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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: -Orko- on June 18, 2004, 11:00:47 AM
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After several years of having kept the Amiga as nothing but a memory, I suddenly decided to go down into the basement and drag up the big box containing my A500. Sadly it lacks the RF Modulator, since my older brother gave it to one of his friends or something like that. I realized, though, that the A500 wasn't gonna be powerful enough for some of the things I was gonna do now that I was back with the Amiga anyway.
So I went and got myself an A1200 as well. Now my question goes like this, though..
Do I really have to use a 2.5" IDE harddrive for the A1200? I've seen 2.5" to 3.5" converters, but all that I've seen have a power thingie that connects to a PC PSU so I began to wonder if they could only be used in towers.
And will a 3.5" harddrive even fit in the A1200 unless ya tower it? I figured that if it's slim, ya should be able to squeeze it in there..but I don't know. Help?
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You can use a 2.5"->3.5" IDE cable and a 3.5" hard drive in your A1200. You'll also need a 1->2 splitter cable for the floppy power connector since the 3.5" drive needs to be connected to that one.
I've been running my A1200 with a Blizzard 1260 and a 3.5" hard drive on an Amiga Technologies black PSU for quite some time now and it works fine. If you experience crashes or lockups I suggest you try out a beefier PSU - this is where the A500 might come in handy.
The A500 PSU connector is identical to the A1200's and the A500 PSU delivers a lot more bang for the buck (strangely enough, since the A1200, unlike the A500, was _designed_ to carry CPU upgrades and hard drives).
If you have a slimline 3.5" drive, chances are good that you will be able to close the A1200 case. Some people cut open the protective metal sheilding over the MoBo and place the 3.5" drive (wrapped in paper or so) directly on the MoBo to be able to close the case.
Personally, I've been using my A1200 without the case top for several years without problems. Of course you have to be a bit careful with where you put your fingers, common sense is a good guideline here :)
Some people even have their 3.5" hard drive outside of their closed case. This can be done by running all the cables through the hole for the PCMCIA slot. I've never tried this, but it seems to be working quite good.
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Like the previous post a good option is to run a cable out of the case through the PCMCIA slot in the case. You can set the drive on the case or next to the A1200 then. I did it for the short time I had an A1200.