Custom Kickstart ROMs

[NorthWay]

You would think this would be the sort of thing amigaKit would pick up

Yeah, you would.

Jens walked away from his completed design while the Amiga rights were still in circulation. Nobody has offered any similar device (no, that wossname thing that is some kind of early boot does not count).
Not until private persons havr been able to design and build these themselves has there been any movement. And _still_ no reaction from any commercial entities. You really have to wonder why.

Is there some kind of secret handshake among the last sellers of things Amiga to not do any unit that could be set up to be sold with an unlicensed Kickstart rom in it???

[Castellen]

You would think this would be the sort of thing amigaKit would pick up

That you would.  I'm still at a loss on why I never heard back from any of the multiple dealers after sending engineering samples for evaluation.  It was fully functional and very simple to use (which was the entire point of the product), there were detailed instructions, the software included detailed AmigaGuide online help.  And I was more than willing to produce any form of additional user documentation required.  It's not like I was pushing some kind of half-arsed minimal effort hack-up.

I can only think they were concerned about guaranteed supply from a private individual, which I would understand.  Maybe there was something around potential licencing issues or a potential for a legal can of worms?  While I developed all of the hardware and software from scratch and the ROMs were supplied blank, there was the potential for the product to be used for piracy of licenced software, in the same way that selling a blank EPROM, CD, hard drive or floppy disk can be used to hold illegal copies of software.

That being said, why did no-one bother saying so?  Just a "thanks for your hard work, but we can't on-sell this due to xxxxx" would have been great.

Unfortunately I just wasn't in a position to set up online sales, plus I'm far from an expert at such things.  At the time I was working six simultaneous jobs, including international Amiga hardware service/support.  The FlashROM project evolved out of an idea while developing my own Amiga hardware debugging tools - so I gradually developed that as I had a few hours spare between other jobs.  The idea was to deliver something basic initally; then based around demand and user feedback, produce additional hardware such as higher capacity ROM modules and other Amiga hardware.  But obviously that never eventuated.  You never know, I might pick it up again one day.

While the FlashROM modules were nothing special, the design of the parallel port based programmer was fairly clever and flexible with what it could do - so for example would probably be capable of programming the Kipper2k modules without having to buy an expensive programmer.


Anyway.... Dan, I'll hopefully be out of this icy hole in late October.  Planning to resume Amiga hardware service soon after that.  Keep an eye on the website.

[danbeaver]

Thanks for the update Anthony.  Stay safe until then.

Dan

[F0LLETT]

That you would.  I'm still at a loss on why I never heard back from any of the multiple dealers after sending engineering samples for evaluation.  It was fully functional and very simple to use (which was the entire point of the product), there were detailed instructions, the software included detailed AmigaGuide online help.  And I was more than willing to produce any form of additional user documentation required.  It's not like I was pushing some kind of half-arsed minimal effort hack-up.

I can only think they were concerned about guaranteed supply from a private individual, which I would understand.  Maybe there was something around potential licencing issues or a potential for a legal can of worms?  While I developed all of the hardware and software from scratch and the ROMs were supplied blank, there was the potential for the product to be used for piracy of licenced software, in the same way that selling a blank EPROM, CD, hard drive or floppy disk can be used to hold illegal copies of software.

That being said, why did no-one bother saying so?  Just a "thanks for your hard work, but we can't on-sell this due to xxxxx" would have been great.

Unfortunately I just wasn't in a position to set up online sales, plus I'm far from an expert at such things.  At the time I was working six simultaneous jobs, including international Amiga hardware service/support.  The FlashROM project evolved out of an idea while developing my own Amiga hardware debugging tools - so I gradually developed that as I had a few hours spare between other jobs.  The idea was to deliver something basic initally; then based around demand and user feedback, produce additional hardware such as higher capacity ROM modules and other Amiga hardware.  But obviously that never eventuated.  You never know, I might pick it up again one day.

While the FlashROM modules were nothing special, the design of the parallel port based programmer was fairly clever and flexible with what it could do - so for example would probably be capable of programming the Kipper2k modules without having to buy an expensive programmer.


Anyway.... Dan, I'll hopefully be out of this icy hole in late October.  Planning to resume Amiga hardware service soon after that.  Keep an eye on the website.

We did have a long and lengthy discussion on these. I think at the time, dealers were very worried about licencing, plus I was told you were away for a while (6 years?).
Your correct, its an awesome bit of kit. The samples are working well. We have the 4x roms here being used for testing. Did have one or two go corrupt for what ever reason, simple 5 sec wipe and 2 min reprogram and fine again.
It can also take 1MB ROMS fine. Been doing lots of tests since you sent samples.
The software is also great, I personally prefer the text version to the gui.

So if you want any info or feedback, please let me know.

[psxphill]

I think at the time, dealers were very worried about licencing

What issue is there with licensing if they are shipped blank? Would it help if they were shipped programmed with aros 68k?

