Jump to content
Have You Played Atari Today?
2600|5200|7800|Lynx|Jaguar|Forums|Store  

spencerhm

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    59

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by spencerhm

  1. Posted

    U1, a CA3086. I believe unplugging the SIO cable with the drive powered on can cause this chip to fail.

     

    Hmm, that's interesting. This could be a high likelihood. I'll many people have done this not realizing. It's been a habit of mine for YEARS to JUST turn a device off before unplugging anything!!!!

     

    Thanks Bill

  2. Posted

    I always use a toothbrush and rubbing alcohol and scrub really good. If you have a lot of corrosion though, some fine grade sandpaper wrapped on a used/cut up credit card (or similar) would do the trick. Cut it to the size of a cartridge and insert/remove a number of times. If you try the sandpaper, be sure to follow up with the toothbrush/alcohol in order to remove any leftover residue.

     

    Also make sure your games are clean, rubbing alcohol on a q-tip is good, or if you take it apart, a pencil eraser will clean them really good.

    Hmm the sandpaper/credit card idea sounds great! I'll try it next time followed by the isopropyl and tooth brush.

  3. Posted

    Should be fine - pretty unlikely Atari would have changed the pinout or function. These things are used in many peripheral types as well as ~ 35 million in 2600 and 7800s.

    Ok I took out the 6532 in the non-working unit and put in the C010750 chip - it still didn't boot. So it is possible to be one of the other three chips underneath the metal shield?

     

    Thanks

  7. Posted · Edited by spencerhm

    Hello Rybags.

     

    Ok I took the 6507 chip out of the working unit and put it in the unit not booting - no difference. Then I left the 6507 in the unit not booting and was going to add the 6532 chip from the working unit but the working unit does not have a 6532 chip; it has a 8402 chip, so I didn't try it because I wasn't sure if I should've. I've attached a pic.

     

    Also I left the 6507 chip from the non-working unit in the working unit and it booted. So what I know now is the physical floppy drive and the 6507 chip from the non-working unit do in fact work. Is the 8402 chip an update of Atari or what? Also the chip controller chip in the working unit I cannot read the text printed on it, so I do not know what it is.

     

    And those shields on the logic boards ya just don't have a lot of turns on those metal legs do ya? ;-) I don't know why the shield is there, but I put it back anyway; however one leg broke while turning to lock it.

     

    I would be thankful for more thoughts.

     

    Thanks, Spencer.

  8. Posted

    Swapping out chips should show up the problem so long as it's not a dodgy power supply board.

    Yeah myatari.com said the same thing re: the power supply.

     

    I'm working myself up to doing the chip swap; just a bit wary cause stuff can happen. ;-) So when I get the courage to remove chips on my working drive, do you recommend I swap the other three chips from my image?

     

    Thanks!

  9. Posted

    It's streaming games from their servers ... the only processing done on your end is controller button presses. This is likely to be an important way to play games in the future, once everyone gets fast enough bandwidth and lets go of the "gotta own a disk" mentality. If they offered something great that I could not play any other way, I'd be into it. As it is, most of the PS3 games they offer are already cheap and easy to purchase outright.

    Hate to say it but the "gotta own a disk mentality" isn't likely to go away in a longgg time, and maybe never. It's sort of passed on from generation to generation, but OF COURSE many like the online gaming/streaming. A smart business will provide both but not necessarily equal shares but based on desires of a product imho.

  10. Posted

    Besides ruling out the power switch, I would check and clean the cartridge slot and makes sure the cartridges you use are clean. Does it not work with every game or just some?

    What's the best method for cleaning the cart slot?

     

    Thanks

  11. Posted

    Are the prices still too high? Just get a PS3 and buy those games. Better experience and cheaper. But to each their own. PC master race guys are loving this just to say they now can play playstation exclusive games... With input lag and degraded quality...

     

    Prices are actually fine. The only problem is the whole Streaming thing. I'd rather just get the console and play the best experience.

    Yeah I remember the days when playing games over modem (very slow actually) but not all the graphics either. Is this what this is about??? Even in the olden days it never was my cup of tea. I'd always want to play games on my PC!!!! So this Windows app. I wonder is it an interface for the PC to the PS world to play the games online or do you get the actual games to install/play on the PC? It says "A minimum 5Mbps connection is required to use PS Now on any device." If it's online games I wonder the costs of any membership. I'd guess the Windows app would be free (if it's just an interface). I do not know. Never been a PS or Xbox guy.

  12. Posted

    Does anyone have any 6507 or 6532 chips available to sell? myatari.com has them, but the fella is a very busy guy with his farm and it may be awhile for him to get time to get them out. I'm one of those that want it now. ;-) myatari.com has them for $5. I'll be glad to pay a little extra for working chips and pay the shipping (zip 30259), so if anyone has them I am very interested. AND don't want to spend $50 for a "parts" only 1050 from eBay! Those chips could be bad.

     

    Thanks Spencer.

