New X1000

[xenic]

I just got my X1000 on Monday and must say: IT'S HUGE!! It barely fits in the computer compartment of my desk. It took me a day or 2 to get it working properly but it's really a pleasure to use now. However, if I were not an experienced Amiga user I might have initially disappointed by the sound, keyboard, boot time and network connection. Here are some notes that I hope will help get a better initial setup for customers:

1. The sound is scratchy. It looks like the sound card uses the same chip and driver as the built-in uA1 sound. The initial sound on my uA1 was scratchy but fixed by an update to the driver. If AmigaKit is going to use that sound card in all X1000's then the driver needs updated (fixed) again. I pulled the SB Live sound card ($5 used) from my SAM Flex and now the X1000 sound is great.

2. The X1000 took 5 minutes to boot or reboot. Somebody (at AmigaKit?) changed the startup sequence by commenting out "Run >NIL: <NIL: *>NIL: Execute S:Network-Startup" and replacing it with "Execute S:Network-Startup" which completely defeats the purpose of placing the network startup in a seperate script that is run in the background. In addition, the NetInterface (SYS:Devs/NetInterfaces/Interface) was set to "device=ethernet" and there doesn't appear to be any device named "ethernet" on the X1000. I also could not find any item in NSDPatch.cfg that patches "ethernet" to the correct device. After I change the Interface to device=rtl8139.device" and fixed the startup-sequence, my X1000 reboots in less than 10 seconds.

3. The Alt and Amiga keys are reversed on the keyboard. I ordered a "US" keyboard and the standard U.S. keyboard does not have the Alt key next to the backspace key. I'm a touch typist (I don't look at the keyboard while typing) and I wondered why I was getting a "reset" instead of a "reboot" whenever I rebooted the system. When I looked at the keyboard closely, I realized that the positions of the Alt keys and Amiga keys were reversed. AmigaKit really needs to make it clear that this is not a "standard" US keyboard. Ironically, the German keyboard appears to have the keys in the right place.

4. The blue USB connector on top doesn't appear to work. Is that normal?

5. It might be nice to mention in an obvious place that the power button must be held down for 5 seconds to turn the X1000 off. All my other PPC Amiga's turn off with a quick push of the power button. Initially I thought the X1000 power button was defective. AmigaKit says that is the ATX standard but I've never owned any computer other than an Ami ga so I wasn't aware of that.

I've seen others complain about the X1000 being noisy but it's the quietest PPC Amiga I have. I really like the X1000 so far and just wish it had arrived "ready-to-go" without the above listed issues.

NOTE: When I looked in NSDPatch.cfg for an "ethernet" device I noticed that there doesn't appear to be a way to specify that a patch is specifically for the X1000 (like MACHINE=SAM440EP). My Setpatch is dated 2008 so I think that the Setpatch command needs an update.

[kicko]

I have run >NIL: AddNetInterface QUIET DEVS:NetInterfaces/~(#?.info)
in the network-startup so that one in s:startup-sequence doesnt need to be used thats probably why commented out. Probably thats the new way so you can have all the network stuff in own network-setup. However i dont know just quessing.

So 10 seconds reboot is like warm boot and not cold boot ? Its too fast to be a coldboot.

I replaced the soundcard to ESI Juli@ that i had in the A1G4XE so i dont know much about the sound problem except that some sam users have it.

Yea my x1000 was ALOT noiser then my A1G4XE but i modded them both so both are silent. A1 is sold since i got x1000. The noise is much less now. Maybe change psu sometime in future.

The 5 seconds powerbutton can be changed to less, read the documentation that came with the x1000 (first contact). In boot can be changed for less if i remember right. Ill have to lower in myself

For the keys i had to change a command in boot to remap some of the keys to fit my logitech keyboard. There is also an app on os4depot i dont remember name that switches some keys but i rather changed it in boot. With boot i mean CFE command line.

Please read the Firmware and booting guide. And also there are posts in this forum where they describe on howto make the changes in CFE for the remap of keys. Dont have time to search now.

[nbache]

I have run >NIL: AddNetInterface QUIET DEVS:NetInterfaces/~(#?.info)
in the network-startup so that one in s:startup-sequence doesnt need to be used thats probably why commented out. Probably thats the new way so you can have all the network stuff in own network-setup. However i dont know just quessing.

I don't know where that strange construct came from, it is definitely a bad idea to execute Network-Startup synchronously and then run AddNetinterface asynchronously from inside it. It ruins completely what the Network-Startup was created for.

The idea is to make sure that everything which needs a running network is waiting nicely until the AddNetinterface command has succeeded, and that everything which doesn't care about the network is not delayed by the wait (because it runs in parallel in your User-Startup).

