macsonny Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Hi All, I remember some 30+ years ago I bought a Mac emulator board for my Atari ST that I could never get working. I think it had something to do with the Apple ROMs. Anyway, being a little nostalgic, I was wondering if anyone has one of those emulators to sell and/or know of a remake of the boards that I could purchase? Let me know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fell Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 You can probably still contact Darek and find out if he still has some of those boards. I know that he stopped selling them because Apple threatened to sue. http://www.emulators.com/about.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesWD Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 Save a search on ebay for Spectre GCR they come up occasionally. I have 2 from ebay and both came with ROMs. Runs Mac OS upto 6.0.8 If you want anything newer try Basilisk (software only) but needs an 68020 or higher i believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 The board only exists to try to make the thing legit. Like any other emulator, it can be made to work with rom files. In case you can't find the hardware. I'll um leave it at that 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 13 hours ago, JamesWD said: Save a search on ebay for Spectre GCR they come up occasionally. I have 2 from ebay and both came with ROMs. Runs Mac OS upto 6.0.8 If you want anything newer try Basilisk (software only) but needs an 68020 or higher i believe. Yeah, I know all about the software emulators. I like the hardware emulators as they tend to run a little quicker hence why I'm interested in possible options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojanhk Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 If you are ready to build it yourself, you can check Magic SAC recreation by tOri. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 19 hours ago, ojanhk said: If you are ready to build it yourself, you can check Magic SAC recreation by tOri. And I'm going to EXACTLY that. Off to PCBWay I go 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 Does anyone have the manuals for Magic SAC? Did a Google search but nothing turned up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 1 hour ago, macsonny said: And I'm going to EXACTLY that. Off to PCBWay I go 🙂 I'm going to get 5 boards and keep a few for myself. Anyone interested in a built up unit with EPROMs and all components installed when done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 1 hour ago, macsonny said: I'm going to get 5 boards and keep a few for myself. Anyone interested in a built up unit with EPROMs and all components installed when done? Depending on the price, yeah... why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 3 hours ago, Tillek said: Depending on the price, yeah... why not? I've ordered all the parts which will make the units around $100 (USD) I think. Does that sound reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 1 hour ago, macsonny said: I've ordered all the parts which will make the units around $100 (USD) I think. Does that sound reasonable? To me? Yeah. Totally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 But just make sure you're factoring enough for your time. Because if you don't, you're going to feel taken advantage of and people won't be able to take advantage of what you're offering. I know that sometimes in the retro community, people pressure pricing based on 40 year old stuff. Fine... that's kinda fair. But I make a good salary. I also have to work a lot of extra hours, for which I get paid $0 additional (though I do have a good bonus potential, I can only impact a small portion of it). And I'll be the first to admit that I've been blessed and fortunate to be working through this whole mess we've been going through as a world community over these recent years.... But still... If you don't factor in enough to make it worth it for you, you're not only cheating yourself... but eventually the community because you'll get fed up and stop offering it once it becomes clear that "what you get" isn't worth "the time you put in". I know how much I'd charge... and no one would likely pay that price... so... consider carefully if $100 is enough for not only the parts.... but YOUR TIME. We've lost so many vendors recently (especially on the A8 side) because they finally decided the compensation wasn't worth the bullshit (customers: ugh) and time taken from other enjoyable life activities. Price it right. You're providing a valuable skill and a valuable product. If we're going to screw you, make sure we buy you a damn great dinner first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Tillek said: But just make sure you're factoring enough for your time. Because if you don't, you're going to feel taken advantage of and people won't be able to take advantage of what you're offering. I know that sometimes in the retro community, people pressure pricing based on 40 year old stuff. Fine... that's kinda fair. But I make a good salary. I also have to work a lot of extra hours, for which I get paid $0 additional (though I do have a good bonus potential, I can only impact a small portion of it). And I'll be the first to admit that I've been blessed and fortunate to be working through this whole mess we've been going through as a world community over these recent