Path: kernighan.cs.umass.edu!barrett From: steve@bh01.demon.co.uk (Stephen Bridges) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: Infinitiv Tower for A1200 Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Date: 10 Jun 1997 02:51:29 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 206 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <5niffh$u4v@kernighan.cs.umass.edu> Reply-To: steve@bh01.demon.co.uk (Stephen Bridges) NNTP-Posting-Host: liberation.cs.umass.edu Keywords: hardware, tower case, A1200, commercial X-Review-Number: Volume 1997 Number 5 Originator: barrett@liberation.cs.umass.edu PRODUCT NAME Infinitiv (A1200) Tower [Z-1i rev5.42 Busboard] BRIEF DESCRIPTION A kit that turns an A1200 into a "big box" Amiga, including; 5 Zorro II slots (2 inline with 2 PC-AT slots, 2 inline with 2 PCI slots and 1 inline with a video slot) 2 3.5" bays (both exit at the front) 2 5.25" bays (both exit at the front) 200W PC Power supply PCMCIA slot right-angled adapter COMPANY INFORMATION Name: Micronik Computer Service Address: BruckenstraBe 2 D-51379 Levenkusen Germany Telephone: +49 2171 7245 0 FAX: +49 2171 7245 90 E-mail: service@micronik.de World Wide Web: http://www.starbyte.de LIST PRICE 369.95UKP 29.95UKP / Extra 5.25" Bay Blittersoft 6, Drakes Mews Crownhill Industry Milton Keynes Bucks MK8 0ER United Kingdom SPECIAL HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS A1200 :-) A3000/AT102 (with adaptor) or Win95 Keyboard MACHINE USED FOR TESTING A1200 Blizzard 1230 (16MB SIMM) Blizzard SCSI (16MB SIMM) Picasso II+ MultiFace III 540 MB 3.5" IDE 214 MB 3.5" IDE INSTALLATION Where to begin? Well first; don't buy this product unless you are sure that you are up to gutting your A1200. I cannot emphasis this enough. I don't think this is the place to describe how to take your A1200 apart, so I'll start at the point where all you have left of your A1200 is the motherboard, floppy and hard drives. The kit is made entirely of a hardened plastic, which clips together with builtin clasps. The A1200 motherboard screws to a "sled" which slides into the back of the tower. The Zorro busboard is also on this "sled" and is attached to the motherboard at the CPU (trapdoor) connector, with a passthru for accelerators. There is an enclosed "box" on the "sled" and this has a ribbon coming out of it, this connects to the keyboard interface on the motherboard. On the outside of the "box" is a new/small PC keyboard connector, the type used for Win95 keyboards. Amiga specific keys are transposed on to the Win95 keys. Right, now is a good time to point out that at the moment the video slot doesn't work, as the lead that runs from the Zorro busboard to the motherboard isn't available yet. Also this sounds like a right kludge, as it attaches with "clips" to various pins on various chips on the motherboard, and some soldering is required I'm told. The installation went very well until time came for me to fit the accelerator, this is when I found that it was too tall to fit in the tower. It turned out that I needed an extra 5.25" bay, which snaps onto the top of the tower. This wasn't pointed out when I brought the kit, even tho' I told the salesperson that I had an accelerator. So beware. Also the accelerator needs to be fitted after the "sled" has been installed. This is a BIG job if you have a SIMM on the SCSI board as I have. The SIMM needs to be removed and the power supply needs to be moved while you install the accelerator/SCSI board. Then the SIMM can be reinstalled and the power supply moved back. To be fair if you only had an accelerator then it would be fairly easy. Right where does the SCSI socket exit? OK, you've guessed it, there isn't a hole for it. An extra thing is due anytime I'm told. This will enable me to put the side onto the tower, as this is the only way I can get the SCSI lead out of the tower at the moment. OK time for the drives. Ah! there aren't enough 3.5" bays (I've got 3 drives). Time to find an adaptor If you have a 2.5" IDE drive it would be safe to just let it sit on the bottom of the tower as it is all plastic. If you have a 3.5" IDE drive, you will need a long (~40cm) 44 to 40 pin ribbon cable as it needs to loop around the Zorro boards, that's if you want to install it in a 3.5" bay. And so on to the Zorro boards. Slot in the Picasso, and it doesn't fit, OK, try the Multiface, that doesn't fit either. ARGH!!!!! What is wrong is that the cutouts at the back are not really wide enough for the boards. This means the sockets at the back of the boards pull them out of the Zorro slots. It's a bit hard to explain but it means that the boards are at an angle to the slots and cannot be screwed into the tower :-( Oh! and by the way the instructions are ALL in German. REVIEW Well there isn't much of a review, as when it is all installed it works just like an A1200 with Zorro II slots. What more can I say. DOCUMENTATION If you're German I guess you'll be able to tell if it's any good or not. LIKES It works, after a fashion. DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS It's not right yet. There's not enough room for the accelerator, it gets very hot hard up against the side of the tower. The holes at the back for the Zorro boards need redesigning as they are not wide enough at the moment. There's nowhere for the SCSI lead to exit. All it needs is a new back to the extra 5.25" bay, with a hole for the SCSI socket in it. The video slot sounds like a complete nightmare to get working. And of course the manual needs translating VENDOR SUPPORT The UK distributors Blittersoft were very helpful WARRANTY I'd guess 1 year. CONCLUSIONS After I ironed out the many problems it is now happily working on my desk, so I'm fairly pleased. 3 out of 5 stars COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 1997 Stephen Bridges -- Stephen Bridges steve@bh01.demon.co.uk A1200T/A3000 "How do we tell the people in the white coats enough is enough" --- Accepted and posted by Daniel Barrett, comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews Web site: ftp://math.uh.edu/pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews/index.html