Nice review for a great product (and I guess I know what I'm talking about since I'm the author of the BOOTI firmware). I'm quite busy with other stuff right now, but I'll keep on improving the firmware (and add IIgs serial VDRIVE support) as soon as I can. Cheers from France !
Thanks for an awesome product! It's the perfect blend of functionality, performance and cost and I've been super happy with it! Looking forward to future updates.
Man, I've been wondering when something like this would come along for a while now. I like the FloppyEMU, but the thing is sold out most of the time. Hopefully this will be easier to get. Many thanks for the tip and tutorial sir, rock on!
Pretty cool trick! Personally, I don't think it's any fun. My fondest memories are listening to the read sounds from the floppy disks and the initial knocking sounds from the 5.25 drive when you first turn it on and swapping floppies. It loses the nostalgia feeling for me when bootup is so quiet. I got my modern laptops for that. But that's just me. 😁
I believe the IGrelly would work alright for your purpose. Just search "USB Extension Cable - iGreely 2Pack 1Ft/30cm USB 2.0 Panel-Mount Type A Male to Type A Female Cable" on amazon
I just purchased my first Apple II. It is a IIGS. I have a lot to learn about operating systems and running files on it. Booti is currently sold out. I am thinking about getting a FloppyEMU and MicroDrive Turbo. I need to do some more research. Is there a CiderPress alternative that works on M1 Macs? I have several Windows 10 computers, but my MacBook Air has really become my go to lately.
Yea Booti was sold out when I tried to get one, so I signed up for the notification and was able to buy it once it restocked. Of course, with chip shortages these days, who knows when that might be. There has got to be something for the Mac but I'll admit that I haven't tried it yet. Enjoy the IIgs!
Great video. I know this is not my personal blog but... I find these videos entertaining but I thus far resisted the urge to get into retro computing myself. I have to wonder, would not all these retro channels do better serve computing if they coded clones of software or ported games to inexpensive platforms like the Raspberry Pi or other single board computers? Just an idea.
I can't speak for Armitage, but for me personally, farting around with the old hardware is the whole point, and the software is kinda secondary. Otherwise we could just use emulators for everything.
I'm a big fan of emulation on a PC and Raspberry Pi and they do a great job. I'm even thinking of doing an episode on the MiSTer -- I want to build one to mess around with AGA Amiga stuff and other game consoles with true 15khz RGB output. I'm also a big fan of restoring, upgrading, and using original hardware. Each brand and model have their own quirks and personality. It's hard to explain :P
Yea they seem to sell out just as fast as they restock. I signed up for the email notification and was able to pick one up as soon as they got more in that way.
I made the cable. Pigtails are available for both the Apple's DB15 and the 1084's DIN6 connectors. Just need to cross connect the two ends up, matching the R,G,B, and ground pins. The 1084 normally expects separate H and V-sync signals, but if you feed it the IIgs Csync signal into the Hsync pin, it'll work just fine.
when is someone going to build a video card for that system with some sort of acceleration, just to keep draw times low, higher resolutions for gs/os would be sweet. more colours on screen. preferably 24bit colour. you know like an fpga solution. anyways, i think that what with you have installed, and what the system is, given the drawbacks and limitations, the gs is a pretty ok machine. im looking at one, id like to get a falcon and pimp it out, but hey, theyre expensive and no one reverse engineered the board or built fpga based custom chips for it. a sound card or speaker output in stereo would be sweet too.
I would love to see an inexpensive accelerator for the IIgs. My biggest complaint is the slow CPU/system performance. Used TransWarp GS cards are really expensive and pretty few and far between on eBay. I heard rumors that someone might be working on one, guess we'll have to see. Stereo audio upgrade is also on the wishlist, but those cards are available and inexpensive.
@@retrobitstv The boys at ReActiveMicro are working on a v2 of the TransWarp card. It is delayed a bit due to chip shortages but may be available within a year. In February they told me it might be a year or more, so maybe in 6mos? The new card will have a lower component count and take maybe less than an hour to configure during production vs 5-6hrs for the current version, so that should *hopefully* translate to a price reduction. The v1.1 currently lists for $450.
@@UTubeRangerBob may as well get the apple squeezer these days, it's 300 bucks so a good bit cheaper. plus it's faster and comes with lots of ram and a ram disk
My Focus hardcard is no longer working and I have no idea why. I get an AMBER LED momentarily, then it goes off. I hear the drive whirring. But system comes up with no disk booting. Is the Booti going to ever be produced again? This would be great if I could download files off the internet to my thumbdrive and get them on the GS as well as a hard drive alternative. Is it going to get a second batch run? Really would like something as I don't seem to have much in my library of 3.5's. Not even an OS. My Apple system utils disk died.
They were out of stock when I wanted to pick one up as well. I signed up for a notification and was able to get one shortly after that. They seem to sell out just as fast as they come in, so you have to act quick. Good luck!
