I've not posted this anywhere just yet, tomorrow I will take better pictures. A Falconfly first!

Today a parcel arrived, send by the founder of Bitboys Oy.

The Chips are Rev A and Rev B, Rev A is not functional due to a small error in the factory, it's missing an insulation layer, so when the chip is brought up, it instantly destroys itself.

After the Rev B chips were delivered, the factory who had the edram production shut down because of non profit, killing the project. At that time BitBoys Oy already had a cell phone architecture working, which they managed to sell, so thank goodness they didn't shut it's doors.

Both chips are signed by Mr. Tuomi himself.

In time Bitboys Oy was bought by ATI, then by AMD. The whole Bitboys crew still works at AMD.

More info on Bitboys here :

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/bitboys/default.asp



The 3D Ref Board has got the Rev B chip on there (which is the only one known outside the company to my knowledge)

I've just emailed him for some more info on the board with the pin socket (which I believe the Etec adaptor plugs into) It's got G3D ref board on it, which is odd.


http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/5589/p1000176vi8.th.jpg http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7411/p1000177oh6.th.jpg http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/6937/p1000178qn3.th.jpg http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2184/p1000180di8.th.jpg http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6656/p1000183lv5.th.jpg http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2098/p1000185cg4.th.jpg

wow
very very very very nice

exxe wrote on 12.01.09 at 21:52:14:

wow very very very very nice

Hi, I just emailed you, because you had mentioned it before. :)

Wow....very nice! Congratz!!!

If you have a closer look at the G3D ref board, it's really completely different then the other board. Radically different I would say actually.

Very nice BitBoys collection indeed.

Is the 3D ref Board functional? It does seem to have a few reworks on it.

G1nX wrote on 12.01.09 at 23:34:36:

Very nice BitBoys collection indeed. Is the 3D ref Board functional? It does seem to have a few reworks on it.

There are no reworks on the card. There are on the Pyramid3D, but not on this one.

It should fully work, but he told me that when they got the Rev B chips back they were already fully working on the mobile graphics architecture,  they never had the time to properly bring up the device. They did just enough testing to see that the bus interface was working and could access the internal registers.

It should work, but who knows, I asked him if there were any efforts made anything on the driver side, he should email me back tomorrow. The chances of that are practically zero.

Tim wrote on 12.01.09 at 23:42:54:

G1nX wrote on 12.01.09 at 23:34:36: Very nice BitBoys collection indeed. Is the 3D ref Board functional? It does seem to have a few reworks on it. There are no reworks on the card. There are on the Pyramid3D, but not on this one. It should fully work, but he told me that when they got the Rev B chips back they were already fully working on the mobile graphics architecture,  they never had the time to properly bring up the device. They did just enough testing to see that the bus interface was working and could access the internal registers. It should work, but who knows, I asked him if there were any efforts made anything on the driver side, he should email me back tomorrow. The chances of that are practically zero.

Well if you say that near the molex power connector and near the Tv-out connector there isn't anything to notice than ok.
No drivers that's too bad just like with the Rampage cards. No way to test how they would have performed if released.
All and all great collectibles.

I suppose you could call them reworks yes lol.

It must be one of the later boards, this one doesn't have the reworks (actually got more)

http://www.hwsw.hu/kepek/hirek/2002/08/bitboys5.jpg

exxe wrote on 12.01.09 at 21:52:14:

wow very very very very nice

Can't, can't, can't, can't agree more!

Got an email back, he said he would get back to me a bit later regarding the questions I posed.

He did say that they've got 2 or 3 such boards at the office, and this one being the only one outside of the company.

wow.

Wonder what's missing from the PCB holder in the 5th picture? :-?

paulpsomiadis wrote on 13.01.09 at 21:08:57:

Wonder what's missing from the PCB holder in the 5th picture? :-?

Good questions, I wonder too.

I wonder if it might be a, oh my goodness.....

I think it's a Glaze3D reference board!!!!!!!  :o  :o  :o  :o

G3D! Think about it! Oh my goodness, if true this is even more rare, since the Glaze3D never came to silicon.

the extra part is maybe this optiona extra PCB with 13 and 26pins

exxe wrote on 13.01.09 at 21:24:10:

the extra part is maybe this optiona extra PCB with 13 and 26pins

That part was the daughter PCB carrying TV signal coder. The production PCB board would have had integrated.

Judging from the size, that must have been it.

I will ask if one of the daughter boards is still in the office.

That G3D board has got to be a Glaze3D reference board, it has got to be, it can't be anything else I don't think.

He took out all the parts in a hurry and put them in the box, I had to send pictures back to remind him what he put in there!!!

It's getting rarer with every post you make!  ;D

But I'm wondering what happened. :-?
I can only see 3 pictures! The last 2 Pics are not accessible for me.

I think you should make a kind of detailed graphic cards museum!  ;)

It has just been confirmed that the G3D is indeed a Glaze3D reference board (lookng at it, unfinished probably because of going straight to the Axe design)

As for the 3D museum website, it's already half finished.  ;)  ;)

btw, all pictures load for me just fine. :)

It's a shame BitBoys never made their promises come true, every time they promised a card they never could get to these promises, thereby delaying the cards and never making a revolution and even a single production run as 3Dfx did multiple times, so even how rare these cards may be, they won't be worth much to most collectors out there, maybe worth a few hundred and maybe a lot less.

you can have something very rare but if most people never heard of it they won't give something for it.

So as the rarity factor goes, these things could be rare to a very high degree but what they are worth wouldn't be as much as Voodoo5 6000 for example.

