Putting It All Together
Now that you've seen all the cards (you did look, didn't you?), it's time to see how they all fit into an Amiga 4000 desktop.
If you attempt to use anything I write here to work on your own Amiga, then note that I am not responsible for any damage
you may cause to your computer or any of the other cards or peripherals!
Note that the Toaster card only plugs into the video slot, but since it's 2 boards thick, it takes up the space of one of the Zorro slots above it. In an Amiga 2000, this is not a problem as the video slot is on the right side of the computer and all the Zorro slots are on the left, separated by the power supply. This card is a bugger to put in and requires careful manipulation. The BNC connectors just barely fit in the external slot.
Another view that shows the BNC connectors and how the card fits into the guides on the far side.
This view shows the Octopus cable being inserted into the empty slot above the Toaster. Even though the Toaster uses 2 slot spaces, the external hole for the second slot is available for the Octopus. The Octopus cable is used to hook the Flyer's 3 SCSI headers to an external hard drive case, and also provides external access to the 2 serial headers. Note how thick the SCSI cables are; this is to provide good shielding. In a Tower installation, the Octopus cable could be eliminated if there is enough room in the tower for all the drives that are required. Most people I know have at least 5 Flyer drives, 2 on each video channel and 1 audio. A CD-ROM can be installed on the Flyer's audio chain or installed as a normal Amiga drive.
Now the Flyer card has been installed above the Octopus cables.
Here it is, all hooked up, but not the TBC card. The TBC card would fit in the top slot. This is a minimum Toaster/ Flyer configuration in an Amiga 4000 desktop. A TBC is required for analog VCRs and the Toaster, but not necessary for digital VCRs or cameras. There are several options for TBCs such as desktop models, a special box to plug the DPS cards into, or you could just get a lowly 386 or 486 PC to house TBC cards, which is what I've done. In my opinion, keeping the TBC card out of the Amiga is the best solution, because then you can control the TBC and the T/F at the same time. With all these cards crammed in there, it generates a lot of heat, especially the Flyer card. When it gets hot, it can cause all kinds of playback/record problems. So cooling is an issue that can't be handled entirely by the fan in the PS. Be prepared to add additional fans to the Amiga, or leave the cover off and blow some sort of fan directly into the box. Do not leave the Amiga's cover off without providing some sort of over-all cooling or you risk sending your Amiga to a premature death! (As if 10+ years is not already old!)
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