SIO2PC USB APE instructions for Windows 10

[hueyjones70]

I recently purchased a SIO2PC USB from AtariMax, the trial version of APE will not get started and email to Atarimax has gone unanswered. Are there any written instructions anywhere out there that will tell me what I need to do in order to use the hardware to accomplish ANYTHING. I am very new at this, I just want to be able to download a few files.

[eightbit]

What you do mean it will "not get started"? Like it will actually not launch? It launches fine in Win 10 x64 on my end. But then again I have an updated version than the trial available as I purchased APE long ago. The premise is easy. Connect SIO2USB from the PC to the atari, launch the app, mount a disk, turn on the atari. A free app that does the same thing can be found here:

 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/aspeqt/

[+DrVenkman]

A free app that does the same thing can be found here:

 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/aspeqt/

As far as I know, Steve’s device is “locked” into using APE. I don’t believe ApeQT or RespeQT will work with it.

 

That said, a couple years ago I was ago to get APE to work with an FTDI-based device from another maker on a Mac through VirtualBox and a virtualized Windows COM: port pointing to the /dev/usb file structure in OS X. .

 

So anything is possible. Just give us a bit more information so we can help you get things sorted.

[hueyjones70]

When I try to run the APE trial version (when I click the ICON), nothing happens and I hesitate to purchase the real thing when the trial version doesn't work.

[+DrVenkman]

When I try to run the APE trial version (when I click the ICON), nothing happens and I hesitate to purchase the real thing when the trial version doesn't work.

Right-click it and select “Run” to see if you get some kind of security pop-up or warning. If nothing happens still, open Task Manager and see if some ghost processes from the last times you tried are still hanging around. If so, kill them and try again.

[+sm3]

When I try to run the APE trial version (when I click the ICON), nothing happens and I hesitate to purchase the real thing when the trial version doesn't work.

 

One thing to note, you should be using the icon that has USB in the name. I believe the software installs 3 icons.

 

Also, you might have to run the configuration or setup program once to choose USB, I believe it defaults to RS-232. I also had to associate the USB drivers with my SIO2PC, they didn't install correctly or associate with my device for some reason.

[Kyle22]

What you do mean it will "not get started"? Like it will actually not launch? It launches fine in Win 10 x64 on my end. But then again I have an updated version than the trial available as I purchased APE long ago. The premise is easy. Connect SIO2USB from the PC to the atari, launch the app, mount a disk, turn on the atari. A free app that does the same thing can be found here:

 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/aspeqt/

 

Why would you recommend an outdated project from a completely dis-credited author?

 

Here is the latest, it's called RespeQt: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265082-respeqt-r4-released/?do=findComment&comment=3753009

 

It works great with my FTDI cable. All I did was buy the cable and add an SIO plug to the end of it. Dirt cheap, easy and works perfectly (even at divisor zero (125 KBaud)).

 

The cable also works with APE Pro, but not as fast.

 

 

Edit: punctuation.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Kyle22

[eightbit]

 

Why would you recommend an outdated project from a completely dis-credited author?

 

Here is the latest, it's called RespeQt: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265082-respeqt-r4-released/?do=findComment&comment=3753009

 

It works great with my FTDI cable. All I did was buy the cable and add an SIO plug to the end of it. Dirt cheap, easy and works perfectly (even at divisor zero (125 KBaud)).

 

The cable also works with APE Pro, but not as fast.

 

 

Edit: punctuation.

 

 

I can only recommend what I have used (successfully) in the past. SIO2PC is outdated in itself

[+DrVenkman]

 

 

I can only recommend what I have used (successfully) in the past. SIO2PC is outdated in itself

 

No more than the entire 8-bit architecture of the Atari is.

 

SIO2PC is great. RespeQt and an SIO2PC devices lets me access any file on any folder in my computer mounted a folder. That gives me ... the world.

​Especially since, in my case, the "computer" in question is a $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W sitting unobtrusively behind the Atari and wirelessly linked to my LAN.

[Kyle22]

RespeQt runs beautifully on my Toshiba i5 under XP32.

 

Using SpartaDOS-X, you install the PCLINK.SYS driver. This will allow Read/Write access to any (Windows PC) folder that you have mounted in RespeQt.

 

Edit: Clarification.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Kyle22

[eightbit]

When I try to run the APE trial version (when I click the ICON), nothing happens and I hesitate to purchase the real thing when the trial version doesn't work.

 

What version did you install and what OS are you using? Did you try to right click on the icon and run as admin? I am running Win 10 x64 here and APE launches just fine. If you try to launch it from a command line it might give you more information as to why it is not launching.

