The Insane Journey Of Going Again In Time ” Get Boinged ” Begins Proper Right here…
Let’s rewind the clock a bit.
Practically ten years in the past, I had the good concept of promoting my big-box Amiga 1200.
This wasn’t simply any Amiga, both. It was loaded with nearly each improve you would consider: a Prelude sound card, a Mediator SX, a kind of fancy Elbox IDE splitters, and loads of different {hardware} that I’ve most likely forgotten by now.
On the time, it appeared like a wise resolution.
After all, as anybody within the retro computing scene is aware of, promoting your dream setup normally appears like a fantastic concept proper up till the second you realise you continue to want it.
A few years later, I discovered myself diving again into Amiga growth and beta testing with renewed enthusiasm. All of a sudden, I wasn’t focusing solely on CD32 initiatives anymore. Cross-platform growth was changing into an even bigger a part of what I used to be doing, and as soon as once more, I wanted entry to a correctly outfitted Amiga system.
That’s when the remorse began to kick in.
The machine I had spent years constructing, upgrading, and perfecting was gone.
And, as is usually the case with Amiga {hardware}, shopping for all these elements again once more wasn’t going to be low-cost.
The Insane Journey Begins…
A buddy of mine, Roar, got here to the rescue.
We’ve this unusual behavior of giving one another stuff each time we meet up. At one level, he turned up with the Amiga 1200 you see within the photos. Properly, kind of.
It was a base machine with a defective keyboard and some quirks right here and there, however in any other case it was in glorious situation. The motherboard had already been recapped, the case was in nice form, and general, it was a really clear machine.
From that day on, I thought of it mine 🤣.
Roar knew that we have been having reliability points whereas beta testing software program on the CD32 alone, particularly when it got here to testing throughout completely different CPU configurations and accelerator setups. That was one of many most important causes he determined to provide it to me.
Naturally, I didn’t depart it inventory for very lengthy.
I bought a Horrible Fireplace 68060 accelerator immediately from AlenPPC—the identical man I had purchased a number of different TF boards from through the years. Then I took issues a step additional and went looking for an acceptable 68060 processor.
As anybody who has seemed for one lately will know, that’s simpler mentioned than performed.
After a good bit of looking, I ultimately managed to trace one down: a Motorola 68060 Rev. 4 LC.
The journey again into Amiga insanity had formally begun.
TERRIBLE FIRE 060…
It didn’t take lengthy earlier than I realised simply how unsuitable this CPU was for sport growth and testing.
Positive, it was quick for its time, however it wasn’t the sort of setup I needed if I used to be critical about revisiting previous initiatives or experimenting with new ones.
At that time, I kind of deserted my journey again in time with the A1200. This was someday round 2022, and the machine ended up being pushed apart as soon as once more whereas I targeted on different issues.
Quick ahead to a couple weeks in the past.
Whereas performing some spring cleansing a few years or so in the past, have been I used to be getting ready our small storage room to develop into a playroom for our youngest son, I stumbled throughout one thing I had utterly forgotten about.
Hidden away inside a bigger field was my previous Blizzard 1260/66 with a 240MHz 603e PPC processor.
The board was sitting there, rigorously wrapped up inside a taped cardboard field that I had acquired from a buddy of mine, Mario. He had borrowed the accelerator for a number of years (virtually 10?) whereas testing compatibility with AmigaOS 4 and varied PPC-related initiatives.
In some unspecified time in the future, he returned it to me.
At another level, I put it away for safekeeping.
After which, apparently, I utterly forgot it existed.
Discovering it once more felt like uncovering buried treasure.
Deep Down In The Underground Ranges…
Yeah, I do know. How is that even potential?
Properly, to place it gently, we discovered lots of issues in there that each my girlfriend and I had utterly forgotten about. There was loads of Amiga and console-related stuff too, all packed away whereas we have been constructing our new home.
So, what occurred subsequent?
I discovered a backup from 2004 and instantly thought, “Yep, it will do the trick.”
It didn’t.
By that time, I had already closely upgraded and customised my A1200, and the backup was just too new as i wanted one from early 2000s. I stored digging via different backups, however most of them crashed, behaved unusually, or have been usually unstable.
Finally, I reached the purpose the place I mentioned to myself:
“Screw this, I’m ranging from scratch.”
So I wiped the CF card.
“That is simple,” I informed myself.
After which, earlier than I might even create a boot disk, the A1200 rebooted.
Good.
