Amiga 600
 | |
| Amiga 600 | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Commodore |
| Type | Home computer |
| Released | March 1992[1] |
| Discontinued | 1993[1] |
| Intro price | US$499.99; US$749.99 with hard drive[1] |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 at 7.09 MHz (PAL) or 7.16 MHz (NTSC)[2] |
| Memory | 512 KB or 1 MB chip RAM; a further 1 MB with the A601[2] |
| Storage | Internal 3.5-inch floppy drive; 2.5-inch IDE hard drive in the A600HD[2] |
| Display | — |
| Sound | 8364 Paula[2] |
| Graphics | 8375 ECS Agnus, 8373 ECS Denise[2] |
| ROM | 512 KB Kickstart 2.05[2][1] |
| Ports / interface | PCMCIA Type II, internal 44-pin IDE, serial, parallel, external floppy, two mouse and game ports, RGB, composite, RF, stereo audio, trapdoor memory slot[2] |
| Power | External supply 391029-01 to -05[2] |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Predecessor | Amiga 500 |
| Successor | Amiga 1200 |
The Amiga 600 (A600) is a compact home computer that Commodore launched in March 1992 and discontinued in late 1993.[1] Commodore described it as "a feature enhanced version of the A500 personal computer, in a smaller case with no numeric keypad".[2] It added a PCMCIA card slot, an internal IDE interface for a 2.5-inch hard drive, colour composite video and an RF output, and its custom chips were repackaged as PLCCs for surface mounting.[2] Its electrolytic capacitors are surface-mount parts, and they leak from underneath onto the board;[3] see the Amiga 600 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Specification
[edit | edit source]| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | 68000, 7.16 MHz (NTSC) or 7.09 MHz (PAL) |
| Memory | 512 KB or 1 MB, expandable by 1 MB with the A601 |
| ROM | 512 KB Kickstart, version 2 |
| Storage | Internal 3.5-inch floppy drive; A600HD with a 2.5-inch IDE hard drive |
| Chip set | 8375 Fat Agnus (2 MB chip RAM capable), 8373 ECS Denise, 8364 R7 Paula, Gayle |
| Additions over the A500 | PCMCIA/JEIDA memory and I/O card interface, IDE interface, colour composite video, RF video and audio |
Gayle takes the place of the A500's Gary chip and adds the PCMCIA and IDE interfaces.[2] All three Kickstart releases for the A600, 37.299, 37.300 and 37.350, are version 2.05. The 37.299 ROM supports neither the IDE interface nor PCMCIA, and 37.350 waits longer for hard disks to spin up.[1]
Main board
[edit | edit source]| Ref | Part | Commodore part no. |
|---|---|---|
| U1 | 68000 processor | 390084-01 |
| U2 | 8375 ECS Agnus | 390544-01 |
| U3 | 8364 Paula | 391077-01 |
| U4 | 8373 ECS Denise | 391081-01 |
| U5 | Gayle gate array (4145-20) | 391155-01 |
| U6 | ROM 256K × 16, 200 ns | 391304-01 |
| U7, U8 | 8520 CIA | 391078-01 |
| U12 | Sony CXA1145 video encoder | 391084-01 |
| U13 | 6570-30 keyboard microcontroller | 391079-01 |
| U14 | NE555 reset timer | 391104-01 |
| U15 | LF347 or TL084 op-amp | 391103-01 |
| U16, U17 | DRAM 256K × 16, 120 ns | 391105-01 |
| U28, U29 | 1488 line driver, 1489 line receiver | 391087-01, 391086-01 |
| X1 | 28.63636 MHz (NTSC) or 28.37512 MHz (PAL) oscillator | 325566-14, 252344-01 |
The 68000 is soldered to the board, not socketed.[4]
Board revisions
[edit | edit source]The Big Book of Amiga Hardware lists Rev. 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2B and 2D boards. Rev. 1.0 boards are labelled A300 and carry an extra chip below Gayle; Rev. 2D is a quarter of an inch shorter than Rev. 1.0.[5] The Amiga Resource pairs the early boards with Gayle revision 01 and Kickstart 37.299 or 37.300, and the 2B and 2D boards with Gayle 02 and Kickstart 37.350.[4] Commodore's April 1992 document is drawn to schematic #315987 Rev. C and does not map that to the board markings.[2]
Memory expansion and clock
[edit | edit source]The A600 has no real-time clock on the main board.[6] Commodore's A601 trapdoor card added RAM with a battery-backed clock.[7] The A604 is a later card from Individual Computers whose clock runs from a CR1220 coin cell.[8]
Power supply
[edit | edit source]Commodore lists five supply variants for the A600: 391029-01 (UL/CSA, 110 V), -02 (BSI, 240 V), -03 (VDE, 220 V), -04 (SEV, 220 V) and -05 (SAA, 220 V).[2] The Amiga Hardware Database gives the A600 and A1200 supply as 3.0 A on +5 V, 0.5 A on +12 V and 0.1 A on −12 V, 22.2 W in all.[9]
Repair and maintenance
[edit | edit source]Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Amiga 600 System Schematics (400422-02): Commodore's April 1992 service document with specifications, board layout, parts lists and schematic #315987 Rev. C.
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
An A600 main board in the lower case -
Commodore's board layout page
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Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Amiga 600—link(accessed 2026-10-01) Launch in mid-March 1992, US prices, discontinuation in late 1993, Kickstart 2.05 revisions.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Commodore Business Machines, A600 System Schematics, PN-400422-02, April 1992, hosted at Amiga 600 System Schematics (400422-02). Specifications, PDF p. 3; board layout and key components, PDF p. 5; power supplies, PDF p. 10; main board components, PDF pp. 12-13.
- ↑ Amiga repairs—link(accessed 2026-10-01) "these capacitors leak from their underside directly onto the PCB".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Amiga 600—link(accessed 2026-10-01) Board revision, Gayle and Kickstart pairings; "Even its 68000 is not socketed".
- ↑ Commodore Amiga 600—link(accessed 2026-10-01)
- ↑ RTC battery replacement—link(accessed 2026-10-01) "The 'wedge' Amigas such as the A500 and A600 and A1200 did not have main board RTCs."
- ↑ A601—link(accessed 2026-10-01)
- ↑ Individual Computers, A604—link(accessed 2026-10-01)
- ↑ Amiga 500/600/1200 power supply—link(accessed 2026-10-01)