There’s no better retro computing companion than the Amiga. From its rich history to its classic old-school design, modern computers don’t feel the same as they did in the days of home computing. Rob Fisher wanted to bring that old feeling back into his life. Amiga 1200 Emulation Project Using our favorite SBC, raspberry piNot only does this project look like an Amiga, it also has a working floppy drive that the Pi can interact with thanks to a clever interface card.
To build the project, Fisher houses a Raspberry Pi inside a modern Amiga 1200 replica shell. Although you could easily use almost any Pi for this project, he decided to use his Raspberry Pi 4 as the power source for the machine. To make the most of the case’s design, the Pi’s ports are routed outside the shell for access, including a floppy drive. This makes for a seamless experience as your project will only consist of one unit unless you plug in some accessories.
Fischer shared a video to YouTube analyzing the design of the project from the inside out. In this video, I’m not only sharing the hardware inside, but also where I got the components so I can easily recreate it at home. Fisher says it’s a work in progress, but he’s been impressed with the project so far.
As mentioned earlier, the main hardware used in this project is a RaspberryPi 4 set up inside an Amiga 1200 shell. In addition to the Pi, he uses his eBay’s A500 keyboard for input.a Greaseweazle Floppy Adapter The board is used to help interface the PC floppy drive with the Pi. All ports, including the floppy drive, are fitted with extensions so they are easily accessible from outside the case. A 3D printed button is used to release the floppy drive.
another video, Fisher explains how the Amiga project actually works. He’s running Pimiga 3, an Amiga emulation application that can be programmed to get the classic look and feel of the original operating system. If you want to learn more about emulating an Amiga, check out our guide on how to emulate an Amiga on a Raspberry Pi. In his demo video, Fisher also shows that the floppy drive is working perfectly, inserting a few Amiga magazine cover discs to see it in action.
If you want to learn more about this Raspberry Pi project, check out the original video shared. Youtube By Rob Fisher, follow him for upcoming projects and updates on this project.
