A3000: The Console Machine

[bitcpy]

I have a spare 3000 case that I have been pondering what to do with.

I also have a small ASUS Pundit PC that I was no longer using. Its a pretty decent spec; Core2Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 7Channel HD Audio, built in graphics, Firewire, USB, CF card reader, SD card reader. All built onto the motherboard.

As they sat on my workbench side by side I started to get some crazy ideas to transplant the guts of the ASUS into the A3000 case and build a really cool UAE machine that can also double as a general console emulator for other platforms.

The end result would have to look genuine from the outside without butchering up the A3000 case. It also has to use the 3000 keyboard and mouse so from the outside it looks like a normal A3000.

This is what I want it to look like when its done:

This is what the donor machine motherboard looks like (Perfect L-shape to fit the 3000 internals) :

Preliminary fitting inside the A3000 shows a perfect fit.. Everything seems to line up properly and clearance is perfect considering the odd shape of the internal A3000 case.

Now all I need to do is desolder all the rear connectors and extend them all so they can be fit into the proper Amiga 3000 case openings.

Does anyone know if there is a downside to extending the DVI, VGA, USB or any other connectors? Is there any particular practice I should adhere to in doing this?

Whatever advice anyone has on how to make this project as clean as possible, I welcome the input and advice.

Like I said, I do not want to cut or destroy the A3000 in any way. The most I might do is trim the internal opening to fit the powersupply, but only as a last resort.

 

[jvdbossc]

Nice project.

I would keep all connectors nicely tied to ground and use one of the zorro slots for the "new" connectors like usb 3 etc. For usb 2 I would look at hubs at ebay for conversion purpose.

You could for the looks of it use the DB25 old scool printer port or scsi port or DB 23 old scool graphics and build your own diy cable.

The cable could have usb, vga, etc as well.. DB25 offers 25 pins so you can connect the usb, vga, keyboard and so on.. Look at it as your own "scart" default cable..

A sort of break out cable ..

---------- Post added at 23:01 ---------- Previous post was at 22:54 ----------

So I think out of my mem:

pinout:

r g b h-sync v-sync = 5 pins and gnd
usb = 3 pins and gnd (one 5 v pin +)
keyboard = 3 pins and gnd

ps/2 : 4 pin mouse and keyboard..


hdmi and usb 3 is more complicated so I would use a bracket in the zorro slot areay.

---------- Post added at 23:04 ---------- Previous post was at 23:01 ----------

ps: you could use one ps/2 connector and rewire the audio connectors to the mobo. (disable/enable position of scan doubler orig)

Rca's are cheap on ebay, even the gold plated ones.

 

[bitcpy]

Some interesting ideas you have.

There is a break-out plate that has the 7channel audio connectors which fits perfectly in the "Zorro" card slot area so that will occupy the lowest Zorro card opening.

I can use 1 more of those Zorro slot covers for connectors as the other 2 need to be free to expose the 2 PCI cards.

I like the idea of the breakout cable. I will keep that one in mind once I remove all the connectors on the motherboard and figure out where to place them all.

Nice project.

I would keep all connectors nicely tied to ground and use one of the zorro slots for the "new" connectors like usb 3 etc. For usb 2 I would look at hubs at ebay for conversion purpose.

You could for the looks of it use the DB25 old scool printer port or scsi port or DB 23 old scool graphics and build your own diy cable.

The cable could have usb, vga, etc as well.. DB25 offers 25 pins so you can connect the usb, vga, keyboard and so on.. Look at it as your own "scart" default cable..

A sort of break out cable ..

---------- Post added at 23:01 ---------- Previous post was at 22:54 ----------

So I think out of my mem:

pinout:

r g b h-sync v-sync = 5 pins and gnd
usb = 3 pins and gnd (one 5 v pin +)
keyboard = 3 pins and gnd

ps/2 : 4 pin mouse and keyboard..


hdmi and usb 3 is more complicated so I would use a bracket in the zorro slot areay.

---------- Post added at 23:04 ---------- Previous post was at 23:01 ----------

ps: you could use one ps/2 connector and rewire the audio connectors to the mobo. (disable/enable position of scan doubler orig)

Rca's are cheap on ebay, even the gold plated ones.

