Amiga 4000T
Encyclopedia
The Amiga
4000T, also known as A4000T, was a tower version of the A4000
computer. Using the AGA
chipset, it was originally released in small quantities in 1994 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040
CPU, and re-released in greater numbers by Escom in 1995, after Commodore's demise, along with a new variant which featured a 50 MHz Motorola 68060
CPU. Despite the subsequent demise of Escom, production was continued by QuikPak in North America into at least 1997.
The A4000T was the only Amiga ever to have both SCSI
and IDE interfaces built-in on the motherboard. Having driver software for both interfaces in the 512 KB
ROM
meant that some other parts of AmigaOS
had to be moved from the ROM, and thus the A4000T is the only machine to require the file "
), and one of the few to use a Lithium Ion
backup battery instead of a NiCd, vastly reducing the risk of an aging battery leaking corrosive fluids onto the motherboard and causing damage. Modularity was another unique aspect to the machine, with the CPU, audio, video, and input-output ports all on separate daughterboards.
The machine was targeted as a high-end video workstation with expandability in mind and an eye towards NewTek
's Video Toaster
. Its motherboard contains two Amiga Video Slots, five 100-pin Zorro III
slots, and 4 ISA
slots, and its case can accommodate up to six drives. Up to 16 MB of RAM can be installed on the motherboard, while additional RAM can be installed on some CPU boards (up to 128 MB), and yet more can be added on Zorro cards.
This was the last computer to be released by Commodore International
. Only a couple hundred 4000Ts were produced before the company folded. Production of the 4000Ts was restarted after Escom bought the Amiga assets. Apart from the new option of a 68060 CPU, the Escom-manufactured 4000Ts had minor differences from the old one, including the substitution of the high density floppy drive with a double density one, and a different front bezel to the case.
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
4000T, also known as A4000T, was a tower version of the A4000
Amiga 4000
The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030....
computer. Using the AGA
Advanced Graphics Architecture
Advanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
chipset, it was originally released in small quantities in 1994 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040
Motorola 68040
The Motorola 68040 is a microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060. There was no 68050. In keeping with general Motorola naming, the 68040 is often referred to as simply the '040 ....
CPU, and re-released in greater numbers by Escom in 1995, after Commodore's demise, along with a new variant which featured a 50 MHz Motorola 68060
Motorola 68060
The Motorola 68060 is a 32-bit microprocessor from Motorola released in 1994. It is the successor to the Motorola 68040 and is the highest performing member of the 680x0 family. Two derivatives were produced, the 68LC060 and the 68EC060....
CPU. Despite the subsequent demise of Escom, production was continued by QuikPak in North America into at least 1997.
The A4000T was the only Amiga ever to have both SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
and IDE interfaces built-in on the motherboard. Having driver software for both interfaces in the 512 KB
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
meant that some other parts of AmigaOS
AmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
had to be moved from the ROM, and thus the A4000T is the only machine to require the file "
workbench.library" to be stored on disk. It was also the only Amiga to use a PC form factor for the motherboard (ATAT form factor
In the area of IBM compatible personal computers, the AT form factor referred to the dimensions and layout of the motherboard for the IBM AT. Like the IBM PC and IBM XT models before it, many third-party manufacturers produced motherboards compatible with the IBM AT form factor, allowing end users...
), and one of the few to use a Lithium Ion
Lithium ion battery
A lithium-ion battery is a family of rechargeable battery types in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge, and back when charging. Chemistry, performance, cost, and safety characteristics vary across LIB types...
backup battery instead of a NiCd, vastly reducing the risk of an aging battery leaking corrosive fluids onto the motherboard and causing damage. Modularity was another unique aspect to the machine, with the CPU, audio, video, and input-output ports all on separate daughterboards.
The machine was targeted as a high-end video workstation with expandability in mind and an eye towards NewTek
NewTek
NewTek, Inc. is a San Antonio, Texas-based hardware and software company that produces live and post-production video tools and visual imaging software for personal computers...
's Video Toaster
Video Toaster
The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of standard-definition and high-definition video in NTSC, PAL, and resolution independent formats on Commodore Amiga computers and subsequently on computers running the Windows operating system...
. Its motherboard contains two Amiga Video Slots, five 100-pin Zorro III
Zorro III
Released as the expansion bus of the Commodore Amiga 3000 in 1990, the Zorro III computer bus was used to attach peripheral devices to an Amiga motherboard. Designed by Commodore International lead engineer Dave Haynie, the 32-bit Zorro III replaced the 16-bit Zorro II bus used in the Amiga 2000...
slots, and 4 ISA
Industry Standard Architecture
Industry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
slots, and its case can accommodate up to six drives. Up to 16 MB of RAM can be installed on the motherboard, while additional RAM can be installed on some CPU boards (up to 128 MB), and yet more can be added on Zorro cards.
