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_The Doctor__

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Everything posted by _The Doctor__

  1. Funny enough, in some respects, Atari provided at times not only evaluation copies but retail copies ahead of time... Some shops were known to sell such things to select customers ahead of time... I am not sure you would call that 'official' but how is that not unlike today's' advance or pre sale models of today when certain folks get it before others? The official date is later, but clearly it's a commercial release to the people who got that extra special ahead of other folks treatment with the game in hand. I don't know how much help any of this it to you... But commercial copies of the game were sold before March. How much more can be said. It helped sell the computer at the time, with a wink and a nudge. Know what we're saying? I hope this gives you a little insight into how and what went on back in time... paperwork oftern lagged reality.
  2. You have no IDEA what stuff he has or hasn't noted.... you also don't know the amount of that stuff on the internet came from places such as his... just because we don't remember everything that has been shared etc. so many sites have disappeared over the years that even if it was there at that time... often it can no longer be found even using way back or archive sites... over the years this fellow has shared some of the most wonderful stuff, Engineering is such a wonderful thing.. If you don't wish to help there are plenty of other threads to visit. Many of us are OLD friends. I could say our old friends continue to at times to impart wisdom in a life experience way you might not appreciate, If we vent or talk or share an experience be glad of that. Are you the kind of person who walks up to people in the park and tell them to leave because you were listening in and decided you didn't like what they had to say? It's the same thing here. How about instead of being mean spirited you take your Frisbee by wham-o! to another part of the park. @ David, With a little patience you will get it all back together. And I see no reason why anyone couldn't do the scanning for you a little over time, The hand written detailed notes are always the best and adds history as well as experience to the documents. Often these turn out to be the most valuable. Thank you for the samples and different rom versions.. bits and pieces you have shared over the years. I hope that you find you and yours ever stronger and able to handle things as you fight your way through these things. I want the best for you as always. You and your wife have been some of the best people, and it seems you continue to be. We all get hit hard sometimes. I like that you hit back! We all get pissed and carry on, only ever heard of one perfect being... So I suggest you laugh at it and those who don't comprehend what it's like, It's all good man. I enjoy all you contribute, one day others will be in the same boat as most of us, Most people can only hope to treat others half as well as the respect and consideration you have shown others over the years. You're good people. Any help you need of the community will darn near always be given. We have always been a good and helpful bunch. Some of us can get a bit curmudgeonly at times, but our hearts and minds usually come back to a good place! I look forward to seeing that time capsule re assembled and on the web, carefully curated. I understand fully how it would be difficult to figure out what belongs with what. I bet some one would enjoy putting it all back together as an incredible puzzle using the knowledge of each snippet to give a clue where it belongs. YIS, -J
  3. replacing the battery sounds like a good bet
  4. I would make sure to identify what card belongs in or comes from what slot... if anything is custom or you have memory upgrades you are un-aware of, keeping them in the same slots can be critical to have it all work as it should....
  5. which explains corruption and problem in putting to screen memory... makes perfect sense.
  6. just use the patch that was posted and see if it worked... use basic rev.c type it in..
  7. even more interesting is when was the first renewel? usually it's 10 years... so 2002? at best 83 +15 is 1998 so forgot about it for 5 years?
  8. Snap a picture of the inside, dump from the chips, picture of the error on screen etc. I believe your account of what happens. While the error is still on showing move video cable to another TV. The error should still appear on screen. hmm error 9, corrupted stack/unable to put to screen memory... No rainbow for you!
  9. You quoting use anywhere in europe or usa? Clearly CES Jan 1980 counts as USE somewhere... sigh..... So Jan 5 1980 is your first publicly chronicled instance. Corroborated in print and reportings
  10. needs to be 1.2 rom and the indus gt sram needs to be drive 1.... who knows how 1.2e will react...
  11. no... e recycle ends up for sale on ebay etc.... you have to physically cut the cords and damage the brick so they really recycle them.... else they keep turning up like a bad penny
  12. David It's pretty cool to show the pictures, and the fellows here will prolly want dumps of chips and dig down to where and why the error would print. I love you digging this stuff up. Still providing an ejamacation after all these years. -Doc
  13. Yep, the beveled edge issue continues to this day, I always mention it to people... the older and more worn a connector is the more likely it will happen... that being said, I had to replace more than one connector way back when as thick square pcb's inserted into cart slots or the later xe eci pbi were messed up by those carts, adapters and devices! And that was on brand new machines!
  14. no, they use the keyboard for extra buttons...
  15. I'd say it might come down to the rom, the error sounds like density mis match or verify failure. Try again with fresh never before used disk or bulk erased disk in drive 1, exactly as described to create and modify disk. If same error look to the rom, and give the drive a good cleaning while you are in there.... rails head heads etc....
  16. It's not that complicated at all, as was stated, it is the by product of an incomplete conversion from a cartridge to disk.... some people like the music that way others don't. The game works both ways, did my earlier post not mention this and some other titles the same way... or did it not post properly? I don't remember but we did post up some that were patched or fixed... do a deep dive here on AA and you will find discussion of the particulars and possible fixed images unless the op deleted them in a I quit fit. (later changes to the forum prevented such things to happen). This is also noted on some other sites as well. It's always fun to share hacks, go for it and post those works of art, graffiti, or vandalism !
  17. Try using a different computer and use all stock software etc and see how it acts.... then do the updates if it's all good.... then start testing out software combinations... if all good move to the modified hardware machines... you may find the issue is the modified machine or the combination of the two requiring some fix already in print or a fix may need to be found for that upgrade etc.
