Forrest Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Just wondering if anyone has used the SidecarT - a new device that plugs into the ST cartridge port and uses a Raspberry Pi PicoW to emulate ST cartridges, floppies and download these files over the internet https://sidecartridge.com/ Apparently 400 of these have shipped as of February, 2024 though these are currently sold out. The author is still calling this device early access. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Yes, I have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 How compatible is it with most programs? How long does it take to load games? Any other comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfcatari Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I bought one as well. Tested the beta firmware out last weekend with my ste. Worked really well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyfromanotherplanet Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 I also have one. I generally just use it as a RTC (very good), but I've tried a few ROMs and they work well. It's still very much a WIP with many possibilities (networking, dongle emulation) yet to explore but my gut feeling is that these things are possible. The project is open source, so anyone can get involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 On 2/2/2024 at 4:17 PM, Forrest said: How compatible is it with most programs? How long does it take to load games? Any other comments? If you use it as a disk emulator it doesn't load the game. You mount the whole *.st (or *.msa) as a floppy which take some time (pretty fast). Then the disk is accessed on A:\. So then it will load as a normal disk. All disks doesn't work though. It depends how the game/program is accessing the floppydrive. So it is used sort of like a gotek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfranklin0598 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I just loaded the beta v.15 firmware on my new SideCarT and it worked just fine loading from the MicroSD or wifi server included. Hopefully the next firmware version will make it easier to access other online sources such as Atarimania.com or Abandonware.com for other Atari ST files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) I have 2 on the way to me. Looking forward to giving this a try. Based on the original out of Spain?(aka the sidecart site) Is there a 3d case designed yet? James Edited March 7 by Bikerbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marfans Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 This works really well since for me there is something wrong with my ASCI (just doesn’t work) on my 520STM. I am new to the Atari ST and really don’t have any original hardware peripherals. A 3d printable case would be cool, also a cartridge right angle connector would make it great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 11 Author Share Posted March 11 I’ve ordered 2 without the PicoW header/socket installed for $24 each plus $11 shipping. The PicoW is available locally at MicroCenter for $5.99 I checked the SidecarT documentation page and noticed “It seems that SidecarT cannot talk with computers with CPUs faster than 8Mhz. Future versions will eventually support higher CPU speed after appropiate testing period.” There is a workaround for some machines “Change the CPU speed to 8Mhz without cache for compatibility. Note: starting in beta-v0.0.14 Sidecart supports MegaSTE in 16Mhz and cache enabled.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickster Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 I have got one and it works very well. I updated to latest firmware and then loaded a few carts from the internet. I didn't even bother with a sdcard yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 For those living in the US, how long did it take to receive your SideCart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfcatari Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Less than 2 weeks I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 Arrived today - only took a week to get here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On 3/11/2024 at 7:00 PM, mickster said: I have got one and it works very well. I updated to latest firmware and then loaded a few carts from the internet. I didn't even bother with a sdcard yet. I got mine and I have tried getting it working on my stfm so far no luck. Running .15 beta, but I am not able to get anything working on my monochrome monitor, wonder if that's the issue. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Here’s a thread listing monochrome games for the Atari ST Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Got mine yesterday but haven't had a chance to look yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfranklin0598 Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Has anyone had any issues loading games from the included floppy database and running them on a TOS 1.4 (Rainbow TOS) STFM? Most of the attempted games bombed on my 1040STFM computer! Thanks, Cal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarkdluG Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 1 hour ago, calfranklin0598 said: Has anyone had any issues loading games from the included floppy database and running them on a TOS 1.4 (Rainbow TOS) STFM? Most of the attempted games bombed on my 1040STFM computer! Thanks, Cal https://docs.sidecartridge.com/troubleshooting/#floppy-emulation 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.