Happily, the repair was fast. I opened up the A1200, pulled out the CF card, plugged it into my Pegasos II, and created the boot disk there as a substitute.
Disaster averted.
Not less than for the second.
The OS Woes…
Time to put in AmigaOS 3.9.
However how the hell was I going to try this with no CD-ROM drive? It had been years since I final tried something like this, so it was time to hit the web and see what options individuals have been utilizing as of late.
It didn’t take lengthy earlier than I discovered the reply: take a look at the information on John “Chucky” Hertell’s weblog.
I downloaded his bundle of information, instruments, and step-by-step directions, and started working.
Earlier than lengthy, I had the ISO operating via DiskImage and the fantastic DiskImageGUI.
The AmigaOS 3.9 set up went surprisingly easily. Heck, I even created an emergency floppy disk whereas I used to be at it.
After which…
The true hassle began.
Boing Bag 1 merely refused to put in, it doesn’t matter what I attempted. I recreated the AmigaOS 3.9 ISO utilizing a number of instruments, examined completely different approaches, and spent way more time on it than I care to confess.
Nothing labored.
The authentication verify inside Boing Bag 1 simply stored saying one factor:
NO.
At that time, I used to be utterly stumped.
The Web Is aware of What?…
And that is the place I gave up.
Properly, for about three weeks anyway.
I posted on-line asking for assist and acquired loads of good recommendations, however nothing appeared to unravel the issue. My conclusion on the time was that my unique AmigaOS 3.9 CD was someway damaged.
Or possibly not… (hold studying).
Final evening I began fascinated by the entire thing once more. Curiosity acquired the higher of me, and I made a decision to research precisely how the Boing Baggage unpacked their updates.
It didn’t take lengthy to find that the precise replace information contained in the archive have been saved in a password-protected ZIP file.
That was all of the motivation I wanted.
I had the day without work, my youngest was fortunately enjoying Astro Bot, and I all of the sudden had loads of time on my fingers. So I started digging into the encryption technique. Utilizing a number of GPL instruments that I needed to compile myself for the Amiga—as a result of, sure, I nonetheless don’t personal a PC—I began pulling issues aside.
By the way, compiling every thing on my Pegasos II operating AmigaOS 4.1 went surprisingly easily.
After a good bit of detective work, I ultimately found out how the password verification was being carried out. It was truly a reasonably ingenious answer.
After which…
Success.
I discovered the password.
Boing Bag Put in…
Boing Bag 1 was lastly put in—albeit manually—and it labored like a appeal. Then got here Boing Bag 2…
And it was the identical nonsense yet again.
Fortunately, I had a significantly better understanding of the method this time round. The password safety was even crazier than earlier than, however with a bit assist from AI, I someway managed to extract the required password and get issues shifting once more.
Boing Bag 2 was put in efficiently, and every thing was wanting nice. To be trustworthy, I might have been completely pleased stopping at this level if it hadn’t been for Chucky’s set up information consistently tempting me to go additional.
So, it was time to patch the 68060 library with BPPC fixes.
That went surprisingly easily, and earlier than lengthy, Boing Bag 3 and Boing Bag 4 have been put in with none drama in any respect. All of a sudden, I discovered myself watching a contemporary set up of AmigaOS 3.9 full with WarpUp/WarpOS assist.
The very very first thing I did?
Rush to make a backup of the set up earlier than the Amiga gods have an opportunity to alter their minds.
So, what was subsequent?
The subsequent step was putting in an extended IDE cable with three connectors. This allowed me to make use of the primary CF card as a devoted system drive, whereas the second would function a switch card. The plan was to mount that second CF card within the secret trapdoor behind the A1200.
I name it a secret trapdoor as a result of I had utterly forgotten it even existed. The one purpose I remembered it was because of an eBay vendor who had it listed as a beneficial accent once I purchased the lengthy IDE cable.
I firmly secured the CF card adapter to the plastic housing, and it match completely—as if Commodore had deliberate it that approach from the very starting. Every thing lined up fantastically, together with inserting and eradicating the cardboard from the skin of the machine. It was a kind of uncommon mods the place every thing simply works precisely as supposed.
With that performed, I began loading video games onto the partitions, putting in software program, and usually setting every thing up. It was all wanting unbelievable…
Till…
Brian The Lion To The Rescue…
Abruptly, apps, video games, and even the OS itself began throwing up all kinds of unusual crashes, errors, and warning messages.