So go ahead and change that back the way it was meant. In Startup-Sequence: "Run >NIL: <NIL: *>NIL: Execute S:Network-Startup". In Network-Startup: "AddNetInterface QUIET DEVS:NetInterfaces/~(#?.info)", with no run or redirection. Other network-using commands after that.

Best regards,

Niels

[Phantom]

Welcome to the X1000 world. I advise not to change the time of the power-button. It has 4-5 seconds delay, just ok for any disk activity to finish first.

[LyleHaze]

The time to power down can not be changed.
There is a program out there that can "see" you press the button and it will continue to hold it for the last few seconds, so you can let go.. I think it also posts a requester with the chance to cancel the countdown.
Personally, I don't use it, because I have no interest in powering down my X1000.

The connector bay on the top of the machine comes in a few different styles. It sounds like yours is like mine: The first two USB jacks are USB2.0 style, and are plugged in on the motherboard and working. The third one has the extra connections needed for USB3, and is not connected. If/when USB3 drivers become available, this connector might become useful.. The only way to use it now would be to find an adapter that will let you plug it in as a USB2 socket.. probably not worth it since all the internal headers are already in use.

Just for the record: Some X1000 cases have an external SATA port there instead of USB3, and Fractal also offers a kit that will make ALL the sockets USB3 type.

Finally, just in case you didn't notice, there is a hard reset button inside the case door. It's on the right side, and is flush (flat, level with the surface) when not pushed. Handy once you know it's there, and not likely to be pushed by mistake.

Congratulations on your new machine. I hope you find it as enjoyable as I have found mine to be.

[Severin]

@xenic

Enter CFE (Press f in the boot menu) and enter the following:

setenv -p keymap_swapaltamiga "on"

type menu and hit return and you should boot up with the alt/amiga keys the right way round for you. you can also swap the keytops so it looks right too.

You can use the NVGetVar command to check what your settings are. If keymap_swapaltamiga is already on change it to off.

[MichaelMerkel]

@xenic

Enter CFE (Press f in the boot menu) and enter the following:

setenv -p keymap_swapaltamiga "on"

type menu and hit return and you should boot up with the alt/amiga keys the right way round for you. you can also swap the keytops so it looks right too.

You can use the NVGetVar command to check what your settings are. If keymap_swapaltamiga is already on change it to off.

afaik the default on the x1000 is "on". so it makes only sense to set it to "off".

regards...
michael

[Raziel]

I have run >NIL: AddNetInterface QUIET DEVS:NetInterfaces/~(#?.info)
in the network-startup so that one in s:startup-sequence doesnt need to be used thats probably why commented out. Probably thats the new way so you can have all the network stuff in own network-setup. However i dont know just quessing.

I don't know where that strange construct came from, it is definitely a bad idea to execute Network-Startup synchronously and then run AddNetinterface asynchronously from inside it. It ruins completely what the Network-Startup was created for.

The idea is to make sure that everything which needs a running network is waiting nicely until the AddNetinterface command has succeeded, and that everything which doesn't care about the network is not delayed by the wait (because it runs in parallel in your User-Startup).

So go ahead and change that back the way it was meant. In Startup-Sequence: "Run >NIL: <NIL: *>NIL: Execute S:Network-Startup". In Network-Startup: "AddNetInterface QUIET DEVS:NetInterfaces/~(#?.info)", with no run or redirection. Other network-using commands after that.

Best regards,

Niels

Hi Niels,

i have the same "changed" line in my startup-sequence, but i don't know if it is because i use a router or something else, but

...if i change the line back to use the redirections i end up with all sorts of error messages from programs which need the net which IS NOT available when the Workbench comes up, so i believe the line works for some the other way round?

I got back to the "changed" line and am happy with a (slightly longer boot pic wait but) an overall working system

Take care

Hubert

[nbache]

...if i change the line back to use the redirections i end up with all sorts of error messages from programs which need the net which IS NOT available when the Workbench comes up, so i believe the line works for some the other way round?

No, it doesn't. AmigaDOS is quite logical in its ways . Run does what it does, never the opposite.

What you are seeing seems to be because the programs requiring network are not started from Network-Startup as they should, but either from User-Startup or WBStartup, so they will "overtake" your Network-Startup's efforts to start the network. Fix that, and the change I prescribed should work as intended.

Best regards,

Niels

[Raziel]

...if i change the line back to use the redirections i end up with all sorts of error messages from programs which need the net which IS NOT available when the Workbench comes up, so i believe the line works for some the other way round?

No, it doesn't. AmigaDOS is quite logical in its ways . Run does what it does, never the opposite.

What you are seeing seems to be because the programs requiring network are not started from Network-Startup as they should, but either from User-Startup or WBStartup, so they will "overtake" your Network-Startup's efforts to start the network. Fix that, and the change I prescribed should work as intended.

Best regards,

Niels

I see...on it

Thanks a lot