kheller2

The tapes look like DDS 4mm. I would think we need a Unix system that can properly read the VAX backup format in how it's encoded on tape. Unless someone has a VAX.

Well, the specifics would be we need to see your board @AtariGeezer, what exact OS version you are using, and what IDE+ settings you are using and revision. The pictures previously posted were IDE+2.0 C. F is different .. and I think the latter version let you assign the PBI bus ID with a configuration tool. I don't know if you tested your board with F.

Show me those VIC20 cracktros!

I will shamefully admit that I had never heard of the word "cracktro" before. I figured out what it most likely meant, and then googled it. I feel old. I will add some speculation to this thread: Cracking a game on the A8 was itself a journey and with limited resources just putting up a splash screen or "brought to you by" was enough. You also have a timeline to consider: The A8 was out for a few years before the C64 became mainstream. Are there many C64 cracktros before 1984 (1.5 years on market)?

Is that Diag software built-in or separate on an ATR image? I'm wondering if it will detect the onboard PBI device IDs on the remake properly, which I'm probably incorrectly assuming are 1 and 7, with the IDE at 0?

Its a 256K upgrade of some sort.

Okay, we'll go by what is etched on the board: The 1400 and 1450 (part of project Dynasty) are basically the the same, only the 1450 has a header for a floppy board and a header for floppy power and thus uses a different power supply (and pin layout?). Said floppy board contains the FDC and all components to run bare floppy mechs similar to the 1050. Basically a double sided version of the Tandon drive. The floppy board is in essence a PBI device just plugged into the PBI bus inside the case. The TONG board uses stock PC floppy drives, I believe EPSON units. The entire floppy system is already integrated into the main motherboard.. which is also why its huge compared to the 1400/1450 boards. Dynasty = 1983 1400XL/1450XLD TONG = 1984 1450XLD

The two boards performed the same. They had the same chips as the 900XLF/65XE just the glue chips were different. The TONG seemed to ingrate the floppy a lot better. TONG had the SC02 vs the SC01 voice chip. Dynasty drives are documented in the DOS 3 guides to using a 1450XLD, Double sided dual density drive (I think each side, is a drive number - I don't remember just this moment). Some of this is also documented in the Altirra Hardware Ref Guide.

Depends on which 1450 you are referring too. The 1983 Dynasty short board versions have a PBI header that plugged into a "floppy board" that used 1050 style mechs. "floppy board" because I've seen two types. The 1983 TONG version used a stock floppy header, as all the floppy drive electronics were onboard the TONG.

I am curious if the expensive TRACOs that were used as replacements in 1050s are noisy/less. Putting cheap converters into a floppy drive always worried me for some reason.

How are all of these upgrades different from the "Gumby" upgrade you do by hand with two POKEYs? I remember doing that and just adding some caps to the line outs.

This needs to be posted on FB and elsewhere. Is there a picture of the colored cases?

Stock drive? correct trimmer pot? no other Atari disks in your possession to check speed? really scrub the heads? bad media, no HD floppy and make sure it isn’t flaking?

Or your tv/monitor.

The 400 was RF only too, remember. Be glad the 600XL doesn’t have a membrane or chiclet keyboard!