BitWriter Replica 1050 - Order phase has started

[+tf_hh]

Hi,

 

thanks to all for showing interest in buying the BitWriter Replica 1050!

 

Since more than 20 orders are placed, I will make a lot of 30 PCBs. Each BitWriter Replica 1050 PCB is ready-to-use and tested (one read cycle, one write cycle, BW diagnostics). The speed potis for 270, 275 and 282 RPM will be justified already. You need only to solder some wires on several places to the 1050 PCB. No traces must be cutted or any other destructive modification of the 1050 must be done.

 

Of course an installation manual with pictures is applied (sent via email when PCBs are shipped out).

 

You can choose between two versions:

 

Version "A" is the one if you want to solder less and your 1050 is fitted with a not-so-worn-out socket. The Version "A" can´t be plugged into a machine-head precision socket.

 

Version "B" fits best plugged in a machine-head precision socket. When you choose this version, two extra precision sockets are included. You´ve to desolder the low-cost one on the 1050 PCB and change to one of the applied one. The second spare socket is to expand the height, otherwise the BW Replica PCB won´t fit.

 

It´s possible to use Version "B" also in a standard 1050 with standard low-cost socket, but if the 1050 was moved, the PCB could fall out of the socket, because there´s not enough mechanical strength to hold it securely.

 

Scope of delivery:

 

- Soldered and tested BitWriter Replica 1050 PCB

- Crimped 15 cm long AWG28 cable with 10 wires and IDC connector

- Installation instructions (only per email, PDF file)

- When choosing Version "B": two machine-head precision sockets, 28 pins, 600 mil

 

How to order:

 

- 1 (one) BitWriter Replica 1050 costs 45 Euros.

- Shipping for one or two pieces worldwide is 7 Euros (Registered Letter "Recommandé", refund in case of lost or damage max. 37 Euros!)

or

- Shipping for one or two pieces worldwide is 9 Euros (Insured & Registered Letter, refund in case of lost or damage up to 100 Euros)

 

If you want to order more than 2, please contact me before sending money (email: tf_hh@gmx.de).

 

Please multiply the quantity of BitWrite Replica 1050 you want with 45, add the shipping costs and sent the money via Paypal. Please have attention to the following hints to make it easier for me and you!

 

- Sent the money in the currency EURO to the Paypal-Account tf_hh@gmx.de

- Please add your AtariAge nick name to the comment field in the Paypal transaction to know who you are

- Also select Version A or B

- Be sure that the delivery address is complete and fully written in the Paypal transaction

- I will respond to the email address sent by Paypal. If you want me to use an other email address, write in down in the comment field ("informations for seller")

- DO NOT SENT THE MONEY AS A GIFT

- DO NOT SENT THE MONEY FOR A FRIEND

- Use "Pay for goods and services"

 

I know it´s friendly to do that, but Paypal will close my account when I got to much transfers "as a gift". In the BitWriter Replica 1050´s price of 45 Euros the Paypal fee for receiving money is already included. So don´t worry about it!

 

Every payment is confirmed by email within 24 hours. I will add your email-address to my mailing list and will keep you up-to-date on every step I do until items are shipped.

 

Payments will collected until March, the 15th (see timeline in the interest thread).

 

Any questions? Don´t hesitate to contact me!

 

Regards, Jurgen

[GlowingGhoul]

Couldn't resist. Ordered 2 B units and money sent!

[+tf_hh]

Thanks to all early birds

 

I will keep the Order List up-to-date every day. You can see the newest version always here: http://www.van-radecke.de/BitWriter/BW_Orders.txt

 

Please sent me an email to tf_hh@gmx.de, if something is written wrong on the order list.

 

Jurgen

[AtariGeezer]

Payment foe One just sent

[venom4728a]

Payment for 2 Sent!!

[Mathy]

Hello Jürgen

 

If you still have one left, I'll take one. Version B.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[+tf_hh]

Hi Mathy,

 

no problem. Until order phase is closed at 03/15, every (new) order is welcome. Just follow the instructions in post #1.

 

Thanks, Jurgen (I didn´t know what happens to the screen of an non-european user when I use the "ü"... )

[Mathy]

Hello Jürgen

 

I just paypalled you the money.

 

Most modern OSses shouldn't have a problem with special characters. OS X has had a special menu option for it for as long as I know (10.3.5) and since a couple of versions, holding a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) for a second will make a small menu pop up with all the options.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[Bryan]

Money Sent!

[Triads]

Money Sent

[Defender II]

Money sent for 2 Ver B

[Bumzyman]

Thanks Jurgen

 

Payment sent for two version "B" units.

[+tf_hh]

Hi,

 

one week to go. This is the actual order list. Please check if everything is right. If somebody doesn´t want a BitWriter Replice 1050 anymore, please sent me a message and I remove you from the list.

 

Jurgen

Order list for BitWriter Replica 1050  (Last refresh: 2016 March 05 - 10:15 CET+1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AA Nickname         Country      Quantity Version "A"   Quantity Version "B"   Payment received
===============================================================================================
GlowingGhoul        USA          -                      2                      Yes
Bryan               USA          -                      1                      Yes
Dropcheck           USA          1                      -                      Yes
sloopy              ???          -                      -                      No
Zarxx               UK           1                      -                      Yes           
ndary               Israel       -                      -                      No
Defender II         USA          -                      2                      Yes
IndusGT             USA          -                      -                      No
rdea6               USA          1                      -                      Yes
sup8pdct            Australia    -                      -                      No
Bumzyman            USA          -                      2                      Yes
Stephen J. Carden   USA          -                      -                      No
AtariGeezer         USA          1                      -                      Yes
venom4728a          USA          1                      1                      Yes
MacRorie            USA          1                      1                      Yes          
Bunsen              Germany      -                      1                      Yes
mariusz             Poland       -                      -                      No
_The Doctor__       USA          -                      -                      No
Tigerduck           Germany      -                      1                      Yes
Jason1024           USA          -                      -                      No
abbotkinneydude     USA          -                      -                      No
Firedawg            USA          -                      1                      Yes
Mathy               Netherlands  -                      1                      Yes
Triads              USA          -                      1                      Yes

[Marius]

I would like to order two of these version B boards!

