Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: Tupin on August 03, 2011, 02:25:08 AM
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I saw it on Craigslist, and snagged it immediately. It's an Amiga 4000/040 with a Golden Gate DOS card, and I believe a Video Toaster. It came with a bunch of DD floppys with animation software on it, as well as an external 3x CD-ROM drive with a few "Club Toaster" CDs. The guy I bought it from said he used it for working on videos. I paid $25 USD for it. I'm pretty thrilled I could get one for that price. :)
I also got a 1040S monitor. It's the one that doesn't have a DB23 port, but that doesn't matter as I don't have one of the cables either. This is what the back looks like (example pic): http://betastart.com/SW/DSC01504.jpg
Could I use one of those two RGB input ports? I'm good at soldering, I could probably hack together a cable.
The only other problem is that the keyboard is for an Amiga 1000. If I get an adapter like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AMIGA-4000-KEYBOARD-ADAPTOR-5-6-DIN-PINS-/270718972011?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f081bb06b
Could I use a PC keyboard by plugging an AT to PS/2 adapter into that? Or would it just be easier to get a 4000 keyboard?
I'm guessing I should check on the internal battery, too? Sorry for all of the questions, I just want to get up and running as soon as I can. :)
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The rgb cable that hooks to a 1084 monitor has both the 9 pin and the 23 pin.
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Wow, congratulations on your unbelievably good buy, and welcome to the community!
Unfortunately that keyboard adapter you linked to will only let you use an A2000 or A3000 keyboard with the A4000, not a PC keyboard. They use the same style plugs (AT and PS/2) but they are very different in the way they work. If you would like to use a PC PS/2 keyboard you will need to buy a special adapter, either the Lyra (available at online Amiga retailers) or one of these adapters, which are the cheapest I know of: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110723135382&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
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Congrats on your first Miggie!
Keyboard - personally I'd find a 4000 keyboard. Not that hard to come by and should be easier for you in the US than I find it in NZ
Internal battery - yup, check for the evil fuzz. Personally, I don't care about a clock in my 4000s so all 4000s I get have the battery removed first and foremost then I don't have to worry.
If it's got the original barrel battery I'd be removing it anyway personally and go for a coin holder/battery if you really want one. A dead Miggie that had a clock is far worse than a working Miggie without one :)
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Don't know what I'm going to do about a display, just found out this monitor has a problem with the power button where it turns off, and it also has horizontal lines.
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Where are you located?
I've got monitors and keyboards coming out of my ears if you can pick them up in San Antonio.
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Bad luck, I'm in St. Louis. I would take a keyboard for the 4000 if you are looking to get rid of one. I'd imagine monitors would be too expensive to ship.
Anyway to tell if you have a multisync monitor? Or is it just guesswork?
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25 bucks for a 4000? Thats the deal of the century
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I didn't believe him at first either, thought he meant $250. Yeah, I was lucky.
I think I'm going to wire up a DB23 to VGA cable, put it through one of those video converters, (like this one: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315697) (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315697) then hook it up to a VGA monitor. I'll use the 1084S for something else, maybe my C64 if I can get the power button to stay down.
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Here's what I would do if I were you:
Get a CV64/3D and scandoubler card. That is, unless you plan to use the toaster...up to you :) I have my toaster 4k in an a3k because I prefer to have the cv64/3d/scandoubler in my gfx slot. I'm not a big fan of running the a4k through rgb...but that's just me I suppose.
The keyboard adapter that Cammy linked is not a bad idea, but you'd be better off scouring the interwebs for an a4k keyboard (IMO).
I'd also recommend cutting the battery out, scrub the area with some vinegar, let it sit overnight, and then you should be fine if there isn't too much damage.
One more thing to think of...I got ps2 mouse adapters for all of my miggies. I absolutely loathe using a mouse that isn't optical. I'm sure many folks can agree :)
Nice and easy upgrades for you would probably be an IDE to CF adapter, configure it inWinUAE and install it as your HD. That's how I run all my miggies, and the a4k is probably one of the easiest to do that with.
Welcome!
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So just get the battery out with pliers? I don't want to have to deal with soldering on it until I have to, but that battery has to come out soon, hopefully it hasn't done much damage.
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Just wanted to say congratulations on a very good purchase! That was a true bargain! :)
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So just get the battery out with pliers? I don't want to have to deal with soldering on it until I have to, but that battery has to come out soon, hopefully it hasn't done much damage.
I use some strong wire cutters. You may be able to use decent scissors, just be careful not to nick anything else :) But yeah just snip the legs that connect it to the mobo and clean the area with vinegar or lemon juice. Then wait until it's absolutely dry (like a day or two) before attempting to plug it in again!
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The rgb cable that hooks to a 1084 monitor has both the 9 pin and the 23 pin.
