A1200 mounted inside an A2000 case.
The 1200 has an external 3.5" Seagate IDE.
Previously on scuzzblog: Amiga 1200 - Power Flyer.
Previously on scuzzblog: Amiga 1200 - Buffered Interface.
ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2025
Entry 01st March 2025: Post 1: A1200 connectivity - Adding extra drives.
A1200 connectivity - Adding extra drives.
In terms of old school techniques for adding extra drives to the
Amiga 1200 I generally adopted one of two approaches. The first
being the use of SCSI. This can be done with either an expansion
KIT to an accelerator such as the Blizzard or GVP or by connecting
a Squirrel interface to the PCMCIA port. The second approach is
to take advantage of IDE drives etc plus CD/ZIP via a buffered
interface using the IDE-FIX software. SCSI connectivity in this
case uses the ATAPI.DEVICE.
For me SCSI off the accelerator provided the best option as it
gave me a simple external tower of SCSI drives connected off a
rear port freeing up the PCMCIA for Ethernet. The units were all
powered from the unit itself reducing load on the A1200.
The Squirrel ( Surf or standard ) offered much the same benefits
but sadly you lose the PCMCIA slot which could be used for your
network devices.
The buffered interface offers a clean sensible solution when in
a tower arrangement. The interface connects to the internal drive
port using channels to connect to such devices as CD, ZIP and
other hard drives. There is a smaller interface that can be used
internally on a standard A1200 but you are likely to need to extend
ribbons out the case due to lack of internal drive space. With the
3.5 inch internal IDE you can just about make it work but be mindful
that the standard Amiga smaller PSU will not provide sufficient
power.
Other devices like the Power Flyer offering four IDE PIO mode ports
gives 16.4 mb/sec transfer speed and certainly enhanced the buffered
style interface. But again connectivity generally means a tower
type of arrangement.
In terms of software the Squirrel comes with its own install disk.
The SCSI KIT simply expands on the HTToolbox to create an SCSI
version that can be modified to suit. With a mindful eye on correct
unit numbers and termination the numbers of drives can be quite
extensive.
The buffered interface generally uses the IDE-FIX software from
Elaborate Bytes which requires registration or you get the very
annoying pop-up notice. The software for the most part is self
configuring and most easy to use. Care is needed to arrange the
Channels as recommended to get optimum results.
A company called EyeTech in the day circa 1995 provided an extensive
range of add-ons for the A1200 suitable for using with a tower.
Whilst many items were generally for the tower systems there were
a number of items that were transferable to the stock A1200, with
a little bit of imagination on their usage.
I appreciate that a lot of what is discussed here is difficult to
obtain today, but at times items do find themselves onto the auctions.
It is always worth keeping note on just what was around in the day
and how they worked. Otherwise you need to use a modern alternative
of which I know little if anything about.
A1200 connectivity - Adding extra drives.
Previously on scuzzblog
Click here for Buffered Interface - Elaborate Bytes - IDEFix97
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Last updated 01st March 2025 2025
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