manterola

I have been using my generic (not even ftdi based) cable since ever. I guess with and ftdi based one you get the different high speed modes to work flawless, but any USB should work for loading games, booting the dos, etc.

it sounds to me like broken SIO cable. It might be something in the Indus drives, but it is hard to believe that the PCB in the Indus drive does not have a connection b/w +5V / ready pins. Try flipping the cables, connecting only one Indus at the time, etc. so we can help to diagnose the problem, but my bet is a broken (or incomplete) SIO cable or something broken in one of the Indus drives that breaks the current going thru the SIO bus.

I have always used UScopier since it can skip and/or retry bad sectors, and it uses extended RAM. But i am sure there are better ones.

I am fixing a very beaten 800XL with stackpole keyboard and I disassembled the keyboard with all those 14 little screws. Many little springs fell and it was a mess. Finally the problem was, a cut trace close to the motherboard connector, also one contact in the motherboard connector not very strong. But when I re assembled the Mylar with the metallic part and the keys with the springs, I have several problem: first the K key did not worked... so 14 screws out and then in.. then the "*" got always pressed, so 14 screws out in then In. Finally, I affixed the metallic piece keyboard in the upper part of the Atari case, but then the ribbon part it got too short: I cut the ribbon mylar (about 3 or 4 cm) to get rid of the damaged trace, big mistake, now I cannot close the case. Before cutting the ribbon I tried to fixed with conductive paint and it was just a big mess. I just In summary, dialing with the mylar and the spings and all those screws is not easy and requires PATIENCE. For me now, I 'll wait for new mylars for Stackpole get available or, to fit some kind of ribbon extender.

Probably RAM. I just repaired an 800xl with soldered mt ram chips. I got 41256, 8 of them very cheap. I also cut the existing ram feet, destroying the Mt ram chips, that way is much easier to extract the chips. I installed sockets and put the new NEC ram.. I crossed my fingers, and boom... It worked!!. Many here have mentioned that the most likely thing to fail are the MT ram chips. After that I got a Rambo compatible PCB in oshpark and did the 256kb (quarter mega) ram expansion, but that is part of another story

Here is a couple of interesting article about "open collector outputs" and why the concept is useful when dealing with "data buses". And they talk about the 7407. This open collector output I has been "emulated" before in the sio2pc, sio2bt, sio2wifi and many other cases by using a diode. The basic idea behind this is that the open collector ouputs do not "generate" current , they only "sinks" current to ground. That's why diode looks like is in the opposite direction. I am not sure, but I guess some sio2sd present the same problem: the output is not open collector bus compatible. https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2012/basics-open-collector-outputs/ https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/181952/why-does-the-i2c-interface-use-the-open-collector-open-drain

Ok. I hope you'll manufacture those.. That type of keyboard (the stackpole) was very very common in Chile. It was commonly seen in the last wave of 800XLs, followed by a sort period of the "stair-ed" 800XL keyboard and then the 65XE hit the market and it was also super common in my country. I guess the Mylar is better in quality (the paint) than the 65XE/130XE one, but nevertheless susceptible to failures. Edit: for others chasing Atari Mylars, I found out that "thebrewingacademy" has double layer XE mylars.

I remember that picture from an special edition magazine released soon after BTTF part 3. I got the Spanish edition of that magazine... Around 90, 91 or 92 time frame... I remember noticing the Atari computer, at the time, but somehow I assumed was an Atari ST and Bob working on that for parts 2/3 not the original BTTF. I don't why I got those ideas, maybe because the picture was located in a page related to parts 2/3 text. I don't remember the name of this book/magazine but I am sure that if I look hard enough I will get some coordinates of it. I was not that surprised at the time because I usually spotted Atari STs on TV. Edit: found it. I had exactly same book, but like more like a magazine. Move to 3:46

Did you manufactured 600xl/800xl stackpole mylars?.. I am interested but I couldn't find the price or understand whether they were manufactured or not. I also need one for the my 65XE , double or bent mylar