Yes, but that is for a different revision of the 1084 than the one in the OP's picture.
So if the OP indeed has the 1084 that was in the picture, the cable he needs has a D23 in one end and a DIN6 in the other. You can clearly see the DIN6 above the "lin. RGB" text.
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So just get the battery out with pliers? I don't want to have to deal with soldering on it until I have to, but that battery has to come out soon, hopefully it hasn't done much damage.
Go down to the nearest Radio Shaft (er, Shack) and get a pair of nippy cutters, aka flush cutters. They'll become your best friend if you do any soldering/circuit board work.
I picked up 4 pair last time just to make sure I could always find a pair when I need them!
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Just checked it, it's not that bad. A little leakage on the side of the battery and a small amount on the board. I'll snip it out later today and clean it with some vinegar.
Meanwhile, I'll order some parts of to create a VGA cable and get one of those boxes later this week, so it will have time to dry. Unless I can hack a female DB25 into fitting somehow...
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Got the battery out and cleaned the area with vinegar. Cleaned it right up. Hopefully it's okay now.
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Would this wiring of a DB23 to VGA adapter be correct? I understand that it would have to go through a VGA box, but this is just to get it to VGA:
AMIGA----------------VGA
Pin 3 (AR)----------- Pin 1 (R)
Pin 4 (AG)----------- Pin 2 (G)
Pin 5 (AB)------------Pin 3 (B)
Pin 16 (GND)---------Pin 6 (RGND)
Pin 17 (GND)---------Pin 7 (GGND)
Pin 18 (GND)---------Pin 8 (BGND)
Pin 11 (HSYNC)-------Pin 13 (HSYNC)
Pin 12 (VSYNC)------- Pin 14 (VSYNC)
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IIRC, you have to buffer 2 of the sync lines with a double inversion on a hex-inverter or some other TTL chip. The sync lines can be inputs or outputs on the AGA chipset. And if the AGA chipset thinks they are used as inputs, it will go into a genlock video mode that assumes another video source is being fed into it.
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How would one do that? Maybe I'll just get Amigamaniac's TV adapter...
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Update. I ordered Amigamaniac's adapter, but he's been delayed a bit. I'm guessing Amiga Forever is the best option for transferring floppies? It keeps giving me an error...
Oh, this machine has two hard drives in it, by the way. One is connected to the DOS card, one to the Amiga board. Could I use one of these for either a third drive or a replacement?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40pin-IDE-CF-Compact-Flash-Bracket-Amiga-4000-Mac-PC-/270789144748?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item3f0c4a70ac
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Best option for transferring files is buy an Amiga ethernet adapter (or a Deneb / PCI ethernet) and use AmigaExplorer to transfer nice and quick all with a drag and drop interface in Windows Explorer :)
Failing that you can use Amiga Explorer with a null modem cable for the same effect...albeit a lot slower.
Hard drive is a hard drive. If I'm reading your question correctly then yes you can have 2 hard drives in your Amiga (with a suitable cable of course). Format the DOS one with an Amiga FS and away you go (that's assuming you meant that you want to use the DOS drive as an Amiga drive now not DOS).
And yes that CF adapter you've linked will do the job if you want to use a CF card as a HDD. Personally I do the same in my 4000 but don't have an additional hard drive in there..just the CF card. If I want to back things up I use Amiga Explorer and copy the files to my Windows file server for backup.
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Nice Score! I'll be looking at craigs list more often.
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I want to use the DOS card as a DOS card, so I guess I will have three hard drives once I install the CF card.
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Does anyone know where amigamaniac is? I haven't gotten my adapter that I ordered at the beginning of the month...
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Australia, could take a bit.
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Yeah when I order stuff from USA or Europe, its not uncommon for it to take up to 6-7 weeks to arrive here in Australia. I wouldn't worry about it.
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Yeah when I order stuff from USA or Europe, its not uncommon for it to take up to 6-7 weeks to arrive here in Australia. I wouldn't worry about it.
That's the post man getting confused by everything being upside down. :p
But seriously, that's an awesome buy Tupin, I would go and get an A4000 keyboard for it without a doubt. You got the system so cheap, go treat yourself to the real thing.
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Oh, I got a keyboard. The guy who sold me the Amiga accidentally gave me a 1000 keyboard instead, so we exchanged and I got the 4000 keyboard.
Everything is ready, I'm just waiting on the adapter. Hopefully it will ship out soon.
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Don't know what I'm going to do about a display, just found out this monitor has a problem with the power button where it turns off, and it also has horizontal lines.
Transformer is tripping I reckon, that's what TVs that switch themselves off and kick out a physical on/off switch.
Get it looked at by an electrician, you can't be that unbelievably lucky all the time I guess :)
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I mean, has anyone talked to amigamaniac recently? I can't get a hold of him, and others have posted on his site's forum asking where he is.