Just picked up a 1040 STFM

[phaxda]

I might be in a little over my head on this one. Picked up the machine and an SC1224 monitor. Everything seems to work great, except I can't get the mouse or a joystick (it came with two Quickjoy Megaboards) to work properly. I know the mice are often flaky, but the seller claimed one of the joysticks definitely worked. Can you navigate around with a joystick at all, because I cannot seem to. Is there anyway to use the keyboard just for testing to run disks, etc? Thanks for any help. It came with lots of disks that I would like to test out and one of them says PRIVATE in big letters so I can't wait to see what is on there!

[+poobah]

I might be in a little over my head on this one. Picked up the machine and an SC1224 monitor. Everything seems to work great, except I can't get the mouse or a joystick (it came with two Quickjoy Megaboards) to work properly. I know the mice are often flaky, but the seller claimed one of the joysticks definitely worked. Can you navigate around with a joystick at all, because I cannot seem to. Is there anyway to use the keyboard just for testing to run disks, etc? Thanks for any help. It came with lots of disks that I would like to test out and one of them says PRIVATE in big letters so I can't wait to see what is on there!

 

you can use control and the arrow keys to move the mouse pointer

insert is left button, clr/home is right

 

prolly need to touch up the solder points on the ports.

[phaxda]

I thought I had read that about the control and arrow keys, but it does not work. The machine just makes a beep every time I hit a key. Is there something very basic I am missing here? I need an ST For Dummies book!

 

Oh! ALT+ arrow keys moves the keys cursor around... thanks! Just kept trying stuff 'til I got lucky.

 

My wife is now happily playing Bentley Bear games, and the joystick works fine. Guess it's just a bum mouse. It's kind of silly that you can't use a joystick for control on the main (GEM) screen, no? This is a nice addition to my collection, but I don't think I can keep it all. Think I can get anything for these Bentley Bear games? I have a bunch of educational software, disks, instructions, in their original cases... likely worthless, I am thinking, but it would be nice to finance a mouse purchase... rarity guide anywhere?

 

Ha! I found the rarity/price guide... Oh well.

http://www.aracnet.com/~atari/st_soft.htm

Edited November 8, 2009 by phaxda

[phaxda]

OK, just found the Joust disk and had an enjoyable few games. This seems like it could be a nice gaming platform to at least keep around for a little while. What are my game-loading from files options? Anything like like the SIO2PC/USB etc. for the ST? Sorry if I am asking stupid questions... Googling this stuff is seemingly very difficult.

 

OK, found this thread. But it's a little over my head...

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/63482-any-sio2pc-solution-for-atari-st/

Edited November 8, 2009 by phaxda

[Rybags]

Got any Atari 8-bitters? You could do a quick mouse test on it... or a C-64.

[phaxda]

The mouse is no good. I tried cleaning it, nothing. No matter which way I move it, the cursor drifts over to the left side of the screen and freezes there.

[Thorsten Günther]

It doesn't necessarily have to be the mouse that has gone bad. A bad solder joint of the mouse port is also very likely due to the cramped area where it is placed. Just taking the ST apart and re-soldering the mouse/joystick port solder joints worked wonders for me (it takes some time, but it isn't complicated).

 

Thorsten

[phaxda]

Cool! Helpful bunch here in this subforum!

 

So this morning the guy who sold me the 1040 called and said he found his MEGA 4 and that I could have it. Went over and picked it up, but I guess it needs a keyboard to be truly useful? He swears he never had one and that it was hooked up to the STFM somehow... is this possible or is he full of it? ST computers are so confusing.

 

Anyway, the MEGA works but it outputs a horrible screeching noise when I turn up the sound on the 1224 monitor (even though the machine is pretty quiet). And it does not look like there is anywhere to plug in peripherals. (Mouse, joystick--heck, where does the keyboard go?)

 

I will always remember this as "weekend of the ST."

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be the mouse that has gone bad. A bad solder joint of the mouse port is also very likely due to the cramped area where it is placed. Just taking the ST apart and re-soldering the mouse/joystick port solder joints worked wonders for me (it takes some time, but it isn't complicated).

