Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: Niding on June 14, 2014, 01:41:32 PM
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So, been thinking about doing some small upgrades of the Amiga 1200 that has been sitting idle for a good while. I use it at times as a Jukebox and looking at my old code Im now unable to understand :)
But after watching Kookytech (techguruuk) and Epsilon treating their Amiga hardware with the respect it deserves Ive decided to get at the very least a CF and internet connection.
I do have Amiga Forever+Amikit, so I can get my Classic kicks from there, but there aint a substitute for the real thing.
Once I get my A1200 updated Im seriously considering installing Amikit Real 1.0.
The details;
A1200 No. 530311
Blizzard 1230/50
FPU 68882
Kickstart 39.106
Memory 2+16 megabyte
Workbench 3.0 Floppies (hopefully still in working order)
Monitor Amiga M1438s
What I would like is,
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=883
There is an option of a cable 30 cm with 3 connectors. Can I connect CDrom and my old harddrive on those remaining connections?
If I cant connect a CDrom to this cable, how would I be able to get around this?
Details on my old harddrive is; Western Digital 2340 (340 megs), and it contains a fair bit of things I would like to perserve for nostalgica etc.
Then, for getting on the internet with the old lady;
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121
As for memory; I got 16 megabyte, but I would love to get some more if possible, and within reasonable price. Anyone know what is the max memory these Blizzard 1230 boards would accomodate and where to get hold of these ram chips?
I do have a old Samsung 920 Syncmaster Ive been pondering If I would try to get connected to the A1200, but I assume that would require Indivision. So for now Im holding off on that.
The Amiga has gotten somewhat yellowish color on its exterior. Im sure I could search the net to quickly get tons of info regarding this. But if someone here got good expirience maintaining the A1200 exterior, then I would love to hear it.
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You have a great start with that well kitted out A1200.
Few years back I bought an A1200 and suffered through the misery of the "floppy shuffle", and after buying a CF kit for it as well as a networking card for it, it was a *world* of difference in terms of enjoyment.
Being able to use the CF card and grab stuff via my other network servers with the PCMCIA networking card just brought the machine to life.
AmigaKit are great to deal with and should have both items in stock.
Depending on what you want to do with the thing, the Indivision scan doublers are a big, big bonus to have as well. Being able to crank the A1200 directly to a 27" LCD is real nice.
As for the case yellowing, do a search here for "Retrobrite". Many people here have had good luck with the method of using the Retrobrite technique on Amigas.
Check this link as well - http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
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Thanks for the reply!
I will read the retr0bright blog and sort my A1200 out.
One question that kinda dawned upon me;
With Workbench being 3.0 and on floppies, how best get a upgrade?
CD rom or just download file images from the net and upgrade that way?
Also, whats the highest version of Workbench 3.x recommended for my current hardware?
From what I can see WB 3.9 requres ks 3.1
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=153
Tho reading this indicates that 3.1 seems to be the prefered version;
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=49293
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The details;
A1200 No. 530311
Blizzard 1230/50
FPU 68882
Kickstart 39.106
Memory 2+16 megabyte
Workbench 3.0 Floppies (hopefully still in working order)
Monitor Amiga M1438s
A nice setup. sufficient for most Amiga applications...
What I would like is,
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=883
There is an option of a cable 30 cm with 3 connectors. Can I connect CDrom and my old harddrive on those remaining connections?
If I cant connect a CDrom to this cable, how would I be able to get around this?
Details on my old harddrive is; Western Digital 2340 (340 megs), and it contains a fair bit of things I would like to perserve for nostalgica etc.
The 3 connector cable only lets you connect two devices to your controller.
Combining the cf card with a HDD should work just fine. that should enable you to copy out any data from the hdd to the cf card.
And then combining CF card with a cd-rom should work just as fine.
at least it does in my A1200...
If you wish to run the hdd together with the cf card and the cd-rom, you must go to e-pay (or anywhere they sell amiga gear) and find yourself an ide interface that allows four devices connected. something like the ide fix....
But then again. when the data on the hdd is copied out you never need the hdd again... appart from backing up any important data...
