No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart

Name: No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart
SKU: 14668
Price: 45.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.00 (2 reviews)

(2 Reviews)

4xROM Amiga Kickstart switcher kit - NO ROM'S INCLUDED

Designed by Circuitbenders.co.uk in United Kingdom

No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart 1

No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart 2

No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart 3

No solder ROM switcher kit for AMIGA kickstart 4

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2018-08-30T10:35:29.332Z-Amiga-ROM-PCB.jpg

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2018-08-30T10:35:29.332Z-AMIGA ROM switcher.jpg

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4xROM Amiga Kickstart switcher kit - NO ROM'S INCLUDED

This was originally designed as a no solder sound ROM switcher kit for the Kawai R100 drum machine, which stores its drum samples on 40 pin ROM's. The kit allows the installation of 4 ROM's which ca…

It turned out that it can also be used as a Kickstart ROM switcher for use in any AMIGA computer that uses a single kickstart ROM i.e. A500, A500+, A600, A1500, A2000, but whether it would physically fit into the casing you would have to investigate yourself. The board measures 85mm x 63mm and with ROM's installed it will reach approximately 18mm above the socket it sits in. Please let us know if you successfully install this switcher into any of the above machines. We have sold dozens of these kits to AMIGA owners worldwide, and have never had any complaints about the board not fitting a specific machine.

Please note, we cannot offer support or advice for installing this into an AMIGA computer. We know that the switcher PCB fits and works fine in an AMIGA A2000 (see the photo above sent to us by a customer) and purely in terms of electronics it will work with any AMIGA that uses a single chip kickstart.

The kit includes the ROM switcher board, a rotary switch mounted on its own custom PCB, and a connector cable.

The installation guide for the Kawai R100 can be found HERE, Obviously installation into an AMIGA will be different in terms of positioning, but the basic connection principles are the same.

The kit can be installed without doing any soldering, although you will need a drill. You should take the same anti-static precautions when handling the kickstart ROM's as you would when handing RAM for a computer.

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Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.00)

Documentation: (4.00)

Shipping: (4.00)

Communication: (4.00)

Krisztian | Dec. 21, 2019

Works like a charm!

I like this rom switcher, it's a great life hack! It sits in my A500 rev 6A and it works like a charm.
With installation you must be careful!
Like the other review mentioned you should put some rubber pad under it where the Fat Agnus sits to avoid any scratches or damage to the slot or the chip itself. Not necessary but recommended!
On the connector side (where the ram chip sits) you can easily bend the pins a little to fit right. I've done it this way (without resoldering the pins to the top) and it's a working solution for me.

Summary: although it's not designed for A500's, the product is great and working fine. Installation is easy (with a little attention).
Buy it, you'll like it!

Ali | Jan. 27, 2019

Does the job. Improvements needed.

I purchased this for my A500 Rev. 6A. I have 3 ROMs: 3.1, 1.3 and also a DiagROM chip. The first problem I encountered is the position of the 5 pin connector from which you connect the wires that leads to the dial knob (to select the ROM). This is an angled connecter with pins soldered underneath the board. There isn't much room left to connect the wires in this case and the RAM chips are in the way. I had to desolder the pins and put them on the top instead. When the board is fitted, I noticed that it would need some support underneath. It floats above the A500 motherboard and the A500 ROM socket is the only thing supporting the board. Considering that the board might hold up to 4 ROM chips, I used some small rubber feet (pads) so that it can sit on the Fat Agnus chip PLCC socket giving it better support.

I like the board in terms of functionality. However, for an Amiga 500 installation, I think that the points mentioned above should be considered.

A. Kattan

Response from Circuitbenders.co.uk | Jan. 27, 2019

To be fair it does specifically state on more than one occasion in the description that this was not specifically designed for an A500 and we have no idea if it would fit in an A500. Thats why the full measurements are given with the caveat "whether it would physically fit into the casing you would have to investigate yourself".
All that is stated for certain is that it physically fits in an A2000.
We have sold dozens of these kits to AMIGA owners, presumably for various models, and we have never had anyone get back to us complaining of any issues.

The board doesn't really need support underneath, unless you happen to throw your Amiga down a flight of stairs on a regular basis! As it says in the listing, this was originally designed for a Kawai R100 drum machine which always have at least 3 or 4 ROM's installed. Having sold over 100 of these kits to R100 owners, and done some fairly robust testing on them, the only way its going to come loose from the socket is if the unit was dropped from the kind of height that a loose ROM switcher would be the least of your problems! The only real issue might be if anything has ever been plugged into the socket that uses square pins instead of the machined round pins used on this board, as square pins tends to bend the socket contacts making their grip unreliable.