0x06 THE AMIGA A500 MODERNISED

[@doctorsocrates4413]

I have 3 amiga500s in original boxes just sitting around..with a bit of courage i intend to clean the casing on one of them...loved them in my youth and i love these machines now at my tender age of 51...thanks for the video.

[@eviltycoongaming3273]

This is just amazing. Memory lane de lux. I dont have the skillset or an amiga anymore, but still had to watch it all. Big props to you.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks!

[@bitwize]

I bought an A500 a couple years back. I think that it has been maintained, possibly recapped already. I *know* the barrel battery has been taken off the RAM expansion/RTC board and replaced with a receptacle for a lithium button cell. Whoever owned that beast before me cared a lot for it while they had it which made it, quite serendipitously, a fantastic starter machine for retrocomputing. I upgraded it with a Gotek, but everything else is stock. I really like the plain packaging of your Amiga. I got the US A500 "Starter Kit" (meaning yes, it's an NTSC machine) which came in the most 80s box ever, with Memphis typography and graphic design (not the horrid "Corporate Memphis", thank God) and a photo of a girl in a bad sweater hugging her A500. Fantastically 80s, which is why the plain packaging appeals: it's more timeless.

[@DanielEdwards-]

I’m three years late to the party, but a hair dryer to the warranty sticker would have softened the glue to make it easier to peel away.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! I shall bear that in mind for the next one.

[@DailyCorvid]

Benjamin we're gonna make your channel go viral if you keep churning out cool retro gaming content. There can never be enough of it !

[@TheMadricks]

To remove stickers you can use for example the hot air of a hairdryer. In the other videos of restored Amigas I have seen that they use hydrogen peroxide with UV light for this. After that the device and the keys look like new from the store. I would clean the case and keys again. I think it's great that there are so many upgrades for the Amiga 👍 If I had known that there would be such extensions one day, I would have kept my Amiga 500 and 1200. Thank you for the upgrade guide. 🙂

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Top tip with the hairdryer. Cheers

[@raymoreton3184]

Nice I brought myself a 2nd hand 500 when I was a teenager but as upgrades of hardware came along I had to sell mine also, I brought a 1200 maybe 3 years ago and I am in the process of modding it with brand new case key tops (which I am still waiting for) os 3.1.4 installed on a sd card I have also burnt my own kickstart roms for 3.1.4, I am trying to get it looking original like it came from the shop.

[@kopparsulfat]

What was the total cost for this project?

[@stewsretroreviews]

I love this computer, I still.have my old one, but it unfortunately doesn't work anymore, class video mate!

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! Any idea what's wrong with your old A500?

[@luisbperez368]

Bravo, bravo! 👏👏👏👏👏 I never bought an A500, but, I do miss my A1000 with 2.5 megs of ram and a whooping 40 megs of hdd. My wife disposed of it along with an A2000 while I was on assignment and that was the last drop that ended up in a divorce. There is a guy that sells refurbished Amigas in the UK and I am planing on getting an A500+ and a A1200. BTW I have a Raspberry Pi running PiMIGA and although is great simulation I want to get a “real Amiga”. You gained a subscriber here. Best regards from San Juan, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, stay safe.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! :) Yes, I found a Pi in the pile that has ambian on it - I've not given it a full run yet. I might give that a try too.

[@OldAndNewVideoGames]

Watched it all the way through, very informative video. But where you won me over was with "one of the best games". Because it is. :)

[@phillbanks4103]

The nostalgia I had a 500+ as a kid, great work but you didn’t clean the keys lol

[@CJ-ur3fx]

the music in the background is by Scroobius Pip if anyone is wondering.

[@AllensTrains]

You were lucky it booted up! You could very easily have had a failure! Thanks for uploading.

[@bazza5699]

just discovered your channel. instant sub... great video.. love the amiga.. look forward to binge watching your content :)

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thankyou! I can only manage a video a month, so not so much to binge on I fear, but we'll see how it goes :)

[@bazza5699]

@@BenjaminBlundell do what you can do ben.. no pressure.. quality not quantity and all that :) take care

[@Stoobers]

Frontier running so smoooothly!

[@runarsigurdsson1517]

wow, flashback. I had the exact same model in the same box :)

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Wowzers! I'd not seen this box before. They came in packs over in the UK with bundled software, for the most part.

