ATARI 5200 Ultimate SD Wafer Drive (Up to 32GB of storage space)

[Heaven/TQA]

YES me....

 

here is the source code in MADS format:

 

.rept 1000000000

:1024 .byte #&$ff

.endr

[HiassofT]

here is the source code in MADS format:

 

.rept 1000000000

:1024 .byte #&$ff

.endr

Shouldn't that be $ea?

 

so long,

 

Hias

[Keatah]

Gotta love that shit Centon memory card. They are like the cheapest possible and if you ever see Centon products being sold in bulk, like out a candy jar or fishbowl at the checkout counter of a computer store, steer clear. They'll have been modified to report 8GB when in reality they are 2GB or 4GB. Even if you can get them for like $2.00.

[TMR]

Gotta love that shit Centon memory card. They are like the cheapest possible and if you ever see Centon products being sold in bulk, like out a candy jar or fishbowl at the checkout counter of a computer store, steer clear.

Centon... that's only one letter away from Centron and that game would have been a perfect fit for release on wafer!

[Heaven/TQA]

btw. I received my voting sheet for ABBUC software contest and there is a game submitted refering to Centron

[phoenixdownita]

btw. I received my voting sheet for ABBUC software contest and there is a game submitted refering to Centron

Do they take "wafer based" media submissions?

[HDTV1080P]

It’s too bad no company makes a BD-ROM drive attachment for classic 8-bit videogame systems, like one finds on modern videogame systems.

 

USB flash sticks and SD cards have an estimated life span of around 10 years for some brands. 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs up to 100GB and BDXL Blu-ray discs up to 128GB can last up to 1,000 years (Also optical discs are 100% immune to EMP’s, EMI, and RFI).

The latest videogame system like the Microsoft Xbox One X and S have a built in 100GB BD-ROM drive. Even the older Sony Playststation 3 and 4 use 50GB BD-ROM drives since optical discs are cheaper and more reliable compared to SD flash media. Blank recordable 50GB dual layer Blu-ray discs cost around $3.95 each and blank 25GB single layer Blu-ray discs cost around $0.79 each. Much cheaper than a 32GB SDHC card for slightly under $10. For large videogame production professional factory stamped Blu-ray discs most likely run around 25 cents each.

 

I guess there is no plans to make an optical drive for any of the 8-bit classic videogame systems or 8-bit computer systems.

Edited October 29, 2017 by HDTV1080P

[Keatah]

And that is a good thing.

 

Answer me. Why did you fib your first sentence in your first post in this thead? "There is a product on the market for Atari 5200 owners that is called the “Ultimate SD Wafer Drive” by ATARIMAX (also known as Ultimate SD cartridge on its old style label name)."

 

 

It’s too bad no company makes a BD-ROM drive attachment for classic 8-bit videogame systems, like one finds on modern videogame systems.

 

I guess there is no plans to make an optical drive for any of the 8-bit classic videogame systems or 8-bit computer systems.

 

And that's a good thing.

 

 

USB flash sticks and SD cards have an estimated life span of around 10 years for some brands. 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs up to 100GB and BDXL Blu-ray discs up to 128GB can last up to 1,000 years (Also optical discs are 100% immune to EMP’s, EMI, and RFI).

Flash memory can last much longer than 10 years.

And while optical discs have the potential to last 1,000+ years, what about the mechanisms and technologies to access them? The 1,000+ year advertised lifespan is moot. People that have data on them will have migrated it over the years/decades as new tech comes into the market.

[Osgeld]

optical disks which are pressed might last 1,000 years, we will know in a about 9 centuries, but burned media is greatly variable, most of the disc's i burned back in the late 90's the foil fell off of

[TMR]

Blank recordable 50GB dual layer Blu-ray discs cost around $3.95 each and blank 25GB single layer Blu-ray discs cost around $0.79 each. Much cheaper than a 32GB SDHC card for slightly under $10. For large videogame production professional factory stamped Blu-ray discs most likely run around 25 cents each.

Ignoring the fact that this is now pretty much completely off topic since it's got bugger all to do with Atari 8-bit or 5200 programming, i have to ask... do you seriously believe there's enough of a market out there for games on any of the 8-bit systems to warrant factory stamping discs? Really?! The manufacturing costs aren't what's keeping the sales of 8-bit computer or console games from skyrocketing, it's because they're being developed for a niche market and limiting things to owners of a specific interface reduces said market even further.

