Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: superfrog76 on October 18, 2013, 07:04:45 AM
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So, after a lot of back and forth; I've abandoned the idea to put my 1200 board in the 1000 case (the case went down the drain with the owner; it happens when people get too greedy).
Now, I've visited few stores, and sadly, there is not a single desktop case with slim profile, that would fit the 1200 board plus extras....which force me to the sad truth: I must build one from scratch.
Which options do I have? I saw custom made of wood...but wood is the worst choice for a computer that should dissipate heat (plus the heat warps the wood...at least looking at the wooden spoon that we use to cook :) ), and a 1200 with AC adapter and accelerator board is not exactly cold.
Altho I was suggested to go to craft places, and get basically a wooden box and then customize it, so at least I have a solid base to start with.
The other option is to buy something made by a case maker, but I have not found any that makes custom cases in USA; I see modders that modify tower computers, but nobody that makes the case from scratch.
Last thing that I was looking into, is plastic (the one used to make cases for things like raspberry pi, minimig and such...not sure what kind of plastic is that); I may be able to order the sheets cut as I want, and either glue them or use screws, but I am not sure about having a transparent case, nor if I can spray paint it, without somehow cause a fire hazard :)
The option to make it with the 3d printer is not feasible, nor I know if is possible to have parts made of ABS plastic, like the original 1200 case, from a company, if you give them the specs...from what I heard, they don't make single unit, and I don't really need 500 case (unless someone want to share the load and buy ? :D)
Not sure how many of you attempted the transplant of a 1200 board in some different case; I've found only few projects, made many years ago on the site; and they inspired me because they look quite nice :)
I am all ears...any suggestion would help, since I am not exactly a modder....I built a bird house with plywood...so I can make square things :P
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You will be able to fit the A1200 motherboard and extras inside the "SilverStone Milo ML03B" and fit extras without problems :) Case dimensions:
440x340x105 mm (W/D/H)
(http://www.silverstonetek.com/images/products/ml03/ML03-3-4.jpg)(http://www.silverstonetek.com/images/products/ml03/ML03-3-4-Back.jpg)
That case is quite cheep also :) if I would do a A1200 desktop case ill use something like that :)
Cutout a new back for I/O's, new mounting holes and the motherboard is set, if you want a CD/DVD-drive it has a spot for it, you have to mod to get a internal floppy but not to much work, I would probably put the floppy in the 3,5" HDD cage under the 5,25" facing left or make a cut out in the right part of the front for a floppy.
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Looks like a great option, Vs starting from scratch.
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I love you :) Thanks! They sell it at the local computer store :D I think I saw it but since they had just the box, I was not able to figure out if it was big enough, and if it has a good internal layout to place the board.
Indeed it is a really nice starting point; and being made of metal, allow me to screw on top either some decorative piece of painted wood or ABS; Or I can paint it directly (in "Amiga white") without fear :)
As side note; is there a quick way to adapt a keyboard? I will get the adapter from Amigakit (the one that you stick on top of the chip on the motherboard), but if there is another option I am available to explore.
Also for the power: I have an ATX PC power supply; would be better to get one of these laptop AC adapter (12 or 15V, about 75-90W), and use that adapter from Steadman, in conjunction with a picoPSU?
I love the 1200 case but I need space on the desk...I can save the PS2 keyboard in the drawer when I don't use it, and keep the Amiga ready to be used under my monitor :)
Thanks!
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I love you :) Thanks! They sell it at the local computer store :D I think I saw it but since they had just the box, I was not able to figure out if it was big enough, and if it has a good internal layout to place the board.
Indeed it is a really nice starting point; and being made of metal, allow me to screw on top either some decorative piece of painted wood or ABS; Or I can paint it directly (in "Amiga white") without fear :)
As side note; is there a quick way to adapt a keyboard? I will get the adapter from Amigakit (the one that you stick on top of the chip on the motherboard), but if there is another option I am available to explore.
Also for the power: I have an ATX PC power supply; would be better to get one of these laptop AC adapter (12 or 15V, about 75-90W), and use that adapter from Steadman, in conjunction with a picoPSU?
I love the 1200 case but I need space on the desk...I can save the PS2 keyboard in the drawer when I don't use it, and keep the Amiga ready to be used under my monitor :)
Thanks!
You are welcome my friend, im just glad I can help!
I would rather fit a FLEX-ATX PSU inside the case instead of a Pico-psu.
I think your best bet is just to wait for the PS/2 keyboard adapter from Amigakit, but since you know what connection it has you can make the hole beforehand in the case :)
Amiga white is the way to go when repainting the case yes :) I would also print out a sticker with the amiga logo and Amiga 1200D on :)
I wish you all luck with your build!
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I see, so it is it any better than a PicoPSU 120W? I could fit probably the whole power AC and picoPSU inside the case, and have more space, compated to the flex-ATX PSU (at the cost of 100 dollars extra thou)
So the only way is the ps/2 adaptor then...I was hoping that I can just somehow use the original keyboard and stretch the cable to a size that is longer than the original ribbon cable :)
Getting the case today; will post some photos of how is coming up together :) I have the A1200 tag from the original case, and probably will have to make a decal for the AMIGA name and the boing ball on the top :)
Thanks!
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I see, so it is it any better than a PicoPSU 120W? I could fit probably the whole power AC and picoPSU inside the case, and have more space, compated to the flex-ATX PSU (at the cost of 100 dollars extra thou)
So the only way is the ps/2 adaptor then...I was hoping that I can just somehow use the original keyboard and stretch the cable to a size that is longer than the original ribbon cable :)
Getting the case today; will post some photos of how is coming up together :) I have the A1200 tag from the original case, and probably will have to make a decal for the AMIGA name and the boing ball on the top :)
Thanks!
You should be able to get away with a lot less than 120w with an A1200.
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Well, isn't the original PSU 65W? I've heard that it is not enough to power an expansion board (I have a 030/50, 64 mb), plus the CF card and the DVD rom.
