Amiga RGBtoHDMI Boards Update

Since my previous post about my RGBtoHDMI board there have been several updates including software changes and new boards. So I figured I’d cover them here.

Amiga 2000 Version

One of the first things to cover is the Amiga 2000 slot version of the board. This is functionally similar to the Amiga 500 version but instead of CSYNC the board uses separate H and V sync. This meant some more software changes were needed which will be addressed later in this post. It also adds the option of using three button mode instead of single button mode, both are supported.

In addition, to help fund the development of these boards I made a limited edition batch of 15 of them, made in black and gold. They had my logo in gold on the front and a hidden message on the back.

Amiga 1000 Version

As with the Amiga 2000 slot version, I designed an Amiga 1000 version which fits under Denise. This is similar to the Amiga 500 version but is pretty much physically rotated 180°. I don’t have access to an Amiga 1000 so this one was completely developed from photos from a community member and he ordered the PCBs from my design and had them made. This is a photo of the first version the user tested:

This worked great, but based on feedback I made some changes for the final version. First of all the Denise socket in the Amiga 1000 doesn’t have a CSYNC signal. The person testing had hot-wired CSYNC into the Denise socket, but I have now also added a spare pin to hook it a clip for another chip. I’ve also modified it to support three-button mode. Some other minor cleanups and improvements were also made.

Software Changes

During this whole time I have been communicating with the current main software developer, IanSB. He has been making changes to better support these boards in his development branch and releasing them as betas here. Version beta18 added support for single button mode in the firmware recovery menu. Making it easier to flash the Amiga 500 version directly from the Pi.

In addition the Amiga 2000 needed new profiles to support the separate H/V sync. Otherwise you just get a rolling image. I created some profiles for this and they were included in beta20. They do not conflict with previous Amiga 2000 boards (which use CSYNC) because the profiles for CPLD modes are separate from the modes used for basic logic.

For now I’m recommending users stick to the beta releases.

Future Changes

The biggest ask for changes that are possible is Amiga 600 support. Unfortunately I do not have an Amiga 600 and this will be a very difficult build to get right. So I’m leaving this in the hands of others who can base it from my schematics.

I’ve also been asked many times for Amiga 1200 support, but due to GPIO bandwidth issues on all Pis this would not be possible using current methods. There is another idea being tried that may well work for AGA graphics, but right now it isn’t even in an alpha state for ECS graphics. So this is something for the future.

Buying the Boards

I’ve been asked many times if I have boards available for sale. I do not. I have a day job which means I cannot make anything like enough to supply everyone who has asked. I’ve also got other projects to work on. So the designs are public and if you like them please feel free to hit the sponsor buttons on GitHub.

Blank PCBs can also be obtained via this PCBWay link and I get 10% PCBWay credit from boards purchased this way to build other prototype boards.