Gunstar

Nice job! I haven't printed much of anything on mine yet. Proper leveling of the bed and Y axis arm have not been achieved yet. The Y axis arm has been corrected from "factory partial assembly and testing", and I can seem to level all four corners of the bed, but once the printer goes to center to start printing something, the nozzle, in areas, starts touching and even slightly "gouging" the bed mat, nothing serious enough to ruin it. I haven't had time or felt like bothering again yet after spending hours on it. I even raised the Y axis switch from recommended position, so the nozzle wouldn't go down as far and then started to raise and level the bed to compensate (something shown in Youtube videos when adding a glass bed plate to compensate for thickness), but the last test it started hitting bed again.

I'd been talking to @chevymad about this issue with either the Ambery converter or the monitor, or if it was the VBXE core. I use an earlier version of the Ambery AV-1 (Chevymad's is a newer AV-1M) and it works great with my Sega Genesis NTSC, XBox original NTSC and my Atari Jaguar PAL & NTSC 50/60Hz. I was planning on using the Ambery converter with my Sophia 2 core set for RGB, for later use with a 1084S monitor, but for now to feed to the converter like the other devices above and use VGA in the mean time. So I will test this as soon as my replacement Sophia arrives to see if it's an issue with the converter or his monitor, to eliminate the VBXE as a cuprit. Because I was also planning on using the Ambery converter (AV-1) for it's RGB input as well. with VBXE RGB output. Currently, with what I have attached to my Ambery AV-1, it works fantastically and I can't ask for a better picture and there is no lag at all. I also currently use an Ambery AV-8 video2VGA converter on my 2 Atari's with S-video out, and the same is true for them, and both of them are PAL 50Hz. Both the AV-1 and AV-8 are identical devices in looks, internal chip set and features/abilities. The only difference is what is accepted for an input signal.

I used TLW to write many game reviews over 2 or more editions of EXCEL magazine. Though these days I use spreadsheets and filers and financial recording keeping programs for my business on my Atari more than word processors. They work great for a small business now, as they did 30+ years ago. And free from hacking and viruses. But I mostly use them instead of modern PC apps because, a @MrFSL said, it enables me to use my Atari's more, which I enjoy, even work is more enjoyable when using my Atari's (or other vintage machines, whatever is your flavor(s)).

Yep, this is a well known difference in controller ports among most long-standing Atari users (at least those of us who work on the electronic hardware side of the hobby). Atari's 9-pin port became the standard across the industry, at least in form factor and usually U/D/L/R/F directions, until the 90's when Atari needed money and finally got around to suing Sega for patent infringement. they probably would have gone after Commodore next, if Commodore and Atari had lasted long enough. Joysticks were always interchangeable between Atari & Commodore and many others, but beyond that, when devices need power or Pokey's POT I/O input, things don't work right without modification.

Well, I decided against a paper label on the Fujinet like it was a cartridge, even if it's about the same dimensions, and I don't have a proper printer for printing insignias and other markings on a transparent label. In fact, I decided that I don't like the cartridge-like label on my Turbo Freezer 2011 either and am going to remove it and come up with some decals or other type of way for marking buttons and LED's on both. On the Fujinet, for now, I added a raised-chrome, Atari Fuji decal and I intend to add a Fujinet decal (I'll probably have to order it custom made) centered underneath. The Atari decal is intentionally set off-center so it is not hidden by the side of the 800 when it's plugged in. Though I applied it ever so slightly crooked, and one "groove" too far to the left as I intended for perfect symmetry between the BT LED and the SIO LED. Unfortunately you have to get it perfect the first time or the decal will be ruined. But I've seen and own commercially made products out of the "factory" with labels or decals more crooked. It's not noticeable when it's plugged in and you see it from an angle.

This works pretty good, if you must.

I thought it is time to show the SDX alternative to hardware or software 80-column. If you don't want to feel as claustrophobic in the 40 column norm, and even if the image is clear maybe you just don't like the width of 80 column letters or whatever, I've found SDX's 64-column mode quite lovely. I actually use it for all my SDX needs as well as with Basic XE and Mac/65 environments. I really only use 80-columns with The Last Word anymore. Con64 gives you breathing room while offering 5x8 characters with most letters 4 pixels wide like hardware 80-column fonts. This again is S-video quality on an LCD monitor. basically. Go ahead, ZOOM in! A couple fo POKE commands inside SDX changes colors. These screens are using: Poke 710,12 and Poke 709,4. Light grey background with darker grey text.

If it doesn't work with recent SDX incarnations, I'll just set-up a boot partion on my Incognito BIOS and disable SpartaDOS X to boot SpartaDOS 3.x and Snapshot. Snapshot, I figure, just might be worth giving up the wonders of SDX 4.9. But hopefully it works or can be made to work with modern SDX. I would think it would just be a matter of properly setting up SDX's memory usage to fit with Snapshot's and the set up the virtual system partition on your "HDD."

