JR>
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Posts posted by JR>
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Finally got to the ROM dump for the AMDEK 3 inch drive. Appears to use the entire 4K. VER. 1.1 from 10/27/83 according to text in the dump.
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2 hours ago, Nezgar said:
So... This Amdex 3" drive used 80 tracks just like a 3.5" 720K disk?
I guess the drives were just SSDD 40 track, but the controller was capable of 80 tracks. Perhaps 80 track 3" mechs were avialable too?
Good article here: https://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue46/040_1_REVIEWS_AMDC_3-Inch_Disk_Drives_For_Atari.php
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53 minutes ago, Nezgar said:
So... This Amdex 3" drive used 80 tracks just like a 3.5" 720K disk?
Digital cameras (and phones) only store rotation data as an attribute in the EXIF metadata of the jpeg for speed and/or limitations of embedded hardware. Some software, I guess these forums, don't pay attention to that attribute and just read with the rotation as it was from the camera. You can usually solve this by re-saving it in an editing program.
Thanks for the tip on the pictures. It's still not orienting them right after cropping and saving, so I just rotated them until they get re-rotated in to the correct orientation.
I think they were just standard 80 track drives....with the advantage that they could be flipped to use the other side. I've got the manual around here somewhere too. Hopefully I can locate that and scan it. From what I remember you can control 4 drives in just about any combination of formats from SSSD 5.25 to DSDD 80 track.
As for the EPROM dump, all 4K was populated and I could see some recognizable text at the end, but it could well be 2K repeated, I hadn't looked at it that closely yet.
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Now why did I know you were going to ask that? ?
I located the controller board and snapped a couple picks of it. Popped the EPROM and dumped it. Dump looked good! Then for some reason the Thumb drive was no longer being recognized on my old (no network) WIN 98 computer that houses the burner. While troubleshooting that, the power switch on the old PC started acting up and it no longer powers up! SIGH! Too hot in the garage to mess with it further right now. So in the mean time here are the pick of the controller board. Both photos were originally in the same orientation with the SIO connectors at the bottom. I have no idea why both of them got randomly rotated when uploaded?
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On 8/27/2019 at 2:47 PM, toddtmw said:
A friend had the dual Amdek 3" drive. That was pretty impressive BITD. Those seem to be pretty rare. I've only ever seen one on eBay.
I've got one of these. Unfortunately it was partially re-cased in clear acrylic and converted to 3.5 inch SSDD mechs. I need to pull that out and play with it one of these days. Maybe at least upgrade it to DSDD mechs. Pretty sure the controller supports them.
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29 minutes ago, Gunstar said:
@Nezgar Thankyou! I think I will use BossXL. I've never tried it. Isn't that the name of a Desktop GOS too? I think if I've ever seen that rom image in lists I thought it was for use with that desktop, if you use it, or something!
This may be a dumb question, but does it make a difference if I'm combining OS images that have .rom and .bin extensions? Do I need to change the .bin files to .rom?
I still haven't burned an eprom yet, because I am having error issues when I attempt it, and I'm not yet sure if it's a user-error issue, an issue with my burner, a bad file issue (hence question above) or the software and my system set-up. I'd like to eliminate or confirm if the file I'm trying to burn is the issue due to .bin/.rom files combined. The burn process does not get to the point of actually burning to the eproms, but before that, if my "empty" eprom test result is correct in the burner program when I check. I keep getting $00 or $FF errors which are not covered in the burner software manual.
Files sometimes have a header on them. Just load them into a hex editor and make sure they are exactly 16K in length. If they go a few bytes longer, just remove that many bytes from the start of the file and save it.
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A real rarity!
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I tend to agree, the Sdrive is great for ATR files, but not really a great option for xex files. Any of the flash based carts (uno, ultimate, etc.) are a much better option, not to mention faster.
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For /CE? an SP/DT center grounded with pull up resistors on the /CE pins.
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I always find this picture helpful:
You could also use a 27010 or 27020. You'd need to reroute VCC to the proper pin, and possibly /PGM depending on the chip. Then it's just a matter of toggling the additional Axx lines, preferably with pull-up resistors. When you get to that many switches, old SCSI ID switches or BCD or HEX thumb-wheel switches come in handy.
If you choose to piggyback you also have the option of toggling /OE (output enable) or /CE (chip enable - preferred) instead of un-powering one of the chips.
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Keep in mind the SDRIVE*.COM files all have slightly different functionality, so it matters which one has been selected as the default. Also these were written for the original SDrive, and never updated for the MAX AFAIK. It wouldn't be surprising at all if some compatibility issues have arisen. There is also this cryptic note in the SDRIVE.COM documentation:
Booting from a drive with an activated data file may cause a system lockup or other unpredictable results.
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3 hours ago, rosapoP said:
how do i boot a DOS with with the SIDE2 in the machine?
if the SIDE2 is in the machine the SDX option just boots the atari selftest. ?Slide the switch on the front of the SIDE2 cart to the up position.
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You could just replace the ribbon ends with the low profile type. Those are way too tall!
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If you want to get the most out of your SIDE2 I suggest getting one of these CF to SATA adapters and then connecting it to your computer with a USB to SATA cable or enclosure:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030D3T16/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This allows windows to have more than one active FAT/FAT32 partition on the card making it easier to support some of the nicer features of the SIDE2.
As for CF Cards, you'll probably never need anything bigger than a 4GB - 8GB card, and it's nice to have several cards on hand for different configurations and backup. I usually go to ebay and buy 'lots' of older, smaller cards.....preferably Industrial cards. You can usually find some pretty decent deals
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One of the Sys-Check boards from tf_hh would be a good investment. Very handy and versatile little device. I love mine.
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HxD works great for manipulating ROM images. Yes just append the 4 images and save as one file.
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LOL, looks like a perfect match to most of my 800 era stuff ?
It is quite a learning experience.
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We should all do more 'parting out' like the car guys.
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All at once? Brave man! I've got my fingers crossed for you.
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16 minutes ago, Mr Robot said:
When I am happy with the model, I'll try one at 45 and see how it comes out. I've been trying to avoid all the wasted pla from the supports.
Interestingly the supports still generate relative to the bed, not the object. in CURA at least, so they are angled relative to the straight lines in the object when printing @ 45'. No really long supports this way. I find them easier to remove. Although you can achieve similar results by changing the support type I still like the zig-zag.
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Cool, just picked up one of those myself. I've been practicing with the SDM cases from your site, and getting really good results. I actually found that printing them at a 45 degree angle gave better results on my printer, and a bit faster too! Looking forward to trying out some of your new models.
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Looking good! What printer are you using?
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Get a sledge hammer and make a video for us all to enjoy.......
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New 4MB RAM expansion
in Atari 8-Bit Computers
Posted
If your motherboard is fully socketed, you just pull two chips and plug the board and a ribbon cable into those sockets. If not socketed, you would have to desolder the 2 chips and install sockets. Some 800XL are fully socked and some aren't. You'll have to look at your MB to be sure.