Britishcar

I ordered one of these and really love it: http://home.arcor.de/grasel/sio2usb_e.htm It uses thumb (flash) drives so no adapter is needed to hook it up to a Mac or Win.

As a noob as well, I can take an early stab at your problem. Have you been able to make APT partitions using FDISK? http://atari8.co.uk/apt/tools/index.html#fdisk4 Here's how I got mine going: 1) Format your CompactFlash card on Windows or a Mac as a FAT32 device. On the Mac, I think it's just listed as FAT. 2) Then run FDISK however you can. I ran FDISK off of a virtual floppy on a German SIO2USB thumb drive device after downloading it and the other tools in the suite. 3) This helped me a LOT: http://www.atari8.co.uk/apt/docs/APT%20Software%20Manual.pdf 4) You're going to want to use 1, 2, 3 or maybe 4 actual floppies or drives or other SIO stuff at some point so start your APT Compact Flash partitions at maybe DE: (D5:) or so. I could only set up one partition at a time and then save the table. If I set up more than one APT partition at a time, FDISK would lock while trying to save the partition table. Go figure. 5) FORMAT the APT partitions using SpartaDOS X after you've made them. Otherwise they will only save junk. Ignore the "this isn't a floppy" message. Then switch to D5: or whatever you've made and you should have the CF working like a virtual hard drive. Now, unless a more advanced user knows better, your XEX files should be copied to your FAT partition using straight Windows or Mac. I use a USB to CompactFlash device and copy them in from a Mac. So...your XEX files will never "be" in your SpartaDOS harddrives. You'll run them from the "L" key in the Incog menu and you'll access your APT harddrive partitions from SparaDOS. If I've said something wrong here, please correct me. I hope this is clear...?

bandit, Thank you. I've downloaded the bios-update.xex file. Now, I'm just sort of sweating it out wondering whether I should really try this. I've not had the best of luck with Flash BIOS updates in general. Seems like a perfect way to brick your hardware if just one tiny thing goes awry. I have no problem getting an XEX file onto the CF card since I just use a USB/CF reader to move the XEX file to the CF. I also have a virtual floppy drive setup on an SIO2USB connection using thumb drives. I use that to run mostly ATRs...I don't think I'll have a problem running an XEX from a virtual floppy mounted on D1: So here's my question: is it best to run this flash XEX from the SIDE Loader (with SDX enabled as Candle states) or from a virtual floppy on say D1: running DOS 2.5 or something?

Bandit, The more I play with the system, the more it seems like only carts aren't working. In other words, I've figured out how to partition the CF and it's working as a HDD and as an XEX launcher through SIDE. I assume the Compyshop RAM mode is working since SpartaDOS X has access to it's "O:" RAM drive. Is there a way to determine the bios rev. to see if we need updates?

Hmmm...well, I do have the Rev. D CPU card in this 800 but I am about as positive as I can be that I wired Incog pin #1 (on the left as you look down on the installed card from the keyboard side) to ANTIC Pin #9 HALT and Incog pin #6 (on the far right position near the CF card) to ANTIC Pin #15 RDY. I'm relying on this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75619516@N06/8362421025/in/set-72157629855929494/lightbox/ And the pinouts for ANTIC on wikipedia as guides. If I have either or both of these two wires wrong, what would my symptoms be? Would I also get SpartaDOS X giving me a lot of "device not ready" errors except for its RAMdisk? What a puzzle this thing is for newbies!

I'm coming in late to this thread and trying to pick up the gist of the conversation. I've just finished my Incognito install and it fired up fine the first time. I'm new to SpartaDOS but as a command line DOS, it's not hard to figure out once you nab the docs online. There are so many things going on with this "new" 800 that I'm still figuring what's up and what's down. Apparently SpartaDOS has an odd relationship with carts since it was a cart with a piggyback option? Does the SpartaDOS built into Incognito "think" it's a cart? Secondly, and disappointingly, I replaced the 2 resistors with 2.2K's and feel good about the connections, etc. but any cart I insert either sort of ends up being "invisible" or begins to make the system act odd after a few warm boots into the Incog menu, etc. I can't get a single cart to fire up on a cold-boot or using any other "go to cart" type of trick. Am I a flash-update behind to have it work with 2.2K resistor carts? I just received this Incog...?

The 2-minute solution might be to reseat the socketed chips just to see if that does the trick. It's worked for me on some old Apple // boards in the past.

Could have easily been a personal hack. Not hard if you have (had) the right tools.

Can we pull over? I need to go Wii.

Alcohol and a q-tip? No?

