The Commodore Amiga 600 is a 16-bit home computer, based on the Motorola MC68000 processor. It was produced by Commodore International from 1992 to 1993. Other names by which the Amiga 600 is known are: Commodore A600, CBM A600.
My collection of vintage computers was missing… Commodore Amigas. So, I decided to buy this retro computer, together with other computers, in summer 2021. Here is the video of the purchased lot:
The Commodore Amiga 600 comes with the original Commodore mouse paired. In addition to the mouse, in the purchased lot there is also the transparent case for the keyboard and a PCMCIA compact flash reader. Inside, instead of the mechanical hard disk, there is a newer 4GB compact flash, with appropriate IDE adapter. The keyboard has a German layout.
I had to work a bit on this Commodore Amiga 600. First, occasionally, it did not turn on. I discovered that there was a faulty solder on the circuit board, related to the power connector. In addition, I had to do a complete recap: the capacitors had started to leak the electrolyte liquid and could have corroded the tracks of the printed circuit board.
Technical characteristics of the Amiga 600
CPU: Motorola MC68000, 7.09379 MHz (PAL) or 7.15909 MHz (NTSC)
Chipset ECS (Enhanced Chip Set): MOS 8375 / CSG 318069 Fat Agnus (memory controller and blitter), MOS 8373 / CSG 391081 Super Denise (video), MOS 8364 / CSG 391077 Paula (audio and I/O), CSG 391155 Gayle (I/O and IDE interface)
ROM: 512 KB
Software included in ROM: KickStart 2.0 (in my computer, there is version 2.05 37.300)
RAM: 1 MB expandable
Graphics: MOS 8373 / CSG 391081 Super Denise
Graphics mode: 320×200 to 1280×512, up to 4096 colors, horizontal scan rate 15KHz – 31KHz, vertical scan rate: 50Hz – 72Hz
Audio: MOS 8364 / CSG 391077 Paula, 4ch, stereo output
Keyboard: 78-key QWERTY, with arrows and function keys
Expansion ports (internal):
- 1 44 pin IDE connector, for 2.5″ hard disk
- 1 x 34-pin connector for 3.5" floppy disk
- 1 x 80-pin expansion slot, accessible from the bottom door
Expansion ports (external):
- 1 PCMCIA, Type II, 68-pin
- 1 external floppy disk drive, DB23 female
- 1 serial DB25 male, RS232
- 1 parallel DB25 female, Centronics
- 2 RCA stereo audio
- 1 x DB23 male video, analog RGB
- 1 RCA CVBS composite video
- 1 RCA antenna (RF to TV connection)
- 2 mouse and joystick, DB9 male
Emulation
It is possible to emulate the Amiga 600, as well as other models of Amiga computers, on a common Windows PC, via WinUAE. In this way, you can try to start programs and games, as well as program the back computer, in a simple and convenient way... without even owning the Amiga! WinUAE comes without WorkBench and without KickStart ROM, which must be downloaded separately, looking for them on the internet.
A600 power supply
The power supply of the Commodore A600 is external and has the following output voltages:
- 5V direct current, 3A
- 12V direct current, 500mA
- -12V direct current, 100mA
View of the power steering wheel connector, contact side.
Amiga 600 boot screen
The Commodore A600 has a proper operating system, windowed. For this reason, it is not easy to determine which is to consider the actual start screen.
If the hard disk is not present and no floppy disk is inserted, the Amiga 600 starts with the screen that requires the insertion of a boot disk.
From here, little can be done, if not insert a boot floppy or install a hard disk with the WorkBench, which is the desktop environment available on AmigaOS (the operating system of the Amiga platform).
To select from which device to boot the Amiga (600 or 1200), you can hold down both mouse keys at power on, as explained, in detail, in this article. The Amiga starts with the screen of Boot Menu.
The WorkBench screen depends on the WorkBench version. While also working with other versions of the WorkBench, the A600 came with the WorkBench version 2.05.
Papers
- Commodore A600 introduzione (ITA)
- Commodore A600 user’s guide by Peter Hutchinson
- A600 schematics
- Workbench 2.0 using the system software
- Commodore Amiga BASIC
Date of entry into the collection: 08/25/2021