ACA500+ Questions

[polomint]

Hi,

I intend to purchase an ACA500+ in a couple of weeks (and maybe the X-Surf-500) and have a few questions regarding it.

1. CF Cards : Are there any recommendations with regards the best place to buy these from so that I do not have any compatibility issues?
   
2. CFCard sizes : Is it worth getting maybe a 32GB (for the system) and a 4GB (for transferring files)
   
3. CF to SDCard adaptors : Do they work without issues on the ACA500+? I have many 16/32/64GB microSD cards that could come in handy if so
   
4. ACA500+ : How many Kickstarts can be flashed on to it? I'd like to have the choice of 1.3/2.04?5/3.1.4
   
5. ACA500+ : Can I increase the RAM? I expect that I would have to bolt on a compatible A1200 accelerator to do this?

Thank you for any advice

[manossg]

Hello, mate,

ACA500+ is a fantastic buy and I promise you will enjoy it a lot.

About your questions:
1. I got my CF cards (I think both are Sandisk) from a photograph shop and the other from an e-shop. They both work great and I had no problem at all setting up the OS and transferring files.
2. Depends on what you want to store. My CF cards are 4 and 2 GB and they can comfortably hold everything I want and more, with lots of space to spare. But I am a cherry picker on software. If you want the entire WHDLoad/Demo/App library, you should need a bigger CF, but I guess no more than 16 GB (don't quote me on that).

Cheers!

[polomint]

Originally Posted by manossg

Hello, mate,

ACA500+ is a fantastic buy and I promise you will enjoy it a lot.

About your questions:
1. I got my CF cards (I think both are Sandisk) from a photograph shop and the other from an e-shop. They both work great and I had no problem at all setting up the OS and transferring files.
2. Depends on what you want to store. My CF cards are 4 and 2 GB and they can comfortably hold everything I want and more, with lots of space to spare. But I am a cherry picker on software. If you want the entire WHDLoad/Demo/App library, you should need a bigger CF, but I guess no more than 16 GB (don't quote me on that).

Cheers!

Hi manossg,

1. Yeah, I think I will stick to SanDisk, there are a few on Amazon and some on eBay also. Might also take a look at some of the Amiga sites (retropassion/amigakit).
2. I was leaning towards a 16GB and a 4GB, sounds about right.

Thank you for your input

[d4rk3lf]

1) I use Sandisk also, no problems so far (1.5 year use)
2) Hmm.. isn't more logical to have 4GB for the system, and 32Gb for other stuff (so you don't need to transfer all the time?
3) Not tried SD Card so far. However My CF to USB adaptor (to connect to PC for transfer) works flawlessly
4) Not sure about flashing the kickstart directly on card, but I think I saw on youtube (or someone mentioning) instaling Workbench 1.3 on Aca 500+. Actually, I think 1.3 kickstart is already on the card.
5) The only way I know is, like you said, attaching another Aca card to it.

Cheers.

[polomint]

Originally Posted by d4rk3lf

1) I use Sandisk also, no problems so far (1.5 year use)
2) Hmm.. isn't more logical to have 4GB for the system, and 32Gb for other stuff (so you don't need to transfer all the time?
3) Not tried SD Card so far. However My CF to USB adaptor (to connect to PC for transfer) works flawlessly
4) Not sure about flashing the kickstart directly on card, but I think I saw on youtube (or someone mentioning) instaling Workbench 1.3 on Aca 500+. Actually, I think 1.3 kickstart is already on the card.
5) The only way I know is, like you said, attaching another Aca card to it.

Cheers.

1. SanDisk it is then.
2. Yes, thank you, I meant the other way around (4GB for system)
3. I may also get a CF to SD adaptor to test it. Just for the hell of it heh
4. That rings a bell, I'll have a nose on YT (might have been 10MARC)
5. Yep, I thought that may be the case, I will have to save up a little more lol

[Jope]

4. From Jens' wiki: Slots 1-8 are capable of keeping a 256k ROM (for example, 1.x ROMs). Every odd slot number (1, 3, 5, 7) can keep a 512k ROM (2.x, 3.x), and slots 1 and 5 can store a 1024k ROM (e.g. AROS 68k). User ROMs can be activated in the expert menu (see below, F10). For installing a user ROM, the aca.resource must be enabled, which gives access to a resident shell command, acaflashrom.

So plenty of room in various combinations.

The device ships with 1.2, 1.3, 3.1 already present.

[polomint]

Originally Posted by Jope

4. From Jens' wiki: Slots 1-8 are capable of keeping a 256k ROM (for example, 1.x ROMs). Every odd slot number (1, 3, 5, 7) can keep a 512k ROM (2.x, 3.x), and slots 1 and 5 can store a 1024k ROM (e.g. AROS 68k). User ROMs can be activated in the expert menu (see below, F10). For installing a user ROM, the aca.resource must be enabled, which gives access to a resident shell command, acaflashrom.

So plenty of room in various combinations.

The device ships with 1.2, 1.3, 3.1 already present.

