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SDrive-MAX ATX support


Farb

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But, just to be 100% sure. You ONLY require the diode if you want to daisy-chain other SIO devices ?

Correct. Personally when I built one with the specified 1N4148 diode, the device would work great with my 1200XL and 800 but not with my 1088XEL. When I replaced that diode with a 1N5819 Schottky diode, it still works with all my vintage Atari computers but also works with my more modern 1088XEL. Apparently the Sparkfun board in the XEL has different characteristics than the controllers in vintage equipment.

 

Anyway, if and when I build more of these, I’ll be using Schottky diodes.

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I believe Electronic Arts titles are more sensitive to timing. I have confirmed that Archon, Archon II and Axis Assassin are all working with 0.8b of the firmware which has very rudimentary timing implemented. However, no Databyte titles (which are extremely timing sensitive) I tried are booting so there's still work to do :P

Note that I'm currently on a trip, so can't double check anything ...

 

EA titles shouldn't require very precise timing. Older EA titles, like Archon I, do require a strict skew alignment. So more than very accurate timing, timing should be coherent and constant. IIRC, newer EA titles like Archon II don't perform any timing measurement, not directly. Timing still matters for the purpose of returning data for the correct double sector on the protected track.

 

Yes, some Databyte titles (not all of them) require very accurate timing, and many of them are PAL only. Some Broderbund releases as well.

 

Note that the timing is not only about the disk image itself, but about the firmware emulation as well. Are you bit banging the SIO port or do you use a hardware UART? Either way, you might need to compensate to get the right timing at the very end of the command. For the purpose of timing, what really matters is the whole elapsed time since the computer issued a SIO command until the very last bit was transferred.

 

Regardless, I think it is so great to see an embedded implementation with ATX support. A very small number of titles might never work with devices that have a very limited hardware. It is not so important, IMHO

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Atari 80's guy, it's best to do the whole shebang,,,,, it's just a diode... these things end up popping up and being a problem later on if not done... you'll forget... help for you or someone else will take a circuitous and tiresome route until someone thinks.. hmm do you expect a step was skipped and then mention the diode... two or three or so days later the 'simple' solution will come out... all of which can be avoided.

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Atari 80's guy, it's best to do the whole shebang,,,,, it's just a diode... these things end up popping up and being a problem later on if not done... you'll forget... help for you or someone else will take a circuitous and tiresome route until someone thinks.. hmm do you expect a step was skipped and then mention the diode... two or three or so days later the 'simple' solution will come out... all of which can be avoided.

 

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. Adding a diode, will add a little bit of complexity for me - I'm idiot level, for soldering. I know which end gets hot, but my eyes get tired easily and I can't focus up really close when they're tired. If I can avoid the diode, I will, for now.

Edited by 80s_Atari_Guy
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Now we just need a huge zip of nothing but ATX files :)

 

Well, you could make one using the contents of the torrent contained in this thread. :)

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/234684-atari-8-bit-software-preservation-initiative/?view=findpost&p=4060879&hl=%2B8%26%238208bit+%2Bsoftware+%2Bpreservation

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If you have the time to unzip all of the zips and extract just the ATX's, be my guest :)

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Thats great.

Are there many .cas files out in the wild ?

I checked my TOSEC Atari collection and despite nearly 12000 files, I only see 50 .cas files.

 

 

Edit:-

Apologies. Directly after posting the above, I just checked the preservation zip and there they are.

 

[cassette]

 

Nicely named.

 

If any seeds are ever needed for the preservation zip, I have 10Mbit upload, so will happily seed.

Edited by 80s_Atari_Guy
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Yes that took a few seconds longer to download :D

So I can ditch the earlier one I downloaded ?

I'm starting to regret ordering from Aliexpress.....I want this stuff here now :D

O well....

At least I finally created my "perfect A/V output" today :)

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Just an informative post so you don't do what I did.

 

Got my eBay UNO R3 + 2.8" TFT combo today from https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-set-UNO-R3-ATmega328P-Development-Board-Touch-Screen-Shield-for-Arduino/292243532939

 

With excitement I opened the package and was immediately bummed...

...took a look at the TFT and realized it wasn't the one in the picture (this one has home, mail, phone, music, etc touchscreen).

 

Went to www.mcufriend.com and saw that this is a HX8347G. Quick Google search and this came up ==> Chip ID: 0x7575 = HX8347G LCD driver

 

I took a chance at $17.31 shipped for the combo and didn't pay off in the end. Still need to purchase the correct ILI9341 compatible LCD.

 

Pictures. (Nice package, just wrong LCD)

 

post-61269-0-04250300-1532045632_thumb.jpg

post-61269-0-74259600-1532045636_thumb.jpg

Edited by NISMOPC
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Just an informative post so you don't do what I did.

 

Got my eBay UNO R3 + 2.8" TFT combo today from https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-set-UNO-R3-ATmega328P-Development-Board-Touch-Screen-Shield-for-Arduino/292243532939

 

With excitement I opened the package and was immediately bummed...

 

...took a look at the TFT and realized it wasn't the one in the picture (this one has home, mail, phone, music, etc touchscreen).

 

Went to www.mcufriend.com and saw that this is a HX8347G. Quick Google search and this came up ==> Chip ID: 0x7575 = HX8347G LCD driver

 

I took a chance at $17.31 shipped for the combo and didn't pay off in the end. Still need to purchase the correct ILI9341 compatible LCD.

 

Pictures. (Nice package, just wrong LCD)

 

attachicon.gif0719182006.jpg

attachicon.gif0719182006a.jpg

That LCD is supported... Download the distribution and copy the HX8347G files over the ones in the main folder and run sdrive.bat.

Edited by R.Cade
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This is the absolute most current archive, actually what I had before was a couple years old, LOL.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/egsv8c4fxj1pu6t/Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2018-6-21%20ATX.zip?dl=0

 

If you change the dl=0 at the end of the link to dl=1 then it becomes a direct link to the file.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/egsv8c4fxj1pu6t/Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2018-6-21%20ATX.zip?dl=1

 

Edit: This type link also works: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/egsv8c4fxj1pu6t/Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2018-6-21%20ATX.zip

Edited by Kyle22
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