90W should suffice then? I see people using 300W PSU for their case conversion...what the heck do they put in? :P
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So, I've ordered the material needed; and for the case I am planning to keep the motherboard a bit closed to the center, since the only 3 ports that I will use will be the joystick and mouse ports.
The video is done trough a scart to HDMI converter; so I will keep the scart cable and the HDMI converter inside the case, leaving out only the HDMI cable for the output.
The power is internal, so I will not have to expose the power connector.
Now, is there a way to extend the 9 pin ports? I can get a serial cable, but I am looking for a way to fix the port to the case; and I don't recall to see any bracket with serial connectors...do I have to make my own?
I am planning to cover the back of the case with acrylic, and then cut trough the acrylic to fix the ports that I need (HDMI, 2 serial, the power cord)..is this OK or should I do things in a different way? Better ask before playing frankenstein with my dremel :)
Thanks!
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If you don't want to buy 9-pin dsub contacts and solder yourself you can buy these since you can mount them with nuts and bolts :)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSub-SubD-9pin-Buchse-auf-DSub-9pol-Stecker-1-1-13cm-Verlangerung-gut-10cm-/161099997148?pt=DE_Computer_Sonstige&hash=item25824edfdc
Also for the backplate, you could measure the dimensions of it, go to your local metal shop and buy a piece in the same size, maybe a tad thinner to make it easier to work with.
Cut out the holes for connectors with a dremel or anything that works, then cut out the original backplate, save maybe 5-7mm at the edge of the original backplate then use a MIG welder to put the new plate there. If you don't have a MIG Welder then drill holes and use pop riverts.
Pictures would be great!
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Thanks Som :) Last time that I tried soldering a connector, people on the other side of the world started to scream in pain and anger ;) I am ok with bigger items, but the connector is too small for my fat fingers :P
I will try to find something like you posted....the guy does not ship in USA sadly; will check my electronic store, hoping that he does not ask a hand a an arm for it (they robbed me 12 dollars for a serial cable; when I was making my joystick LOL).
I do not have a MIG Welder; probably either I have to bolt it, glue it or put rivets :) It sounds simple enough for me; after all I will need just 4 plugs going out of the case.
Will post pictures as soon as I start; I placed the order for the keyboard adapter and the case yesterday :D Thanks!
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Thanks Som :) Last time that I tried soldering a connector, people on the other side of the world started to scream in pain and anger ;) I am ok with bigger items, but the connector is too small for my fat fingers :P
I will try to find something like you posted....the guy does not ship in USA sadly; will check my electronic store, hoping that he does not ask a hand a an arm for it (they robbed me 12 dollars for a serial cable; when I was making my joystick LOL).
I do not have a MIG Welder; probably either I have to bolt it, glue it or put rivets :) It sounds simple enough for me; after all I will need just 4 plugs going out of the case.
Will post pictures as soon as I start; I placed the order for the keyboard adapter and the case yesterday :D Thanks!
Haha no problem :) I bet you could find em for a fair price on ebay, those chinease sellers have free shipping world wide :) Looking forward to see your pictures tho :)
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Well, isn't the original PSU 65W? I've heard that it is not enough to power an expansion board (I have a 030/50, 64 mb), plus the CF card and the DVD rom.
90W should suffice then? I see people using 300W PSU for their case conversion...what the heck do they put in? :P
Just looking at how much watt a PSU can output is a bit pointless in my opinion. The thing is that most of the power on modern 300W PSU's is on the 12V rail, while on the Amiga, a decent 5V output is much more important.
As for your backplate, I would recommend that you use an aluminium plate instead of steel since it is much easier to work with.
Anyway, please post pictures of your progress :)
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Just looking at how much watt a PSU can output is a bit pointless in my opinion. The thing is that most of the power on modern 300W PSU's is on the 12V rail, while on the Amiga, a decent 5V output is much more important.
As for your backplate, I would recommend that you use an aluminium plate instead of steel since it is much easier to work with.
Anyway, please post pictures of your progress :)
The most important thing to look at when buying a PSU is the ripple at the 5v/12v at the load the Amiga pulls, ive used PSU's with high amps on 12v and 5v but at low load there was quite some ripple = unstable Amiga.
So allways google a PSU and check ripple values!
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The most important thing to look at when buying a PSU is the ripple at the 5v/12v at the load the Amiga pulls, ive used PSU's with high amps on 12v and 5v but at low load there was quite some ripple = unstable Amiga.
So allways google a PSU and check ripple values!
That might be true :)
The fact is that modern PSU's are really made for modern ATX boards which uses a lot of 12V power, most of them even have a second 12V rail dedicated to the CPU and GPU. I have a theory that maybe it could be an idea to connect something that draws a "lot" of power to the 12V ouputs, like some large resistors or something. This in order to maybe stabilize the PSU a bit.
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I recently converted a cheap chinese ATX PSU to Amiga. The Amiga crashes within minutes and shows a lot of noise on the video output. As you've said above - I'm assuming this is due to ripple; I've not connected it to a scope.
When I have time I'll take some measurements with and without a heavy load on the 12V line.
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I recently converted a cheap chinese ATX PSU to Amiga. The Amiga crashes within minutes and shows a lot of noise on the video output. As you've said above - I'm assuming this is due to ripple; I've not connected it to a scope.
When I have time I'll take some measurements with and without a heavy load on the 12V line.
Take it under a scope and you will probably see the ripple problems with cheep PUS's, post your results here when done :)
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I see people using 300W PSU for their case conversion...what the heck do they put in? :P
They might have bought a new PSU at their local peecee shoppe, which is very convenient. Try finding a 90 watt PSU at those places ;) I bought a new 460 watt PSU for my A1200 a few years ago for 50 bucks for the same reason: Convenience. Can't be bothered to shop around for low power PSUs. Plus, those PSUs won't have to work very hard, which may be good for their lifespan.
