Info about GBA1000

[RSA99]

I am about to try to resurrect my A1000, bought in about 1986 and one of the first in the UK.
I used it solidly until around 1994 and then it got boxed in various house moves and is about to be reborn again (I hope)

After I inspect the motherboard and check that it works, I am thinking of upgrading to a MBA1000 but, I don't know if my soldering skills are up to it?

Can anyone please point me in the direction of any documentation or information about the GBA1000 motherboard replacement for A1000.

I do have a few immediate questions regarding the GBA1000, if anyone can answer?

- Do the final specs depend on some of the Amiga custom chips I purchase (i.e. AGA / ECS) or the revision of the GBA1000 board?

- How easy is it to self-assemble for someone with decidedly average skills?

Cheers,
Richard.

 

[ajk]

Hi, the GBA1000 can't be built as AGA. It's somewhere between an A500+ and an A3000 in specs, so ECS chipset (2MB chip RAM, 8MB fast RAM).

It's not terribly hard, it does have a lot of surface-mount components though so you do need to be able to handle those. Mostly in the 0805 package (1.25 x 2 mm) so not miniscule like in todays mobile phones and such, but still smaller than traditional through-hole components.

There are several "build log" posts here on AmiBay, as well as on other sites and also YouTube which should give you an idea of the process. Probably the closest place to the "original source" for help is the a1k.org forum (which primarily a German site, but English is fine for the occasional question).

 

[RSA99]

Thanks for the info ajk.

hmm.....I thought GBA1000 would achieve AGA.......that's a bit of a deal-breaker for me......I wanted a solution that could play A1200 games too :-(

That probably shifts my focus to an Apollo Firebird - how is the compatability of this with AGA games?

 

[YouKnowWho]

@RSA99 - FYI, there is an "easier" solution to what you seek...original Amiga looks, but with AGA.

Amiga 1000 w/ Amiga 1200 Motherboard - as clean as I could make it.

1985 looks, 1995 technology! I always found the Amiga 1000 beautiful. It was the first after all. However, it just never stands up technically. And so, I set out to fit an Amiga 1200 motherboard inside it as nicely as I could make it. After all, Commodore did put a removable backplate on...

www.amibay.com