SDrive Drive Limitation

[Faicuai]

Here is a cludge work around. Have a second SD card with disks 5+ and they are named the same as 1-4. When you need disk 5 or 6, swap SD cards and disk5 has the same name as the orignial D1:, etc. Yes, it might cause confusion, but it should allow 5+ disk game play.

 

 

Among the multitude of ethereal comments, self-appointed mall-cops rants, etc., here comes a concrete an actionable piece of advice that effectively addresses that "terminal" 0.40% of cases where painful-to-think-about multi-disk shuffling is required.

 

Now I know what to do with the tons of SanDisk Extreme/III cards laying all over the place...

 

F.

[+wood_jl]

Imagine that. An SDrive thread where Philsan comes to tell us all that the SIO2SD is way better than the SDrive.

 

Yeah, I get what you're saying, and I love Sdrive. But Philsan provides some very good information, too. It's clear he MUCH prefers the SIO2SD, and since I now (or soon) have multiples of each falling out of my ass, I'm interested in what he - and everybody - has to say.

 

I have ownded SIO2SD for (I'm guessing, here) nearly a couple of years, and I only tried it to make sure it worked, then I went back to Sdrive, because it's easy. But if there's some compelling reason I should be using SIO2SD, I'm still interested. They both support my favorite antique microcomputer, the A8! I love 'em both, but I'm lazy. I will NEVER dislike Sdrive, even if I learn to love SIO2SD, too. I have a couple cased ones from Lotharek in the mail as I speak, I have a couple uncased ones (and NIB XM301s and extra SIO ports if I can ever do the Flashjazzcat case mods) and I have 4 Sdrive NUXX. I like all this shit!

[+remowilliams]

and I have 4 Sdrive NUXX. I like all this shit!

 

Damn that's hardcore, I spent a bit of time deciding on whether I should order a kit to build since I had one unit already.

[kogden]

I have multiple SDrives and a SIO2SD along with IDE options, and yet for some reason I always come back to my trusty SIO2PC

 

Same here and I have SIO2USB and other stuff, but if you're near a PC SIO2PC/APE is nearly impossible to beat...

 

I primarily use a MyIDE interface flashed with SpartaDOS X 4.43 for most things. I've got disk-based COM/XEX versions of most games that interested me over the years. For a few disk-based games that I don't have executables for (i.e. FlightSim II) or if I need to transfer files from other machines on the network, I use my SIO2PC-USB interface I slapped together with a $10 FT232RL board from Sparkfun connected to my Hackintosh.

 

Using a modern PC as life support for an 8-bit just seems wrong somehow to me. I prefer real drives.

[Faicuai]

 

Using a modern PC as life support for an 8-bit just seems wrong somehow to me. I prefer real drives.

 

 

CORRECT.

 

...Like grabbing fake boobs... eventually it will come back and hunt you...

 

F.

[sloopy]

I have multiple SDrives and a SIO2SD along with IDE options, and yet for some reason I always come back to my trusty SIO2PC

 

Same here and I have SIO2USB and other stuff, but if you're near a PC SIO2PC/APE is nearly impossible to beat...

 

I primarily use a MyIDE interface flashed with SpartaDOS X 4.43 for most things. I've got disk-based COM/XEX versions of most games that interested me over the years. For a few disk-based games that I don't have executables for (i.e. FlightSim II) or if I need to transfer files from other machines on the network, I use my SIO2PC-USB interface I slapped together with a $10 FT232RL board from Sparkfun connected to my Hackintosh.

 

Using a modern PC as life support for an 8-bit just seems wrong somehow to me. I prefer real drives.

 

the drives (810/1050/Indus GT/etc) are computers themselves... what difference does it make if you use one or the other?

 

sloopy.

[WizWor]

Here is a cludge work around. Have a second SD card with disks 5+ and they are named the same as 1-4. When you need disk 5 or 6, swap SD cards and disk5 has the same name as the orignial D1:, etc. Yes, it might cause confusion, but it should allow 5+ disk game play.

 

 

Among the multitude of ethereal comments, self-appointed mall-cops rants, etc., here comes a concrete an actionable piece of advice that effectively addresses that "terminal" 0.40% of cases where painful-to-think-about multi-disk shuffling is required.

 

Now I know what to do with the tons of SanDisk Extreme/III cards laying all over the place...

 

F.

Right. And this is the answer I was looking for. If this works, there is no reason (in my mind) to buy anything else.

 

One other concern is that some of the games (Demon Attack comes to mind) do not play on my XEGS. With Maxflash, I was able to say run it like this to solve that problem. Can this be done with the SDrive images?