 

[User2921]

I have been looking for a project for an Amiga 3000 case that I have as well. I may hijack your idea so please update us with any relevant experiences you have while working on this!

 

[bitcpy]

We have some progress on this now. I had a friend of mine help me with the desoldering because he has the proper equipment to heat the board and desolder without damaging any traces and/or board itself.

Here is what it looks like now with all the connectors removed.

All the through-holes cleaned up and ready to accept their new pin headers.

The next step was to start creating some pin headers so we could wire up extensions and relocate all the relevant connectors to be mounted to the A3000 rear case locations.

That's it for now.. currently working out how to reconnect the LAN ports with the built in filters and get the DVI connector in there.

Will update as soon as we have those pieces figured out. We are a little tight on space at the rear of the case once the board is in there. With the pin headers installed and the connectors mounted on the rear of the case its a really tight squeeze.

 

[ajk]

Looks nice. You can get shielded ribbon cable for the extensions, it's a bit expensive and trickier to work with when peeling off the insulation, but it will keep any interference down to a minimum. I used that kind of cable for the internal VGA cables in my A4000 and it removed some ghosting that was there with the ordinary cable.

 

[matt3k]

Great project Bit!

Keep us posted on the progress...

Matt

 

[jvdbossc]

allright

allright

Looks very cleanly done

You will need patience icard

Good luck

 

[Zetr0]

@bitcpy

I am liking what I am seeing!

Theres so much choice to be had - I would love to see this with an AROS install - but even a XP/WinUAE would be somewhat of a head turner!

I look forward to seeing more!

 

[bitcpy]

Thank you for the kind words everyone.

My original idea was to run XP w/WinUAE, but, I plan on having multiple boot choices (either with multiple SD cards or boot partitions) so I can run a variety of OS's.

When I started this project it was very important to me to keep the A3000 exterior completely unmodified. The goal was to create a Console machine, that, from the outside looked like a completely stock A3000.

Here is where I need some help...

Just my luck... now that all my A3000 spare parts are gone, I realize I need a few connectors from the motherboard (Keyboard port, Mouse & Joystick ports primarily). I want to keep the keyboard & mouse/joystick ports sitting at the side of the machine in the case opening so I was intending on running extension cables from those ports over to a Catweasel MK4.

If anyone has a badly acid damaged A3000 motherboard that they could sell/donate I would appreciate it.

 

[rkauer]

The DB9 connectors are pretty much identical compared with any DB9 you can find.

The DIN5 connector is easily found in old pc boards.

 

[bitcpy]

Thanks for the tip! I will start hunting for old AT computers.

The DB9 connectors are pretty much identical compared with any DB9 you can find.

The DIN5 connector is easily found in old pc boards.

 

[bitcpy]

Next order of business was to tackle the mounting of the motherboard into the case without hacking it up.
I bought a sheet of 0.093” thick Lexan and cut a 14 x 13 3/8” piece out. This fits perfect inside the A3000 body and leaves approximately 1/8” all around. First thing was to locate and drill the existing case holes so that I could secure the Lexan to the body.

Overtop of the Lexan body, I placed the stock Amiga plastic anti-static shield. Lexan plastic creates quite a bit of static electricity so I thought it was a good idea to put the stock piece ontop of it to keep the motherboard safe.
After that I just located the motherboard and used a center punch to identify all the motherboard mounting locations. Using M4 x 12mm flat head bolts I screwed the bolts from the underside so the threads come up through the bottom. I used 2mm washers and a 2mm rubber isolator to give the motherboard an even height and it lines up perfectly with the rear ports and the expansion slots.
Here is what it looks like before the motherboard went in:

Motherboard fits really nice inside the case and all the connectors for power, sata, and other peripherals line up quite nicely with respect to the routing requirements of the Amiga 3000 case.

