A1000 questions?

staticgerbil · 08 April 2003, 13:20

Hi.

Just a couple questions about my old 1000.

Reading the thread about loving 4000's adolescent said...

Quote:

All of the big box amigas had pal/ntsc jumpers.

Does that include the 1000 because i can't find any jumpers at all?
I have a pic of the mb if it would help.

Next it has a switch on the front that seems to make DF1: DF0:
Is this any use other than with one of those devices that lets you run a hard drive instead of the internal floppy? I presume it must have had one of them in it at some stage.

Lastly i have this card sticking out the side. It doesn't appear to have visible model number on it, just says MicroBotics 1986. Just wondering if anyone can tell me what it is? I presume it's ram?

Cheers for any help

Echo · 08 April 2003, 14:16

Bejesus, that's longer than the Voodoo 5

Pyromania · 08 April 2003, 15:03

Quote:

Originally posted by staticgerbil
Hi.

Just a couple questions about my old 1000.

Reading the thread about loving 4000's adolescent said...

Does that include the 1000 because i can't find any jumpers at all?
I have a pic of the mb if it would help.

Next it has a switch on the front that seems to make DF1: DF0:
Is this any use other than with one of those devices that lets you run a hard drive instead of the internal floppy? I presume it must have had one of them in it at some stage.

Lastly i have this card sticking out the side. It doesn't appear to have visible model number on it, just says MicroBotics 1986. Just wondering if anyone can tell me what it is? I presume it's ram?

Cheers for any help

The Amiga 1000 is the only Amiga that does not have jumpers for NTSC/PAL. To run a Harddisk you will need to get an A1000 Harddrive controller and you will also need to boot from a 1.3 Kickstart disk. You are right you have a MicroBotics RAM card.

jmmijo · 08 April 2003, 18:32

Yes and these cards along with the ones from Supra were the bomb back then, very good cards and at the time pretty darn expensive

staticgerbil · 09 April 2003, 01:59

Damn. Wish it wasn't an ntsc machine

Oh well. At least i get those signatures inside the case. That's pretty cool

Severin · 09 April 2003, 15:20

Quote:

Originally posted by staticgerbil
Damn. Wish it wasn't an ntsc machine

Oh well. At least i get those signatures inside the case. That's pretty cool

What kickstart are you using?

I used to use my A1000 in PAL, but iirc only with 1.3, I might have changed the agnus chip as well, can't really remember, it was a long time ago...

staticgerbil · 10 April 2003, 01:38

Im using 1.3
I have 1.2 and 1.1 aswell i think.

Is it difficult to change the agnus chip? I haven't done any modding to an amiga yet (other than plug that big fat ram chip in)?

Severin · 10 April 2003, 13:54

no, it's an easy job, just use a couple of very small screwdrivers to lever the chip out of the socket and push the new one in (making sure it's the same way round)...

staticgerbil · 10 April 2003, 16:02

Are these easy to find or do i buy another amiga to rip one out of? Which would kinda be pointless wouldn't it?

Jan · 10 April 2003, 16:58

It's usually easier to get another Amiga than single chips. It doesn't have to be another A1000, a A500 will also do (and is much cheaper, at least in Europe).

Overdoc · 10 April 2003, 22:43

Hmm, but didn't the A-1000 have a special Agnus version ?
Not sure, though ?!? Never opened my A-1000s up, yet...

Jan · 10 April 2003, 23:52

I must admit I'm not 100% sure about the Agnus. I once replaced the A1000 Paula with one from the A500 which worked perfectly, but never did that with Agnus. Although I'd think it should work.

staticgerbil · 11 April 2003, 01:32

I wouldn't be wasting that much money to get an a500 so i'll give it a crack when i find one in the area.

If i got the model number of the monitor i have would it be possible to tell if it could display pal aswell as ntsc?

Thanks for all the help so far

staticgerbil · 11 April 2003, 03:04

I presume the 1000 and 500 paula's the same?

Would there be any benefits of swapping this chip over if i get hold of a 500?

Does anyone know if that big fat ram chip of mine would work in a 500? I think someone once said that the side expansion slot of the 1000 was the same as the slot on the 500? Hmmm. Can't remember.

Chuckles · 11 April 2003, 06:37

Quote:

Originally posted by staticgerbil
I think someone once said that the side expansion slot of the 1000 was the same as the slot on the 500? Hmmm. Can't remember.

Long ago, one of my friends used to be an Engineer at Microbotics (from whom I purchased a StarBoard memory expansion for both my A1000 and my A500), and I clearly recall that he told me that the pinout of the side expansion for both the A1000 and the A500 were the same, except that (as he put it) the board was "upside down", meaning that the StarBoards for both machines were interchangeable if they were oriented properly. So yes, the expansion slot is the same, so long as the device is properly oriented when it is plugged in. Not being a hardware guru though, I'd seek additional confirmation before trying any potentially mobo-frying experiments that might come to mind.

Pyromania · 11 April 2003, 09:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Overdoc
Hmm, but didn't the A-1000 have a special Agnus version ?
Not sure, though ?!? Never opened my A-1000s up, yet...

If memory serves the Agnus chip in a A1000 in not the square fatter type but is a rectangle size chip and looks like Paula or Denise.

