Create a 86-pin to 100-pin converter?

[lillPiP]

Hi!

Is it difficult to make a converter from A500 86-pin to a Zorro2-slot?

[Olecranon]

I did this about 15 years ago after I came across the slots (86 pin and 100 pin) at a local electronics surplus store. I used two 4 inch chunks of SCSI cable and connected the two pieces together.  You need alot of patients to solder all those pins to the correct line on the ribbon cable, but its not difficult.

I've read of people cutting ISA slots apart to form the correct number of pins for the 86 and 100 pin connectors, but thats more work than I would do  :roll:

There were a few products out there that did this on a nice circuit board.  I think one item was called the BOOMERANG.

[adolescent]

Olecranon wrote:

There were a few products out there that did this on a nice circuit board.  I think one item was called the BOOMERANG.

Slingshot  :-)

[JimS]

there are instructions for this hack on aminet. I actually did make a 100 pin connector by sawing up some old pc ISA slots from dead motherboards. It's not so difficult. You just need a fine bladed saw like an X-acto razor saw. I put some metal braces over the splice & covered it with epoxy. Worked fine... pity that after I made the connector, I got a 2000 and didn't need it. :-)

[JLF65]

The problem with those side expansions is that the A500 isn't capable of generating a proper 5V at the slot. I had to connect a separate power supply to my slingslot to be able to run most zorro cards.

You need a minimum of 4.5V, and my A500 could only drive the slingshot to about 4.1V. The only card I could run without the external power supply was the A2090A SCSI card.

[Olecranon]

I was able to run a GVP Series II HC+8 off mine.

But I was running my A500 off a 250 watt PC power supply (cut the power connector off a dead A500 unit).  Not sure if that helps the A500 supply power to the 86pin expansion.