Having a bad weekend

[mimo]

Also had a bad weekend, lost my new HcX floppy emulator. I put it somewhere "safe" and I have a horrible feeling that it went out with the trash last week after a huge tidy up of my office/play area:x

[HiassofT]

My suspicions are roused as to the PC too. The serial port's enabled in the BIOS as far as I can tell, and something's telling me I should be getting some kind of response by now.

Is "Hyperterminal" still included with current Windows versions? If yes, you could do another simple test:

 

Start Hyperterminal, configure it to use your COM1 port and configure the port to 19200 bit/sec, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stopbit and flow control=none. If you power up your Atari you should see something like this:

1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1S
ä1SäO@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O
@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@O@O@O@O@O
@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@

The "1S." is the Atari trying to send a "Get Status" command to D1:.

 

so long,

 

Hias

[+poobah]

Go to a used computer store, or the goodwill, you can probably find an old external modem for $5. See if you can get that to work (at least as far as responding to AT commands).

 

I can get $5 for my old externals? SWEET!

[mimo]

Hahahaha, found the HcX in one of my kids toy boxes:roll:

[flashjazzcat]

My suspicions are roused as to the PC too. The serial port's enabled in the BIOS as far as I can tell, and something's telling me I should be getting some kind of response by now.

Is "Hyperterminal" still included with current Windows versions? If yes, you could do another simple test:

 

Start Hyperterminal, configure it to use your COM1 port and configure the port to 19200 bit/sec, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stopbit and flow control=none. If you power up your Atari you should see something like this:

1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1Sä1S
ä1SäO@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O
@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@OO.O@O@O@O@O@O
@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@O@

The "1S." is the Atari trying to send a "Get Status" command to D1:.

 

so long,

 

Hias

Nice one: I ported hyperterminal across from an XP machine and sure enough it comes up with "COM Port Not Found". Will try on the XP machine next...

[flashjazzcat]

On the XP machine, APE detected the COM port but suggested the cable might be faulty (the signal was "garbled"). Definitely something wrong with the mothership, then. Time to boot into Vista and Mac OS X...

 

 

 

[flashjazzcat]

Same message under Vista on this very PC. Could this be a Windows 7 compatibility problem? Anyway - at least now I know the cable's faulted and there's no obvious hardware problem on the PC.

[flashjazzcat]

I've added the cap so the circuit is complete now: this is what APE reports (it says the signal is garbled):

 

Diagnostic for COM1

---------------------------------------------

Bytes received: 10

Valid command frames: 1

DSR: -1

CTS: -1

RING: 167

PH2 Latency: 1762

Strategy: 3

 

Same for COM2.

 

 

 

[HiassofT]

I've added the cap so the circuit is complete now: this is what APE reports (it says the signal is garbled):

 

Diagnostic for COM1

---------------------------------------------

Bytes received: 10

Valid command frames: 1

DSR: -1

CTS: -1

RING: 167

PH2 Latency: 1762

Strategy: 3

 

Same for COM2.

I have to admit I'm really not familiar with APE, but 10 bytes and only 1 valid command frame looks like a transmission problem from the Atari to the PC.

 

I'd first check the external caps on the MAX232 and, if you've got a multimeter, measure the voltages on the MAX232 to check if the charge pump works fine.

 

Pin 2 of MAX232 should be approx. +10V, pin 6 approx. -10V (GND is at pin 15).

 

If you used electrolytic caps, also check the polarity (if you put them in the wrong way they might be damaged now - better replace them with new ones).

 

Which MAX232 chip did you use? A MAX232 or MAX232A made by Dallas/Maxim, or by another manufacturer? If you use a MAX232A (by Maxim), you don't need any big electrolytic caps for the voltage doubler, standard 100nF ceramic caps will do fine (and are actually recommended).

 

Also check your SIO2PC interface against the standard MAX232 circuit, as shown in the MAX232 Datasheet on page 17. The SIO2PC interface only adds a (schottky) diode and a (4k7) pull-up resistor for the Atari data-in line (connected to TxD of the PC).

 

so long,

 

Hias

[AB Positive]

I had that sort of weekend two weeks ago - nearly killing an AspireOne netbook trying to put in a 1.8" ZIF hard drive which failed... because I didn't realize there were two different thicknesses of ZIF cable and I had the wrong one.

 

Nearly killed the $20 drive too... yeesh.

 

Yeah, I too recommend just stepping away, a few deep breaths and at least for me - some sort of nice rewarding gaming session. Something smashy.

[flashjazzcat]

I have to admit I'm really not familiar with APE, but 10 bytes and only 1 valid command frame looks like a transmission problem from the Atari to the PC.

 

I'd first check the external caps on the MAX232 and, if you've got a multimeter, measure the voltages on the MAX232 to check if the charge pump works fine.

 

Pin 2 of MAX232 should be approx. +10V, pin 6 approx. -10V (GND is at pin 15).

 

If you used electrolytic caps, also check the polarity (if you put them in the wrong way they might be damaged now - better replace them with new ones).

