Muzz73 Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 It's a bouncing baby 520STm! Built from NOS parts a la B&C Computervisions. I have been without an ST for a couple of years and am very happy to have this one on board! In case anyone is interested in picking any of this STuff up, his eBay store (myatari) still has two cases, two keyboards and a bunch of motherboards as of my writing this. Just lettin' y'all know... Live long and prosper, fellow Atarians! 🖖 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 Looks great. Is the Atari on the photo yours? Becouse STfm has built in floppy drive, PSU and modulator. And the one on the pic is a short ST version that has external PSU and floppy drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I think that Muzz73 is aware that it needs external PSU and floppy drive. And maybe have it .. It is just same as my first ST, what I bought in 1987 spring. And most likely with TOS 1.00 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 14, 2022 Author Share Posted August 14, 2022 (edited) Hello all! Yes, it is a 520STm (not a 520STfm), but thank you for your concern. 👍 I have a modern PSU solution in the works and a rather nasty-looking SF354 that I am going to put a Gotek into. I also have another SF354 that someone has already hacked a (more) modern drive mechanism into. I think I'll just need a couple of floppy data cables and I should be good to go. On a side note; this board has all Motorola RAM and it's all socketed. If any of you saw me griping about Micron RAM in the 8-bit section, you'll know that I was very relieved to see this! LOL I'm sure that it originally came with TOS 1.00, but it now has TOS 1.04 across six chips. Bruce probably swapped all of the TOS on these NOS boards at some point, because all of the boards in this particular eBay posting have 1.04. Cheers to all! Edited August 14, 2022 by Muzz73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 18 hours ago, Muzz73 said: It's a bouncing baby 520STm! Built from NOS parts a la B&C Computervisions. 🖖 Nice looking machine. So, you bought everything and assembled it yourself? You didn't already have anything, other than the aforementioned floppies, of course? If you don't mind my asking, how much did it cost you to go this route? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 15, 2022 Author Share Posted August 15, 2022 Hello again! The case was $50, the keyboard was $125 and the motherboard was $125. Thus, I am in it for $300 + tax & shipping. I took into consideration that a used 520ST in excellent condition goes for around $300 here in the states and figured that this was my best option. That and piecing it together was a bit less painful than shelling out the entire $300 up front. I have software and the two funky floppy drives leftover from the last run of ST's that I had a few years ago. I donated several ST's to a friend who was going to start a computer museum and he was going to return one of the 520ST's (that he didn't need) to me. He ended up getting a divorce, moving clear across the country for a job and the museum never happened. I felt bad for him, but it left me without any ST's and I have been scoping for one ever since. Crisis averted. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 OMG . I must admit, I'm little shocked by this way of selling in fact still incomplete 520 ST - what would cost PSU and floppy drive for it ? Like 200 bucks more ... Plus asking same price for keyboard (couple chips and lot of plastic, some connectors) as for 'motherboard' - that's little misleading - there is plenty of chips there + modulator, connectors . Surely it takes lot of time and effort to keep it in good conditions, to fix failures. But that keyboard price ... I guess that Eiffel is cheaper . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickster Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 20 hours ago, ParanoidLittleMan said: OMG . I must admit, I'm little shocked by this way of selling in fact still incomplete 520 ST - what would cost PSU and floppy drive for it ? Like 200 bucks more ... Plus asking same price for keyboard (couple chips and lot of plastic, some connectors) as for 'motherboard' - that's little misleading - there is plenty of chips there + modulator, connectors . Surely it takes lot of time and effort to keep it in good conditions, to fix failures. But that keyboard price ... I guess that Eiffel is cheaper . Prices have raised drastically in the last 3 years. Many of the sources are starting to dry up (including B & C and Best Electronics(the two biggest suppliers in the USA). Falcons are worth 3000 USD. TT's are worth 2000 USD MegaSTE's are worth 900 USD mega/TT/MegaSTE keyboards are worth $200 now. When any of the above items are listed on ebay, their are usually 30-50 watchers. So there are more interested buyers than there is product. I am sure there are deals to made privately, but Ebay is a definite indicator of 'retail' price. At some point, the prices will fall, but I doubt it for the next two years or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 16, 2022 Author Share Posted August 16, 2022 (edited) Yeah, it's crazy for sure. I was definitely thinking about the Eiffel 3 and just getting a Mega2 or Mega4 without keyboard (cheaper than a complete 520 or 1040ST), but as far as I know, no one has made or sold the Eiffel for a few years now. I just saw a used Eiffel 2 on eBay recently and it went for over $60 before tax and shipping. Yikes. Another example is that I have wanted to get my hands on a 1040STE since about 1990 and they have always gone for ridiculous prices on eBay or via private sales on the rare occasion that I could even find one. I found one on eBay a couple of years ago that looked like it had been rolled down a hill and hit by a bus, but it still went for around $450 without a monitor or external drive. Even now, a NOS 1040STE motherboard is $645 from Best Electronics and he is the ONLY person in the world who still has them. I think they are down to their last few, which is why the prices keep going up. <sigh> Edited August 16, 2022 by Muzz73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 41 minutes ago, Muzz73 said: Another example is that I have wanted to get my hands on a 1040STE since about 1990 and they have always gone for ridiculous prices on eBay or via private sales on the rare occasion that I could even find one. I found one on eBay a couple of years ago that looked like it had been rolled down a hill and hit by a bus, but it still went for around $450 without a monitor or external drive. Even now, a NOS 1040STE motherboard is $645 from Best Electronics and he is the ONLY person in the world who still has them. I think they are down to their last few, which is why the prices keep going up. I gave up on finding a U.S. STE and adopted one from the U.K. and converted it to a U.S. model. All it took was replacing the PSU, TOS chips and the keyboard, and the keyboard wasn't a necessity. I'm a perfectionist and wanted a U.S. keyboard, so I purchased a NOS U.S. keyboard from Best for about $80 a couple of years ago and swapped it in for the U.K. keyboard. Most people wouldn't want or need to do that. STEs are much more common overseas and sell for a lot less than they do in the U.S., though shipping is crazy at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 16, 2022 Author Share Posted August 16, 2022 I've looked in Europe as well and it just hasn't panned out for me. Perhaps one day... 