4
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on buying this advanced specification AMITEK Hawk, Amiga 1200
expansion board. While the Amiga 1200 is one of the most popular and technically
impressive microcomputers on the market, it can be expanded via its wide range of
peripheral, card and board connections. Once installed in the A1200’s trapdoor, the
AMITEK 1200 board provides:
RAM EXPANSION
The AMITEK Hawk supports 1
Mb
, 2
Mb
, 4
Mb
or 8
Mb
of 32-bit FAST RAM which not only
enables you to run larger and more complicated software packages, but also
dramatically speeds up read and write operations to your machine’s memory. The Hawk
also runs with Zero Wait States enabling your A1200 to perform at its maximum speed.
OPTIONAL FLOATING
POINT UNIT (FPU)
In addition, the Hawk board allows the
installation of a Floating Point Unit
(FPU), also known as a maths co-
processor, to dramatically increase the
speed of mathematical calculations.
This will be noticeable in most
applications such as rendering of 24-
bit, animated and vector graphics, plus
number crunching in professional
applications. If your board was not supplied
with an FPU, don’t worry, the AMITEK
Hawk includes a plug-in PLCC connector for easy installation. Most good dealers
should hold FPU’s in stock. Full fitting instructions are available on pages 9 and 10.
BATTERY BACKED-UP CLOCK
The battery backed-up clock ensures that the date and time you have set up on your
Amiga 1200 is constantly updated even when the main power supply is turned off.
Such a facility is important, for example, when endeavouring to discover the most
current version of a date stamped file.
Once installed, the AMITEK Hawk expansion board will ensure that your Amiga has a
long and technologically advanced life and, the ability to run the latest, most complex
software titles at a speed way in advance of the standard A1200. It’s operation is also
almost invisible. All you need to know is that you now own one of the most advanced
combo expansion boards on the market.
Figure 1.1 - Floppy Drive