To think most people would throw away something so old and seemlingly incompatible with the modern world. And I'm not talking about Damion... this time. Keep fighting the e-waste and keep bringing the games! Stay gold Ponyboy.
We have tried and he keeps coming back!... but at his age, we believe it's all he knows how to do now!? Great point on the e-waste side of this project.. lets hope this inspire others that may have this little gem hidden away somewhere screaming to be used again.
Glad we could help, one less device going as ewaste hopefully, good luck getting your TV box emulating! And thank you for the warm and positive comment too!
I love taking old discarded technology and turning it back into something useful! I have actually done this very thing with old Chromeboxes. They make for handsome little emulation machines for a really reasonable price. It's just because their ability to boot alternate operating systems is locked behind a process that is a little hacky, most people won't attempt it. But if you manage to pull it off, you can get really decent performance for relatively low prices.
The way people are so willing to toss perfectly good tech just blows my mind. I've been snatching up used RPi 2B's on the cheap & setting up retro game/RPi OS boxes for my friends with kids. Also upgrading a lot of used laptops with Linux for friends that can't upgrade Win. They're always amazed at how much faster the laptop becomes!
It's awesome to be introduced to someone else that also likes to repurpose tech and keep it useful and used! With the retro emulation options and vast selection of Linux distro's does it make sense to throw the older generation devices out when you can just give it a little love with a different O/S such as Linux mint or Lakka!? Thank you for your comment and keep up with your efforts reworking those old devices!
I feel inspired to see what else is out there to turn iinto an emulation system, I think I'll be having a bit of a tinker myself. Keep this fabulous content coming.
I have a similar old box that I use to watch videos. It seems to have all the right codecs to view them, and does so in a de-branded Kodi. I did buy another box specifically to use for a retro box, but never really got into it. My fuzzy memories tell me that trying to get Amiga emulation going was hit and miss; miss, mainly.
The TV box does support a wide variety of codecs which are mainstream today e.g. .MKV and .MP4 etc, so it is very well supported on this side of things and with the addition of KODI and it's many permutations, this can be useful to keep the box alive and out of the waste pile, which is a good thing! I did find with Lakka, what it does emulate, has the better cores providing good compatibility with emulation.. however some 'ROMS' may not work particularly well, but that can usually be overcome with a different version of the 'ROM' itself and you may wish to check the Forums: forums.libretro.com/t/megathread-which-roms-work-with-lakka/5566 Or the Github Libretro-Database: github.com/libretro/libretro-database/blob/master/README.md Amiga emulation has got better over the years and is one of systems I purchased and still have from 'back in the day'.. but again this may fall short under emulation depending on the operating system i.e. Lakka, RecalBox or Batocera etc. , the hardware you are emulating on and also the compatibility of the Emulator/Core with the 'ROM' for the Amiga Model you are emulating.. that sounds a lot, but as an example, Batocera Linux hosts emulation of the Amiga Models by providing amiberry, fsuae, puae, puae2021 and uae4arm. Using this, I would suggest offers the better chance of emulation and compatibility regardless of the device hardware you are emulating on, providing Batocera is compatible to your device.. which you can check here: batocera.org/compatibility.php If you revisit this type of Amiga emulation now, you will most likely get more reliable results and be able to enjoy warm fuzzy memories of using that great system once again... and we wish you great success if you do! Don't forget to let 'us' know how you get on and if you would like to see a Slot It In There attempt at doing an Amiga emulation in a future video?
@@SlotItInThereThanks for the comprehensive answer. It's a few years ago now, and I don't remember if the image I downloaded for the Android box was based on Lakka, Batocera, or something else. I think the problems I had were 1) trying to get the right system ROMs (KS); and 2) getting the right format of game image. More than a decade ago I took copies of my A500 and A1200 ROMs, but seemingly neither had the right checksum to satisfy the emulator. I believe I did source correct ones later. As for games, it was possibly not set up to play ADF images, which was all I had, where it was set up for WHDs instead. It might also have been that when I did try WHD files, I had .zip versions, and it was expecting LHAs instead. I also around the same time downloaded a Raspberry Pi image with Amiga and C64 games on. I may be getting the two set ups confused in my mind, but I probably had similar issues with game images. Last year I bought an A500 Mini, which does its job well. I might still give the Android box a go again, though, as there is at least one favourite game that doesn't have a working ADF image, and has not yet had a WHD file created. The only working image is an IPF file which isn't supported on the A500 Mini. I suspect it could be made to work on Lakka or similar, though.
