[SunRescue] Creator 2D/PCI card in Ultra 5?

Thu Mar 23 00:09:47 CST 2000

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Gregory Leblanc wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
>
> >
> > The Ultra 10 has one UPA slot, while the Ultra 5 has only PCI
> > expansion slots.  As
> > far as I know, this is the only reason the creator is not
> > supported in the 5.
>
> Are you sure?  Don't they both use the same motherboard, with different
> chassis/configurations?  Where's my FEH...  Hmm, found it, and this is why
> we're using the FEH as an example of how NOT to do things.  Where are the
> bloody motherboards listed in this thing????
> Ah, fer frying out loud, there they are.  The Ultra5 and Ultra10 are listed
> on the top of the same page with a diagram of the motherboard (I like that
> term much more than this CPU crap that Sun uses).  Looks to me like because
> the 3-slot riser card on the Ultra5 goes both ways, there's no room for a
> UPA framebuffer.  The Ultra10 uses a 4-slot riser, which has slots on only
> one side (hehe, found those two looking for the motherboard), so it has room
> for the UPA FB device.  If you want to see a picture of the page in the FEH,
> ask and I'll send it to you, as long as you know it's copyrighted and that
> stuff by Sun Microsystem Inc.
>
>

Well, I didn't believe it at first.  Would Sun actually build a case that
LIMITED the capabilities of the system.  So I took the cover off my 5 and there
it was.  A connector I have never seen before, assumed to be UPA.  I took some
pictures:
http://www.albany.edu/~so7193/ultra5.html
Well, I guess it's better than filling the connector with epoxy.

> Well, start cutting that case apart, you should be able to make it fit.  :)

There is enough room for a full length card above PCI 3 (on the power supply
side), assuming there is nothing in the top 3.5" bay.  See the pictures.  If
some kind of riser card could be built to mount the card horizontally, the case
might not be that hard to modify.  The riser card would probably be
impractical, or impossible, to build.  Not only would it have to go up, but
also sideways about 3/4" to make things fit properly.

A more practical solution might be to modify a good pee-cee ATX case to accept
the Ultra 5 motherboard and power supply.  With this setup the Creator could be
mounted just as it is in the 10.  There might be a market for an "Ultra 5
upgrade kit".  Bundle a modified case with a UPA frame buffer and a 440Mhz
CPU.  Make your 5 into a 10.

-Steve

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Gregory Leblanc wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>> -----Original Message-----<a href="http://www.sun.com/desktop/products/graphics/creatortech.html"></a>
>
 > The Ultra 10 has one UPA slot, while the Ultra 5 has only PCI
 > expansion slots.  As
 > far as I know, this is the only reason the creator is not
 > supported in the 5.
Are you sure?  Don't they both use the same motherboard, with different
 chassis/configurations?  Where's my FEH...  Hmm, found it,
and this is why
 we're using the FEH as an example of how NOT to do things.  Where
are the
 bloody motherboards listed in this thing????
 Ah, fer frying out loud, there they are.  The Ultra5 and Ultra10
are listed
 on the top of the same page with a diagram of the motherboard (I like
that
 term much more than this CPU crap that Sun uses).  Looks to me
like because
 the 3-slot riser card on the Ultra5 goes both ways, there's no room
for a
 UPA framebuffer.  The Ultra10 uses a 4-slot riser, which has slots
on only
 one side (hehe, found those two looking for the motherboard), so it
has room
 for the UPA FB device.  If you want to see a picture of the page
in the FEH,
 ask and I'll send it to you, as long as you know it's copyrighted and
that
 stuff by Sun Microsystem Inc.
  
  </blockquote>
Well, I didn't believe it at first.  Would Sun actually build a case
that LIMITED the capabilities of the system.  So I took the cover
off my 5 and there it was.  A connector I have never seen before,
assumed to be UPA.  I took some pictures:
 <A HREF="http://www.albany.edu/~so7193/ultra5.html">http://www.albany.edu/~so7193/ultra5.html</A>
 Well, I guess it's better than filling the connector with epoxy.
  
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>Well, start cutting that case apart, you should be
able to make it fit.  :)</blockquote>
There is enough room for a full length card above PCI 3 (on the power supply
side), assuming there is nothing in the top 3.5" bay.  See the pictures. 
If some kind of riser card could be built to mount the card horizontally,
the case might not be that hard to modify.  The riser card would probably
be impractical, or impossible, to build.  Not only would it have to
go up, but also sideways about 3/4" to make things fit properly.
A more practical solution might be to modify a good pee-cee ATX case
to accept the Ultra 5 motherboard and power supply.  With this setup
the Creator could be mounted just as it is in the 10.  There might
be a market for an "Ultra 5 upgrade kit".  Bundle a modified case
with a UPA frame buffer and a 440Mhz CPU.  Make your 5 into a 10.            
  
-Steve
  
  </html>

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