Turn Your Amiga 500 into an Amiga 2000 is not hard anymore. With Diego Expansion by CRG installed, it transforms the Amiga 500 or Amiga 500+ to Amiga 2000! Not only it gives Zorro II slots, but also a Amiga 2000 CPU slot and a PSU connector.
Diego is a project aiming at expanding Amiga 500 home computers. With over 7 million sold Amiga 500’s this Amiga is still available in several entusiasts homes. And now you can really update it!
With Diego installed. Amiga 500 becomes a bigbox Amiga
This remarkable New Diego expansion board is giving the Amiga 500 and Amiga 500+ a powerful upgrade. Diego is effectively transforming the Amiga 500 into an Amiga 2000 with expansion capabilities.
There are so many Zorro II cards out, such as ZZ9000 RTG card or AmiGUS soundcard to name two brilliant Zorro II cards that will work with this upgrade. Diego is for sure a great product for people that want a better Amiga 500 or Amiga 500+ machine.
Same Custom chipset in Amiga 500 and Amiga 2000
The Amiga 500 and Amiga 2000 share the same OCS (Original Chip Set), while Amiga 500+ and Amiga 2000 from 1990s got ECS (Enhanced Chip Set) foundation, meaning they are very similar in core capabilities.
However, where the Amiga 2000 stood out was its internal expansion bus, allowing users to install additional hardware such as graphics cards, controllers, and accelerator boards. The Amiga 500, by comparison, was far more limited in expandability.
The Diego expansion changes that. This expansion shows that Amiga 500 is a computer like any other Amiga home computers. It is very expandable!
Zorro II for Amiga 500
By attaching the Diego expansion to the left side slot of the Amiga 500, the board introduces a Zorro II style expansion interface, opening the door to hardware traditionally reserved for larger Amiga systems. This effectively bridges the gap between the two models, giving Amiga 500 users access to a whole new level of customization and performance.
This kind of upgrade highlights one of the most unique aspects of the Amiga platform: its flexibility. Even decades after release, new hardware solutions continue to extend the life and capabilities of these machines in ways Commodore itself never originally envisioned.
Projects like Diego also reflect the creativity of today’s Amiga community. Instead of simply preserving old hardware, developers are actively reimagining what these systems can do.
For Amiga users, this is an exciting development. It means that even Amiga 500 can evolve into something much closer to a fully expandable bigbox Amiga, without losing its original charm.
Diego Amiga 500 and Amiga 500+ side car tech
- 5x ZORRO II slots
- 1x Amiga 2000 CPU slot
- 1x PSU connector
What would you put in a 5x Amiga 500 side expansion, and what kind of case would you trust next to your desk?