(due to the nature of flash media not so resilient to excessive write cycles...)
Then, for getting on the internet with the old lady;
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121
This is still on my own to do list... :D
As for memory; I got 16 megabyte, but I would love to get some more if possible, and within reasonable price. Anyone know what is the max memory these Blizzard 1230 boards would accommodate and where to get hold of these ram chips?
The blizzard 1230 should be able to handle 32mb ram.
Try e-bay or google
The Amiga has gotten somewhat yellowish color on its exterior. Im sure I could search the net to quickly get tons of info regarding this. But if someone here got good expirience maintaining the A1200 exterior, then I would love to hear it.
Sadly i don't know the cure for this. my wedgies are yellowing too. badly... considering painting them...
there are some threads about painting and whashing off the yellowing...
just search this forum.
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Went ahead and ordered Wireless card and the CF card/cable.
Once I get it online and familiar with Workbench again, Im sure ill get the inspiration to "waste" more money on it.
Hooked the A1200 up to the stereo for the first time in ages. Not quite sure what it is, but it feels much more natural and inspiring to use the real hardware than emulation.
Tho not overly fond of this clunky monitor. Got this feeling I might end up taking your advice and go with a Indivision eventually.
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Tere's lots of info on returning the yellowed plastic to white using various concoctions of hydrogen peroxide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU7vXMezW_I
and google retrobright.
And I agree emualtion is no substitute for the real thing!
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The simplest way of Retr0Briting the plastic is with "40 Volume Creme rinse developer" which is a thickened 12% hydrogen peroxide solution. Although not strong enough to put a rocket into suborbital space (80% is required) it will sclerose skin. Details are available elsewhere, but after you wash off the peroxide, cover the plastic with a clear coat of matte finish to seal the now opened plastic surface from further yellowing.
Oh, keep your Potassium Permanganate away from the 80% peroxide.
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Thanks for the replies so far :)
Went ahead and ordered Indivision AND Kickstart 3.1 roms.
It will be a nice upgrade together with the wireless adapter and CF card.
I was quite certain I would be happy enough with the M1438S monitor, but its a eyesore on my desk. These days Im into minimalistic design, so the CRT doesnt quite fit that picture.
Once I get the hardware installed Im certainly going to harass you about software upgrades.
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Thank you :)
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Went ahead and ordered Indivision AND Kickstart 3.1 roms.
There's no need to get new ROMs for your Blizzard 1230; it has a feature called MapROM which allows you to use a Kickstart image from disk during boot-time, for the cost of 0.5MB RAM. Your money is really better spent towards some more RAM for your Blizzard.
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There's no need to get new ROMs for your Blizzard 1230; it has a feature called MapROM which allows you to use a Kickstart image from disk during boot-time, for the cost of 0.5MB RAM. Your money is really better spent towards some more RAM for your Blizzard.
Personal pet peeve, but I don't know why so many people continue to try to dissuade people from buying 3.1 ROM's. For chrissake, they cost less than $20 and can be easily bought from a reputable vendor all day long. I know in my Miggy, a half-meg of ram is worth a lot more than $20, and why not just go with the peace of mind of having the latest version? LOL. ;)
Regardless, kudos on your purchases, have fun with your upgrade project! :)
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Well, to me it makes sense to make use of the features and hardware you have at hand instead of just pouring more money into the computer to "fix" it. I would like to think I'm helping Niding more by letting him know what his Blizzard can do, instead of telling him where on the Internet he can go to spend more money on stuff he doesn't need. But ultimately it's up to him, at least now he knows there's another option.
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I appriciate all the info I can get regarding my options, so i defintly welcome your insight Leffman :)
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Thank you :)
Hi,
Have some bent pins on my PCMCIA port from the L PCMCIA port you sold me, (my fault old shaky hands), you know where I can get a pcmcia plug to solder back in?
smerf
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Im curious about what is the file manager alternatives on Classic?
I know of Dir Master and Dopus, but havent used either for years.
Back in the days I prefered Dir Master over Dopus, but I do like the look
of http://glames.free.fr/products/dirmeup/dirmeup_2.png Dirmeup for OS4.