 

I guess there is no plans to make an optical drive for any of the 8-bit classic videogame systems or 8-bit computer systems.

There's already a few solutions for 8-bit computers; i can think of three possible solutions for the C64, one for the Spectrum and i think one for the Atari 8-bits just off the top of my head.

[Osgeld]

apple II can use CD rom via scsi interface

[+remowilliams]

It’s too bad no company makes a BD-ROM drive attachment for classic 8-bit videogame systems, like one finds on modern videogame systems.

 

 

[phoenixdownita]

 

 

C'mon now, it's getting interesting.

He has not mentioned yet the possibility (if a capable developer would just ... materialize) to connect an OculusRift/PlaystationVR helmet kind of gear to the whole 8bit clunker.

 

Can you imagine? State of the art long term permanent media (maybe a whole juke-box of it), state of the art VR/AR gears .... and a 40Y+ old 8bit at the center of it all .... who wouldn't want it?

At that point I can buy "wafers", "waffles", "cronuts", "puffles" or whatever he sells.

[+Tarzilla]

It’s too bad no company makes a BD-ROM drive attachment for classic 8-bit videogame systems, like one finds on modern videogame systems.

 

USB flash sticks and SD cards have an estimated life span of around 10 years for some brands. 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs up to 100GB and BDXL Blu-ray discs up to 128GB can last up to 1,000 years (Also optical discs are 100% immune to EMP’s, EMI, and RFI).

Optical disks are NOT 100% immune to rot or adhesive breakdown. I already have Commercially pressed CD's and DVD's rotting or separated, lets not forget CDRs and DVDR+- that are even more susceptible.

[RodLightning]

The captain may have something to say about this abuse of his wafers, although I have found proof that they are indeed popular up until the 23rd century. Thinking back to original Star Trek, didn't those data "tapes" look an awful lot like wafers?

 

[HDTV1080P]

 

And that is a good thing.

 

Answer me. Why did you fib your first sentence in your first post in this thead? "There is a product on the market for Atari 5200 owners that is called the “Ultimate SD Wafer Drive” by ATARIMAX (also known as Ultimate SD cartridge on its old style label name)."

 

 

 

 

That is not a lie, ATARIMAX did design a new label called Ultimate SD Wafer Drive. It is manufactured by ATARIMAX.

[HDTV1080P]

There are some very cheap generic brand of optical discs that are very bad quality and because of impurities in the water or other issues in manufacturing, they might fail in 10 years, but that is very rare (both commercially stamped optical discs and recordable discs). Yes commercially stamped optical discs can last longer then the average recordable disc (1,000+ years). The higher quality name brand CD-R’s, DVD-R, and BD-R, generally last around 100 years using estimated age estimates and lab test to simulate old age. However, the latest DVD-R, and BD-R discs from several different companies claim life spans of around 1,000 years. The optical drive will most likely break in 50 to 100 years. However, placing a 128GB BDXL Blu-ray disc in a time capsule has the potential to last up to 1,000 years. Many hard drives last up to 5 years and many flash drives last up to 8 years.

 

https://www.slashgear.com/millenniatas-25gb-blu-ray-m-disc-has-1000-year-lifespan-06285189/

 

[HDTV1080P]

apple II can use CD rom via scsi interface

That is awesome

[HDTV1080P]

Ignoring the fact that this is now pretty much completely off topic since it's got bugger all to do with Atari 8-bit or 5200 programming, i have to ask... do you seriously believe there's enough of a market out there for games on any of the 8-bit systems to warrant factory stamping discs? Really?! The manufacturing costs aren't what's keeping the sales of 8-bit computer or console games from skyrocketing, it's because they're being developed for a niche market and limiting things to owners of a specific interface reduces said market even further.

 

 

There's already a few solutions for 8-bit computers; i can think of three possible solutions for the C64, one for the Spectrum and i think one for the Atari 8-bits just off the top of my head.

That is nice to know that some third party companies made a CD-ROM drive for some of the classic more popular 8 bit computer systems (however none of the 8 bit videogame systems received a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM upgrade). I wish the ADAM computer would have received a DVD-ROM upgrade, but it never happen. A USB external BD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive can be interfaced with any computer as long as the hardware and software supports it. It would be a lot of work to make software to access a optical disc on a 8 bit videogame system. Then the software would need to access a solid state drive, hard drive, or flash drive to save high-scores and game pauses from the games located on optical disc media.