[@barnabas5688]

The Amiga PSUs are not filled with resin - you may be confused with the C64. The Amiga units are usually OK if the caps are replaced, unless you are trying to power something with lots of expansions.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Quite probably aye. I have one of these C64 ones too. I am quite happy with the newer one. It takes up a lot less space which is great.

[@DailyCorvid]

Yeah man Amiga content, mmmMMmmMMmmmmm Amigaaaaaa

[@The_0p3r8t0r]

love it. you have got it running nice. I wish I'd kept either my 500+ or my 1200 from back then. they are crazy expensive now... though, and I know it's a dirty word, emulation is possible now and it would be great to build an Amiga themed laptop with booting into workbench and using whload for the software. not as glorious as what you have here but just a little revisit to better times

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! I've noticed gumtree can occasionally have good prices. I remember this A500 wasn't too bad, but all the extra parts add up.

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

I miss the A500. Sold it for a A1500HD desktop. Great video!

[@giuseppelavecchia775]

Avresti dovuto tenere anche l'A500,non dovevi venderlo

[@SuperVstech]

Which A1500? The commodore, or the checkmate?

[@suadcokljat1045]

Pulling out keys BEFORE top cover and keyboard is removed. Wow, that's new approach ;-) Great video, especially preserve warranty sticker part ;-) Cheers! S

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! Yes, it seemed to make little difference whether I removed the top case before removing the keys. These anti-tamper stickers though! Still good after a few decades!

[@systemchris]

That vampire is like shoving a jet engine in the 500 haha but it is cool. The low price alternative will be to source a spitfire add-on that just gives 8mb ram, ide and a toggle to make the original CPU run a bit faster. The chip ram mod is just a mod do add-on. And the other floppy option is to use an external gotek

[@BenjaminBlundell]

An external Gotek would be nice if it's possible to keep the original floppy drive. I do like the fact that it all fits in the case though. Makes it a bit easier to have on display.

[@EdgeOfPanic]

Vampire is indeed like putting a Jet engine in there, only in this video the true capabilities of the Vamp are not even touched.

[@sikkpuppy1968]

A PiStorm is another way to go as well. Also handles RTG and HDD emulation.

[@RetroGamesRediscovered]

Interesting video, I've thought about cleaning my different machines, I think I'll do what you did rather than retrobrighting.

[@NozomuYume]

If you had a monitor you didn't use the A520, you just connected directly to the RGB port. The composite output on the A520 is particularly bad, though there are some S-Video mods for it that help. Doing a vanilla install with the Vampire will be a pretty laborious process to get the most out of it since there are a ton of drivers and extensions, etc. to set up. You can use a preinstalled image like CoffinOS to bring everything up to snuff without a lot of work.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Yeah, the Trinitron I have doesn't appear to have a compatible connector, so I went with the 520's video output. It's much clearer than I remember when I used a TV, so that's a step up. I could of course use the HDMI from the vampire but I was lucky to have this nice CRT lying around so I decided to go the simplest route. In the future, I'd like to try the HDMI with a modern monitor. Something for the future.

[@TheZorch]

There are modern keyboard replacements for the A500 and modern optical mice that are compatible without needing an adapter or a mod.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

I felt the tank mouse was something I could keep, whereas the floppy drive I was keen to replace, although the HDD makes the gotek a bit redundant. I'd like to do a complete modern a1200 at some point, complete with network, modern keyboard and mouse as you suggest. That would be more of a workhorse computer. It's on the list :)

[@KATIENERDGIRL]

fantastico video

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks!

[@leechatt9709]

Screwdriver works everytime!

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

In order to remove chips that have been sitting for decades in a socket you will first need to spray some contact cleaner on them. The job becomes noticeably easier.

[@tahustvedt]

The trap door on my A500 was super loose as well. On my A500+ it's much tighter so I assume they fixed it when they updated it.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

That's interesting - I mean I couldn't see any damage to mine so yeah - a design flaw it seems

[@SlavomirG]

@@BenjaminBlundell User flaw. There was nothing wrong with the original A500 trap door. It was super tight.

[@Joliie]

to get stickers off, a heatgun could be your friend, warm em up so the adhesive gets liquid

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks! I'll certainly try that next time!