[eightbit]

 

No more than the entire 8-bit architecture of the Atari is.

 

SIO2PC is great. RespeQt and an SIO2PC devices lets me access any file on any folder in my computer mounted a folder. That gives me ... the world.

​Especially since, in my case, the "computer" in question is a $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W sitting unobtrusively behind the Atari and wirelessly linked to my LAN.

 

RespecQT may be great (I dunno, I haven't used SIO2PC since APE and AspeQT) but that still does not answer the question from the beginning as to why he cannot launch APE. If he is having problems launching that what makes everyone think he will be able to launch RespeQT? I think we need to get more information as to what is going on when the app is launched. It's a standard windows executable and launches on all of my machines here...

[Minok1217]

Setup Background:

I've got a follow-up, as the thread title is exactly relevant to my problem:

1) Running Windows 10 Pro 21H2

2) APE 3.0.12 (and maybe this is what is fixed in 3.0.13?)

3) SIO2PC USB version

 

Installed SIO2PC CD software per its instructions (which I think placed the demo version of APE on the PC)

Installed the APE registered version from its CD via the "upgrade" choice in its menu.

So now my Windows PC has (shortcuts for):

1. APE for Windows

2. APE for Windows (USB only mode)

3. ProSystem for Windows

APE 3.0.12 complains "[Serial Driver]Serial port COM1 does not exist. Check APE configuration!"

ProSystem for Windows 3.0.12 complains "Could not open COM2! Check Settings"

 

So step one was to go to Windows 10 devices and see what USB devices it sees and indeed there is an SIO2PC Universal Interface, BUT...

It is listed as "Driver is unavailable".

 

Question:

So has anyone gotten the SIO2PC interface to work with Windows 10 21H2 and if so whats my likely problem?

Is it I need the 3.0.13 version and its updated drivers?

Or will this only really work under Windows 7 and older?

 

My goal here is to plug my 1050 drive via the SIO2PC unit, into my PC, and then create image files (ATR) for my library of vintage 1980'2 and 90's floppies.

[blacka013]

Have you loaded the USB drivers. If not, open the zip file below and install them.

 

Regards

 

SIO2PC USB 64-bit Drivers.zip

[Minok1217]

22 hours ago, blacka013 said:

Have you loaded the USB drivers. If not, open the zip file below and install them.

 

Regards

 

SIO2PC USB 64-bit Drivers.zip 57.82 kB · 4 downloads

Hm, interesting.  So I went to check the contents of the CD's I'd saved to the local drive, and there is a 64 bit SIO2PC USB driver folder.  I assumed that when the installer was run, that this driver would have been installed.

Going into Windows 10 "Device Manager" (not the useless Start->Settings->Devices screen).. I was able to manually install the drivers, which loaded fine.  And viola the USB SIO2PC now gets recognized in the USB device listing and is happy.

So for those that come by later to see this - the USB device driver can apparently fail to happen with the installers provided (in my case by AtariMax ) so you may well have to manually install the 64 bit drivers from the Windows 10 "Device Manager" that lists/controls the hardware devices (the old Control Panel interface).

 

 

Follow-up question, as this was really not obvious to me...

1) If using the USB SIO2PC interface, there is no COM port involved on the PC side, right?  So in ProSystem for Windows I'm selecting 'Disabled' under the (File->ProSystem Serial Port) menu, correct?

and more importantly

2) To use ProSystem to create images from the 1050 drive plugged into the SIO2PC unit, is an Atari computer required to be on the SIO bus? (may well be the computer acts as the bus master and must be there, so just a 1050 drive by itself won't be seen)

I ask this because with only the 1050 (stock) drive plugged into the SIO2PC and the SIO2PC configured and operating, ProSystem for Windows 3.0.12 is showing no drives on the bus (all 4 grayed out), and status shows "Could not open! Check Settings".  Which then leads to the question of "what settings?"  Under the File menu there is the ProSystems Serial Port option - which I have set to "none" as its a USB device connection.

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Minok1217

[Minok1217]

Well, I think I can answer my own question - the issue has to do with the specific way that ProSystem for Windows needs to be launched.

 

I was just launching ProSystem for Windows, directly from the ProSystem shortcut that was placed there during the install.  Apparently that is the wrong thing to do.  I wonder, if you cannot just launch ProSystem, why on earth does the installer put a shortcut to it on the desktop as part of the installation?!