     

    P.S. I removed the chips from my non-working drive and reseated them and it still didn't fix the problem, and now I at least know the physical drive works when I put it in the working unit. Guess I'm just VERY cautious (paranoid) to try swapping out chips from a working unit to put them in a non-working unit. If I had plenty of these chips on the shelf than no worries if I should break a pin - just grab another. ;-)

     

    P.P.S. I did talk with Bruce (myatari.com) and he's a nice fella. He said what Rybags said, probably these two chips.

  13. Posted

    Serial input frame error. Serial IO uses start/stop bits 0/1 wrapped around each byte, this error means that the computer didn't receive a byte as expected.

    I'd try a different serial cable, different port on the drive. If possible different computer.

     

    Next up all I could suggest is pull the logic board and prize up slightly then reseat socketed chips.

    Since you've got 2 drives you could even try the logic board in the other drive and see if it still does it, or try swapping chips, initial ones to try would be the 6507 and 6532.

    Didn't get a chance to swap chips yet; I did take the drive out of the unit not booting and put it in the unit that is working and the drive booted. Apparently it's likely to be one of those socketed chips. This weekend I try swapping out one chip at a time starting with the 6507 and 6532. Found these two chips at myatari.com but couldn't find the others from my system. I've attached a pic of the five socketed chips on my 1050 drive.

     

    Thanks for your help!

     

    Spencer

    post-39677-0-71181900-1472253523_thumb.jpg

  14. Posted

     

     

    ' I can download .ATR files, put the(m) on diskettes to run on my'

     

    You seem to think along the lines of getting an .ATR and using PC software to burn the .atr to an Atari disk, in

    the PC floppy drive. You don't use a PC floppy drive at all.

     

    You get a SIO2PC/APE interface to connect the PC USB to SIO port on the Atari.

    Then you use the interface to connect the PC to the Atari as an emulated disk drive.

    You can use the emulated disk drive as any other disk drive, including being able to

    copy files from the emulated drive to your real drive, say from D1: to D2:

     

    Hope I'm making it clear. APE/SIO2PC just creates an emulated drive.

    Yes that's perfectly clear - thank you!!!

  15. Posted

    Hello all.

     

    Recently bought a 800XL (runs perfectly) with two 1050 drives. When testing each 1050 individually one boots DOS 2.5 fine and I tested several options from the menu: format, lists directory, duplicates disks, etc. as D1 fine.

     

    I tested the other drive and it will not boot DOS 2.5 as D1; I cleaned the head with 91% Isopropyl, blew it out with practically no dust; checked the PCB and nothing is leaky or busted. Didn't check underneath the metal box on the board yet. The power supply is ok. If I hook up the good 1050 and boot DOS and THEN disconnect the good drive and then hook up the one that isn't working (menu still on the screen) I then choose the Format option and it appears to format the disk (head moves forward and back on the rails) but I get ERROR 140.

     

    Looking that up it appears "This means that communication from the device to the computer is garbled. This is a very rare error and it is fatal." What can fix this? Is there something a lay person can do to fix this or have it shipped out to be repaired or buy a logic board to replace the one inside the drive? Does it mean the logic board is bad? Is the drive good?

     

    Anyone have experience with B & C Computer Visions Atari Sales and Service?

     

    Thanks, Spencer.

  16. Posted

    As already mentioned, you really should consider some form of SIO2PC. It is a far better solution for most situations than all the (several) software programs that attempt to write out disks on a PC.

     

    Unless I missed it, you never mentioned what kind of a REAL Atari drive that you have. That is a key bit of info. But even if you have an XF551 (one of the more flexible Atari drives), you still need the services of some type of SIO2PC. What kind of PC do you have to use as the host for SIO2PC? Modern Windows laptop or desktop?

     

    -Larry

    Larry I believe I missed your post before I left mine about 10 mins after yours. I'm using two stock 1050 drives, and I just started reading the 'newbies' piece and saw the write up on SIO2PC. I can use either pure DOS or my favorite Win7 box. Ultimately it doesn't matter as long as I can download .ATR files, put the on diskettes to run on my 800XL. I'd also like to image my new Atari DOS 2.5 diskette I received yesterday using the SIO2PC solution I'm guided to buy. So if you can recommend one for either Win7 or MS-DOS I will check it out, but I need to finish reading the 'newbies' piece.

     

    Thanks, Spencer.

  17. Posted

     

    You have a PC floppy drive, 360k DS/DD. You have a 1050 or other Atari drive, probably can only use SD/SS 90k disks.

     

    So, the previous suggestion to get or make a SIO2PC or buy Atarimax APE PC to Atari adapter is the way to go.

    Once you have a APE cable, you can perform any DOS command, such as format disk, sector copy disk.

    The APE/SIO2PC adapter allows you to use even 16 meg .atrs with just about every game ever written. There

    are DISK1 2 3 4 .atrs with hundreds of games.

     

    Sorry about APE suggestion. There are other adapters that do the same thing from other sources, I just

    don't remember them right now. I think there's a atariage post about making a PC to Atari device.

