Flack wrote:

Converting ADF to virtual floppies (and back) is still virgin territory to me, but here's what I know. First, cannot read/write Amiga floppies on a PC without a special controller card like the Catweasel (and you really don't want to go down that route). With additional RAM and a parallel cable, you should be able to copy over and write ADF files -- I think. The biggest limitation is the disk images are almost a meg, so with only 1 meg of RAM, you don't have enough to hold both them and the OS in RAM at the same time. I don't think the 500 is the best solution for this, but with a few upgrades, it's doable.

Oh, and Amigas use 15 kHz monitors, which means a standard PC one won't work (that would be too easy).

Just make sure you do understand that this will not work on Amiga-native (the ones most commonly used by games that won't start from the workbench) screens! On native screens this only works if you've got a PC monitor that will sync low enough (15 kHz), this is most probably not the case with the Dell monitors.

There ARE some that will, however (I believe many Sony Trinitron monitors will sync down to 15 mHz, for example). The second solution is to use the RCA video out connection on the rear of the 500. This only provides a black and white signal, and I've never understood why this was even included. This would be like listening to your new Bose stereo from the next room by holding a drinking glass up to the wall and pressing your ear against that. Why the most graphically advanced computer of its time has a black and white output option is ... I don't even. The third option for the 500 is purchasing a Amiga 520. It's about the size of an old C64 modem, it plugs into the back of the Amiga 500, and it gives you color composite out. I have one in the blue tub and, now that I no longer have an Amiga 500, I will just mail it to you if you want it. It works okay for games and terrible for text. Thank goodness you don't plan on playing text adventures on that thing! (Someone online sells a 520 modified to do S-Video; if it works worth a shit, that might be a cheap way to go.) The fourth option I am aware of are scan doublers, which double the signal from 15 MHz to 30 MHz, making the video signal compatible with modern computer monitors. As you saw at the show, this is more art than science -- one of the monitors I brought couldn't detect the Amiga's video signal and kept going into sleep mode. The other scan doubler Icbrkr brought had to be adjusted depending on how long it had been in use. I have no experience with them other than at the show, but so far it appears to me they are more art than science. To paraphrase Han, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good monitor at your side, kid." It would be nice if there were a good, reliable scan-doubling solution.