Stay with the original disks. Notice how people rarely change out a d-pad for a joystick on the NES, SNES, etc.? It's because they became used to that manner of control. The Intel disks are odd at first, but then they become very cool. If they are working correctly, they will be dead on and very responsive to you no matter how many articles by people who used them for 3 minutes and gave up write about them. I'm right handed. I cradle an Intel controller in my left hand, and use my left middle and left ring finger to fire the upper and lower buttons respectively since they are already curled around the controller from the bottom. I use my right thumb on the disk and either thumb, depending on the game, on the keypad buttons. The joystick add-on's are trash and will set you back, really set you back, from enjoying the games long term.

I'm interested as well. Please PM price and/or other details.

I'm happy to share what I've done with a lot of old computer components for years with zero problems with the proviso that your mileage may vary. I don't run anything through a dishwasher but instead just use gloves and very hot water running out of the sink. Depending on the situation, I've also used a touch of Dawn-type dishwashing soap. Then I'll give the piece a good shake to clear out large amounts of water, perhaps run a hair dryer over certain parts for a few minutes and then let the parts sit out unassembled for a minimum of 3 days before any reassembly or re-powering. So, before anyone scoffs or disagrees with any of the above, I've done this with everything from Apple Lisa's to TI-99/4A's to Apple II's to Atari's to Intellivisions (no Commodore stuff yet). I've also done this with lots and lots of keyboards. Pop off the keys, soak them in hot soapy water, and wash/rinse the board mechanics and electronics itself, let dry. I've never seen any rust or had a component go from working to non-working after doing this. I just end up with clean, new looking equipment. I think the hand-washing is the key as you're not using true water pressure to drive dirt or other material into pots or sockets, etc. Think of it more as a strong rinse...also, I don't think you need the potentially damaging heat of a dishwasher for any reason. Also, bear in mind that I'm doing this for cleanliness and cosmetics. I'm not trying to "clean" a piece of equipment into going from non-working to working.

Terrific! I actually hadn't stumbled across your great tutorial post before stumbling around in the dark a bit. I'll see if I can duplicate your outcome. Thank you! And thank you, Candle!

I received my very cool Incognito and have begun the installation into a fully working 48K stock 800. As I am going along, I'm encountering a series of questions that I going through with trial/error but thought someone may know these answers quite easily. If you've already installed an Incognito or have other advice, please share it! Here's what I've done so far and some of the questions I have so far: 1) I'm following Sebastian's instructions at: http://spiflash.org/index.php/block/30.html 2) I started with the REF to unused personality board pin jump on the back of the motherboard. QUESTION/SOLUTION: What wattage of solder iron to buy? I went with a 25W that uses a ceramic core and gets very hot -- about 1003 degrees F. Overkill? QUESTION/SOLUTION: What AWG gauge wire to use? I went with 24AWG twisted. QUESTION/SOLUTION: What solder to use? I went with a very thin rosin-core 60/40 tin and lead solder. QUESTION/SOLUTION: How much solder to use? My hot iron was really globbing the solder around on the junk PCB I was using as practice. So I decided to simply "tin" the two ends of the 24AWG in a ball of hot solder, apply the hot iron to the connectors on the back of the motherboard until the 30-year-old solder began to melt and then tacked the wire end-point onto it. In other words, no "new" solder added except for the tinning on the twisted wires. I checked the connection with a multi-meter and the two points were connected with .001 resistance. So, great! I laid the wire down among the pins so that it won't have any chance of shorting against the motherboard backplane, which is paper-shielded anyway. 3) Then I moved onto the RNMI/Reset jump on the top of the motherboard. SOLUTION: I used the same iron, wire, solder, tinning, tacking stuff as above. Multimeter shows .001 resistance between the two points but here is my QUESTION 1 : With the joystick ports facing into you, this jump seems to go from the left side of resistor R184 (the bottom of the jump) to the left side of R154 (the top resistor on the jump). Is my top resistor, R154, the correct one? I've seen pictures elsewhere that fool me into thinking it's R152 -- the one just below R154. I'm 95% sure I'm right with R154 but wanted to ask. 4) So, I'm moving onto the next 6 connections. And here are my questions: QUESTION 2: Has anyone completed this install WITHOUT replacing resistors RD4 and RD5 (blue, pin 3, RD5 and black, pin 4, RD4) and still had cartridges work? Is it ok to leave the original resistors and see if my carts work and only replace the resistors if my carts don't work? The specs mention possible replacements with 1.5 (or?) 2.2 KOhms. Has anyone used either 1.5's or 2.2's? Did one work and/or not the other? Is it not so critical that I can just flip a coin and choose one? QUESTION 3: Why do all of the photos I find show the jumps for ANTIC HALT (yellow wire, Pin 1) and ANTIC RDY (green wire, pin 6) lying unattached? Even the YOUTUBE video shows an OS board with no yellow or green wires attached. Are these optional jumps? What do I lose by not having them? Ok, only 3 questions for now. Thank you for any advice you have!

