Guitarman

Post here where you will be Friday night if you are in Vegas. I'm driving down from Carson City, leaving now. Staying at the Tropicana. If anyone is out late, post it here.

I have a couple of 1200XLs that I've done the mods on for the XL/XE OS and internal basic. It is definitely the way to go. If you have done any modding whatsoever, it will be a breeze. The 1200XL MB is already equipped with the circuits to do the upgrade. If you want to go a bit better, get the 32in1 OS upgrade from AtariMax. The version for the 1200XL comes with the needed MMU and Basic RevC chips. Instant XL standards. Add any one of the available memory upgrade you can find around here and you'll have a system better than most. My main 1200XL has the 32in1 installed w/ Basic RevC, a RamboXL 256K upgrade, and will soon have Metalguy's 1200XL PBI Adapter installed. Everything you would get with a 800XL/130XE and more!!

I will be at CGE and will most assuredly be picking this up!!

Better late than never. I found the scans I did of the manual for the US+. I just ran them through OCR and created a searchable PDF. Here is the full US+ manual. CSS UltraSpeed Plus.pdf

I will be there!!! It will be great to meet some of the folks in person that I hang online with here at AtariAge. See you all there. And...would LOVE an AtariAge name badge!!!

Try these options. Bypass accessories and auto programs on boot, press Ctrl Hold CTRL and then power on the ST. This will bypass anything in the AUTO folder, hopefully bypassing the STE program. This option should also maintain use of the hard drive. You can then open the AUTO folder and disable the offending program. Bypass the harddrive on boot, press Alt Holding ALT at bootup will bypass the hard drive all together. Once at the desktop, you can run the hard drive driver from the floppy you got to gain access to the hard drive. You will have to add the icons to your desktop after running the driver.

Can someone repost this as a ZIP?? Thanks.

This cool utility is in the root of my SDrive NUXX. Great for instant testing and info!!

I love hacking the inside of an Atari but, like some others here, not to the point of it becoming something it's not. I really love the external, plug&go things that have been coming out, i.e. SDrive (NUXX), RAM320XL, etc. I have both of these now and love the ability to use them on different computers as opposed to just 1. The PBI Board for the 1200XL is great as it gave this system something the rest had to start with. As for internal mods, I have no problem with things like the 32in1 OS, Stereo Pokey, compatible memory upgrades (especially ones that are fairly plug&play without having to desolder and resolder a s**tload of ram pins!). These, again, are upgrades that have been around from day one, they are just getting more efficient on how they are built and installed. Anything that makes the system better in an efficient way without loosing its roots. Things like the VBXE2 and the 65618 CPU upgrade start crossing that fine line between roots and something else in an Atari case, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I myself have ordered a VBXE2 and will probably delve into the 65816 upgrade when it's final. I have 1 system that will defy being an Atari by the time it's done, just because it will be fun to do. Will it get used as much as the one with smart, efficient upgrades?? Probably not. What will really, honestly, be available for it?? My ultimate setup?? 1200XL w/ PBI board, 32in1 OS, SimpleStereo v3 and IO-Board, Ultimate1MB, SDrive NUXX and the SpeedDrive.

Definitely misread!! 1.7V not A. Makes much more sense now!! LOL

That picture above was actually taken before I securely mounted the panels. Here's a final, finished picture of the NUXX. Also, the write issue I emailed you about was my fault. I was switching the drives before the write light was going out so it was corrupting the data, both on the save disk and the disk I was switching to!! Opps!!!! Was playing HGTTG last night and saved multiple game positions without fail. Thanks again for a great product. Can't wait for your next one!!

Finally built my SDrive NUXX this last weekend. Man, I miss building kits!! Here are some pics of the process. The parts laid out and ready to go. Built and in the open case. Now to plug in the controller IC. Here it is on its first startup. Atari setup running the NUXX. Notice the monitor with the matching XL colors!! Lets load up some Hitchhiker's Guide!! Side 1 in D1, Side 2 in D2 and a save disk in D3 Working like a charm!! That darn spinning room. Where's my towel??? I will definitely get my money's worth out of this purchase!!!

Got mine today!!! Woohooooooooo!!!!!