This was the last computer to be released by Commodore International
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
. Only a couple hundred 4000Ts were produced before the company folded. Production of the 4000Ts was restarted after Escom bought the Amiga assets. Apart from the new option of a 68060 CPU, the Escom-manufactured 4000Ts had minor differences from the old one, including the substitution of the high density floppy drive with a double density one, and a different front bezel to the case.
Specifications
- CPU:
- 68040Motorola 68040The Motorola 68040 is a microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060. There was no 68050. In keeping with general Motorola naming, the 68040 is often referred to as simply the '040 ....
at 25 MHz (1994) - 68060Motorola 68060The Motorola 68060 is a 32-bit microprocessor from Motorola released in 1994. It is the successor to the Motorola 68040 and is the highest performing member of the 680x0 family. Two derivatives were produced, the 68LC060 and the 68EC060....
at 50 MHz (1995 on)
- 68040
- Memory:
- 512 kBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
KickstartKickstart (Amiga)Kickstart is a commonly used term for the bootstrap firmware of the Amiga computers developed by Commodore.Most Amiga models were shipped with the Kickstart firmware stored on ROM chips...
ROM - 2 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
Amiga Chip RAM - Up to a further 16 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
RAM on board - Up to an additional 128 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
RAM via the CPU slot on the CPU's local bus - Up to an additional 512 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
per Zorro III slot
- 512 kB
- Chipset: AGAAdvanced Graphics ArchitectureAdvanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
(Advanced Graphics Architecture)- Video:
- 24-bit color palette (16.8 Million colors)
- Up to 256 on-screen colors in indexed mode
- 262,144 on-screen colors in HAM-8Hold-and-ModifyHold-And-Modify, usually abbreviated as HAM, is a display mode of the Commodore Amiga computer. It uses a highly unusual technique to express the color of pixels, allowing many more colors to appear on screen than would otherwise be possible....
mode - Resolutions of up to 1280×512i (more with overscan)
- HSync rates of 15.60-31.44 kHz
- Audio (Paula):
- 4 hardware channels (Stereo)
- 8-bit resolution / 6-bit volume
- Maximum DMADirect memory accessDirect memory access is a feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit ....
sampling rate of 28-56 kHz (depending on video mode in use)
- Video:
- Removable Storage:
- 3.5" HD floppy diskFloppy diskA floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
drive, capacity 1.76 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
- 3.5" HD floppy disk
- Internal Storage:
- 23-pin floppy connector
- 40-pin buffered ATA-Controller
- 50-pin fast Scsi2
- Input/Output connections:
- Analogue RGB video out (DB-23MD-subminiatureThe D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smaller connectors used on computer systems....
) - Audio out (2 × RCARCA connectorAn RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals...
) - Audio out (1 × 3.5mm headphone jack)
- Keyboard (5 pin DINDIN connectorA DIN connector is a connector that was originally standardized by the , the German national standards organization. There are DIN standards for a large number of different connectors, therefore the term "DIN connector" alone does not unambiguously identify any particular type of connector unless...
) - 2 × Mouse/Gamepad ports (DE9)
- RS-232RS-232In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
serialSerial portIn computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
port (DB-25MD-subminiatureThe D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smaller connectors used on computer systems....
) - Centronics style parallelParallel portA parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port...
port (DB-25FD-subminiatureThe D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smaller connectors used on computer systems....
) - Fast SCSI2 (D-High density DB-50F)
- Analogue RGB video out (DB-23M
- Expansion Slots:
- 5 × 100pin 32-bit Zorro III slots
- 2 × AGA video slots (inline with Zorro slot)
- 4 × 16-bit ISAIndustry Standard ArchitectureIndustry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
slots (require bridgeboard to activate) - 1 × 200-pin CPU expansion slot
- 4 × 72-pin SIMMSIMMA SIMM, or single in-line memory module, is a type of memory module containing random access memory used in computers from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. It differs from a dual in-line memory module , the most predominant form of memory module today, in that the contacts on a SIMM are redundant...
s slots
- Operating System:
- AmigaOSAmigaOSAmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
3.1 (Kickstart 3.1/Workbench 3.1)
- AmigaOS
- Other Characteristics:
- 0 × front accessible 3.5" drive bays
- 5 × front accessible 5.25" drive bay
- 1 × internal 5.25" drive mountings
- Key lock (disables mouse and keyboard)