 

I was poking around in APE for Windows (USB ONLY mode) and happened to notice  in APE 3.0.12, under the "Image Toolbox" menu, there is a selection for "Launch Prosystem".  Using that menu choice causes APE for Windows to then start up ProSystem.

 

This instance of running ProSystem then sees the 1050 drive plugged into the SIO bus. <facepalm>

 

So what I've learned is that:

1. Launching ProSystem for Windows from the desktop shortcut results in it not seeing the SIO bus connected 1050 drive.

2. Launching ProSystem for Windows from the desktop shortcut 'as administrator' also results in the same 1050 not seen on the SIO bus behavior.

3. Launching APE for Windows (USB ONLY Mode) from the desktop shortcut (as administrator or giving it admin rights when Windows asks for them ) - and then launching Prosystem from within APE for Windows, does see the 1050 drive.

 

The instructions provided by AtariMax could really use some updating, because none of this is intuitive.

[bfollowell]

I do not ever recall having to start APE in order to get ProSystem to work at all. I've never had any issues with just starting ProSystem from the installed icons or the menu shortcuts. Mine all work normally, as you'd expect them to.

 

I guess the main thing is that you have yours working for you, so that's all that matters but, for whatever reason, not everyone has to do what you obviously have to to get yours to work.

 

[Minok1217]

Yes it’s good that I got it working, but the holes in the instructions and how windows works definitely contributed to the difficulty I faced. 

You were lucky you didn’t try out APE to see if it starts fine , before you went to use ProSystem. 
 

it’s normal to try out software to make sure it I stalled. So I started APE to see that it launches. It did. The main welcome screen has no X to close so you must choose one of the follow on action buttons. I chose launch to see what it looks like. Then I closed the program. 
 

What isn’t clear from the instructions is that APE remains running in the background when it closes , and as windows hides icons in the system tray , I could not see that APE was still running and had a hold on the SIO2PC bus if you will. 
 

And as I typically just sleep the PC rather than shut it down, the PC always woke with APE still running in the background and it would squat on the SIO2PC device every time I go plugged it in. 
 

So launching ProSystem from the shortcut always resulted in it not seeing anything on the SIO bus, be because ProSystem also doesn’t detect and alert the user that another application already is using the SIO2PC device. A simple pop up to close APE would work here. 
 

My situation may well be atypical , but be lucky you didn’t ever encounter coming at it in the unfortunate way I did.  I’m not convinced my way of installing launching the tools is atypical in how a user might work. But then Atari users with PCs in 2022 is a tiny population. 
 

However it took the alignment of several software design problems to result in the hole I was in:

 

1) the APE intro screen has no exit 

2) the manual doesn’t brief new users that APE will stay background resident when you “exit” the program. 
3) windows 10 hides the tray icons by default (vs shows them all and users pick to hide them )

4) ProSystem doesn’t detect an APE instance squatting on the SIO2PC device and warn the user , instead just silently failed to see an SIO bus so it all looks fine. A detection and dialog would fix this. 
 

 

all 4 of those had to happen for this issue to be fully realized as I found it. That others don’t fall into the trap doesn’t make it less of a trap. 
 

luckily this can be fixed with an improvement to the User Guide that should be with the devices and software and online , and a slight simple enhancement of the ProSystem UI and APE UI. (Because I’ve got no hope Microsoft will change the way windows operates by default. ) 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Minok1217

[pps]

On 7/21/2017 at 3:59 PM, DrVenkman said:

As far as I know, Steve’s device is “locked” into using APE. I don’t believe ApeQT or RespeQT will work with it.

This is not what I have seen. RespeQT works well with my SIO2USB AtariMax device. Only problem is that there are issues in RespeQT build 5.x that are 'damaging' The!Cart, so I am not using it. -> Those Problems are in RespeQT, not the hardware. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by pps

[+Larry]

It always has been slightly troublesome to me that there never was a WinAPE user guide, but I started out with APE for Dos, and there is a user guide for both APE and Prosystem.    That helped me a lot.  The AtariMax forum is quite helpful, especially for new users.  Mr-Atari is timely and very helpful for most issues. 

[+kheller2]

18 hours ago, pps said:

This is not what I have seen. RespeQT works well with my SIO2USB AtariMax device. Only problem is that there are issues in RespeQT build 5.x that are 'damaging' The!Cart, so I am not using it. -> Those Problems are in RespeQT, not the hardware. 

The drivers are proprietary so if you own them and have them installed then other APE aware software can use them.  I’m pretty sure there aren’t public drivers available to use the hardware on say Linux.  But it’s been years now so maybe that changed.