Jan · 11 April 2003, 11:34

Quote:

Originally posted by Chuckles
he told me that the pinout of the side expansion for both the A1000 and the A500 were the same, except that (as he put it) the board was "upside down", meaning that the StarBoards for both machines were interchangeable if they were oriented properly. So yes, the expansion slot is the same, so long as the device is properly oriented when it is plugged in. Not being a hardware guru though, I'd seek additional confirmation before trying any potentially mobo-frying experiments that might come to mind.

You're right, the expansion slots of the A1000 and the A500 are exactly the same except that on the A1000 the slot is upside down. But this fact makes a lot of A500 expansions unusable for the A1000, because they just can't be turned upside down.

staticgerbil · 11 April 2003, 14:41

So would my best bet be to get a 500 and mount the motherboard in the 1000's case, turn the ram upside down and pretend its me good old 1000?

Then my 1000 could have 3.1 rom and 1 meg chip ram

Severin · 11 April 2003, 23:43

you could but....

iirc the 500 mobo won't fit, you'd have no keyboard, none of the external connectors will match up to the case, no trapdoor access, floppy drive mounting problems etc, you would have to mount the mobo upside down for the expansion slot leading to massive overheating problems etc...

The A1000 slot isn't just upside down, it's rotated 180°'s so if you plug in an A590 or even worse an A570 the drive will be upside down and the back would be facing you...

Chuckles · 12 April 2003, 01:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Nazgûl
You're right, the expansion slots of the A1000 and the A500 are exactly the same except that on the A1000 the slot is upside down. But this fact makes a lot of A500 expansions unusable for the A1000, because they just can't be turned upside down.

That's very true. MicroBotics was one of the few companies (as I recall) that actually took advantage of this fact. The StarBoard 2 was sold for both the A1000 and the A500, but the company only produced one board. The only difference between the A1000 and A500 versions was the case that they installed the board in.

Quote:

Originally posted by Severin
The A1000 slot isn't just upside down, it's rotated 180°'s ...

Ummm ... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't upside down and rotated 180° the same thing, so long as you pick the proper axis to rotate around?

As for the other points you note, they're right on target.

11 April 2003, 23:43	#19
Severin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gloucester / UK Posts: 700	you could but.... iirc the 500 mobo won't fit, you'd have no keyboard, none of the external connectors will match up to the case, no trapdoor access, floppy drive mounting problems etc, you would have to mount the mobo upside down for the expansion slot leading to massive overheating problems etc... The A1000 slot isn't just upside down, it's rotated 180°'s so if you plug in an A590 or even worse an A570 the drive will be upside down and the back would be facing you... Last edited by Severin; 11 April 2003 at 23:48.

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08 April 2003, 14:16	#2
Echo Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: South-West Wales Posts: 382	Bejesus, that's longer than the Voodoo 5

08 April 2003, 18:32	#4
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	Yes and these cards along with the ones from Supra were the bomb back then, very good cards and at the time pretty darn expensive

09 April 2003, 01:59	#5
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	Damn. Wish it wasn't an ntsc machine Oh well. At least i get those signatures inside the case. That's pretty cool

10 April 2003, 01:38	#7
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	Im using 1.3 I have 1.2 and 1.1 aswell i think. Is it difficult to change the agnus chip? I haven't done any modding to an amiga yet (other than plug that big fat ram chip in)?

10 April 2003, 13:54	#8
Severin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gloucester / UK Posts: 700	no, it's an easy job, just use a couple of very small screwdrivers to lever the chip out of the socket and push the new one in (making sure it's the same way round)...

10 April 2003, 16:02	#9
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	Are these easy to find or do i buy another amiga to rip one out of? Which would kinda be pointless wouldn't it?

10 April 2003, 16:58	#10
Jan Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: here Posts: 140	It's usually easier to get another Amiga than single chips. It doesn't have to be another A1000, a A500 will also do (and is much cheaper, at least in Europe).

10 April 2003, 22:43	#11
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Hmm, but didn't the A-1000 have a special Agnus version ? Not sure, though ?!? Never opened my A-1000s up, yet...

10 April 2003, 23:52	#12
Jan Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: here Posts: 140	I must admit I'm not 100% sure about the Agnus. I once replaced the A1000 Paula with one from the A500 which worked perfectly, but never did that with Agnus. Although I'd think it should work.

11 April 2003, 01:32	#13
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	I wouldn't be wasting that much money to get an a500 so i'll give it a crack when i find one in the area. If i got the model number of the monitor i have would it be possible to tell if it could display pal aswell as ntsc? Thanks for all the help so far

11 April 2003, 03:04	#14
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	I presume the 1000 and 500 paula's the same? Would there be any benefits of swapping this chip over if i get hold of a 500? Does anyone know if that big fat ram chip of mine would work in a 500? I think someone once said that the side expansion slot of the 1000 was the same as the slot on the 500? Hmmm. Can't remember.

11 April 2003, 14:41	#18
staticgerbil Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: a / b Age: 41 Posts: 87	So would my best bet be to get a 500 and mount the motherboard in the 1000's case, turn the ram upside down and pretend its me good old 1000? Then my 1000 could have 3.1 rom and 1 meg chip ram

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