News from Acube/SAM460 at VCF ???

Hello,

Browsing threads about the last meeting and I haven't found lots of news about Acube and their SAM460.

The only thing I have found is they develop a Mpeg decoder card (or addon). I think It's @djrikki who have said that on an amigaworld forum.....

On lecta picture, there are a card on the white port and on a picture, look like a SAT controler and on another one, seemed to be a gfx card (but not sure).

- The miniPCI gfx card will be selling as stardard ???
- How much SATA at the same time finally with SAM460 ???
- Someone could explain his experince when touching the SAM460 on the show ???

others informations about SAM460 really appreciated

@Mrodfr

And the most important question of all:

Where and when can I order this neat LAmiga- and RAmiga-A keyboard sticker!!!!

Acube will come back tomorrow and in the next days you will find all the infos on the site, so be patient only few days..

I am sure they will surprise all of us once again

@nubechecorre

Trevordick communicate verry wel with us and It's verry great but IMHO, It's not the case for Acube.

Also, I think most people has more seen X1000 than SAM460 IMHO and curiously most users said they not have enough money to buy X1000.

thanks to @djrikki for his SAM460 comments on his answers.

EDIT: Amiga users should take some lessons about taking good pictures with their cam

@nubechecorre

Do not give them too high expectative. You know how they are

@Elwood

Elwood and I are interested by SAM460. This explain that

@Mrodfr

I dont know much about hardware but when I asked about 460 they said the following. The graphics were produced by an onboard chip. They had a sim card slot and ariel for mobile internet. They were running timberwolf on it and i had a play. They also said it would be around the 600 euro mark but it could change depending on economy. The board looked so small as well. My memory is shady as I had a lot of information that day lol.

@all

On this picture:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/1180109 ... FDay1#5485625088312170354

- The SATA is on the PCI slot ???

- Where is the graphic card ???

@Mrodfr

SAM460 has integrated onboard GFX.

"Problem" is its performance. I hope its nice,
and faster then, lets say, Radeon 9250 at least.

The tricky situation 460 will put its owners
is to find PCI SATA card as additional expense
if they wish to use PCI-E slot

So I hope ACube will be smart enough to offer
some nice package like board with nice, fast and
cheap SATA/SATA2 or RAID controller and PCI card
as up solution, and such board with integrated GFX

Lower solution would be usimg the integrated GFX or PCI gfx card and the SATA.

Same Silicon Motion GFX chip is on Eye Motion, so I see
EyeMotion was a testbed and maybe expansion to EP440?
Interesting question is are other mpeg eyecandy promises of eyeMotion (see the list on the Acube web site) also part of EP460.

@vox

OK. I understand more.

Silicon Motion GFX chip is on the board OR SATA PCI + PCI-E cards.

Silicon Motion GFX chip have too small resolution size to be interesting and again just 64mo of memory....

All user will want PCI SATA + PCI-E GFX card...


I haven't found the Mpeg expansion on the Acube site.


BTW, hope this time Acube will sold ALL the connectors on the board.


EDIT:
http://www.siliconmotion.com/A3.2_Features_Detail.php?sn=39

- PCI 33/66 MHz & 32bit host bus support
-Embedded memory (MCM package), memory size varying with product.
-Low-cost, low-power 2D graphics processor
-Up to 1280x1024 resolution with programmable PLL (SM718 up to 1920x1440)
-9/12/18/24 bit DSTN/STN/TFT panel interface support
-Dual display for mirror mode or extended mode
-Hardware assist video playback
-Proprietary hardware screen rotation
-16-bit ITU601/656 ZV port input (YUV, digital RGB), Scaling, CSC
-Secondary adapter support


Acube, please choose SM 718, because SM718 up to 1920x1440 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hum, apparently just SM 502. I think I wouldn't buy amiga hardwares this year

X1000 is too big, I like verry small, low power consumpsion and 100% silent hardware, like Acube made (no place on the house).


EDIT 2:

http://www.nuhorizons.com/FeaturedPro ... graphics_co-processor.asp

@Mrodfr

Yes, that is it 502 is the chip on board.
http://www.acube-systems.biz/index.php?page=hardware&pid=5

Silicon Motion SM502 embedded MoC (audio/video) max 64MB Gfx RAM

Its obviiously based on their EyeMotion experience
http://www.acube-systems.biz/index.php?page=hardware&pid=4

which was tested on 440 board

and by the pic at the bottom, I can meditate that they developed the OS4 driver on 440, and then moved to integrating it on 460 to overcome this problem of PCI-E card or SATA (which again, as with PCI low voltage slot on 440 is at least to my knowledge unique to SAMs) and limiting. Also, what I do not see yet is wjerter the low voltage PCI thing will be inherited to new board, hope no.