Apologies for not replying sooner! The best place to get fully up in the know about the current Amiga scene: www.amigaforever.com/ You can purchase the legitimate Kickstart files here, however you can get them on iOS and Android from their respective stores a lot cheaper! And then move them over to your PC to use later .. if you know what I mean! Depending on how you want to emulate the Amiga, you will need the Kickstart files for each Amiga type and Amiga Forever supplies everything from the A500 all the way to the CD32 and includes Workbench. Again the emulation method may require some 'work' to get the ADF and WHD loads working.. sadly no quick and filthy config' on this one! But I can recommend Bytes N Bits tutorial if you are using FS-UAE: th-cam.com/video/DOZ9RLs4S2k/w-d-xo.html Or if you want to use WinUAE, there is Just Jamie: th-cam.com/video/PANdvgUmkOw/w-d-xo.html Both go into detail on how to get up and running with the emulation including the Floppy (ADF) and Hard Disk (WHD) load. In reference to the expected file type, you may need to extract the folder, some emulators can't read/extract .zip files on the fly, it may be worth trying that? The A500 Mini looks like a fantastic piece of kit and I believe you can add additional software to it with minimal effort? Although I haven't tried as I don't currently have one!.. although I think I may have to revisit the Android TV Box and see what Amiga fun can be set up, how well it works... think we should make that a how to video! Thank you so much for your comment and we hope you get the Amiga emulation working, especially your favourite game! What is it by the way? Maybe we can get a ROM of it and go through making it a prime goal to get it working!
@@SlotItInThere Thanks again for the reply. I did buy something from Amiga Forever years ago, some software to link the Amiga and PC. I expect it was to allow file or disk image transfers from the Amiga to the PC. I also have an old version of Amiga Forever that came with an early issue of Retro Gamer magazine. I'm exclusively Linux, so the emulation side of it is academic, I assume it has the KS ROMs though. Even if it doesn't... Internet! The A500 Mini is certainly easy to use, with extra games being playable from a USB flash drive. Flash the latest firmware before doing any other configuration would be my advice. The favourite game is Space Battle, a fun Asteroids clone from Germany (Kingsoft?) marketed in the UK by Anco. It has thunderous sound effects, a co-op or competitive 2-player mode, and 'feels' right when playing. A lot of clones feel wrong. There are ADF images, but none of the released version images work, and some are SCA virus infected! The only working ADF image I found is of a v0.99 pre-release version. I don't know if it lacks features or has bugs. I understand that copy protection and other issues mean that there's no WHD Load image yet. That leaves the IPF image, which doesn't work on the A500 Mini, but does on emulators. If the Android box's Amiga emulator can be configured to read IPF images, as FS-UAE can via a plug-in - that would have something the A500 lacks. I was doing some reading-up on early Amiga games, and found that Bullfrog's first Amiga game - Fusion - also has no properly working images - WHD or ADF. According to Lemon Amiga, none of the images let you get off the first level. Again, there's an IPF image available which should be fully working.
