My Amiga 2000 config

[Violo]

I'm proud to write here... first time i'm posting something out from WANTED, FOR SALE or ORACLE (for help) sections :roll:

I would like to share with you my A2000 configs for to know your opinion and feedback, and why not, suggestions for better configurations

I've got three Amiga 2000, to be precise, an A2000, A2500 and A1500.
My project is:
- use A2500 with original configuration and expand it only with original Commodore boards;
- use A2000 with third parts boards expansions for better performances;
- use A1500 for an original 68000/1.3 ROM/WB 1.3 environment and compatibility.

So here is my A2000's config:

1) Amiga 2500 (it is original, not re-built with A2000 parts)
- Motherboard rev 6.4
- Original ROM 2.0 (original A2500 configuration)
- Commodore A2630 with 68030 CPU at 25 MHz, 68882 FPU, 4MB RAM (original A2500 configuration)
- Commodore A2091 with 100 MB HD with installed AOS 2.04, 2MB RAM (original A2500 configuration)
- Commodore A2320 flicker fixer
- Commodore A2065 ethernet board
- Commodore A2286 PC emulator (with 5,25'' PC floppy drive, 1MB RAM, 80286 CPU, 80287 co-processor)

ToDo:
- config Amiga HD for PC virtual partition (about 10 MB just for boot DOS + some utilities)


2) Amiga 2000
- Motherboard rev 6.3
- Original ROM 1.3
- Kick ROM switch with ROM 3.1
- GVP G-Force 030 with 68030 CPU at 40 MHz. 68882 FPU, 16MB RAM
- GVP Impact 2000 HC+8 with 1,3 GB HD with installed AOS 3.1, 4MB di RAM
- Macro System DeInterlaceCard flicker Fixer (in A2000 video slot)
- Village Tronic Picasso II RTG Card with 2MB RAM
- Ariadne II ethernet board
- Second Floppy unit DF1

ToDo:
- i'm looking for a SCSI CD ROM to put in a 5,25 place - cable ready
- install AOS 3.9
- config a TCP/IP environment


3) Amiga 1500 (it is original, not re-built with A2000 parts)
- Motherboard rev 6.2
- Original ROM 1.3
- Commodore A2630 with 68030 CPU at 25 MHz, 68882 FPU, 4MB RAM (at boot i can choose to use original 68000 without RAM expansion for more compatibility)
- GVP Impact 2000 HC+8 with 50 MB HD with installed AOS 1.3, 4MB di RAM
- Commodore Genlock A2300
- Second Floppy unit DF1 (original A1500 configuration)

ToDo:
- nothing... it's my game center and tester
- i don't know if it has sense to put a SCSI CD ROM in AOS 1.3 system...


What do you think? Suggestions?


I want to write THANKS to all Amibay forum people who help me to find Amiga parts and for problems support

 

[Jameson]

Nice systems, very usable configs.

Hard to make suggestions without knowing the constraints/limits you want to have in place, but to give you some idea, I now have 13 Amiga 2000s (yes, my wife thinks it's an unlucky number and that I should get rid of 12 of them! ), the lowest spec is: A2000 Rev 6.2, A2620 with 4mb Fast Ram, Kickstart 3.1/1.3 on Kickboard, Indivision ECS, A2091, Gotek Floppy, 8x SCSI CDRom, 2.1 GB SCSI HD running ClassicWB ADVSP. The highest spec is A2000 Rev 6.4 with 2mb Chip Ram upgrade on the motherboard, Tekmagic 060 @ 68 mhz (fastest overclock before its becomes unstable), with 128 MB Fast Ram, Kickstart 3.1, Picasso IV, Deneb USB, Ariadne II, Gotek Floppy, 72 GB 10,000 RPM SCSI HD, SCSI DVDRom running Amiga OS 3.9 BB4 with enhancements. This machine is a beast and if it were not for the slowness of Zorro 2 for RTG it would be my most used miggy. However it runs games like Quake etc quite smoothly if you keep the resolution to 320 x 200/240.

Most of my A2000s are 030s though as they are the best price/performance point for A2000 accelerators in my experience.

So, without knowing more about what you wish to accomplish, my only real advise would be to either do the 2mb Chip Ram mods to your A2000s, or get a 2mb Chip Ram board for the higher spec A2000 at least.

Oh, and that GVP 030 will overclock to 50mhz quite easily.

 

[Violo]

Hi Jameson!
Your A2000 collection is awesome!!! Super!!!

Your best A2000 is fantastic! My objective on my A2000 (version with best performance) is not pump it for the extreme performance, but nice performance keeping eye on reliability and compatibility. GVP 030 has a software gadget who switch off 68030 and 16Bit RAM so i can re-boot with 68000 and original RAM expansion. To do this, for example, i gave up to control my SCSI HD with GVP 030 (it has a SCSI controller)... in fact if i control my SCSI HD with GVP 030 when i re-boot in fallback mode i couldn't have bootable hard disk (ok, i should put two HD's but is not usable for my opinion).
This is an example of my compromise between performance and usability

Come back to your best A2000 i like so much your Tekmagic... great board! Could be and idea, but as you wrote some paragraph later, your best experience with A2000 is with 68030 processor... and i read about it before starting my "configs project", so i agree with you

I like your 72 GB SCSI HD... wow! And you put an USB interface... not bad... could be an idea. For an easy solution i could swap AriadneII with a X-Surf. It has a easy space for a USB controller...
I like also your SCSI DVD... and not CD. I'm looking for a CD ROM... but a DVD could be better... where did you find it?

At the end, for sure i want to follow your suggestion about 2MB chip RAM... i have some gaps, but... how i can upgrade chip RAM? Have I to swap a FAT AGNUS chip?

Thanks
A.

 

[Jameson]

Hey there Violo,

yessum, a fast 030 is a good compromise between performance and compatibility.

As for the 2mb Chip Ram mod, you need a Revision 6.x motherboard, which you have. You then need to de-solder and remove the 8 x ram chips on the motherboard. You then install 4 sockets and populated them with 1mbx4 (from memory) DRam dips (very cheap and easy to get). You then replace the Agnus with the correct revision 2mb version (be careful, only SOME revision 2mb Agnus work, some have different pin outs!), put in a single resistor (47 ohm from memory) and two wire links and you are done! Its actually quite a simple mod as long as you are reasonable at soldering and have a decent de-soldering gun.

If you like I can find the guide to it (hard to locate online last time I checked) and post it/send it.

 

[Violo]

Thanks Jameson,
your description is good. I think i'm able to do this... i'll add to my "ToDo"

Thanks!
A.

 

[Violo]

...and here some pictures

 

[Sveta]

Hi,

Perfect.

Regards, Sveta