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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: runequester on April 03, 2010, 05:36:12 PM

Title: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: runequester on April 03, 2010, 05:36:12 PM

What would I need to add a CD ROM drive to an Amiga 2000, and how expensive do you figure it'd turn out to be ?

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: save2600 on April 03, 2010, 05:43:39 PM

You need either an IDE or SCSI interface for starters. Then you'd need a SCSI or IDE drive of course. After that, you'll need either AsimCDFS or AmigaOS 2.x or better so that the Amiga "sees" your drive.

There's a Zorro II IDE card that exists and is for sale through Amigakit I believe still or you can hook a SCSI CD-ROM to a 2091 card as well. Most accelerator cards for the A2000 also have SCSI built in and that's what I use with my CD-ROM. An A2091 card can be had for about $20 and same with a SCSI CD-ROM if you can find one. The Zorro II IDE board runs about $60-$80 and IDE drives are a dime a dozen.

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: doctorq on April 03, 2010, 05:51:30 PM

You would need controller, drive and software.

The best way to upgrade your Amiga 2000 is a SCSI controller with ram option. A A2091 card can have 2 MB installed, or preferably a GVP HC8+ which can have 8 MB installed. Both cards will do.

Then it's just a matter of finding a SCSI harddrive and CD drive and install the software. Kickstart 2.0 or better is recommended, but you can do fine with Kickstart 1.3. Which software you choose depends on your Kickstart version.

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: runequester on April 03, 2010, 06:23:05 PM

alright so sounds like it shouldn't be too massively expensive or complicated

I am figuring at this point that a CD ROM option is propably gonna be the simplest way of transferring ADFs to it, so I can write them to floppy

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: motrucker on April 03, 2010, 06:40:48 PM

If you get a 2091 card, make sure it has at least v6.6 ROMs - V7.0 are the best/newest. On the GVP make sure the ROM is version 4.5 or higher. That will make sure problems don't exist...
Good luck.

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: Effy on April 03, 2010, 07:55:47 PM

Scsi cdroms are too old these days, better get a very cheap adapter for scsi-to-ide and connect yourself a ide DVDrom to your Amiga. That's how I connected a 1 Gb harddrive to my A3000 which has standard only scsi, the A3000 saw the ide drive with adapter as a nornal scsi drive. There are of course expensive options like the A-card to which guarantees high speed throughput of data but I don't think that the Zorro2 bus really needs that ...

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: amigaksi on April 03, 2010, 07:59:52 PM

Quote from: runequester;551114

alright so sounds like it shouldn't be too massively expensive or complicated

I am figuring at this point that a CD ROM option is propably gonna be the simplest way of transferring ADFs to it, so I can write them to floppy

There are other methods as well for transferring ADFs like here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320508786276

Title: Re: Best way to add CD ROM to A2000?
Post by: Karlos on April 03, 2010, 08:05:22 PM

Quote from: runequester;551114

alright so sounds like it shouldn't be too massively expensive or complicated

I am figuring at this point that a CD ROM option is propably gonna be the simplest way of transferring ADFs to it, so I can write them to floppy

Any chance you could use a network connection for that? Even if it were only SLIP...