Any 15Khz RGB monitor that can handle csync should work with the IIgs. I've had luck with the Commodore 1084S as well as the Sony PVMs. For the particular Amiga monitor I'm using, you can get a pigtail here: www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/tensility-international-corp/10-00436/2625286 and use the pinout for Analog RGB: gona.mactar.hu/Commodore/monitor/Commodore_1084_pinout_DIN-rotated_large.png The IIgs end uses a DB15 connector with the following pinout: www.apple2faq.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Apple_IIgs_RGB_pin_outs.jpg Connect R, G, and B accordingly. I tied the grounds together, and connected the Apple's csync to the 1084's hsync pin.
@@retrobitstv OMG, thank you so much for the detailed reply!! I kept my message short b/c I don't expect that many TH-camrs reply to such questions. Very helpful. Just last night I placed an order with Mouser for a DB15 connector and a DIN6 connector with the hopes of constructing something similar. I'm encouraged that this approach worked for you. Thank you friend!
This is awesome! Always love my tech with shitty music. As with all tech videos that include this terrible choice - I stop the video and leave. First rule of tech - "keep it simple". And to add to that - "less is more".
![Apple ][ plus: VIDEX 80 column card, CPM on the Apple II and servicing the disk drives](/img/n.gif)
Got my IIgs out of storage and ordered a Booti after watching this. It's gonna be awesome.
Your visual comparison of the Booti card with the hard drives you are discarding really drives home your point. Good job.
I have to give all of y'all credit from withholding so many obvious "Booty" jokes, and for my man saying "Booti" so many times with a straight face.
I just ordered one the other day and it's "Out for delivery" right now. Can't wait!
Nice review for a great product (and I guess I know what I'm talking about since I'm the author of the BOOTI firmware). I'm quite busy with other stuff right now, but I'll keep on improving the firmware (and add IIgs serial VDRIVE support) as soon as I can. Cheers from France !
Thanks for an awesome product! It's the perfect blend of functionality, performance and cost and I've been super happy with it! Looking forward to future updates.
Too bad the developer (David Mutimer) has decided to discontinue/kill the BOOTI.
Great review. I have the Floppy Emu and CFFA 3000, but this looks like a welcome addition to keeping real Apple ][ hardware working.
Thanks! I missed the boat on the CFFA 3000. If only I had picked up the IIgs sooner!
Task Force!! I loved that game when I had my IIGS and I couldn't think of the name of it! Yasssss!
Excellent video. I need to buy one of these Booti devices. Thank you for the clear explanation.
Man, I've been wondering when something like this would come along for a while now. I like the FloppyEMU, but the thing is sold out most of the time. Hopefully this will be easier to get. Many thanks for the tip and tutorial sir, rock on!
Looks like a cartridge for a console, very cute
Excellent test !
Glad you liked it!
1:46 Blew my mind on that screwdriver.
This is some David Copperfield magic right here. ;D
Thank you for this video, I just received mine and you made it easy.
Great to hear! Enjoy yours!
Those things are pretty cool. I'll probably get one when I run out of working low capacity SCSI hard drives, heh.
I have a couple old SCSI drives that still work, but no RLL drives to use with the enclosure I have. This thing is really convenient though!
Quick tip. That’s what’s editing for. We don’t need to see you struggle mightily trying to plug in usb the wrong way ;-)
Pretty cool trick! Personally, I don't think it's any fun. My fondest memories are listening to the read sounds from the floppy disks and the initial knocking sounds from the 5.25 drive when you first turn it on and swapping floppies. It loses the nostalgia feeling for me when bootup is so quiet. I got my modern laptops for that. But that's just me. 😁
In the end you didn't show what the HFS image created in 4:08 was for.
I believe the IGrelly would work alright for your purpose.
Just search "USB Extension Cable - iGreely 2Pack 1Ft/30cm USB 2.0 Panel-Mount Type A Male to Type A Female Cable" on amazon
Cool, thanks for the heads up!
I just purchased my first Apple II. It is a IIGS. I have a lot to learn about operating systems and running files on it. Booti is currently sold out. I am thinking about getting a FloppyEMU and MicroDrive Turbo. I need to do some more research. Is there a CiderPress alternative that works on M1 Macs? I have several Windows 10 computers, but my MacBook Air has really become my go to lately.
Yea Booti was sold out when I tried to get one, so I signed up for the notification and was able to buy it once it restocked. Of course, with chip shortages these days, who knows when that might be. There has got to be something for the Mac but I'll admit that I haven't tried it yet. Enjoy the IIgs!
@@retrobitstv Thanks!
You only flipped the USB connector once... What sort of demon magic is this??
Great video. I know this is not my personal blog but... I find these videos entertaining but I thus far resisted the urge to get into retro computing myself. I have to wonder, would not all these retro channels do better serve computing if they coded clones of software or ported games to inexpensive platforms like the Raspberry Pi or other single board computers? Just an idea.
I can't speak for Armitage, but for me personally, farting around with the old hardware is the whole point, and the software is kinda secondary. Otherwise we could just use emulators for everything.
