Before You Buy
Use this checklist to confirm that your Amiga motherboard is compatible with the SidecarTridge Kickstart Multi ROM and that you select the correct kit before purchasing.
The Kickstart Multi ROM fits the Amiga 500, 500+, 600 and 2000. With board revision 4 (RP2350B), the board on sale, one carrier board fits all of them, and it comes in two kits, named by the motherboard revisions they are for. Your motherboard revision decides which kit to order.
Table of contents
Step 1 — Check your Amiga model and motherboard
Open the case and locate the motherboard revision number printed on the board.
The revision label is usually located near the center or near the Kickstart ROM socket.
Check the revision against the list in the
Compatibility section.
If your motherboard is not listed, contact support before purchasing.
Step 2 — Identify the motherboard revision
The revision tells you which kit to order (Step 4).
Amiga 2000
Example of a revision 4.5 motherboard:
| Revision | Motherboard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| rev4.2 and earlier |  | No silkscreen model information. Old PSU connector. Kit: A500 rev 3 and rev 5 / A2000 rev 4.2 or earlier. |
| rev4.3 and later | | Revised silkscreen and new PSU connector. Kit: A500 rev 6 / A2000 rev 4.3 or newer / A500+ / A600. |
| rev6.2 |  | Revised silkscreen and new PSU connector. Kit: A500 rev 6 / A2000 rev 4.3 or newer / A500+ / A600. |
Amiga 500
Example of a revision 5 motherboard:
| Revision | Motherboard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| rev3 |  | No silkscreen above RAM chips. Kit: A500 rev 3 and rev 5 / A2000 rev 4.2 or earlier. |
| rev5 | | 16 RAM chips, A500 silkscreen present. Kit: A500 rev 3 and rev 5 / A2000 rev 4.2 or earlier. |
| rev6a |  | 8 RAM positions, A500 silkscreen. Kit: A500 rev 6 / A2000 rev 4.3 or newer / A500+ / A600. |
Amiga 500+ and Amiga 600
Example of an Amiga 500+ revision 8A motherboard. The model is printed in large letters in the middle of the board, boxed in red: A500+. The revision is printed at the bottom right, below a smaller A500+: REV 8A.
Example of an Amiga 600 revision 1.5 motherboard. The revision is printed at the bottom, next to the motherboard name: A600 REV 1.5.
Every motherboard revision of the Amiga 500+ and Amiga 600 takes the same kit: A500 rev 6 / A2000 rev 4.3 or newer / A500+ / A600.
Step 3 — Check if ROMs are socketed
The Kickstart ROMs must be installed in sockets.
If your ROMs are soldered to the motherboard, they must be removed and sockets installed.
If you are not experienced with desoldering, ask a qualified technician to perform the work.
Incorrect desoldering can permanently damage the motherboard.
Step 4 — Choose the correct emulator kit
The Kickstart Multi ROM with board revision 4 comes in two kits, named by the motherboard revisions they are for. Both have the same carrier board, printed A500+/A600 and A500/A2000; only one jumper on it is set differently at the factory:
| Kit | Supported motherboards |
|---|---|
| A500 rev 3 and rev 5 / A2000 rev 4.2 or earlier | A500 rev3, A500 rev5, A2000 rev4.2 and earlier |
| A500 rev 6 / A2000 rev 4.3 or newer / A500+ / A600 | A500 rev6a, A500+, A600, A2000 rev4.3 and later |
Ordered the other kit by mistake? It still fits your Amiga. Move the jumper, inside the small white enclosure at the top of the carrier board, to the other position before you install the board (Hardware Installation).
The carrier board has 41 pins. The Amiga 500+ and 600 have a 42-pin Kickstart ROM socket, and all 41 pins go in. The Amiga 500 and 2000 have a 40-pin socket, and the top left pin stays outside it, in the air: that is expected and does not affect the installation. Hardware Installation shows both.
Kits with board revision 3 (RP2350A), sold before, came with one of four carrier boards, each for its own motherboards:
| Board revision 3 kit | Supported motherboards |
|---|---|
| A500 carrier rev5 and earlier | A500 rev3, A500 rev5 |
| A500 carrier rev6 and later | A500 rev6a |
| A2000 carrier rev4.2 and earlier | A2000 rev4.2 and earlier |
| A2000 carrier rev4.3 and later | A2000 rev4.3 and later |
Modified Amigas
The Kickstart Multi ROM is designed, tested and supported on Amiga 500, 500+, 600 and 2000 computers in their original stock configuration. Memory expansions, CPU accelerators, custom logic replacements, bodge wires and aftermarket ROM adapters are out of scope and not covered by warranty. If your Amiga is modified, please contact us before ordering.
Notes on Kickstart ROM sources
The emulator targets the 512KB Kickstart ROM socket and expects the active image to be exactly 524288 bytes (512KB). Most Kickstart 2.04 and later images, as well as DiagROM and EmuTOS, are already 512KB and can be copied directly to ROMEMUL.
If you plan to use a Kickstart 1.x image (1.1, 1.2, 1.3), be aware that those originals are 256KB. Real Amiga motherboards mirror them into the 512KB socket natively, but the Kickstart Multi ROM does not. Before copying a 256KB Kickstart to the device you must mirror it to 512KB:
- From an Amiga Forever encrypted source, the web converter does the mirror automatically.
- From a plain 256KB dump, you mirror the file yourself with one of the snippets in Already-decoded Kickstart ROMs.
This is a one-time, one-command step per ROM. It is mentioned here because it is the most common surprise for users coming from the Kickstart 1.x era.
Notes on motherboard identification
The revision tables above were created using multiple hardware references, including:
https://dfarq.homeip.net/amiga-500-motherboard-revisions
https://amiga.resource.cx/mod/a2000.html
Motherboard layouts may vary slightly between production runs.
If unsure, check the Compatibility page or contact support.