A500 Mini Hacks / Mods

[danko]

It's possible upgrade amiberry?

[gimbal]

I'm not sure if you want to do that, I'm pretty sure they picked the specific version that is in there to match the hardware.

[danko]

Originally Posted by gimbal

I'm not sure if you want to do that, I'm pretty sure they picked the specific version that is in there to match the hardware.

Do you know what version it is?

[Nerces]

Hi guys. Maybe it has already been answered but I was wondering if it is possible to use workbench with this A500 Mini and can't find the anwser? Thanks.

[wlcina]

Originally Posted by danko

Do you know what version it is?

its amiberry 3.3

[wlcina]

Originally Posted by Nerces

Hi guys. Maybe it has already been answered but I was wondering if it is possible to use workbench with this A500 Mini and can't find the anwser? Thanks.

Possible, but not without tricks.

[amigang]

Originally Posted by Nerces

Hi guys. Maybe it has already been answered but I was wondering if it is possible to use workbench with this A500 Mini and can't find the anwser? Thanks.

Short answer yes,

you could just load up the whdload workbench file, and maybe manual add things, guide on here
http://whdload.de/apps/Workbench31.html

But the better option now is follow the hacks on post1 to get hdf to work and setup a workbench hard drive system on a emulator on a pc, or download the many per-config setup ( https://amigang.com/software-amiga-pre-configs/ ) for a nice setup.

However if you really wanted to go the serious route, I would really recommend a Pi4 / pi400.

[BigD]

@mrv2k

Thank you! That works really well until ADFs are officially supported. Just a few questions:

1) How do you use save states with this raw version of AmiBerry?

2) Can you streamline your steps 8 to 15 by saving the process for the next time you play?

3) Can you specify Blue Button for jump i.e. UP and possibly stretch the resolution to fill the screen in the AmiBerry settings menu?

A great and stable way to play Tiny Bobble!

Answers to my own questions:

1) The Home key is still active so you can use the standard carousel save state system! See point 2: this remembers the settings but you have to relaunch the game and start from the beginning. Therefore, NO I CAN'T GET THIS TO WORK!!!

How do save states work in the AmiBerry Menu System?

2) Yes, by using save state loading and loading from that. The game will remember the settings but opens the AmiBerry Menu so you still have to click START with the attached USB keyboard or you can struggle with the joypad if your keyboard isn't connected and just about get to the button though it's a bit twitchy!

3) Yes, by making sure the original surrogate WHDLoad game has the UP for JUMP set for the 2nd fire button specified or by editing the uae config file.

Awesome solution though not for casual users I guess.

Any ideas how you can use save game states with ADFs using this AmiBerry menu solution?

[BigD]

Originally Posted by mrv2k

It's quite a simple process really. You do need a keyboard attached.

1. Pick a uae config file.
2. Open it in a text editor
3. Add the line use_gui=yes
4. Save it.
5. Copy your adf files to the flash drive.
6. Put the drive back in the mini.
7. Run the game that you edited from the mini.
8. In the Amiberry menu, use the cursor to select Floppy
9. Use the cursor keys and tab to navigate to the box with three dots in it in the top right corner.
10. In the file menu use the two dots to navigate to the root folder with the directory 'mnt' in it.
11. Open the 'mnt' folder, find your adf file and select it. It should appear in the box.
12. Navigate back to the main list and select harddrives.
13. Press the red 'x' next to each drive to delete it.
14. Navigate back to the menu list and go down until the button at the bottom is highlighted.
15. Go right until the start button is highlighted and press enter to start amiberry.

Done!

SOLVED IN REGARDS TO USING THE A500 MINI SAVE STATES WITH ADFs

16. Create a save state of the Main Start Game Screen.
17. Remove the line use_gui=yes from the uae config file.


The ADF game will now work as a standard carousel game (as long as you keep using save states - I'm not sure you can just start the game as it might not remember the settings)! Just don't edit the control settings by pushing Menu after selecting the surrogate lha game or you'll overwrite everything and it'll revert to its original WHDLoad game!!!!

[Grega]

Some really awesome work here guys, thanks heaps for pulling this all together. Couple of questions if i may ;
1. How to get RTG working via Amiberry, have put in the P96 drivers, but it tells me that Village31 as a device doesnt exist.
2. Any thoughts on a network USB dongle to get networking working? We'll be super limited by the driver support of the core A500 Mini OS ; guessing a firmware would need to be created to update it.