 

Which MAX232 chip did you use? A MAX232 or MAX232A made by Dallas/Maxim, or by another manufacturer? If you use a MAX232A (by Maxim), you don't need any big electrolytic caps for the voltage doubler, standard 100nF ceramic caps will do fine (and are actually recommended).

 

Also check your SIO2PC interface against the standard MAX232 circuit, as shown in the MAX232 Datasheet on page 17. The SIO2PC interface only adds a (schottky) diode and a (4k7) pull-up resistor for the Atari data-in line (connected to TxD of the PC).

Thanks for that info. I spent most of yesterday evening after a long day at work ridding my step-daughter's PC of virulent spyware, so it's only now I'm warming up the soldering iron (with Vista grudgingly booted). The chip is a MAX232N so I guess I'll be keeping the elctrolytic caps. I'm going to compare the circuit against the one on the datasheet: it's especially clear.

 

I had that sort of weekend two weeks ago - nearly killing an AspireOne netbook trying to put in a 1.8" ZIF hard drive which failed... because I didn't realize there were two different thicknesses of ZIF cable and I had the wrong one.

 

Nearly killed the $20 drive too... yeesh.

 

Yeah, I too recommend just stepping away, a few deep breaths and at least for me - some sort of nice rewarding gaming session. Something smashy.

 

Sounds familar: my house is like death-row for laptops. I'm going to chill out later tonight by playing some guitar at the music night at our local bar.

 

...Yikes... it passed the APE configuration test. Gonna see if I can boot up from the disk image.

 

For the record, I had the end of the pull-up resistor/diode pair wired up to +5v. Don't ask me why or how...

 

...And it works!!!

 

After ten hours' soldering and troubleshooting, a smashed XM301 modem, a broken dremel, a change of operating system, a perilous trip into my step-daughter's fetid bedroom to test the cable using her PC... it works. Just booted into SpartaDOS 3.2 at blistering speed via a disk image on the PC.

 

Now to package it up neatly in the SIO plug casing and then figure out why there's no COM port under Windows 7. Isn't there also a Mac OS X handler for the SIO2PC cable???

Edited December 1, 2009 by flashjazzcat

[flashjazzcat]

Thanks everyone for their help with this cable: so many people ran to my aid, I was quite overwhelmed.

 

One reason I'm glad I built my own interface is that there's no trailing PCB:

 

 

Some tidying still to do before the lid goes on (shorts - I know), but it should fit.

 

As for the SIO2SD case, mark 2: I went into the new "Everything's a pound" store in town today on my lunch break, with the intent of finding something to cannibalize. Sure enough, I found a little FM radio with three chrome-plastic-topped bottons on the top. I bought two, and when I dismantled them, the silver buttons (which in themselves look very smart), fell away to reveal three microswitches of exactly the variety used on Pigula's SIO2SD PCB. By splicing one and two-thirds of these PCBs together, I have a ready-made remote mount which will push the buttons (wired in parallel to those on the PCB) up through five holes drilled in the top of the XM301 case.

 

Afterword:

 

With the cable properly constructed, it can now be detected under Win 7. Perfect!

Edited December 1, 2009 by flashjazzcat

[Ransom]

I'm glad to hear it's all come out in the end.

[flashjazzcat]

I'm glad to hear it's all come out in the end.

Thanks. I think I've turned over a new leaf, actually. I've just fitted a 1MB upgrade in the new 65XE, and it works. Although it didn't take long, this is easily my least messy job so far. I used ribbon cable and carefully planned the wiring runs:

 

 

I think I'll go back and rewire everything in the other 65XE to match (that one's a rat's nest). Just wondering how best to moor the SIMM to the motherboard in this one.

Edited December 6, 2009 by flashjazzcat

[flashjazzcat]

The replacement modem arrived, and I've cut the aperture for the SIO2SD LCD:

 

 

Just need to drill five holes for the buttons, two for the activity LEDs, and a slot for the card. The mounting bracket for the switches will be the trickiest bit.

[Mathy]

Hello Jon

 

Looks very good. How did you get the hole to look like this?

 

greetings

 

Mathy

[flashjazzcat]

Thanks. I just drew the aperture on the top of the case in marker pen, roughly milled out the shape with the dremel, then used a flat file to carefully finish the edges. I finally smoothed them off with a fine-grain emery board.

 

To echo the XE's diagonal motif, I arranged the buttons at forty five degrees. Here's a taped together mock-up of the finished unit:

 

 

The LCD just rests against the back of the hole this time: last time I tried to create a perfect fit for the casing, which was unsuccessful. I just need two additional holes for the activity LEDs. Then I'll mount five microswitches on a strip of plastic glued in place under the button-tops. The hard part will be getting the mounting at exactly the right height so the button travel is correct. I had to mill out the holes on the back side a little in order to get the silver buttons to sit slightly proud of the top of the casing.

 

 

 

[+Stephen]

That's a really cool use for an XM301 Nice work.

 

Stephen Anderson

[flashjazzcat]

Spent all day on this and it's nearly done:

 

 

Button mount didn't work quite right, so will have to redesign that (the buttons are just taped in place at the moment). I also need a proper fitting to keep the PCB in place. If it still works after all that, it's been a success!

[miker]

Good work!

 

So seems that last weekend was not that bad then...