I virtually gave up once more, however then I remembered a trick I discovered the exhausting approach again at RetroSpillMessen 2017. The concept is straightforward: take a WHDLoad sport that you recognize works 100% reliably and duplicate it throughout all partitions and CF playing cards you’re testing. On this case, I used Brian the Lion AGA—the very same sport that helped me monitor down issues again then.
The loopy half? The CF card I used to be utilizing as my boot drive and for storing smaller information was truly defective. Out of its complete 4GB capability, solely the primary 75MB labored correctly. The remaining was riddled with CRC errors.
That card went straight into the bin.
I copied every thing over to a different CF card and repeated the take a look at, shifting Brian the Lion throughout all eight partitions on the drive. This time, every thing labored completely.
Generally the only troubleshooting strategies are nonetheless the very best.
Backup and but extra backup…
At this level, I had a really strong setup. Every thing contained in the A1200 was neatly put in, and the skin seemed clear and polished too.
I began wanting via my assortment of SSDs and varied CD-ROM drives—SATA slot-loading fashions, tray-loading drives, and extra. Then I all of the sudden remembered that I had a PCMCIA CD-ROM drive tucked away someplace. Excellent timing, I assumed. A clear setup and an opportunity to attempt one thing a bit completely different.
The motive force I discovered was known as PcmciaCD, and I put in it precisely as described. Sadly, I couldn’t get it to work.
After making an attempt a number of completely different approaches, I had the thought of merely utilizing it along with the inner CD filesystem handler. To my shock, it labored! A whole shot in the dead of night, however a profitable one nonetheless.
After all, I’ll proceed experimenting with the setup and observe the developer’s directions extra intently. However first, I’m making a backup😂.
Subsequent step: much more modifications…
I’m an enormous fan of most of the later Amiga CD video games, and enjoying them with out their CDDA Purple E-book audio tracks is downright painful. So yeah, it was time to go old-school as soon as once more.
I rushed out and acquired a handful of elements: a few 2Y-to-2RCA adapters and a mini-jack to twin RCA cable.
The concept was easy: combine the CDDA audio sign along with Paula’s output. It’s a really amateurish answer, and I’m certain some electronics skilled would have a coronary heart assault in the event that they noticed it, however you recognize what? It really works. And it really works surprisingly effectively.
It’s most likely one of many least expensive and most hackish modifications I’ve ever performed to an Amiga, but the result’s unbelievable. CD audio now performs alongside the Amiga’s regular sound output precisely as supposed, bringing these basic CD-based video games again to life.
Generally probably the most ridiculous options find yourself being the simplest.
Every thing Is Peace…
That is the RCA Y-adapter — only a greenback or two every. Mixing the sound this fashion ends in barely decrease quantity, however who cares? I’ve a quantity slider anyway. 🤣
Every thing is now linked collectively: giant bootable CF playing cards, a quick-access CF card holder hidden within the trapdoor, and the CF card adapter securely mounted beneath the floppy drive. The CF card adapter is configured as SLAVE, which was simply performed by eradicating the jumper from the 2 pins on the prime of the adapter.
I ordered a number of completely different 44-pin IDE cables from AliExpress. The one which ended up becoming my A1200 setup was a 50 cm cable with three connectors.
I received’t be opening the A1200 once more anytime quickly, however becoming that cable was a little bit of a puzzle. I needed to fold it 3 times to make it attain the CF card within the hidden trapdoor compartment. It took some endurance, however it was removed from unimaginable.
I’m utilizing two 16 GB SanDisk CF playing cards, and each handed testing with no single CRC error.
The floppy drive stays totally practical.
Crammed To The Brim…
My Blizzard PPC (060/66/240) attracts extra energy from the floppy energy connector, and I’m utilizing a PSU with additional energy capability to deal with the load.
The PCMCIA CD-ROM drive is painfully sluggish, however it works completely fantastic for video games and functions. Annoyingly, it requires its personal exterior energy provide, though I could look into fixing that later.
I additionally picked up a 4-way video and audio swap from AliExpress. It solely helps RCA composite video and RCA audio, however regardless that I usually use an RGB cable for the very best image high quality, it’s extremely handy to easily press a button and swap between my PS2, PS3, CD32, and Amiga.
This undertaking has taken fairly a little bit of time, however wow, has it been enjoyable. Getting the CD-ROM drive working was particularly satisfying, as I used to be satisfied it was lifeless on arrival.
Every thing is now totally assembled and dealing completely.
