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As I've mentioned elsewhere, as great a machine as the A500 Mini is then for you to have as trouble free as possible use of it and not suffer from issues mainly caused by not having a powerful enough power supply then the following are the minimum recommendations I'd suggest you use to get the most trouble free use out of your A500 Mini...
1) A Powerful Enough USB Power Supply: This one is a "must have" to run your A500 Mini well and cut down on problems that will be caused if you don't use a powerful enough PSU...
Retro Games Ltd recommend using a 1Amp power supply, which might be fine if you are just going to use it with the built in games but the minute you start adding extras like a keyboard and USB Drive or trying to run RetroArch then a 1Amp PSU simply won't cut it...
This is especially true if running the likes of RetroArch/ RetroAami and cores for other games systems like the Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PS1 etc... as they are more processor intensive and that extra processing power needs more electrical power and therefore a more powerful PSU to function correctly...
Having tested a number of different rated PSU's then I'd strongly recommend you go for one that gives out at least 3Amps of power as anything less than that then you will run into issues mainly everything on your USB ports such as the USB Drive, controller, joystick, keyboard and mouse suddenly connecting and disconnecting which unfortunately on the A500 Mini completely messes everything thing up and you'll find yourself having to pull the power supply just to get your A500 Mini working again. Even a 2Amp power supply suffered from these issues but the 3Amp and above one seems to solve all those random disconnection problems....
2) The Dreaded Power Off Issue: This unfortunately is a problem you will encounter no matter what you do, not even updating the firmware will solve this issue I'm afraid. The "dreaded power off issue" can occur even when not using things like RetroAami or even Workbench and also occurs if you are just using the built in "Amiberry" emulator to do nothing more than play Amiga games...
You will soon quickly come across this issue when you go to try and power off your SNES Mini using either the shutdown option in the Minis built in menus or even trying to use the on/ off button on the console itself and discover it won't actually turn off. You will either be staring at a black screen or frozen menu screen and the red power LED on the console remaining on with the only way to get things working again is by either physically removing the PSU cable or switch the PSU off at the mains socket...
There is no easy fix for this one as it's just down to a very poor way they have implemented the shutdown procedures in the A500 Mini which as said not even the firmware update they released fully fixes...
While I have added an alternative Power Off/ Shutdown feature in the RetroAami package then it still doesn't work 100% of the times but it is more successful than the built in shutdown option, so you should try this one first when trying to shutdown/ power of you A500 Mini. I've also made it so that you will know if the power off/ shutdown hasn't worked as the red power light will remain on to indicate this...
So whether you are using the built in power off/ shut down menu or my alternative ones or even trying to power off via the on/ off button then if the red light remains on (even if the screen has gone black) you will know the poser off/ shutdown has failed and the only way to fix the issue is to disconnect the actual power cable or turn your power supply off at the mains socket or as recommended use a PSU with an inline on/ off switch...
INFO: The problem with the A500 mini and its physical Power On/ Off button and menu option to Power Off/ Shut Down the mini is that is DOESN'T ever actually fully power off the console and it merely puts it into a "Standby Mode" and unfortunately this often simply doesn't work, leaving your mini in a sort of frozen state where the only way to restore things back to working again is to either physically remove the power cable or switching the PSU off at the main socket to get things working again (very poor quality control on that one by Retro Games Ltd and is something that should have been fixed before it even went on sale or better still they had used a mechanical on of switch that would physically disconnect the power supply completely)...
The only real solution to this problem which you will face (of that I guarantee you) is to purchase a USB power supply that has an inline physical on off switch so you can easily and fully shutdown and power off your Mini or a short adapter/ expansion cable with an inline switch you can use with your current PSU...
These type of PSU's below are what you need to look for and buy (doesn't have to be these exact ones but at least something similar that can do the same thing and MAKE SURE the connectors are of the type USB C)...
RECOMMENDED: Purchase A USB Power Supply With Inline On/ Off Switch:
View On Amazon For More Details...
Or Use A Simple Short Extension Cable With An Inline On/ Off Switch Of This type...
View On Amazon For More Details...
3) What Size Of USB Drive To Use: Depends really on what you are going to be adding to your system but if you are going to be adding games like N64, Dreamcast, PS1 etc... where game files alone are pretty big then I'd recommend at least a 64GB USB Drive.
Personally I only use 128GB and 256GB drives on my set up. Even though the A500 Mini's USB ports are only USB 2.0 then try and go for USB 3.0 or 3.1 drives as although of course you wont get USB 3 speeds out of them then they do seem to be a little faster than USB 2 drives I've tested, not by a lot but enough to be noticeable when loading/ running "big" games...
I have until now always used and been a user of the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives when it comes to Mini consoles as they are among the fastest and most reliable, however...
A while back SanDisk changed all their Ultra Fit USB drives to be made entirely out of plastic (ie: no metal shielding/ housing) while they have not been an issue on other Mini consoles they are however an issue on the A500 Mini as both they and the A500 mini can get very,very hot and they can get so hot the plastic casing/ housing softens which in turn causes loose connections to be made on the USB port and basically buggers up and freezes the system. So I'd no longer recommend these particular type of SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives to any A500 user as this heat issue makes them very unreliable on the A500 Mini...
