madhatter667 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 So, I did a thing. I used to have a 1040, and sold it years ago, because I needed money badly. Thing is, I really liked it. I know that I am never gonna get one again for as cheap as I paid for the ones I had before. I nabbed one off auction. It's not complete (no monitor, or power cable), and I will admit I am taking a gamble on an untested item. Hoping it isn't a live and learn issue. Cosmetically it needs some help. Gonna have to tear it down, clean it out, probably retrobrite the case, keys, and see if I can't do the same for the floppy drive plastic. It's not perfect, it's kind of a project, and I am ok with that (even if I have to do some repairs, I'm willing to give it a shot). Watched some videos on the teardown/clean up process. Not too worried about that. Are the capacitors on the PSU something that one needs to seriously worry about in terms of accidentally getting shocked? One video said 400v. That doesn't seem like the worst ever. I've been zapped by ignition coils a couple times when I was younger. Lol. But seriously, is that an extra hazardous area to deal with on these? Can I tinker a 1040 to the point where it will run with an Ultrasatan? Lotharek's site says TOS 1.4 or higher, nothing about RAM requirements (some threads say 4Mb). I know that it is possible to upgrade TOS versions. Again, like with the Ultimate Cart for 8 bits, I am new to using something other than original equipment (in this case disks). I have a lot of .st disk images. I had a pair of ST computers some time ago, I never tinkered with upgrading them, they worked for the stack of disk games that I had, and that was pretty cool at the time. The machine from auction is a 1040STf, so it has monitor output only, no RF. I keep reading about converters for converters to allow use of VGA monitors. Is this actually a thing? Are there other period monitors that are compatible (color) that will cost less than the SC1224? I'm not as worried about the peripherals being all Atari like my last ST rigs were (though that was nice). Are the 13pin DIN cables also waht are referred to as RGB? Or is that a different connector type/mod? I've never done anything beyond run the standard video interface on a given system... but I have to admit that the various a/v mods (RGB. composite, S Video) are really neat, and to some degree tempting, though they would push my knowledge envelope. Anyways, a little excited, a little nervous, and really hoping that it doesn't get wrecked in shipping. Also... there's a LOT I still don't know. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 RAM requirement for some mass storage, so UltraSatan is 1MB in practice. With that, you will be able to run most of SW. And even TOS 1.00 and 1.02 will not prevent you from usage of UltraSatan, just there be slower work and smaller partitions (max 256 MB parts. instead 512MB). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataricrypt Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Anyways, a little excited, a little nervous, and really hoping that it doesn't get wrecked in shipping. Also... there's a LOT I still don't know. Lol. ....and so the adventure begins!! Take it slow and I think the shipping will be ok. All my Atari's came via a courier and I had no troubles. ST's can indeed be used with VGA monitors, but ST High res. IF you want colour then you'll need a multi sync that goes down to 15khz but you can search here and Atari-Forum for those answers. BUT you'll need a cable and I believe BEST have these (a friend made me mine). IF you can find an SC1224 or equivalent then you may wanna choose that as the pic quality will be better overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Get the best cable ($50) and find a NEC 1970VX LCD monitor and you will be set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retango Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 You could also use CosmosEx, it's much more complete than ultrasatan, I think Jookie has stock now (http://joo.kie.sk/?page_id=384) I was able to use an Amiga monitor (Commodore 1084 s-d2) using best-electronics cable and an easy adaptor I made I bought the Ambery converter that best electronics recommends, but it did not work for me. I also bought this cheaper converter (eBay GBS-8220 RGB / CGA / EGA / YUV to VGA Arcade Games HD Video Converter Board) but did not try it yet.. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Get the best cable ($50) and find a NEC 1970VX LCD monitor and you will be set. 50 bucks for monitor cable ? I think I should start with assembling and selling them. Will be able to offer for less even with oversea shipping costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 It seems that any multisync monitor that can go down to 15KHz should work? I notice Best has a list on their website of monitors; I am guessing that is the compatible list. It could be that I am tired... but is the Ambrey box required to get color display/lower res (ie: gaming) out of the multisync monitors? Or is that device specifically designed to be a catch all piece? Going on what I can see on eBay at the moment, I can get a multisynch for less than what I could get an SC1224 for. Man that's a bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 50 bucks for monitor cable ? I think I should start with assembling and selling them. Will be able to offer for less even with oversea shipping costs. It's an ST to VGA colour/mono switchable cable; I could make them for less too but soldering cables gets pretty boring after the first couple. I also add a composite out to mine (for STs with modulators) just because I may as well while I'm in there. It seems that any multisync monitor that can go down to 15KHz should work? I notice Best has a list on their website of monitors; I am guessing that is the compatible list. Best seems to have updated their list based on the information that we have collected at http://www.atari-wiki.com/index.php/Flat_Panel_Displays- you might want to take a look at the more detailed information there before choosing a monitor. It could be that I am tired... but is the Ambrey box required to get color display/lower res (ie: gaming) out of the multisync monitors? Or is that device specifically designed to be a catch all piece? No the video conversion box is required if you don't have a multisync monitor, you can use the conversion box (or a different model, there are a few by Extron, Micomsoft, Gonbes, etc.) with any modern monitor. Going on what I can see on eBay at the moment, I can get a multisynch for less than what I could get an SC1224 for. Man that's a bummer. People are practically giving away CRT monitors if you can find them locally, ignore eBay's pricing. The ~10 year old 4:3 and 5:4 Multisync LCD monitors that can still natively display the ST's low/medium res are very out of fashion now, and can be picked up for next to nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 So what I am reading is that with the right monitor, and the Best cable, I don't need to worry about the Ambrey box. I'm a bit of an opportunist, so I'll keep my eyes open, and do more reading on those lists. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 So far struck out at 4 thrift stores with monitors. One had an NEC multisync, but the monitor only went down to 31kHz, so no go. Still hunting, but that's the nature of the beast. Suppose I will try a couple other places between now and payday, and if that fails, start watching eBay. