Which A1200?

[DerekP]

Hiya,

If I were looking for an A1200 to buy, which one should I be aiming for? Some of the Escom's i've seen for sale are in really nice condition but I've heard about the floppy drive issue (fixable). I've also heard some accelerators having some issues with some motherboard revisions (also fixable). I'm not afraid of a little work - but I am afraid of cocking it up (especially hardware mods as I am a very inexperienced solderer).

I now have an A1200, but although I'm really happy with what I got (recently recapped 1200s are not common in Australia from what I've seen - at least not ones for sale), I am disappointed in the condition of it (it looked better in the photos). It didn't feel 'new' enough. I'm not interested in true mint, but something that has been really well looked after without dints and colouring would be really nice. I'm considering getting a tidier example and selling - keeping what I want from it - like the 8mb Blizzard accelerator.

Thanks for your views.

 

[b00mer]

The only real Amiga is Commodore's Amiga. C= sticker FTW. Otherwise they are the same, you can have timing and/or caps issues with C= or AT A1200.

 

[demolition]

The incompatible floppy drives are only found on Escom models though, but not all Escom models have the bad floppy drives. My Escom A1200 has a Panasonic drive which is 100% Amiga compatible and there are no modifications on the MB. I have never heard of any C= models having the bad floppy drives. For someone who knows how to use a soldering iron, it is quite simple to fix it though.

I got a 1200 some years ago which was not in very good condition, although after a cleanup I think it looks a lot better. So if you haven't already done it, take it apart, including the keys on the KB, clean everything and put it back together. In my experience, grime and dirt can cause it to look a bit yellower than it really is.

 

[fitzsteve]

Buying an A1200 is a lucky dip unless you know from a trusted seller the exact details, they're all pretty much prone to the same issues as there seem to be no set revisionary changes.

The only thing I can think is as demolition says some of the Escom use a modified PC floppy drive which doesn't work with some older games, not a problem if you play from CF card anyway.

I would suggest the best A1200 to buy is one that's in good clean condition, lookout for rusty shielding as it suggests the Amiga was left in damp conditions. If the board has been re-capped this is a great bonus as it will save you doing that in the near future.

Timing fixes can be done if needed, but if it ain't broke there's no need, it really depends on what expansion cards you want to use as only some bring out such issues, i.e some of the 040/060 boards and the ACA range of cards.

 

[DerekP]

Thanks all. I was thinking that if I do get a pretty A1200 I would look at the ACA expansion cards. I would love to be able to do WiFi (WPA2).

 

[AndyLandy]

If you've already got a decent, working A1200 that merely looks untidy, you could always get a new case and transplant the innards of the current one.

 

[DerekP]

Thats true, but shipping a new case to Oz costs about as much as shipping a whole, complete unit (sans power etc). I might as well get a whole unit and then sell mine to help cover the costs.

I like your buyers guide for accelerators. Great work! Really annoyed, i gave away about 30 older PC SIMMS a few months ago figuring i'd never have a use for them. Many may have been compatible.

 

[AndyLandy]

Have you thought about Retr0bright'ing your existing one to make it look clean and new? The results can be pretty impressive. It won't help you if the thing is actually damaged, but if it's just dirty and yellowed, you can usually fix that up pretty nicely.

 

[keitha]

And remember to get yourself a good ATX power supply; if you go down the accelerator route

 

[flu!d]

Post some pics of this A1200 DerekP, surely it's not too much of a write off. You'd be surprised just how well retro hardware comes up with a good restoration.