wierd_w

Some questions first. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go? (the toys for this thing are expensive, and there are quite a few. How deep you are willing to go should help guide what is suggested.) How much desk space do you have available? Now some answers, and suggested bits of kit. Does the FG99 allow you to save files? Erhm..... "Kinda." It can emulate the "amazingly spacious" (cough) 4kb battery backed SRAM minimemory cart, including persistent storage of the content. This provides a "not so great" DSR that produces the "MINIMEM" device, which writes like CS1 and pals-- No individual files. It however, DOES *ALSO* emulate memory mappers in the cartridge port, and can provide bank-switched memory up to 480MB-ish size, as 4k banks, and hold them persistently as a modified minimemory cart image. (Home Automation made such an image some time back, search the forums.) I suggested in the past that a custom made cart image for the FG99 could provide a DSR ROM that provides persistent disk as a proper disk, with files and everything, could be made for the FG99 and make it a very effective and friendly option, but to my knowledge no such DSR exists. There are several options for memory. As of this moment, I would suggest either the newly designed and released JediMatt compatible 1MB SAMS memory and a Sidecar based TIPI, if you do not want to invest in the lumbering behemoth that is the PEB. If you DO decide that you want a PEB, now would be the time to plan for it (and snag one of the ones ArcadeShopper has tucked back.) Just be aware that it is big, heavy, drinks power like a frat boy drinks beer, and does not fully cosmetically match black and silver units-- then after saving up for the purchase, save up AGAIN for the PEB based TIPI, a SAMS card, and a disk controller + disk drives. Getting the SAMS now is the more economical and sensible option, than getting a 32k expansion-- since the 32k expansion and a SAMS are fundamentally exclusive to each other, and a SAMS just acts like a 32k memory expansion when no software is taking advantage of its mapper chip. Walmart.com is still selling Onn shoebox cassette recorders, if you want to go that route for nostalgia. Just be aware that there is no file system when using cassettes, just big data blob reads and writes to the CS1 (or CS2) device. A quality display, but plan in advance-- A new revision of the F18A is being developed, and is nearing completion. If you plan on getting one, know that it does DVI out, so plan your display decision wisely. A gamepad style joystick, and the Atari joystick adapter. (from arcadeshopper) You can find all the resources for programming you can shake a stick at in the Development subforum.

Picky picky picky-- you know what I meant, the linux-native build of it.

The going price seems to be ~80 to ~90 cents per disk

@bluejay If you are still looking for 360k diskettes, there is a steal at ebay right now. 10 diskettes for ~8$. Untested, but that's probably because they dont have a drive. They appear in good condition cosmetically, and have sleeves. They also contain user data, which means they might contain something fun. I have a pile of diskettes that have sat so long that they have suffered bitrot; data unrecoverable. They still format just fine though. Some of them are original factory diskettes for things like DOS 2.1, which I intend to refresh using downloaded disk images after some aggressive reformatting, that way they contain the correct data, and are returned to functionality. I mention that, because although these are used diskettes, that does not mean they are in dubious condition. If you are willing to spend a little extra, there's also this one for a lot of 58 diskettes for 40$.

I did that hacked chromebook some time back. It was basically just an xubuntu install that was prodded to autostart Tursi's Classic99 through a 32bit WINE session. All the necessary prodding was spoilerized in the old thread. The basic formula could be used to autostart basically any linux program instead of the normal window manager. That includes the linux port of MAME.

I have been working on a side project that should be adaptable/expandable for other projects. Currently, it is just a 3D printed puzzle box. Specically, a set of 3D puzzle pieces that assemble into boxes and or cubes of various sizes, depending on how many of the pieces you print out. There are 16 unique pieces, which can be used to make boxes or rectangles of up to infinite size. I have some placeholder parts in this image, but I really have finished the geometry of the piece set.

