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Documentation about the Vampire hardware

Vampire 1200, 4xEIDE'99 and M.2 and CD Drives (?)

Fair Fight14

Posts 11
07 Aug 2020 08:24


I've just got my Vampire 1200 yesterday, and I'm wanting to install it with my 240GB m.2 drive and external IDE CD drive.
   
    I've had the m.2 and CD working fine along with the 4xEIDE'99.
   
    From what I've read, there's an update coming to allow the Amiga's IDE and v1200 IDE working at the same time.
   
    I'd like to know if it'll be safe to hook up the 240GB drive to the v1200, and still have the CD working from the 4xEIDE'99?
   
    I've bought a long enough data cable to work all the way from the v1200, back towards where it would normally sit, but I might have to spin it around 180 degrees, and for it to be upside-down.
   
    Should I be worried trying such a thing? Of course the last thing I want to do, is destroy something.
 
  I have Kickstart 3.1.4 and Amiga OS 3.1.4.1 with the BestWB v1.3 installed.
 
  EDIT: I've installed the card, and put and SD card (FAT32) with the Kickstart 3.1.4 rom (512K) on there named kick.rom.
 
  TV is connected through RGB scart, not DIGITAL-VIDEO at this point.
 
  The m.2 is still hooked up to the 4xEIDE'99, with my old install on there. When I boot now, it just loads as far as saying "Workbench Screen" across the the top, and gives me a mouse pointer. Then that's it, no icons at all.
 
  If I cold boot with the install disk in, it loads the workbench from the disk, and shows me everything from the floppy, plus my Workbench HDD partition, but not the other two I have. If I use HDToolBox, it sees the other partitions.
 
  If I soft reset from this point, it again boots from the floppy, but I no longer see Workbench HDD partition, or any partition:
 
  Is there something else I'm supposed to be installing at this point? Or do I have to start again with a fresh install?
   
  PS: I know a m.2 240GB is too fast and huge, but hey, it's what I did for the fun of it. :)


Ronnie Beck
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 199
07 Aug 2020 12:26


Could perhaps clarify what it is you are asking.  There are several topics mixed into a single post.

Q1: I'd like to know if it'll be safe to hook up the 240GB drive to the v1200, and still have the CD working from the 4xEIDE'99?
A1: It might work but I have no means to confirm that.  In principle the A1200 IDE and V1200 IDE are entirely separate.  But I have no idea how these 4xEIDE devices work.  I don't see a risk in trying it though.

Q2: Should I be worried trying such a thing?
A2: Trying what exactly? Back to where "what" would normally sit?  I am afraid I don't understand what you are doing.  Generally speaking, long IDE cables should be avoided where possible.  The shorter the better.

Q3: Is there something else I'm supposed to be installing at this point? Or do I have to start again with a fresh install?
A3: First establish why your current configuration doesn't work before making new installations.  Simple trouble shooting such as checking that all drives are present in the early boot menu as well as booting without startup-sequence and attempting to loadwb step by step will help you see where things go wrong.  Also try reducing your setup to something simple like A1200+Vampire+1Disk, then slowly build it back up until it stops working.  This should help you narrow the problem to a limited number of possibilities.

I don't know this 4xEIDE device at all.  I don't know of a reason why it wouldn't work but I hope someone here with experience in such devices can say if it does or not.

In my mind it doesn't matter which port a device is connected.  But cable length can on occasion be problematic for some devices (CF Cards most notably) and can reduce IDE performance.


Fair Fight14

Posts 11
07 Aug 2020 12:46


Sorry I've got things a little bit all over the place in my questioning.
 
  Q1: The The 4xEIDE'99 is one of these - EXTERNAL LINK (Lots of Amiga online shops sell them, and have done for years)
 
  I've found another user who has one EXTERNAL LINK  they seem to have got it working with 3.1.4. So I'm still wondering why mine is halting.
 
  I bought the 4xEIDE'99, so I could have a HDD, and an external CD drive at the same time.
 
  Q2: I was meaning using a data cable, from the V1200, back to where one would keep a HDD normally in a 1200. I understand about data cables for HDDs, but sadly there wouldn't been enough space to put a m.2 anywhere else apart from where a HDD normally sits in a 1200. I'm wanting to use the faster speed of the v1200 IDE if possible.
 
  Q3: Thank you - I'll try that now. It still wouldn't boot.
I've done a fresh install to the m.2, the whole drive of 240GB can be seen. I've created a partition of just under 2GB. The Kickstart rom installed to the Amiga 1200 is 3.1.4. When everything is installed, and I reboot, I get the following:-

AMIGA ROM Operating System and Libraries
Powered by 68080 AMMX Apollo Team
Bring back 68k back!
Loading L:Shell-Seg failed: object not found
C:LoadModule failed returncode 10
1>

From there I'm completely stuck on what to do. I've read every page of the wiki to do with 3.1.4.


Ronnie Beck
(Apollo Team Member)
Posts 199
11 Aug 2020 12:05


And does L:Shell-Seg exist?  Maybe it just didn't get installed for some rason.  Check what is in there with the command "list L:Shell-Seg".  If it is missing, copy it from the floppy disks.

Is this just one driver that you have connected?


Knight Stone
(Needs Verification)
Posts 136/ 1
11 Aug 2020 19:55


please, don't think me rude for asking, but why one earth, would you need a 240GB drive? and also, how do you get an M2 drive, working on an IDE port? thanks.

posts 5