
and the one it had must be at least 15 years old so I was scared it was going to stop working at some point.
*I say "need", well it doesn't if you just want to play games from a floppy disk I suppose. Chances of any floppy disks still working these days are getting slimmer, also the floppy drive is definitely on its way out.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:33,
archived)
*I say "need", well it doesn't if you just want to play games from a floppy disk I suppose. Chances of any floppy disks still working these days are getting slimmer, also the floppy drive is definitely on its way out.

That sounds more sinister than it is.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:39,
archived)

Wouldnt it be cheaper to just buy one of those floppy SD card jobbies?
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:37,
archived)

but no they're not cheaper. And not a substitute for a hard drive.
That one there was about £55 from Amazon. You can get cheaper than that though, you can get CF card interfaces with a 4Gb CF card for about £25. The Floppy drive emulator is £69. Generic PC ones are no good because it's a different interface.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:42,
archived)
That one there was about £55 from Amazon. You can get cheaper than that though, you can get CF card interfaces with a 4Gb CF card for about £25. The Floppy drive emulator is £69. Generic PC ones are no good because it's a different interface.

I had no idea SSDs had got so cheap...
I wouldnt mind one just for windows to live on.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:46,
archived)
I wouldnt mind one just for windows to live on.

which is more than I'll ever need. You can spend a lot on one for a PC, the price goes up exponentially with size. But you can get 128Gb for under £100 these days.
A 44 pin IDE one is obviously a bit more specialist, but it's industrial grade and SLC so it ought to last.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:49,
archived)
A 44 pin IDE one is obviously a bit more specialist, but it's industrial grade and SLC so it ought to last.

I don't think I'll be able to do the same with it
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Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:12,
archived)


The spring on my tape deck died a long time ago but I think that's basically fine. It's the video output is shafted. I actually have a +2 up there too where I think the tape deck's fucked but the video output is fine. Maybe I should take the two apart and play around with them when I'm staying with my parents over Christmas.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:49,
archived)

No, really. Common failing on the Amstrad drives is the drive belt perishing. Used to be able to get replacement ones on fleabay, if you're interested in fixing it.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 19:14,
archived)

I remember reading something about that...
Ahh primitive 80's elastic band technology.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 20:02,
archived)
Ahh primitive 80's elastic band technology.

instead of getting a rabbit, deciding you don't like it the way it is, pulling its guts out and replacing them and several of its limbs with those of a greyhound in order to make it run faster.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:23,
archived)

as I always have the loading on realtime.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:21,
archived)

and I actually prefer my Amiga to my PC. I'd emulate my PC on my Amiga rather than the other way round, if that were possible.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:28,
archived)

is actually made by an ST enthusiast, so yes it definitely works for that.
I don't know what STs have hard-drive wise but there's a lot going on in the ST scene these days I believe.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:19,
archived)
I don't know what STs have hard-drive wise but there's a lot going on in the ST scene these days I believe.

I assumed you'd replaced the floppy with an SSD, but maybe not.
The ST has some weird non-standard stuff going on with external floppies or hard drives. I don't know which would make more sense to hack, but I'd rather leave the floppy drive itself alone. I gather things can be done with the cartridge port, but I think you still need a boot disk to enable whatever it is it can do.
I already use a CF adaptor for my Speccies.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:56,
archived)
The ST has some weird non-standard stuff going on with external floppies or hard drives. I don't know which would make more sense to hack, but I'd rather leave the floppy drive itself alone. I gather things can be done with the cartridge port, but I think you still need a boot disk to enable whatever it is it can do.
I already use a CF adaptor for my Speccies.

to take standard 44-pin IDE laptop hard disks. This flash module is designed as a drop-in replacement for exactly that kind of hard disk, so it's quite easy. Although I did have to file a little bit off the edge of the RF modulator for it to physically fit.
The older Amiga 500s had external hard drives, I have no idea what was inside of them.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 17:05,
archived)
The older Amiga 500s had external hard drives, I have no idea what was inside of them.

give that keyboard a clean, Moon Girl.
You're letting b3ta down, but mostly you're letting yourself down.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:49,
archived)
You're letting b3ta down, but mostly you're letting yourself down.

( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:52,
archived)

amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=883
I had no boot disks or install disks, but I have a network card so I backed my old HDD up onto my PC and made a new boot disk with AmiTCP, FTP and HDTools on. If you don't have any of these things it will be rather difficult.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 15:56,
archived)
I had no boot disks or install disks, but I have a network card so I backed my old HDD up onto my PC and made a new boot disk with AmiTCP, FTP and HDTools on. If you don't have any of these things it will be rather difficult.

Ever tried fitting a USB port?
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:01,
archived)

I really need to get a USB mouse adapter though, this old ball mouse is beginning to get a pain in the arse.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:03,
archived)

USB would only be for mice and removable flash drives really ... gone are the days when I'm prepared to sit down with 100 blank floppies to back up my internal :(
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:13,
archived)

otherwise, amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=88
I have seen USB mouse adapters for sale as well, but they only work with mice, not with other devices, and then only if the mouse is secretly a PS/2 mouse inside (you know the ones that come with the little green USB to PS/2 adapter when you buy them).
Spacefish actually made me a PS/2 to Amiga mouse adapter, it's a simple enough circuit with a PIC but it stopped working.
( ,
Tue 11 Dec 2012, 16:23,
archived)
I have seen USB mouse adapters for sale as well, but they only work with mice, not with other devices, and then only if the mouse is secretly a PS/2 mouse inside (you know the ones that come with the little green USB to PS/2 adapter when you buy them).
Spacefish actually made me a PS/2 to Amiga mouse adapter, it's a simple enough circuit with a PIC but it stopped working.