Makes me wonder if a sideport "enabler" would be doable... It could contain an ACTUAL GROM, and no ROM, that satisfies the check routines in the QI, and or-- intercepts startup before getting disabled with a CRU write. (since its on the sideport.) It could then chainload the FG99, by jumping execution after the cru write. Just a crazy far-fetched idea. No idea if it would even work.

The ones I shipped to you for your portable II, came from amazon. The 10 pack was pretty reasonable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K58FPFG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 OLDCS1 has a noticeable dislike for Amazon though, so he will always steer you away from it. Alibaba also carries new stock of the item, but you have to swim against the endless sea of labels and label makers.

The option is under the image menu. Selecting the option brings up a dialog window. Select 1.44 MB (which is the default), and click OK. Winimage will convert the disk image into that format. Then you can use the 1.44mb diskette drive in your "tweener" system to write the diskette. (Or you can use Fastlynx to copy the disk image file along with rawwrite to the compaq, and write it there, but that assumes you have already booted the system.)

Use winimage to convert the image file format.

the disk controller works with shugart style drives (which most PC drives actually were, just with some jumpers missing/set, which can be gotten around with a doctored ribbon cable). If you can score a 32k, and a finalgrom99, you will be in business.

White satin pantyhose probably WOULD be a near-replacement... Especially if it was 100% synthetic, because then the fibers are actually clear.

Basilisk II emulates a 68k flavor mac. The PC version can also do scsi pass-through. (you will need an older version of the GUI to set that up. Recent versions do not expose the options, but they *are* still there in recent builds of the emulator.) If you hook up an old win2k machine on your network, it can serve as an appletalk protocol domain server, and manage an appletalk network (which instances of basilisk II, and real macs with ethernet cards in them can utilize for fun and profit). Aside from aging hardware, I think the 68k macs are going to be more stable. PPC based macs used a proprietary 68k emulator called Rosetta, to provide 68k application support. Its utility is hit and miss.

I should have delicious soup by the end of the week at this rate of growth. (I have an aquarium growing blue oyster mushrooms on shredded cardboard.) The fruit bodies in the images are only a few days old. Already there are additional locations that have initiated pinning. Before long, that whole aquarium should be full of mushrooms.

The cosmosphere and space center (which I think is closed right now, due to crow plague--) is less than an hour drive from my house. They have an SR71 dangling from the lobby ceiling. (and various rocket lower stages and engines peppering the campus, in addition to the very comprehensive collection of space artifacts in various exhibits.) I have been several times. It is operated by a smithsonian museum affiliate, and is one of the very few localities that is authorized to service and repair vintage space relics, or to otherwise do restorations for historic space vehicles. (This includes many early rocket engines, such as found in nazi bombs and the like.) There's an actual air museum further out, but I have never been. As for printers--- I happen to have a fancy (antique) HP 8 pen plotter, which uses a serial port, and communicates with HP/GL (version 1.0). It would be amusing to make that plot something with the TI, but Meh. (I have modified it (with power tools), so that it can accept a much longer pen body, and use a 3D printed pen adapter to hold ballpoint pens and such. Professional manga pens work best, since they can be out and drawing for extended periods without the tips drying.)

The rationale for putting the SD->IDE (or CF->IDE) adapter there, rather than on a slot bracket, is that then you can install a memory board.

There exist 2.5" size versions of the CF to IDE and SD to IDE boards. (they need an interface adapter, but that's a pittance.) They are small enough that they could be mounted "creatively" on a bay converter that is actively hosting a 1.44mb drive. See for example, this bay converter. https://www.ebay.com/i/271020776590?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=271020776590&targetid=930233624056&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9024345&poi=&campaignid=10459991946&mkgroupid=100467642381&rlsatarget=pla-930233624056&abcId=2146000&merchantid=6521204&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvb75BRD1ARIsAP6LcqsRs6bXwLCA4nNb45BFFIMkla4OqmEhCMmtSiTo9_9rpALxMoR7iucaAq_UEALw_wcB There is about 1/2" clearance on top of the 1.44mb drive, on which a CF to IDE board could be mounted with something like double-sided tape. I have one of these, which works just fine to boot old IDE based systems. As you can see, it is quite tiny. Velcro pads would do it just fine, and then you could stick it just about anywhere in there.