I mounted the bare necessities first. Installed and mounted the 15pin VGA connector into the stock location. I also connected up the Gigabit Ethernet port so I have internet access right away. Here is what it looks like now:

I found what I am hoping is the perfect powersupply. It is a 300W Sparkle 1U power supply that has identical dimensions in width and length to the A3000 unit and is about 50% shorter. I will be gutting the Sparkle and the stock A3000 power supply and transposing the Sparkle into the A3000 PS body.

Here is what it looks like with the HD & PS mounted and wires routed. Everything seems to reach and fit!!!

After all this work, does it boot???
.
.
.
You’re darn right it does!

I will tackle the Power supply dismantling next so I can finish off the major hardware bits. After that I will continue working on the rear port adapters and wiring.

More to follow…

 

[salaxi54]

That's the way to do it! Me likes. You could get yourself a fan grill from an old AT/ATX psu and fill the rectangular gap at the rear. When i replicated the A3000 psu casing, i discovered their size matched.
Keep it up.

 

[jvdbossc]

Will be quite strange to see windows boot when finished

 

[bitcpy]

Thanks!

No need to worry about the rear where the power supply goes. I will be transplanting the guts of the ATX power supply into the A3000 stock PSU so that it fits in the stock location.

From the outside it will look totally stock.

That's the way to do it! Me likes. You could get yourself a fan grill from an old AT/ATX psu and fill the rectangular gap at the rear. When i replicated the A3000 psu casing, i discovered their size matched.
Keep it up.

---------- Post added at 11:27 ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 ----------

You won't see Windows boot. I have a few neat ideas for that.

I am toying with the idea of doing a Windows XP Embedded (XPe) setup with WinUAE pre-installed and configured so once Windows starts up it immediately shows the full-screen WinUAE preconfigured environment.

If it works the way I am expecting, it will present the A3000 WinUAE environment without ever seeing the Windows desktop or start screen.

The other options I am considering are Icaros and Amithlon. I may experiment and try each on a separate drive.

The motherboard has built in CF & SD card reader. I was considering using a CF card to boot the various OS configurations and leaving an HD in there for storing the HDF and content.

This would allow me to swap CF cards everytime I wanted to change the desktop experience between Amithlon, Icaros and WinUAE.

Will be quite strange to see windows boot when finished

 

[rkauer]

Don't know about how much spare back slots you have, but a nice idea will be a slot CF socket.

It is a IDE to CF adapter and used in A4000 and other computers, so the CF will be accessible from the outside without the needing for open the case every time you want to replace the OS.

Two flavours are available: PATA & SATA!

 

[bitcpy]

This is a good idea also. I have one of the green board versions that I was going to use in my A4000 but since upgraded to SCSI there so it is free to be used.

I will try this out once I mount more items. I need to keep room for Catweasel and some other items but I should be able to keep 1 slot free for this.

Thanks!

Don't know about how much spare back slots you have, but a nice idea will be a slot CF socket.

It is a IDE to CF adapter and used in A4000 and other computers, so the CF will be accessible from the outside without the needing for open the case every time you want to replace the OS.

Two flavours are available: PATA & SATA!

 

[AndyLandy]

Hmm, an A3000 case with a PC motherboard inside it?

I dunno, it just doesn't seem right to me.

However, it does look like a neat mod! Also, what's the motherboard? It looks quite similar in shape to an A1200 motherboard, I've not seen one like that before.

 

[bitcpy]

It was not an easy decision to come to.. but... I had an empty 3000 case due to untimely death of M/B.. : (

Plus, once its all buckled up, even when you turn it on, you wont know its not an Amiga 3000 heart beating beneath it. That's why #1 project rule, DO NOT DAMAGE OR MODIFY CASE IN ANY WAY.

Once its finished and I post a pic, you will think I just posted a 3000 computer.. At that point you wont believe its NOT an Amiga motherboard in there..

PS-> Motherboard is from my old trusty Asus Pundit mini desktop. Seemed like a perfect fit.. they were meant to be. Even the SATA & IDE connectors line up to the opening under the 3000 drive cage.

Hmm, an A3000 case with a PC motherboard inside it?

I dunno, it just doesn't seem right to me.

However, it does look like a neat mod! Also, what's the motherboard? It looks quite similar in shape to an A1200 motherboard, I've not seen one like that before.