 

Thorsten

[phaxda]

OK, so I know the guy was full of it. Maybe he just had the monitor sitting on top of it at one time, who knows. A little spacey.

 

So to answer my own questions about the MEGA, I found this article:

 

http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/issue18/65_1_MEGA_MACROCOSM.php

 

Which was very helpful about where the keyboard goes etc. And I thought that was a modem port. Ha. I still don't know why it screeches though. It's running smoothly and the cooling fan is surprisingly quiet, given its age.

 

 

 

Cool! Helpful bunch here in this subforum!

 

So this morning the guy who sold me the 1040 called and said he found his MEGA 4 and that I could have it. Went over and picked it up, but I guess it needs a keyboard to be truly useful? He swears he never had one and that it was hooked up to the STFM somehow... is this possible or is he full of it? ST computers are so confusing.

 

Anyway, the MEGA works but it outputs a horrible screeching noise when I turn up the sound on the 1224 monitor (even though the machine is pretty quiet). And it does not look like there is anywhere to plug in peripherals. (Mouse, joystick--heck, where does the keyboard go?)

 

I will always remember this as "weekend of the ST."

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be the mouse that has gone bad. A bad solder joint of the mouse port is also very likely due to the cramped area where it is placed. Just taking the ST apart and re-soldering the mouse/joystick port solder joints worked wonders for me (it takes some time, but it isn't complicated).

 

Thorsten

[+poobah]

OK, so I know the guy was full of it. Maybe he just had the monitor sitting on top of it at one time, who knows. A little spacey.

 

So to answer my own questions about the MEGA, I found this article:

 

http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/issue18/65_1_MEGA_MACROCOSM.php

 

Which was very helpful about where the keyboard goes etc. And I thought that was a modem port. Ha. I still don't know why it screeches though. It's running smoothly and the cooling fan is surprisingly quiet, given its age.

 

I think they get upset if no keyboard is attached.

[phaxda]

For real? That is so weird. It is crying out for a keyboard?

 

I am weighing my options for this. I am guessing a MEGA keyboard is going to cost me an arm and a leg? Should I sell the STFM to try to raise money toward a keyboard or am I better off just unloading the MEGA? Or maybe I should listen to my wife and get rid of the lot of it!

 

 

OK, so I know the guy was full of it. Maybe he just had the monitor sitting on top of it at one time, who knows. A little spacey.

 

So to answer my own questions about the MEGA, I found this article:

 

http://www.atarimagazines.com/st-log/issue18/65_1_MEGA_MACROCOSM.php

 

Which was very helpful about where the keyboard goes etc. And I thought that was a modem port. Ha. I still don't know why it screeches though. It's running smoothly and the cooling fan is surprisingly quiet, given its age.

 

I think they get upset if no keyboard is attached.

[VW]

I am weighing my options for this. I am guessing a MEGA keyboard is going to cost me an arm and a leg? Should I sell the STFM to try to raise money toward a keyboard or am I better off just unloading the MEGA? Or maybe I should listen to my wife and get rid of the lot of it!

 

If you are wanting a gaming platform, I would keep the STFM and sell the Mega as that is more of a collectors item and I think the STFM is your best bet for game compatibility.

[Christos]

I am weighing my options for this. I am guessing a MEGA keyboard is going to cost me an arm and a leg? Should I sell the STFM to try to raise money toward a keyboard or am I better off just unloading the MEGA? Or maybe I should listen to my wife and get rid of the lot of it!

 

If you are wanting a gaming platform, I would keep the STFM and sell the Mega as that is more of a collectors item and I think the STFM is your best bet for game compatibility.

 

Well, that is kind of false. The megaST and the STFM pretty much have the same compatibility, and if the STFM's TOS is 1.4 then exactly the same compatibility. The biggest asset of the mega is the extra RAM which will enable you to run those patched for HD games if you ever decide to get an HD solution.

 

There are a couple of solutions apart from a mega keyboard. One would be to get an eiffel adapter for PS2 kbd and mouse.

 

The other is to try to convert the STFM KBD. It won't look as good but it will work..