Any recommodations?
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Im curious about what is the file manager alternatives on Classic?
I know of Dir Master and Dopus, but havent used either for years.
Back in the days I prefered Dir Master over Dopus, but I do like the look
of http://glames.free.fr/products/dirmeup/dirmeup_2.png Dirmeup for OS4.
Any recommodations?
There's FileMaster and DirWork.
http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/FM30B23
http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/fmkey
http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/NewFilemaster
http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/DirWork162
There's an update on aminet to update DirWork 2.0 to 2.1, but couldn't find anything else on there. Maybe someone else knows where to download DirWork from.
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My favorites is FileMaster 3.0 b2.1 and http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/Filer4_07
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+1 to recommendation for DirWork. I've used it for years, the older shareware version and the latest commercial version (got a copy off a coverdisk, could probably dig up if you need it). Actually never got the hang of Opus. Only issue I've found with DirWork is it doesn't support some of the extended partitions (beyond 4GB limit) on my PFS-formatted CF card. Gives errors when copying to them. Otherwise it's very lightweight and capable. :)
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Thanks for all the links and suggestions!
Will try them out once I get my new hardware from Amigakit ^^
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Got my gear. Sadly the harddrive I had installed doesnt fit the cable.
It feels like its the first time Ive used Amiga, all over again; reading my Workbench book first time since early 90s :)
Got the indivision and CF drive working. Indivision cable seems a bit short for reaching the port next to floppy, but will mess around a bit to get it working perfectly.
The wireless card works, but I do not have any programs to surf with yet. Takes some getting used to.
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Personal pet peeve, but I don't know why so many people continue to try to dissuade people from buying 3.1 ROM's. For chrissake, they cost less than $20 and can be easily bought from a reputable vendor all day long. I know in my Miggy, a half-meg of ram is worth a lot more than $20, and why not just go with the peace of mind of having the latest version? LOL. ;)
Regardless, kudos on your purchases, have fun with your upgrade project! :)
That's an easy one - damned cheapskates!
It amazes me too, however. The 3.1 upgrade is great. As was usual with Commodore, 3.0 was a rush job.....
Another gripe I have is retrobrite. You can accomplish the very same result with nothing but over the counter "el cheapo" peroxide. It just takes a wee bit longer to work. This was proven by a member of Lemon64 months back.
I will, no doubt, hear some flack for saying this.....
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So I got the new hardware (except the kickstart roms) installed yesterday, and everything seems to work fine.
The CF card had a MASSIVE impact on system loading times, so well worth the investment.
Indivision worked from first startup and I really enjoy seeing workbench on a LCD screen.
Supersmooth and overall very positive first impressions.
The Wireless card seems to work nicely too, getting myself online (indicated by Easynet installed from Floppy), but it was quite late yesterday when I got it all up and working, so I never got around to actually find any FTP or browsers for Workbench 3.0.
I do not have any USB or direct connection to my Windows PC vs Amiga, no CDROM (so couldnt use the Easynet CD provided by Amigakit) or any programs on the new CF Workbench beyond Dopus 4 that came presinstalled on the CF from Amigakit.
Back in the 90s I never used the Amiga on the internet (beyond BBS using modems), so my knowledge related to getting connected has always been just about nil.
As I type this I am browsing the internet about what programs to use and where to find it etc, but if anyone browsing this forum have any direct tips and links as to what to install on the Amiga Workbench 3.0 to get ftp and browsing working then Id love to hear it :)
For example; how to get Dopus 4 working with FTP would be one thing Id love to hear, or alternative FTP programs you might consider superior.
Im planning to use a floppy, copy files from the PC and transfer them to the Amiga using cross-dos, until I get the Amiga working towards the internet or network in general).
Tho it would be nice if the Wireless card came with programs that could give you access to FTP/browsers without availability of CDrom or secondary PCs (basically assuming barebone A1200 as the only hardware available with a clean install of Workbench)
Unless Im missing something obvious (which is likely) I think I need either additional hardware for my A1200, or a new floppy for my PC.
