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Emplant Reference
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The Emplant is a Zorro-II board that, in combination with the appropriate
software, makes it possible to emulate other computers on the Amiga system.
The Emplant hardware performs several functions. Sockets are provided for
both DIP- and SIMM-packaged ROMs (the ROMs of the "target" computer are
installed on the board, then copied to image files, then removed). Also
provided are two Macintosh-type serial ports and a basic, no-frills, non-
autobooting SCSI-1 interface based on the 53C80 SCSI chip. (There are also
empty sockets for audio digitizing chips on the Emplant board, but the
software has never been implemented.)
Dual serial ports and the SCSI controller are optional, and some models of
the board come without one or both of these options.
A "RsrvMem" command added to the the beginning of the startup-sequence sets
up the MMU for use with the Emplant board. If you wish to remove the
Emplant from the A4000, it's best to remove this command first, or getting
the machine to start may be impossible.
Early versions of the board came with "ST" brand serial chips, "LOGIC"
brand SCSI chips, or custom GALs with date codes earlier than 4693. All of
these chips caused problems; the serial and SCSI chips with their
respective ports, the GAL chips with general operation. Utilities Unlimited
has offered free replacements for these problem chips in the past. Contact
them at:
Utilities Unlimited International, Inc.
790 N. Lake Havasu Avenue #16
Lake Havasu City AZ 86403
(602) 680-9004 Sales
(602) 453-6407 Fax
(602) 680-9234 Tech Support
A commonly-defective -5V regulator on the A4000 motherboard can cause the
Emplant board to fail diagnostic tests and not perform properly in other
ways, including unreliable operation of AppleTalk devices. See the Common
Problems section on -5V Power Problems for more information.
The included diagnostic program is often a source of concern; reports
indicate that it doesn't work properly on PAL machines, and often it can't
locate the Emplant board, even if there are no problems. This may be a
problem specific to the A4000.
Board Layout
_________________________________________________________________
| JP1 __ _ JP6 _ RCA____ |___
| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx JP2 | | | | | | | | |
| ROM SIMM Socket ------------ | | | | | | | | ##| Serial
| | Autoboot | | | | | | | | | ##| Port B
| | Socket | | | | | | | | | |
| ------------ ---------------- | | | | | | | | ##| Serial
| | ROM/RAM | | ROM/RAM | JP3 |__| |__| |__| |____| ##| Port A
| | Socket-1 | | Socket-3 | JP4 _________________ |
| ------------ ------------ | 53C80 SCSI Chip | |# External
| | ROM/RAM | | ROM/RAM | JP5 |_________________| |# SCSI
| | Socket-2 | | Socket-4 | |# Port
| ------------ ------------ Internal SCSI Connector |#
|_______________________________________XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_JMP1_|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |
Jumpers
JP1: ROM SIMM Address Line Selection
Right: Default.
Left: ???.
JP2: ROM SIMM Write Enable
Right: Default (gated write select).
Left: Signal pulled up to +5V.
JP3: Auto-Boot ROM/SRAM Socket Power/Address Select
Upper: Supply power to 28-pin DIP.
Lower: Supply address line for 32-pin DIP.
JP4: ROM/RAM Socket 3/4 ROM/SRAM Socket Power/Address Select
Upper: Supply power to 28-pin DIP.
Lower: Supply address line for 32-pin DIP.
JP5: ROM/RAM Socket 1/2 ROM/SRAM Socket Power/Address Select
Upper: Supply power to 28-pin DIP.
Lower: Supply address line for 32-pin DIP.
JP6: Mac Emulation Audio Mode Select
Upper: Mono.
Lower: Stereo.
JMP1: SCSI Terminator Power Enable
On: Supply SCSI terminator power.
Off: Do not supply SCSI terminator power.
RCA: Input Connector For Audio Digitizing Circuitry
Converted on 02 Jun 1997 with RexxDoesAmigaGuide2HTML 2.1 by Michael Ranner.