@MarkTheMorose I believe you have access to the Amiga Explorer software, as long as you still have the license key, you can get the new version of this and possibly create your own file to use if you have the Amiga and the game? The Amiga Forever KS you have, may possibly hold the full collective of the Amiga range KS needed for modern emulation within any of the supporting Emulators! Lets hope you still have them to hand although you may need to 'rename' them depending on the emulator. I've done a little digging and found that WinUAE can utilise the IPF image since v4.1, but there is still some messing about to get this to actually run and FS-UAE also can as you say via the plug-in... and you are spot on with the available ADF versions being none runners or infected! I've even checked in some of the Archive.org packs and the game doesn't exist in them or is ADF complete with the SCA! The only other way to get it, is the original disk form E-Bay and one of the cheapest out there that looks good is this priced £8.99 from here: www.ebay.co.uk/str/8bitheaven?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211 and risk it's actually working, then you'd need to make your own file from it, but I think if it's something you have a passion for, then that's not too steep a price to pay (providing it works and you can create the ROM) It's sad that the A500 Mini doesn't support this and that nobody has yet managed to get this game in either ADF or WHD, however I'm pretty sure the Android Box does utilise FS-UAE, so there is a strong chance this could be made to work on it!.. If you do get this working, please update us, it would be great to know you're able to play it again!! And also if Fusion works also?! And thank you for the heads up about the firmware on the A500 Mini, I really want one and that little slice of gold you provided will prevent some frustration when I do get my hands on it! So thank you again!
Yes, it's just the once. When the boot loader comes on, you can let it do the rest itself and remove the pokey prodder! Provided you don't remove the SD card, it will always boot from that every time it's powered up.
Great video, I have a number of these old TV boxes and going to turn them I to emulators, question is do I need rhe original remote control or would I be able to use mouse and keyboard to set them up.. look forward to your reply thanks.
Thank you for your encouraging comment, it's really appreciated 👍 As far as the remote goes, it's basically obsolete and not needed, the interface can be used with a keyboard, but a controller is far easier! So I would recommend plugging in any USB controller you have (Xbox/PlayStation/8bitDo) and using that to navigate the menus! Depending on the emulator in use i.e. commodore or spectrum, you may find a keyboard is preferable! We hope that helps? And again, thank you for the comment!
I dug out my old android tv box (mxq pro not the 4k) its running androidlollipop5.1.1 would i be able to use this for an emulatorplease. @@SlotItInThere
Apologies for not spotting this sooner! But yes, the MXQ Pro is a box you can emulate with! Although we're not quite certain on what level of emulation you will get on the 32bit consoles, but you should be more than able to play a fine selection! You'll have to update us when you do as to which consoles it can emulate (Saturn/Dreamcast/N64 etc.).
Yeah definitely will update. Im new to all this but im good with pcs so ill find my way round in no time. Im going to see what i can do tomorrow.. ill update when i do. @@SlotItInThere
Good luck with this!.. you will need a different Lakka install though as your MXQ Pro will possibly have a different chipset to the one in the video... but please let us know how it goes! We have the faith in you!!
Hello @ManFromVenuss, depending on the device this is in, you could try using the le.builds.lakka.tv/legacy-2.3/Rockchip.MiQi.arm/ version? Alternatively Batocera Linux: batocera.org/download Maybe RetroArch? www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms . I don't believe RecalBox supports this chipset? Those are the only ones off the top of my head I can think of that may cover this device? Sadly I only looked into this particular Android box and not the alternatives! Hopefully one of those above will be fruitful for you?
The audio will play through the HDMI to the TV, if you need to add headphones, the "pokey prodder" is removed after the initial load from the SD Card so you can use the audio socket. I hope that helps? Thank you for your comment!
When I tried the USB, it did not detect the drive connected, you can try but I believe it is only SD Card.. let us know if you have better success with USB 👍
To think most people would throw away something so old and seemlingly incompatible with the modern world. And I'm not talking about Damion... this time. Keep fighting the e-waste and keep bringing the games! Stay gold Ponyboy.
We have tried and he keeps coming back!... but at his age, we believe it's all he knows how to do now!?
Great point on the e-waste side of this project.. lets hope this inspire others that may have this little gem hidden away somewhere screaming to be used again.
You cheeky s@#t!! You're just deflecting the fact you were voted oldest 🤣
Brilliant. I think I have one of those stashed in the loft. Ladders out tomorrow. Cheers.
