Atari Mega STe SCSI Modification

[pixelmischief]

I have an Atari Mega STe and I've been thinking a lot about the mod that will allow me to access more than 1GB of an attached storage device. I read through the procedure a few times and decided that there is no way my soldering skills are going to get the job done. Is there anyone in the U.S. who can do the job for me? I'll send it across the pond if I must, but would rather not.

[Tillek]

Are you talking about running it off the internal one? Because if you're attaching it to the ACSI using something like ICD's Link2 you can already go bigger than a gig (I'm running a 2.1gb and a 345mb HDs externally on the BBS machine).

[pixelmischief]

The internal ACSI controller in the Mega STe limits access to all attached storage (internal and external, ACSI, SCSI, and IDE) to only 1GB. This is because it uses only 5 bits for addressing. There is a known mod that will allow the controller to use 6 bit addresses. It this mod that I am asking for service to apply to my machine.

[Tillek]

The internal ACSI controller in the Mega STe limits access to all attached storage (internal and external, ACSI, SCSI, and IDE) to only 1GB. This is because it uses only 5 bits for addressing. There is a known mod that will allow the controller to use 6 bit addresses. It this mod that I am asking for service to apply to my machine.

So you're saying that I can't use an ICD Link2 to have a 2.1gb drive on my system? Or am I misunderstanding what you're trying to do?

[pixelmischief]

I really don't want to play "stump the professor" with you. If you are getting 2.1gb on your Mega STe with a Link2, congratulations. I, on the other hand, do not have a Link2 and am not able to address more than 1gb of space on my storage devices. This is a well-known limitation with the Mega STe and it has a well-known remedy. If you have anything useful to contribute to my efforts at finding someone capable and willing to apply said modification, please do speak up. However, if you find yourself tempted to continue challenging me on the accuracy of my statements, I kindly ask that you resist the urge and move on.

[Tillek]

Actually I just wanted clarification because based on what you said, very bluntly, it can't be done. However I never heard of such a limitation on external devices. I wasn't trying to stump anyone. Believe it or not, as someone with a mega STE who has something bigger that 1 gb attached without modding it, I thought I might have been able to help if I understood exactly what you were trying to do.

 

Indiana based. Added to the TT group because of their repair reputation... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1332823243441261&set=gm.389262254775315&type=3&theater

[pixelmischief]

Very simply, your Mega STe must have been modded before you got it. That, or you have a truly unique machine. Here is a link to further information:

http://atari.8bitchip.info/MegaSTEACSI.html

 

BTW, apologies for being gruff. I appreciate the help.

Edited March 14, 2017 by pixelmischief

[rpineau]

I'm in USA and I might be able to do that mod for you.

contact me directly.

Rodolphe

[ijor]

The 1GB limit applies to the integrated host adapter only. If you connect an external host adapter to the ACSI port, there is no 1GB limit except those imposed by the external host adapter itself. Earlier host adapters, like the oldest ICD ones have the same 1 GB limit. Most newer ones, including The Link II, or modern devices like Ultra Satan have no such limit. Connecting any of those to any ST, including Mega STe, don't have the 1GB limit.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

True, 1GB limit stays only for internal adapter, so you can connect some external adapter with ICD extension, and then can access over 1GB. I did some experiments with internal and AdiSCSI Pro, and that was not too reliable. UltraSatan works very well for instance - of course after setting different target IDs. So, if go on some ICD (but I guess that they are hard to find, and may cost a lot) then is best to remove internal adapter, put some jumpers there and then ICD will work fine.

Btw. I have modded Mega STE internal adapter for sale. so if you want it PM me.

[pixelmischief]

PM sent.

[+poobah]

I'm in Ohio, I can mod yours if you like.

[Tillek]

I'm in Ohio, I can mod yours if you like.

Any good with helping to diagnose dead Falcons fellow Ohioan?

[Fuji-Man]

I've done Pera's mod to a few adapters, works great!

[Umberto]

I really don't want to play "stump the professor" with you. If you are getting 2.1gb on your Mega STe with a Link2, congratulations. I, on the other hand, do not have a Link2 and am not able to address more than 1gb of space on my storage devices. This is a well-known limitation with the Mega STe and it has a well-known remedy. If you have anything useful to contribute to my efforts at finding someone capable and willing to apply said modification, please do speak up. However, if you find yourself tempted to continue challenging me on the accuracy of my statements, I kindly ask that you resist the urge and move on.

The limitation is only to the internal scsi host adapter. Not to the internal or external ACSI bus. I have 16 gig on my internal with no modification other then removing the junk Atari scsi host adapter. Your stumped, couldn't resist the urge !!

[ParanoidLittleMan]

The limitation is only to the internal scsi host adapter. Not to the internal or external ACSI bus. I have 16 gig on my internal with no modification other then removing the junk Atari scsi host adapter. Your stumped, couldn't resist the urge !!

Junk ? You talk about something what was good for it's time, and in most cases still works reliably, after 25 years. And as said, you must not remove internal to use UltraSatan/Satandisk for instance. Many people using internal SCSI with original adapter + UltraSatan.

[+DarkLord]

Pardon my ignorance, but how can you fully access a 16 gig hard drive?

 

TOS 2.06 is still limited to 512 megs per partition, right? I mean seriously,

you don't have 32 drive icons on your desktop do you?

 

Thanks.

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Pardon my ignorance, but how can you fully access a 16 gig hard drive?

 

TOS 2.06 is still limited to 512 megs per partition, right? I mean seriously,

you don't have 32 drive icons on your desktop do you?

 

Thanks.

You are right about that limitations, and on top of it there is max 14 partitions limit of TOS.

That's why I recommend to people to get 8GB Flash cards.

