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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: k4lmp on September 16, 2012, 06:41:26 PM
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I would like to have a HD in my A500, and after losing numerous bids on ebay, due to the external drives going for crazy prices, I came up with an idea, and some questions. Is the expansion port on the side of the A500 a simple Zorro II slot? If so, would it be possible to build a custom enclosure for an A2091, and plug it in directly, and maybe mount a scsi CF adapter? Would this work? If so, I might try to build some kind of enclosure, and pick up an A2091. The only problem would be power, but there could even be a PC power supply mounted in the enclosure. Of course, if the slot isn't a simple Zorro II, it wouldn't work at all. Any ideas? Thanks.
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It's not a Zorro slot, but adapters exist and can be built to connect a Zorro card. There are more elegant solutions out there, though, such as CPU-slot adapters that give you an IDE port or CF card slot.
Someone with more knowledge on the subject can verify for me, but I think Jens Schoenfeld's upcoming A500 accelerators will have some sort of mass storage capability.
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There are "slingshot" adapters for plugging a Zorro II card into the A500's expanionsion slot (yes, it's very close to Z2).
If you're planning to use a CF card, an IDE adapter will be simpler & less expensive overall (since the CF interface is nothing else than IDE, requiring only a simple, passive adapter).
OTOH, "the best upgrade for a 500 is a 1200" might also be a good idea...
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I would love to have an A1200, problem is, they are expensive, and I already have the A500. My main Amiga is my 2000, which I use most of the time. I don't use the A500 much, simply because of the no hard drive. I don't like wearing my floppy drive out changing disks. I never did like changing disks all the time. Also, I have a few of the scsi card readers from Mech laying around, so all I would need is an A2091. I have a GVP 2000-8 scsi card that I could use.
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Over on Aminet there's a schematic for a single slot Zorro II adapter. It's pretty simple, just one chip, if I recall correctly. I used a commercial version of it on my 1000 which has the same sort of slot as the 500.
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Over on Aminet there's a schematic for a single slot Zorro II adapter. It's pretty simple, just one chip, if I recall correctly. I used a commercial version of it on my 1000 which has the same sort of slot as the 500.
I built that adapter for my A500 and plugged in a A2091 card. Worked great and ran a BBS for serveral years back in the early 90's. I probably still have the adapter here some where. Technically simple but I recall it did require a lot of wire soldering. No problem if you're handy with an iron, challenge if you're not.
BTW, I also recall the connectors required were the toughest issue. I couldn't find the right size cheap enough to make me happy so I hacked some connectors out of some old equipment and made them work. Maybe connectors are easier to find these days or maybe someone got a hacked up 2000 that could donate at least the zorro connector.
Plaz
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I was hoping it was just a ZII slot. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a HD on ebay. I just bid on one last night, it went for $200 plus shipping, so someone wanted it more than I did. I didn't pay that much for my A2000, or my A500. I guess it is just this whole supply vs. demand thing.
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Is this what you are thinking about? Works with A2091 too with 2MB RAM and bootable HD.
Check this page for more info: http://lilliput.amiga-projects.net/Indie.htm
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Sounds like you're looking for the old Bodega Bay to me.
http://www.bboah.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=76&id=3489&artlang=en
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BTW, I also recall the connectors required were the toughest issue. I couldn't find the right size cheap enough to make me happy so I hacked some connectors out of some old equipment and made them work. Maybe connectors are easier to find these days or maybe someone got a hacked up 2000 that could donate at least the zorro connector.
Plaz
I've used two ISA slot connectors, cut them in half and glued them together to get Zorro slots before. I've also bought them from Jameco for relatively cheap since then.
https://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_1945049_-1
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I've used two ISA slot connectors, cut them in half and glued them together to get Zorro slots before. I've also bought them from Jameco for relatively cheap since then.
https://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_1945049_-1
I'd speak to tomthul
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=8373
He's sold out right now but if enough people show interest then he might do another batch, but if you want to make them yourself he can probable tell you where to get parts and he's offered to give out the pcb layouts.
http://www.amibay.com/showpost.php?p=346299&postcount=75
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Sounds like you're looking for the old Bodega Bay to me.
http://www.bboah.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=76&id=3489&artlang=en
I would love to have one of those, didn't know they made such a beast. Must be kinda rare.
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The easiest way to use an A2091 in an A500 is to get an A590! :roflmao:
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The easiest way to use an A2091 in an A500 is to get an A590! :roflmao:
Thanks for the totally useless post. Either you didn't read the first post, or were just TRYING to be funny.
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I would really just wait for the ACA500 from Individual Computers to get released later this year. It's board that plugs into the CPU socket and will give you.
1) CF Card slot
2) 40 pin ATA IDE connector for CDROM, etc
3) 4MB RAM upgrade
4) 14Mhz 68000 accelerator
5) Amiga 1200 expansion slot for A1200 accelerators.
All for around $105 USD..
You can add a 16Mhz 68020 w/128mb of ram for another $120USD and have something MUCH better than those people spending $200 on a 20+ year old SCSI controller.
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I would really just wait for the ACA500 from Individual Computers to get released later this year. It's board that plugs into the CPU socket and will give you.
1) CF Card slot
2) 40 pin ATA IDE connector for CDROM, etc
3) 4MB RAM upgrade
4) 14Mhz 68000 accelerator
5) Amiga 1200 expansion slot for A1200 accelerators.
All for around $105 USD..
You can add a 16Mhz 68020 w/128mb of ram for another $120USD and have something MUCH better than those people spending $200 on a 20+ year old SCSI controller.
That sounds like a great add on. Not a bad price for what you are getting. Like you said, better than the high priced external scsi's. I wonder if it would work in an A2000?