We hope you find it and make use of it! Good luck 👍
great video, now I can finally do something with my old tv box, thank you kind sir
Glad we could help, one less device going as ewaste hopefully, good luck getting your TV box emulating! And thank you for the warm and positive comment too!
I love taking old discarded technology and turning it back into something useful! I have actually done this very thing with old Chromeboxes. They make for handsome little emulation machines for a really reasonable price. It's just because their ability to boot alternate operating systems is locked behind a process that is a little hacky, most people won't attempt it. But if you manage to pull it off, you can get really decent performance for relatively low prices.
Cheap and cheerful emulation is always welcome and the price for these TV boxes are surprisingly low too! It's great that you also value this too!
The way people are so willing to toss perfectly good tech just blows my mind. I've been snatching up used RPi 2B's on the cheap & setting up retro game/RPi OS boxes for my friends with kids. Also upgrading a lot of used laptops with Linux for friends that can't upgrade Win. They're always amazed at how much faster the laptop becomes!
It's awesome to be introduced to someone else that also likes to repurpose tech and keep it useful and used! With the retro emulation options and vast selection of Linux distro's does it make sense to throw the older generation devices out when you can just give it a little love with a different O/S such as Linux mint or Lakka!?
Thank you for your comment and keep up with your efforts reworking those old devices!
I feel inspired to see what else is out there to turn iinto an emulation system, I think I'll be having a bit of a tinker myself. Keep this fabulous content coming.
There must be a plethora of things that can be used!? It will be great to see what you come up with!..
Going to party like it's 1991! 🥳 🎉
Welcome to the party!! 🎉🥳
I have a similar old box that I use to watch videos. It seems to have all the right codecs to view them, and does so in a de-branded Kodi. I did buy another box specifically to use for a retro box, but never really got into it. My fuzzy memories tell me that trying to get Amiga emulation going was hit and miss; miss, mainly.
The TV box does support a wide variety of codecs which are mainstream today e.g. .MKV and .MP4 etc, so it is very well supported on this side of things and with the addition of KODI and it's many permutations, this can be useful to keep the box alive and out of the waste pile, which is a good thing!
I did find with Lakka, what it does emulate, has the better cores providing good compatibility with emulation.. however some 'ROMS' may not work particularly well, but that can usually be overcome with a different version of the 'ROM' itself and you may wish to check the Forums: forums.libretro.com/t/megathread-which-roms-work-with-lakka/5566
Or the Github Libretro-Database: github.com/libretro/libretro-database/blob/master/README.md
Amiga emulation has got better over the years and is one of systems I purchased and still have from 'back in the day'.. but again this may fall short under emulation depending on the operating system i.e. Lakka, RecalBox or Batocera etc. , the hardware you are emulating on and also the compatibility of the Emulator/Core with the 'ROM' for the Amiga Model you are emulating.. that sounds a lot, but as an example, Batocera Linux hosts emulation of the Amiga Models by providing amiberry, fsuae, puae, puae2021 and uae4arm. Using this, I would suggest offers the better chance of emulation and compatibility regardless of the device hardware you are emulating on, providing Batocera is compatible to your device.. which you can check here: batocera.org/compatibility.php
If you revisit this type of Amiga emulation now, you will most likely get more reliable results and be able to enjoy warm fuzzy memories of using that great system once again... and we wish you great success if you do!
Don't forget to let 'us' know how you get on and if you would like to see a Slot It In There attempt at doing an Amiga emulation in a future video?
@@SlotItInThereThanks for the comprehensive answer. It's a few years ago now, and I don't remember if the image I downloaded for the Android box was based on Lakka, Batocera, or something else. I think the problems I had were 1) trying to get the right system ROMs (KS); and 2) getting the right format of game image.
More than a decade ago I took copies of my A500 and A1200 ROMs, but seemingly neither had the right checksum to satisfy the emulator. I believe I did source correct ones later. As for games, it was possibly not set up to play ADF images, which was all I had, where it was set up for WHDs instead. It might also have been that when I did try WHD files, I had .zip versions, and it was expecting LHAs instead.