[@Joliie]

@@BenjaminBlundell Talked with a buddy about it, and he said to use light fluid and to YT it, seems like it's a more effective way to do it. Just a heads-up before you melt a case :) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5SzpWido9SMpbc&ab_channel=GalacticCollector

[@onlineamiga]

Can't believe you did all that without even testing it worked out of the box from ebay :P

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Heheh, well I didn't show that bit as I thought it was a bit boring - there was a lot of footage! But yes, I did check it when it first arrived.

[@onlineamiga]

@@BenjaminBlundell haha I thought you would have done :)

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

I decided to buy a new one.... good for you, too expensive to get one here in Australia any more.

[@DailyCorvid]

I nearly got one from eBay but went for a BBC B instead, I want the pack and ther RAM upgrade. How has your one worked out and have you completed Rick Dangerous I and II yet ;)

[@BenjaminBlundell]

@@DailyCorvid BBC is one I would love to own. It's next on the list :) Fantastic machine!

[@SuperVstech]

I am not to understand why you wanted to preserve the warranty label if you were planning to install a Vampire?

[@BenjaminBlundell]

I liked the look of it, and having it still intact after such a modification would have amused me. Oh well - I'll know for next time.

[@ghinzani1]

Don't suppose you actually do this for customers machines? Would love to get my 500+ working again.

[@gamedoutgamer]

15:57 The Amiga's predecessor, the Atari 800 could also be thought of as the first multimedia computer. Do consider 'light brightening' the case and key caps. Setting it out in mid-year near-noon full sunlight it will make a big improvement and not risk any chemical damage. Congrats on your very nice A500 with a 1MB Agnus.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Thanks for the comments there. I'd like to take a look at the Atari side of things in the future. This machine will likely stay as it is, but there's a chance I'll setup a later model for everyday use including internet related activities that might get the retr0brite treatment.

[@MaffeyZilog]

The Atari 800 was hardly a multi-media computer but the ST range of Atari computers were out a month before the Amiga range. And the ST was fully multi-media. P.S The Atari wasn't a predecessor to the Amiga as the Amiga was Commodore and the ST (and 800) were, of course, Atari. The Amiga's predecessor was the Commodore 128k.

[@gamedoutgamer]

@@MaffeyZilog Amiga, inc was founded by former Atari employees including Jay Miner. Commodore bought Amiga from under Atari's feet. A senior/chief designer of the ST was designed by a former C64 engineer. The 800 is the direct and spiritual predecessor to the Amiga. It does graphics and sound but has no CD drive. What makes the ST or Amiga multimedia but the 800 not? The CPU? The RAM? The mouse? Those help but the term is a loose definition, imo, meaning an graphically interactive computer. The 800 is that but not as fast and no windowing UI.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

@@MaffeyZilog I'd recommend The Future was Here - mitpress.mit.edu/books/future-was-here - He makes the case for the Amiga being the one that really broke out as the first multimedia machine. Regards the Atari - it has an intertwined history with the Amiga so the two can't be completely separated. I'd quite like an ST to compare and contrast.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

@@MaffeyZilog I think what captured it in the public imagination was Boing Boing at CES. The Amiga was revealed first before the ST at CES, though the ST beat the Amiga to mass market. If I do a video on the ST, I'll make sure I mention that it's a contender for the first :)

[@Zan_Jayna]

Does it still destroy all your diskettes? That was it's most popular feature

[@michaelhill6453]

Great video. Thanks.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

No problem! :)

[@eukat3ch]

well there you go im your 100th sub, nice video !

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Ah yes! That blew up faster than I thought! Thanks! I'd best get some more done eh? :D

[@rafaelmmartinez9170]

If you are running the Vampire, the trap door memory is not needed, right?

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Probably. I'd have to play a bit more with the vampire to allocate its memory to fast / chip etc.

[@captainfuture2882]

Do you use lead based soldering?

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Sometimes yes. Depends on the application

[@naviamiga]

Always wince when I see the chip puller. When I do it I feel like I'm going to break the chip or the board.

[@Astravall]

Is it just me? Now i want a modern PC in this formfactor. I wonder if an ITX Board would fit inside ;).

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Quite possible one could make something modern to fit inside this case. Would be a fun project to see, especially if it ran a less well known OS

[@daga68]

Great Video, quick question, why do you need to remove then ROM ? does de Vampire has its own ROM?

