ACA500 prototype

[Lurch]

Didn't see these anywhere on amiga.org so thought I'd post the photos, they're from here :

http://retrocu.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/individual-computers-photos-and.html

From what I can see it's going to be a side car expansion :-(

[Lurch]

Some text I translated :

"68ec00o a 14MHz processor, 1.5MB of RAM and 512KB of ROM map, two CF card slots"

Hmmm...

[AmmoJammo]

I wonder if the device was really done as a joke?

[Christian Johansson]

That's an old prototype believe. This one is newer

http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=872178&postcount=648

[Machico2012]

By any chance will this fit inside the amiga 500??

[Lurch]

No looks like it's going to be a side car :-/

[Djole]

This thing really is a bad joke. It will come without case and you will end up with a enourmous card hanging outside your a500 or some hacked up self made case. Solution like viper 530 to fit inside the case would have been much better.

[AmmoJammo]

This thing really is a bad joke. It will come without case and you will end up with a enourmous card hanging outside your a500 or some hacked up self made case. Solution like viper 530 to fit inside the case would have been much better.

I really hope it has just been done as a publicity stunt, with no intention of actually releasing a "completed" product.

[mfilos]

For a solution inside the A500... better wait for Zeus68k accelerator which looks QUITE promising and exciting!
Also you can go the kipper2k 4-8MB Fast RAM + IDE68k approach and stick with 68000 or an beefed a little 68010 for some WHDLoad fun.

ACA500 is indeed an low spec and cost sidecar adapter. Will have 2MB (or 4MB upon request) of Fast RAM, 2xCF adapters and 68000@14MHz. It has an A1200 accelerator connector, where you can connect for sure the line of ACA1231/1232 accelerators (ACA1230 not supported as long as other accelerators by Blizzard and Apollo).

As for looks... anyone has it's own opinion.
For me... despite it's features (with an accelerator connected) the look is rather crappy.
Unless you manage to mod it inside a nice sidecar case as GVP 530... sticking 2xAdapters in the side of your A500... will be Frankensteinish approach.
The first prototype which was Vertical instead of the new Horizontal version was really a bad joke.

[AmiDude]

Bummer! :mad: This is very bad news. It had to be internally! :furious: All hope is floating away for CDTV & A2000 users. :pissed:

[AmmoJammo]

Bummer! :mad: This is very bad news. It had to be internally! :furious: All hope is floating away for CDTV & A2000 users. :pissed:

That's something I hadn't even considered.

Instead of being able to be used in an A500, A1000, A2000, and CDTV, its most likely limited to just half the A500.

So, now they have an "accelerator" that already had a limited market, that has now been halved again, because its just stupid :roflmao:

[Lurch]

I like the idea of being able to use my ACA1231 with my A500, If it was released with a case I could be tempted.

I don't think it'll fit with an ACA 1231 in an A590 or similar case. Maybe if the connector for the A1200 accelerators was flexible?

Ah well will sit back and watch what happens.

[Jiffy]

I'm a little surprised no one noticed the ACA500 here before. It's been talked about for months and months on EAB and other sites. Especially since it's another ACA-card by Jens it shouldn't be such a suprise.

Apart from that, I am also of the opinion this card is severely flawed but I almost got my head bitten of by Jens when I mentioned this on EAB. :-/

What I like about it  is the aim at low cost, the CF-connectors and the only slightly faster cpu (I don't need it to be a power house, I have other miggies for that).

The original design was meant to have a 68020 @ 14 MHz, 4 MB ram (if I am not mistaken) and would be internal, which would be much more to my liking.

Now it turns out to be a 14 MHz 68000 (not a problem for me) with 2 MB ram (which ís a problem for me) and it will be external (which is simply not acceptable for me).

Kipper2k seems to be working on a much more interesting solution, combining his 4/8 MB fast ram expansion with the IDE68K in one internal device. Also expected to be a low cost solution, but without several of the severe design flawes (in my opinion) the ACA500 has.

Mind you, for the most part I really like the products Jens makes and sells and I understand he wants to make a profit, but I can't imagine this being a succesfull design. He aims it at the returning A500 user without the ability to add an internal card. I really doubt there is a market for that. Returning A500 users without that knowledge will, I expect, not even think about adding anything to an A500, as they don't even have any idea about the existence of any such products. So, the product will mostly be sold to existing users, most of them being able to add an internal card to the A500 by themselves.

The Indivision ECS for example is a fantastic product, as are the ACA630, the A604 (this combo makes the A600 a fantastic computer!), the Indivision AGA mk I (which I all have) and the ACA1220/123x also seem to be great, but the ACA500 goes from barely acceptable (when it was to be the ACA520) to, well, almost embarrassing.

[Djole]

I really hope it has just been done as a publicity stunt, with no intention of actually releasing a "completed" product.

I think this thing is real, he even got a licence for KS images. Also it seems only ACA cards will work in this.... :sealed:

[psxphill]

and it will be external (which is simply not acceptable for me).

After many years of having internal cards in an A500, I much prefer everything to be external.
 
The prototype that lies flat on the desk looks much better.
 
I'm not sure I'd have added any ram or CPU & made it require either an A1200 ram or accelerator.
 
But I guess Jens thinks there are some people who just want a standalone cheap expansion they can plug into an A500 for WHDLOAD.