TheNixer Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 I bought my Atari 800 around Christmas 2007 and it's in amazing condition (see my avatar). I tracked down an 810 for it in similar condition, nearly new looking. Then, just because I thought they looked sweet next to the 810 I bought an 820 printer new from Best Electronics for... dang was it $75? Then it sat. One of my favorite games, as frustrating as it may be, is Hard Hat Mack. I found it new for the 810 and bought it. I played HHM for quite some time but eventually it all got put back away because it takes up so much space. I saw a thread here for a VBXE2 and realized I had no idea what it was. Are there upgrades I can get that will let me have fun with my 800 again or should I sell the whole lot? I know there's a way to hook it to a PC to play games (right?) but how about a flat panel monitor or something? Better sound? Thanks for any and all help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Go to atarimax.com and get the SIO2USB. Best investment you could ever make for your A8, as then you can play nearly any game right from your PC/Mac's hard drive. You can do other things with it too, like connect to BBS's using your PC/Mac as a modem. Great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 (edited) Does atarimax´s sio2usb run with mac? I use sio2osX with os x and the last thing I found out is that sio2osX doesn´t work together with sio2usb... Actually I use a FTDI-chip based RS232-dongle (my imac doesn´t support RS32) & a sio2pc to connect my XL to the imac. BTW, there are different stand-alone devices which allows you to load Diskimages without pc/mac. E.g. sio2sd or sdrive nuxx uses SD-cards or sio2usb uses USB-stick to store files. Sleeπ Edited April 7, 2010 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tregare Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Does atarimax´s sio2usb run with mac? I use sio2osX with os x and the last thing I found out is that sio2osX doesn´t work together with sio2usb... Actually I use a FTDI-chip based RS232-dongle (my imac doesn´t support RS32) & a sio2pc to connect my XL to the imac. Sleeπ no mac support yet for sio2usb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 no mac support yet for sio2usb O.K., I thought that there are any news about sio2osx & sio2usb. Some time ago (nearly two years, I think ) I asked Steven (atarimax) & Mark (atarimac) if it would be possible that sio2osx support sio2usb. Mark answered that it is possible if atarimax gives the information he needs to implement sio2usb, but out of his sight there´s no need to add this feature because you can connect them with sio2pc & a RS232-dongle. Last but not least only a handful of users registrated their sio2osx version... With this two adapters it works really fine, sio2osx is a great piece of software. With sio2usb-support the connection would be a little bit smarter. Sleeπ (sorry for my bad english; I don´t speak (or write) in english very often;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Doh! Sorry, I thought the SIO2OSX would work with the SIO2USB. I guess it doesn't, I just tried. I've been using my SIO2USB with APE on my MacBook Pro booted into Windows XP with Boot Camp. So, it does work on a Mac (at least my Mac), just not in OSX using SIO2USB. My Mac hardware is definitely capable of it though. Only reason I hadn't tried SIO2OSX before now is because I was using the APE ProSystem to back up protected disks to disk images. Hopefully direct support with SIO2OSX will come soon, then I could avoid Windows 100%. And yeah of course only a few registered it if it doesn't even work with the main product people are now buying (SIO2USB). I'm glad I didn't register it before you guys mentioned this! The minute it does work with the SIO2USB, I'll register though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Ok.. ONCE AGAIN..... Atarimax DOES NOT SELL SIO2USB.. He sells the USB Edition of SIO2PC.. SIO2USB is a small box that plugs into your SIO port, has a small LCD screen on it, and allows you to use USB flash media as a standalone storage solution.. SIO2PC (USB edition or standard serial port edidition) allows you to use your PC to emulate a multitude of peripherals (including but not limited to storage devices) at the same time.. And yes.. SIO2PC is by far the best value of any device you can buy for your ATARI.