But Atari people is not limited to TOS, With Mint, Magic you can access FAT32, Linux partitions, so much more than 16 GB actually.

[vattari]

Pardon my ignorance, but how can you fully access a 16 gig hard drive?

 

TOS 2.06 is still limited to 512 megs per partition, right? I mean seriously,

you don't have 32 drive icons on your desktop do you?

 

Thanks.

I have a 40GB IDE drive in my Mega STE.

Using the Big DOS utility, you can increase the number of available partitions beyond TOS's limit of 14, and increase the partition size too.

 

(BTW, the 40GB drive I had lying around. The majority is empty and I added two 9GB FAT32 partitions, just because...)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[+DarkLord]

I actually knew about Big Dos. I've got an 80gig IDE drive in my '060 Falcon, under MINT,

and honestly, most of it is wasted space. That's the Falcon though.

 

I have a 4 gig SCSI drive that I use with the Mega ST4 that runs my BBS. It has eight 512

(approx.) meg partitions with icons for them on the TOS v1.04 desktop. The various BBS

download areas are divided up among these eight partitions. In this particular case, there

is need and use for all those partitions and icons on the desktop, and it's still crowded.

 

Except for specific instances like my example above, I can't image why anyone would

want to fill their desktop with drive icons for an uber sized hard drive, aside from the

"because I can" factor.

 

I guess it would make more sense to me if there was need, even perhaps someone with

an ST with a graphics card and resolutions beyond the stock 640x200 or mono, giving

greater desktop space.

 

Not knocking anyone using bigger drives, mind you, just can't quite wrap my head around

the why of it. Hope that makes sense.

[Tillek]

I actually knew about Big Dos. I've got an 80gig IDE drive in my '060 Falcon, under MINT,

and honestly, most of it is wasted space. That's the Falcon though.

 

I have a 4 gig SCSI drive that I use with the Mega ST4 that runs my BBS. It has eight 512

(approx.) meg partitions with icons for them on the TOS v1.04 desktop. The various BBS

download areas are divided up among these eight partitions. In this particular case, there

is need and use for all those partitions and icons on the desktop, and it's still crowded.

 

Except for specific instances like my example above, I can't image why anyone would

want to fill their desktop with drive icons for an uber sized hard drive, aside from the

"because I can" factor.

 

I guess it would make more sense to me if there was need, even perhaps someone with

an ST with a graphics card and resolutions beyond the stock 640x200 or mono, giving

greater desktop space.

 

Not knocking anyone using bigger drives, mind you, just can't quite wrap my head around

the why of it. Hope that makes sense.

With BigDos 2gb partition limit, you'd have 16gb with the same 8 icons.

 

Also, you only need the icons for the drives you need to access. For example, how often do you manually access your download areas from your desktop? I usually manage mine from my BBS program which is through command lines.

 

The bigger question is "what are you going to fill that space with". I only have about 2.5gb combined on the BBS drives and ... still have empty space. I was going to get a 18gb scsi drive and wondered what I'd fill it with.

[+poobah]

Any good with helping to diagnose dead Falcons fellow Ohioan?

 

Define dead =D

[Tillek]

 

Define dead =D

It was temporarily running the BBS. Thunderstorm..... No response. Black screen. It does have a power light but no HD/Floppy activity light if I recall. I also lost my U-Verse router. The BBS ran through a Lantronix device which survived unscathed so I don't know if the surge came through the network (I have a lot of machines and devices and only the U-Verse router and Falcon were damaged). The garage behind the building was struck by lightning and perhaps the apartment building itself, so it might have come through the electrical, but then again, only the Falcon and the U-Verse router were trashed. (And a lot of U-Verse routers died that day, when they came to fix mine, he said there were still 200 people they had to fix in the area).

 

I did try swapping out the power supply and ram from the other Falcon (that is kinda flakey) but no change (so it's more involved than the power supply). That's as far as I've looked into it so far since lately I've been focusing on my BBS and the TT030.

[+poobah]

It was temporarily running the BBS. Thunderstorm..... No response. Black screen. It does have a power light but no HD/Floppy activity light if I recall. I also lost my U-Verse router. The BBS ran through a Lantronix device which survived unscathed so I don't know if the surge came through the network (I have a lot of machines and devices and only the U-Verse router and Falcon were damaged). The garage behind the building was struck by lightning and perhaps the apartment building itself, so it might have come through the electrical, but then again, only the Falcon and the U-Verse router were trashed. (And a lot of U-Verse routers died that day, when they came to fix mine, he said there were still 200 people they had to fix in the area).

 

I did try swapping out the power supply and ram from the other Falcon (that is kinda flakey) but no change (so it's more involved than the power supply). That's as far as I've looked into it so far since lately I've been focusing on my BBS and the TT030.

 

Lightning.... ugh

Well start with the basics... do you have clock signal, does it come out of reset, do you see the activity on the bus, go from there

[ijor]

It was temporarily running the BBS. Thunderstorm..... No response. Black screen. It does have a power light but no HD/Floppy activity light if I recall. I also lost my U-Verse router. The BBS ran through a Lantronix device which survived unscathed so I don't know if the surge came through the network (I have a lot of machines and devices and only the U-Verse router and Falcon were damaged) ...

 

Chances that the surge came from the network and reached the Atari through the serial port. The ST serial port is known as being very sensitive.

 

Many years ago I suffered something quite similar. Thunderstorms in the area. My ST not only that it was turned off, the power wasn't plugged at all. But it was connected to a modem. The modem suffered just minor injuries. IIRC it was just a fuse. The ST died completely beyond repair, all the main chips were damaged.

 

But who knows. May be it is not so bad in your case. In my case the modem was connected to old school copper telco lines ...