I'm a big fan of emulation on a PC and Raspberry Pi and they do a great job. I'm even thinking of doing an episode on the MiSTer -- I want to build one to mess around with AGA Amiga stuff and other game consoles with true 15khz RGB output. I'm also a big fan of restoring, upgrading, and using original hardware. Each brand and model have their own quirks and personality. It's hard to explain :P
retrobits oh yeah they do, I get it, I would just like to see the code open source and ported, why emulate when we could run natively?
And they're gone. I looked for them and was about to go ahead and order. But nope, out of stock.
Yea they seem to sell out just as fast as they restock. I signed up for the email notification and was able to pick one up as soon as they got more in that way.
How did they not go with "bootii" ?
Where did you get the cable to connect your Commodore 1084 monitor and IIGS?
I made the cable. Pigtails are available for both the Apple's DB15 and the 1084's DIN6 connectors. Just need to cross connect the two ends up, matching the R,G,B, and ground pins. The 1084 normally expects separate H and V-sync signals, but if you feed it the IIgs Csync signal into the Hsync pin, it'll work just fine.
when is someone going to build a video card for that system with some sort of acceleration, just to keep draw times low, higher resolutions for gs/os would be sweet. more colours on screen. preferably 24bit colour. you know like an fpga solution. anyways, i think that what with you have installed, and what the system is, given the drawbacks and limitations, the gs is a pretty ok machine. im looking at one, id like to get a falcon and pimp it out, but hey, theyre expensive and no one reverse engineered the board or built fpga based custom chips for it. a sound card or speaker output in stereo would be sweet too.
I would love to see an inexpensive accelerator for the IIgs. My biggest complaint is the slow CPU/system performance. Used TransWarp GS cards are really expensive and pretty few and far between on eBay. I heard rumors that someone might be working on one, guess we'll have to see. Stereo audio upgrade is also on the wishlist, but those cards are available and inexpensive.
@@retrobitstv The boys at ReActiveMicro are working on a v2 of the TransWarp card. It is delayed a bit due to chip shortages but may be available within a year. In February they told me it might be a year or more, so maybe in 6mos? The new card will have a lower component count and take maybe less than an hour to configure during production vs 5-6hrs for the current version, so that should *hopefully* translate to a price reduction. The v1.1 currently lists for $450.
@@UTubeRangerBob may as well get the apple squeezer these days, it's 300 bucks so a good bit cheaper. plus it's faster and comes with lots of ram and a ram disk
@@XenotypalTVGot one a few months ago. 👍
@@UTubeRangerBob just ordered mine today, I'm pretty excited for it.
My Focus hardcard is no longer working and I have no idea why. I get an AMBER LED momentarily, then it goes off. I hear the drive whirring. But system comes up with no disk booting. Is the Booti going to ever be produced again? This would be great if I could download files off the internet to my thumbdrive and get them on the GS as well as a hard drive alternative. Is it going to get a second batch run? Really would like something as I don't seem to have much in my library of 3.5's. Not even an OS. My Apple system utils disk died.
They were out of stock when I wanted to pick one up as well. I signed up for a notification and was able to get one shortly after that. They seem to sell out just as fast as they come in, so you have to act quick. Good luck!
They're continuously being produced, so get in the queue early if you can. I have one and it's transformed my IIgs.
Hey RetroBits, how did you connect your IIgs to a Commodore monitor?
Any 15Khz RGB monitor that can handle csync should work with the IIgs. I've had luck with the Commodore 1084S as well as the Sony PVMs. For the particular Amiga monitor I'm using, you can get a pigtail here:
www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/tensility-international-corp/10-00436/2625286
and use the pinout for Analog RGB:
gona.mactar.hu/Commodore/monitor/Commodore_1084_pinout_DIN-rotated_large.png
The IIgs end uses a DB15 connector with the following pinout:
www.apple2faq.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Apple_IIgs_RGB_pin_outs.jpg
Connect R, G, and B accordingly. I tied the grounds together, and connected the Apple's csync to the 1084's hsync pin.
@@retrobitstv OMG, thank you so much for the detailed reply!! I kept my message short b/c I don't expect that many TH-camrs reply to such questions. Very helpful.
Just last night I placed an order with Mouser for a DB15 connector and a DIN6 connector with the hopes of constructing something similar. I'm encouraged that this approach worked for you. Thank you friend!
@@MatthJenks No problem. Good luck!
This is awesome! Always love my tech with shitty music.
As with all tech videos that include this terrible choice - I stop the video and leave.
First rule of tech - "keep it simple". And to add to that - "less is more".
BOOTI PLEES PLEY DMC ][
No more Booti available now. What do you suggest?😊
I think the Floppy Emu is pretty much the go-to for people these days but it is much more expensive than the Booti was :(
the guy cloning the booti on ebay
booti plae dmc2 is best gaem
Ah USB A @ 3:15 50% the wrong way around, 90% of the time
Too true. And the other 10% of the time you have it the right way around but it still doesn't go in, so you try flipping it anyway!
@@retrobitstv ...which we so afflicted call "working the third way around" (especially fascinating for a _supposedly_ two-sided connector design 😁...)
Well darn out of stock and no longer produced.
DOOD!