Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

SkydivinGirl

Retro Girl
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Dec 16, 2008
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Hey Everyone!

I received my Indivision 4000 in the mail yesterday from AmigaKit! I was, needless to say, extremely excited to get it installed in my A4000 Desktop. I’d like to share my experience with all of you so you can get a better idea of the installation process and the product itself.

The box the Indivision 4000 comes in is the generic Individual Computers box that all the products I have purchased from them have come in. Included in the box are:

- Indivision 4000 Board with an attached grounding wire
- DB15 VGA Connector that connects through a ribbon cable to the Indivision 4000
- English Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Short Manual
- German Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Short Manual

[attachment=5:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.001 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
My first gripe would have to be the fact that a VGA slot plate was not included for mounting the VGA port in an empty slot on the Amiga 4000. I’m fairly certain buying a batch of these plates would have cost next to nothing and would have had a negligible impact on the weight of the product. I can understand why one was not included for the A1200 because there was not a pre-existing product that could have been used but there really is no excuse in this instance.

I ended up removing the plate from an old ATI Rage XL PCI card that I had stored away. When I can find an extra plate from a dead video card, I’ll swap it around.

[attachment=4:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.002 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
Here’s the DB15 VGA Port after connecting it to the plate.

[attachment=3:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.003 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
Here are a couple “Before” pictures. My Amiga 4000 is just about stock. I purchased this machine from tone007 here on AmiBay and it was in excellent shape and included all the drive slot plates. Since receiving the machine, I have installed a Buddha Flash Phoenix Edition IDE controller, an internal IDE terminator, a DVD drive and Iomega Zip Drive. The Buddha comes with a 2.5” IDE connector and a 3.5” IDE connector. As you can see in the image, I used a 2.5” to 3.5” converter because all my IDE devices require the larger cables.

[attachment=2:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.004 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
A side view of my machine with the Lisa chip plainly visible just below the card slots. My Amiga has the HP Lisa.

[attachment=1:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.005 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
Installation of the Indivision 4000 was, quite literally, a snap. I was a bit concerned about installing the Indivision because it connects the same way a PS2 solderless mod chip that I tried to install connects. On the PS2, the connector did not line up accurately and the result was some broken pins on the chip and a dead machine.

Fortunately, the Indivision 4000 is made of higher grade materials and the connector hugs the chip like a glove, making it virtually impossible to misalign. After putting a firm amount of pressure on the marked location, the Indivision 4000 snapped onto the chip with a satisfying click. I was surprised as well by the thought that went into making this device. There are holes in the Indivision 4000 that correspond to jumps that are located on the A4000 motherboard, giving you easy access to the jumpers without having to remove the Indivision 4000.

I next attached the Ground wire and installed the DB15 VGA connector and everything looked great!

[attachment=0:1bx3bu68]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.006 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:1bx3bu68]
 

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Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Here’s a quick look at the back of the machine with the DB15 VGA Port installed.

[attachment=4:ix1cpkgh]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.007 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:ix1cpkgh]
After double checking my installation, I quickly put the machine back together and attached a Hyundai L91A 19” LCD monitor to test everything. The first screen that came up was the Kickstart screen. The hard drive I have installed doesn’t spin up very fast so I always get this screen when I first turn on the system. A quick <Ctrl> + <Amiga> + <Amiga> and the system boots up from the HD.

[attachment=3:ix1cpkgh]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.008 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:ix1cpkgh]
The difference in the video quality is immediately apparent. The following screenshot is a 640x480 interlace screen mode. As you can see, the image is rock steady and there is absolutely no banding whatsoever. For some reason, the screen is not being stretched to fill the monitor and the automatic adjustment on the monitor moves the Workbench screen to the bottom left corner of the monitor. I manually adjusted the location but could not find the screen size adjustments on the monitor.

About the only other weird issue is when you move the pointer. The pointer flashes a little as if the Flicker Fixer is not keeping up with the movement of the mouse. I did not run an animation on the desktop yet, but I will do so to find out if it occurs there as well.

