A500 RAM expansion question!

PowerPie5000 · 17 July 2009, 22:26

It's really happening round here lately! First my favourite 486 blows up and now my GVP HD8+ has failed on my A500! The hard drive and RAM expansion are not being detected but there is still power going through it.

My main question is: Are there any trapdoor RAM expansions larger than 512K for a standard A500? (not A500+) Or can the A500 only be upgraded to 1mb max? (apart from using the side slot).

Cheers

alexh · 17 July 2009, 22:33

No. It is not possible as there are not enough address lines going to the trap door connector. 512Kbytes on top of what is on the motherboard is the maximum possible.

There were some extremely rare trapdoor expansions which were more than 512 Kbyte but they had extra connectors to either the Gary or the 68000 to get the extra address lines. While they exist, you may as well assume they do not as you'll never find one.

Your best hope is that the creator of the IDE68k finishes his next design soon. An internal IDE interface + 8Mbytes RAM which connects to the 68000 socket.

Or save some money and sell your A500 & HD8+ (even in the condition they are in) and use the money to buy an A1200.

PowerPie5000 · 17 July 2009, 22:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

No. It is not possible as there are not enough address lines going to the trap door connector.

There were some extremely rare trapdoor expansions which were more than 512 Kbyte but they had extra connectors to either the Gary or the 68000 to get the extra address lines. While they exist, you may as well assume they do not as you'll never find one.

Yes i can imagine they would be very hard to find!

Oh well i guess i should try and fix my HD8+ by trying a different hard drive and changing the simms... but it could be something else wrong, oh well!

I guess it is difficult to find a memory expansion for the side port too?

I already own a nice A1200 but would still like more memory in my A500

PowerPie5000 · 17 July 2009, 22:52

Are there actually many (or any) A500/A600 games that would benefit from having more than 1mb RAM? I only keep my A500 as i still have a large collection of original floppy games and a few do not work on my A1200 (even with relokick).

If it is not worth upgrading the A500 RAM then i will not bother as it sounds like it will be too much hassle if it does not benefit from it. I will have a fiddle with the HD8+... at least my pristine A500 did not die

quantum112 · 17 July 2009, 22:54

This probably won't be very meaningful, but I've experienced (both in UAE and on my real A500) that certain games (at least those that I tested) load 10-15 seconds slower with the 512K expansion than without it. Not sure why this is.

PowerPie5000 · 17 July 2009, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by quantum112

This probably won't be very meaningful, but I've experienced (both in UAE and on my real A500) that certain games (at least those that I tested) load 10-15 seconds slower with the 512K expansion than without it. Not sure why this is.

I am guessing that is only for games that require 512k? To be honest I have never noticed but i have not used my A500 much since my HD8+ died and i cannot remember what it was like with just 512k or 1mb.... been a while but i have to get used to it now

Edit: Settlers benefits from having more than 1mb.... but that also runs on my A1200

alexh · 17 July 2009, 23:32

Relokick?? Join the 21st century!! If you have an A1200 just get a hard drive (and a compact flash card) and use http://www.whdload.de then put the disks and the A500 in the attic.

With an internal hard drive and a PCMCIA CF card adapter you've got a brilliant solution, you can transfer game images so fast from your PC (using a USB2.0 CF card reader) you'd be amazed.

And it is so easy to find WHDload backup versions of your favourite original disks

http://www.whdownload.com/
http://kg.whdownload.com/kgwhd/

PowerPie5000 · 17 July 2009, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

Relokick?? Join the 21st century!! If you have an A1200 just get a hard drive (and a compact flash card) and use http://www.whdload.de then put the disks and the A500 in the attic.

With an internal hard drive and a PCMCIA CF card adapter you've got a brilliant solution, you can transfer game images so fast from your PC (using a USB2.0 CF card reader) you'd be amazed.

