Amiga.org

Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: on May 19, 2003, 06:38:58 PM

Title: Current uses
Post by: on May 19, 2003, 06:38:58 PM
Hey, what are most of you using your Amiga 500's now a days? I have'nt used mine since 1992 when I used to order thorugh "Bare Bones software".

I know it was good back then, but what about now??

Also, I was overjoyed to find this site for Amiga owners too! I'd like to get it into use again.

THX,
Supapro
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: alx on May 19, 2003, 06:46:57 PM
Welcome to Amiga.org :-)

I haven't got an A500, but I'm currently using an A1200 (OK, not currently - it hasn't got internet access) to get used to the Amiga environment again in preparation for buying an A1.

If you think that the A500 and similar was the pinnacle of Amiga technology, then you'll by stunned when you see some of the setups people around here are using :-o
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Tesral on May 19, 2003, 08:21:53 PM
Quote

Supapro wrote:
Hey, what are most of you using your Amiga 500's now a days?


My two are holding the attic floor down.  They keep compay with a stripped out 2000 and a spare 1200.  the Amiga I use is the Amigastine, the 4000 brought back from the dead.  I do have my A1000 on the desk right now however.
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Karlos on May 19, 2003, 09:05:35 PM
Hi Supapro!

When I saw the little Che Guevara (I think) avatar I thought you were someone else...

I must confess I'm a 1200 user, I got into amigas a little later than my friends. Actually around the same time but I coun't afford one ...

Enjoy your stay. This place grows on you real quick :-)
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: SilvrDrgn on May 19, 2003, 09:13:32 PM
Quote

Supapro wrote:
Hey, what are most of you using your Amiga 500's now a days?

I use mine for running old software or games that won't run on my A4000T.  It's connected to my A4000T with a null modem cable and Miami, so it can get on the 'Net if needed.  Heck, I even have Samba loaded on my A500 so I can share files.  You can see both my systems at this LINK (http://mikerye.homeip.net/about_my_computers.html).
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Xand on May 19, 2003, 10:06:24 PM
I use mine to emulate various lab equipment so that I can write the serial communications routines.
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: carls on May 19, 2003, 10:30:02 PM
I sold my A500+ nine years ago to buy an A1200. But if I had one, it would be hooked up to my TV so I could play classic games!
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: on May 19, 2003, 10:31:12 PM
@Xand

That's interesting. I work at a lab and would like to use my Amiga to retrieve data from some equipment. Maybe you can help me.

Enrique
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: amigamad on May 19, 2003, 11:06:49 PM
I have 2 at the moment both not in use 1 of them i rescued from a skip changed the keybord in it and connected power supply and it works ok .I used ebay to get roctec hard drive and 8 meg of sims for this drive ,and also got a 4 meg trapdoor expansion i have a video digitiser and a black and white hand scanner when i get the tv in working on the pc i will use it.  :-)
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Wain on May 20, 2003, 04:59:53 AM
Uhh,

My A500 is doing an excellent job filling space in my closet.  It's absolutely perfect for the job.

 :-D
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Ilwrath on May 20, 2003, 05:58:44 AM
Let's see.... My A500 is doing a good job collecting dust from inside a closet.  Actually, it's not even MY A500.  (I sold mine way back in the day to buy an A1200...)  I actually have no idea why I have an A500 in my closet.  I think it followed me home from a scrapheap.  It's accompanied in the closet by an A3000 that has some misc. problems, an A1000 that doesn't boot.  In somewhat-active duty, I have the Amiga 4000 that gets booted up when I'm nostalgic for workbench, or need a quick and dirty sound/video edit, or maybe a game of Worms:Directors Cut.  Out in the other room, I have an A1200 hid in an entertainment center, and it plays video games on the TV, or serves as entertainment for my girlfriend's little cousin.  (They love the "SAY" command I imported back onto it from OS2.04....)  ;-)
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Jiffy on May 20, 2003, 08:09:35 AM
Uhm... My 500? I sold all of my 500 related stuff (3x A500, 2x A1084, hard- & floppydisk and much other stuff) only a couple of days ago. It was only sitting in the attic, doing nothing and would keep on doing that for years to come, so...

I use my A1200 and A2000 on a very regular basis, though. They get switched on several times a week. The 2000 is for stuff not running on the A1200 due to incompatibilities and thus only has some minor hardwareexpansions (harddrive, RAM-expansion, networkcard & flickerfixer). Both of them get used for retrogaming and fooling around.
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Jope on May 20, 2003, 09:42:35 AM
Quote
Hey, what are most of you using your Amiga 500's now a days? I have'nt used mine since 1992 when I used to order thorugh "Bare Bones software".


The A500 isn't very useful these days, just a tinkertoy, games machine.

Better look at an A1200, A3000 or A4000 if you want to do anything else than play old games.. ;-)

(it's not really worth the money it takes to upgrade an A500 to "current" spec, so only do that if you really have too much money on your hands)

Oh, and my A500s (5 of them, I think) are making themselves useful by sitting inside a cardboard box.

I use my A4000 and A2000 when I need a Real Amiga - everything else gets done on the Pegasos or PC compatibles, depending on what I'm doing, of course.. :-)
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Linchpin on May 20, 2003, 10:02:03 AM
Im just getting back onto the old amiga too, i have a 500+ and a 1200, which im intending to use untill the price of the a1 comes down.  :-D
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Desmon on May 20, 2003, 10:05:42 AM
My A500 just serve to fill the cupboard in the spare room, and as containers for spare CIA chips.

My other Amigas all get used regularly though. If it weren't for the A2000, I couldn't type this here....
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: xeron on May 20, 2003, 10:07:43 AM
Well, I used to use my A500 for testing software that I wanted to run on 68000/ECS. (i'd program it on my A4000 68060, Mediator etc. etc.), but now its in my parents loft with my spare-parts A1200, and my A600.

In my flat I have my A4000 (which is in daily use as my main computer), and my A1500 (which is used to run things that require Paula audio; sadly my A4000's built in sound is dead), and playing old games. The 1500 has a GVP G-Force 030, SCSI hard disk, network card, and GVP IO Extender.
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: Matt_H on May 20, 2003, 11:24:14 PM
My A500's been working the basement shift for a couple years now.  It's kept company by my dad's audio gear and a standard A3000. We were going to use them for audio production, but never got around to it. They both still work, though the 3000 is in several pieces..
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: JimS on May 21, 2003, 05:16:25 AM
I never owned a complete 500.. but I've got a couple of old motherboards stashed for spare parts...  I did see one at the Salvation Army store last week... standing out among all those 286-386-486 class machines.
My 2000s are collecting dust... but they got some company today. One of my old customers called me & said to come over and pick it up...  So I got a 2000HD and a 1000 for the collection.... 3 A2000s, 3A1000s..  
The most recent use is porting those old floppy disks to CDs.
 
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: gonzoninja on May 21, 2003, 05:38:16 AM
I got my A500 off Ebay to play all those games I coundn't afford as a kid but now can. Yay...
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: N7VQM on May 21, 2003, 06:15:54 AM
My A500 is an on-going failing experiment in firmware and 68000 assembler programming.  It acts nothing like an A500 these days, if it acts at all.
Title: Re: Current uses
Post by: PMC on May 21, 2003, 09:54:33 AM
The A500 is really only useful foir nostalgia purposes these days.....  Saying that, I've two at home (1x OCS wb 1.2, 1x ECS wb 1.3)......  I can never bring myself to throwing them out!  

Get hold of an A1200 as it is a great starter system.  You can fit a huge range of upgrades to it, from hard drives to PPC accelerator cards, even PCI busboards and Voodoo graphics cards!