Once I install the extra ram in my Indus GT's synchromesh will work at about 38K, and if the upgrade install isn't enough for Super Synchromesh, that I'll upgrade it more, then I'll get greater than 60Kbps out of them anyway. I think I can upgrade the roms on my Happy drives to make them faster too, right now they run about 38Kbps too.

There have been times without the good old hole puncher where I have resorted to blades or scissors, and they worked most times I had to do that, but they always look ugly compared to the clean cuts of a disk notcher or half-hole punch. So I used/use the latter when I can. But I never felt the need to install a write-protect switch on my drives to write both sides of disks without notches. I have the option to shut it off in software with the Happy 1050's and I can switch write-protect on or off with the press of a button on my Indus GT's and clone.

Neither do I, I've never used my Happy enhanced 1050's yet to copy commercial software. I got them for the double-density and high-speed enhancements, but it's there. a running, cracked version of most everything can just be downloaded as you say, and I just write them to floppies if they are disk images, in enhanced speed format if the program can load that way. or to my CF/SD card drives HDD or SIO, if they are files.

Yes, I know but for the sake expediency I generally just use the advertising speed claims. I'm actually waiting on upgrades to arrive from @tf_hh for my 2 Indus GT's and 1 CA-2001 clone to upgrade them with syncromesh or possibly supersyncromesh speeds, I'll upgrade the roms on them too. It's taking forever with COVID-19 to arrive, the upgrades may still be stuck in Europe. tf_hh even sent out emails to people who purchased from him possibly needing confirmation to the postal authorities that we had not received them yet. So, it may be a while...

I only had my original 1050 drive, single speed (~19Kbps) with it's "enhanced density" 130K format, DOS 2.5 for about six months before I made my first-ever hardware upgrade back in '86-87 by installing ICD's US Doubler with 3x57Kbps and true 180K double density myself. Of course it came with the SpartaDOS Construction Set with versions 1.0-3.1 or 3.2 and I never looked back (I mean to a lesser DOS's, not slower speeds when loading). MS-DOS command line structure and batch files and 3xspeed floppy drives. I of course notched the disks with a hole puncher (and still do) for double-sided "flippy" 360K disk. These days my 1050's have Happy enhancements that do that and copy commercial disks, etc.

I'm one of the few and the proud that still use multiple floppy drives and a cassette deck, as well as all the latest devices and loading at divisor 0 speeds. But I am a hardware guy and fan, and like using hardware, and I figure if there's one obsolete piece of computer at the center still anyway, if I'm using it, I might as well use all the obsolete stuff. I have patience, and I like to just sit sometimes and watch "the wheels on the bus go round and round..." O also like repairing and maintaining hardware, and then use it when it's fixed. I'll continue to enjoy and have the old drives integrated with the new tech drives as I do now until I can no longer replace floppies and cassettes and what I have wears out. Or I can no longer get or run out of essential parts for the hardware. I use the new hardware more for files and not ATR's and for speed and convenience when I don't have time to enjoy "watching the paint dry" or haven't yet transferred to floppy or tape. I like using my tape also because I upgraded it for turbo loading and can load my tapes almost as fast as standard 810 speed floppy disk, and definitely faster than CBM 1541 speed! It's fun to see that from an Atari deck, which I believe was notorious in the industry for being one of or the slowest. Of course my disk drives are also upgraded for higher capacity and/or speeds I use when I can. I can load a game direct streaming from Poland at Divisor 0 127Kbps via Fujinet, and I'll still load up an original speed Atari cassette in my 1010 when I feel like it.

I've got other versions that work with different DOS's and from extended memory and/or virtual HDD memory. I may have some other files and docs too, I have to locate them in the vast junkyard of my All-in-one Atari 8-bit file on my PC, with tons of sub-folders. I have a new folder where I'm moving stuff and organizing better, but I've only done a small percentage. I also thought I had either AIM magazine or a late Antic or AtariUser free newsprint mag from the early 90's that had a review or article of some type about it. I tried out Snapshot on my 130XE years ago and had two programs "running" but not any other way and not since either. I searched for and found few files for Snapshot on some download Atari site on the net, or across several, I don't recall. I've had them on my PC for several years with the intention of incorporating Snapshot into my HDD SpartaDOS system APT set-up for productivity with both programming and other productivity programs, but haven't gotten around to setting it up yet. I currently have SDX set-up to use extended memory for itself, for BASIC XE (4 banks) and for Ramdisk area and still plenty of banks left over for actually code too. But I want to include Snapshot into it so I can have up to 10 different programs at my fingertips too.

Oops!sorry.