I also did the same: I got a cheap chinese set of belt on eBay. Then I tried to fit the best one. I don't think it is going to last for the next 25 years, but for know is working great. not sure about the counter belt, I kept the original one

or since you want to convert a 3.5 floppy in a 3.5 Atari floppy, you can reserve one of the upcoming SF551 boards: smaller and it uses external power. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/285910-ideaexternal-atari-st-drive-transformed-to-8-bit-xf551-internals/?p=4213645

In my experience I have never seen a Chelco motherboard but tons of Stackpole keyboards. The Ataris 800XL I have seen are mostly "chileans", but in reality are NTSC made in Taiwan latest months of 1983 with part or all ICs soldered (no sockets or few sockets). They are easy to identify by the BIG round "O" and "Q". In ebay there are several 600xl with similar keycaps so I suspect are also Stackpole keyboards. The only 600xl I have seen in person I got it in USA and it has the type 2 keyboard with outlined "Control" key and full socketed.

It is so cool just to see an idea or question starts rolling and growing like a snow ball and keep getting speed ... I am sure the final product is going to be great with all this great ideas. So please, through your ideas in a crystal clear way, be specific. I cannot wait to send my $$$ to get one of these!!!

Yep. There are different animals, but I guess that when you need right angle cartridge adapter it doesn't hurt and it is actually cool to have also a PCI available for the XE

It might be very easy to re create one, since it looks like a PCB and one edge connector, that it, right?.. or I am wrong? Maybe someone can upload the design to oshpark.... Or is it too much to ask? I'd do it but my kicad skills are very limited.

First try identifying your keyboard: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/105170-600800xl-keyboard-variants/ Some clues without opening the case are the shape of the "o" and the "q", the Control and arrow keys (full or outlined) , and the stairs"ness" of the keys. Then you will know if there are switches involved or if it is a Mylar version.

It is a connector which it is just a PCB. Check this out: https://goo.gl/images/GwUSkM

Yep, you are totally right. We would have loved to keep, or a better word, to reuse the original Din 14 pin pcb connector of the sf314/354, But it is very difficult to find the male connector to build the custom cable. The only thing I found (and I post here if some else is looking for this) is a "cables to go" vga cable adapter which can be re purposed as SF314 data cable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/CTG-40247-Cable-To-Go-20IN-W-FERRITE-VGA-S-VGA-HDB15M-DIN14M/182020361044?hash=item2a61424b54:g:CTQAAOSwzgRWvCGS:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true But I don't want to generate confusion with my previous link, so let me set the record straight: Th new PCB does NOT use the original floppy data connector of Atari ST (DIN14). It does not use the standard SIO connector either. The new PCB uses a new ready available SD-130 connector footprint. So you need to (at least) build one special cable with one sd-130 and one standard SIO connector. Or cut a SIO cable in half and just solder it to the PCB, if you don't want to build the special cable.

I remember there are two different firmwares for xf551 3.5... Which are the differences? pros and cons?

You are totally right, but maybe the other versions (or variations) might include the use of other SIO signals.

This is great, thanks for the information... I will also check if I have a decent VGA cable to cannibalize, excellent idea!

Thanks Geoff, this is amazing. I'll check if I can test the different versions regarding the use of proceed or other SIO lines.

Hi All, I'd struggled to find a good or decent cable (not to stiff, and not too thin copper conductors) for a home made SIO cable. I had 3d printed a couple of SIO connectors and I also have a couple of PCBs for a poorman SIO version, but no luck to find a cable with 13 conductors (I don't need 100m) Do you recommend something you guys have used before?.. obviously good price (for someone in US). Thanks a lot

Or the light gun "window" is dirty. I also read here in AtariAge that painting the gun barrel mate black inside helps with the precision by eliminating reflections. Reflections supposedly make the gun and the Atari to detect the electron beam too early and offset the pointing position of the gun.