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Yes, apparently I mis-spoke. I was totally unaware of the other product actually called SIO2USB. I was referring to the USB edition of SIO2PC. Sorry for the confusion! Honest mistake. Seems I was not the only one unaware as I see people referring to it as that all the time, which is where I got it from. Thanks for the clarification though. But, as for the "ONCE AGAIN..." thing... I have never heard of that product, and not everyone reads every single thread, so I missed the other time(s) you apparently mentioned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 (edited) O.K., my mistake also. The sio2usb uses an usb-stick to store a disk-images. The other thing is the sio2pc usb edition which you can use to connect your atari via sio to a windows-pc (usb interface). The serial interface you can use to connect your atari to a windows or os x machine with RS232 (or via a RS232 dongle to usb). This devices allows you to load disk-images from a pc/mac. Sleeπ Edited April 8, 2010 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellis Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Any Mac OS X users who want to build their own USB -> SIO cable can PM me. I have a program called SIO Server that runs under Mac OS X and will serve ATR and EXE images to a connected Atari, but it requires that you assemble your own cable. The good news is that if you have a donor SIO cable, the remaining parts cost only $20. In exchange for your trouble, you will find that SIO Sever consumes very little of your host computer's CPU -- so little that you can leave it running in the background if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNixer Posted April 8, 2010 Author Share Posted April 8, 2010 Thanks for the replies! So, does the USB Edition of SIO2PC allow me to shuttle games to my 800 to play on my 800? Or do I control the 800 from my PC? If not I guess I'd have to hook my 800 up to a TV again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tregare Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Thanks for the replies! So, does the USB Edition of SIO2PC allow me to shuttle games to my 800 to play on my 800? Or do I control the 800 from my PC? If not I guess I'd have to hook my 800 up to a TV again. SIO2PC (and the software) allows you to use your PC as a virtual atari drive, printer, etc. it provides virtual disk drives using disk images, you can map the printer to a windows printer , etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tregare Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Ok.. ONCE AGAIN..... Atarimax DOES NOT SELL SIO2USB.. He sells the USB Edition of SIO2PC.. SIO2USB is a small box that plugs into your SIO port, has a small LCD screen on it, and allows you to use USB flash media as a standalone storage solution.. SIO2PC (USB edition or standard serial port edidition) allows you to use your PC to emulate a multitude of peripherals (including but not limited to storage devices) at the same time.. And yes.. SIO2PC is by far the best value of any device you can buy for your ATARI.. grrr, sorry all the diff SIO2xxxxx devices can get confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+therealbountybob Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Thanks for the replies! So, does the USB Edition of SIO2PC allow me to shuttle games to my 800 to play on my 800? Or do I control the 800 from my PC? If not I guess I'd have to hook my 800 up to a TV again. I use SIO2PC/APE/USB to transfer games downloaded from web sites to real floppy disks to play on the Atari. You can also boot the atari straight from the PC and access the game images as if the PC was an atari drive. You can also image real disks up to PC files, for backups, distributing to people, playing on emulators etc. You use the PC software and the atari in tandem. Definitely worth buying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Other than all the aforementioned uses, my new favorite use (of the SIO2PC USB Edition from Atarimax.com) is to use the PC's hard drive as a hard drive for the Atari. I got a whole archive of EXE/COM files, and you can just view them and load them directly, with no hassling with disk images at all. Either way works great, but I've found this the easiest way for me to load up a bunch of games on the Atari quickly. The SIO2PC USB Edition really makes the A8 a blast to use. (No, I am not associated with AtariMax, just a blown-away impressed user!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckafka99 Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havok69 Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 (edited) Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? Sure - check this out: http://atarimax.com/...n/chapter0.html ** Edit ** Whoops - yes to hard drive, no to external usb... Edited July 2, 2010 by Havok69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Heh.. YES YOU CAN connect an external USB hardisk to an Atari 800XL.. This is what SIO2USB actually does do. You can use it with USB mass storage devices, including flash devices or hard disks.. There may be some range of compatability requirements concerning exactly which brands of USB storage devices will/wont work. Contact ABBUC for details.