Big Book of Amiga Hardware

The GVP A530 is a 68030 Accelerator and SCSI controller sidecar unit for the Amiga 500/500+.  It is functionally equal to the A2000 G-Force 030 Combo accelerator series products.

The GVP A530 has a built in 33C93A-based SCSI II controller and GVP DPRC DMA controller, providing an internal 50pin SCSI connector and an external DB25 SCSI connector. A hard drive is physically mounted inside the case. The unit has two GVP SIMM32 sockets, and supports up to two 64pin GVP SIMM32s of 1MB or 4MB size.  These are custom 64-pin SIMMs that are not compatible with other 64-pin and 72-pin SIMMS of the era. When adding RAM to the GVP A530 you can use either 1MB SIMMs or 4MB SIMMs, but you cannot mix them. The GVP 530 also has a 'bus slot' like the A500-HD8, for attaching an optional GVP 286 PC emulator module.  
 

Jumper Settings

The manual states that the MMU Jumper (J1) should be set to enabled for full 030's and disabled for EC030s.  Technical Explanation: The jumper only has a disable-effect on full 68030s, and so the EC030 doesn't care how it is set.

The PGA 68EC030 CPU can be upgraded to a full 68030.  Speed rating should be 40MHz or 50MHz.

The units support the provided tool's use "GVPCPUCtrl FastROM" during startup to improve overall performance.  The 'MoveSSP' option has no effect as the system stack table is normally located automatically in 32-bit FastRAM.

For OS 3.1.4/3.2, it is recomended to either 1) use the basic MMULibs 68030.library solution (the only option for the 68EC030) and the GVPCPUCtrl features, or 2) with a full 68030, use the MuLibs package.  The legacy SetCPU tool can also be used with the FastROM option to resolves the 68030 CIIN errata issue that the CPU command reports during startup - in place of the GVPCPUCtrl FastROM option. 
 
Upgrading units to 50MHz seems to be possible in some cases. Some units may have the up-rated components/settings for the 50MHz operation, but research continues on what they are.  The FPU must always be upgraded to a faster (matching) speed if upgrading the CPU and clock to a higher speed as they share that common clock.  Always operate the unit with the fan when the power is on, even when using newer solid-state SCSI devices.  The heat buildup from the 68030/68882 components must be vented.

All of the GVP HC8 Series II SCSI features (v4.x) apply to the A530.  The GuruROM V6 is compatible with the unit, and operation/performance is equivalent to the A2000 G-Force 030 Combo accelerators.

At the time of release, and even decades later, the GVP A530 with a 50Mhz 68030/68882 and 8MB 32-bit RAM remain one of the most sought-after units due to the matching A500 styling and top 68030 CPU performance - all without requiring the opening of the Amiga 500.


Common Failures/Options After 25+ Years

- Socketed chips (possibly the MACH130) may need reseating.  A careful lift of a slight amount, then press down may resolve marginal contact issues and oxidation on IC pins.
- PSU - Components can become weak from less than optimal AC line conditions, and caps can dry out.  Replace with a similar amperage 5V (4A) / 12V (1A) DC power supply with matching pin-out.  The pin out is the same as the A500-HD8+, but slightly more amps on the 5V line than that other unit.
- Powering from the A500 is not supported.
- Hard disk mechanical failure - A SCSI2SD unit v5.x or v6 is compatible/is a viable replacement.
- Fan - Replace with a similar sized 12V fan.  Cooling (airflow) requirements with a SCSI2SD drop somewhat vs a classic 3.5" hard disk, but are still needed.

It has also been seen that the power-on delay relay may fail, or a power trace near that relay may burn out under some unknown condition.  Videos on YouTube are available for reference and part information.  Repairs should only be attempted by a qualified electronics repair technician.