Macross_VF1 Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 So I have an Atari 520STfm that I've owned for several years, though I haven't really done more than start it up to check if it worked. And just to be clear, it does load into the basic OS. That has finally changed as I recently bought my first game, Star Blaze. I mostly bought it to test this machine and a 1040ST I also own. The game works perfectly with my 1040 though it does not load properly on my 520. After just a short while during the loading sequence I first get a black glitchy screen and then just seconds later I get another glitchy screen (first and second attached image) and then nothing else, the loading stops while maintaining the second screen. Is this a FDD related issue or is it indicative of something else? The FDD does make a strange noise while loading that I do not typically associate with disk drives. Also, since my 1040 works as intended, would it be possible to swap FDDs between the machines or are they not compatible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Yes, best is to take FDD from 1040 and test 520 with it. I'm not sure were there 520 STFMs with single sided floppy drives, but that could be reason for problem. In any case, in this years people has other ways to get some Atari SW than buying it as floppy release. WEB is full with floppy image files of diverse Atari SW, so games too, and all you need is to DL them and write on floppy disks Yeah, I know second part may be problem, big problem for people who don't have plenty of proper floppy disks at home. And then, you need to transfer those images to computer with floppy drive - since newer PCs, MACs don't have built-in FDDs .Will not go here into how it can be solved - longer story. For start, you should write here brand and model of that floppy drive in 520 - then can see is it really single sided. Before it testing with other drive, of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 20, 2018 Author Share Posted December 20, 2018 (edited) I've removed the possibly broken 520 FDD and it's a Sony MP-F11W-5DU. I'll report back when I have tested it in the 1040. Edited December 20, 2018 by Macross_VF1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Share Posted December 21, 2018 Ok, so I've tried swapping the FDDs and the 520 drive works perfectly in my 1040 computer, while the 1040 FDD exhibits the same problem as before when used in the 520 computer. It certainly seems like there's something wrong with/on the 520 motherboard and not the disk drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariforce Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 4 bombs= illegal instruction. Did you check the floppy drive cable and tested it on your other ST ? Also, does TOS throw read/write errors when formatting a blank disk on your faulty ST ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 You can't move the floppy cable. It is attached to the motherboard. You have to desolder it if you want to try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariforce Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 You can't move the floppy cable. It is attached to the motherboard. You have to desolder it if you want to try that. Bummer, I forgot about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Share Posted December 21, 2018 4 bombs= illegal instruction. Did you check the floppy drive cable and tested it on your other ST ? Also, does TOS throw read/write errors when formatting a blank disk on your faulty ST ? Unfortunately I can't use TOS as I have no mouse compatible with an Atari ST. While it is true that the floppy drive cable is soldered onto the motherboard, there are other methods of testing it, such as using a multimeter in continuity mode and checking each pin separately to each solder point. I've done this and can report no errors. However I've gotten a completely new error as can be seen below. What the fudge is going on with this system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariforce Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) RAM issue perhaps ? BTW you can use keyboard keys to emulate the mouse with ALT + arrow keys and ALT+INSERT for left click and ALT+ CLR HOME for right click. Edited December 21, 2018 by Atariforce 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umberto Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Ram, MMU or Glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Share Posted December 21, 2018 RAM issue perhaps ? BTW you can use keyboard keys to emulate the mouse with ALT + arrow keys and ALT+INSERT for left click and ALT+ CLR HOME for right click. Now that was useful info! Though admittedly I still don't know if I can format a disk like you suggested earlier. With the exception of the Star Blaze game, the only floppy disks I currently have are all for the Amiga and I honestly don't know if they can be formatted by an ST. Ram, MMU or Glue Glue? You are going to have to explain that one to me. BTW is there a picture or similar which points out where all the components are located on the motherboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 BTW is there a picture or similar which points out where all the components are located on the motherboard? Pics of different boards can be found at exxos site. You should also check out Atari doc archive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 22, 2018 Author Share Posted December 22, 2018 I've found a partial solution to the image quality issue. When jiggling the RGB cable around in the socket I could briefly get a proper glitch free picture. This lead me to believe it might be a connection issue. I dug out my old CRT TV and the image is almost free of black lines, with a slight hint of ghosting. Then I tried RF on the same TV and that's completely free of glitches. Just to be sure that some of the solder points had not cracked, I de-soldered and re-soldered the RGB jack but with no difference. It would therefore seem that it's either a cable problem or a problem with the parts in the computer that output the RGB signal. Still, this leave the issue of why the computer can't process disks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcamp48 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Sounds like a loose connection or a short somewhere. Re-seating all of the socket-ed chips or replacing the socket might help. Also check the RGB cable. As for 4 bombs I have cleared that by unplugging the ST, turning the power switch on and off several times and replugging it in again. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_VF1 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Sounds like a loose connection or a short somewhere. Re-seating all of the socket-ed chips or replacing the socket might help. Also check the RGB cable. As for 4 bombs I have cleared that by unplugging the ST, turning the power switch on and off several times and replugging it in again. Russ I've checked RGB cable and nothing seems to be amiss there, though without cutting it completely open it's impossible to tell for sure. Unfortunately, your suggestion of re-seating the chips and unplugging, turning it on and off, and replugging, didn't improve the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) Open the connectors om the cable and check solderjoints there. Floppy problem seem like another problem. Edit: Sorry. You had already checked The cable. Totally missed that Edited December 24, 2018 by snarkdluG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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