Prototype "Kasmin" 24bit Graphics Card

I have for sale a prototype Team 4 "Kasmin" 24 bit graphics card.

• Full 24bit PAL resolution
• 24bit RGB video framegrabber
• T800 Transputer driven
• Big Box Zorro Amiga only (I have one working on my A4000)

This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Amiga Video history.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7E...min1-small.jpg

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CARD NEEDS REPAIR
See photos - there is damage to some tracks above the main memory banks - you will need to bridge the damage with fine wire. I had planned to do this in my spare time, but so many years later I'm still waiting for that "spare time" to appear, it's time to pass this on.

The card shares a lot in common with the "Harlequin" graphics card (it needs the same "grafexa.library"). I can supply drivers with the card that will now work with the A4000 (thanks for fixing this Mick).

T800 Transputer! You know you want a Transputer in your Amiga!
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7E...min3-small.jpg

Brooktree video RAMDAC/Digitiser
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7E...min5-small.jpg

The damage needing repair
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7E...min8-small.jpg

I am asking £35 for the card as a collector's item (including postage within the UK - overseas postage at extra cost).

Hello, i would be interested, how much video memory does this card have if you know?
Thanks!

---------- Post added at 20:42 ---------- Previous post was at 20:27 ----------

PM sent declaring interest...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by salaxi54

Hello, i would be interested, how much video memory does this card have if you know?
Thanks!

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The card is capable of storing two full frames of RGB PAL (768 x 576) at 24 bit resolution... so that needs... quick maths....

(768 x 576 x 2 frames x 3 (R,G,B planes, 8 bits per frame)) bytes, or 2.5MB

Ian

Just out of curiosity, what rtg system can one use with this?

I´m very interested since
I´m a serious Amiga Collector since 1989.
I would like to buy this card.

greetings
zErec

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arnljot

Just out of curiosity, what rtg system can one use with this?

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Hi arnljot,

At the time of development, there was no common RTG. It uses the "grafexa.library" (several cards, like the Harlequin shared this common interface) but you can't redirect workbench onto the card - in fact you wouldn't want to as it's not high resolution.

It was primarily aimed at the professional video user who wanted high quality native video resolution (768 x 576) 24bit graphics (stills and animation) for overlays, weather broadcast, titles etc.

This card has more in common with the Quantel Paintbox in terms of it's design aims and ease/speed of use. Try scribbling with the spray tool in DPaint on a native Amiga, and then the Kasmin - the Transputer is used to accelerate these functions to the point where you could almost believe it's real!

Hope this helps,

Ian
If you've never heard of a Quantel Paintbox, see http://wapedia.mobi/en/Quantel_paintbox

OMFG!! :o

INMOS Transputer Chips. Those things use to be used on the Rapier Guidance Missile Systems. A dear old friend of mine was their I.T. Systems Manager in Bristol, UK.

Back in the early 90's, some company or other based in the Midlands were making a board to use Transputer Chips for Parallel Processing. Essentially, you threw a a ZORRO card into your Amiga & then crammed as many Transputer Chips you could get on there. They were even looking at external boxes from the Amiga with several ZORRO type cards each having loads of Transputer chips on them. :drool:

In terms of Ray Tracing processing power & only being armed with A3640's, we were both positively buzzing about the whole concept. Here I am now some 20 years on actually seeing an INMOS Processor on an Amiga Graphics card I have never seen before. I've stood outside the room where those Transputer Chips were being Batch Soak Tested. (Thanks Daz. :) )

I need to go & lie down......:inlove:

Kin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zerec

I´m areery interested since
I´m a serious Amiga Collector since 1989.
I would like to buy this card.

greetings
zErec

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Hi zEric,

you have 1st refusal if salaxi54 doesn't take it.

Ian.

@Salaxi54 - the card has a total of 32 x TC524256AZ-10 VRAM chips V1-V32. Google says that these are "262,144-Words x 4-Bits Multiport RAM". This would equate to 4MB if I've got my bits, words etc the right way round. There are in addition 8 memory chips M1-M8, but I can't read the chip ID.

Postage to Greece (signed for) would be an additional £8.67 (I sent a card to Crete a couple of weeks ago and this weighs about the same.)

Please let me know if you would like to take the card, or if not I can pass it on to zEric.

@dibs: Yes, i'll take it. If the postage price is final, let me know so i can complete the transaction from my part.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kin Hell

OMFG!! :o

...In terms of Ray Tracing processing power & only being armed with A3640's, we were both positively buzzing about the whole concept. Here I am now some 20 years on actually seeing an INMOS Processor on an Amiga Graphics card I have never seen before. I've stood in the room where those Transputer Chips were being Batch Soak Tested.

I need to go & lie down......:inlove:

Kin

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We had a Meiko array at Kent that had lots and lots and lots of juicy transputers all ready for parallel processing - if only I'd learnt Occam! (Too many distractions). The Unix boxes used to get hammered every night with DKBTrace though as my A500 never had the grunt to render more than a tiny preview.

I did warn people that I had some interesting Amiga hardware lurking in the loft! :) Only a few genlocks left after this though...