 

It is cheaper and easier to make SD wafer drives for the ATARI 2600, ATARI 5200, and ColecoVision/ADAM systems when compared to trying to develop optical drive technology for the classic systems. Stamped optical discs have a minimum run of a 1,000 copies, so yes unless the game is extremely popular there would not be enough sales. However blank optical discs for around 20 cents made in QTY's under 100 for each title is realistic and cheaper then SD wafer media.

Edited October 30, 2017 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

The ATARIMAX products including the Ultimate SD Wafer Drive has a lifetime warranty from ATARIMAX. However according to the SD Association, the actual SD card lasts 10 years or more. In theory write cycles last up to 100,000 times or more depending on the brand and model of SD card. However, some brands and models of SD cards offer a lifetime warranty and in theory can last just as long or longer then some game cartridges.

 

“SD Association states that a memory card lifespan depends on how it is manufactured. They say that the current technology, along with normal usage, typically gives the card a lifespan of 10 years or more.”

http://dmimaging.net/memory-card-lifespan/

[TMR]

A USB external BD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive can be interfaced with any computer as long as the hardware and software supports it.

This is almost painfully redundant... yes of course a piece of hardware can be interfaced to something which supports it! (Or more accurately, connected to an interface which supports it.)

 

It is cheaper and easier to make SD wafer drives for the ATARI 2600, ATARI 5200, and ColecoVision/ADAM systems when compared to trying to develop optical drive technology for the classic systems.

In fairly general terms, connecting an SD card and reading it's file system is about the same level of challenge technically as hooking up an IDE device or CF card; neither is easy of course, otherwise you wouldn't be sticking a label onto an existing device and desperately trying to make the word "wafer" a thing...

 

It's more about convenience for the user, writing games out to disc is a relatively slow and clunky solution compared to just pushing images to an SD card. And then there's the matter of hanging the drive itself and the extra cabling required off a console, i've loaded games on my C64GS from 3.5" floppy but that's still an untidy solution even without the need for a second PSU.

 

Stamped optical discs have a minimum run of a 1,000 copies, so yes unless the game is extremely popular there would not be enough sales.

Considering how rare those levels of sales are in the homebrew community that makes pressing optical discs a significant financial risk compared to manufacturing small runs of cartridges which can, to a certain degree, be built to order. And, again, cartridges for an A8 or 5200 will work on any any compatible machine whilst optical discs or indeed SD card solutions are only supported by the smaller subset of those machines where the owner has purchased the relevant hardware.

 

However, some brands and models of SD cards offer a lifetime warranty and in theory can last just as long or longer then some game cartridges.

 

SD Association states that a memory card lifespan depends on how it is manufactured. They say that the current technology, along with normal usage, typically gives the card a lifespan of 10 years or more.

There's a major contradiction in those two sentences because ten years isn't a lifetime unless you're a rabbit! A lifetime warranty doesn't mean the device will actually last a lifetime (terms and conditions apply, be sure to read the small print to see what constitutes a "lifetime") either, just that it'll be replaced by the manufacturer with an equivalent should it fail. That replacement might not even work with the 8-bit interface...

[Keatah]

Many hard drives last up to 5 years and many flash drives last up to 8 years.

 

https://www.slashgear.com/millenniatas-25gb-blu-ray-m-disc-has-1000-year-lifespan-06285189/

 

I have hard disks from the 1980's which are still fully operational.

 

Increasing data density decreases life of storage medium.

[tep392]

 

I have hard disks from the 1980's which are still fully operational.

 

Increasing data density decreases life of storage medium.

I don't think I have a single 3.5in 1.44mb disk that still works, but I can buy Atari software off Ebay that is fully functional.

[HDTV1080P]

I don't think I have a single 3.5in 1.44mb disk that still works, but I can buy Atari software off Ebay that is fully functional.

Last time I had my ADAM 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy drive connected, the 1.44MB floppy disks I created in the early 90's still worked. I was using name brand higher end floppy disks. Some of the generic brand blank floppies do not have as good of quality control.

Edited October 30, 2017 by HDTV1080P

[HDTV1080P]

 

I have hard disks from the 1980's which are still fully operational.

 

Increasing data density decreases life of storage medium.

Yes hard drives can last 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years. They only place a 5 year warranty on the top of the line models since failure rate after 5 years goes way up.