[@BenjaminBlundell]

It does yes! I did buy a newer rom chip from Cloanto but didn't need it in the end.

[@JarppaGuru]

3:47 no ruah if floppies work OR we can just use raspberrypi its not amiga then

[@projf]

Frontier: what a great choice! 🪐🛸🚀 I should fix up my A500: it doesn’t even generate a video signal these days.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Frontier is indeed, one of the best! :D

[@stephanemignot100]

@@BenjaminBlundell Music is so much better with an MT32 using DosBox though! ^ I'm leazy and cheap, Amiga emulation on a 2004 eMac is good enough for me. I can't find a way to use the MT32 sadly.

[@catriona_drummond]

I'd recommend include in the next video about the vampire handles the Kickstart ROM stuff. You kinda glossed over that a bit with just installing WB 3.1. Excellent video otherwise. looking forward to the next part.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Yes, doing a bit more on the Vampire specifically, the ROM handling, extra features and such would be nice.

[@kcharles8857]

My biggest regret was selling my beloved Amiga.

[@sebastianabreu1243]

Nice!

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

I noticed you scratched across other tracks near where you cut a track but was not deep otherwise your AMIGA A500 would not boot.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Good spot! Yes, I slipped and was quite worried! It's easily done I think but definitely something to watch out for. I got quite lucky there. Lesson learned.

[@adamlips1711]

@@BenjaminBlundell yea i modded my rev 8 board and also slipped had to use a little bodge wire to correct my error! nice vid I just love Amigas!

[@Foebane72]

This is exactly the sort of thing that puts me off getting a real Amiga again, all that cleaning. Is it really necessary?

[@BenjaminBlundell]

All depends on condition. This one wasn't too bad really - I was just keen to go through the process and make sure I didn't miss anything. It didn't take too long in the end. Retrobriting would have increased the time taken a fair bit.

[@JarppaGuru]

6:10 yes you opened no return xD

[@curtisnewton895]

been a while since I saw that psygnosis logo

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Yeah. It's a great image!

[@Foxxy11256]

The music tho’. I couldn’t stick it out.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

I shall bear that in mind. Thanks!

[@Elbas_Tardo]

Vampire is a very expensive accelerator, in the end it costs more than a current cheap PC, with the power of a pentium that you can buy for 10 or they will even give it to you as a gift. I would have bought it as an expensive whim for my Amiga500, for 100-150 but it is an absurd expense.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

I was happy to support the project and it was the best option at the time. However, nowadays there are more affordable options I'd certainly try. Maybe on the 1200 :)

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

Amiga was not the first multimedia home computer. Jay Miner's first home computer back in the 70s was the first multimedia machine (Atari 8bit line)

[@ElwinWay]

Me as a kid: Mum, dad, can we get an Amiga 500? My parents: No, but here - have a Vic20 Oh well, at least I learned to program in BASIC.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

I started on a C64, learning BASIC too!

[@winstonsmith478]

Replace PCB with Raspberry Pi 4 and keyboard interface = HDMI output plus 600 times Amiga 1200 performance. 😁

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Amibian does indeed exist, but it's not quite the same thing.

[@MariaEngstrom]

Nice channel you got here, it would be a real shame... for me if I did not subscribe.

[@BenjaminBlundell]

Lol! Thanks for the sub :)

[@CollinBaillie]

Which bank did you rob? 😂

[@gaeljehnno]

Tha a520 sure look like a joke, i'm happy we have rgb on all our tv in my country(scart).

[@LiamGoodison]

A

[@vanhetgoor]

Why limit yourself with only a meagre 512K RAM expansion, go for the max! An 86000 processor could imagine itself something like 32 Megabyte, so give the chap 32 Megabyte! Let him live the life of luxury, who knows how many days this Commodore can still lift his data and address lines? Make the poor basterd proud!

[@helmutzollner5496]

I like your modernization video. It is great to see you putting new life into.this lovely old platform.. HOWEVER, you 8 bit sound audio soundtrack is atrocious. I hated that sound in the 80s and if the Amiga would have had that kind of sound, I am sure it would not have been a success.

[@JestersDeadUK]

That music is SHOCKINGLY bad man. Lots of royality free decent stuff around too.