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They might have bought a new PSU at their local peecee shoppe, which is very convenient. Try finding a 90 watt PSU at those places ;) I bought a new 460 watt PSU for my A1200 a few years ago for 50 bucks for the same reason: Convenience. Can't be bothered to shop around for low power PSUs. Plus, those PSUs won't have to work very hard, which may be good for their lifespan.
Jepp, also buying a to me unknown brand old PSU can be risky, it can fry taking the Amiga with it also you don't know the quality of them how they have been stored over the years, usage etc, I try to use known good quality PSU's to be safe and they also are more energy efficient then old PSU's so I only see pros no cons as long as it's a stable good PSU.
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So, time for an update :)
Got some parts here and there….the Lyra, and a PicoPSU with brick (the one that I have already is too big and won't fit in the case); and of course the case.
First thing first; today I was able to open the box and actually see the case for the first time! It is larger probably than an A1000 case, but slimmer than a 2000, which makes me happy!
I've take it apart and tried to fit stuff, and here comes the issues, for which I am sure that you may have some logic suggestions.
1) I need to fit CD and floppy, but there is no space for the floppy, if I put it on the front. The cage that sustain the CD is fine; I have cut off the lip that was supporting it on the base of the case (it has 4 screws, so it will be solid enough, plus I have on the board the caddy for the HDD, which will support the cage), but there is no way to put the floppy inside, facing forward…..so the alternative is either the floppy sideways to the left, under the cd cage, and cut the case on the left, or remove the cd and put a floppy adapter (don't even know if anyone sell them), to fit the floppy in the CD bay (which means that I will just have to cut the actual CD cover plate).
The mobo leave no space to add the floppy facing forward; I even tried to place it on the area where the usb ports are (they are removable, so I can just cut trough and make the slit for the floppy); another option that I was experimenting, was to put a riser under the mobo, so I can place the floppy under it, but I am not sure if it is a good idea or not
2) the case is made to support micro atx boards, and I am planning to remove the shield from the bottom of the mobo, so I am not sure exactly what I can place at the bottom to avoid that the board will just short on the case and fry…the Amiga has no holes except 2 if I recall correctly, plus the accelerator board would be hanging if I raise the Amiga without supporting it too….and I am concerned about use a wood board under to support it, since it heats up a lot….what would be the best way to place and support the mobo?
3) I have taken apart the case and painted it white; now I am planning to make some stencil to put a boing red ball on the top of the case, and the AMIGA text on the side, but I am not sure if there is a better way to do so, like ordering a laser cut plate? I've attached few pictures to show how does it look now just painted white.
The main pain was to sand it down; overall the paint seems to be fine, without causing too many bad effects, like bubbling or orange skin effect, but the front plate is the one that is giving me the most pain of all….it is not made of plastic only, but they had the brilliant idea to put some sort of aluminum plate, with very thin grooves…can't explain honestly, it feels like metal brushed with small thin grooves in circles; if you see the picture of the front plate you can have an idea.
Anyway, the issue is that there is a pretty evident channel where the plate has been placed, and I was not able to paint that in a nice way, so in some areas got oversprayed and look not that nice….I may try to sand it down again, and remove the metal plate.
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And this is how it looks after painting, 2 coats and 4 coats.
Waiting for the paint to dry, and tomorrow I will take some pictures showing the internal arrangement attempts :)
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There is a way of mounting slim DVRW drive together with 3.5 floppy in 5.25 bay. Take a look for example here: http://www.provantage.com/startech-slimcdfdcage~4STR90EK.htm
There is a lot of manufacturers with different specifications and prices that sell such brackets, just use the Google to find the right one.
lumi
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Nice paint job :) As Lumi said, use a 5.25" to Slim DVD and Floppy bay converter, cost around 10$ on ebay and all your trouble is solved :)
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The problem is that I have a full size DVD drive, not the slim one :((
Found brackets to resize the floppy to 5.25; I can use the bay cover to make a floppy opening, but this means to renounce to the dvd then.
Thanks! I am glad that you liked the paint job :) Used Rust Oleum universal spray can; they are good for any material, and has the primer, so you need just one product.
I sanded the case (altho not to bare metal), and did 4 pass each, in 15 minutes interval…not perfect but for being my first case painting job, I think is decent :)
Today I didn't accomplished too much; I will get an acrylic sheet at the local store, so I can use it as base for the motherboard; I will also get a fan to be placed where the PSU should go, so I get some air out of the case (1 fan should be enough; the Amiga is fan less, and in the worst case, I will grab a small fan for the accelerator CPU). I've ordered the 9 pin extension cable so I can bolt them on the PCI covers.
Next step: solder the ATX connector on the bottom of the Amiga power connector, so I can use the picoPSU
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I will be interested to see how the external keyboard problem is tackled.
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I will be interested to see how the external keyboard problem is tackled.
That's not a problem; there are several keyboard interfaces for the A1200. The real problem is that you're going to end up with a keyboard that has Windows keys. On the other hand, it's a good opportunity to get a nice mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches to replace those crappy A1200 keyboards.
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Yes, I used a Lyra adapter, the connector has already a plate so you can mount it easily.
I can't use a microswitch keyboard because it is too loud :) But it is nice to be able to use either an Amiga keyboard from a 1000-2000-3000-4000 or a generic windows keyboard.
I will try also a usb keyboard with the adapter for PS/2; I was told that some are working.
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Yes, I used a Lyra adapter, the connector has already a plate so you can mount it easily.
I can't use a microswitch keyboard because it is too loud :) But it is nice to be able to use either an Amiga keyboard from a 1000-2000-3000-4000 or a generic windows keyboard.
I will try also a usb keyboard with the adapter for PS/2; I was told that some are working.
