Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!wuarchive!uunet!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: GVP Impact Series II problems...
Message-ID: <17174@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 7 Jan 91 17:28:21 GMT
References: <6721@crash.cts.com>
Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 53

In article <6721@crash.cts.com> johns@pro-graphics.cts.com (John Silvia) writes:

>I called GVP, and when I finally called and didn't get their phonemail system
>and got a human, I explained the problem, and the guy told me that more than
>likely, the memory on my 030 board is detected by the GVP board, and the GVP
>board is trying to load it's firmware into 32bit ram to run faster, and the
>guy claims that the problem isn't in their board, but instead, in my Commodore
>2630 board (030 accelerator) since it's not making the ram available soon
>enough for the GVP hardware to use it.

That guy's is wigged-out!

The A2630 memory is normally autoconfigured.  Which means, the memory is
available at least by the time it's autoconfigured.  Since the A2630 is
guaranteed to be the first autoconfigured device in the system, you are
absolutely guaranteed to have that memory available by the time the GVP card,
or any other normal device sitting on the expansion bus, get it's chance at
being configured.

In fact, unless the GVP code is doing something really strange, you shouldn't
be able to notice the absence of that 16 bit memory until well after boot time.
The A2630 memory is not only configured first, it's also the first memory in 
the Fast memory list.  Which means, the 16 bit memory wouldn't be touched until
all the 32 bit memory is used up.  So your GVP card has more than likely been
using your 32 bit memory all along.

>Does anyone out there know about this problem, and maybe have a cure?  The guy
>suggested moving the board as far from the accelerator as possible, so that
>the timing cycles might possibly be extended a cycle or two to fix the
>problem.

I don't know the new GVP card from a hill of beans.  But it sounds to me like
the guy you're talking to is alluding to some known noise problem with this
card, even though he didn't say as much.  You can't extend the length of a
memory cycle even a little bit by moving a card around on the bus.  But you can
add a little bit of capacitance to that card, which tends to make noisy signals
a little less noisy.  Having the second card on the bus (that 16 bit memory 
card) will also increase the capacitance a tad.  None of these have any 
direct effect on the A2630 card, which is sitting on the other side of the 
A2000's bus buffers, on the local bus next to the 68000.  But a slightly flakey
Zorro II card can change its characteristics based on slot position and the 
existance of any other boards on the bus.  Like I said, I don't know anything
about the GVP card; you may have just as well run into a software problem of 
some kind.  But from what this guy said to you, it sounds like they have some
kind of a problem they're not telling you about.

>-- John Silvia

-- 
Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: hazy     BIX: hazy
	"Don't worry, 'bout a thing. 'Cause every little thing, 
	 gonna be alright"		-Bob Marley