Amiga 2000
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The Curious Case of the ETX Amiga 2000: A Debugging Odyssey
What you see on the bench now is a working ETX-form Amiga 2000—but to understand how we got here, we need to rewind a bit. This strange little tale really begins when I picked up the board from Cathers in Cambridge. The First Setup Fresh back from Cambridge, I wired it up with a ROM switcher—technically meant for an A600. Not the perfect fit, I’ll admit, but it had all the Kickstart images I needed to investigate the problem for myself. That issue? Something was seriously wrong with the display—especially under Kickstart 2.0 or higher. The colors were just… off. Glitching, corruption, odd effects during animation. It was like looking…
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A DIY Journey with a 555 Timer
I want to share my recent journey in reviving my beloved Amiga 2000 using a bit of modern tech and some creative engineering. It’s been quite the adventure. The Power Supply Hack It all began with the power supply. After my Amiga’s original power unit gave up, I decided not to settle for an expensive or hard-to-find replacement. Instead, I went for a modern solution—transplanting an ATX power supply. This not only gave my Amiga a new lease on life but also made it more robust and reliable. Crafting the Tick Generator The next step involved the heart of the Amiga’s timing mechanism—a tick generator. Using a simple 555 timer…
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Reviving the Amiga 2000: A Journey of Restoration and Problem-Solving
I’ve taken on the challenging yet rewarding task of bringing an Amiga 2000 back to life. If you’ve been following along, you know the journey hasn’t been smooth. The last update left the Amiga half-assembled with a problematic CPU slot and an overheating hard drive. As if that wasn’t enough, the power supply decided to give up on me. Upon deeper inspection, it was clear that more work was needed. The power supply was non-functional, leading me to replace a suspect capacitor, though these fixes didn’t solve the problem. Delving deeper, I decided to replace the voltage comparator and the strobe controller—fortunately, these parts were inexpensive. I installed new sockets…
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Venturing into the Future of Vintage Computer Storage
As I sit down to embark on a journey into the future of vintage computer storage, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. Today’s task involves upgrading my system from its traditional spinning rust drive to a more modern solution using Blue SCSI technology. Armed with determination and a bit of DIY spirit, I dive into the process. The assembly seems straightforward, with minimal fuss required. A quick glance at the components and a reassuring nod to the provided sticker, and I’m ready to begin. But first, a shoutout to our sponsors, PCB Way, whose support makes this venture possible. PCBWay My plan involves using turn…
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ZZ9000AX
Join me for my installation journey as I delve into the realm of getting 16-bit audio into my Amiga 2000 and even managing to play MP3s from a ZIP disk. The star of the show? The MNT ZZ9000AX, an audio expansion that promises to elevate my Amiga experience. First things first, unpacking the MNT ZZ 9000 AX reveals a meticulously packaged product including the card itself, a stainless steel slot bracket, and all necessary cables. MNT never fails to impress with their attention to detail. Installation begins with the removal of the ZZ9000 from my Amiga 2000 case, its change in location from original installation, prompted by concerns about heat…
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Amiga 2000 ZZ9000
Join me on an exciting journey as I attempt to upgrade my Amiga 2000 with the stunning ZZ 9000 card. My goal was to enhance its capabilities, but as with any project, things didn’t go entirely as planned. The ZZ 9000 card promised to bring modern features to my classic Amiga, including RTG graphics, Ethernet networking, and USB drive mounting. However, I quickly ran into a snag—the card didn’t fit properly in my system, and initially, it didn’t work at all. After troubleshooting, I managed to get the ZZ 9000 up and running. But the fitting issue persisted, requiring me to strip down the entire case to address it properly.…
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Amiga 2000 2MB Chip RAM
I’ve been on quite the journey with my Amiga 2000 lately, and let me tell you, it’s been a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs. From the moment I got it, slightly dusty and with a few signs of wear, I knew this project was going to be something special. In my last video, I shared the hurdles I faced in getting the Amiga up and running smoothly. Despite some setbacks, including major surgery to install the upgrades I had in mind, I was determined to see this through. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7D9_lpqDj4 The first hurdle was installing AmigaOS 3.2 from CD-ROM. While the setup seemed straightforward, it took some troubleshooting to ensure everything…
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Restoration of a Generous Gift
Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to dive into the restoration of a classic Amiga 2000, all thanks to the exceptionally generous donation from Chris Scott. This vintage computing gem came complete with an Amiga 2000 motherboard, a Zorro 2 accelerator card, and additional Zorro 2 cards, setting the stage for a unique and exciting restoration project. Upon receiving Chris’s generous donation, I eagerly delved into the Amiga 2000, examining its components and potential. The machine boasted an MFM hard drive, an A2090A SCSI controller, and a somewhat battered Zorro 2 slot. Further inspection unveiled a hidden gem—a 68030 accelerator card running at an impressive 40 MHz, sparking my interest…