[Marius]

tf_hh and I had a PM conversation about this, but I thought: let me ask this here (since the other thread is locked):

 

There are quite some nice games floating around that are only available as protected .PRO or .ATX image. I understand that a 1050 with Bitwriter/Superarchiver can copy protected disks. I'm afraid that APE does not emulate an Superarchiver/Bitwriter, so it is probably not possible to write these PRO or .ATX images back to a real floppy using a 1050 with Bitwriter/Superarchiver.

 

tf_hh told me that there is probably new software needed to accomplish this.

 

Anyone a suggestion or plans to write this software?

 

The reason I am interested in the bitwriter is because I have some original protected disks from which I absolutely want to make a backup so I don't have to use the original (collectors item) disks anymore.

And I hope it will be possible to write those available protected files back to a real floppy too.

[Brentarian]

Please put me down for 1 version B board. Thanks!

[IndusGT]

payment sent!

[Michael7800]

I missed the first interest thread, but I sent payment for a spare version B board if possible.

[+tf_hh]

There are quite some nice games floating around that are only available as protected .PRO or .ATX image. I understand that a 1050 with Bitwriter/Superarchiver can copy protected disks. I'm afraid that APE does not emulate an Superarchiver/Bitwriter, so it is probably not possible to write these PRO or .ATX images back to a real floppy using a 1050 with Bitwriter/Superarchiver.

 

tf_hh told me that there is probably new software needed to accomplish this.

 

Anyone a suggestion or plans to write this software?

 

Yes, we talked about. In my opinion this is possible, then the BitWriter software from Bob Puff does it the same way - more or less. In a very, very few words this is the way how the BitWriter works:

• BitWriter (or Archiver software) reads a track. This will be made 2 up to 8 times. Sector position, skew, header infos and much more is analyzed and saved. The whole informations are kept in the 8 KB trackbuffer of the BitWriter
• Trackbuffer (sector data) and status-/timing-informations are transferred to the computer - that´s the part you can hear with SIO sounds
• When writing a track back, the complete track with ALL informations, timing, marks, sector fields and so on are build in the trackbuffer
• BW hardware writes this track at once to the disk

So reading out a protected disk and save it to an ATR will be a great problem without the experience and analytics Bob Puff does before. The sourcecode is not availible. But writing to disk should be x times easier, because the PRO or ATX formats should be known. With the knowledge how these formats are build, it should be not the biggest problem to create software, which use these informations, build the track, put it in the trackbuffer and let the 1050 write it to disk.

 

When there´s a coder with time and some hardware skills... go for it

 

Jurgen

[Kyle22]

If I understand this correctly:

 

When you use a protected image in APE, the physical protection is not emulated, it only sends the correct responses back to the computer. Error, Status, Data, etc. that a real drive would send.

 

So, to reproduce the disk, one would need to know how to recreate the protection. Monitoring SIO during loading should provide some clues.

[+tf_hh]

Yes, this is the way I know how the protected images in APE works. IMHO it should be possible, using these informations to write tracks with "something wrong", which causes in exact these errors, status-data and so on. Every copy protection using in the A8 software ONLY can decide if the disk is original or not using the error- and status-codes from the drive.

 

I didn´t say it´s easy, but I think it´s possible

 

Jurgen

[+tf_hh]

Hi,

 

just a quick status about the project:

 

- Order phase closes in about 48 hours

- PCBs already ordered, should be arrive in one week

- Components and parts completely ordered and delivered

 

Next steps:

 

- Every buyer get an private email with additional informations and to check the delivery address I´ve saved for each order

- I start assembling as soon as possible

 

Jurgen

[+SoulBuster]

Payment sent for 1

[abbotkinneydude]

Payment sent for (1) Version B. Danke!

[_The Doctor__]

I could be wrong but I thought there was bit writer software that took the straight bit image of the disk and the bit writers status of unique event bits and recorded it to make a perfect copy including protection... I though the only protection it didn't reliably copy was purposely/physically damaged disks... and only when trying to reconstitute it from an image from elsewhere without the actual disk... The bit writer possibly held some data only on an internal basis and did not send that data to the Atari itself... a collaboration between someone who can pick apart the firmware and a coder versed in such things would be required to pull that information (if possible) and store it. The question is can then be if the bit writers firmware accepts that information from sio side and use it to re constitute that disk... You would think it should.... but in the past I remembered that interrupting power of the drive or accessing an incorrect disk when at the swapping point caused the copy to fail.... as if something was held in the bit writer drive and not held in the computers memory.... just supposition... based on observation... and my own failing memory.

 

The bit writer to this date has been the best archiving/duplication and creation tool the Atari has ever had on real Atari hardware... if you are a serious Atari archivists, hobbyist or even a collector you simply MUST have this modification for your Atari drive!

 

You can not afford to miss this opportunity! Make sure to buy one now!