Hmmm... Many good reasons above...some repeats below... 1) Physical presence 2) Socketed FASTCHIP math routine replacement 3) OS module with piggyback OMNIMON 4) Most vivid and cleanest Chroma/Luminance video out of the entire line 5) Simply the best and most robust keyboard 6) Four joystick ports 7) 80-column cards Monkey Wrench II with Atari BASIC is a blast 9) ACTUAL built-in speaker with keyclicking coming from the console...fun with weird software that uses both the 4-channel sound and the keyboard speaker at the same time...if you haven't heard some of these demos, they're extremely amusing 10) Shielded RESET key 11) Kids can't yank out a cart while the machine is running (or insert one while it is running) 12) Cart lid actually functions as a storage bin...leave Atariwriter, say, unplugged but sitting under the lid with it closed...can't tell it's there...ready to use Atariwriter? Pop lid, snap in cart, snap lid closed, Atariwriter! Machine turned itself off and on for you while you did that. 13) Don't have to hold down friggin' OPTION every time you DON'T want BASIC 14) Incognito allows you to run anything ever written for the A8

Mine came today...is there a "best" or "official" visual guide for dummies on installation? I've seen a lot of "here's how I did it" posts, but is one set of idiot-proof set of photos/explanations the most recommended?

Choplifter...

I'm so looking forward to this hand-built masterpiece!

Please add me as +1 to the orders!

For me, Star Strike and Mission X suffered just a bit from the "pseudo-3D" effect that also seems to infect games such as Zaxxon, Desert Falcon and the like. With a video subsystem and CPU designed originally for great 2D experiences, the "almost" 3D effect of these types of games always felt like I was dying a cheap death when I couldn't quite make out what the forced 3D algorithm was trying to do. I normally prefer true 2D games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Frogger, Demon Attack, etc. In these games, when I make a wrong sudden move and lose, I know it was my fault and not just a human interface problem or a limitation in graphics visualization. Now some pseudo-3D games from that era really got it right. For example, I love playing Space Battle on the "SUPER ADVANCED" speed (start with the Blue Return to Base button on certain carts) just to see if I can beat the damn thing. This game is 3D in that you are looking out into space (Copr @ 1979!) but you KNOW when your lasers connect with one of those ships and/or when their laser smacks into your gunsight. There's no question...it's a pixel-precise live or die situation. Sub Hunt is similar in that it's "3D" but you really know whether that torpedo is going to connect or not as you "look out" at the ships. Also, the 3D concept of "diving" is there but is really just in your mind and not visual...brilliant concept. I've "beaten" both of these games at their highest levels but Space Battle and Sub Hunt feel much more satisfying to win than Star Strike which is just a sort of dodge and fire, dodge and bomb feel. The Dreadnaught Factor demonstrated how you keep the game 2D but add a dodge, duck, and bomb "below" you strategy with astonishing variety in your strategic approaches that Star Strike simply lacks. Now, having said all that, I think that Night Stalker is an amazing classic game from this era. I LOVE the slow, deliberative, thump, thump, thump of this game. The casual speed forces you to come up with actual strategies. If you just run and shoot and duck randomly, and assume that this is a berzerk-type of game, you aren't going to last long. The fascinating part is that with each new robot, you need to adjust or completely overthrow your previous strategy and be ready to adopt a new one. Even then, with the randomness of the grey robots and the relocating gun, you are constantly pulled out of any "comfort zone" that you manage to establish. Truly brilliant game balance. If anyone can suggest a good bunker-destroyed, invisible-robot strategy, please advise.

Sabbath Prayer - "Fiddler on the Roof" Soundtrack

I agree with cmart604. The best way to delineate "original" games released for a console would be to count those titles released while I could still go out and purchase a console NEW from a retail store. That is, if I could go to a store, buy an Intellivision II along with Frog Bog, Happy Trails and Night Stalker, then those games should be considered part of the "original" collection of games for the system. Games that came along later such as D2K Arcade could be categorized differently...as a game released after the system's discontinuation. So...it then doesn't matter if the game is "homebrew" for profit, not-for-profit, microbrew, nanobrew, licensed, not-licensed, etc. It's simply either an "original" game or a "post-discontinuation" way of looking at it. This could include variations such that any game modified and then re-released could either be original or post-discontinuation dependent on when it was released.

True. There could easily be several totals. What you paid for each piece and what they are worth now...I was thinking of a more empirical total though, which would simply be the original retail price of each thing as sold in a store when it was new...beautiful collection!

It's looks just like your photo but has the 06 81 date reference. I can't answer you about the box -- it's long, long gone. It was the pack in PS on the 48K 800 and I no longer have the original box for my 800. It went back to its constituent atoms a while back as presumably did the transformer box. Here is the text: CLASS 2 TRANSFORMER PART NUMBER C016804 INPUT 120V 60Hz LISTED UL ® 622T 06 81 OUTPUT 9V AC 31 VA CAUTION INDOOR USE ONLY MADE IN TAIWAN