PCI-E slots are hopefully fully compatibile, and its just matter of which RadeoHD will be supported by driver.
http://hdrlab.org.nz/projects/amiga-os-4-projects/radeonhd-driver/


However, EyeMotion seems not to be yet on sale for EP440, no one showed its public results (of 502 chip in general) compared to Radeons 9000 and HD

Driver thing is quite hard, as in gerenal, not too many cards are supported

http://www.acube-systems.biz/compatibility/compatibility_41.php

So pick wisely, or buy only from AMiga dealers.

Still some way to go.

The drivers problem applies to all NG amigas,
from A1 to X1000, and I hope will be worked on.

To be honest, I believe the supported hardware list did not chaged much from A1 days.

@vox

I'm not against the Silicon Motion and don't found something to sho wme if better than radeon 9250 or radeon M9 (surely because this chip is more recent than radeon).

IMHO, Acube should use the 718/728 (for the screen resolution and unfortunately allways 64 mb).

The problem is the lack of 3D support.


I have seen a test for a miniPC with this chip and the tester said no make at all for playing.

Hope some people will test and ask good question to Acube on the next show in Essen on July (germany).


Acube: take the SAM440 and put the 460 on the MB, with 2gb mem, with a M9 or other chip with 128 mb or more video memory.


Thanks vox for answering me

I trust Acube. They deliver.

@DaveP

Quote:

I think the fact there is less chat about sam460 speaks volumes. Acube have a proven track record on product delivery and there's no secret CPU to speculate about either,

@DaveP

Me also, but still is the list of complains:

440

- Strange PCI slots on 440 model which are limiting users (voltage thing). So its not even a full PCI compatibility

OK, this two are documented in manual, but still "not all PCI slots are born equal" (e.g. Radeons with 256MB are just too new to work)

- Strange thing that hards and CDs must be put to certain connectors to be able to boot?

- Unused stuff like ZigBee and FPGA that you pay for, and actually cant use

460

- Integrated 2D chip only, 64MB only
- PCI-E or SATA choice.

Somehow I feel it would be better if they stripped SATA off the board, left only PCI-E working and put a decent SATA2 card in PCI slot (and sell it with some nice PCI-E Radeon as as a system)

I don`t believe I am too hard on them, that is reality

@cha05e90

Yo! ChaosMan!

There is AmigaOne keyboard NOW )))

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/c ... ?cPath=49&products_id=973

Its ~20GBP, quite expensive, but its Amiga Hardware keyboard.

Stickers ... I dont know where can you find the KB stickers anymore, I dont see it at all, just the case stickers

See if you can find here
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/amiga+stickers
or here
http://www.vesalia.de/e_merchandise[3583].htm

or beg them to reduce to KB needed size

@vox

Quote:

Not really, it's a generic USB keyboard + nice stickers = nice profit margin

@vox

Quote:

3.3v PCI on 440flex is annoying, try finding a low-profile Radeon (other than bog standard 7000) to fit a low-profile case that's also 3.3v, I managed to find a low-profile 9250 in the end but had to ship in from Germany and was pricey, Also missing out on the 256MB cards (which all seem to be 5v) is a shame.

The 460's integrated graphics may not be great for AmigaOS users and many will want to upgrade with a PCI based card probably. But I'm sure many will be some happy with the built-in chip for their needs.

It think both these issues are a result of Acube targeting different markets with the same board, i.e. low voltage/heat embedded Linux systems as well AmigaOS desktops. If doing this means we get more hardware choice and lower cost, as bigger market is opened up for Acube, I'm all for it.

@Daniel

Looks like real keys!

Are you sure?

Huh, OK, stickers got expemsive

Profit looks nice compared to PC standard h/w, but again that is made in crazy volumes ... so they get little many times. On Amiga market you sold few, but with some profit per each item ...

@cha05e90

Yes, this question already I did, and nothing, I did it to Amiga Future when they make the X1000 poster, but for "problems" and "costs" bahh all lies...