🤞 Check this out... I was present at Atari Party 2014 here in the California (see pic below with my son and myself in the blue shirt on the right side). Why is this significant? Because there was a guy there with a 520STE, a 1040STE and a Mega STE, as well as another gentleman named Conrad who had a TT030; it was the first time in my entire life that I had ever seen ANY of those machines in person! I was pretty stoked just to be in the presence of such greatness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamstate Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that.Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopy25 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Dreamstate said: Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that.Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that. It looks like a Vic20 with a C64 keyboard. But honestly I think there may be a glare on the cart port and it's probably a 600XL. Edited August 17, 2022 by Dopy25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 2 hours ago, Dreamstate said: Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that.Cool party! Quick question. What is the computer that is the third from the left that looks like a mini 800xl or something? Just don't remember seeing something like that. It looks like a 600XL to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 18, 2022 Author Share Posted August 18, 2022 Yes, it's definitely a 600XL. If memory serves me (which isn't always the case), the owner had done the internal 64K upgrade and a composite video mod. I should get around to doing that with mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamstate Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Ah, that makes sense. It just looks smaller than it is from that angle. I love my STe, but I am kind of wanting an XL as well. That one seems nice with those upgrade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 5 hours ago, Dreamstate said: Ah, that makes sense. It just looks smaller than it is from that angle. I love my STe, but I am kind of wanting an XL as well. That one seems nice with those upgrade. You can't go wrong with a 600 or 800XL. The 600XL makes a wonderful machine because it and the 800XL are very easy to upgrade, and the 600XL is a powerful, nice small package. Depending on what you want to do with it, it can be a challenge to fit everything inside, but it can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoGamer Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 I paid less than $230USD for my 520st. I recently acquired a nice, in working condition Atari monitor for about $139 shipped. I am still kicking myself for selling my 1040STE in the late 2010s. I acquired it for free from someone who didn’t want it anymore. My next step is to get my hands on either a Mega ST or STE in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 20, 2022 Author Share Posted August 20, 2022 Oh, man... what luck! I was about to say that I wish I had such good fortune, but at times I have... I have gotten two PS3000's in perfect working order/great cosmetic shape at two different times, from two different people in two separate geographical areas, both for free. Funny thing with that is that there are quite a number of people who would like to have gotten their hands on one of them, but I was never able to find anyone who wanted to trade anything for them when I wanted to part with them. I ended up donating them to two Atari collectors (one in the U.S. and one in France). At least they went to good homes! 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 10 hours ago, ColecoGamer said: ... I am still kicking myself for selling my 1040STE in the late 2010s. I acquired it for free from someone who didn’t want it anymore. My next step is to get my hands on either a Mega ST or STE in the future. Or the best in Atari 16-bit line Mega STE . Mega ST is basically ST with separated keyboard, expansion slot, blitter (but it was present in later STs too) . Mega STE can work at 16 MHz CPU clock too, has internal hard disk adapter (surely now it is little outdated). And build quality is surely best - I still did not need to recap PSU in mine. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoGamer Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 16 hours ago, ParanoidLittleMan said: Or the best in Atari 16-bit line Mega STE . Mega ST is basically ST with separated keyboard, expansion slot, blitter (but it was present in later STs too) . Mega STE can work at 16 MHz CPU clock too, has internal hard disk adapter (surely now it is little outdated). And build quality is surely best - I still did not need to recap PSU in mine. I still need to check eBay, but can you tell me what a fair price would be for a Mega STE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickster Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 35 minutes ago, ColecoGamer said: I still need to check eBay, but can you tell me what a fair price would be for a Mega STE? Just missed one for $260, untested with no keyboard. Most likely it will cost around $700-$800 tested working with a keyboard. These are ebay prices. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 On 8/16/2022 at 12:19 AM, Muzz73 said: I've looked in Europe as well and it just hasn't panned out for me. Perhaps one day... 🤞 Check this out... I was present at Atari Party 2014 here in the California (see pic below with my son and myself in the blue shirt on the right side). Why is this significant? Because there was a guy there with a 520STE, a 1040STE and a Mega STE, as well as another gentleman named Conrad who had a TT030; it was the first time in my entire life that I had ever seen ANY of those machines in person! I was pretty stoked just to be in the presence of such greatness. If I remember correctly, Conrad also was the one who had an ATR8000 there - or one of the other years the Davis Atari Party was held - as part of his Atari 8-Bit collection... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz73 Posted August 30, 2022 Author Share Posted August 30, 2022 Yes. This. 😎 A few messages back, I was just lamenting the fact that I have been looking for an STE since 1990 and have only seen three in person... once. After 32 years of searching and waiting, I have one. 1MB RAM & TOS 1.62 (soon to be 4MB & 2.06). 🤓 Can I get a "Woot! Woot!"?! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGB1718 Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 Nice 👍 "Woot" Woot!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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