The type of all plastic bodied SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives to avoid...
View on Amazon for full details...
Instead I'd recommend these Samsung drives which do have metal shielding/ housing and get nowhere near as hot and don't suffer for bad connections as the all plastic SanDisk ones do. They are generally a bit more expensive than the SanDisk ones but after 4 months of testing USB drives on the A500 Mini then they are worth the extra few quid to avoid your USB drive disconnecting midway through a game...
RECOMMENDED: Samsung Gun Metal Grey Fit Plus USB Drive (Metal body)...
View on Amazon for more details...
4) Adding an External USB Keyboard...
This is something that really does require a more powerful USB power supply...
When adding an external keyboard then go for one that also has a couple of spare USB ports on it, this will allow you to have a mouse (wired or wireless) connected at the same time and also a second controller/ joystick and make up for the lack of USB ports on the actual console...
Personally I use an old full sized Apple Mac keyboard that has two extra USB ports on it and I use one of those USB ports for the dongle for my wireless mouse and this combo works a treat. Don't be tempted to use the USB ports on the keyboard for plugging your USB Drive into though as I've found it will not often get recognised most of the time if you do or it will suddenly drop out/ lose connection on the USB Drive, alway use one of the USB ports on your console for the USB Drive instead...
This is the type of old iMac USB keyboards with extra USB ports on it, so if you have one of those lying around then you can use that with your A500 Mini...
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I did suggest to users not to buy this keyboard as it seemed to be drawing too much power and would randomly crash the system... I WAS IN FACT WRONG !!!
Turns out is was the plastic bodied SanDisk USB Drives I was using at the time that were the cause of the crashes as they get very hot even while plugged into the USB ports of the keyboard and the plastic body softens causing the USB Drive to lose connection and causing crashes...
Using the metal bodied Samsung USB Drives however fixes that issue and I've now been using this keyboard for over a year now without any issues at all...
So now I can recommend this keyboard for use with your A500 Mini...
Full details On Amazon...
----------------
What it amounts to when it comes to adding an external keyboard to your A500 Mini is...
Make sure you are using a PSU of AT LEAST 3Amps...
Try old keyboards you may have first before having to buy one...
Try and look for or ask others using a keyboard which type/ brand it is...
If you need to buy a keyboard then make sure it's purchased from somewhere you can easily return it too if you have issues with it...
NOTE: Everything here are my own recommendations based on thorough testing over the past 4 months of using the A500 Mini and creating RetroAami and are simply what I have found to work the best. These are not things you must/ need to use buy are are merely suggestions/ ideas to help you get the best out of your A500 Mini...
1) A Powerful Enough USB Power Supply: This one is a "must have" to run your A500 Mini well and cut down on problems that will be caused if you don't use a powerful enough PSU...
Retro Games Ltd recommend using a 1Amp power supply, which might be fine if you are just going to use it with the built in games but the minute you start adding extras like a keyboard and USB Drive or trying to run RetroArch then a 1Amp PSU simply won't cut it...
This is especially true if running the likes of RetroArch/ RetroAami and cores for other games systems like the Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PS1 etc... as they are more processor intensive and that extra processing power needs more electrical power and therefore a more powerful PSU to function correctly...
Having tested a number of different rated PSU's then I'd strongly recommend you go for one that gives out at least 3Amps of power as anything less than that then you will run into issues mainly everything on your USB ports such as the USB Drive, controller, joystick, keyboard and mouse suddenly connecting and disconnecting which unfortunately on the A500 Mini completely messes everything thing up and you'll find yourself having to pull the power supply just to get your A500 Mini working again. Even a 2Amp power supply suffered from these issues but the 3Amp and above one seems to solve all those random disconnection problems....
2) The Dreaded Power Off Issue: This unfortunately is a problem you will encounter no matter what you do, not even updating the firmware will solve this issue I'm afraid. The "dreaded power off issue" can occur even when not using things like RetroAami or even Workbench and also occurs if you are just using the built in "Amiberry" emulator to do nothing more than play Amiga games...
You will soon quickly come across this issue when you go to try and power off your SNES Mini using either the shutdown option in the Minis built in menus or even trying to use the on/ off button on the console itself and discover it won't actually turn off. You will either be staring at a black screen or frozen menu screen and the red power LED on the console remaining on with the only way to get things working again is by either physically removing the PSU cable or switch the PSU off at the mains socket...
There is no easy fix for this one as it's just down to a very poor way they have implemented the shutdown procedures in the A500 Mini which as said not even the firmware update they released fully fixes...
While I have added an alternative Power Off/ Shutdown feature in the RetroAami package then it still doesn't work 100% of the times but it is more successful than the built in shutdown option, so you should try this one first when trying to shutdown/ power of you A500 Mini. I've also made it so that you will know if the power off/ shutdown hasn't worked as the red power light will remain on to indicate this...