Id recommend you to get red cherry mx switches since they do not make any click sound and are nice to type on :) There are switches that makes no sound and in my opinion the red ones are the best non clicking ones (black are nice to but requires quite some force to push down)
I myself love the clicking sound and im using blue switches :)
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Y all :)
Some updates! Long week, but glad that finally the weekend is here :P
So, I tried to fit stuff in it, and so far I had to change my mind 3-4 times about how to fit all in, but now it seems that I've found a decent configuration, which allow me to keep everything in a decent position, and also that there is enough air going trough the case.
There are few pictures showing how did I positioned the components.
- I've made a piece of wood as the base for the mobo, in this way I can Screw it to the bottom of the case, and screw the mobo on the top of the wood, and nothing should move around. I am aware that wood does not conduce nicely as metal (in fact it is an insulant, not a conductor), but the board does not heat up too much...the only thing that heat up is the accelerator board, so I have made a hole below it, to place a small fan to blow directly on it.
AFAIK, no amiga 1200 with accelerator has ever needed a fan, so I should be OK :)
- I have placed the mobo 180 degrees, so the connectors will face the inside of the case, not the outside; this gives me space to put the video->scart->dvi converter board, cables and connectors. I am using extensions for the joystick and mouse ports, so no big deal. I don't use any of the other port (parallel, disk).
- The floppy ended up being on top of the raiser used to hook up the 2.5'' drives on the case; I've tried my best to place the floppy at the bottom, or under the CD drive, but there was no space whatsoever to do anything, so I ended up placing it on the raiser. Now I need to cut a hole trough the case and the front plate...if anyone has suggestions about how to do a clean job, I am all ears. I have a dremel and the cuts that I make are anything but straight; plus it makes the edge very irregular and I have no clue how to smooth it out.
- I have the HDMI board hanging for now, but I need a solution to mount it on a PCI cover ....does anyone has a suggestion about how to do so? I see that regular PCI cards has a screw that hook the metal plate to the board, but the HDMI board that I have, has no place to put a screw. As now I have the HD metal caddy positioned at the bottom, to keep it in position, but I need a plate for it.
- The HDMI board needs a 5V connection; altho I am not sure if the one coming from the PSU will be fine. The board has a small AC adapter (5V, 1A), I want to avoid to use it, since I can take the power directly from the PSU....is that a good idea?
- Does anyone has instructions about where to solder the cables for an ATX connector? I have purchased an ATX connector, to plug into the PicoPSU, but I would like to solder the connector on the bottom of the board, where the power connector is; instead than trash a PSU and use the original connector. I was not able to find a good set of instructions that show how to do so, and I don't want to trash the miggy :)
- Tomorrow maybe I will get the extension for the 2 serial connectors, so I can put them on the back plate, or maybe on the right side, like the A1000.
- Does anyone knows what would be a good way to copy the AMIGA text from the 1200 case ?I tried to find a similar font but I had no luck finding it; I would like to make a stencil and use it to paint it on the front panel. I never did such things, so I am not sure how to do it. I am planning to put a boing ball on the top; I've purchased a sticker paper in bright red with glossy coat; so it will be perfect! I just need to use the little hobby knife to cut the boing ball parts and put it on the case; then I want to spray paint on top of it a coat of clear coat paint (the one used for the cars), so I can put a layer on top of the case and protect the sticker....I will put a monitor on top of it so I don't want to ruin it :)
man...was a productive day :) Sorry for the many questions, and hope that I didn't bore you to death LOL :)
Can't wait to turn on the spaceship...I mean, my Amiga :D
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- The floppy ended up being on top of the raiser used to hook up the 2.5'' drives on the case; I've tried my best to place the floppy at the bottom, or under the CD drive, but there was no space whatsoever to do anything, so I ended up placing it on the raiser. Now I need to cut a hole trough the case and the front plate...if anyone has suggestions about how to do a clean job, I am all ears. I have a dremel and the cuts that I make are anything but straight; plus it makes the edge very irregular and I have no clue how to smooth it out.
I assume you are using the standard A1200 floppy drive. But I think it would be really easier to use a modified PC drive instead. like the ones Amigakit sells: http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=106 This because it might be easier to make the hole.
Anyway, you need to find out exactly where to make the holes, and here you might have to be a bit experimental, but it doesn't matter if it don't look so good on the case since any mistakes you make will be covered by the front plate.
I would suggest that you do the rough cutting with your dremel, and then use a small flat file to even out the edges. Finish off by using a piece of fine sandpaper to smooth out the edges. It may involve a bit of work to get a good result, but focus mostly on the front plate.
Nice paint job btw :)
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Hey PantherHZ :) Thanks!
Yup, using the standard one; I don't even know how to mod a regular floppy, so I tried to just use what I have already available. I live in USA, so I can't order from the stores online because they are all located in UK or Germany, which means that it cost me an arm and a leg to order :P I usually make one single big order with all that I need, to minimize the costs, and sadly I've already ordered recently....so gotta use the amiga floppy.
So I can use a filer? I am just concerned to warp the aluminum, but who cares...as you said it goes under the front plate, so no biggie.
I was dreaming of making the face plate like the one in the Amiga 3000, 1000 or even the mac classic, but I realize that they are injected mold, not made by hand, so probably I would just make a mess doing it by hand :P I would like a nice solution for the drive, and would like to avoid to show the standard floppy front pane, which looks so "pc style" :)
Now the problem is to figure out a way to make it stable; tried to adapt HDD brackets but the screws are in different places, so gotta find a way to lock securely the floppy...I will not use it too often, since the majority of the time I will use the internal drive, but I don't want to push the button and send the drive flying into the case :P
BTW, is there any solution for the expansion card slot? I would like to have something like a flat ribbon cable, so I can put the accelerator card in a different position from the mother board. So far I've found nothing, except the expansion card that let you use PCI on the amiga, but I simply want an extension of the expansion connector, nothing fancy :)
Thanks!
