Amiga 500: Adding a network adapter

[rjpeek]

Besides the plipbox what other hardware is available for the Amiga 500 to connect it to my local network and online. May also be used to print to my network printer (HP Deskjet 3052A). Also what browsers are available?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Does your A500 have any other hardware upgrades?  Accelerator?  Extra fast ram?  Lack of those is going to severely limit what browsers you can run.

[danbeaver]

There is an Apple Talk adapter for the A2000 and the A500 (I have one of each).  But if you are just wanting to print to a USB printer, the LPT2USB device is easy (just plug it in) -- I have one of those as well.

[rjpeek]

Does your A500 have any other hardware upgrades?  Accelerator?  Extra fast ram?  Lack of those is going to severely limit what browsers you can run.

No it's fully stock at this time but I'm researching what upgrades are available. I'm looking at upgrading the video using IndivisionECS and fast ram with Kipper2k's 8MB + IDE (CF).

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

If you really want to network an Amiga, the A500 is probably about your worst choice, IMHO.  With an A600 or A1200 you have the option of using a PCMCIA network card.  With a big box model there's a variety of cards, including the new X-Surf 100 that I have, which works great.  For A500 your options are going to be very limited.

Although I suppose you could always buy that used Bodega Bay that's floating around here on the threads, and add a network card that way, haha.  

[danbeaver]

If you really want to network an Amiga, the A500 is probably about your worst choice, IMHO.  With an A600 or A1200 you have the option of using a PCMCIA network card.  With a big box model there's a variety of cards, including the new X-Surf 100 that I have, which works great.  For A500 your options are going to be very limited.

Although I suppose you could always buy that used Bodega Bay that's floating around here on the threads, and add a network card that way, haha.  

Wasn't that Bodega Bay listing for about $750 USD? I'm pretty sure a nice big box Amy could fit into that budget. [http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68464]

[mechy]

Besides the plipbox what other hardware is available for the Amiga 500 to connect it to my local network and online. May also be used to print to my network printer (HP Deskjet 3052A). Also what browsers are available?

Gvp made a sidecar called a GVP Anet which was a hydra ethernet card inside a slanted case like the gvp harddrives. Not much use for a stock 68000 A500 but it does work well.

You can use much of the stuff you are wanting on a 500 with more ram and a hard drive,but it will be very slow.

[3583Bytes]

Raspberry Pi with a null modem cable is your easiest option.

[paul1981]

There is an Apple Talk adapter for the A2000 and the A500 (I have one of each).  But if you are just wanting to print to a USB printer, the LPT2USB device is easy (just plug it in) -- I have one of those as well.

Thanks for that....I knew nothing of this until now.

http://lpt2usb.net/

Cheers!

[danbeaver]

Although it is on the slower side, the Plipbox (being sold on AmiBay http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?70232-Plipbox-Parallel-Port-Arduino-Ethernet-adapter) works well on a standard Amiga.  I bought one -- and reused a 5-Volt power brickett -- on a 68030 A4000D with RoadShow68K.

[xboxOwn]

Raspberry Pi with a null modem cable is your easiest option.

Explain this raspberry pi null modem concept for me and how it works please?

[Lurch]

Missed the Plipbox, declared interest. Would be perfect for my A500 :-) Thanks Dan.

[Motormouth]

Back in the day, I used a zorro II bus adapter on my A500.  The exact one I used was a slingshot-pro with an A2065, and a 10baseT to Thick ethernet 5baseT adapter.  It looked awful but worked just fine.

Zorro II adapters do come up on ebay from time to time.

[danbeaver]

Back in the day, we used string and 2 tin cans to communicate...

[LoadWB]

Back in the day, we used string and 2 tin cans to communicate...

I hear you can get 300bps on that setup.