  18. by the time we go in circles we are all going to be confused and make miss statement and error in trying to keep all this straight... If you want a little more fuel for the fire... you might be interested to know there was a far greater issue than possible mis labeling... Inside baseball to follow... due to a manufacturing error a number of the cartridges got out with the fingers too short. either from mask or set up the cartridge when inserted on many Atari's failed to work, you would have to pull it out part way to work or elongate the hole(s) in the PCB so it would allow the connector to end up on the fingers instead of mask part of the PCB. People also thought that meant the game wasn't working on certain Atari's, which lead to all kinds of theories and modifications to documentations being changed until the error was discovered. Many of those cartridges were thought to be bad when it was a simple fix. Add that to the pile I still have one of those carts to this day (somewhere). Hole elongated and worked great.
  19. what is required is a disk copier that can 1 control the indus and 2 copy all the sectors in proper density... This means that some one would have to make a sector copier capable of doing so booting in single density then let it do it's magic to control the indus and write it out in full double density... but this might be even harder as the source atr image might also not hold the data for the first sectors since it too is not aware- and finally.... do you think APE or respeqt will serve those disk properly? Probably also not ready to do this sort of thing... so the work around of setting up and patching is what must happen... Who knows maybe all these updates and upgrades already exist... anybody have them, seen them, or fixing them?
  20. U-bends with keys could be added without cutting the case at all, made of metal or 3D printed what's the issue? So long as they can be interpreted it's all good.
  21. Can we talk 850 and drivers? You've all heard it... I can't get a driver to work with my 850. My 850 sometimes works... It worked and now it doesn't etc etc.. cut to the chase, leave it off up until you are ready to load the driver, run the cartridge, or run the terminal. OR use an R:BIN (quick answer, it's usually the same as the rom but in binary or program form) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why? The reasons are many these days... Polling boot method is one. The Rom in the 850 is another. The Handler is another factor. DOS. Oh yeah and let's not forget the Terminal program! These can be an interconnected mess leading people to lose their mind or think it's broken. I've been brought a lot of 'broken' units that work perfectly for me. But why? 1 Different DOS different handlers. I kid you not use the handler recommended for the DOS you are using. Handlers are not all equal and are not written proper but get the job done. 2 an 850 incorrectly polled at bootup can set it in modes where it won't talk to even the best drivers (Bobterm included!) Let Sparta 4.49 have at your 850 and you will get a device doesn't respond situation even using the supplied RS232.COM or Bobterm! 3 the handler doesn't call the rom using the already online poll method but rather uses the initial os poll method for booting from the 850.... 4 the terminal doesn't know how to link and unlink the handler (Bobterm while not perfect does this very well however) 5 The 850 has one of the variant version of rom that doesn't behave as expected. While I normally don't have any issues... I know when using a certain setup or DOS to just leave it off till I am ready. So if you keep trying different drivers and DOS types and think it's all random, it's not... There is a reason for why it won't cooperate... turn it off while the computer is still on, count to 17 or 23, turn is back on. Try your handler, cartridge, terminal again. You just might find your 850 is perfectly fine.. and you are online The 850 is capable of more than what folks have knowledge of today. Some things are lost to time. It's actually a very nice interface all things considered. Due to it's multiple methods of being employed it gets a bad rap. Truth is the shame is ours for forgetting and not having kept all the information, software, revisions, and notes.
  22. yes you need something that understands double density sector copy up to 180 single sided.
  23. Just remember back then, it was not unusual for the general population to take their computer in for an Atari store, Atari service, or accredited repair center to have all modifications done including putting cards in and out of an 800! Many parents did not want that thing touched by any hand without a guarantee behind it. I was NOT the norm for an 8 year old who already built his own radios (am/fm and otherwise), to working inside televisions and playing with computers. Not everyone would trust like that. Many folks brought their 400's in to service centers for memory upgrades, many shops did the install for free or a nominal fee. The game was indeed 400 compatible, but with the caveat that it had the upgrade done for 48k. This is no different than any x86 or 088 of the day. I mean if you want you can go further and see all those games for intel based machine... in the fine print demanding a sound card or specific video card to work (and people didn't go on about the labeling, they either returned it or had the cards installed...) I find the labeling sufficient, but a sticker saying 48k would have helped those with limited understanding back in the day..
  24. I got both of mine assembled without issue but after seeing the cracked screen you posted I went to examine and find out how that could happen... and the ways to avoid it. tips follow 0 make sure micro sd card is not in slot 1 make sure all 3D print process support plastics are removed 2 make sure case pegs are in pcb holes and hold them in place through entire assembly process 3 screen should have overhang placed under screw supports first and then other side put into place gently spreading case so connector clear hole supports and structure 4 when all is lined up slide base pcb screen sandwich forward, the power jack et all will slide into holes and case grooves will interconnect and other end will swing in... If this is too fiddly to do you can snip a peg top off on left top peg nearest groove and power sd usb hole side. You will find it is hollow, secure with one appropriately sized screw... other people suggest glues but the screw works for most folks. plastic washer/spacer optional. Then revisit list with careful assembly! I raised the screen after assembly using wood push sticks carefully through case hole. just to the point of almost touching case. one wood push-rod/stick held ardy pcb down and other pulled screen up worked perfect. looks professional even. Gentle pressure at sd card side will bring slot down to make it line up just enough to make micro sd card line up so it will only go where it is supposed to! the screen case gap will still be dang near perfect. you are awesome! and so is that cased sdrive max ATX!
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