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You will be able to fit the A1200 motherboard and extras inside the "SilverStone Milo ML03B" and fit extras without problems :) Case dimensions:
440x340x105 mm (W/D/H)
(http://www.silverstonetek.com/images/products/ml03/ML03-3-4.jpg)(http://www.silverstonetek.com/images/products/ml03/ML03-3-4-Back.jpg)
That case is quite cheep also :) if I would do a A1200 desktop case ill use something like that :)
Cutout a new back for I/O's, new mounting holes and the motherboard is set, if you want a CD/DVD-drive it has a spot for it, you have to mod to get a internal floppy but not to much work, I would probably put the floppy in the 3,5" HDD cage under the 5,25" facing left or make a cut out in the right part of the front for a floppy.
I quite like that.
Thanks, I was looking for something to mount a small custom board into.
Anyone else got any suggestions?
The board I'm considering could probably be scaled back to micro-itx or up to MATX.
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Iggy, that's the case that I have painted and modded to fit my Miggy :)
What kind of board you want to put in? All the Amiga boards are more or less bigger than any miniATX, unless you are talking of Amigaone boards :)
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Another update:
Got my cables, so now I am adding the 9 pin connectors to the back plates; the Lyra has it's own plate so I am done with the connectors.
Next now is to fix the floppy and cut the holes for it! Sadly the caddy that came with the case does not have the holes in the right position, so I guess that either I drill the caddy, or I must find a different approach.
I've also found that the metal brushed front plate was glued, so I was able to remove it. I will sand again and paint the front plate, after making the cut for the floppy.
I am still looking for a way to fix the HDMI board on the back plate....I had no luck finding anyone doing anything similar, so I am kinda stuck with that :( Any help would be really appreciated :)
Pictures coming soon
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Using a file on the floppy drive hole should work fine as long as you don't use too much force, try to hold it in a sort of horizontal angle in order to file over a wider area. But before you start making the holes, you should probably find a way to mount the floppy drive properly first.
Regarding the expansion card slot, I don't think you will find any adapters for your needs, so you probably will have to make your own. But if you do this, it might be an idea to try making it as short as possible.
I don't know what your HDMI board looks like, but an idea could be to buy a short HDMI extension cable which have screws included on the connector, there simply must be something like this to be found on ebay.
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I gave a try to the floppy...usign the dremel I cut a slit, and then tried to make it pretty, with a round drop shape....the results are quite horrible LOL
Will try with the filer and see if I can make it prettier...it is hard to use the cut tool on the dremel!
I've done McGuyver work on the floppy; screwing one hole and making a handmade metal L plate, to hold the other side; I dare anyone to do worst than what I did :) Will post some pictures later. Anyway now it is secured on the case, even better than on the original Amiga :)
One thing is for sure: this case will never be converted back again after all the cuts and damages that I've done to it :)
Regarding the HDMI card, I went again McGuyver and made my own support: top of a CD jewel case as base, got a PCI bracket out of a network card (4 bucks), and cut it to let the connectors to be reachable. Then I screwed on top of it the HDMI card, securing it with one screw and some elastic bands....just looking at it gives a new meaning to the word "ugly", but works :P
Last thing left now is to put the mobo back in, and fix it permanently in the case, cut a side hole for the PCMCIA card slot; fix the power switch to the case (probably will put it on one of the cover plates that I made at this point, or I could just make another hole on the case....WTH :) ) and the power connector, to power the PicoPSU.
I hope it will turn on :)
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Finally I fixed the floppy today; not it is nice and snuggle inside the case.
The metal is pretty soft; tried to use a filer to smooth the opening but the whole thing would warp; I just gave up the idea to smooth it, nobody will touch the inside so it is good as is, and in the front you will not see anything, since the front plate covers it.
Tomorrow I will put the motherboard back in, and fix the wood base to the bottom of the case (need long nuts and bolts; the ones that I have are not long enough); then it is just a matter of finishing the front plate (found a nice tutorial about case mods, that uses fiberglass epoxy...few coats of that, sand it down and paint and the panel will look pretty much as original.
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Finally I fixed the floppy today; not it is nice and snuggle inside the case.
The metal is pretty soft; tried to use a filer to smooth the opening but the whole thing would warp; I just gave up the idea to smooth it, nobody will touch the inside so it is good as is, and in the front you will not see anything, since the front plate covers it.
Tomorrow I will put the motherboard back in, and fix the wood base to the bottom of the case (need long nuts and bolts; the ones that I have are not long enough); then it is just a matter of finishing the front plate (found a nice tutorial about case mods, that uses fiberglass epoxy...few coats of that, sand it down and paint and the panel will look pretty much as original.
You will want to make sure at a minimum that you get rid of any loose edges and shavings. Very dangerous to your electronics if they end up on the motherboard.
A hand grinder will do the job.
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You will want to make sure at a minimum that you get rid of any loose edges and shavings. Very dangerous to your electronics if they end up on the motherboard.
A hand grinder will do the job.
Oh, I didn't consider that....thanks for pointing it out!
The cut is irregular but so far I don't see dangling metal pieces; but I will use the grinder on it to clean the cut; as you suggested.....altho the metal is really flimsy; it was warping just with me using the filer; so I hope it won't get damaged with the grinder and the vibration coming from it (I may try the dremel attachment for grinding metal, at low speed should serve its purpose).
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A magnet wrapped in cling wrap will pick up those metal filings cleanly.
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Today I was able to fix the motherboard to the case; used a piece of wood, and made some cuts to let the air go around the mobo, especially under the accelerator card chip and ram.
I've also finished the power cable; I need to put the power switch on the back plate. I made a mistake ordering the serial flat extension cables...they came on full PCI plate, while the case uses the smaller version, so I am forced to remove the connectors and make holes on the case PCI brackets, to add the mouse and joystick ports.
Also I need to stretch a bit the Lyra connector, since it is a bit short; that plate is also full size, so I will have to remove the connector from that plate too...meh.
