Minimig / Acube systems

cosmiq · 07 February 2008, 10:09

Hi All,

Since Acube is telling the world that they are selling MiniMig's from Feb/2008, I have tried to contact them about 3 times, without any reply.

Is there any of you who bought a minimig from them? And if so, is the service OK? I don't trust them anymore since they are not replying to emails.

Vairn · 07 February 2008, 10:46

you could try going through Vesalia to get it, I have ordered stuff from there before, they may have more luck getting information about it from them.
Since I guess they are selling the Acube ones, since they say it si comming out feb 11th.

http://www.vesalia.de/e_minimig.htm

Laters.

alexh · 07 February 2008, 10:48

£119 for a broken 1.5Mbyte A500 OCS, no thank you.

Vairn · 07 February 2008, 10:54

yeah, the price does seem a bit interesting. I wonder how much it costs just for the parts its made from....

cosmiq · 07 February 2008, 11:01

Damnit! So this is not thrustworthy.
Alexh, did you buy that broken thingy from versalia or acube?
Thanks for the replies.

alexh · 07 February 2008, 11:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vairn

yeah, the price does seem a bit interesting. I wonder how much it costs just for the parts its made from....

We've already had this conversation. Considering the risk they are taking, a 50% margin (100% profit) is acceptable. However at that price they just wont sell very many. They should have done some work to lower the BOM.

@ cosmiq
I was referring to the compatibility.

Anubis · 07 February 2008, 15:09

I would never pay more then 100 US$ for this thing.

For much less you can get c64 with free joystick.

alexh · 07 February 2008, 15:52

The v2 PAL C64 DTV joysticks in the UK were sold discounted at Argos for £4.99 (approx $10)

However it cost about £15 to add an SD slot and fix the colour issues.

cosmiq · 07 February 2008, 16:18

Grmbl...

so even if they sell them, they are not 100% compatible with real A500's ?? Maybe I should wait for that project of individual computers..

Would love to have a C64 DTV with an SD(=1000+ games) though :-D

alexh · 07 February 2008, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmiq

so even if they sell them, they are not 100% compatible with real A500's ??

No, but they can be updated when fixes come out.

They are a fully configurable system. Not only can they be updated with a more compatible A500 core, but also core which reproduce other computers, Spectrum, Amstrad, C64, early Arcade Machines etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmiq

Maybe I should wait for that project of individual computers..

Maybe but no details of what Clone-A will be have been released.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmiq

Would love to have a C64 DTV with an SD(=1000+ games) though :-D

The MiniMig board will almost certainly be able to do that. If ACube create lots of MiniMig users I can see lots of different projects being ported to this board.

Charlie · 07 February 2008, 17:33

Regrettably I suspect all these projects are 'geek-value' only.
(still wonderful projects all the same)

-Build it yourself (more than half the fun) for an 'acceptable' amount of money.
-Buy pre-built for an 'unacceptable' amount of money. (as alexh says: reasonable considering the risks / volumes involved)
-Real A500's can still be bought for peanuts. (though, for how long?)

Personally I'd love to see one of these projects turn into a 'modern' A1200 clone or replacement mobo for the convenience of easy connection to 'modern' standards - maybe with some extras like built-in RTG / additional cores to reproduce other platforms etc...
...such a system would make a HUGE dent in my mound of retro-boxes clogging up the house.

Sadly I don't see there being sufficient sales-volume to support an Amiga DTV let alone what I'd like.

alexh · 07 February 2008, 17:39

Yeah, the main benefits over classic hardware:

1) Form factor (it is damn small).
2) Hard drive & Floppy drive emulation (no more bit-rot floppies).
3) Scandoubler (31KHz VGA out).
4) Multi-purpose (Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum, Amstrad etc. so even more space saving under the telly)

But for the same price you could probably get a reasonable second hand laptop with TV out and run emulators

Bloodwych · 11 February 2008, 13:57

So here is the official site:

http://www.acube-systems.biz/eng/index.php

What I'd like to know is if Dennis (the guy who did all the work on this and then made it GPL) is getting anything from the sale? If so, I don't mind paying that price as I think he deserves a donation linked to every board sold. I think it's also based on code form the UAE emulation projects....

It's a very neat little board - great novelty value for Amiga fans - especially since it has a scan doubler built in for any VGA monitor. That's all it is though, novelty, as WinUAE or other emulators practically do the same thing.

It would be great to take around my friends houses though for some quick multiplayer games of classics. I can also do that with a bootable USB key too however.

alexh · 11 February 2008, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodwych

What I'd like to know is if Dennis (the guy who did all the work on this and then made it GPL) is getting anything from the sale?

Nothing has been announced publicly. Legally Acube don't have to. You have to assume no.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodwych

I think it's also based on code form the UAE emulation projects....

Not true. Dennis van Weeren said that MiniMig is based almost entirely on the information contained within the 3rd Edition of the Amiga Hardware Reference manual. However he admits the manual contains one or two very small gaps (undocumented features) which he filled in with information gleemed from UAE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodwych

especially since it has a scan doubler built in for any VGA monitor.

Again not true (at least with current MiniMig core). The VGA monitors HAVE to sync to 50Hz vertical refresh. That rules out a lot of LCD monitors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodwych

WinUAE or other emulators practically do the same thing.

And better, they have AGA, RTG, CPU accelerators, hard disk support, optical disc (CD32/CDTV) support. More than 1.5Mbytes of RAM etc.

Bloodwych · 11 February 2008, 16:40

Thanks for setting me straight alexh.