[Cosmos Amiga]

We did have a long and lengthy discussion on these. I think at the time, dealers were very worried about licencing, plus I was told you were away for a while (6 years?).
Your correct, its an awesome bit of kit. The samples are working well. We have the 4x roms here being used for testing. Did have one or two go corrupt for what ever reason, simple 5 sec wipe and 2 min reprogram and fine again.
It can also take 1MB ROMS fine. Been doing lots of tests since you sent samples.
The software is also great, I personally prefer the text version to the gui.

So if you want any info or feedback, please let me know.

B*llsh*t, like always...

There are too many bad guys in the Amiga community... They use Amiga like a toy to make a lot of money.

Watch AmigaKit : they know I have no job, and steal my idea of capacitors kits without any mercy...


We need all to change our mentality for saving our computer : think Amiga in the very first place, money in second, and join forces to make us stronger...

[F0LLETT]

Watch AmigaKit : they know I have no job, and steal my idea of capacitors kits without any mercy...

1) I don't know about your personal life and
2) Customers were asking us for caps kits for atleast 5 years.
3) Others started selling cap kits after you, yet you didn't mention them.

Now please stay on topic.

[kolla]

http://youtu.be/unqY2QD8uq8

How this is not a product is beyond me.

[Cosmos Amiga]

1) I don't know about your personal life

If I sold various items, it's for getting money... No job = no money...

2) Customers were asking us for caps kits for atleast 5 years

I discovered the leaking capacitors in the Amiga Classics world : I started a blog in december 2009 to inform the community...

Before me, nobody here talked about capacitors...

3) Others started selling cap kits after you, yet you didn't mention them

Oh really ? I didn't know. I have other ennemies ?

Now please stay on topic

Yes : in 2010 at Essen, a friend of mine asked directly (no emails) in this show mister Tevor Dickinson about the release of a new physical Kickstart. His answer was NO : nobody have the rights, and blablabla !



@FOLLETT

Just try to understand this evidence :

- when you think money and after Amiga = you are in a destructive way for our computer

- when you think Amiga and after the money = you are in a constructive way for our computer



Anyway, the cycle PowerPC-trap-deadend seems now over, and many things will change in the Amiga life for the next months...

[wawrzon]

Before me, nobody here talked about capacitors...

thats simply not true, people are well aware of the problem. maybe not worldwide, but if you read german forums..

Oh really ? I didn't know. I have other ennemies ?

you can simply go and buy these capacitors in an electronic store, nothing complicated about that. the hard part is to solder them, or rather desolder the old ones without damaging the traces.

Yes : in 2010 at Essen, a friend of mine asked directly (no emails) in this show mister Tevor Dickinson about the release of a new physical Kickstart. His answer was NO : nobody have the rights, and blablabla !

there is aros kickstart. its free and its open. help to improve it and we will have a valid replacement. if i can help there a bit (i hope) then a proper coder surely can do more. one just need to be civil and cooperative.

[kolla]

I discovered the leaking capacitors in the Amiga Classics world : I started a blog in december 2009 to inform the community...

Before me, nobody here talked about capacitors...

Sheesh, what a load of nonsense, I replaced leaking caps on A1200 boards way back at university, meaning before 2002. It has always been a well known issue, and not just with Amiga, but all computers.

[LoadWB]

I discovered the leaking capacitors in the Amiga Classics world : I started a blog in december 2009 to inform the community...

Before me, nobody here talked about capacitors...

C'mon, dude.  I am often as a silent supporter of yours as I find you quite resourceful, but I really have to call you out on this one.

While your findings are not unappreciated, the first time I heard about reversed and leaking capacitors in Amiga systems was back before I moved to college, so that would be, at the most recent, 1998.  As well, I remember one of the active dealers at the time with a HUGE tech support web site was offering re-cap services and kits.

Frankly, whether it was discussed here at AO is irrelevant.  Bad and leaking capacitors are not issues which only arose in the past six years, Amiga or otherwise.  Please don't belittle your other efforts by claiming this -- choose something far more brilliant.

[Cosmos Amiga]

@wawrzon
@kolla
@LoadWB

lol !

I read many Amiga forums every days since the very beginning of the internet, and as far I remember, no capacitors discussions on them before my blog...

And in my quiet big town, the two electronic stores don't sell SMD capacitors...

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

If I sold various items, it's for getting money... No job = no money...

Come to DC.  I'm tripping over work the past couple years.  Three jobs, 16 hours a day.  I know it's a smart-ass and unhelpful response to say "What, no work?  Move to where the jobs are", but, yeah.  Anyhow, good luck, you're very talented, there should be something in your field near where you are!  

[danbeaver]

Do blank EPROM's have licensing issues too?

[guest11527]

Do blank EPROM's have licensing issues too?

No, of course not. But without a kickstart in it, it is rather pointless. The question then, of course, whether the potential buyers of such hardware also have a valid licence for the kickstart they want to burn/flash.