Since this is a 286, you can run windows 3.1 in standard mode. That is the "newest" windows that will run on that processor. (windows 3.11 demands a 386 processor.) It can make use of EMS memory boards, like the intel aboveboard or bocaram AT. These tend to add anyplace from 4 to 8mb of EMS (paged) memory when fully populated. (They use discrete SRAM chips usually.) Remember that a 286 processor has 24bit addressing. The most memory it can see in a flat address space is 16mb. You can have more than that if it is hardware EMS. While they are expensive, there are ISA memory boards that have 30 pin simm sockets on them. If you manage to scare one up without losing one or more vital organs as part of the transaction (as they are hard to find, and expensive when you find them), it is probably the most robust offer for this system (since it lacks any onboard SIMM slots.) EMS on 286 systems is going to need special memory managers, since most expect the presence of an MMU, which is hardware that is not found inside the 286, and is only found in 386 and newer processors. The hardware EMS boards have specific drivers that enable EMS on the card, and can work even in XT class systems. For use with the ISA based boards with simm sockets, you can find appropriate drivers on the simtel archive. One thing to consider: When setting up DM, it is better to run it from a floppy. DM is able to configure the disk type listed in the CMOS memory to one that is appropriate for the drive, even if run on a system that does not have the drive type defined yet. This is useful if the setup diskette just cannot figure it out. A bootable diskette with DM on it can boot the machine, configure, and format the hard disk in one go. Additionally, there were some aftermarket video cards that can work inside this system, and can even give you 16shade grayscale EGA on the built in monitor. One of them is the ATI EGA Wonder. It has the appropriate pin header along the top of the card, and the built-in monochrome monitor can plug right in. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ati-EGA-Wonder-800-8-Bit-ISA-Video-Graphics-Card-With-Users-Guide-RARE/203070592524?hash=item2f47f3560c:g:IvEAAOSw0oJfKEj- (note, that one is hella expensive. You might find it cheaper elsewhere. Just pointing out the existence here.)

due to the lack of slot real-estate in this sytem, I would suggest sacrificing one of the drive bays (or getting clever, and trying to find a way to piggyback a CF to IDE linear board on the bottom of a floppy drive/somewhere inside a bay converter for a 1.44mb 3.5" diskette drive along with the diskette drive), and use a bay converter. Some of the 2.5" form factor SD to IDE devices are very very compact, and could fit in such a fashion. Another alternative would be to get a disk on module. (DOM) That would plug directly into the side of your IDE controller. https://www.ebay.com/itm/512MB-40pin-IDE-DOM-Industrial-flash-memory-Hard-drive-LeiDisk-Disk-On-Module/302861487809

If the head seeks, it's not the stepper motor. If you have strong enough hands, plug it in and turn it on, but hold onto it (and keep holding onto it through this entire process!) Turn it so that the disk platter is vertical, and aimed perpendicular to your body. (the top of the drive should be in your right hand) Give it a sudden, jerky 1/4 revolution turn outwards away from yourself using your wrists. If it does not 'unstick' on the first try, rotate it back toward you gently and try again. Once it "unsticks", gently place it on a stable surface and let it run for awhile.

They contain pumice, which is too abrasive for the task. They also contain acids which will more rapidly promote corrosion of the cleaned contacts. White vinyl eraser contains neither.

Additionally, try cleaning card edges of the controller card with a white vinyl eraser. (DO NOT USE A PINK ERASER.)

Floppy controller error can mean that the drive failed the seek test, not that the controller itself is bad. I would start there first. Try applying some white lithium grease to the drive rails and the screw-gear actuator.

Well, those cooties found their way to my workplace too. Fun times.

If I need to make more disks, I will probably have to charge for the diskettes and the shipping. At least I already have them all downloaded.