I must admit, I did guess he would have mainly used UAE/emulation as I didn't realize the Amiga Hardware Reference manual was that detailed.

amigakit.com · 29 February 2008, 22:53

Minimig is in now in stock and available:

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/...roducts_id=777

webhead · 09 March 2008, 02:00

id like to say nice job amigakit very nice ,box looks cool to and a manual ,wicked its a good price i say the parts dont come to much less do they.

@UAE · 09 March 2008, 07:35

Ordered. 6 days remains to get it . :-)

Charlie · 09 March 2008, 11:17

@amigakit:
That minimig package looks a v. professional job - your own work?

My sincere appreciation for your continued support of things Amiga.

alexh · 09 March 2008, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie

@amigakit:
That minimig package looks a v. professional job - your own work?

Nope, that's how they got them from ACube

I love it how they put "Legal kickstart required"

07 February 2008, 10:09	#1
cosmiq Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Holland Age: 41 Posts: 314	Minimig / Acube systems Hi All, Since Acube is telling the world that they are selling MiniMig's from Feb/2008, I have tried to contact them about 3 times, without any reply. Is there any of you who bought a minimig from them? And if so, is the service OK? I don't trust them anymore since they are not replying to emails.

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07 February 2008, 10:46	#2
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	you could try going through Vesalia to get it, I have ordered stuff from there before, they may have more luck getting information about it from them. Since I guess they are selling the Acube ones, since they say it si comming out feb 11th. http://www.vesalia.de/e_minimig.htm Laters.

07 February 2008, 10:48	#3
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,331	£119 for a broken 1.5Mbyte A500 OCS, no thank you.

07 February 2008, 10:54	#4
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	yeah, the price does seem a bit interesting. I wonder how much it costs just for the parts its made from....

07 February 2008, 11:01	#5
cosmiq Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Holland Age: 41 Posts: 314	Damnit! So this is not thrustworthy. Alexh, did you buy that broken thingy from versalia or acube? Thanks for the replies.

07 February 2008, 15:09	#7
Anubis Retro Gamer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Underworld Age: 51 Posts: 4,058	I would never pay more then 100 US$ for this thing. For much less you can get c64 with free joystick.

07 February 2008, 15:52	#8
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,331	The v2 PAL C64 DTV joysticks in the UK were sold discounted at Argos for £4.99 (approx $10) However it cost about £15 to add an SD slot and fix the colour issues.

07 February 2008, 16:18	#9
cosmiq Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Holland Age: 41 Posts: 314	Grmbl... so even if they sell them, they are not 100% compatible with real A500's ?? Maybe I should wait for that project of individual computers.. Would love to have a C64 DTV with an SD(=1000+ games) though :-D

07 February 2008, 17:33	#11
Charlie . . Mouse . . Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nowhere Age: 55 Posts: 1,792	Regrettably I suspect all these projects are 'geek-value' only. (still wonderful projects all the same) -Build it yourself (more than half the fun) for an 'acceptable' amount of money. -Buy pre-built for an 'unacceptable' amount of money. (as alexh says: reasonable considering the risks / volumes involved) -Real A500's can still be bought for peanuts. (though, for how long?) Personally I'd love to see one of these projects turn into a 'modern' A1200 clone or replacement mobo for the convenience of easy connection to 'modern' standards - maybe with some extras like built-in RTG / additional cores to reproduce other platforms etc... ...such a system would make a HUGE dent in my mound of retro-boxes clogging up the house. Sadly I don't see there being sufficient sales-volume to support an Amiga DTV let alone what I'd like.

07 February 2008, 17:39	#12
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,331	Yeah, the main benefits over classic hardware: 1) Form factor (it is damn small). 2) Hard drive & Floppy drive emulation (no more bit-rot floppies). 3) Scandoubler (31KHz VGA out). 4) Multi-purpose (Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum, Amstrad etc. so even more space saving under the telly) But for the same price you could probably get a reasonable second hand laptop with TV out and run emulators

11 February 2008, 13:57	#13
Bloodwych Moderator Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: I'm behind you! Posts: 3,763	So here is the official site: http://www.acube-systems.biz/eng/index.php What I'd like to know is if Dennis (the guy who did all the work on this and then made it GPL) is getting anything from the sale? If so, I don't mind paying that price as I think he deserves a donation linked to every board sold. I think it's also based on code form the UAE emulation projects.... It's a very neat little board - great novelty value for Amiga fans - especially since it has a scan doubler built in for any VGA monitor. That's all it is though, novelty, as WinUAE or other emulators practically do the same thing. It would be great to take around my friends houses though for some quick multiplayer games of classics. I can also do that with a bootable USB key too however.

11 February 2008, 16:40	#15
Bloodwych Moderator Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: I'm behind you! Posts: 3,763	Thanks for setting me straight alexh. I must admit, I did guess he would have mainly used UAE/emulation as I didn't realize the Amiga Hardware Reference manual was that detailed.

29 February 2008, 22:53	#16
amigakit.com Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: www.amigakit.com Posts: 2,015	Minimig is in now in stock and available: http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/...roducts_id=777

09 March 2008, 02:00	#17
webhead Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: swindon Posts: 148	id like to say nice job amigakit very nice ,box looks cool to and a manual ,wicked its a good price i say the parts dont come to much less do they.

09 March 2008, 07:35	#18
@UAE Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dubai UAE Posts: 158	Ordered. 6 days remains to get it . :-)

09 March 2008, 11:17	#19
Charlie . . Mouse . . Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nowhere Age: 55 Posts: 1,792	@amigakit: That minimig package looks a v. professional job - your own work? My sincere appreciation for your continued support of things Amiga.

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