And it is so easy to find WHDload backup versions of your favourite original disks

http://www.whdownload.com/
http://kg.whdownload.com/kgwhd/

I am a bit lazy

My A1200 has got a hard drive but i only use my real Miggys for playing the many games i own on floppy and the ones already installed! I use my PC for anything else (Winuae). I could get a CF card and reader with WHDload etc... but i am not sure if my expansion board is PCMCIA friendly? I think it will limit my memory down to 4mb if i use the PCMCIA port.

I have been meaning to look into it for a while...

PowerPie5000 · 18 July 2009, 00:01

Ok i had a quick look at the "EasyADF PCMCIA Compact Flash Transfer Kit" on Amigakit.com and it sounds nice and easy to use..... Would it work with WB 3.0 and KS 3.0 roms?

Also would it be a good idea using an internal CF card instead of a hard drive? The only thing that worries me with CF cards is the writing side of it... some people say they are not good for writing, just good for lots of reading?

Secret Vampire · 18 July 2009, 00:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

No. It is not possible as there are not enough address lines going to the trap door connector. 512Kbytes on top of what is on the motherboard is the maximum possible.

There were some extremely rare trapdoor expansions which were more than 512 Kbyte but they had extra connectors to either the Gary or the 68000 to get the extra address lines. While they exist, you may as well assume they do not as you'll never find one.

They're not all that uncommon, I've got a Zydec 1MB one with passthrough for a 512k card, that has an adaptor for the Gary chip, and I've seen others on ebay fairly recently.

Also have a Spirit insider which connects to the 68000 socket leaving your trapdoor free, IIRC it can autoconfigure in the trapdoor/slow space or be mapped into the fast RAM space with software. Unfortunately they do seem to be a bit on the rare side.

alexh · 18 July 2009, 00:58

Putting one inside will make the computer much lighter and noiseless. Those are the only real benefits.

Yes you will have to limit a RAM expansion to 4Mbytes to use a PCMCIA->CF adapter.

If you could provide access to the internal CF card (say glue the internal CF adapter on top of the PCMCIA slot and then widen the PCMCIA slot in the case) then you could keep your 8Mbytes.

alexh · 18 July 2009, 01:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Secret Vampire

They're not all that uncommon I've seen others on ebay fairly recently.

What are the auction numbers?

I've got a whole plethora of ebay watch lists including these cards and never seen one in the last six months.

PowerPie5000 · 18 July 2009, 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

If you could provide access to the internal CF card (say glue the internal CF adapter on top of the PCMCIA slot and then widen the PCMCIA slot in the case) then you could keep your 8Mbytes.

My A1200 is one of the few that has not gone yellow... and is an original commodore model so i don't really want to hack the case to bits

I suppose the PCMCIA CF adapter will only be used when transferring data so i can have my full amount of RAM when playing games and running apps etc...(when the CF card is not needed) so basically my ram will only be limited when transferring data, which is no problem

Also is it safe to insert/remove a CF card from the PCMCIA slot when the power is on? I know it's fine with laptops but i have never tried it in all the years i have owned a miggy

prowler · 18 July 2009, 01:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerPie5000

Also is it safe to insert/remove a CF card from the PCMCIA slot when the power is on? I know it's fine with laptops but i have never tried it in all the years i have owned a miggy

Yes, they are hot-swappable.

But always take great care when inserting/removing CF cards to avoid damaging the delicate PCMCIA port adapter pins with repeated swaps.

Secret Vampire · 18 July 2009, 02:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

What are the auction numbers?

I've got a whole plethora of ebay watch lists including these cards and never seen one in the last six months.

260435732140 though it's missing the actual chips, a handful of sacrificial 512k cards or old PC Graphics cards would sort that out.
I'm sure there were others, but ebay's completed items search only goes back a week or so.

PowerPie5000 · 18 July 2009, 02:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Secret Vampire

260435732140 though it's missing the actual chips, a handful of sacrificial 512k cards or old PC Graphics cards would sort that out.
I'm sure there were others, but ebay's completed items search only goes back a week or so.

Wow! that only sold for £12

dammit!

alexh · 18 July 2009, 09:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Secret Vampire

260435732140

330340147734 (Although I don't see the adapter so that was probably just the box?)