If you come with advice, assume Im a complete newbie/idiot to these things, cause I am :) (for now)
Seems like I have to fix my PC floppy first. Havent used it for years, and its not working as it should. Always something.
EDIT;
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=24565
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=19843
Found this just now http://amitradecenter.net/download.html
Ill see where this leads me.
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Got the Lyra 2 Keyboard Adapter, Micromys V4 Mouse Adapter, AmigaOne keyboard, Boing ball Mouse and EasyADF PCMCIA CF Transferkit.
Im impressed how easy it was to install and use. Virtually Plug and Play ;)
The A1200 is starting to feel very much usable, so looking forward to when I get my CDrom and OS3.9 CD.
The "few" upgrades Ive done so far has made the machine feel much more alive.
Tho, if there are more upgrades arriving for the A1200, I might be "forced" to tower it.
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We need pics :)
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Ive been using the EasyADF PCMCIA CF Transferkit today and its a brilliant way to transfer files to the A1200.
One thing I miss from the old days is a quick access method to my most used programs.
I used to have a pull down menu, but its been years so I have no idea what that application was called, nor if its the best method.
Ive seen some other users youtube displaying "docking" of frequently used software on Amiga
in the lower part of the screen/Desktop.
Anyone know what its called?
While Im at it; any "must have" software/application you recommend for me to install? I just downloaded Dopus 5.90 and Hippoplayer, but other than that Im still just doing the google ;)
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I know in my Miggy, a half-meg of ram is worth a lot more than $20, and why not just go with the peace of mind of having the latest version? LOL. ;)
I agree with you on this half meg of ram is a lot to loose, especially some WHDLoad games that need it.
I went one step further though and got some custom 3.9 ROMs :-)
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Ive been using the EasyADF PCMCIA CF Transferkit today and its a brilliant way to transfer files to the A1200.
One thing I miss from the old days is a quick access method to my most used programs.
I used to have a pull down menu, but its been years so I have no idea what that application was called, nor if its the best method.
Ive seen some other users youtube displaying "docking" of frequently used software on Amiga
in the lower part of the screen/Desktop.
Anyone know what its called?
While Im at it; any "must have" software/application you recommend for me to install? I just downloaded Dopus 5.90 and Hippoplayer, but other than that Im still just doing the google ;)
Pull down menu: Toolsdaemon. and TDPrefs. While your are at it, get Magic Menu
Docks: Toolmanager.
I use Dopus 4, aminet again.
FbLit and Ftext speed up graphics.
Peter K icon library reduce chip ram usage.
Kingcon, or Vinced give you improved shell
happyENV frees memory on boot.
AKDataypes to let you open jpegs, and other non-IFF files using Amigaguide
JanoEditor for text ediing.
Fastrom maps kickstart into ram
Executive improves mukltitasking
Viewtek for pic viewing,Visage or PPShow as well ar good.
AHI for retargetable audio
Biganim for spooling anims of hard drive
All on aminet.
Part of any standard install I do.
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You may want to check out Better Workbench and Classic Workbench. These are updates to the standard Workbench 3.1 installation, and contain lots of bug-fixes and enhancements, and some useful applications. You also want to get the PFS3 AIO file system, and BlizKick for your Blizzard 1230 so you can use MapROM and other enhancements:
http://lilliput.amiga-projects.net/BetterWB.htm
http://classicwb.abime.net/
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/pfs3aio
http://aminet.net/package/util/boot/BlizKick
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Thanks for the replies ;)
I did hit a lil snag tho, installing IDEfix97 to use the CDROM I just recived I put in the infomation given on the Disk (name, company and serial nr). After rebooting as requested by the install script, the machine loads the starting workbench screen with a "Thank you for using an Eloberate Bytes Product" popup/requester, not loading futher.
Considering doing a reinstall of Workbench, but hoping to avoid that.
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Hi my dear friend great to see you are updating your Amiga 1200 i remember doing mine and it was sleepless nights but brilliant fun i installed the Roadshow software for my internet which is what i am using now to send this message from my Amiga 1200 and it sure works well any ways good luck my friend and i am off to surf the net on my trusty 1200 bye for now Brian.