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 (edited) Here you can find some informations about the sio2usb: developer At the left side, choose "ATARI Projects / SIO2USB". Sleeπ Edited July 3, 2010 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataridano Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I bought my Atari 800 around Christmas 2007 and it's in amazing condition (see my avatar). I tracked down an 810 for it in similar condition, nearly new looking. Then, just because I thought they looked sweet next to the 810 I bought an 820 printer new from Best Electronics for... dang was it $75? Then it sat. One of my favorite games, as frustrating as it may be, is Hard Hat Mack. I found it new for the 810 and bought it. I played HHM for quite some time but eventually it all got put back away because it takes up so much space. I saw a thread here for a VBXE2 and realized I had no idea what it was. Are there upgrades I can get that will let me have fun with my 800 again or should I sell the whole lot? I know there's a way to hook it to a PC to play games (right?) but how about a flat panel monitor or something? Better sound? Thanks for any and all help! Kinda surprised nobody seems to have answered your origional questions. You can use a flat panel monitor as long as it has composite or S-video inputs on it, and of course you need the right cable to hook to the DIN connector on the 800. I have a HP computer monitor w/ composite inputs, a LCD TV will work too as the computer monitors aren't all that common. There are kits to add a second Pokey chip for stereo sound, don't know much about them though, not really my thing. Don't know what to tell you on the space issue, you've got all the cool 8xx series accessories, it's a shame to not have them out, but I have the same space issues myself and have to put things away when they're not being used. I use SIO2SD which allows me to use a SD card on the Atari instead of floppy, this way I'm not teathered to a PC and it's way smaller than any floppy drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? Why bother with obsolete technology like hard drives? If you have been around the Atari scene you know that storage via memory chips (ROM/RAM/etc.) is faster, more exact, and more durable. They thought things would be cheaper with hard drives and all you get is head-aches of crashes, bloated crap, etc. People have come full circle now-- they though they were getting rid of obsolete cartridge type memory stuff and now they are all using flash memory drives and using adapters to convert IDE->SD or CF cards. Perhaps, computer historians in the future people will look back and say advancement in computer technology took a major bump with this hard drive crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 (edited) Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? ...they though they were getting rid of obsolete cartridge type memory stuff... Cartridges only disappeared on larger consoles because the cost per megabyte of optical media was cheaper and needed for the advent of 3D games. Cartridges never left the handheld arena for obvious reasons. Edited July 9, 2010 by MrFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? ...they though they were getting rid of obsolete cartridge type memory stuff... Cartridges only disappeared on larger consoles because the cost per megabyte of optical media was cheaper and needed for the advent of 3D games. Cartridges never left the handheld arena for obvious reasons. I guess the cutting edge is on the desktop/laptop scene and they opted to use hard drives and cd/dvd rather than memory devices like in XBOX. Even processor power on the handheld are considered useless in the desktop/laptop scene although handhelds seem to be becoming more and more like laptops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 HDDs are far from obsolete. Cost per Gigabyte is practically less than writable DVDs now. And they're way cheaper and more reliable than the flashdrives you can now get. One flash technology evolves to the point of sustaining millions of write cycles per cell, and is price competitive, things will change though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Is there a device that will allow one to attach a USB external Hard Drive to an Atari800XL? ...they though they were getting rid of obsolete cartridge type memory stuff... Cartridges only disappeared on larger consoles because the cost per megabyte of optical media was cheaper and needed for the advent of 3D games. Cartridges never left the handheld arena for obvious reasons. I guess the cutting edge is on the desktop/laptop scene and they opted to use hard drives and cd/dvd rather than memory devices like in XBOX. Even processor power on the handheld are considered useless in the desktop/laptop scene although handhelds seem to be becoming more and more like laptops. Desktops went to floppies first and then to optical media for software/game distribution for the same reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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