Reliable Amiga upgrade suppliers

[Steam Ranger]

I'm looking for an online store that I can buy parts from that will just get the job done without any problems.

I'm considering amigakit because of worldwide shipping and large part selection, but I've read that they've been bad the last few years.
Also they mainly seem to have parts for small Amigas. I have an Amiga 2000, where can I get parts for it?

Also:

1. Can I just get an SD Card - SCSI Adapter and attach it to my hard drive board?
2. I want to have a gotek drive in an external caddy so I can easily remove it, could I just take a normal floppy drive out of it's case and put the gotek in there?
3. If I do need to buy a special caddy for a gotek drive, where can I get one from?
4. On accellerator cards that have RAM, can they only have Fast RAM or can they have Chip RAM aswell?

[StevenJGore]

I very highly recommend https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/.

I used them twice recently for my A1200 project, fast dispatch and quick delivery from Germany to the UK.

I have used Amigakit recently too, twice, but via their eBay shop to offer buyer protection. Both times I got my stuff within a week.

[Steam Ranger]

Originally Posted by StevenJGore

I very highly recommend https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/.

That website seems to mostly have parts for small Amigas, I have an Amiga 2000.

Originally Posted by StevenJGore

I have used Amigakit recently too, twice, but via their eBay shop to offer buyer protection. Both times I got my stuff within a week.

The eBay store is lacking most of the things I was looking to buy from them. Would their reliability be the same buying from their website or is the buyer protection what makes them reliable?

[ptyerman]

I recommend AmigaStore.eu.
I also have a A2000 and have purchased parts for it from them. They have a good selection of spares and add-ons for every model of Amiga's.

[vk3heg]

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

1. Can I just get an SD Card - SCSI Adapter and attach it to my hard drive board?
2. I want to have a gotek drive in an external caddy so I can easily remove it, could I just take a normal floppy drive out of it's case and put the gotek in there?
3. If I do need to buy a special caddy for a gotek drive, where can I get one from?
4. On accellerator cards that have RAM, can they only have Fast RAM or can they have Chip RAM aswell?

1. Yes. I have a SCSI-SD in my A3000.
2. Yes. I have done this.
3. No need for a special caddy.
4. Only Fast Ram.

[Steam Ranger]

Originally Posted by ptyerman

I recommend AmigaStore.eu.
I also have a A2000 and have purchased parts for it from them. They have a good selection of spares and add-ons for every model of Amiga's.

Great! They have tons of stuff.

[Steam Ranger]

Originally Posted by vk3heg

1. Yes. I have a SCSI-SD in my A3000.
2. Yes. I have done this.
3. No need for a special caddy.
4. Only Fast Ram.

Alright, thanks.

[alexh]

Everything I've ever bought from AmigaKit has been a positive experience. The item has arrived promptly. Any expected delays communicated pre-order (I e. The website says this item ships between 1-2 weeks for example). Communication has always been excellent.

I've placed 3 orders this year (2023) through the main website, a PiStorm32 Lite, a GreaseWeasel, a cable, all arrived on time or ahead of the expected delivery dates.

When people post nightmare stories I find it hard to believe, it's like they are talking about a different company. I suspect there is a large amount of inaccurate reports.

All companies selling Amiga parts are part time businesses run by enthusiasts. They are not Amazon.

[Steam Ranger]

Has anyone had expieriences with the PiStorm? I found a link to buy it, it seems really underpriced for what it claims it provides.

A few questions about it though:

• What's the relocator adapter for? Do I need one for an Amiga 2000?
• The CPU accelerator claims to go to 2344 MIPS, how fast is that in comparison to 68020 accellerators?
• Is the hard disk interface a cable or on the board?
• How easy is it to install one in an Amiga 2000?

[hooverphonique]

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

Has anyone had expieriences with the PiStorm? I found a link to buy it, it seems really underpriced for what it claims it provides.

A few questions about it though:

• The CPU accelerator claims to go to 2344 MIPS, how fast is that in comparison to 68020 accellerators?
  • If these are SysInfo MIPS, it's in the ballpark of 500 times a 020.
• Is the hard disk interface a cable or on the board?
  • The PiStorm is an interface board that piggybacks a Raspberry Pi, so all extra hw interfaces are what is on the Pi board itself.
• How easy is it to install one in an Amiga 2000?
  • I think you can use a PiStorm designed for either A500 or A2000 - one goes in the 68000 socket, the other into the cpu slot. You'll probably need to check which one fits you better depending on what other hw you have in there.

[alexh]

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

Has anyone had expieriences with the PiStorm? I found a link to buy it, it seems really underpriced for what it claims it provides.

It's the best value for money accelerator for the Amiga at the moment. It's WIP meaning that you may run into issues but it is (was?) still being developed.

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

A few questions about it though:

• What's the relocator adapter for? Do I need one for an Amiga 2000?

It is to allow the A500 lid to close. You don't need one but I would recommend getting an A2000 CPU slot PiStorm adapter instead of the A500 one.

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

• The CPU accelerator claims to go to 2344 MIPS, how fast is that in comparison to 68020 accellerators?