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 50 bucks for monitor cable ? I think I should start with assembling and selling them. Will be able to offer for less even with oversea shipping costs. Yeah it's a great deal IMHO. As it's more than just a VGA cable, it's a color and B&W cable, along with having a switch to switch between the two, and it also has a RCA audio line. Not sure how much can be saved doing it yourself, but the hassles would not be worth it! A very good quality cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 One had an NEC multisync, but the monitor only went down to 31kHz, so no go. Make sure to check that wiki page I linked to, not the monitor's specifications, which are sometimes incorrect (e.g. the NEC 1970 specs say 31kHz but it does 15 just fine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 This model was not on the wiki page at all. It was a Multisync 195VX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNameOfTheGame Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Yeah it's a great deal IMHO. As it's more than just a VGA cable, it's a color and B&W cable, along with having a switch to switch between the two, and it also has a RCA audio line. Not sure how much can be saved doing it yourself, but the hassles would not be worth it! A very good quality cable. Agreed. Top quality cable! :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Ok. So. I got the ST in hand. The funny bit is that it came packed in an Amiga 500 box. The auction page made it sound/look a lot worse than it is. Yes there is some yellowing. I've seen worse (still going to clean it up a bit), and some scratches/dings. But given what I see these going for on auction these days, I grabbed what I could as I could. Lol. My first one was in better cosmetic shape. Le sigh. Anyways, I don't have a monitor yet, because it is an STf, and when I sold my ST computers off, I sold the monitors too. Working on that. However, I plugged it in, and it powers up, and the disk drive kicks in. I know it is a sort of superficial test, but that seems like a good sign to me. I started tearing into it, to get a feel for it, and to take a look at the condition of the components. The disk drive has some dust in there that I would like to clean out. They keyboard is yucky, so I am going to have to tear that down. From what I can tell, the PSU looks good. No bulged or leaking caps. The shielding is a little dingy, but it's shielding, so who cares? All of the insulating/non-conductive strips are still in place. The case has been opened before, as I can see little ding marks on the bottom case around the screw holes. I have a Rev B motherboard? Atari-wiki puts this model board as a 520? Seems off/odd. It's definitely a 1040 case, with integrated floppy. All connector pins are nice and shiny. All sockets that I could get to seemed tight. Looks like the bottom case has been washed at some point in its life. There is ink bleed on the serial number, and someone had put tape over it to protect it. My TOS chips seem to have hand written stickers on them, and it seems someone had serviced this machine in 1994? I've attached pics so far. Any idea what TOS revision this is based on the writing? Google has given me zero hits when entering that number string in. I put it all back together, and placed it back in the box for now to keep it out of the sun. I kind of want to do retrobright on it. Buuuuut another part of me wants to just get a new set of keys, and paint the case something like a metallic blue, or gloss black or something. It's not in minty condition, so who cares? Use a little Epoxy to fill in the scratches, make it all rad looking. Pop the plastic off the floppy drive, and paint to match. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I have a Rev B motherboard? Atari-wiki puts this model board as a 520? Seems off/odd. It's definitely a 1040 case, with integrated floppy. You have a C070789-001 Rev B motherboard. Atari-wiki shows this motherboard for both the 1040STF and 520STFM; the same board could be used for different models by leaving out half of the RAM and adding a modulator to make your 1040STF into a 520STFM: http://www.atari-wiki.com/index.php/Atari_ST_motherboard_revisions You'll be able to determine the TOS version as soon as you get a display hooked up; just look at the years listed in the desktop's about box. My guess would be 1.02 but you never know, could have been upgraded: http://www.avtandil.narod.ru/tose.html Metallic blue paint sounds awful to me but it's your machine. Give it a good clean and see how it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Not sure how I missed the 1040 part on the board listing. I scanned it for "B" and only saw the 520. Lol. Need more caffeine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 5, 2016 Author Share Posted April 5, 2016 (edited) So I popped into another local thrift. Nothing in the way of multisync monitors. I went back to the thrift where I found the NEC multiync 195VX. Still there. Grabbed it. It was cheap. Worth the gamble. $7. When I get the cable, I can add it to the wiki list as either compatible, not, or partially. They have the same resolution, same aspect ratio, same screen size, and I think even same (published) operating frequencies. Here's hoping. Edited April 5, 2016 by madhatter667 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Hopefully it should at least work for high resolution, even if it can't handle low and medium. Still not a bad deal at $7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I would not paint the case, I think the ST's look like crap painted! They look the best in the gray. Clean it up and try Retrobrite if you want to get rid of the yellowing. Doesn't look bad at all though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 5, 2016 Author Share Posted April 5, 2016 My last 1040 looked better, but my previous 520 had a lot more yellowing. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 Ok, Best Electronics switchable cable ordered. Really hoping that Multisync I picked up can pull off 15kHz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter667 Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 Anyone got any input on the floppy emulators? Looks like there are USB ones, that have Atari ST support as long as you order the correct firmware. They also appear to mount inside the case? It appears to be a bit more affordable than the Ultrasatan, but accomplishes the same overall goal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Different to the Ultrasatan- emulates floppy disks instead of a big hard disk. I find 500MB hard disk partitions more convenient, but some things (games, demos) only run from floppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Ok, Best Electronics switchable cable ordered. Really hoping that Multisync I picked up can pull off 15kHz. Order yourself a MALE to MALE VGA gender changer on eBay. Will allow you to use this cable without the need to use a regular VGA cable, and it also cleans up the image. The Best cable required the extra VGA cable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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