[attachment=2:ix1cpkgh]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.009 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:ix1cpkgh]
The only other test I had time to do last night was to run a demo. Since I’m running ClassicWB 3.9, I ran the State of the Art demo that is included with ClassicWB. All I can say about the performance is Wow! The demo filled the screen and ran smooth as silk. Again, there was no banding and the quality was great.

[attachment=1:ix1cpkgh]Indivision Install 2009-04-06.010 [1280x768].JPG[/attachment:ix1cpkgh]
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The next step is to install the HighGFX package and the Indivision 4000 tools. I’ll update this thread to let everyone know how it goes.

Despite a few minor gripes, such as the software not being included in the package, I’m extremely happy with the Indivision 4000 and would recommend it to anyone who wants to use a modern day monitor on their Amiga 4000.

I’d love to hear from someone who has installed the Indivision 4000 in a CD32!

Thanks!

Heather
 

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Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Heather

Superb Tutorial, Excellent Hardware pr0n & a great result. :D

Modes to have a play with are
640x512 PAL HighRes Laced
HighGFX 1024x768 Laced. This mode should fill the LCD screen :wink:

The VGA Output Bandwidth is pretty good too so the text is very clear even at 1024x768
I totally agree regarding the blanking plate :?:

Be-interested on your longterm findings especially when the system has been running for a few hours.
Alice in my A4000 seems to be temperamental unfortunately & is causing me issues no end, I've even added extra cooling, stability has improved but still not right. :(

Nice Article though, I really enjoyed reading it and about time we got to see the beasty :wink:

TC :mrgreen:
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

looks good heather i like naked pic's

i have one of them port plates if you want it

james
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Where's Zetr0 when we need him to burst with joy here? ;)
/me loves hardware pr0n too!
... not to mention that SpaceBalls demo 8)
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@TC

I'll put it through its paces and take notes on the different resolutions. I'll also let it run for a while. I could stand playing Zak McKracken for a few hours! :wink: I'll post my findings here. I'll be very happy if it is anything like what I've already seen.

Too bad about your Alice chip. :(

@JimBob005

I really appreciate the offer but I'm sure I'll run into one here at some point. No need to ship a fairly common part halfway around the world. :D

@Shoonay
I also enjoy some good hardware pr0n and SpaceBalls is one of my favorite Amiga demos. I could not find the other lens for my camera so the images are not as clear as they could have been. They didn't turn out too bad though.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

Heather
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

nice !!! I am jealous! :mrgreen:

PS. you can avoid passing the IDE cables _above_ the busboard metal holder by using the special cut the busboard has for that reason (so the cables go between the holder and the busboard)

a4000daughterrevb.jpg


also may ask why you use a Buddha? for the clockport? dead onboard IDE port? I have one and it offers no speed increase... don't get me wrong, I am just curious :)
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Thanks for this guide.

I was going to do the same thing before I sold my A4000D but decided I wasn't as bothered for a stock A4KD.

Just wish we had a thread like this for CD32 owners! 8)

The dilemma is though if you don't have a stock (as opposed to massive upgrades: 060/RTG/AHI) A4000D then the Indy just isn't as appealing, as relying on Chip Ram for screenmodes wouldn't be quite as desirable as the RTG modes.

And CD32 owners have a different problem: the Indy would only really come into its own with some fast ram and a HDD controller. And the SX32 is out of the question for most of us.

Shame.
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

still, the IndivisionAGA 4000 makes a perfect companion for RTG cards like CV64, PiccoloSD64 or PCI busboard owners... whdload till yer fingers bleed!
just remember to adjust the Indivision to display 50fps for smooth scrolling (there is an option in the indivision config tool that needs to go from 1.20 to 1.00 for this)
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@keropi

I have never taken the metal bar off the top of the daughter board so I honestly did not realize there was a slot there! That will definitely be done when I get home! Thanks for the tip.

As for the Buddha, I knew I would not get an increase in speed but it did give me additional IDE ports and it came with a legal version of the Elaborate Bytes IDE software. It wasn't until after I got the Buddha that I found out the EB IDE software only works with devices attached to the Buddha. I was planning on running my DVD drive from the internal IDE connector.

If I were to do it again, I would probably spend the money on a SCSI card or fast IDE card.

