A1200NG Updates

[F0LLETT]

The deal seems to be, the A1200NG and A600GS are aspirational products in perpetual development which given enough user feedback can be anything that you want them to be! Don't ask what the machine can do for you, instead just buy it on impulse, beta-test the heck out of it and then report to Amigakit what it struggles to do and they'll iterate! I think that sums it up peeps! Take it or leave it.

Please stop, what you posted is some of the craziest rubbish I have seen to date.

As you said, take it or leave it, just stop posting complete rubbish like this. Your just sore RGL, do nothing to improve Mini.

[BozzerBigD]

@amigakit

If I'm at all "sore" it's because you fail to clarify what it can and can't do! You supply a serial port on the A1200NG but expect others to test it! You add 2x9pin ports and 2xUSB ports and then fail to clarify whether that can operate like an Amiga with a parallel 4-player adapter. Just saying!

[broadblues]

@BozzerBigD

You add 2x9pin ports and 2xUSB ports and then fail to clarify whether that can operate like an Amiga with a parallel 4-player adapter. Just saying!

This was already clarified for the A600GS, why should i be any different? You can add as many USB controllers as you have hubs for and choose any combination of those and the 2 DB9s

[BozzerBigD]

@broadblues & @amigakit

I must be used to the Pandory Team and their way of explaining the "features" their software brought to THEA500 Mini. I find it very difficult to understand the limitations of both AmigaOne machines and now these Amigakit emulation machines when the responses to whether Amiga functions ACTUALLY work boils down to statements like "configuration is definitely possible" or " there is a serial port so given some patience and tweaking it would probably work"! It might be worth someone (probably a user/betatester) demonstrating usage with null modem games, graphics tablets and even midi adapters or at least a statement of what the serial port can do! Obviously, I assume that you can configure 4-players using just USB controllers or a mix of 1 or 2 9-pins as you see fit? I feel reprimanded for asking rather than reassured it all works. It took a while for it to be common knowledge that you can't configure a 9-pin mouse currently and have to use a USB one until a future update. I guess you can play 2-player Lemmings using two USB mice?  They'll be other limitations and it's up to users to figure it out I suppose?

I guess your only allowed to ask if you're already invested?And you ask under the guise of a feature reuest?

Looking forward to seeing AmiStore fully functional on these machines and developers getting on board to sell new software.

[BozzerBigD]

...if there are currently limitations compared to sourcing a reconditioned A1200 then it pays to know so people aren't disappointed.

[F0LLETT]

@broadblues & @amigakit

I must be used to the Pandory Team and their way of explaining the "features" their software brought to THEA500 Mini. I find it very difficult to understand the limitations of both AmigaOne machines and now these Amigakit emulation machines when the responses to whether Amiga functions ACTUALLY work boils down to statements like "configuration is definitely possible" or " there is a serial port so given some patience and tweaking it would probably work"! It might be worth someone (probably a user/betatester) demonstrating usage with null modem games, graphics tablets and even midi adapters or at least a statement of what the serial port can do! Obviously, I assume that you can configure 4-players using just USB controllers or a mix of 1 or 2 9-pins as you see fit? I feel reprimanded for asking rather than reassured it all works. It took a while for it to be common knowledge that you can't configure a 9-pin mouse currently and have to use a USB one until a future update. I guess you can play 2-player Lemmings using two USB mice?  They'll be other limitations and it's up to users to figure it out I suppose?

I guess your only allowed to ask if you're already invested?And you ask under the guise of a feature reuest?

Looking forward to seeing AmiStore fully functional on these machines and developers getting on board to sell new software.

You have already been told both 9 pin and usb all work together, yet you keep bringing it up, over and over.
When I actually build the remaining beta boards I have here, I will test serial. NO, Im not going to try and source everything you mentioned. If I'm able to link 2 NG's together and play games, thats good enough.

Problem is, I find you are not just asking simple questions, your going on and on about the same things over and over.
If your happy with your mini, so be it. Go play with that instead of going on. Serial (which is a waste) was only added cause of you and your constant going on.

Lets try this a different way. I buy a TV, it has limitations, not mentioned or expected.
As an end user, I have just worked that out. So what is your point.

Its been explained, you can use 2x DB 9 and 2x USB and keyboard. Its obvious what a Serial port is for.

Amistore is coming. Thats already been said. So why are you constantly bringing it up for.

As for 9 pin mouse, Its clearly stated in manual. "Joystick" and "Game" ports. Please tell me where mouse is mentioned. Only time its mentioned is for connecting USB mouse up. Have you read the manual?