[kheffington]

Here is a cludge work around. Have a second SD card with disks 5+ and they are named the same as 1-4. When you need disk 5 or 6, swap SD cards and disk5 has the same name as the orignial D1:, etc. Yes, it might cause confusion, but it should allow 5+ disk game play.

 

 

Among the multitude of ethereal comments, self-appointed mall-cops rants, etc., here comes a concrete an actionable piece of advice that effectively addresses that "terminal" 0.40% of cases where painful-to-think-about multi-disk shuffling is required.

 

Now I know what to do with the tons of SanDisk Extreme/III cards laying all over the place...

 

F.

Right. And this is the answer I was looking for. If this works, there is no reason (in my mind) to buy anything else.

 

One other concern is that some of the games (Demon Attack comes to mind) do not play on my XEGS. With Maxflash, I was able to say run it like this to solve that problem. Can this be done with the SDrive images?

 

Demon attack is most likely OSb and can be run with a translator disk. You can boot the Atari with a translator disk in drive 1 and the atr with Demon Attack in drive two then switch to drive 2 and run demon attack. Demon attack would have to be an ATR or if xex or com file would have to be in a mypicodos or similar atr to run

[Faicuai]

Right. And this is the answer I was looking for. If this works, there is no reason (in my mind) to buy anything else.

 

One other concern is that some of the games (Demon Attack comes to mind) do not play on my XEGS. With Maxflash, I was able to say run it like this to solve that problem. Can this be done with the SDrive images?

 

 

...I'll light-up the NUXX + 800XL with Demon Attack, and try several options.

 

UPDATE: Consider FANDAL.CZ Demon Attack's file-version, as it runs on XL-OS nicely (should run on the XEGS).

 

 

 

F.

[+wood_jl]

Using a modern PC as life support for an 8-bit just seems wrong somehow to me. I prefer real drives.

 

I don't get that, at all. You're using a modern PC as "life support" to read this site about 8-bit computers, right?

 

Hey, I like real drives, too....for nostalgia.

 

I got back into this Atari thing a few years ago with nothing more than an Ebay'd 130XE and an SIO2PC cable, which makes the Atari 100% dependent upon the PC life support, tethered through the serial cable. From an opposite perspective, the PC is the Atari's bitch. This, and all the .ATRs you can get to with mere mouse clicks was so awesome, I couldn't even fathom wanting anything else, and I thought it was silly, all the money people spent on SIO2-whatever devices.

 

After some time, I started using it a lot, and got tired of having it tethered to my PC. This wasn't some philosophical objection, but one of convenience. I just wanted to turn on the Atari, without running software on the PC, or even being near it. I bought 2 Sdrive NUXX last year, and I love them. It's Atari independence, with modern convenience and reliability. So what if you have to load the SD card with your PC. You have to use your PC to get the ATRs to begin with (unless you're still using Diskcom3 and a modem on your Atari), and to read this website.

 

After some time, I was curious about SIO2SD, bought a couple. Made sure they worked, but went back to Sdrive because it was in a case, and I was familar with it.

 

After some time, I bought real 1050s, because I like real disks, too. I got a couple of Happy enhancements. So I have (potentially) 2 Happy 1050s, one US-doubler 1050, and one standard. I bought a bunch of floppy disks, and it's fun to use them. They're part of the 8-bit experience, but I don't need to do it every time. I like to save the drives for newly-acquired original disks.

 

After some time, I wanted SIO2SD in a case, where I'd be inclined to use it, as I have Sdrive. I just played with them tonight for the first time, and I am quite impressed. I still haven't read any instructions, but to say the units are impressive is an understatement.

 

I don't see the need to make choices, with this stuff. I don't buy into any of it philosophically; I want it all. SIO2PC, Sdrive NUXX, SIO2SD, and real drives. I'm happy as a pig in shit, surrounded by all of this stuff.

[Allas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHMFa29pVJM Edited September 5, 2011 by Allas

[c0nsumer]

and I have 4 Sdrive NUXX. I like all this shit!

 

Damn that's hardcore, I spent a bit of time deciding on whether I should order a kit to build since I had one unit already.

 

If you want one, I've still got four kits or so left.

 

As for the SDrive Nuxx, yes it's nice to look at but it does NOTHING more than my basic version.

 

Yep, you're correct, and it doesn't claim to do anything more. It's just a high quality (and openly reusable) implementation. Technically (and legally) anyone else could take my design files (PCB CAD, end pane designs, etc) and do the same thing that I did. They were very intentionally released that way to give back to the community. (License info here if you're interested.)

 

I just like working on very polished projects and this met a need I had to work on something new.

Edited September 8, 2011 by c0nsumer

[atarian63]

I prefer my Sdrive Nuxx, my SIOSD is on a shelf in my closet.