14 July 2011, 23:27 | #1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 24
|
1200 Laptop Project
I started this some while ago but had to put it away for a while but now it's back and is almost finished.
A few years ago I built an A600 as a sort of laptop albeit very heavy in a homemade sheet steel case. It worked but was a bit flaky and rattly. This time I decide to go for a 1200 but use a brief case as a case to make it a little more portable. The specs of the machine are: 1D4 motherboard Apollo 040/40 accelerator with 32Mb RAM Eyetech SD/FF Eyetech 4way bufferred IDE Eyetch EZKEY keyboard adapter Slimline CDROM with ATAPI/IDE adapter Slimline PC(laptop) floppy with adapter with just pins 2 and 34 crossed on the cable 4Gb CF card with CF/IDE adapter for the hard drive PCMCIA CF adapter for file transfers PCMCIA wireless card PCMCIA ethernet card Shuttle PSU Slimline PS2 keyboard Synaptics PS2 trackpad from a dead laptop Cocolino PS2 mouse adapter Switchable external amiga mouse port 12" desktop LCD screen stripped out for the display with inbuilt speakers and amp CU Amiga CDDA mixer to mix CD audio with the native audio The mother board has been modified with the PCMCIA reset fix from aminet and the PCMCIA LED fix found here on EAB courtesy of doobreynet and the modulator has been removed. Here are a few pics, as requested. This is the PSU cabling. All it has now is a standard MOLEX connector to feed to the motherboard, a floppy connector which feeds a power distribution board, a connection to the ON?OFF switch and an earth connection. This is the mouse connection. The external and internal connections on the cable have the power and gnd lines switched to select either the internal track pad or the external mouse/joystick. PCMCIA LED mod CF card harddrive Fully fitted lower case. Watch this space! More photos to come! |
15 July 2011, 00:09 | #2 |
Professional slacker!
|
Hi!
Thats a really intersting project, thanks for sharing Hope you got a big Lap though Only kidding, I look foward to the finished project and the updates One question, I guess you'll mount a keyboard on top? Have you thought about cooling/venting? Steve. |
15 July 2011, 00:18 | #3 |
I hate potatos and shirts
|
I can recommend you using an A500 keyboard with the LED sacked out. Wiring +5, GND, kb_clock, kb_data & reset lines will be a breeze for one with your soldering skills.
Just swapping the key tops with the one from A1200 and all will be perfect. Or go nuts and paint the keycaps black and add black Amiga stickers over. Oh, I concur with Steve on the cooling matter: better grab a proper cooler as the 040 is a hot monster. |
15 July 2011, 00:21 | #4 |
Professional slacker!
|
|
15 July 2011, 00:53 | #5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 24
|
I've had it fully closed up and running for over 4 hours without any over heating problems. The fan on the 040 is bigger than the original and there is draw through ventilation from the front of the case near the carry handle and out through the PSU at the rear.
The keyboard is a slim line desktop PC thing, PS2 converted to amiga with the EZKey. |
15 July 2011, 00:58 | #6 |
I hate potatos and shirts
|
Awesome!
Moar pr0n! Moar! |
30 July 2011, 20:40 | #7 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 24
|
It's finished!! More pics tomorrow!
|
30 July 2011, 23:14 | #8 |
Amibay Mod/Staff
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: birmingham uk
Age: 48
Posts: 1,019
|
cant wait to see the finished project mate
|
31 July 2011, 11:08 | #9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Fareham Hampshire
Age: 54
Posts: 142
|
<Sits tapping fingers>
|
31 July 2011, 20:18 | #10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 24
|
Finished the laptop yesterday, well, finished for now, there are still some improvements I want to make, USB support for one and change the PSU for a battery and Pico PSU and charger cct, but that will come in due course.
Here you are then, a few piccies of the "finished" thing. Overall shot View of the keyboard and track pad. The 4 screws allow easy access to the guts of the machine. Screen view. I used Bloodwych's ClassicWB OS3.9 as a starting point and then tweaked it the way I wanted it. The backdrop is a MAC backdrop which I used to create a pattern for the dock. Only problem I have is I have not found a way or removing the border from the dock. Anybody got any thoughts on whether it is possible? CD and PCMCIA slot Floppy and power Rear connections with the external mouse / internal trackpad switch next to the mouse port Some benchmarking screen shots. Hope you like it! I do!! |
01 August 2011, 00:08 | #11 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sweden
Posts: 762
|
Thats a nice mod! I wonder how slim you can go. Nice way of making the A1200 portable, gives me many ideas.. .hmmm :-)
|
01 August 2011, 00:26 | #12 |
Amibay Mod/Staff
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: birmingham uk
Age: 48
Posts: 1,019
|
very nice mate
|
01 August 2011, 15:00 | #13 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2001
Location: ?
Posts: 19,646
|
The Mac OS X type background is hilarious
|
01 August 2011, 16:09 | #14 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 24
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
My Amiga 1200 restoration project | radiokida | Member Introductions | 1 | 29 April 2013 15:17 |
PC in Amiga 1200 - help with laptop ribbon cable | Tiago | Hardware mods | 8 | 02 November 2011 19:23 |
CU_AMiGA's Amiga 1200 Project | CU_AMiGA | Hardware pics | 9 | 10 August 2009 23:32 |
Amiga 1200 project...just starting out | NovaCoder | Hardware mods | 25 | 16 September 2007 14:56 |
|
|