I seriously shed tears for not having a 3d printer...would make nice back plates, I think that my hand cut plates will not look that great :(
Maybe by tomorrow I can put in also the CD and cable up everything.
I've also attached a photo of the front panel after being cut and sanded with grit sand paper....the cut for the floppy, as you can see, looks horrible; so if you have any idea for that, I am all ears :) Once that will look decent, I will paint it white again. I realized that was pretty dumb to paint it before making all the mods...but it is my first time so I am learning making mistakes.
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That's not a problem; there are several keyboard interfaces for the A1200. The real problem is that you're going to end up with a keyboard that has Windows keys. On the other hand, it's a good opportunity to get a nice mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches to replace those crappy A1200 keyboards.
Is there no interfaces that allow use of Amiga 500 keyboards? Re-using the original Amiga 1200 keyboard was really what I meant not a PS/2 or DIN converter to use PC keyboards. I am thinking of towering up my super expanded A600 and using it as a graphics workstation with Dpaint 3 and some Blitz/Amos coding but the keyboard is not convenient and I have a spare A500 keyboard :)
I would never tower or re-house any of my machines if I had to have Mac or Windows keys on them. I'd rather use an Atari keyboard lol
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Today I was able to fix the motherboard to the case; used a piece of wood, and made some cuts to let the air go around the mobo, especially under the accelerator card chip and ram.
I've also finished the power cable; I need to put the power switch on the back plate. I made a mistake ordering the serial flat extension cables...they came on full PCI plate, while the case uses the smaller version, so I am forced to remove the connectors and make holes on the case PCI brackets, to add the mouse and joystick ports.
Also I need to stretch a bit the Lyra connector, since it is a bit short; that plate is also full size, so I will have to remove the connector from that plate too...meh.
I seriously shed tears for not having a 3d printer...would make nice back plates, I think that my hand cut plates will not look that great :(
Maybe by tomorrow I can put in also the CD and cable up everything.
I've also attached a photo of the front panel after being cut and sanded with grit sand paper....the cut for the floppy, as you can see, looks horrible; so if you have any idea for that, I am all ears :) Once that will look decent, I will paint it white again. I realized that was pretty dumb to paint it before making all the mods...but it is my first time so I am learning making mistakes.
You are getting along nice, I look forward to see more how it goes!
Is there no interfaces that allow use of Amiga 500 keyboards? Re-using the original Amiga 1200 keyboard was really what I meant not a PS/2 or DIN converter to use PC keyboards. I am thinking of towering up my super expanded A600 and using it as a graphics workstation with Dpaint 3 and some Blitz/Amos coding but the keyboard is not convenient and I have a spare A500 keyboard :)
I would never tower or re-house any of my machines if I had to have Mac or Windows keys on them. I'd rather use an Atari keyboard lol
You can buy custom keycaps, mostly for mechanical boards but you could always sand away the windows logo text and have it blank or put a adhesive printed A on them :)
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Is there no interfaces that allow use of Amiga 500 keyboards? Re-using the original Amiga 1200 keyboard was really what I meant not a PS/2 or DIN converter to use PC keyboards. I am thinking of towering up my super expanded A600 and using it as a graphics workstation with Dpaint 3 and some Blitz/Amos coding but the keyboard is not convenient and I have a spare A500 keyboard :)
I would never tower or re-house any of my machines if I had to have Mac or Windows keys on them. I'd rather use an Atari keyboard lol
Not really possible to use the original keyboard; unless you build also a case for the keyboard :) I've seen people doing the soldering on the connector, and basically do the same on the motherboard; and then they made custom connectors to connect the 2, but it is too much of a hassle honestly, and it involves heavy mod of the mobo.
You can buy an Amigaone keyboard, if you love so much the Amiga keys; with a Lyra adapter you can use one.
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You are getting along nice, I look forward to see more how it goes!
Thanks Som! I have very little time available so the thing is taking more time than expected....plus there is more cutting to do than what I imagined; and the fact that plates and everything else has to be made by me, because there is nobody that makes them (unless you buy big quantities), is taking most of my time :)
BTW, any suggestion for the front plate? I am scratching my head but can't find a nice solution, other than buying an A2000/3000/4000 floppy, and replace the 1200 drive, so I can just cut a square and use the drive front plate (painting it of course)
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BTW, any suggestion for the front plate? I am scratching my head but can't find a nice solution, other than buying an A2000/3000/4000 floppy, and replace the 1200 drive, so I can just cut a square and use the drive front plate (painting it of course)
Well, one thing you could do, is to create a new small plate which you cut a new hole for the floppy in, and then glue it to the front plate. I would have made a template by using some cardboard first, where I would first have used a ruler to mark up where the hole should be. Then I would have used scissors for making the hole, and after making sure that a floppy disk can go through it without problems. I would have put the template on the new plate and marked where I should cut. Just an idea.
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Nice suggestion PantherHZ!
I may use some thicker plastic maybe, so I can in fact replicate the Amiga 1000 case style (altho I lack the mold injection machine that they had, and the skills to work on plastic with just a dremel LOL); or I can just settle for a more mellow style, like the one from the mac classic (with the button thou; it seems the easiest of all the floppy styles.
In the worst case I will just grab a front plate from any pc floppy, and stick it on the amiga floppy and use that...can't go wrong with it after all :)
Did you ever work with resin and fiberglass? Found an interesting site where they mod cases, and there was a video with a guy adding a turbine fan in front of this pc case....he used basically fiberglass compound to mold the round edge, and after sanding it down and painting, it looks hot! BTW I would never put a turbine on my case LOL, but the idea of using that to modify a case, stroke me as pure genius.
I shall keep this easy thou...it is my first case mod so no reason to mess up trying too many things... Now that I am building experience, I can always buy another case :D
Hopefully by this weekend I shall be done...3 holes left to make; then it is just a matter of fixing the front plate and paint it and I should be able to finally turn it on :D
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you'll need to modify pc floppy front plate as the button is different from A1200.
btw, I like "Cooler Master Cavalier 4", dunno if A1200 would fit it though.