I have never seen that performance in practice. It is roughly 100x 040@25MHz

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

• Is the hard disk interface a cable or on the board?

It doesn't have a traditional HDD interface. It is onboard. It uses USB devices. Or a partition on the SD card.

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

• How easy is it to install one in an Amiga 2000?

Write PiStorm SD card and USB stick on the PC. Remove 68000 from A2000 motherboard. Plug PiStorm+ A2000 CPU adapter into to A2000 CPU slot. Route optional HDMI extension cable and USB extension cable to the rear. Done.

[Steam Ranger]

This is probably a really bad question but...

Has anyone made a CPU de-cellerator?
What I mean is like software that can smartly chew up the CPU for a certain amount of time to slow other apps down, making the system act like it's on a slower CPU?

I just want to know if one exists, it'd be a simple thing so I could make one if it doesn't.

[Steam Ranger]

Also, is it just me or are the prices for PiStorms way higher than they should be? All the onces I've seen are over $70 whereas the board would cost $20 tops to manufacture.

[amigakit.com]

@Steam_Ranger

I'm considering amigakit because of worldwide shipping and large part selection, but I've read that they've been bad the last few years.

Unfortuantely there is a consistent narrative from a small group who are either related to other resellers or resellers themselves. It is in their commercial interests to perpetuate negative press about our company.


Every week we hand assemble hundreds of Amiga items in house, test them and package- sending the packages worldwide. The vast majority of orders are sent out within days. Of course you will rarely see posts here on EAB from the majority of satisifed purchases because our service levels are expected. Some items are soldered together and fail bench tests and need further work- unfortunately this happens sometimes when you are building retro equipment. Backlogs occur sometimes.



Our sales revenue gets reinvested back into new Amiga projects- we have for the last two decades taken our revenues and created new products. We only serve the Amiga community and the money from sales stays in the community by being recirculated to our developers, designers and technicians. You know that when you purchase an AmigaKit product, we will still be here in years to come.

The eBay store is lacking most of the things I was looking to buy from them. Would their reliability be the same buying from their website or is the buyer protection what makes them reliable?

Our Ebay store only stocks a limited range of what is available on AmigaKit.com - we also accept payment in AUD on our website. For example the Pistorm is here at $58 (AUD): https://www.amigakit.com/pistorm-c-1...l?currency=AUD

Also, is it just me or are the prices for PiStorms way higher than they should be? All the onces I've seen are over $70 whereas the board would cost $20 tops to manufacture.

As you can see we offer it for $58 AUD plus postage. We work hard to offer quality items we hand assemble at the best prices.



@StevenJGore

I have used Amigakit recently too, twice, but via their eBay shop to offer buyer protection. Both times I got my stuff within a week.

Thank you for your recent orders and kind feedback. Our main focus is our AmigaKit webstore, Ebay is a secondary sales channel. They charge us a significant amount of money for every item we sell on there so we charge more for products sold on Ebay. If you want the cheapest price, go to AmigaKit.com. You will get the same "seller protection" on both.


@AlexH

Everything I've ever bought from AmigaKit has been a positive experience. The item has arrived promptly. Any expected delays communicated pre-order (I e. The website says this item ships between 1-2 weeks for example). Communication has always been excellent.

I've placed 3 orders this year (2023) through the main website, a PiStorm32 Lite, a GreaseWeasel, a cable, all arrived on time or ahead of the expected delivery dates.

Thank you for your orders over the last decades and continued custom. We appreciate your positive feedback.

[StevenJGore]

Originally Posted by amigakit.com

Thank you for your recent orders and kind feedback. Our main focus is our AmigaKit webstore, Ebay is a secondary sales channel. They charge us a significant amount of money for every item we sell on there so we charge more for products sold on Ebay. If you want the cheapest price, go to AmigaKit.com. You will get the same "seller protection" on both.

That's good to know. Thanks!

[hooverphonique]

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

Has anyone had expieriences with the PiStorm? I found a link to buy it, it seems really underpriced for what it claims it provides.

Originally Posted by Steam Ranger

Also, is it just me or are the prices for PiStorms way higher than they should be?

Make up your mind!

[stairmand]

Just be a bit careful ordering from Amigastore.eu Since Brexit expect a VAT and customs charge. This can add up if you're spending a fair bit.

[StevenJGore]

Originally Posted by stairmand

Just be a bit careful ordering from Amigastore.eu Since Brexit expect a VAT and customs charge. This can add up if you're spending a fair bit.

I think you'd have to be unlucky. My last two orders from Alinea in Germany slipped through customs without any VAT or import charges, both were well over the £39 limit.

[A500]

I can also fully vouch for Amigakit, and Amigastore also. Never had any problems with them, and in case there was a delay of any sort, they communicated it to me within 1-2 weeks. Polyplay have also been consistent and friendly, but they're not focusing on Amiga hardware upgrades as much.

[Steam Ranger]

What is a boot selector needed for? My Amiga seems to boot from any drive internal or external, aslong as it has a disk and the others don't.