Love your work!

[Grega]

OK so i think 1) is covered off here --> http://guide.abime.net/wb3.1/chap5.htm
(I've tested on my RPi4 with DietPi and Amiberry 4.1.5, will test on the A500 mini soon

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by wlcina

its amiberry 3.3

Specifically, it is a modified/custom version:

Amiberry v3.3+Redquark

Which can be found at

https://github.com/retro-games-ltd/redquark-amiberry-rb

Note, that this is just the emulator it uses. The carousel frontend itself seems to be proprietary/closed.

[rsn8887]

Originally Posted by solarmon

Specifically, it is a modified/custom version:

Amiberry v3.3+Redquark

Which can be found at

https://github.com/retro-games-ltd/redquark-amiberry-rb

Note, that this is just the emulator it uses. The carousel frontend itself seems to be proprietary/closed.

Interesting. The latest commit has all the A500Mini-specific changes to Amiberry, including the virtual keyboard. It is all hard-coded.

[Ozasis]

Hi All. Im brand new to this forum thanks to A500 Mini. I love this little device but im starting to see its shortcomings. Hopefully in time things can be further improved. Even if Pi4 can be fitted into case etc. Much easier than me getting my A1200 out as video out is getting flaky.

Im not sure if anyone can help but a game I always loved back in the 90s and now my kids do is Extreme Violence. I searched for ages and found 2 LHAs but they give Amiberry error of no files. Something I can now see happens thanks to this forum. Any ideas on how to get running?

I suspect im a little early and mods will come in time.

[solarmon]

@Ozasis Where did you download the LHA files from? Please link to them exactly.

Please note that not all LHA files are WHDLoad game files. LHA is just an archiving/packaging format.

[Ozasis]

Yeah im learning..albeit slowly

https://hol.abime.net/3831 is where I got from

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by Ozasis

Yeah im learning..albeit slowly

https://hol.abime.net/3831 is where I got from

Yeah, these are normal game files for a hard disk install (hence the 'HD' in the filename). These are not WHDLoad pre-built game LHA packages (as opposed to just WHDLoad install game LHA packages).

[Ozasis]

Is there a way to convert these or make them into a package suitable for the A500 Mini?

[solarmon]

Originally Posted by Ozasis

Is there a way to convert these or make them into a package suitable for the A500 Mini?

Actually, looking at the post again, there is a link to an unofficial WHDLoad version, at:

http://grandis.nu/eabsearch/search.p...xclude=&limit=

Try that and see if it works. You might need to add an entry for it in the whdload-db.xml file.

[Ozasis]

Ohh thanks. Im working out how this all works. I see the following text in that file. So its like there is a record but no file to download on WHDL. But yes I do have that file but no luck as yet. Will keep playing

<game filename="ExtremeViolence-WHDL" sha1="f9187d3795f6de288b610362aadbde78b160a3e4">
<name>Extreme Violence 1 P</name>
<subpath>ExtremeViolence1P</subpath>
<variant_uuid>9c04cb87-ca09-550a-a51d-420119ed4b3d</variant_uuid>
<slave_count>12</slave_count>
<slave_default>GenericKick13.slave</slave_default>
<slave_libraries>False</slave_libraries>
<slave number="1">
<filename>GenericKick13.slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="2">
<filename>GenericKick31.slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="3">
<filename>Workbench13.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="4">
<filename>Workbench31_1.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="5">
<filename>Workbench31_32.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="6">
<filename>Workbench31_4.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="7">
<filename>GenericKick13.slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="8">
<filename>GenericKick31.slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="9">
<filename>Workbench13.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="10">
<filename>Workbench31_1.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="11">
<filename>Workbench31_32.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<slave number="12">
<filename>Workbench31_4.Slave</filename>
<datapath>data</datapath>
</slave>
<hardware>
PRIMARY_CONTROL=JOYSTICK
PORT0=JOY
PORT1=JOY
FAST_COPPER=FALSE
JIT=FALSE
SCREEN_AUTOHEIGHT=TRUE
SCREEN_CENTERH=SMART
SCREEN_CENTERV=SMART
</hardware>