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@Thread,
What's this malarkey I hear about plug and play? Those are the other guys, we have Autoconfig!
Chris
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Well, the Plug and Play part stopped aruptly with the CD Rom. I cant seem to get the install working. The "FindDevice" program finds my CD Rom, but it doesnt seem to be mounted/No icon on Desktop (with CD in the drive).
When Startup Sequence contains;
IF EXISTS SYS:C/IDEFIX
C:IDEFIX
ENDIF
the startup fails/freezes. When I ; it out I get to workbench like normal, but no CD Rom mounted...
Im re-learning the OS atleast, but somewhat annoying.
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I think I did use loadide reset; exerpt from the manual:
It is possible to install IDEfix reset resident, too. To do so, insert
LoadIDE reset quiet in your startup-sequence. If you have trouble making
IDEfix reset resident, try LoadIDE 4k reset quiet. If this still doesn’t
work, try LoadIDE chip reset quiet.
Last but not least you may start IDEfix immediately but make it reset
resident, too. In this case, you must type LoadIDE start quiet.
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So how would that look in the startup sequence?
This being the original;
IF EXISTS SYS:C/IDEFIX
C:IDEFIX
ENDIF
Remember, I havent used Amiga for many many years, and these commands are basically alien to me ;)
The setup I got is;
Blizzard 1230/50
FPU 68882
Kickstart Rom 3.1 (provided by Amigakit)
Memory 2+16 megabyte
Workbench 3.0
I bought the Compact Flashcard Harddisk from Amigakit. Additionally Indivision Mk 2 and Lyra 2 keyboard adapter.
So basically my Workbench is a clean Workbench 3.0 (version 39.29) install with kickstart 40.68 with the IDEFIX install in startup sequence that freezes the startup.
The CDROM is;
http://www.vesalia.de/e_amigaslimcddrive%5B8470%5D.htm
Slimline CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combi Drive/CF Bundle A600/1200: CF IDE Adapter (int.) and Slimline CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, 3x2.5" cable 30 cm, external case (incl. IDE-max '97, CF card not included)
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I installed NewIcon V4, and it looks nice.
One snag tho; one of my partitions decided to not work from Workbench anymore. When I click ADH2: in Dopus I can browse the partition like normal, so I guess the HDD2.info file is messed up. How to fix this?
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So, enjoying Workbench 3.9+Boing bag upgrades, but I feel a bit short on memory (2+16).
Getting 128 megabytes of ram for sure.
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It's a never ending spiral. Constant upgrades, then the tower, then the custom back panel, then the 060, then the indi...
Then one day it refuses to turn on :-/ LOL
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Well, to me it makes sense to make use of the features and hardware you have at hand instead of just pouring more money into the computer to "fix" it. I would like to think I'm helping Niding more by letting him know what his Blizzard can do, instead of telling him where on the Internet he can go to spend more money on stuff he doesn't need. But ultimately it's up to him, at least now he knows there's another option.
You remind me of that guy who worked at commodore who was part of the os development but refused to upgrade from 1.3 rom to 2x roms... :roflmao:
I have to agree with mike, why mess with softkicking that way when real roms are so cheap,i think its always a good idea to have the latest parts unless you are doing something special.
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... Constant upgrades, then the tower, then the custom back panel, then the 060, then the indi...
Then one day it refuses to turn on :-/ LOL
That's how my original A1200 journey ended in 2002, and it was more like :( COL
That's why with my current A1200 the rule is 'The upgrade must fit within the original wedge case'.
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Hehe, well, ive actually put the A1200 back into the original case.
And with the Vampire, it will be great for x years to come. Additionally, with a standalone Vampire, the amiga expirience will outlast me im sure ;)
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That's how my original A1200 journey ended in 2002, and it was more like :( COL
That's why with my current A1200 the rule is 'The upgrade must fit within the original wedge case'.
Thinking the same thing, slowly put everything back in to the original case. Although I think I have an issue with my indi card.