To Minimig or not to Minimig?

[whiteb]

Hi all,

Thinking about getting a Minimig as it looks great and seems to solve the problem with the Scan Doubler issue (allowing 50hz screens which I think most CRT monitors should manage).

Just wanted your opinions on the Minimig and to ask if anyone knows if it can run Workbench 3.9?  I was hoping to use WB3.9 and my licensed copy of WHDLoad to stick a pile of games in a folder but maybe I'm aiming too high? Is it mainly for running ADF games from the memory card that I should be aiming for?

Any thoughts would as always be welcome

Skilgannon

The choice is ULTIMATELY yours.  Workbench 3.9 is 020+ ONLY, so it will NOT run on Minimig, also given a plain Minimig only has 2MB of ram, I believe 3.9 NEEDS a lot more.

There is a RAM mod to take it up to 4MB of ram (3.5 Usable), I have a 3.1 Hardfile for my minimig, and the ARM addon, and once I add the Ram mod, will load WHDLOAD games.

I suggest 3.1 to run WHDLOAD, but you need to mod the Minimig to 4MB of ram.

[whiteb]

I think it can be made to run at 14MHz too but still cannot run OS3.9

Not to mention, it only has 1.5MBytes of RAM!!

Well, 2MB, but 512KB is reserved for Kickstart, so Yes, 1.5MB.  ARM powered Minimig's can be switched up to 28Mhz (Easy if you have 16+Mhz chips), for those games like Frontier (etc).

68k chips Overclock like Crazy.

[whiteb]

Very expensive winner. When you add the cost of the MiniMig, some sort of case (even if it is just two bits of plexiglass), the ARM upgrade, the RAM upgrade you are talking mega money compared with an A600 + HD

Add to that the fact that MiniMig is not 100% compatible with all Amiga software (yet). Core updates have slowed to nothing also.

Hardly, a new core was released a few days ago (to Owners of ARM board as a Pre-Release), it is about to hit the Intehweb shortly. (ARM owners cannot Release it either, Its coded Only to ARM for the moment), and Yes I have an ARM board.

[whiteb]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  I forgot that 3.9 needs an 020 so that's out but my main hope was that I could use my ewxtensive collection of WHDLoad games on it so WB3.1 will be fine but it looks like from what WHITEB was saying that I need to get a 4mb RAM mod.  Is this just a standard old style EDO RAM?  

Thanks again all!

Skilgannon

No, The Ram 'Mod', means you have to get another two Surface mount chips, and solder them on top of the OLD ones (Piggy Back), with one special pin left sticking out, and wired to the Spare I/O (Chip Select pin).

Turns 2MB, in to 4MB.  And additionally, you *NEED* the ARM board for it to work, Along with 28Mhz Overclock.  ARM Board also means *FOUR* Floppy Drives Support (instead of 2), Hard File (Hard Drive Image) support, SDHC (Fat32, Long file names) 4+GB SD Card Support.

I am using a 4GB SDHC, with a 3GB Hard File (Partitioned to 1GB, 1GB, 1GB unformatted).

[whiteb]

LOL - I'm floating back to the idea of the MiniMig.  WhiteB, what do you think the cost would be to get the Minimig, casing, Ram and ARM upgrades?  I'm guessing around £300?  It's not really about the cash for me, just want to try and get an Amiga that will work the way I want it to (play WHDLoad games and on a monitor that would also be small enough to sit on the end of my desk).  I guess an A3000 is an option if I could ever see one for sale as that could live under my monitor

Well, the choice is Entirely up to you, I cannot make that decision.

Yes, it is a fair lump of cash to shell out, and a REAL Amiga can work out cheaper, (FPGA is a Fair chunk of the price)

Minimig (Amigakit) GBP. 139
ARM Micro (Pic Replacement) Euro. 45

Amigakit has the Power supply for 7 quid, but if you can find a Regulated output 5v @ 1amp (to be safe) for less, you are laughing. (Tip Positive).

Ram Mod, well that is gonna break your Warranty with Amigakit, but 2MB of ram (1.5 Usable, 512k for kickstart) is good enough for Any ADF game you will throw at it.

The extra Ram is for those extra Ram using WHDLoad installers.

So for 180 quid you will have a fairly advanced Minimig, just only 2MB of ram, but it WILL boot Workbench 3.1 (mine does).  Feel confident with a fine tip Soldering Iron ?

[whiteb]

Is anyone making a MiniMig with built-in ARM controller and 4MB?

My Minimig just needs the 4MB hack right now.

[whiteb]

Minimig is tempting but I think I'm going to wait for the FPGAarcade.

But I think that the FPGAarcade is a while away from release.

I'll be tempted to have one of those as well.  Until then I am stuck with a copy of Windows Mame (Not that it is a bad thing).

(Waits for wife to moan about another "Amiga Product" when its released).

[whiteb]

LOL - I'm glad I'm not the only one with a wife that moans about Retro stuff appearing at the hosue  I think the straw that set her off was some years back when a nice condition Sinclair C5 arrived in a massive crate (and I wasn't in to take delivery).  I was in the dog house for weeks hehe.  The various machines and retro goodness since then such as my prized Vectrex etc have been nothing compared to that

OH YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .  How much did the C5 set you back ?  Would be Ideal around here to run up the shops for a few items. (No idea if it would need registration or not though).