I'm 48 at this point in time. The Atari 400 was the first computer I owned. I found it at a swap meet in San Diego for $25 w/ a Basic cart. That was 1984-85. I had previously got my hand dirty with a friend's Apple IIc and, within a couple of months, I was programming databases in SynFile on another friend's Apple IIe. Once I got my 400, it only took a couple of weeks before I wanted more. I found a used 800XL with a 1050 drive. Don't remember what I paid but I couldn't afford it!! I started working for a few hours on the weekends at a small used computer shop that has a lot of Atari stuff. I pretty much worked for trade. Got a Citizen dot printer and a ICD PR Connection so I could start doing graphic and Printshop stuff. By 1988, with the help of a few swap meets, an outlet called Warners Computer and a little place near where I lived call Federated, I had amassed a small collection of the 400, 800, 800XL (now with a RamboXL), 600XL, my first 1200XL (also upgraded with a Rambo), 2 1050 drives, 2 XM551 drives and just about all the ICD stuff including a 256K MIO (which is the same one MetalGuy used to reverse engineer the new run of MIOs), SpartaDos Construction Set, SDX and RTime-8. I had even acquired a 520STFm setup with a color monitor and a modem. The collection went with me to Michigan in 89, Nevada in 91, and back to San Diego in 92. It was in '93 that I got my first PC, a 486DX-33 and by '94, I had my first job as a computer tech. The Atari collection found the inside of a few boxes its home for the next few years. Then, around '99, I found this cool little program call Atari800Win that was supposed to act like an Atari on the PC. I found a few disk images of some familiar programs from my past and gave it a spin. From the moment I started the program and heard the beeps of a DOS 2.5 disk loading and the 'READY' prompt with a blinking cursor staring me in the face, it was all over!! I was, again, hooked. If you have seen any of the pictures I have posted over the past few years, you'll know what I mean. I love these crazy old systems and now have a collection that includes just about all of the different computers and game systems that Atari made. I can't help but buy most of the latest hardware upgrades and mods that are coming out. I am lucky enough to have a 'significant other' that lets me go off the deep end when it comes to Atari stuff. I have made it my goal to keep as much Atari stuff out of the landfill and scrap heap. I would have to say, looking in my garage, that goal is being met!!!

Got my SFDX and Beebris on Friday!! Great packaging. Now I gotta break out the Jag and play.

Try this for the 520ST H2 = U2 H1 = U3 H0 = U4 L2 = U5 L1 = U6 L0 = U7

I notice you are using the shell of a SF354, which is a single sided drive. I don't if there is a difference in the controller in the 354 as opposed to the 314, but if so, this may be part of the issue.

Beat me to it!! I was going to post that STeem will allow you to create a folder full of files and mount it as a hard drive. Then just create a new disk image and copy the files over.

How did this get pinned??

Have you tried reformatting the failed disk in the PC after it fails in the ST?? Also, you shouldn't have to format a disk in the ST to write the image to it with FloImg. FloImg (with the fdrawcmd.sys driver installed) will create a disk with the original format of the image. The only time you should have to format the disk in the ST is to copy files onto it from the PC, not a disk image. You can use a 1.44 HD disk if you cover the extra hole in the disk case. But...using a 1.44 HD disk at 720K can be unreliable.

Again, if the drive is a single side drive and the disk is formatted in that drive, it will not read on a PC as the PC is trying to read 2 sides. The only way the disk is going to work is if you write an image to it with FloImg. FloImg is creating something the ST will read. The only way you are going to be able to easily pass disks between the PC and the ST is to upgrade the TOS to 1.4. and install a double sided drive.

Here is something I found on another site about transferring files if they are not a disk image. Exchanging TOS and MS-DOS disks Disk exchange between MS-DOS and TOS is absolutely possible, if you follow these rules: TOS versions from 1.04 onwards are 100% compatible with MS-DOS. If using TOS 1.02 or earlier, you must either format the disk on a PC, use preformatted PC disks, or use a DOS compatible formatter on the ST. Choose a PC format compatible with the Atari drive, ie: 720K for double sided drives and 1.44M for HD drives. The internal drives of some older 520STF and SF354 units were limited to single-sided 360K disks that modern PCs can no longer read or write. In this case, a drive mechanism swap is highly suggested. Windows 95 uses long filenames that can sometimes corrupt TOS disks, so be sure to use the good old 8+3 filename format. The same goes for directories, avoid them at all costs. Do not use HD disks formatted in DD mode (ie: with sticky tape over the HD hole). This sometimes works momentarily, but is very unreliable, as the magnetic coating of HD disks is not the same as with DD disks. As a summary, it is usually best to format a DD 720K floppy on the PC before using it to transfer files. (info taken from here)

This is true. TOS version will not matter if creating a disk from a disk image with FloImg. But, I have found a lot of ST software out there that are not disk images, just zip files of the contents of a floppy. For these, you will need to have a formatted disk to copy the files to. This is where it gets tricky. You will not be able to use a disk between the PC and ST with anything before TOS 1.2. With TOS 1.2, you will have to format the disk on the PC before putting anything on it. TOS 1.4 and later, you can format the disk on either, but usually better to format on the ST first to be sure.

For the Atari: First thing to verify is what system you have. Is it a 520STf or a 1040STf?? The 520STf probably has a single side drive in it. You will want a double sided drive. Also, the TOS version has a bit to do with the 'PC' compatibility of things. You will need at least TOS 1.2, but preferably TOS 1.4 (Rainbow TOS). For the PC: You need to install this first: fdrawcmd.sys is a floppy filter driver for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7. The fdrawcmd.sys will only work with a PC and a mainboard connected floppy. It will not work with a USB floppy drive. It does not affect the normal usage of the floppy. Here is the program for manipulating disk images. Floppy Image & file transfer program The combination works great.

Nope not for sale I'm afraid as far as I know I don't think there is a brown counterpart, although I'm sure someone else will chime in that they know about one I have 4 of those from the various lots I got. Haven't seen any other color though.