Very cool that you have a few if these card and that some of them work though,, it does unreveal the secrets of Bit Boys that they did build something heh.

wrote on 16.03.09 at 03:00:03:

So as the rarity factor goes, these things could be rare to a very high degree but what they are worth wouldn't be as much as Voodoo5 6000 for example.

That is Subjective.

They are worth what two people freely engaging in commerce think they are worth. A working prototype like these could be worth more than 5 V5-6000's to the right people.

gdonovan wrote on 16.03.09 at 11:10:32:

wrote on 16.03.09 at 03:00:03: So as the rarity factor goes, these things could be rare to a very high degree but what they are worth wouldn't be as much as Voodoo5 6000 for example. That is Subjective. They are worth what two people freely engaging in commerce think they are worth. A working prototype like these could be worth more than 5 V5-6000's to the right people.

That is true though, it only takes two that want it badly enough.

As for exactly why Bitboys had so many problems, Dave Barron wrote a good piece of history on it, and gives us a good insight why they didn't get something up. Most of it wasn't their fault, a real shame, because Bitboys was real, and nice people may I add as well. :)

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/bitboys/default.asp

gdonovan wrote on 16.03.09 at 11:10:32:

wrote on 16.03.09 at 03:00:03: So as the rarity factor goes, these things could be rare to a very high degree but what they are worth wouldn't be as much as Voodoo5 6000 for example. That is Subjective. They are worth what two people freely engaging in commerce think they are worth. A working prototype like these could be worth more than 5 V5-6000's to the right people.

Ah okay heh got a little mixed up there but on the other hand for a 3dfx collector like most of the V6K Team people they would be worthless none the less ;)

But indeed, that is obvious for people that collect certain things, I think you sold some ultra rare cars too once right?

Anyways does this Bit Boys AXE prototype do Rotated Grid FSAA + 128 Tap Anisotropic Filtering as well?

wrote on 16.03.09 at 14:43:08:

gdonovan wrote on 16.03.09 at 11:10:32: wrote on 16.03.09 at 03:00:03: So as the rarity factor goes, these things could be rare to a very high degree but what they are worth wouldn't be as much as Voodoo5 6000 for example. That is Subjective. They are worth what two people freely engaging in commerce think they are worth. A working prototype like these could be worth more than 5 V5-6000's to the right people. Ah okay heh got a little mixed up there but on the other hand for a 3dfx collector like most of the V6K Team people they would be worthless none the less. Anyways does this Bit Boys AXE prototype do Rotated Grid FSAA + 128 Tap Anisotropic Filtering as well?

Personally, I think you need to start talking for yourself, a lot of the times you try and speak for others, where they have already displayed their greatest interest for things that aren't just limited to 3dfx.

Would you say to your "Ex-ATI Engineer" that your EX R600 sample was worthless?

3dfx, is nice. But just sticking to that is a bit like eating sweets your whole life, sure it's nice, but you are missing out on some other interesting things.

In the history of 3D, 3dfx is just a part, a very nice part, but there are other companies/brands that are interesting as well.

Discussing Hardware is one thing , over expressing it is the other.

wrote on 16.03.09 at 16:58:13:

Discussing Hardware is one thing , over expressing it is the other.

Judging from your posts a day, your not doing so well yourself then. lol

You must do what you feel is right of course hence you like to play as I am the one and only god... more like your royal sadness is showing it's self brighter and brighter these days.

wrote on 16.03.09 at 14:43:08:

But indeed, that is obvious for people that collect certain things, I think you sold some ultra rare cars too once right?

Nope.

Quote:

Anyways does this Bit Boys AXE prototype do Rotated Grid FSAA + 128 Tap Anisotropic Filtering as well?

Does it have to? What does that have to do with having a rare board?

I have a few rare proto ATI & Trident boards and may obtain a few other samples, I find interest in many things.

Tim wrote on 13.01.09 at 23:35:30:

It has just been confirmed that the G3D is indeed a Glaze3D reference board (lookng at it, unfinished probably because of going straight to the Axe design) As for the 3D museum website, it's already half finished.  ;)  ;) btw, all pictures load for me just fine. :)

Bitboys are some kind of legend nowadays, so having a functional card is something I call exciting !
Same is true for Oak Warp boards, Ark Tiger/Cougar boards or every other prototype.
So please keep those infos coming !

Rolo01 wrote on 16.03.09 at 23:24:06:

Tim wrote on 13.01.09 at 23:35:30: It has just been confirmed that the G3D is indeed a Glaze3D reference board (lookng at it, unfinished probably because of going straight to the Axe design) As for the 3D museum website, it's already half finished.  ;)  ;) btw, all pictures load for me just fine. :) Bitboys are some kind of legend nowadays, so having a functional card is something I call exciting ! Same is true for Oak Warp boards, Ark Tiger/Cougar boards or every other prototype. So please keep those infos coming !

Thanks!

I will try my best, the hunt is still on for a good number of prototypes, I'm not sure if I will ever get there, but I will try. :)

if possible , I'd like to see that BitBoys AXE prototype in action with Q3A hehe that would be awesome  8-)

wrote on 17.03.09 at 03:23:19:

if possible , I'd like to see that BitBoys AXE prototype in action with Q3A hehe that would be awesome  8-)

I don't think drivers ever materialised unfortunately, in fact, they didn't even have time to bring up the board properly. I can check again though, haven't heard from Mr. Tuomi lately, must be very busy, as have I been. :)