User avatar
tlgrooms

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:32 am

Hi all,
I recently was digging through storage of my old Amiga stuff and came upon a Creative Microsystems Kickstart eliminator board I purchased back in 1990 for my 1000. I never did get it installed into the machine as about the same time I got it I purchased an Amiga 3000. This board has a 1.3 kickstart rom on it and a 68000 16mhz cpu as well as an empty coprocessor slot, a couple of empty chip sockets and a battery for a real time clock looks like. I haven't been able to find a picture anywhere on he net of this exact board, just similar ones.

I was wondering if anyone has any info on it. I'd love to install it in my 1000 but not sure how to go about it as I seem to recall there are some modifications that have to be made to the 1000.

Tim
cmi-a1000fronts.jpg
cmi-a1000front2s.jpg

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:28 am

That right there looks like a really cool board! This one in particular has never hit my radar... it has now!

To have the Kickstart ROM + an accelerator + what looks like a battery backed up RTC hits most of the major buttons. The only piece it really lacks, if I want to be greedy, is a way to upgrade Agnus.

In any case, very cool. Thanks for sharing that. I'll poke around and see if I can find anything, too.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were some jumpers or wire leads to this and that required for use. I'm assuming it would need a CPU offsetter, too, and you'd keep the daughterboard installed? (Would be a tight fit!)

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:36 am

It sounds very much like this, but there are not photos.

What do you think? I'm guessing your board is a later revision. But if so, there are no instructions/manuals attached to the Big Book of Hardware, unfortunately. I'll ask around.

Have you ever downloaded and tried out that Utility Disk? It might have a readme file with some instructions.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:18 am

This here is the card. But still no instructions/manual. Still poking. And that link is for a really, really early version.

It does appear to be a destructive mod, if that matters at all to you personally. I'm guessing that even though your card has a lot more features, it would be installed the same way.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 10:06 am

This is pretty hard to read, but this is close.

It would help with the math coprocessor, and the 68000 (the no-brainer part). It wouldn't help with the daugtherboard/KS ROM. Gets you part of the way there, though.

User avatar
mattsoft

Posted Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:02 pm

Neat little board for sure. I had a PA-1000 and this is definitely not it. Back in the day, this would have been amazing to have! Great find!

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Apr 26, 2018 8:20 am

Making some progress here. Someone shot me a photo of this, which really looks like the board you have tlgrooms.
IMG_4732.JPG
Note how this guy still has the extra
This is in the possession and he even has a set of unused RAM chips.

Now if he'll scan the books (which would take time/effort) I think you'll be in business. Fingers crossed.

User avatar
tlgrooms

Posted Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:04 am

Intric8,

Thanks for all the info! I don't believe mine has ram expansion of any kind tho. Not sure what the 2 chip sockets are for.
Some of the documentation said something about replacing a pal chip with the one provided. If I ever had one it is long gone.
So I may be unable to use this. I am fortunate in that I have 4 working 1000s. I purchased a couple of extras back when Commodore was taking keyboards as trade ins on new purchases. Left a glut of 1000s at cheap prices and I bought a few for friends at AmiExpos back in the day.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:13 am

You're totally welcome. I enjoy walking through the history of these old bits of hardware. I really do. I learn a lot along the way.

Your card had so many variations...

But it doesn't matter. The manual shown above includes the KS ROM part, which is the only piece that would be complicated to install. Those instructions would be identical to your board. I do believe it would require sourcing that chip, though, which may be tricky indeed. But even if the KS ROM part doesn't ever get to working again, the accelerator part still could if you want to double your original HP. I would think that card would still request the KS floppy if the KS ROM isn't installed. And the RTC clock should work, too. 2 very cool little upgrades for any 1000.

User avatar
BloodyCactus
Lexington VA

Posted Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:28 am

The biggest problem there is the PAL chip...





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