nfg.forums

Recently, I bought a Commodore Amiga 3000 at a thrift store in California for $5.99 (which is a good price concidering that it would have originally would have costed anywhere between $4000 and $5000) The only problem was that it didn't come with anything.

(just so you know, my amiga rant is at my Blog.)

So now it's time to get the basics; A keyboard and mouse. Supposedly, I can plug in a serial mouse with additional software, but the big bugger there is that I need to install it! So this all depends on if I can opperate Workbench with a keyboard.

(You can tell that I don't usually use Amigas.)

This leads to Question #1: Do I need to get a special adaptor for it (like the LYRA from england), or can I make my own adaptor that doesn't do keymapping? I hope that I don't have to buy anything extra, because I blew all of my money on a Pocket PC (on which the screen broke, ironically rendering the whole thing useless). my current budget is $10.

I wouldn't recommend the serial mouse adaptors - like you say they require special software, which means they may not work with everything.
You can buy (or build, but requires a programmed PIC chip) ps/2 adaptors, or you may be able to find a genuine Amiga mouse cheap. (Atari ST mice also work with minor rewiring I believe... still haven't gotten around to trying it myself!)

For keyboard, the keycodes are different from PC's. You need an adaptor (again, buy or build with a PIC).

If you decide to build your own, look for schematics & info on Aminet

And from memory, you can use an Amiga without a mouse. I think you hold down one of the Amiga-logo keys & use the cursor keys to move. (Button clicks... umm don't remember... sorry!)

Another good resource for Amiga info is EAB (English Amiga Board)

Do you know where to get this stuff? especially cheap ones? I know that Elbox has a mouse adaptor, but it's $38!

(P.S., Building is out of the question, because it would be more costly to get a PIC programmer + the PIC chips and I doubt that I could find the code for the application.)

Unfortunately the adaptors aren't cheap... they come up on ebay occasionally but even then they're $20+

Code for the PIC-based adaptors is on Aminet with the schematics. Some places that sell the chips will program them for you (for a small fee).

Or you could get lucky with a secondhand store, the way you did with the Amiga itself... I picked up an Amiga mouse & an Atari ST mouse for $1 each

Even if the store (in my case, probibly Kesub) did program PICs, I'd still be stuck with the price of the PIC. That might be the best option because I already have about everything else I need. Finding the keyboard or mouse at the thrift shop isn't an option because chino-area people don't generally deal with that stuff, unless they collect, and then they'll keep it. Maybe when I get back home, that stuff will be there, but I doubt it too.

By the way, I saw a Phillips CDI for 9.99. How much do they run for nowadays?

UPDATE: I have found the project online on Aminet. However, it's in a format that I cannot use (It's in LHA and all that's in there isn't a file format that I can use). what's more, I cannot be sure that I can find the EEPROM that they want. So it looks like I will have to shell out the cash so I can buy an origional keyboard, then at least use a Serial mouse untill I can afford to buy an Amiga Mouse. At least it was only $10 or so at the Software Hut. The Keyboard is my #1 Priority for now.

Now for another question: What's the "Enable/Disable" switch on the back for? is it really just the clock speed toggle?

   I had one of those for a while. The switch on the back is for toggling the VGA video port between VGA and RGB.

   As for the keyboard and mouse, your only hope is eBay or a local retrocomputing user group. Serial and PS/2 mice are useless, but if you dig long and hard you might find a Logitech Bus Mouse, and those can be modified to work 100%.

    You can pretty much forget about that however as I have a spare keyboard and mouse in a box somewhere. They're all yours for $10. PM me for details if you're interested.

If he doesn't want them, I might...

I hope that you havn't already PM'd him...

Because I just did.

nope, was your thread so you've got first option on it