Hello chaps,
I’ve found myself in possession of an Amiga 500+, having just discovered one in a house clear-out. I never had an Amiga as a child - which in some areas actually constitutes child neglect – and thus I have no experience whatsoever to draw from. I am, to be clear, the very definition of a n00b.
With that said, I’m looking for help on what I can do with this lovely piece of kit. The machine is in working order. It was taken care of very well during its lifetime and has been stored safely for many years in a garage. It’s never been opened or tinkered with, there’s no rust, scuffs or signs of wear, and aside from being a bit yellow it appears to be in top condition. Of course, I’ve not opened it to check out the state of the inside – I’ve heard battery leaks can be an issue and capacitors wear out, but it boots up fine and all seems well.
What I don’t have, is any disks or any form of manual. Thus, I’m unable to progress any further than the boot screen which informs me that I have 2.0 Roms (31.175) – and that I should probably insert a disk if I’d like anything further to occur.
I’ve spent some time researching on Google and forums, but I’ve found the wealth of information somewhat overwhelming. It seems there are countless different upgrades and configurations, so I’m a bit unsure what to attempt.
My ideal scenario is simple: I’d like to get an HD, or preferably a CF card, with a bunch of games stored on it... and play them.
I’d assumed this would be easy enough. There’s loads of options out there for other systems and some of the Amibay and Tech Shack guys showed me some awesome stuff with Spectrums and Amstrads at the Play Expo – however from what I’ve read it seems that the one system that isn’t easy to do this with, is the Amiga 500+. Which is somewhat typical really.
So here’s where I’d like a bit of help:
I think that’s about it for now.
As I said, I’m very new to all this. I’m not adverse to doing some research and learning how to tinker inside the machine, but I’d rather not have to get a degree in engineering if I can help it... I just wanna play Magicland Dizzy.
Any help, much appreciated.
I’ve found myself in possession of an Amiga 500+, having just discovered one in a house clear-out. I never had an Amiga as a child - which in some areas actually constitutes child neglect – and thus I have no experience whatsoever to draw from. I am, to be clear, the very definition of a n00b.
With that said, I’m looking for help on what I can do with this lovely piece of kit. The machine is in working order. It was taken care of very well during its lifetime and has been stored safely for many years in a garage. It’s never been opened or tinkered with, there’s no rust, scuffs or signs of wear, and aside from being a bit yellow it appears to be in top condition. Of course, I’ve not opened it to check out the state of the inside – I’ve heard battery leaks can be an issue and capacitors wear out, but it boots up fine and all seems well.
What I don’t have, is any disks or any form of manual. Thus, I’m unable to progress any further than the boot screen which informs me that I have 2.0 Roms (31.175) – and that I should probably insert a disk if I’d like anything further to occur.
I’ve spent some time researching on Google and forums, but I’ve found the wealth of information somewhat overwhelming. It seems there are countless different upgrades and configurations, so I’m a bit unsure what to attempt.
My ideal scenario is simple: I’d like to get an HD, or preferably a CF card, with a bunch of games stored on it... and play them.
I’d assumed this would be easy enough. There’s loads of options out there for other systems and some of the Amibay and Tech Shack guys showed me some awesome stuff with Spectrums and Amstrads at the Play Expo – however from what I’ve read it seems that the one system that isn’t easy to do this with, is the Amiga 500+. Which is somewhat typical really.
So here’s where I’d like a bit of help:
- I’ve seen people suggesting SCSI interfaces, converted to IDE, attached to CF. If this is still the defacto standard for A500+ owners, can someone point me in the direction of the right hardware to do this, preferably with a tutorial on fitting it? I read that getting the right SCSI interface is important, something to do with DMA access to reduce load on the CPU. There seem to be a lot of options out there and I’m not sure where to look.
- I’ve also read about cards in development that will provide an IDE interface, and possibly a direct CF interface, with whole bunch of other stuff I don’t really understand... I’m talking of things like Zeus68k and ACA500 – however it seems these have been in the works for some time and still have no release date. Is it worth waiting it out or given that my needs are fairly simple, should I just go with the SCSI solution?
- I know nothing of Kickstart ROMs and such. I’ve been reading that a lot of games won’t work with the newer Kickstart ROM in the A500+ and therefore I may need to do something about that. I read there was some software that would deal with it, but I’m also seeing a lot of talk about ROM switchers such. Any advice there?
- I’m probably safe to assume my A500+ only has 512KB RAM. I’m under the impression that this may be a bit poor even for basic gaming, and if I’m going to use WHDLoad, which seems to be the thing to do, I may need to go even further... So presumably I should be looking at a memory upgrade too. Again, confirmation of this and pointing in the right direction would be appreciated.
- I’m also given to believe that the extra power needed to run the SCSI/IDE/CF/Whatever that powers the HD might even require I boost the CPU speed. Is this right? If so, my head’s starting to spin a little. Is there a plain English guide anywhere that can show me the desired specs for the casual user, and how to get there? I saw something like this for the A1200 – I think it was actually on this forum.
I think that’s about it for now.
As I said, I’m very new to all this. I’m not adverse to doing some research and learning how to tinker inside the machine, but I’d rather not have to get a degree in engineering if I can help it... I just wanna play Magicland Dizzy.
Any help, much appreciated.