Well, it came out as PD software in the early 90's when the 8-bit was all but dead commercially and most people had moved on to newer computers and there was no nostalgia community involved yet. So it doesn't surprise me that it is widely unknown to people even today.

That works well with SDX and 64/80 column too. My config.sys is set to load up one or the other and then I have a couple of poke commands in it to set the colors for the best sharpness and contrast that is easy on my eyes and subdues any remaining artifact shadow of green and purple (or whatever your Atari shows). that you get with S-video, even on PAL machines. White on black is the worst combination for artifacting of course, assuming you don't want artifact colors otherwise it's the best. You can also change the colors in TLWP, IIRC. And of course a couple of poke commands let's you change colors with Omniview OS too (I never like the default color choices for it). Any software 80 column driver should be able to changed colors with poke commands or equivalents if it works in the standard E: and you can use it for programming languages or DOS's like SpartaDOS that let you use poke commands. Knowing SDX, but not fully, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some other SDX command for setting the screen color that I don't know, because pokes work for me. I guess with Atari terminal programs it depends on if they work in the standard E: display and don't change the display colors when loading or allow changing them if they have their own software 80 column routine built-in instead of relying on E: compatibility for external 80 column software. I have never actually used any terminal software on an Atari, as I didn't have a modem back in the day, not due to the cost of a modem, but due to it's speed and the on-going telephone costs with those slow modems. I just recently got Fujinet, so now I'll be learning R: and N: command use at the same time. And learning to use terminal software on the Atari for the first time. So I'll find out soon enough which software is best for 80-column support and working with Fujinet.

That reminds me of Snapshot for Atari's. A couple versions of it came on the Atari Interface Magazine monthly disk volume 4 Fall 1992 and apparently a column on it from the August 92 AIM. I found several versions online at one point, but can only find V3 ATR on my PC ATM, attached below. It allows more than one program in memory (extended memory needed) to switch between on the fly. Works best with SpartaDOS and HDD that can hold 10 programs in virtual memory. Documentation for it is on the ATR. Snapshot 3.0.atr

I posted this picture, I think in another 80-column thread what Flickerterm 80 looks like on my LCD monitor. The really isn't any difference in sharpness and read-ability between this and when it is displayed on my 1084S. Though in real life the screen flickers because it uses some special interlace technique or something to get the 80-columns. I imagine it's probably less memory than graphics 8 4x8 fonts for 80-column. My point still being that with my Atari computers with their video out upgrades, S-video output and fantastic conversion to VGA 640x480 or better progressive scan signals, I don't need a hardware 80-column solution at all. I'll use it if and when I get it, like with VBXE (which I'd get for it's graphics, not 80-column text). Software 80-column only sucks if you are trying to use RF or composite out, or if the chroma/luma (S-video) signal sucks on your particular Atari, otherwise good vintage CRT monitors with S-video or better, or modern LCD, etc. displays with S-video in or using a converter in-between make software 80-columns look not only acceptable, but very clean and readable. Which makes yester-year's "must have 80-column hardware" for practical 80-column support a thing of the past, and it's really only for less memory in a practical way, and preferring 8x8 fonts is just that, preference, but not necessary. Even hardware like Bit-3 for the 800 only had a composite output on it and the XEP-80 only does composite out too, so they weren't the best they could be either. I've heard you can plug their composite out into just the luma in on monitors like the 1084S with chroma/luma and that would be make it sharper, like true S-video,

I just used your post as a starting point @hloberg, besides just other legacy software that uses more memory. This post is also for @pixelmischief 's questions as to software or "killer app." which has mostly been pointed out, and depends on what you do with the computer. If Bomb Jack/Jake or Yie-Ar Kung Fu, aren't killer apps game-wise, as most else can be obtained in a format for use with 64K machines, then there is no "killer app" game for you. If productivity and programming are not what you use your 8-bit for, then there is no "killer app" for you. If a piece of legacy software below is not a "killer app" for you, than there extended memory features for you are moot and extended memory is not for you. But there is plenty of stuff for me, including everything below, that makes extended memory a MUST HAVE for me. Otherwise, pixelmischief, 128K is more than enough for you. Other stuff besides Brundles that took advantage of 128K: Alternate Reality: The Dungeon checked for and used up to 128K available ram for less disk loading and up to 4 drives for less disk swapping (only the character disk need be swapped after the initial load and all the disk sides needed for game play are in the drives). Bismark (mostly undocumented but I found it in a Datasoft catalog description of the game) has enhanced features for 128K machines. Datasoft's 221 Baker St. has digital sound enhancement for 128K machines. Quest Probe graphic text adventures have added animation sequences for 128K machines. Mostly unadvertised but documented in the manuals, most of the latest version of Syanpse's Syn-series applications like Syncalc and Synfile look for and use extended memory for both 800 Axlon extended memory and XE compatible extended memory. Xlent Software's Printware series including Page Designer, Rubber Stamp, Megafont II+ and Typesetter used extra ram for documents in ram and increasing the layout window area allowing for much higher resolution graphics and icons on the page. PaperClip and Atari Writer among some other WP's use the extended ram, but TLW puts the most to use and uses it better. SDX can be configured to use all extended ram in many different ways, You can even have different HD partiions set up with different config and batch files to set up the memory and what you want to use it for depending on what you intend to do in that particular session (U1MB and Incognito, etc. make this even better and easier with different profiles and HDD boot redirection). And of course some programming languages make it easier to use extended ram like Basic XE and Action!.

