mimo Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Thought that a nice little portfolio running as an APE server for my 800XL would be cool, anyone know if it is possible to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Thought that a nice little portfolio running as an APE server for my 800XL would be cool, anyone know if it is possible to do this? I took an in-depth look into that idea a few years ago, and concluded (a) it *probably will not work*, and (b) there are much better alternatives. I say "probably will not" because there are likely going to be serial port issues, and the PF has no HD for virtual drives (although you might be able to configure a ramdisk to work (?). Also the PF's small screen is not very compatible with APE. But I wasn't going to invest the money in a Portfolio to try it out. If you decide to pursue this, I would check out the serial port compatability and memory requirements very carefully. FWIW, there are HP MS-Dos machines that are of similar size and should work fine, and there is a dynamite alternative Win machine -- the Toshiba Libretto. The older Librettos have Pentium processors (75 to 200 MHz IIRC) and run APE for Windows just fine under W95, W98/SE. I have several of these and they do work well. There is a wealth of info about the Libretto on the web, but if you are interested, I'd start here: http://www.fixup.net/ -- "Cool Tips" are mods, and "Cool Talk" is a forum. -Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Jess Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 No idea on the portfolio but I have managed to get it to work on my 200LX hp palmtop with custom built serial cable and CF w/pcmcia adapter card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 No idea on the portfolio but I have managed to get it to work on my 200LX hp palmtop with custom built serial cable and CF w/pcmcia adapter card. Hi- The 200LX is one that I looked at, prior to settling on a Libretto. Is the serial port standard on the 200LX? Just curious. -Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Thought that a nice little portfolio running as an APE server for my 800XL would be cool, anyone know if it is possible to do this? The minimum CPU speed I've tested to be needed for SIO2PC and APE/Dos is a 386/16 Mhz. My 286/12Mhz PS/2 Mod 56 is not fast enough for SIO2PC. Below 16Mhz the 80x86 CPU isn't fast enough to handle the SIO protocol, it seems. The Portfolio is too slow, has too low memory and also a non-standard Serial IO without real interrupts. Plain APE/DOS or SIO2PC will not work with that serial IO, the application would need to be re-written. Carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrobits Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I use a toshiba libretto 110ct and APE (both DOS and Win98 versions) work great. Atari-Jess: I am amazed you were able to get this working on a 200LX. Please elaborate on the custom cable. Also, what software are you using SIO2PC or APE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I use a toshiba libretto 110ct and APE (both DOS and Win98 versions) work great. Atari-Jess: I am amazed you were able to get this working on a 200LX. Please elaborate on the custom cable. Also, what software are you using SIO2PC or APE? Yes, and I should have asked a few other questions about your use of the 200LX: I presume APE recognizes the CF as a HD and sets up ATR images accordingly? Is your 200LX a regular 7.91 MHz 80186 or a "double-speed" upgrade? These HP palm-tops are still cool! -Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Guitarman Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 I have often thought it would be cool to find one of the last Atari PC's, the PC-5 or ABC series, and use it with DOS APE to drive the 8bit. True Atari accross the board!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 You could do it with an ST, at least with the SIO2ST software. Of course, An AtariPC would be cool for that purpose. I am ashamed i threw one working PC4 in the trashbin 5 years ago. If i'd been aware of the SIO2PC cable i wouldn't have done that. Hard to find this days... Greets Beetle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Jess Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 (edited) The software I was using was a DOS based software, I forget what it was exactly. (I'll say sio2pc) The serial port on the 200LX is proper RS-232 but the actual port itself is a unique shape so you have to make a pin for pin adapter cable using little jumper like bits that fit properly in the spot. The IR port is what isn't standard. something like this: http://www.daniel-hertrich.de/rs232/adap1.jpg (http://www.daniel-hertrich.de/ser_plug/) my palmtop is normal speed AFAIK, I picked it up used in 2003 and attempted this in 2005. I recall having some issues, but believe I was successful in getting it working. the sio2pc faq says "SIO2PC will run on the oldest, slowest PC hardware." and I figured the 200LX fits the bill just nicely. Edited January 28, 2007 by Atari-Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamageX Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 I ran APE under MS-DOS on a Compaq Plus (8088, CGA compatible green screen, 10MB HDD, 640K). It only worked with standard SIO speed though (19.2Kbps). Now I use a 486 laptop instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thanks for all your replys, looks like the toshiba libretto is still going for more than I wanted to spend. I'll stick to the lap top for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 I was looking for this issue, and I found this topic. The only thing I need is an easy way of downloading the TIME and DATE like it works in APE. I don't want to run a system (taking a lot of electricity), so i hoped it would be possible with an atari ST or PC. Using a RT-8 would be a solution too, but I have used two of these from sunmark and I don't know WHAT was going wrong on my Atari but those things went nuts all the time (using atari with blackbox) I sold these carts, and found a great solution in running the apetime.com tool on my BBS system, so every hour the system time is updated. But now I'm running APE on electricity-eater (PC) and I think: this could be much more easy. Who has a solution? THanks Marius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 I sold these carts, and found a great solution in running the apetime.com tool on my BBS system, so every hour the system time is updated. But now I'm running APE on electricity-eater (PC) and I think: this could be much more easy. Who has a solution? THanks Marius I believe the ABBUC SIO2USB device is compatible with the apetime program. At least thats what was posted in the advertisement for the device. I do not have one so I can't verify it. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.