simple: amiga cd-drives different from pc ones

[3246251196]

when i get 3.5/9

i will need to install via cd (i know i could do it through network - but lets not consider that a possib)

is there any difference in cd-drives that my current PC uses and an amiga uses?

i have a lot of spare cd-drives around what do i need to make it work for the amiga - OR do i need a special collaboration of hardware?

[Sparky]

Yes there is .. the Amiga ones all have this little red and white ball embossed onto each IC, they also require you to feed in 3-Phase power, connect each wire the opposite way around and dance naked while sacrficing a chiken to the Blood God.

;-)

Seriously though .. no difference and you can paint your own balls. :-)

[Sparky]

Hmm .. proof reading that last post shows the last line could be interpreted incorrectly ... unless you are into thats ort of thing.

[Oliver]

Sparky wrote:
...Seriously though .. no difference and you can paint your own balls. :-)

So, what did you think people meant when thay were talking about 'boing bags'? ;-)

[doctorq]

@3246251196

No difference. You just need a 2,5" --> 3,5" adaptor so you can connect the drive to your IDE controller (if it's an A600 or A1200). If it's an A4000, it's just to install the drive and install the drivers.

[3246251196]

hmm, well i have all sorts of IDE cables. but, i have not got a 2.5-3.5 one. looks like ill have to get one!

thanks anyway.
---

ANOTHER QUESTION: could i use one of my DVD-RW too on the AMIGA 1200

[Agafaster]

[color=ff0000]BEWARE !!![/color][/b][/i][/u]

I seriously fcuked up an A1200 in the past doing that:

the 2.5" IDE interface on an A1200 is unbuffered, meaning there is nothing between your IDE device(s) and all the tender and now irreplacable custom underbelly that makes your amiga what it is:

one current surge and you can seriously fry several custom chips: I destroyed Gayle, the CPU, and half the Chip-Ram ICs on the motherboard - cost me 50 quid to get repaired - and that was in the days when Wolverhampton had a shop that could send Amigas for repair.

I seriously recommend you visit www.amigakit.com for 'Piece of Mind'.

-edit-
specifically, this

[3246251196]

what you suggesting then. i get cd-rw hardware which is also 2.5"? thus, 2.5-2.5 cable?,.

[Piru]

Maybe it should be also pointed out that I used self-made (unbuffered) 4-way IDE interface (44-pin 2.5" mobo connector <-> 4 x 40-pin connector) in my A1200 for years, and I never had any problems with it. The A1200 mobo is still fine (even though now retired). YMMV.

[Agafaster]

...but is it really worth the risk to your precious hardware ? they dont make em any more, y'know ?

[3246251196]

so guys can you clear this up here:

1 - if i use a PC cd drive (rw/rom) i CAN use it?

2 - if so, i WILL need a 2.5 - 3.5 IDE cable YES?

3 - can i also do the same with DVD-RWs?

4 - like on PC will the optical drive be auto-detectable?

[SamuraiCrow]

3246251196 wrote:
so guys can you clear this up here:

1 - if i use a PC cd drive (rw/rom) i CAN use it?

yes.

2 - if so, i WILL need a 2.5 - 3.5 IDE cable YES?

Yes but be sure you get a good one.  Using an unbuffered adapter cable will likely fry your motherboard.

3 - can i also do the same with DVD-RWs?

Yes but be aware that there are no DVD filesystems for classic Amiga.  You will be able to burn CDRs with the proper software though.

4 - like on PC will the optical drive be auto-detectable?

No.  You'll have to drag an icon into a drawer and reboot.  Depending on the IDE splitter cable you might have to install drivers for it as well.

[adolescent]

SamuraiCrow wrote:

Yes but be sure you get a good one.  Using an unbuffered adapter cable will likely fry your motherboard.

Not always true.  See Harry's response above.  Why would a 2.5->3.5 cable be any more dangerous than the standard "unbuffered" 2.5->2.5 cable?

Yes but be aware that there are no DVD filesystems for classic Amiga.  You will be able to burn CDRs with the proper software though.

:-?  You can read and write DVD-R on classic Amiga.  For example, CacheCDFS included with OS3.9 happily reads DVD-R without any problem.

[SamuraiCrow]

adolescent wrote:

SamuraiCrow wrote:

Yes but be sure you get a good one.  Using an unbuffered adapter cable will likely fry your motherboard.

Not always true.  See Harry's response above.  Why would a 2.5->3.5 cable be any more dangerous than the standard "unbuffered" 2.5->2.5 cable?

If he tries to hook up a hard drive AND CDROM it will likely overload the signal pins and fry the motherboard.

Yes but be aware that there are no DVD filesystems for classic Amiga.  You will be able to burn CDRs with the proper software though.

:-?  You can read and write DVD-R on classic Amiga.  For example, CacheCDFS from OS3.9 happily reads DVD-R without any problem.

Yes, but AmigaOS for less than version 4.0 prerelease 4 will not read files larger than 2 GB and a DVD video player would require a PowerPC chip and the aforementioned prerelease of AmigaOS 4.0.

[Piru]

@SamuraiCrow

If he tries to hook up a hard drive AND CDROM it will likely overload the signal pins and fry the motherboard.

Well, I had 3 HDDs and a CD-RW drive hooked to std A1200 IDE. No buffering - no problems whatsoever. (Oh, naturally everything was powered by proper PC PSU)

Yes, but AmigaOS for less than version 4.0 prerelease 4 will not read files larger than 2 GB

DVDs don't typically hold files larger than 1GB (mainly because the mainstream OS has issues with larger files). Movie DVDs use several 1GB files, you can read them on classic amiga just fine. In fact, movie player apps access the DVD directly, and thus are not bound by any limitations of a filesystem. Largefile support is not required for DVDs, it's mostly useful for HDDs.

DVD movie playback on classic Amiga is completely another matter...