A3000T Toaster PPC Build

Hello Amigans!

I have all the hardware and software in place to live out the dream I have of building out a tricked out A3000(T)!

I am an Amiga novice, albeit an enthusiastic one. Let me explain some of my goals. My wish is to install the Cyberstorm PPC 604e @233/060 @ 50 card I have on hand and have an SMP/PPC Amiga that may be upgraded to OS 4.0!

But the particular machine I am working with has 2.0.4 OS/ROMS. :( Not all is lost! I have access to a non-working (to my knowledge) A3000T mobo with 3.1 ROMS and fully populated RAM slots that I can salvage for use in my working A3000T.

I am very concerned, however, that due to my lack of experience I run the risk of turning my beautiful working (and extremely clean, I might add) A3000T into a very expensive doorstop in the process! Oh noes!

Here are some of the things that worry me. First up, is that I understand that while _some_ (presumably late model) A3000Ts have INT2 on the motherboard, others do not. Since my machine came with 2.0.4 ROMs is it natural to assume that my motherboard does *NOT* have INT2 and therefore would need the soldering modification? How, short of installing the PPC accelerator and having it not work, would one know whether it has or hasn't the INT2 function on the mobo?

Despite my other geek credentials, I am a soldering newb and fear what I might do to a motherboard were this one of my first soldering projects!

But if it came right down to it, I would attempt it. Does anyone know where I could find good instructions for soldering the INT2 mod for the A3000T specifically? All I can seem to find is for the A3000D!

That's concern number one. Number 2 is where may I find a good guide to installing ZIP ram on the net? I have tried popping it in on the "bad" motherboard as a test, but I have been unsuccessful, for fear of bending the pins (which seems quite easy to do).

I was also wondering if there was any good advice pertaining to turning the A3000T into a Toaster/Flyer combo or should this info be the same as for any Amiga basically?

Lastly is if I install the 3.1 roms before I install OS 3.1 or higher will the machine boot? Are the newer roms backwards compatible with the 2.0.4 OS? Does anyone out there have any good advice for extracting the 3.1 ROMS from the bad mobo and installing them on the good one?

Sorry to bombard, but I am really looking forward to getting my pet project going.

regards,
bluethundr