I also around the same time downloaded a Raspberry Pi image with Amiga and C64 games on. I may be getting the two set ups confused in my mind, but I probably had similar issues with game images.
Last year I bought an A500 Mini, which does its job well. I might still give the Android box a go again, though, as there is at least one favourite game that doesn't have a working ADF image, and has not yet had a WHD file created. The only working image is an IPF file which isn't supported on the A500 Mini. I suspect it could be made to work on Lakka or similar, though.
Apologies for not replying sooner!
The best place to get fully up in the know about the current Amiga scene: www.amigaforever.com/
You can purchase the legitimate Kickstart files here, however you can get them on iOS and Android from their respective stores a lot cheaper! And then move them over to your PC to use later .. if you know what I mean!
Depending on how you want to emulate the Amiga, you will need the Kickstart files for each Amiga type and Amiga Forever supplies everything from the A500 all the way to the CD32 and includes Workbench.
Again the emulation method may require some 'work' to get the ADF and WHD loads working.. sadly no quick and filthy config' on this one! But I can recommend Bytes N Bits tutorial if you are using FS-UAE: th-cam.com/video/DOZ9RLs4S2k/w-d-xo.html
Or if you want to use WinUAE, there is Just Jamie: th-cam.com/video/PANdvgUmkOw/w-d-xo.html
Both go into detail on how to get up and running with the emulation including the Floppy (ADF) and Hard Disk (WHD) load.
In reference to the expected file type, you may need to extract the folder, some emulators can't read/extract .zip files on the fly, it may be worth trying that?
The A500 Mini looks like a fantastic piece of kit and I believe you can add additional software to it with minimal effort? Although I haven't tried as I don't currently have one!.. although I think I may have to revisit the Android TV Box and see what Amiga fun can be set up, how well it works... think we should make that a how to video!
Thank you so much for your comment and we hope you get the Amiga emulation working, especially your favourite game! What is it by the way? Maybe we can get a ROM of it and go through making it a prime goal to get it working!
@@SlotItInThere Thanks again for the reply. I did buy something from Amiga Forever years ago, some software to link the Amiga and PC. I expect it was to allow file or disk image transfers from the Amiga to the PC. I also have an old version of Amiga Forever that came with an early issue of Retro Gamer magazine. I'm exclusively Linux, so the emulation side of it is academic, I assume it has the KS ROMs though. Even if it doesn't... Internet!
The A500 Mini is certainly easy to use, with extra games being playable from a USB flash drive. Flash the latest firmware before doing any other configuration would be my advice.
The favourite game is Space Battle, a fun Asteroids clone from Germany (Kingsoft?) marketed in the UK by Anco. It has thunderous sound effects, a co-op or competitive 2-player mode, and 'feels' right when playing. A lot of clones feel wrong. There are ADF images, but none of the released version images work, and some are SCA virus infected! The only working ADF image I found is of a v0.99 pre-release version. I don't know if it lacks features or has bugs. I understand that copy protection and other issues mean that there's no WHD Load image yet. That leaves the IPF image, which doesn't work on the A500 Mini, but does on emulators. If the Android box's Amiga emulator can be configured to read IPF images, as FS-UAE can via a plug-in - that would have something the A500 lacks.
I was doing some reading-up on early Amiga games, and found that Bullfrog's first Amiga game - Fusion - also has no properly working images - WHD or ADF. According to Lemon Amiga, none of the images let you get off the first level. Again, there's an IPF image available which should be fully working.
@MarkTheMorose I believe you have access to the Amiga Explorer software, as long as you still have the license key, you can get the new version of this and possibly create your own file to use if you have the Amiga and the game?
The Amiga Forever KS you have, may possibly hold the full collective of the Amiga range KS needed for modern emulation within any of the supporting Emulators! Lets hope you still have them to hand although you may need to 'rename' them depending on the emulator.
