Making your own Kickstart

[HammerD]

Ok I have several A4000D's and a couple A4000T's and I have been playing with making a new Kickstart rom file.  I have added the OS 3.9 BB2 rom updates to my image, Piru's exec.library 44.1 and also some blizkick modules and successfully compiled and booted one of my A4000's using blizkick! I really love the noclick module and the updated scsi.device 43.43 which has support for hard drives >4GB.

The next step is to actually burn a new ROM so I can always have my updates available.

Does anyone know the exact hardware required to do this? I Understand you need a eprom programmer(but not sure exactly what model or where to purchase on in Canada/USA), and I'm not sure exactly what type of eproms you need?

Has anyone here already done this and know exactly what is required? I saw some old posts referencing a company named Willem (somewhere in Europe I think) but it was never really clear exactly what model of eprom programmer to get...I'd also prefer to source one state-side...

Does anyone offer the service of burning an updated ROM image to Amiga users?

Thanks

[motorollin]

I did this with an A1200. AFAIK the chip you need (and the process) is the same. Details and instructions here.

HOWEVER, it will be much easier, cheaper and actually more flexible if you buy a KickFlash. It's a zorro card flash card which will allow you coldboot a ROM Image of your choice, plus modules. The flash utility is a much nicer option when you want to modify your boot image than removing the chips and re-programming them.

--
moto

[HammerD]

Hi thanks for your reply.

So the Kickflash will hold my new Kickstart Image permanently and when I cold power-on the computer it will first look to the Kickflash?  Does it need to use Blizkick also?

I looked at Individual Computer's website and the software seems to be old and the Coyoteflux webpage sites a new version which offers more support, but I do not see that version available for download on Individual's site...

What about the elbox eFlash?  

If you could explain the process of what happens with the Kickflash or eFlash that would be great.  I've never used or seen one.

Thanks!

[motorollin]

HammerD wrote:
So the Kickflash will hold my new Kickstart Image permanently and when I cold power-on the computer it will first look to the Kickflash?

That's correct. Whatever is in the KickFlash will replace the physical ROM, and the Amiga will behave in exactly the same way as it would if you had burned the ROM image to a chip. It also has the added bonus that you can add more to the KickFlash than you could fit on a ROM chip, and you don't need to compile them in to the ROM image first (you can just add BlizKick modules to the KickFlash as separate files and they will be included).

HammerD wrote:
Does it need to use Blizkick also?

No. Once the data has been written to the KickFlash no software is required to make it operate. It is done entirely in hardware, and is available from cold boot (even if you boot without startup-sequence - again, think of it just like a ROM chip)

HammerD wrote:
I looked at Individual Computer's website and the software seems to be old and the Coyoteflux webpage sites a new version which offers more support, but I do not see that version available for download on Individual's site...

I wouldn't worry TBH. The version which comes with the KickFlash does the job.

HammerD wrote:
What about the elbox eFlash?  

I have never used it and don't know much about it, but it looks to do much the same as the KickFlash. The advantage of the KickFlash is that it comes with a clockport on board, which adds another dimension of expansion to your Amiga.

HammerD wrote:
If you could explain the process of what happens with the Kickflash or eFlash that would be great.  I've never used or seen one.

Ok. It just sits in a Zorro slot and when in write-enabled mode it doesn't modify Kickstart (the ROM chip is used). CoyoteFlash is used to insert a ROM image and, optionally, modules and patches. When the KickFlash is write-protected, you can't modify the contents. In this mode, as soon as your turn the Amiga on, the KickFlash will remap Kickstart to the contents of the KickFlash and bypass the ROM chip. I don't know technically how it does this though :-)

--
moto

[HammerD]

@motorollin

Thanks for your clear answers...seems KickFlash is what I need

Must be nice to have the ROM updates and blizkick modules available always!

[motorollin]

Yes having all the ROM updates and BlizKick modules available from cold is great. And burning the ROM image to EPROMs and replacing the chips is cool for the geek factor, but as soon as you want to ammend the image you will regret it (say hello to dismantling your computer, removing the chips, erasing them with UV eraser, reprogramming, replacing and rebuilding computer every time you want to add a BlizKick module).

So yes, I would definitely go for the KickFlash :-)

--
moto

[jj]

Will they work in any Zorro slot.  I.e through my Z4 busboard on my A1200 ?

[leirbag28]

@motorollin


 Hmmmm, where can one plug this in on a plain A1200?

If wha you said is true.........then somebody needs to start working and Make the Ultimate Kickstart ROM by adding the CDTV and CD32 extra files, so that when someone inserts a CD with music into their A1200 from bootup, it goes straight into the CD menu!!!!!!

Or even the Karaoke CD's and CD32 games!    this is what I have always wanted.  The CD32 contains the best ROM ever made!   so its desirable.


your A1200 will be like a Playstation. The way the CDTV was a multimedia machine as well as a full blown Amiga.

[adonay]

I wonder about this too....

EDIT!

i know there is a guy making a Clockport Flash and 4 way clockport splitter but he wont be selling it only share the plans as i understood

[jj]

@Leirbag28

pretty sure this would not work at all, as the CD32 uses a custome interface on the Cdrom so prettysure would not work through ide or scsi

EDIT: Plus the A1200 etc is miising the akiro chip ( or whatever it was callesd)

[Donar]

I think there is no device for the A1200 KickRom socket at the moment. There is a work in progress Version here. I think there was also a unoffical poll (started by a user) if people want a KickFlash for the A1200, but they were never made.

[Ral-Clan]

Where can one buy this Kickflash?

There are a couple of online vendors of "Kickflash OS4".

http://www.vesalia.de/e_kickflash.htm

Is that the same thing as the "regular" Kickflash?

[HammerD]

@ ral-clan

I just ordered one from AmigaKit (http://www.amigakit.com)

But I think it was the only one they had in stock...

Maybe they get more...

[Ral-Clan]

Hmmmm....a search on AmigaKit's Canadian site turns up nothing relating to Kickflash.

Vesalia has something called the Kickflash OS4.  I don't know if that's the same thing.

How much did it cost on AmigaKit?

[adonay]

Donar wrote:
I think there is no device for the A1200 KickRom socket at the moment. There is a work in progress Version here. I think there was also a unoffical poll (started by a user) if people want a KickFlash for the A1200, but they were never made.

Exactly what i had in mind that project ah and if i had the opportunity to buy it i would ..