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Adding Modern Storage to Retro Computers
Old computers are cool, but hundreds and hundreds of cassette tapes, floppy discs, cartridges and cd-roms is most definitely not. They also take up a huge amount of room.
Most of my retro systems have at least one type of more modern mass-storage device, some more useable than others.
Acorn RiscPC 700
The RiscPC has standard IDE headers and can use industry standard IDE hard drives, Compact Flash adaptors and optical drives.
Currently fitted: Internal IDE to Compact Flash adapter + 8GB CF card.
Acorn A7000
As per RiscPC, the A7000 has standard IDE.
Currently fitted: Internal IDE to Compact Flash adapter + 8GB CF card.
Amiga 500
No mass-storage provision as standard.
Amiga 1200
On board 44pin 2.5“ IDE header was fitted as standard.
Currently fitted: 3.5” drive bay with Compact Flash reader to IDE. SCSI CD reader attached to Blizzard SCSI IV.
Amstrad CPC
No mass storage as standard
Apple Macintosh IICi
Came with SCSI 1 onboard controller.
Currently fitted: Aztec CF Monster, SCSI to IDE/CF bridge card and Compact Flash card.
Supplier: http://www.artmix.com/CF_AztecMonster.html
Price: No longer available
- Atari Jaguar
No mass storage as standard
- Atari ST
Added an UltraSatan twin SD card reader, attached to the Atari SCSI port on the rear of the machine.
- MSX
Added a MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD cartridge with micro SD slot, 512k memory expansion and Konami sound hardware emulation.
- NEC PC-9801 / PC-9821
Takes standard EIDE devices. Has native capacity restrictions (4.3GB, 8GB, etc) to various low-sized IDE drives. Burned a replacement IDE ROM BIOS into an addon card and am currently using an 80GB 2.5“ ATA drive.
- NEC PC-Engine / Duo
- Nintendo DS
- Nintendo Gameboy Advance
- Nintendo Gamecube
- Nintendo SNES
- Sega Dreamcast
- Sega Game Gear
- Sega MasterSystem
- Sega Megadrive
- Sega Saturn
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum
- Sony Playstation
- Sony PS2
- Vectrex