years.... But still... If you don't factor in enough to make it worth it for you, you're not only cheating yourself... but eventually the community because you'll get fed up and stop offering it once it becomes clear that "what you get" isn't worth "the time you put in". I know how much I'd charge... and no one would likely pay that price... so... consider carefully if $100 is enough for not only the parts.... but YOUR TIME. We've lost so many vendors recently (especially on the A8 side) because they finally decided the compensation wasn't worth the bullshit (customers: ugh) and time taken from other enjoyable life activities. Price it right. You're providing a valuable skill and a valuable product. If we're going to screw you, make sure we buy you a damn great dinner first! You make a fair point. I was actually doing many of these Atari 8-bit and 16-bit activates for the love of Atari. I revitalised the MegaSpeedy project for the Atari 1050 drives. I sold a number of unit for $150 USD each but to be honest, I probably invested way more that I ever got back. Maybe in the order of $1,000! But to be honest, I never start these projects to make money. However, I guess if I lose too much in the process I'll be less inspired to actually continue. So, I'll take you advice and reassess the price after I've made the first 5. Thanks for your valuable comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggn Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 @macsonny I'd be down for one if there's a surplus. Also, re: getting paid for your work etc, I can only relate to myself: I've been releasing software for ST (and others) for free for more than 20 years now. A lot of personal time has been invested in learning the machine, CPU, peripherals, esoteric stuff, trivia etc. With a few minor exceptions (commercial/physical products) I've never charged anything for anything I've released. Not that I wouldn't mind the money and that I don't value my work. It's just that I do it for the community and for the fun of it. In our times nobody would hire someone to write Atari code professionally, and if that thing ever happened, the hourly rates would have been insane! On the other hand, I do know how much more of a hassle a physical release is compared to plain software. So again, not bad to charge some extra for your efforts and expertise, but still I'm not in it for the money and I wouldn't want to charge what I think is worth my time. tl;dr do what you want and don't worry about it, just have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakidski Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 12 hours ago, macsonny said: I'm going to get 5 boards and keep a few for myself. Anyone interested in a built up unit with EPROMs and all components installed when done? Same, depending on price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 4 hours ago, macsonny said: However, I guess if I lose too much in the process I'll be less inspired to actually continue. ... and that's all I'm getting at. Nothing wrong with setting the prices reasonably, nothing wrong with having so much fun with it you don't even charge for the time (so long as it remains fun). Just saying (to everyone) be mindful that it doesn't become a chore and you feel "obligated" to provide something "for the community". Because the truth is... there is NO ATARI COMMUNITY. It's just a bunch of people who share at least one (maybe more) common hobby interest. Half the time, they're treating each other like crap. There are many who would nickle and dime you because it's "old computer stuff". When they wear the people who give so much to the "community" down to the point where they're "less inspired to actually continue" then we all lose. People will disagree. S'all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 5 hours ago, macsonny said: I revitalised the MegaSpeedy project for the Atari 1050 drives. And thank you for that... (I bought two!) Still have to get them installed though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DarkLord Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 46 minutes ago, Tillek said: Because the truth is... there is NO ATARI COMMUNITY. Hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 For those interested - the project has begun. 5 sets of HI/LO ROMs burnt. Boards arrive on Monday and have all components. Will send photos as things progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 Boards have arrived. They look beautiful! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 First board built 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 And a few IC's added - just waiting for a few to arrive 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t0ri Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 (edited) Hi, You see a description TOP on PCB? This is upper side and must be UP when inserting into cart slot. Chips should be under PCB for sure. tOri Edited February 6, 2023 by t0ri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsonny Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 53 minutes ago, t0ri said: Hi, You see a description TOP on PCB? This is upper side and must be UP when inserting into cart slot. Chips should be under PCB for sure. tOri Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering if that was the case. I have the software - just need the last two chips to arrive to test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.