Samiga Project : Sam440ep in a500+ Case

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niteman1969

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Well I now have a donor case for my sam440 and will be starting this project this weekend just placing stuff and working stuff out, I have
a few ideas but basically a stealth mod that will make people think
that a bog standard a500+ is running OS4.1.

Ie cdrom out of expansion bay with expansion bay cover as cdrom
drawer cover, all ports rewired to standard amiga ports
but using breakout cables to convert back to vga, ethernet, usb etc etc

First stage was getting a clean a500+ machine

Next stage getting a dead 500 mobo..

Will Start work and add more pics this weekend.

Here is the case donor...

a500.jpg
 
There will certainly be plenty of room in there. Lots of pictures please. :)
 
That's a project i always wanted to start for my μΑ1. I suppose the A500 case has lots of space but it would be rather interesting and cool to try and fit it in an A600 case with whatever this means. Let's see how you get on with it and maybe you'll be my inspiration. I think nobody before has ever made such a cool combination so you'll be a pioneer if you succeed. Photos and a list/cost of the necessary components if possible please!
 
Just a dry fit for now to work out positioning.....
It all fits for now and loads of space for sata 2.5" hdd under keyboard...
Just got to get ports and stuff and wires made and carve some plastic..

IMG_0079.jpg


IMG_0080.jpg




IMG_0083.jpg
 
Why not mobo on the left and put the CD drive on the right where floppy drive is?
 
Nice idea niteman1969, I like (y)

Steve.
 
Wasagi said:
Why not mobo on the left and put the CD drive on the right where floppy drive is?
Click to expand...

The expansion port cover makes for an ideal stealth cd rom drive. The only thing i don't
like about this project is that it seems that because of the lack of height of the case
that wireless will be pretty much a no-no.

fitzsteve said:
Nice idea niteman1969, I like (y)

Steve.
Click to expand...

Cheers Steve, still got a bit of a shopping list to get this to work, but nothing
like your a4000 shopping list I'm guessing. Your project does look pretty awesome
by the way, but I shudder at imagining what it is costing in parts.

TBH, I'm interested in this more in a because I want to do it kinda thing
and once it is done I will probably not use it much. I find OS4 a bit limiting
for daily usage.

Regards

Jack
 
niteman1969 said:
.... The only thing i don't like about this project is that it seems that because of the lack of height of the case that wireless will be pretty much a no-no....
Click to expand...

If it's to fit in the PCI slot (which I am assuming) How about a PCI riser?

Flexible Ribbon HERE

Right angle adapter HERE
 
niteman1969 said:
[
Cheers Steve, still got a bit of a shopping list to get this to work, but nothing
like your a4000 shopping list I'm guessing. Your project does look pretty awesome
by the way, but I shudder at imagining what it is costing in parts.

TBH, I'm interested in this more in a because I want to do it kinda thing
and once it is done I will probably not use it much. I find OS4 a bit limiting
for daily usage.

Regards

Jack
Click to expand...

Hey Jack,

Thanks for the kind words about my projects, its fair to say I've sepnt a fair few quid on my Amiga's but I've also had a lot of help from the great people of these boards and EAB, like free stuff and repairs, without these guys it would not have been possible to build my collection as much as I have.

I really like these projects like yours though, I'm just too useless any anything that requires physical modding.

Looks like r0jaws suggestion on the PCI should get you up and running with Wifi, maybe even a Voodoo/Radeon card? I agree with OS4 being a bit limited, how about OS4.1?

Steve.
 
fitzsteve said:
niteman1969 said:
[
Cheers Steve, still got a bit of a shopping list to get this to work, but nothing
like your a4000 shopping list I'm guessing. Your project does look pretty awesome
by the way, but I shudder at imagining what it is costing in parts.

TBH, I'm interested in this more in a because I want to do it kinda thing
and once it is done I will probably not use it much. I find OS4 a bit limiting
for daily usage.

Regards

Jack
Click to expand...

Hey Jack,

Thanks for the kind words about my projects, its fair to say I've sepnt a fair few quid on my Amiga's but I've also had a lot of help from the great people of these boards and EAB, like free stuff and repairs, without these guys it would not have been possible to build my collection as much as I have.

I really like these projects like yours though, I'm just too useless any anything that requires physical modding.

Looks like r0jaws suggestion on the PCI should get you up and running with Wifi, maybe even a Voodoo/Radeon card? I agree with OS4 being a bit limited, how about OS4.1?

Steve.
Click to expand...

lol,

Nice to be ignored, ;). I already said that in my first post regarding angled PCI slot.
 
FOL said:
....What about using an angled PCI slot to install a catweasel to hookup the floppy?
Click to expand...

So you did, I didn't put 2 + 2 together until you mentioned it just now. :ninja:

FOL said:
.....Nice to be ignored, ;). I already said that in my first post regarding angled PCI slot.
Click to expand...

Now I've just pinched all the glory, I feel strangely sated.

Sorry buddy, didn't mean to hide your light under a bushel. :whistle:
 
Lol the only problem I thought with using a riser was that the
wireless card would have sit directly over the cpu's.

I never knew there were risers on flexible cable, this opens up
possibilities.

Anyway I have found that most of the parts I will need apart
from a riser and the Keyrah are available from Maplins pretty
easily.

Let's hope that my Soldering holds up.

Regards

Jack
 
r0jaws said:
FOL said:
....What about using an angled PCI slot to install a catweasel to hookup the floppy?
Click to expand...

So you did, I didn't put 2 + 2 together until you mentioned it just now. :ninja:

FOL said:
.....Nice to be ignored, ;). I already said that in my first post regarding angled PCI slot.
Click to expand...

Now I've just pinched all the glory, I feel strangely sated.

Sorry buddy, didn't mean to hide your light under a bushel. :whistle:
Click to expand...

Np,

Just be nice to see this project finished, :).
Be nice if there was a Keyrah for A500 Keyboard.
 
FOL said:
Just be nice to see this project finished, :).
Be nice if there was a Keyrah for A500 Keyboard.
Click to expand...

Yep it would be awesome, as it is though t looks like i will have to
get an a1200 keyboard membrane to replace the a500 one and use
it with the a500 keyboard.

Still trying to work out a way to get the a500 leds working as
power / activity modules...

Regards

Jack
 
You could borrow leds off an old peecee case :)
 
niteman1969 said:
FOL said:
Just be nice to see this project finished, :).
Be nice if there was a Keyrah for A500 Keyboard.
Click to expand...

Yep it would be awesome, as it is though t looks like i will have to
get an a1200 keyboard membrane to replace the a500 one and use
it with the a500 keyboard.

Still trying to work out a way to get the a500 leds working as
power / activity modules...

Regards

Jack
Click to expand...

If you use a keyrah, with A1200 membrane then you can use the led connectors it gives. It also gives you 2 joy/mouse ports.
 
Wouldn't an A1200's keyboard fit into the casing of an A500? I seem to recall a fella doing the exact oposite over at eab.
If no one knows for sure, i believe you could borrow a friend's keyboard and do the fitness test! :)
 
Since it seems that the A500 case gives plenty of room which in the end could result as unused, would an A1200 case provide enough space for such a project. I've been thinking about an A600 or A1200 case for this kind of project.

I also think of not using at all the original ports in the back. It would be time consuming and useless, me thinks. I would easily butcher the case cutting off in a symmetrical way all the ports at once with a Dremel and then filling up the gap with an appropriately designed piece of plexi. You could make all the ports you would need plus you could place them wherever you wanted.
 
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