Floppy Drive emulator for Atari 800

[megabyte1986]

Hi all.

 

I just bought 2 Atari 800 (original, not XL/XE versions) and want to use a floppy emulator with it.

 

SDrive-ARM not working at all. Also I asked a guy, who selling SDrive-Lite and SDrive-NG Lite, about compatibility with an original 800. He said, that this emulators also will not work with this computer.

 

Does anyone knows which floppy emulator will works with an Atari 800? May be SDrive-MAX Arduino version?

 

Thanks.

Edited April 25, 2023 by megabyte1986

[TGB1718]

SDrive Max is fine, I built 2 of them using Arduino UNO really easy,

SIO2USB is another option but keep the cables fairly short this uses your PC to host the floppy images

which you access through a windows application:- Respeqt

 

There are others, but I don't have them, I'm sure someone will point you at those alternatives.

[Rybags]

Why would certain SIO drive emulators not work on 800 but be OK on other types?

 

SDrive ARM page mentions 800 https://github.com/fintros/SDrive-ARM

 

[+kheller2]

Please clarify “not working at all”.  Just tell us the steps you go through so we can help.  Be specific and detailed. 

[megabyte1986]

2 hours ago, kheller2 said:

Please clarify “not working at all”.  Just tell us the steps you go through so we can help.  Be specific and detailed. 

After turning on the computer, there is a pause of a few seconds. After that the screen goes black and nothing else happens

[megabyte1986]

3 hours ago, Rybags said:

SDrive ARM page mentions 800 https://github.com/fintros/SDrive-ARM

 

Yes, the page mentions 800, but I've contacted with the author of this device, and he confirmed me that he never tested his SDrive ARM on a real 800.

[manterola]

AFAIK those emulators should work. Try turning on the computer while holding Start button. After the beep and few seconds press Reset button.

[TGB1718]

20 minutes ago, megabyte1986 said:

and he confirmed me that he never tested his SDrive ARM on a real 800.

Think of the SIO bus on the Atari like a USB device, it works with all flavours of Atari 8 Bit that have SIO ports.

 

Have you got anything else plugged into the SIO port at the same time ?

 

Is it externally powered ? may need to do that, maybe the 800 can't supply enough power for the device.

Maybe check it can be powered externally, you would need to disconnect the internal power, is there a switch to do this ?

 

More info on your setup please

[megabyte1986]

2 minutes ago, TGB1718 said:

Think of the SIO bus on the Atari like a USB device, it works with all flavours of Atari 8 Bit that have SIO ports.

 

Have you got anything else plugged into the SIO port at the same time ?

 

Is it externally powered ? may need to do that, maybe the 800 can't supply enough power for the device.

Maybe check it can be powered externally, you would need to disconnect the internal power, is there a switch to do this ?

 

More info on your setup please

Just an emulator directly connected to Atari 800 SIO connector, nothing more.

 

SDrive ARM doesn't have an external power supply connector. There should be enough of power from computer.

 

Developer of SDrive Lite and SDrive-NG Lite told me, that his emulators will not work on original 800 because of 6502 CPU. XL and XE computers has a 6502C and it is slightly incompatible with previous model. Don't know if it's true or not.

[TGB1718]

43 minutes ago, megabyte1986 said:

Don't know if it's true or not.

Not true, the 6502 doesn't generate the signals for the SIO port, it's POKEY the sound chip that does this and

the PIA chip, all the 6502 does is give/receive the data from Pokey.

 

Let me check on the power output of the 800, I'm sure one of the 8 bits has a lower power available

for external devices, can't remember which one, although I do know the first 410 Cassette units supplied

with the 800 and 400 were externally powered.

[Peri Noid]

How much RAM do you have in your 800? Sdrive MAX must work after you map an ATR image to D1 with an LCD screen.

If you have a screen-less version, the configuration may have a problem if you don't have enough memory. But it works fine with 48K. 

[megabyte1986]

Just now, Peri Noid said:

How much RAM do you have in your 800? Sdrive MAX must work after you map an ATR image to D1 with an LCD screen.

If you have a screen-less version, the configuration may have a problem if you don't have enough memory. But it works fine with 48K. 

I never tried SDrive Max, only SDrive ARM.

 

My 800 has 48K memory.

[ACML]

I highly recommend the SIO2SD made by Lotharek.  Works great on 800.

[Beeblebrox]

@megabyte1986 How you got the 800's for a bargain? Also just to check both 800's are stock with no mods?

 

Incidentally how much ram are you running with in each case? (Just curious). Without anything plugged into SIO when you boot up you should get the memo pad?

Edited April 25, 2023 by Beeblebrox

[TGB1718]

May be obvious, but does she powerup ok without the SDrive connected ?

 

Do you have a Cassette to try load something from that

 

@Beeblebrox beat me to that one by 1/2 second

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by TGB1718

[megabyte1986]

Just now, Beeblebrox said:

@megabyte1986 How you got the 800's for a bargain? Also just to check both 800's are stock with no mods?

 

Incidentally how much ram are you running with in each case? (Just curious). Without anything plugged into SIO when you boot up you you get the memo pad?

Both of them are without any mods.

 

First has 16K RAM - only one of three RAM modules is working.

Second has fully working 48K RAM (3 modules)

 

All of them get the memo pad after power up. An all of them starts with Basic with appropriate cartridge inserted.

[BillC]

1 hour ago, TGB1718 said:

I'm sure one of the 8 bits has a lower power available

for external devices, can't remember which one

That would be the 1200XL, replacing R63 with a jumper wire resolves this issue.

[Beeblebrox]

@megabyte1986  Good to know they power up ok on their own.

 

Do you have another original Atari peripheral (1050 drive, 1010 or XC12 data recorder), that you can plug into to check they are working with the SIO?  (Remember if you have, never plug any SIO cable into the computer's SIO whilst either the computer or the peripheral is turned on. Everything must be off when you are pluging/unplugging SIO devices from A8s.)

EDIT: Incidentally there is a mod you can do which adds a diode in the SIO port circuit that can protect everything from surges when plugging/unplugging SIO devices it I believe.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Beeblebrox

[_The Doctor__]

Floppy Drive Emulators that use menu programs to select the drive images often don't use the correct keyboard locations, You will have to find the software that is written correctly for the 800, it's been corrected for a number of them, but per usual not labeled well or proliferated in enough volume to overcome the original versions that are out there. SDrives of the larger Atmel varieties etc have had this done for the 800. Some menu/loaders on the drive emulators occupy too much memory as well, and cut down versions were made. Perhaps an 800 emulated peripheral round up thread would be a good idea to make a repository of 800 fixed versions and if it can't be found, remake them or create them. Most standard items are for the most part simply patched.

[+scorpio_ny]

Hi @megabyte1986,

 

Sorry to hear that you are having issues with the SD-Drive arm. I have one personally and it works fine with my Atari 400, 800 and XL computers. For it to work properly, some files and folders need to be on the SD card so it can work properly. 
 

Here is a link to the files and folders.

Here is a video by our esteemed @Paul Westphal on using it. Skip to about 1:32 into the video.

 

 

 

[+Larry]

FWIW, the GitHub page says that the arm is compatible with 800.  Has the ARM been programmed?  Corrupt update/program? 

 

I've had a regular SDrive and Max, but not an ARM version.

[_The Doctor__]

@scorpio_ny F.T.W.!

[megabyte1986]

So, today I have received an Arduino-based SDrive-Max, and it is perfectly work with my 800

Edited May 22, 2023 by megabyte1986

[sl0re]

I use my fujinet