I've done a little digging and found that WinUAE can utilise the IPF image since v4.1, but there is still some messing about to get this to actually run and FS-UAE also can as you say via the plug-in... and you are spot on with the available ADF versions being none runners or infected! I've even checked in some of the Archive.org packs and the game doesn't exist in them or is ADF complete with the SCA!
The only other way to get it, is the original disk form E-Bay and one of the cheapest out there that looks good is this priced £8.99 from here: www.ebay.co.uk/str/8bitheaven?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211 and risk it's actually working, then you'd need to make your own file from it, but I think if it's something you have a passion for, then that's not too steep a price to pay (providing it works and you can create the ROM)
It's sad that the A500 Mini doesn't support this and that nobody has yet managed to get this game in either ADF or WHD, however I'm pretty sure the Android Box does utilise FS-UAE, so there is a strong chance this could be made to work on it!.. If you do get this working, please update us, it would be great to know you're able to play it again!! And also if Fusion works also?!
And thank you for the heads up about the firmware on the A500 Mini, I really want one and that little slice of gold you provided will prevent some frustration when I do get my hands on it! So thank you again!
Does the poky thing only need doing the once? Thanks
Yes, it's just the once. When the boot loader comes on, you can let it do the rest itself and remove the pokey prodder! Provided you don't remove the SD card, it will always boot from that every time it's powered up.
Great video, I have a number of these old TV boxes and going to turn them I to emulators, question is do I need rhe original remote control or would I be able to use mouse and keyboard to set them up.. look forward to your reply thanks.
Thank you for your encouraging comment, it's really appreciated 👍 As far as the remote goes, it's basically obsolete and not needed, the interface can be used with a keyboard, but a controller is far easier! So I would recommend plugging in any USB controller you have (Xbox/PlayStation/8bitDo) and using that to navigate the menus! Depending on the emulator in use i.e. commodore or spectrum, you may find a keyboard is preferable!
We hope that helps? And again, thank you for the comment!
I dug out my old android tv box (mxq pro not the 4k) its running androidlollipop5.1.1 would i be able to use this for an emulatorplease. @@SlotItInThere
Apologies for not spotting this sooner! But yes, the MXQ Pro is a box you can emulate with! Although we're not quite certain on what level of emulation you will get on the 32bit consoles, but you should be more than able to play a fine selection! You'll have to update us when you do as to which consoles it can emulate (Saturn/Dreamcast/N64 etc.).
Yeah definitely will update. Im new to all this but im good with pcs so ill find my way round in no time. Im going to see what i can do tomorrow.. ill update when i do. @@SlotItInThere
Good luck with this!.. you will need a different Lakka install though as your MXQ Pro will possibly have a different chipset to the one in the video... but please let us know how it goes! We have the faith in you!!
Great minds! Wonder if you can turn it into a reliable Linux PC too?
It might be possible... with the right distro?! We might have to go on that adventure in a future video!
@@SlotItInThere that would be awesome and much appreciated 👍🏽
I know this video is pretty old, but i have a rockchip 3066, can you recommend any retro games like lakka for it?
Hello @ManFromVenuss, depending on the device this is in, you could try using the le.builds.lakka.tv/legacy-2.3/Rockchip.MiQi.arm/ version? Alternatively Batocera Linux: batocera.org/download Maybe RetroArch? www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms . I don't believe RecalBox supports this chipset? Those are the only ones off the top of my head I can think of that may cover this device? Sadly I only looked into this particular Android box and not the alternatives! Hopefully one of those above will be fruitful for you?
Will I have to be sure during use? So how to connect audio?
The audio will play through the HDMI to the TV, if you need to add headphones, the "pokey prodder" is removed after the initial load from the SD Card so you can use the audio socket. I hope that helps?
Thank you for your comment!
Can I use usb instead of sd card ?
When I tried the USB, it did not detect the drive connected, you can try but I believe it is only SD Card.. let us know if you have better success with USB 👍
R u nuts
Some might say that... others not so much? Opinions are each to there own!
@@SlotItInThere mo lecture a hole