[BozzerBigD]

@F0LLETT

When I actually build the remaining beta boards I have here, I will test serial. NO, Im not going to try and source everything you mentioned. If I'm able to link 2 NG's together and play games, thats good enough.

Thanks! It is appreciated.

I'm impressed with the fexibility of mixing USB and 9-pin controller for up to 4-players. I haven't read the manual but if joysticks are so flexible then I think most people would assume a 9-pin mouse would be ok too. It is not possible at the moment and that's fair enough. If you can play 8-player Super Skidmarks with two A1200NGs linked together then that is a great selling point! I don't have spare cash at the moment for another machine but there will come a point when my A1200 will become flakey or THEA500 Mini begins to feel a bit limited. Thanks for your efforts. I'm just trying to narrow down what it's capable of doing that is all. The A1200NG will look exactly like an A1200 from the outside (but with HDMI and USB ports and no Parallel port) so it will be amazing if it a very accurate recreation and it looks like it is shaping up that way!

[kolla]

FYI. No one has properly explained how this board works.

What's to explain? Look at it! Listen to what AmigaKit is saying! It is obvious what it is - an I/O board for the Orange Pi Zero 3, it just happens to be very large and fit the A1200 motherboard form factor. Do you see any FPGA capable of holding the Amiga chipset? Do you see any CPU socket? No, so? The only way to use a pistorm with this board would be do make a special variant of a Minimig FPGA board that sits between this I/O board and a Raspberry Pi.

[kolla]

Thtere is no physical Zorro3 bus to plug a PiStorm into

Eh?

[polyp2000]

I agree , listen to what they are saying - know this is a cash-grab and nothing more. It does nothing to foster community
If you want to put a Single Board Computer , eg raspberry pi / orange pi whats wrong with a keyrah or something similar.

Lets face it this board is like a keyrah thats hobbled by a proporietary connector.

[amigakit]

@polyp2000

“Cash grab” ?  We have invested over 2 years in the software and hardware technology.  We are employing developers to produce almost weekly updates. You should try and employ people and see if that is a “cash grab” or actually an expensive endeavour in this inflation driven world at the moment.

RGL have produced no recent updates for their system.  They have benefited from pirate distributions to sell the product. What would you prefer: a dedicated Amiga company that reinvests the revenue into further Amiga development paying actual Amiga developers or a company that takes the profits and runs ?

[BozzerBigD]

@amigakit

Calling your work a "cash grab" is mean. However, answering people that claim your endeavours don't foster community with an attack on the "community" who choose to use THEA500 Mini is counter productive (I don't think polyp2000 was even advocating it)! We are part of the same community. I never really had the chance to play Worms: The Director's Cut until the Mini came bundled with it, the same for Qwak. I definitely didn't really mess with Mame or other emulators before it. It'll be the same for the A600GS/A1200NG and Octamed or Super Skidmarks/Virtual GP. Thank you for your efforts but yes there are Minimig plus Pistorm stand alone solutions incoming. There's lots of options now and the AmiStore on your systems could make your machines a great solution to getting new software out there rather than combing itch.io for new stuff as many do currently! 

[kolla]

I will test serial. NO, Im not going to try and source everything you mentioned. If I'm able to link 2 NG's together and play games, thats good enough

If I was to link two "NG's" together, I'd use a virtual null-modem link over IP, but who would have two "NG's" anyhow? A much more common scenario would be someone attempting to link an "NG" with a real Amiga, or with an Atari, or with whatever serial port based equipment (wacom boards come to mind). The question remains... is it TX/RX/GND-only, or does it also have RTS/CTS, CC, DSR etc? I presume it's connected via USB rather than via the serial port directly available via the GPIO pins? (assuming the dedicated 3 pin header is left for serial console) https://github.com/BlitterStudio/amiberry/wiki/GUI:-IOPorts

[F0LLETT]

someone attempting to link an "NG" with a real Amiga.

Thats what I ment.

[AmigaOldskooler]

I see that the delivery time of the A1200NG is updated to shipping in April 2025... Nice!!

https://www.amigakit.com/a1200ng-motherboard-p-91333.html

Looking forward to it arriving in the mail!

Anyone else on here pre-ordered one?

[amigakit]

@AmigaOldskooler

Thanks.  We are awaiting the packaging and product manuals to be printed as well as a few final details.  It has been a lot of hard work by our small team but it is great to be closing in on release.