AmigaOne G3/G4 ATX
| Developer: |
Teron / Eyetech |
| Announcement Date: |
October 2000 (Neuss show) |
| Launch date: |
2Q (summer) 2002 |
| Discontinued: |
3Q (autumn/fall) 2005 |
The AmigaOne is a PPC motherboard capable of running Amiga OS4.x.
It is the second board to be branded AmigaOne, replacing Escena's unreleased AmigaOne 1200/4000.
The AmigaOne is a modified version of the Teron CX motherboard, dubbed version 1.5.
It uses a standard ATX form factor and uses off-the-self components that are
common in the Intel world - AGP slot (2x speed), 4x PCI slots,
on-board UDMA100, USB (), and 10/100 ethernet. A notable difference to the Teron CX
motherboard is the inclusion of an 'OS4 enabler' - a piece of software code in the
firmware (BIOS) that confirms that Amiga OS4 is running on an official Amiga board.
This is intended to reduce piracy by preventing Amiga code being run on non-sanctioned
PPC machines, such as the Pegasos or the Apple Mac.
Three variations of the board have been sold. The low-cost AmigaOne
G3-SE contained a G3 600Mhz processor that was soldered onto the motherboard. It was
announced with a retail price of 382.94 UK Pounds (550 US Dollars/652.50 Euros). More
costly models contain Apple's "Megarray" CPU socket. This allows the processor to be upgraded
at a later date. These boards use either a G3 750FX CPU running at 800 MHz (announced
retail price 582.94 UK Pounds / 850 US Dollar / 1002.50 Euros), or a G4 7455 CPU
running at 800 MHz.
The board is capable of running Amiga OS4.x and PPC Linux variants (TurboLinux,
SuSE Linux and Debian Linux). It can run MacOS PPC/68k through emulation, via Mac
on Linux.
Technical Summary
| Item |
AmigaOne G3-SE |
AmigaOneG3-XE |
AmigaOneG4-XE |
| CPU |
G3 750CXe (soldered)
| G3 750FX (socketed) |
G4 7455 (socketed) |
| CPU speed |
600 MHz |
800 MHz |
800 MHz |
| CPU upgradable |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Max memory |
2 GB |
2 GB |
2 GB |
| Memory type |
DIMM Registered 133 |
DIMM Registered 133 |
DIMM Registered 133 |
| Northbridge |
ArticiaS |
ArticiaS |
ArticiaS |
| Southbridge |
VIA 82C686B |
VIA 82C686B |
VIA 82C686B |
| PCI 33MHz |
3 Slots |
3 Slots |
3 Slots |
| PCI 66MHz |
1 Slot |
1 Slot |
1 Slot |
| AGP speed |
2x |
2x |
2x |
| Ethernet |
3COM 820C (10/100 ethernet) |
3COM 820C (10/100 ethernet) |
3COM 820C (10/100 ethernet) |
| USB ports |
2 socketed on board, 2 headers |
2 socketed on board, 2 headers |
2 socketed on board, 2 headers |
| PS2 ports |
Keyboard & mouse |
Keyboard & mouse |
Keyboard & mouse |
| Serial ports |
2 x 16650 equivalent |
2 x 16650 equivalent |
2 x 16650 equivalent |
| Parallel port |
1 x EPP/ECP |
1 x EPP/ECP |
1 x EPP/ECP |
| IRDA port |
on header |
on header |
on header |
| Firmware |
PPCBoot & OS4 enabler |
PPCBoot & OS4 enabler |
PPCBoot & OS4 enabler |
Reaction
The motherboard has been plagued with problems since its launch and driver support
for onboard expansion has been limited. Software developers have described the
difficulty in obtaining complete documentation on key components and several commentators,
including Genesi, have declared the ArticiaS northbridge to be incomplete.
Many owners have been advised to purchase PCI USB/Ethernet expansion cards, rather than await drivers
that resolve onboard issues. Eyetech have expressed their frustration with the
continued development problems. Although the company continues to distribute and
support the AmigaOne motherboard, they have made no announcement on its continued
development. It appears the company is selling existing stock and does not intend
to fund further production. However, no official statement has been made.
Relevant links
overview of the AmigaOne
AmigaOne in a standard tower case
AmigaOne 1200/4000 prototype
AmigaOne concept case.
Alan Redhouse comments on new A1
design (Feb 25, 2002)
Press Releases
Mai Logic Incorporated And Eyetech
Group Limited Partner to Capture New Amiga Territory (9th July
2002)
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Last Update: 08/04/2006
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