So whether you are using the built in power off/ shut down menu or my alternative ones or even trying to power off via the on/ off button then if the red light remains on (even if the screen has gone black) you will know the poser off/ shutdown has failed and the only way to fix the issue is to disconnect the actual power cable or turn your power supply off at the mains socket or as recommended use a PSU with an inline on/ off switch...
INFO: The problem with the A500 mini and its physical Power On/ Off button and menu option to Power Off/ Shut Down the mini is that is DOESN'T ever actually fully power off the console and it merely puts it into a "Standby Mode" and unfortunately this often simply doesn't work, leaving your mini in a sort of frozen state where the only way to restore things back to working again is to either physically remove the power cable or switching the PSU off at the main socket to get things working again (very poor quality control on that one by Retro Games Ltd and is something that should have been fixed before it even went on sale or better still they had used a mechanical on of switch that would physically disconnect the power supply completely)...
The only real solution to this problem which you will face (of that I guarantee you) is to purchase a USB power supply that has an inline physical on off switch so you can easily and fully shutdown and power off your Mini or a short adapter/ expansion cable with an inline switch you can use with your current PSU...
These type of PSU's below are what you need to look for and buy (doesn't have to be these exact ones but at least something similar that can do the same thing and MAKE SURE the connectors are of the type USB C)...
RECOMMENDED: Purchase A USB Power Supply With Inline On/ Off Switch:
View On Amazon For More Details...
Or Use A Simple Short Extension Cable With An Inline On/ Off Switch Of This type...
View On Amazon For More Details...
3) What Size Of USB Drive To Use: Depends really on what you are going to be adding to your system but if you are going to be adding games like N64, Dreamcast, PS1 etc... where game files alone are pretty big then I'd recommend at least a 64GB USB Drive.
Personally I only use 128GB and 256GB drives on my set up. Even though the A500 Mini's USB ports are only USB 2.0 then try and go for USB 3.0 or 3.1 drives as although of course you wont get USB 3 speeds out of them then they do seem to be a little faster than USB 2 drives I've tested, not by a lot but enough to be noticeable when loading/ running "big" games...
I have until now always used and been a user of the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives when it comes to Mini consoles as they are among the fastest and most reliable, however...
A while back SanDisk changed all their Ultra Fit USB drives to be made entirely out of plastic (ie: no metal shielding/ housing) while they have not been an issue on other Mini consoles they are however an issue on the A500 Mini as both they and the A500 mini can get very,very hot and they can get so hot the plastic casing/ housing softens which in turn causes loose connections to be made on the USB port and basically buggers up and freezes the system. So I'd no longer recommend these particular type of SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives to any A500 user as this heat issue makes them very unreliable on the A500 Mini...
The type of all plastic bodied SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drives to avoid...
View on Amazon for full details...
Instead I'd recommend these Samsung drives which do have metal shielding/ housing and get nowhere near as hot and don't suffer for bad connections as the all plastic SanDisk ones do. They are generally a bit more expensive than the SanDisk ones but after 4 months of testing USB drives on the A500 Mini then they are worth the extra few quid to avoid your USB drive disconnecting midway through a game...
RECOMMENDED: Samsung Gun Metal Grey Fit Plus USB Drive (Metal body)...
View on Amazon for more details...
4) Adding an External USB Keyboard...
This is something that really does require a more powerful USB power supply...
When adding an external keyboard then go for one that also has a couple of spare USB ports on it, this will allow you to have a mouse (wired or wireless) connected at the same time and also a second controller/ joystick and make up for the lack of USB ports on the actual console...
Personally I use an old full sized Apple Mac keyboard that has two extra USB ports on it and I use one of those USB ports for the dongle for my wireless mouse and this combo works a treat. Don't be tempted to use the USB ports on the keyboard for plugging your USB Drive into though as I've found it will not often get recognised most of the time if you do or it will suddenly drop out/ lose connection on the USB Drive, alway use one of the USB ports on your console for the USB Drive instead...
This is the type of old iMac USB keyboards with extra USB ports on it, so if you have one of those lying around then you can use that with your A500 Mini...
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I did suggest to users not to buy this keyboard as it seemed to be drawing too much power and would randomly crash the system... I WAS IN FACT WRONG !!!
Turns out is was the plastic bodied SanDisk USB Drives I was using at the time that were the cause of the crashes as they get very hot even while plugged into the USB ports of the keyboard and the plastic body softens causing the USB Drive to lose connection and causing crashes...
Using the metal bodied Samsung USB Drives however fixes that issue and I've now been using this keyboard for over a year now without any issues at all...
So now I can recommend this keyboard for use with your A500 Mini...
Full details On Amazon...
----------------
What it amounts to when it comes to adding an external keyboard to your A500 Mini is...
Make sure you are using a PSU of AT LEAST 3Amps...
Try old keyboards you may have first before having to buy one...
Try and look for or ask others using a keyboard which type/ brand it is...
If you need to buy a keyboard then make sure it's purchased from somewhere you can easily return it too if you have issues with it...
NOTE: Everything here are my own recommendations based on thorough testing over the past 4 months of using the A500 Mini and creating RetroAami and are simply what I have found to work the best. These are not things you must/ need to use buy are are merely suggestions/ ideas to help you get the best out of your A500 Mini...