Amy A500-clone in miniITX

[fryguy]

http://safir.amigaos.se/bildgalleri/...y_overview.jpg

For more info see MrAnderssons blog on http://safir.amigaos.se
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[alexh]

Looks good. Can't find that blog though.

[fryguy]

It should be the one on the top on the right side (right now) of the page.

[alexh]

I can see that txt but there is nothing to click on. Maybe you have to be registered to read blogs?

[Amiga1992]

Yeah I can't find the blog either, but this looks really yummy!
Is it really a clone or a motherboard replacement? It does have some original chips in it.

[fryguy]

Originally Posted by alexh

I can see that txt but there is nothing to click on. Maybe you have to be registered to read blogs?

You should click on the nick to read.
You need to be registered and logged in to read blogs.

Google translated (with a few corrections):

Amiga for me is the really old classic Amigas. Machines A500 & A2000 with MC68000 processor and big beautiful socketed circuits. One loaded games and demos from floppies and listened to the beautiful whistling sound from his fiendishly expensive SCSI hard drive.

My Amiga 500 started to fall to pieces long ago. Disgusting yellow chassis and caps leaking and rotting boards.
Most projects with Amiga clones seems to be to make a more or less compatible computer with really cool performance. (All credit to them, they do a fantastic job!)

Minimig's exists, but it's not enough for me. Too much restriction and nowhere to connect your samples, floppy disks and extra joysticks. Sure, compatibility has improved in recent years but still there is a list of games about what works / does not work.

I felt that I wanted to experience that "real" Amiga feeling I had as a child. And I wanted it in a modern format.
This was the idea to Amy Dream Clone.
It is a motherboard that is 100% compatible with the oldest Amigas!
Designed to fit into a modern "Gaming mini-ITX chassis' and connections for PC keyboard and mouse.

I was going to use this blog to post more details about the construction and start with some pictures how I mounted up my Amy in a beautiful white Prodigy BitFenix ​​chassis.

[Amiga1992]

So it is more of a "motherboard replacement" like that GB1000 than a clone like Minimig.
I Would totally gut an A500 to use a motherboard like this.

[fryguy]

This should be:

"Too much restriction and nowhere to connect your samplers, floppy disks and extra joysticks"

[ArcadeHeart]

A motherboard like this, but A1200 based, with ide port, 1 pci, 1 eth port, 2 usb port would be a sellout

[hattig]

So this is a new motherboard that you put the chips from your knackered A500 into? That will hopefully last for many more years? Shame that it doesn't have one of those near 50MHz 68000's that the Minimig uses though.

[Lord Aga]

Yup, 50MHz 68000 + FPGA for chipset + big board with lots of connectors would be far more interesting.

[Mrs Beanbag]

or an A4000-like board (asynchronous bus + onboard fast ram) made with A1200 components

[Reynolds]

I'd like to see somewhere a (min) PIO2 IDE channel, otherwise ok-ish for me

[discomeats]

Originally Posted by Reynolds

I'd like to see somewhere a (min) PIO2 IDE channel, otherwise ok-ish for me

What he said, definately need some kind of mass storage these days, and also more juicy cpu, but still, wonder how much these boards be costing.

[Reynolds]

CPU power doesn't really bothers me, but a new, stable hw which covers my A500-level needs, definitely worth to buy. Only one more thing would be as much important, toe availability. Minimig doesn't gives everything, CloneA doesn't exists, just like the Natami. :I

[freon]

SCART!

Who uses scart anymore? It should be VGA or even HDMI. Does it even have flicker fixer/Scan doubler? With Scart you can't connect it to monitor without unnnessessary adapter.

There should also be option for PSX controllers and USB mouse. Not PS/2 anymore. IDE etc. for hard drive.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by freon

SCART!

Who uses scart anymore? It should be VGA or even HDMI. Does it even have flicker fixer/Scan doubler? With Scart you can't connect it to monitor without unnnessessary adapter.

Lots of people do. I do. And it's great, a lot better than VGA on a modern TV (because VGA doesn't do low res 15Khz progressive but SCART RGB DOES. Why do you need scan doubling for in that case?).

I would like HDMI as an option too, but SCART is a lot better than VGA. If you want to connect it to a monitor, use HDMI/DVI, NOT VGA which is old.

I hear you on the USB mouse thing though, but I think it makes sense it's only PS2. Playstation pads are a no-go though, he wants to use original joysticks and I agree.

[desiv]

Originally Posted by Akira

So it is more of a "motherboard replacement" like that GB1000 than .

Well, yes and no.
It looks to be an Amiga compatible motherboard, but in MiniITX form factor.
So it's not going (easily) into an A500 / 2000 case.
And it doesn't appear to have some of the enhancements of the GB1000.
(Place for Flicker fixer, etc; although it does have regular (PS2?) keyboard/mouse connectors.. AND it has joystick ports (at the same time? Hmmm..) )

But, it has sockets for all the major Amiga chips, including the 68k, so CPU attached options might work (IDE68k, FAST RAM).

I don't see regular audio or headers that appear to have that, so looks like if you don't want to use SCART, you'll have to pull your RGB and audio from that port.
A header would be nice, as you could embed an GBS-8200 or similar in the case.

Great looking project tho...

desiv

[ElectroBlaster]

Its close but arrghh!

Please make this:

Fully backwards compatible Amiga clone that will run workbench 3.1 from scratch using kickstart 3.1 and has AGA or AAA whatever its called. Have all the latest ports, hdmi, usb, sata to compliment the old ones which allow samplers and old bits to work. Also Standard mini-itx mounting so it can be placed wherever. I do not want some overpriced pc board running some hacked version of linux in a case that can be bought off the shelf and then sold for Apple money as in the old cusa idea of things.

I want an exact replica of an Amiga, case and all that has just been redone with modern stuff. Im dreaming I guess

I wish that I had the skills to do all this but sadly im not talented so will just have to wait, but the waiting! im getting older by the day

[vitux]

Very pretty.
This also reminds me that there is another project improved A500
http://www.amiga-digital.nl/index2.html