@PhillipMcD

I really enjoyed putting this post together, so it was my pleasure! I also have a CD32 but, as you say, without something like an SX32, it would be a bit of a waste for me to put it in there. I guess I'll keep using my CD32 as a console. However, I would also like to see pictures of someone installing the Indivision in one!

Take care,

Heather
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

yes too bad about the buddha+idefix lock down... one other drawback is that if you do not have something connected to the onboard IDE (be it a drive or an IDEkiller) you just have to wait ~30secs extra to boot :evil:

PS. also another hint, behind the RCA audio outputs there is a header where you can connect the cdrom audio output (I did not knew it too, I saw it on one of the german A4000's I got over the years :mrgreen: )
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@keropi

Well I'll be damned, I never noticed the slot in the daughterboard for the cables either :LOL:
CD Connector at back is very useful, now that I did know :LOL:

BTW Heather has an IDE Terminator for the onboard IDE to stop the delay.

@Heather

I thought the Buddha had both 44pin & 40pin Headers for IDE channel 0, If so use the 40 save you having to use an adapter...

@all

Still Farting about with my A4000 tonight & Indivision to try & get the best cooling / stable operation for the system.
It's a pain in the neck, the cooling easily solves the tearing & striping when using SuperHires or HighGFX 1024x768 laced in fact it's perfect in these modes now. :D
All Lo-Res Games modes are perfect too as are HAM modes. :D
It's just standard 640x512 PAL or 640x256 PAL that shows up random screen corruption on occasion when it's redrawing the screen (open / close windows). :?:

I'm going to leave it alone for a few days before I chuck it out the window :LOL:

Where's Zetr0 when I need to bounce some ideas off him.......help

TC :mrgreen:
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@TC: what about using hot-glue to fix a 40x40mm fan on top of the indivision so it sends air through the lisa holes on the pcb?
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@TC

You are correct, I have the IDE terminator installed. I am using both the 44 Pin and 40 Pin headers. The 44 Pin Header with the converter is running the hard drive and the 40 Pin header is running the DVD drive and Zip drive.

Ciao!

Heather
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

keropi said:
@TC: what about using hot-glue to fix a 40x40mm fan on top of the indivision so it sends air through the lisa holes on the pcb?


I thought it was LISA at first too so I sat a fan on top of the socket blowing air throughthe holes.

It turn's out that it's ALICE that need's more ventilation as there is not much air clearence between the Indi PCB and ALICE & the Indi get's particularly hot in that area.

I've currently got a PIII style fan stuck on top of the Indi on the left side with double sided foam pads, half of the fan is over lapping the top edge of the board so air is forced between the Indi & A4000 Mobo.
Look's sad but it's the best result I've had so far even though std Hi-res modes are displaying this corruption, It Seem's to get more upset when Multicolour Icons are being redrawn, ie higher RAM bandwidth being used.

I currently have an 8MB SIMM sat in the ChipRAM socket & have tried 2 different types, I wonder if it would be better with a real 2MB RAM SIMM ?? But I don't have one :(

Thanks for your suggestion though, keep em coming my friend :wink:

TC :mrgreen:

/goes off to continue banging head against the wall
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

hmmm.... post a pic TC!!!
There is no difference when using a 8MB SIMM for chipram, but if you like IIRC I have some 2MB sticks somewhere... perhaps I send a couple to you? :mrgreen:
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Could this be the answer :woot:

Mod and tests to be carried out in the next day or two :wink:

Oh sorry, and for you technically minded nosey lot, :laugh:
It's a 1K resistor between +5V and the CCK line which raises the peak to peak amplitude of the clock signal to over 4 Volts, Without it the signal swing is 3.4V

TC 8)
 

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Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

@TC

I knew I should have taken some electronics classes!

Please keep us updated! Very cool stuff! :p

Ciao!

Heather
 
Re: Indivision AGA 4000/CD32 Installation

Cheers Heather :thanks:

I should point out that the above is totally experimental, :run:
It is NOT a mandatory mod of any kind and is something that I am trying out, I can not advise anyone to mod their Indivision4000 in this manner.

Best Wishes
TC :D
 
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