.  I have had
>an Amiga now for about 3 years.  My current system is
>an 500 with 1Meg, hard drive and 2 floppies. 

There are systems like "ATOnce" with an 286 to be built into the A500. 
  
>  1. How much RAM can the 286 access?  Is RAM in excess of
>640K viewed as Extended or Expanded?

It comes with 1 MB. You can use SETUP to configure the upper 384 KB
as Extended RAM. You can plug in additional memory expansion cards.

>  2. What video mode is supported or emulated with this
>thing, standard VGA or worse.  Standard VGA is even the
>pits really but could do.

Sorry, it only provides CGA and Text, but you may put in an additional
VGA board, but then you also have to connect an additional monitor.

>  3. Does the DOS side use your standard 3" drives or do
>you need to put a 5" in?

No, it doesn't use the existing Amiga 3.5" drives. Normally it comes
with an own 5.25"/1.2 MB floppy, but you can also SETUP it to use
a common 3.5"/1.4 MB floppy.

>  4. Can you in any way share a hard disk or would you need
>a seperate DOS HardCard or something?

Yes, you can share either a PC/AT side HD and make up an own
partition on it for AmigaDOS, or you can share an Amiga side HD,
where you can set up a file as a pseudo HD partition for use 
under MS-DOS.

>  5. Has anyone run Windows on this beast and if so does
>it really work?  

I heard about problems with the mouse driver for Windows 3, but
don't know details. As I remember, older versions should do.

BTW, there is software to use the Amiga mouse as a MS compatible
mouse also on the PC side. Software is provided that enables you
to easily transfer files from PC to Amiga and back. The 2286 comes
with an own clock on board, but may choose to use the Amiga clock
through provided software. And the Amiga parallel port can be used
as normal LPT1: from the PC side. The serial port can't be used
from the PC side, you would have to plug in an I/O board. But be
sure to NOT use any of addresses or interrupts for COM2, these are
reserved for the internal PC/Amiga communication.

-- 
Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel  // E-Mail to  \\  Only my personal opinions... 
Commodore Frankfurt, Germany  \X/ {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk