ScuzzBlog: Diaries May 2017
Entry 15th May 2017: Post: 2
There is an Amiga god
Hi
I've been struggling all afternoon trying to get one of these GVP
sidecars working but with no joy. One of the problems is that I just
cannot release the screws from the bottom of the unit as someone has
drilled out the centres. They are not the star type... I've tried
everything. The faulty unit appears to have suffered some abuse in a
previous life as the end slot connectors are mangled and one is broken
off. There is no real way for me to swap out the unit without getting
the board off. I was simply going to try the hd in another unit but
can't get it out.
Anyway, while working on the 500 my eyes were again drawn to my Amiga
500 that thinks its a 1200. The one that is fitted with the Viper 520 CD
board. The trouble is the machine runs fine but the hard drive doesn't
work and the board wont work with the traditional Amiga sidecars.
I wasn't getting anywhere with the GVP so I slid out the 500 tatty box
and plugged her in. Whoo err !!. And sadly there was the fast repetitive
click of the small 2.5" and then the floppy boot screen. I tried again
and again and again but no luck. I then decided to even turn the machine
over on its back. That didn't work either.
This A500 has the 3.0 ROM and runs OS3. I am amazed at the speed of the
card its a 68EC020 33MHz. 32 it OS 3.0 ROM ver 39.106. The card has 8 mb
of RAM. The card has an integrated 4 units IDE adaptor giving 1 x 2.5",
2 x 3.5" ...up to 4. ATAPI software is available. SysInfo gives me a
Cowabunga or what ever and the 500 is second only to the 4000 from the
list outgunning the 3000. The 500 thinks its more than a 1200. Sad really.
No comfort as I sit there listening to the tiny hard drive endlessly
clicking over and over and over .. AND THEN.. it stopped and there was a
welcome reset noise on the drive. I rebooted but from floppy still and
there magically on the screen was an 80mb Workbench and 81 mb util
volume. My heart was in my mouth and I rebooted without the floppy ...
SHE's ALIVE. The drive worked fine booted straight into the 3.0 OS. MY
GOODNESS there is an Amiga god.
Am I happy .. You bet I am. I have a Viper 520 working on the A500 and
I'm in heaven.
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/car_0608/car08401.jpg
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/car_0608/car08402.jpg
Bet you don't see one of those very often. Classic.
scuzz
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