Amiga 500 tower

[MontrealCL]

I have an Amiga 500 which I would like to put into a tower.  The thing is I have a GVP 530 sidecar...  where can I find a connector to mount it vertically, instead of horizontally?  ( I assume that is the way sidecars are mounted inside AMIGA 500 tower hacks? )

[BoingBoss]

Hi MontrealCL,

Ship to me the GVP 530 and I will install the correct connector for you.

The total cost to you:

$10.00 for a new connector (they are very hard to get)

$10.00 for the labor (Class 4 Assembly, The Best)

And the actual cost of shipping the GVP 530 back to you.

I will also test the board for you, to make sure that everything works fine and is up to spec, for FREE !

I would also include my instructions on how to properly build an Amiga 500 Tower of Power.  So far, the one I built is the nicest Amiga 500 Tower in the World (I have seen NONE better).   :-)

[MontrealCL]

What exactly is the procedure to perform such a task?  Would you be willing to sell just the connector?  I could probably do the work myself...

Thanks!

[BoingBoss]

The connector is $10.00 only if I do the labor.  Otherwise, I sell them for $25.00 each plus S/H.  They are very hard to find.  If you do not believe me, just try to find them on the internet.  I also sell the rare Zorro II / III connectors, brand new, for only $40.00 each.  The life of the connectors in the Amiga computers is about 95 to 120 cycles.  This means that you can plug and unplug a board into a Zorro connector between 95 to 120 times then the connector is bad (the contacts start suffering  from fatigue).  They MUST be replaced with new ones.  Many of the Classic Amiga computers are suffering with this problem and you guys do not even realize it.  Because these connectors ARE very hard to get I can charge these prices for them and actually get it.  I also sell NEW Amiga disk drives (Teac) for only $250.00 each (while supplies last).   :-D

[MontrealCL]

Thanks for the offer, I'll get back to you on that one when my project nears completion.

Thinking of a cheaper hack:

Can't I just open up my GVP 530, solder a ribbon cable to all of the connector contacts (of course, after removing the connector) and then solder the removed connector to the other end of the cable and connecting it that way?

[Acill]

$250 for a disk drive, man I would never thought to se a price like that. That is exactly why I spent $120 to get a Catweasel and then another $10 for a Sony HD drive for my A3000.

[lorddef]

Don't listen to BoingBoss (AKA DoomMaster) he is a C0CK, and I seriously doubt he has the ability to modify your board correctly.

Surely if you took the main gvp530 out of its casing then it'd stick out a bit but still fit into a tower if you orientated the motherboard correctly. Unless you seriously want to do it as a project I'd suggest an a1200, they are much more cusomisable and theres lots of tower soloutins already out there for them.

[MontrealCL]

Thanks for the help and friendly advice (regarding the rooster)!  I'll measure the exact dimensions and see if it'll fit properly.  I'm still thinking of extending the connector with a flat ribbon cable for better placement in the casing though.

An Amiga 1200?  Yeah, it definately would be better... BUT, I don't have one, and am trying to do it as a project with the hardware that I already own!

[patrik]

@MontrealCL:

May I ask why you are putting your A500 in a tower? The setup consisting of an A500 with a sidecar harddrive is a classic, why not keep it that way?


/Patrik

[MontrealCL]

@MontrealCL:

May I ask why you are putting your A500 in a tower? The setup consisting of an A500 with a sidecar harddrive is a classic, why not keep it that way?


/Patrik

Yeah, a classic I'm sure, but with my extra hardware lying around, it would be nice to have a case for my AMIGA 500 with only 1 power source, rather than several power cables running from everywhere (Computer, GVP, CD-ROM, MODEM), and it would make things much neater...  and it's also the challenge aspect of it.  Seems like an interesting project that both my son and I can partake in.  He's 12 yrs old and loves the Amiga 500.

[BoingBoss]

Hi MontrealCL,

There is not that much difference between the Amiga 500s side expansion port and the Amiga 2000s Zorro II slots.  In fact, you can make a Zorro II adaptor that will plug into your Amiga 500s side expansion port.  This is what I did for my own Amiga 500 Tower of Power.  It has a Zorro II connector and a CPU connector (slots), so I can use the same boards that are used in an Amiga 2000 Series computer in my Amiga 500 Tower.  The best case to use is a large vintage case from about 12 to 15 years ago, the kind that use to cost about $350.00.  These cases are very high quality and the Amiga 500 motherboard will fit better.  I will put up pictures on Amiga Org soon of my own Amiga 500 Tower of Power.  I first have to finish custom painting it.  MontrealCL, keep in mind that I am a Class 4 electronics / mechanical assembler by trade, so I actually DO know what I am doing.  Also, since I use to work for Commodore, before they went out of business, I DO know what I am talking about.  If you want me to help you build an Amiga 500 Tower, the correct way, then let me know.  You can email me.   :-)

[Linchpin]

 :lol:
Commodore? Nice one! I never heard of you before though. What department and what job did you do for C= ?

[lorddef]

... more lies from the DumbMaster :-D