Building My Perfect Amiga 600 Computer

The Amiga 600 was never the most powerful machine Commodore made, but it is the one I have always liked the most. I have had the 500 and the 1200, but the 600 had the right balance of size and style. The shape, proportions, and keyboard all had a certain look that stuck in my head for years. Perfection.

For the last while, I had been running PiMiga on a Raspberry Pi 400. The problem is the Pi 400 as a piece of hardware. It is basically a flat, low-profile keyboard, which is fine for laptops but not something I enjoy for a desktop. It also looks like a cheap Apple counterfeit keyboard. The more I used it, the more I felt that the internals were great, but the look and keyboard were completely wrong for what I wanted.

At one point, I thought about putting the Pi 400 internals into a mechanical keyboard. I even bought one for the job, a wired Kataaa Model VI mechanical keyboard. In theory, it seemed like a good idea because it had mechanical switches, a more retro style, and some space inside. Once I had it in front of me, I realised the layout and port positions would be a pain to work with, especially with the curved back of the case. I could have made it work with enough effort, but the result would not have looked clean or the way I wanted. That was when the idea of using an Amiga 600 case came back to me.

I had already seen plenty of Raspberry Pi conversions in Amiga 500 and 1200 cases. They look good, but they are large machines. The 500 takes up too much desk space, and the 1200, although sleeker, is still too big for me and still does not look as great as the Amiga 600. I could use modern enhancements to make the 1200 setup much simpler (Amiga 1200NG), but even then it would not be what I really wanted. The 600 is the perfect size and shape. There are not many clean conversions for it, which made the idea more interesting. The challenge was the keyboard. Using a different keyboard would require damaging the case, and I did not want to do that. If I was going to do this, it had to keep the original keyboard.

That meant finding a USB interface for the A600 keyboard. I first looked at the Keyrah V3, but it was too large and awkwardly shaped for this build. Then I found the Amiga 600 Keyboard USB Adapter from Thinghacker. It is much smaller and fits the design I had in mind, so I went with that one.

With the keyboard interface chosen, I started looking for a donor case. I found a non-working Amiga 600 on eBay that had clearly been sitting unused for years, yellowed and extremely dusty. I have never seen such a dirty computer before. At this stage, I was already thinking about recapping the motherboard to get it working again and adding a PiStorm with an HDMI interface. But even if I repaired it, I would face problems such as awkward dual HDMI setups and no AGA support. With a Raspberry Pi, I could have a single HDMI output, AGA in emulation, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth for a PS4 controller, and everything in one box. The decision was made to go with my initial plan.

Once the Amiga motherboard and floppy drive were removed, I began the cleaning process. The plastic had the typical light yellowing that old Amiga hardware develops with time. I washed the case in warm soapy water and did the same with the keycaps. Then I placed them outside in the garden, in a plastic box, for a retrobright session using twelve percent hydrogen peroxide. The result exceeded my expectations, with both the case and keys looking like new again.

For this setup, I used a Raspberry Pi 4. PiMiga runs well on it, and I trust it more than the Pi 5 at the moment for this kind of setup, especially since the 16 GB version of the Pi 5 cannot load PiMiga 4.0. The Pi is currently sitting in the original bottom part of its own case, but I plan to mount it on plastic standoffs like the keyboard interface once I have smaller ones. The same goes for the Greaseweazle. The standoffs I ordered are too big and only fit the keyboard interface. For the rear ports, I used an L-shaped plastic profile and screw-mounted extension cables so that the HDMI, Ethernet, USB, and USB-C power ports are fitted neatly to the trim without cutting into the case. The plastic trim is attached to the bottom of the Amiga case using double-sided foam tape and can be easily removed without damaging the original case. I decided to keep the floppy drive. It was not a priority, but I felt the setup would feel incomplete without it, and I did not want to leave an empty space where the floppy drive belongs.

That is where the build stands right now. The case and keys are restored, the keyboard adapter is ready, and the Pi is in place. The goal is still exactly the same as when I started: to keep the look and feel of the Amiga 600 I remember, while making it run like a modern machine with HDMI, AGA support, and internet in one clean, self-contained package.

Things still to do: The Greaseweazle is not yet set up. I need to get it working when I find more time. On the right side, where the two DB9 port holes are, I will finish it in a similar way to the back ports using L-shaped trim, but I will probably use only one USB port. On the left side, where the PCMCIA port was, I might place an SD card extender that will let me easily change the Raspberry Pi SD card if needed. I already have one.

12/08/2025

Google Sites

Report abuse