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you'll need to modify pc floppy front plate as the button is different from A1200.
btw, I like "Cooler Master Cavalier 4", dunno if A1200 would fit it though.
GAH!, I tought that was enough to remove the button on the amiga drive and attach the pc floppy plate to make it work...why it doesn't surprise me that I need to sweat on it to make it work ? :P
Well, as far as it goes with cases; I think that the one that I've got is almost perfect; has enough space for everything (the only pain is the floppy, and the fact that I went for a build that would include everything inside the case; otherwise it would be easier I guess ). I like my cool master :)
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I hope the button modify goes easy for you :) Never attempted myself so can't input there.
Tho I got a spare Commodore PC case I am not using, this one:
(http://www.richardlagendijk.nl/foto/cip/computer_pc20iii_01.jpg)
After reading your posts I want to put an Amiga inside it and print a new sticker on the front, same as is but saying the Amiga model and a extra D in the end instad (example Commodore Amiga 1200D).
But I got one huge problem, the Commodore PC-20 III case is small so the only Amiga that fits are the A600 and putting a A600 inside there seems pointless since it has to few expansions to really benefit from a desktop case :/
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If you have the money, I'd toss out the floppy drive and invest in one of these instead.
http://lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=42
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I hope the button modify goes easy for you :) Never attempted myself so can't input there.
Tho I got a spare Commodore PC case I am not using, this one:
(http://www.richardlagendijk.nl/foto/cip/computer_pc20iii_01.jpg)
After reading your posts I want to put an Amiga inside it and print a new sticker on the front, same as is but saying the Amiga model and a extra D in the end instad (example Commodore Amiga 1200D).
But I got one huge problem, the Commodore PC-20 III case is small so the only Amiga that fits are the A600 and putting a A600 inside there seems pointless since it has to few expansions to really benefit from a desktop case :/
Heh, I hear you...the call of modding just happens without any warning signal :)
I would not modify a 600; there is not really any point in it, unless you want to make a portable version :)
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If you have the money, I'd toss out the floppy drive and invest in one of these instead.
http://lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=42
Heh; so far I have spent 150 USD for this mod; between case, components; material, adapters and such...would cost me less to get a 4000 if I have to spend also money for the item that you posted :P 99 euro is about 140 USD, without even considering shipping!
Plus you need to play with the buttons and read on a tiny LCD screen...if you have 2000 disks basically you can just cut your wrists and wait for a slow death :D I wish there was a better system; altho I use the floppy so rarely that it won't really bother me.
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I hope the button modify goes easy for you :) Never attempted myself so can't input there.
Tho I got a spare Commodore PC case I am not using, this one:
(http://www.richardlagendijk.nl/foto/cip/computer_pc20iii_01.jpg)
After reading your posts I want to put an Amiga inside it and print a new sticker on the front, same as is but saying the Amiga model and a extra D in the end instad (example Commodore Amiga 1200D).
But I got one huge problem, the Commodore PC-20 III case is small so the only Amiga that fits are the A600 and putting a A600 inside there seems pointless since it has to few expansions to really benefit from a desktop case :/
You could stick a Minimig or Replay board in there...
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You could stick a Minimig or Replay board in there...
I have thought about that to but feels a bit overkill to use such a big case for that :/ I soon get my Vampire 600 board but still dosent justify putting a A600 inside that case :( I wish it was wide enough for the A1200 :(
Got no clue what to put in it yet but I hope ill figure something out :)
Thanks for the tip tho!
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Heh; so far I have spent 150 USD for this mod; between case, components; material, adapters and such...would cost me less to get a 4000 if I have to spend also money for the item that you posted :P 99 euro is about 140 USD, without even considering shipping!
Plus you need to play with the buttons and read on a tiny LCD screen...if you have 2000 disks basically you can just cut your wrists and wait for a slow death :D I wish there was a better system; altho I use the floppy so rarely that it won't really bother me.
Understandable, money is hard to come by these days. I don't own one of these devices my self, at least not yet, but I want one because like money, floppy disks are becoming rarer, and they will not last forever, so a solution like this will help everyone in the long run me thinks. As for the menu system, I don't find it that annoying with the similar devices I own for my Atari 8-bit computers. Mind you, disk switching is done on the monitor through the Atari, but I'm sure looking at an LCD can't be any worse than using a calculator, though I think the cheaper offerings (without the screen) can be driven via the Amiga too.
Anyhow, I just thought you might find it handy. I am loving this thread of yours though, one of the more interesting threads in a while.
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Understandable, money is hard to come by these days. I don't own one of these devices my self, at least not yet, but I want one because like money, floppy disks are becoming rarer, and they will not last forever, so a solution like this will help everyone in the long run me thinks. As for the menu system, I don't find it that annoying with the similar devices I own for my Atari 8-bit computers. Mind you, disk switching is done on the monitor through the Atari, but I'm sure looking at an LCD can't be any worse than using a calculator, though I think the cheaper offerings (without the screen) can be driven via the Amiga too.
Anyhow, I just thought you might find it handy. I am loving this thread of yours though, one of the more interesting threads in a while.
Your logic is perfect; and I thank you again for the suggestion. Sadly, nowadays money are an issue...wife and kids has their needs, and I can't just indulge on my hobbies as much as I would like ;)
I just wish that they would make something that has a better interface; the advantage of having a SD card with all the disks and load them like that; is worth every single penny (until someone find a way to make a clone of daemontools for the amiga, that mount virtual ADF :) ).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_EnyJzykUY
Indeed floppy are rare, but if you keep them in the right way; they last quite a while...I still have ancient tape from the C64 age, minidisks from the Sinclair QL and some big paper floppy from an old Acorn I think..it is a big box from the 70s, forgot the name :) Probably the floppy drive will fail before the disk :)
Glad that you are enjoying the thread; it took me quite a lot of courage to start this...I never did anything like that before :)
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Weekly update:
Got very little time to work on the case; but I've completed the overall layout.