Damn, need to add the word "board" to my list of keywords

PowerPie5000 · 18 July 2009, 09:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

330340147734 (Although I don't see the adapter so that was probably just the box?)

Damn, need to add the word "board" to my list of keywords

It is this one that sold for £12: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

I also don't see the chip adapter with the one you mentioned? and i don't like those old batteries either

alexh · 18 July 2009, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerPie5000

It is this one that sold for £12: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

??? I know...

(you can see I "filled in" the link in the quote part of my post...)

PowerPie5000 · 18 July 2009, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

??? I know...

(you can see I "filled in" the link in the quote part of my post...)

Yes i know that now... it's early and i am still tired

17 July 2009, 22:26	#1
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	A500 RAM expansion question! It's really happening round here lately! First my favourite 486 blows up and now my GVP HD8+ has failed on my A500! The hard drive and RAM expansion are not being detected but there is still power going through it. My main question is: Are there any trapdoor RAM expansions larger than 512K for a standard A500? (not A500+) Or can the A500 only be upgraded to 1mb max? (apart from using the side slot). Cheers

17 July 2009, 22:33	#2
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,332	No. It is not possible as there are not enough address lines going to the trap door connector. 512Kbytes on top of what is on the motherboard is the maximum possible. There were some extremely rare trapdoor expansions which were more than 512 Kbyte but they had extra connectors to either the Gary or the 68000 to get the extra address lines. While they exist, you may as well assume they do not as you'll never find one. Your best hope is that the creator of the IDE68k finishes his next design soon. An internal IDE interface + 8Mbytes RAM which connects to the 68000 socket. Or save some money and sell your A500 & HD8+ (even in the condition they are in) and use the money to buy an A1200. Last edited by alexh; 17 July 2009 at 22:38.

17 July 2009, 23:32	#7
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,332	Relokick?? Join the 21st century!! If you have an A1200 just get a hard drive (and a compact flash card) and use http://www.whdload.de then put the disks and the A500 in the attic. With an internal hard drive and a PCMCIA CF card adapter you've got a brilliant solution, you can transfer game images so fast from your PC (using a USB2.0 CF card reader) you'd be amazed. And it is so easy to find WHDload backup versions of your favourite original disks http://www.whdownload.com/ http://kg.whdownload.com/kgwhd/ Last edited by alexh; 17 July 2009 at 23:37.

18 July 2009, 00:01	#9
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	Ok i had a quick look at the "EasyADF PCMCIA Compact Flash Transfer Kit" on Amigakit.com and it sounds nice and easy to use..... Would it work with WB 3.0 and KS 3.0 roms? Also would it be a good idea using an internal CF card instead of a hard drive? The only thing that worries me with CF cards is the writing side of it... some people say they are not good for writing, just good for lots of reading? Last edited by PowerPie5000; 18 July 2009 at 00:08.

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17 July 2009, 22:52	#4
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	Are there actually many (or any) A500/A600 games that would benefit from having more than 1mb RAM? I only keep my A500 as i still have a large collection of original floppy games and a few do not work on my A1200 (even with relokick). If it is not worth upgrading the A500 RAM then i will not bother as it sounds like it will be too much hassle if it does not benefit from it. I will have a fiddle with the HD8+... at least my pristine A500 did not die

17 July 2009, 22:54	#5
quantum112 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Croatia Posts: 121	This probably won't be very meaningful, but I've experienced (both in UAE and on my real A500) that certain games (at least those that I tested) load 10-15 seconds slower with the 512K expansion than without it. Not sure why this is.

18 July 2009, 00:58	#11
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,332	Putting one inside will make the computer much lighter and noiseless. Those are the only real benefits. Yes you will have to limit a RAM expansion to 4Mbytes to use a PCMCIA->CF adapter. If you could provide access to the internal CF card (say glue the internal CF adapter on top of the PCMCIA slot and then widen the PCMCIA slot in the case) then you could keep your 8Mbytes.

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