Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: DirectorSG on July 06, 2009, 05:14:49 AM
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I'm new to Amigas. I just bought an A4000 and a Video Toaster 4000. The A4000 doesn't have a CD-ROM drive. Should I install an IDE or SCSI drive? Would a SCSI drive also require a controller card? An IDE drive would need a different cable as the current cable doesn't look like it would reach the drive. Also, the seller of the VT4000 suggested an IDE drive and a copy of IDEFix. What's more practical? Can anyone recommend which bus to go with and which drive brands/models would be best?
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SCSI CD-ROMs are hard to get (probraly only used) expensive and require an extra controller either as a seperate card or on a CPU-card. If you have neither of those getting a longer IDE-cable should be much easier. Just check random shops selling anything computer.
On the SW side you should be able to get away with useing just what supplied with AmigaOS (not sure wether OS3.0 has everything onboard, but 3.5 or 3.9 should be sufficient).
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An IDE drive would need a different cable as the current cable doesn't look like it would reach the drive.
Try to connect it in the wrong direction, i.e. connect the shorter part to the motherboard and the middle connector to the HDD, then you have the longer part to reach the CD drive. Note that this does only work with a 40-line IDE cable. Do not try this with an 80-line UDMA cable !
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I use IDE .. Its very easy to set up , does not require any additional hardware and IDE cdrom drives are super cheap and found anywhere .
I use an IDE DVD writer on my A4000 (Never tried out the writing or DVD features) and it was as easy to setup as just plugging it in and switching on the Amiga .
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The A4000D has a really cramped interior. The back of the CDROM unit gets pressed up against the powersupply cutting the PS airflow and pinching the cables from the back of the unit. When considering a CDROM drive, try to find the smallest (front to back) size possible or the drive unit will protrude slightly out the front. The Amiga IDE handle only two drives on it's header.
My A4000 is configured (like most A4000 desktops) with the main system drive and a CDROM on the IDE header. The Toaster/WORK drive and external ZIPdisk are on the WarpEngine SCSI header.
Have fun with your [strike]moneypit[/strike] er, Video Toaster. Oh yeah. check that battery!
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Moneypit is right... these things can truly be that and more! lol
@DirectorSG, I have a spare A2091 SCSI card if you're looking to go the SCSI route.
Drives can be found on ePay and elsewhere, but as others have mentioned, finding a
model that's not too deep would be prudent. The case for the A4k is tiny and you're
likely to run into heat/power supply problems cramming all that stuff inside.
As an alternative thought here too... you might really NOT need or want a CD-ROM in
your Amiga. There are other and better ways of doing mass storage. The Deneb USB
card quickly comes to mind. Transferring files to and fro a PeeCee <> Amiga is a snap
via flash drives now. We're talking a $150 investment, but you'd then have access to
many other USB peripherals (including printers) on your Amiga.
I've got a SCSI CD-ROM drive that sees almost zero use in my A2500 and am thinking
about replacing it with a 5-1/4" floppy drive and A2088 Bridgeboard (speaking of
useless/futile endeavours), but this is the fun of the Amiga! lol
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As T3000 said you need a very short drive to fit into the A4000 case (17 cm or shorter). Most modern LG or LiteOn drives fit perfectly. But I doubt that an old SCSI drive is short enough to fit into the desktop case.
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Have fun with your [strike]moneypit[/strike] er, Video Toaster. Oh yeah. check that battery!
Why do you say the Toaster is a money pit? I know it's old technology, but it's still pretty amazing for what it does. Way cheaper than a TriCaster. And I had read about the battery problems. The negative side of the battery was a little fuzzy, so I pulled it immediately. I tested it to see if it still had any juice, and it didn't. I'm going to get that watch battery kit that someone posted in another thread.
As an alternative thought here too... you might really NOT need or want a CD-ROM in your Amiga. There are other and better ways of doing mass storage. The Deneb USB card quickly comes to mind. Transferring files to and fro a PeeCee <> Amiga is a snap via flash drives now. We're talking a $150 investment, but you'd then have access to many other USB peripherals (including printers) on your Amiga
This is a great suggestion. I have an old USB external CD burner that would work for this. And yes, the flash drive option is another plus. I'm going to consider getting one.
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I'll echo the comments about the tight fit. I found a Sony CD burner that was shorter than most of the IDE CD drives I could find at the time.
I'll also confirm that adding a Deneb would give you a variety of choices. I haven't tried any USB CD drives on the Amiga but I don't have fond memories of using them on a Mac!
The IDE drives are the cheapest solution but Deneb gives you a whole bunch of options. I like having both the drive and USB options on my 4000D.
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I have a plextor 12x scsi for sale... but lets be honest... you don't want it.
Go IDE (easy to find "short" drive) or USB
Tom UK
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Why do you say the Toaster is a money pit?
We're saying the Amiga in general is a "money pit". Deneb - $150, Graphics Card - $150-$400, Accelerator cards - $400+, Sound card - $100+, Zorro III Ram card - $XXX, High Density floppy drives - $80+, Flicker Fixer/Scan Doublers - $80+, CD Drives, Hard Drives, Motherboard repair (inevitable), Keyboards, mice, etc., etc. Once you get back into the swing of things playing around with the OS, the lovely feel of the keyboard and the "feel" of the computer all around, you're going to want more, MoRe, MORE! LOL!
Hmm.... anyone ever notice the correlation to our model numbers and monetary investments? lol (a stretch for some maybe, but others will know precisely what I mean).