     

    Definitely read the 'newbie' post at the top of this forum.

    Ultimately on my newly bought 800XL with two stock 1050 drives I originally wanted to create images of what diskettes I buy, but what I've seen is EVERYTHING is already imaged. My thought was why create them when hundreds of people have already done this and offer them for free.

     

    So I guess I do need a SIO2PC solution to get the .ATR files I download from a PC to diskettes for my Atari. Anyone suggest one in particular that's fairly straight forward and isn't for advanced users only? If you have a URL that would be great.

     

    I did receive a copy of DOS 2.5 for $17 with a manual in new condition. I was amazed at the condition of both items, and I did make four copies, but diskettes do die eventually. So I also would like to use the SIO2PC solution to image this DOS 2.5 Master disk. I know most folks probably use emulation but I am older school and like the real McCoy. I guess one day I'll have to use emulation when all of my diskettes stop working, but not till then.

     

    Regards . . .

  18. Posted

    The dos25.atr image is not DS/DD but your drive is so drive error report

    is valid. WriteAtr starts working with images of 180K and above, none

    of which are the files you described. Try this file with WriteAtr.

    attachicon.gifMyDOS_DD.zip

     

     

    Not exactly an image writer and I don't recall one that actually

    works but I do use AtariDsk from the same site but you then must

    have an Atari drive that can do double density. You'll need this

    also to use the disk offered above too. A stock 1050 can not do this.

     

    End of the day, I suspect that you want to create a bootable disk

    on the IBM and expect it to boot in your Atari.

     

    Very high odds on this not working out well. My use above is only

    to move the files to the Atari system and from there I can use

    DiskFormer to then create that disk from that image. Here one

    should format the disk first and not allow DiskFormer to do that

    for you as it's not the best at getting this part done right.

    http://atari.kensclassics.org/a8utilities.html

     

    For better help, please describe your Atari setup and drives.

    If you are stuck without a DOS disk to boot with and work

    files with on the Atari side and this is all about that

    then you really are stuck. Unless you have a cassette deck

    and can manage to get it to work with your Atari.

    http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=129755

     

    Of interest to me is the MS-DOS program you used to format

    disks with in 'the 800XL format on my 5150'. Odds are it

    wasn't right and I'm curious about that part. AtariDsk

    will run in a DOSbox on 9x windows systems and does a

    single sided 180K format in double density only, the

    disk must be formatted by AtariDsk to then be useable

    on both systems as well.

    I am using AtariDsk to format in 800XL.

  20. Posted

    Greetings all.

     

    First, thank you for this website and all you are offering the public FREE. I am new to Atari but been in IT since '81, but my long years in IT needs some help with the vintage fella Atari ;-) . Never had the pleasure of Atari 800XL except with the 2600.

     

    I have a problem I am hoping to get help with. I downloaded some .ATR files, particularly the DOS2_5 ATR and the VisiCalc ATR from AtariMania and I found the "writeatr" program to write them to disk but it fails every time no matter if I use SS/DD, DS/DD or HD diskettes in either a HD 5 1/4" drive or a 360KB drive on an old IBM 5150 - same results. I used another MS-DOS pgm. to format them in the 800XL format on my 5150. Can anyone please help me?

     

    Results when I run the "writeatr" program: => writeatr -b dos25.atr <Return> The -b means drive b:

     

    > Selected Atari disk drive type 360K DS/DD/5.25

     

    > The selected Atari disk drive type is not compatible with your floppy drive.

     

    The above message confuses me because my old IBM is a 360K DS/DD drive.

     

    I tried versions 0.92 and 0.92b writeatr from HiassofT's Atari 8bit world

     

    Is there another image writer I should be using?

     

    Thanks

  22. Posted · Edited by spencerhm

    Got the 800XL with two 1050 drives; the console works fine, and is very clean; ran the built-in tests and they all passed. Found the manuals online and I learned how to change drive numbers, but didn't see anything on error codes. I do not have the Atari DOS diskette that came with the unit, but found a .BAS program to format diskettes. Not sure if it properly formatted the diskette or not because I tried to save a BASIC one line program to the diskette and it reports: => ERROR- 130.

    I type: => SAVE "D1:MYFILE.BAS" and keep getting the "ERROR- 130" message. Any help would be appreciated as to what this error means. And if the drive needs to be re-aligned or the speed set correctly is there any program/documentation on how to do this?

     

    Both drives were surprisingly clean; blew the drives out and hardly nothing came out; clean the heads. Not a hardware tech, so any ideas will be great!

  24. Posted

    I am in need of a 5 1/4" disk drive (single or double sided) and a digital data drive. I can't repair them, so if you have any good ones for sale I am very interested. If you're interested I have an Color Computer 2 in excellent condition I can give for part of the cost for these items.

     

    Also I am looking for a copy of Family Feud.

     

    Thanks Spencer.

AtariAge
Forums
Store
General
Follow AtariAge

Copyright ©1998-2021 AtariAge

×
×
  • Create New...