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I would love to have an A1200, problem is, they are expensive,
in the end you will benefit much more with an a1200. seriously consider getting one. I dont understand how they can be so expensive, over here they are often sold for around 50 euro's which is around 65 USD.
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I don't know why they are so expensive over here. Maybe some of the knowledgeable people on here can answer that. Maybe there just aren't as many here. I love my A2000, and my A500, but would like to have an A1200. Who knows, one of these days I may decide to sell them and get a 1200. I really like the big box A2000, though, and have learned quite a bit about it, setting up hardware and such.
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I think it was a lack of supply here in the states.
I didn't buy an A1200 back when it was released because I had a fairly decked out A3000 w/040, and an A500. The gaming consoles (Snes, Genesis) had really overtaken the Amiga by that time. I just didn't feel the need to pony up for an AGA machine, and I know a lot of my friends at the time felt the same way.
I think a lot more people had A500's in Europe, and the A1200 was a much more logical upgrade path for a larger group of people. All my friends were rocking big box Amiga's with lots of expensive addons.
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The Amiga retailers in the US (Software HUT, and the like) did not stock them (A1200's), so they were hard to come by unless one dealt with one of the big name electronic importers (which I had found to be a BIG mistake). I already had a "Towerized" A2000 and went for the A4000T that Software HUT had in stock. Later I bought a second A4000T from them around 2001 for a backup system.
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really? I never knew. what is a typical price for a standard a1200 in the states?
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An A2091 can do fine in an A500 with a zorro side slot adapter. However, it wouldn't be wise to power the drive from the power plug that is on the A2091. It would drain to much from the A500 mobo.
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really? I never knew. what is a typical price for a standard a1200 in the states?
On *Bay they run 200 to 300 USD for a standard (unexpanded), which is silly since a refurbished one from AmigaKit (when they are in stock) is 166 USD plus shipping. A4000's start around 600 USD for a desktop and 900 to 1,100 USD for a tower. A2000's start around 75 to 150 USD as do A500's; most of the sellers know next to nothing. On occasion if they know ABSOLUTELY nothing they try to sell them for 10 fold higher. A few real users will price on the low to mid range. As I'm sure you are aware, an A3000T (real) is quite high (one just sold last week), and a fully upgraded A4000T (CSPPC, Mediator, et cetera) goes for 3000 to 4,500 USD. My two A4000T's are fully upgraded (Radeon 9200's OS 4.1, 15K 146GB Atlas drives,and such) only one has non-spider USB (Deneb); not for lack of trying.
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amazing.. Im glad I live in europe.
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Thanks for the totally useless post. Either you didn't read the first post, or were just TRYING to be funny.
If you consider the cost of purchasing the A2091, Zorro slot adapter, extra PSU, case and mounting hardware was it totally useless? I've seen some A590's sold on Amibay for more reasonable prices than Greedbay. Maybe you should try posting a wanted ad?
P.S. If you were TRYING to have a sense of humor you might see this post as more useful. :idea:
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Speedgeek, Like I said in my first post, I have a GVP scsi card I could use instead of the 2091. I also have several card readers, and also, my original post was asking if the slot was a zorro ii slot, in which case I would not have to buy anything. There is an A2091 on ebay right now for $45. Everything I have just said, except for the ebay 2091 comment, is in my posts before you made your remark. I do have a good sense of humor. You just need to read before posting, apparently. Now that I know it is not, in fact a zorro ii, I understand, and thanks to all the good people on here who actually helped me.
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@k4Imp:
Yeah, they are quite rare and I suspect they would be expensive if you did see one on ebay etc. I really wanted one back then but it looks kinda ugly to me now.
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I would really just wait for the ACA500 from Individual Computers to get released later this year. It's board that plugs into the CPU socket and will give you.
1) CF Card slot
2) 40 pin ATA IDE connector for CDROM, etc
3) 4MB RAM upgrade
4) 14Mhz 68000 accelerator
5) Amiga 1200 expansion slot for A1200 accelerators.
All for around $105 USD..
You can add a 16Mhz 68020 w/128mb of ram for another $120USD and have something MUCH better than those people spending $200 on a 20+ year old SCSI controller.
If it had at least a single clockport, it would be worth it. Even with an ACA1230, there's still no clockport.
I rescued an A500, with an external floppy, power supply and (barely-functional) mouse from the dump. Sadly, the case is just yellowed beyond belief and there's something wrong with one of the amiga keys. Upon check, I realized that it's missing it's spring. 8C
I want USB, but that means that I have to buy the clockport adapter and I'm not sure if it will work with the accelerators.
Now, if I could get one of these with even one clockport, or the Zeus, along with one of Tom's ZorroII adapters with a Cybervision, then I'd be happy. :crazy:
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Well, if you see a 1200 on ebay, it goes up quickly. I look at amibay every now and then, but the problem with that is shipping. Almost all the good stuff on there is overseas, so that pretty much rules me out. I guess I'll just have to make do with my A2000. It is upgraded enough to be pretty quick. I really would like to have a HD on my A500, though. There is just something neat about the A500. I don't play many games, but just like fooling around with it. Man, I wish I could have afforded one of these back in the 80's. All the upgrades would have been available, although still expensive.
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Thanks for the totally useless post. Either you didn't read the first post, or were just TRYING to be funny.
Judging by the ROTFL emoticon, I'd say it was pretty obvious is was the latter..
Relax...
On amibay, frequently tomthul (or mkl or ??) will come up with batches of their IDE/CF cards which fit under the CPU or in the side slot.
As mentioned above, Jens new hardware is coming out and looks really nice.
I also think that it's possible Jens new hardware will cause some people who own some of the other products to "sell" them so they can upgrade, so you might be seeing more reasonably priced items on e-bay (hopefully).
Good luck
desiv