Newcomer. Bought my first ST with aftermarket extensions. asking for advise

[riq]

Hi!

 

I've been in the retro world for a few years, mostly coding stuff for the c64 and the IBM PCjr. Now it is time to learn more about Atari ST / m68k.

 

So, I've just got my first ST. The label says it is an 1040STF.

 

But when I opened it I found some "strange" extensions:

 

- it has an RF modulator. So, is this machine a 1040STFM? or how common was to add it as an after-market add-on?

- it doesn't have the metal shield to isolate the power supply. Should I worry about it? Should I install one?

- it has some memory chips (good!), although the installation seems kind of rustic

- empty sockets in the extension... what chip is that for? It has a battery, so I guess to keep time/date ?

- TOS is 1.0 / GEM 0.13... should I upgrade them? I'll use the machine mostly to play some games.

 

 

Attached are 3 images (for some reason I didn't allow me to insert the images inline)

* System info

* Top-down view (power supply w/o shield, memory expansion, empty socket)

* Empty socket in more detail

 

 

 

Thanks!

[pixelmischief]

Wow. TOS 1.0. I've never seen it in the wild before.

[+SoulBuster]

I do not think any ST came with a shield for the power supply. The way that machine looks inside, you should either replace the power supply or replace the caps on the power supply. When aged caps go, it usually takes parts on the motherboard with it.

 

Looks like that is a 2 meg upgrade making the machine 2 meg total RAM. If you were to fill the empty sockets with the same type of memory you would have a 4 meg machine.

 

I would definitely upgrade the TOS to 1.04 for that machine. Better ACSI support for Hard drive and flash drives.

 

That empty socket in the middle may be another TOS socket to switch between two different versions. Not sure someone else might know.

[KLund1]

Wow, surprised it boots.

Did you clean the FD heads before booting a disk?

Suggest post another pic of what is under the PSU.

It defiantly needs a clean up inside.

Looks odd having to use a sting to hold that ribbon cable in place. Can you se why that was needed?

Post a pic of the underside of that small green PCB. Looks like it may have a model number there.

 

Yes upgrade to 1.04, or better 1.62, If there is a TOS switcher there, add TOS 2.06, Max out the ram sockets. Be sure to check for jumper that may need to change.

Do recap the PSU, It looks ok now, and may work for a while but sometime soon the blue smoke will be let out. Exxos has a good site for PSU replacement parts and tutorials.

[riq]

Thanks all for the help.

I couldn't take a photo of the back of the PCB. It seems to be glued. But I took a closer photo of it, and it seems that it was done by someone named "ZubaXXX". And the chip shown is one of the 6 TOS 1.00 chips.

 

The floppy drive didn't work initially. It had two issues:

- dirty header. Just cleaning the headers solved it.

- one of the wires/springs used to lift up the floppy was not connected so it was not possible to insert any diskette. Putting the wire in placed fixed it.

[Zogging Hell]

I wouldn't bother upgrading the TOS version if you plan on only playing original games on floppy disk, TOS 1.0 is one of the most compatible, TOS 1.04 looses some compatibility (unless you get 'fixed' versions of the games from someone like Ppera). 1.62 only works on the STe so is a no go, and 2.06 is somewhat problematic with a lot of original games. If you do want to go down the Ultrasatan etc route though 1.04 is the best choice. The only real improvements in TOS 1.04 really relate to hard disk operation, something that was buggy and slow in TOS 1.0, and slow (but patchable) in TOS 1.02, although there are a few other tweaks, like an improved file selector.

 

The power supply shield is helpful for keeping dust out of the PSU itself, giving some protection from spills, dust, and things falling through the vents, and if you have to take the top bit of the plastic case off while running it is an extra shield to stop yourself getting electrocuted I guess. It may increase the temps slight around the psu a bit though and isn't necessary for normal operation. Personally I like to keep them on for the odd occasions when I'm working round the ST and paper clips or staples fall on it..

 

I'd say the mystery extension just adds RTC functionality to the computer. You will probably still need to use the millennium clock patch though for it work fully (if the battery is not dead). Is the battery a rechargeable number or a straight coin cell? If it is a 2032 or 2016 it might be worth desoldering and removing it and installing a socket for a normal coin battery.

[Zogging Hell]

Oh regarding the modulator, you could buy them as add ons which a repair shop could fit (or yourself). The way to check whether this is an STFM would probably be by the board revision number, and whether it has space for a blitter chip (although very early STFM motherboard revisions didn't have that either iirc). Yours doesn't have a blitter chip and I can't see the board number. I would guess from that it is likely to either be STF or very early STFM.

[riq]

Yes, mostly playing games from floppies. So I won't upgrade to 1.04 for moment. Thanks Zooging

[tjlazer]

TOS 1.0 is very common, most of my ST's came with it. I upgraded most to TOS 1.04 as it's faster in GEM, But as was mentioned, some games need 1.0 for best game compatibility. WIth that said, most games work on 1.04 just fine. My daily driver is a Mega ST4 with TOS 1.04 and it's been great with games!

[Zogging Hell]

TOS 1.0 is very common, most of my ST's came with it. I upgraded most to TOS 1.04 as it's faster in GEM, But as was mentioned, some games need 1.0 for best game compatibility. WIth that said, most games work on 1.04 just fine. My daily driver is a Mega ST4 with TOS 1.04 and it's been great with games!

 

Yeah probably should qualify what I said with 'TOS 1.04 looses some compatibility with some early games' - i.e. prior to 1.04's release generally, and there aren't many of those anyway; but not generally worth upgrading unless you want to do more than play games, as all the TOS 1.* versions are at a pretty similar level for that

[bfollowell]

 

Yeah probably should qualify what I said with 'TOS 1.04 looses some compatibility with some early games' - i.e. prior to 1.04's release generally, and there aren't many of those anyway; but not generally worth upgrading unless you want to do more than play games, as all the TOS 1.* versions are at a pretty similar level for that

 

It seems like I'd read somewhere that, if you want to swap your floppy drive out for a Gotek floppy emulator, the machine needs TOS1.04.

 

I'm not certain that's correct mind you, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.