Was about to put everything away, and close the case, to give a test run, and realized that the picopsu that I have, is not working as expected.
Opened a different thread, hoping that someone can explain what is wrong :(
Basically the pico power the amiga, and the hdmi converter; it turns on, but the video is not stable....stays on for 2 seconds; then goes off, then back on. I thought that it was my monitor, but is not.
Then I thought that it was the hdmi adapter; or the scart cable...but is not.
Plugged my 300W PSU, powering with the same cable that I use with the picopsu, and everything works fine; the video stays up. Put back the picopsu; and the video start to complain again....demons !
In the meantime that I fix that issue; I went ahead and made a bigger cut in the front bezel, to fix the floppy problem. Got a teac floppy, which has only the DSO-DS1 jumper, and tried it but it won't recognize that there is a disk; it power up, spin a bit and that's all. I thought that I could just make a cross cable to make it work, but the model that I have seems to be some sort of unknown to the majority...there is no trace of that specific model mod, so I am left trying solutions at random (seems that every drive works with different mods; altho all of them seems to be aimed at having the drive to read the disk, from what I understand).
Worst case: I keep the internal drive and just use some resin and fiberglass to cover the mess that I did, and find a way to make a simple opening for the disk drive. It won't affect the usability of the computer; and I can remove the front plate without problems, so for now it is not bothering me too much :)
The extension for the joy port works fine; same for the ps2 keyboard adapter; altho the cable is too short, so I am forced to basically use double tape to fix the connector board on the amiga board, and make an extra hole on the back plate. Strange enough; I've unplugged the mouse port and add the extension on it (they joy extension is basically a 9 pin male/female on flat, the mouse extension has a 9 pin din connector on a PCI plate, while on the other side has a board connector), but the mouse port won't work...it works only with the original cable attached; so I will probably buy another flat cable with the 2 9 pin din and move on.
Attached photos to show the picopsu, and 2 views of the fully assembled case. The only thing missing now is the holes in the back plates that I made, and then I need to figure out if I want to cut more on the front plate, to add the original 3 led indicators, or if I want to use the case led (not that hard; the original LCD share the ground pin, so it is easy to fix with a simple jumper).
Also the case has a power switch; which I may use...it is not one of these on-off switch, so I am not sure if it will work fine with the picopsu or not.
hope to find soon a solution to the picopsu; so I can close this baby and finally be done with it :D
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So, I decided to finish what I can, and prepare everything for the last phase.
-Got the rear plate, with power switch, power connector and mouse plug
-attached the front plate LED instead of the original ones; altho I don't have a led for the floppy...I guess I can live without it :)
I was finally able to get the picoPSU to work for a bit, just to take pictures :) Anyway I think that I am just dealing with a broken PSU, since another user, which uses it, has a 80W version and he does not have these issues. Ordered a different one from a different store (authorized seller), and let's see what happens.
Last thing left:
-rear plate for the keyboard connector
-finish the front plate (floppy)
-final coat of paint and decals
If nothing goes wrong; I will be able to complete the Mark 1 of the Amiga 1250 by thanksgiving :)
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Getting close to the end..... found a floppy almost new, thanks to a guy that just trashed away an old amiga 2000; the motherboard was rusted and the case was all cracked, but the floppy was still alive, so I grabbed it for free :)
Gotta fit it in, and then I need to mold a bit the front plate, so I can finally paint it.
The rear plates are done and secured to the case, made a cable for the joystick and an opening for the keyboard cable, so that is done.
The last thing was to figure out what is wrong with the video: I still have no clue after buying a new picoPSU, a new 12V regulated brick and a different adaptor....the composite signal is just fine, but the one on the RGB port continue to go on and off.
I have seen threads around talking about issues with their tv, when using the rgb to scart cable, so I thought that it may be the cable, but there is no way to prove it, since it works fine with the big ATX psu.
Connected all the 5V together, still see the issue; altho it seems that the problem is less frequent when the amiga is running for some time; which raise some interesting questions about the stability of the motherboard itself (maybe some capacitors are leaking on the RGB port? I am no HW engineer so I have no idea if that's the issue).
Anyway, ordered the indivision; and let's see if that will fix the issue....removing the scart cable and the adapter is the quickest way probably, to get rid of the problem.
If I get the same behavior with the indivision too, will probably just give up and get a regular tower...so in the worst case I just wasted 60 bucks for the case that now can simply be trashed :)
BTW would the indivision fit, since I already have the Lyra adapter on top of the board?
More pictures to come, of the final product :)
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So, today I gave the case the last touch.
It doesn't look yet complete, since I have ordered some body filler to fix the front bezel, so until I fix the front bezel, I can't paint it. Altho the rest is done.
I will finish the back plate when I have time, so it may look more professional and less crappy :) I am in contact with a person that knows a guy that does brackets and back plate work...if he is able to make few brackets and back plates for me, with his 3d printer; it will be awesome.
I've done another coat of paint on the top of the case, printed on Papilio paper (the one used for decal, by many pro) the Amiga boing ball. and put it on the case.
To protect it I've added a coat of acrylic transparent paint (the one used to preserve painting), but it gave me a bad result: the vinyl that I printed became cracked, after applying the vinyl spray...not sure why this happened; if anyone has info about why this happened I would gladly hear how to avoid it :) I will eventually print another boing ball and remove this one, for now it is good as is :)
When I printed and placed the vinyl decal on the case, it was just fine; this happened after that I gave 2 coat of acrylic protective paint,and left it outside to dry all night.I suspect that the variation in temperature was the cause of the mess.
One journey is over, but the next is about to start: improving the case!
Thanks for your suggestions and for following me in this crazy adventure of my first case modding of my entire life :)
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