Excellent! Thank you

[RetroPassionUK]

Originally Posted by Jope

4. From Jens' wiki: Slots 1-8 are capable of keeping a 256k ROM (for example, 1.x ROMs). Every odd slot number (1, 3, 5, 7) can keep a 512k ROM (2.x, 3.x), and slots 1 and 5 can store a 1024k ROM (e.g. AROS 68k). User ROMs can be activated in the expert menu (see below, F10). For installing a user ROM, the aca.resource must be enabled, which gives access to a resident shell command, acaflashrom.

So plenty of room in various combinations.

The device ships with 1.2, 1.3, 3.1 already present.

this may also help :-)

https://www.retropassion.co.uk/mappi...n-aca500-plus/

[Jope]

No explanation why slot 3. This is why I don't do tutorials. Everything needs to be explained -> in the end it's better to read all the manuals. ;-)

[polomint]

Originally Posted by AmigaPassion

this may also help :-)

https://www.retropassion.co.uk/mappi...n-aca500-plus/

Thank you

[polomint]

Originally Posted by Jope

No explanation why slot 3. This is why I don't do tutorials. Everything needs to be explained -> in the end it's better to read all the manuals. ;-)

Manuals?? Manuals!?!?!?! I don't read manuals

Although, maybe this time I should lol

[Jope]

Unfortunately in this case the manual is a wiki page that expects prior knowledge. So in the end tutorials around the net + the wiki page will be your manual in the beginning.. Then once you Know Stuff, the wiki page is enough. :-)

[polomint]

Originally Posted by Jope

Unfortunately in this case the manual is a wiki page that expects prior knowledge. So in the end tutorials around the net + the wiki page will be your manual in the beginning.. Then once you Know Stuff, the wiki page is enough. :-)

Well, that should give me something fun to do over the Christmas period Although I expect I will probably end up playing games from WHDLoad instead

[Lord Aga]

Originally Posted by Jope

Unfortunately in this case the manual is a wiki page that expects prior knowledge. So in the end tutorials around the net + the wiki page will be your manual in the beginning.. Then once you Know Stuff, the wiki page is enough. :-)

That seems to be the German way of doing things

When you pick up a beginner level book of "Learn ze German language" it expects of you to already know about a half of things that are inside

[E-Penguin]

Originally Posted by polomint

[*]ACA500+ : Can I increase the RAM? I expect that I would have to bolt on a compatible A1200 accelerator to do this?

Yes, you'd need an accelerator, and one that does 32 bit RAM at that. The ACA500+ puts something like 6MB in the Zorro2 space (out of a possible 8 max) so you'd need an accelerator which can use the Z3 space. Any ACA1233n card ought to do it. I have an original ACA1221 which also worked (it's a full 020); I don't know if the 020ec version would work.

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

That seems to be the German way of doing things

Certainly true of all German bureaucracy I've encountered. "What, you don't have the form we didn't tell you about and isn't mentioned on any website? Get out of my office!"

[dreadnought]

I'm using 2xCF adapter with my SD cards. They work fine, and are much cheaper, but wasn't there something about 4GB limit (perhaps it was ACA, not adapter related)? Can't remember now.

[polomint]

I think it is considered advisable to have the System partition to be only 4GB, once WB is booted then the second partition of more than 4GB is fine. I think

[rjd324]

Hello,

so if you use the ACA500+ you can install the 3.1.4 ROMs on the ACA 500+ and not need to install the physical ROM chip?

If you have the ACA 500+ do you always have an MPU and will it take precedent over any MPU on an accelerator card? Are there implicit libraries loaded by the ACA 500+ such as its own mpu library? I ask because I have conflicts when I try to install the MuLibs and I need to fall back to P5's latest 68060 library for things to work.

Sorry for hijacking.

[polomint]

Originally Posted by rjd324

Hello,

so if you use the ACA500+ you can install the 3.1.4 ROMs on the ACA 500+ and not need to install the physical ROM chip?

If you have the ACA 500+ do you always have an MPU and will it take precedent over any MPU on an accelerator card? Are there implicit libraries loaded by the ACA 500+ such as its own mpu library? I ask because I have conflicts when I try to install the MuLibs and I need to fall back to P5's latest 68060 library for things to work.

Sorry for hijacking.

Hijack away, it's all good information

[Pixelfill]

Originally Posted by rjd324

Hello,

so if you use the ACA500+ you can install the 3.1.4 ROMs on the ACA 500+ and not need to install the physical ROM chip?

This is indeed possible, there are additional CLI commands made available from the ACA500+ which allows you to upload custom ROM images to the ACA500+ and these can be any of the official ROMS, you just need to make sure you pick the correct slot depending on the size of the ROM image. see above.
Edit: once uploaded these custom ROMs are available at each boot until the ROM slot is overwritten or erased.

Originally Posted by rjd324

If you have the ACA 500+ do you always have an MPU and will it take precedent over any MPU on an accelerator card? Are there implicit libraries loaded by the ACA 500+ such as its own mpu library? I ask because I have conflicts when I try to install the MuLibs and I need to fall back to P5's latest 68060 library for things to work.

Sorry for hijacking.

I believe you can disable the additional libraries from the advanced boot options, and I believe you can select to use either the native CPU, the onboard ACA+ CPU or an accelerator CPU. I can't load up mine at the moment to confirm, but I'm 80% sure of this.