This seems to have turned out to be a conflicting flash memory issue for me. Maybe it's the firmware fix I need that @_The Doctor__ mentioned above still, or maybe it's my memory cards. Everything works as long as only one flash memory system is inserted in the computer at a time when The!Cart or MyIDE II CF are included. in my system. I can live with it. Maybe it's a drive designation conflict even if the other memory cards are supposedly disabled. Maybe I can just set them each to boot a different drive.

Hmm...there's no option on system ram for 320K Compy. There's straight 64K, 576K Compy, 320K and 1088K Rambo.Incognito BIOS is 3.10. But I'll test with 576K Compy first, then all others. I've now tested with all different memory configurations with everything else set as disabled like before, as well as PBI disabled. It's the same no matter what. No other CF or SD cards installed and The!Cart and MyIDE II work fine, any other cards installed, both work the same as stated in the BOLD in my previous post. Maybe it's the cards I'm using. CF card(s) are Sandisk Ultras, SD card for Fujinet is PQI. They work fine with my system except when trying to use The!Cart and MyIDE II. But in the end, I'm fine removing CF card in Incognito to use The!Cart and MyIDE II is a non-issue since I won't normally be using it with this system anyway. I'm not going to worry about trying to find memory cards that do work if it is the brand. Thanks for the help @_The Doctor__ and @Tempest.

Of course, but I've been doing some further testing, and I did get The!Cart to work with Fujinet plugged in, both off and on. There is some other issue and now it seems to have to do with the CF card being plugged into the Incognito. If I take it out, The!Cart now works with or without Fujinet connected or not and powered on or not. However, this is not true with MyIDE II, it just won't work with CF card in or out of Incognito or Fujinet plugged in or not, powered up or not. So something is screwy, I'll just have to go over everything again... The reason I found this out in the first place, is because I never got around to installing APT or FAT partions on a card I bought for Incognito, because I've been using the CF card out of the MyIDE II for Incognito because it was all set-up and works perfectly well in all aspects with the Incognito's Side Loader too. So I had the un-initialized CF card in the MyIDE II cart the first time I was testing, it, and thought I'd try it's own card. Though that didn't work either for MyIDE II but The!Cart started working fine as I stated above, when the CF card was removed from the Incognito. Again, the HDD and Side Loader and SDX are all disabled on Incognito and I have checked all the settings several times to make sure and have been re-attempting the CF card in Incognito and not, over and over. The!Cart works with CF card removed, MyIDE II doesn't work no matter what. This computer has been working perfectly for months now with everything else, And still is. As it stands, The!Cart has been working fine after about a dozen retries with and without Fujinet since I first mention it working without Fujinet, as long as the CF card is not in the Incognito, with CF installed, black screen, with MyIDE II, it just won't work at all. Edit, strike that, I just got MyIDE II working, but only if there is no CF card in the Incognito and no SD card in Fujinet. It's some kind of clash between the memory cards (or maybe I should say flash memory since The!Cart is involved), between Incognito/Fujinet/MyIDE II they all work together as long as only MyIDE II has a memory card installed, and between Incognito/The!Cart as long as there's no CF in Incognito. When I removed the SD card and CF card from Fujinet and Incognito, but have Fujinet plugged in, both on and off, MyIDE II works as well. With The!Cart, I only need to remove the CF from Incognito, it works fine with the SD in Fujinet still. But neither The!Cart or MyIDE II will work with the CF card in the Incognito. These tests are all being done with HDD, SIDE LOADER, SDX and BASIC all disabled on Incognito in XL/XE mode, 1088K Rambo and XL/XE stock OS.

Well. just after leaving these posts above, it occurred to me to try unplugging my Fujinet device from my 800 SIO...The!Cart and MyIDE II work with it removed and I get a black screen with it inserted, even with it switched off. So apparently these carts and Fujinet are totally incompatible being plugged in at the same time, at least on my upgraded 800 with Incognito. So I guess I'll re-post this issue in the Fujinet forum and see if others have this issue and what machines they are using,etc. And go from there.