Noob New 1024STe User w/pics!

[Wiffleplop]

Having recently got back into my old haunt of computers from the 80s and early 90s, I've accumulated quite a pile of them, including 2 ZX81s, a 48k Spectrum, an Amiga A1200, Atari 800XL in stunning condition, an STfm that was damaged in transit but still works (case was bust on one corner), and now an STe. This is again in really good condition, but needs a Retr0bright job on the keyboard, which I'm going to test with the one from the spare ST. As to the electronicals, it looks to be in good shape as far as components go, but I think I have the first TOS, and the dodge DMA chip with the -01 coding. Here's an over-view of the board in pictures:

 

Nothing too weird there apart from the apparent scribble around the mouse ports, but if you can see anything bad, let me know as I want to put this in good order for use with a CosmosEX and such. The only visible problem is with the PSU, which is evidencing a slightly bulging cap on the board, as you can possibly see below. The rest look ok, but would it be sensible to replace them all while I have the soldering iron out?

 

Here's a shot of the TOS chips and the DMA chip. Am I right about the latter, and where can I get myself a new one if I'm to fix it for use with the CosmosEX?

 

I've got a 4160STe badge ready to put on the case, but I want to make sure I'm not already rockin' the 4mb RAM before I lash out on the extra SIMMs. If anyone can tell me off the top of their head if that's the 256kb or 1024kb SIMM, I'd be grateful, but I'm off to Google up the chip numbers myself for good measure as soon as I've finished here

 

Finally a close-up of the "crayon", which either suggests someone's kids have been scribbling on the mobo in the past, or it's some kind of internal checklist at the factory? Me dunno.

 

I'm a bit stuffed for content for Ste at the moment though, as although the FDD works, I have no PCs with built-in floppy controllers to write any disks for memory check routines etc., and my USB FDD is useless with the two DSDD disk writing/reading utilities I've found so far. After I've sorted the DMA issue, I'll be using the CosmosEX to house my pre-existing RasPi, which will have finally found a use!

[Wiffleplop]

Answered my own question on the SIMMs, the chips are Siemens 41256-10s, which are 256k 1-bit, i.e. 32kb each in sticks of 8, so 256kb per SIMM. I need the upgrade. As to the DMA, I think I might have got it the wrong way round, as I've read that the -001A chips are the later DMA chips which work. :ponder:

[IainGrimm]

With the discs I did have some success using an external USB floppy drive, with the external drive I could write the 720k discs fine but non of the 800k discs using Omniflop. I also managed to format said discs as 720k (there is a bat file out there that will do it and it works with USB floppy).

 

After the discs are formatted Windows cannot read them at all, however you can copy & paste programs over to them, not disc images but the normal TOS type files then your ST will read them fine.

 

I did setup an old PC on my 3rd floor with a FDD controller on the board primarily for writing old formats, works nicely, need to get an internal 5" drive next so I don't have to keep connecting my C64 1541 up to the parallel port. Running this on Windows 7 32 Bit and it is all good, took a day or so to get everything up and running, working out correct Parallel Port settings for 1541 and installing the Omniflop driver etc but it has been worth it.

[Wiffleplop]

Thanks for the info - I've circumvented the problem by buying one of Jookie's CosmosEX devices to utilise the RapPi model B I've had lurking round the workshop unused for a year or two - what a helpful gent he is too! I've just re-capped the PSU in line with this page of the LaST site, which was rather handy. I couldn't source the correct rectifier at the time though, so subbed a 6A 600V unit, and had to drill out the pads to 1.3mm to accomodate the thicker legs. I need to test it next, but I've not yet had time. Hopefully I've not screwed anything up, but time will tell.

 

Yesterday I fitted the 4mb of RAM (I have to stop my fingers typing 4gb!), and this morning I installed the TOS Switcher from Atari-Freakz, which was pretty simple. I mounted the eponymous switch on the back-plane over the modem socket, which should never see any use (the modem, not the switch). It switches fine between the old 1.62(?) and the 2.06, although at medium resolution I get a bit of noise on the green backdrop in 2.06, but not 1.62. Weird. I'm talking to Rupert about that by email. I suppose I should put my 4160ST^e badge on now

[Wiffleplop]

Almost 3 years later, and I've still not managed to install my CosmosEX... I kind of got distracted by other things. Fortunately, I documented what I did here, as I'd have no hope of remembering what I did otherwise! :$

 

BTW - does anyone know whether there have been any advances in outputting ST and STe graphics to LED screens since I've been away? I remember the picture being pretty bad, but at the time there wasn't a fix for that, and I don't have the space for a CRT monitor just for my STs

[leech]

Almost 3 years later, and I've still not managed to install my CosmosEX... I kind of got distracted by other things. Fortunately, I documented what I did here, as I'd have no hope of remembering what I did otherwise! :$

 

BTW - does anyone know whether there have been any advances in outputting ST and STe graphics to LED screens since I've been away? I remember the picture being pretty bad, but at the time there wasn't a fix for that, and I don't have the space for a CRT monitor just for my STs

Ha, I have done the same thing, CosmosEx sitting in a box, still haven't figured out the cleast way to put it in one of my machines.

 

Sadly, you still basically need to track down a dying breed of VGA MultiSync VGA monitors, and they all work with varying success. Of the Three I own, the BenQ BL912 seems to have the nicest picture.

[mpattonm]

Finally a close-up of the "crayon", which either suggests someone's kids have been scribbling on the mobo in the past, or it's some kind of internal checklist at the factory? Me dunno.

 

 

Factory process marks. Basically every motherboard I have ever seen had these.

[mattsoft]

 

Factory process marks. Basically every motherboard I have ever seen had these.

 

 

Child labor.

[Wiffleplop]

 

Factory process marks. Basically every motherboard I have ever seen had these.

 

That's some seriously cheapskate marks then - looks like the mad scribblings of kids, which backs up Mattsoft's comments. I found one of those NEC screens going for £20 on eBay the other day, so have ordered one. I can get my Amiga playing through my LED via its Indivision AGA MkII board, but the Atari, and the 800XL I have (and probably the Atom I've acquired) seem not to like modern TVs much. That said, my ZX81 and Speccy probably won't like LEDs much either, so I think I'll get some use out of the NEC when it arrives

 

Somehow I managed to lose my 4060STe badge, which is annoying as I think I paid through the nose for it :'( However, I've picked a metal one up from somewhere for a couple of Euros, so it's not all lost. I'm going to pick up a few Exxos goodies too, which should all help with the picture quality. I'll also have to get round to recapping the board too.

 

After cracking open the case last night I found that I'd installed an Analogic Computers branded TOS swapper, which I doubt will be compatible with any of the Exxos CPU boosters, so I'll probably end up getting his TOS switcher to replace it. Is there much of a market for these things in the 2nd hand arena?