Rick Dangerous Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 So as I've mentioned in my "ST Gaming" thread, I recently picked up a 1040STe that is new in the box and bone stock. What I'm wondering is: -What should I do to it? -Why? -And where do I get the part/mod? I have heard "upgrade the RAM" okay great where can I get that. I have seen the "ultrasatan" drive on ebay, what is that for? I have heard whispers of a processor upgrade, does anyone do that stateside? There are several local good computer shops, so if I get the parts I'm sure I can have stuff done locally. Thanks, and appreciate the input! Looking forward to souping up my ST and having all sorts of fun with it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 PSU update for starters http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/psu/index.htm I sell all sorts in my webstore, so worth a look. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/store.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19rsn007 Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 PSU update, maybe TOS update (don't know what version it's running now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 PSU update for starters http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/psu/index.htm I sell all sorts in my webstore, so worth a look. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/store.htm Wow, looks like you have just about everything I need on here! I will wait until the computer arrives and I can take a look before sending you an email. Is everything US Model compatible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Wow, looks like you have just about everything I need on here! I will wait until the computer arrives and I can take a look before sending you an email. Is everything US Model compatible? The PSU's are UK only (240V), but I sell kits so you can upgrade your own PSU (might have to verify the parts if you go down that route as I not seen a US PSU over in UK ) If you plan on fitting 4MB then I really would suggest updating the PSU as 4MB puts extra load on the PSU and they tend to fail not long after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Okay, my question thus far is, does anyone know anyone in the USA who soups up STs? I'd love to ship it off and have it all done at once (PSU, RAM, Processor) Also, what is the Ultrasatan drive essentially, and external SD card based HD which allows for extra storage and file sharing between the ST and modern computers? http://www.ebay.com/itm/181921781048?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Also, what is this thing, and what is the purpose? http://www.ebay.com/itm/VT-100-Terminal-Emulator-Cartrige-Atari-1040-ST-STE-New-No-Box-/140956604795?hash=item20d1ab197b:m:mpt5YLtQDSIXyzB1woXXGrw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't know anyone in the US who upgrades ST, I think I am pretty much the only person who does it these days. If nobody else comes forward you could always ship your ST to me, though take off the metalwork first to make it lighter. If your planning on getting stuff from my store anyway, then you pretty much would have paid for the return postage anyway. I could supply a upgraded motherboard, but I don't have US PSU's here to send with it. Ultrasatan I have (not the one on ebay) its a hard drive which uses SD cards. You may want to check out the creators website http://joo.kie.sk/?page_id=34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walter_J64bit Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 The PSU's are UK only (240V), but I sell kits so you can upgrade your own PSU (might have to verify the parts if you go down that route as I not seen a US PSU over in UK ) If you plan on fitting 4MB then I really would suggest updating the PSU as 4MB puts extra load on the PSU and they tend to fail not long after that. Good to know, Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 I don't know anyone in the US who upgrades ST, I think I am pretty much the only person who does it these days. If nobody else comes forward you could always ship your ST to me, though take off the metalwork first to make it lighter. If your planning on getting stuff from my store anyway, then you pretty much would have paid for the return postage anyway. I could supply a upgraded motherboard, but I don't have US PSU's here to send with it. Ultrasatan I have (not the one on ebay) its a hard drive which uses SD cards. You may want to check out the creators website http://joo.kie.sk/?page_id=34 Cool, will PM you. I'm likely to play with it stock for a month or two, pinch my pennies, and then will send it your way for "the full treatment" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryoder Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Weird Travis. You are in the same boat as me. I got the ultrasatan on eBay and it works fine and has some apps loaded so you can plug and play. I'd rather have the STE though. You can do the ram easily but mine is a bit harder. I can't stand not having a system pimped out but I want to suffer with it for a while so I enjoy it more later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sowden Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you plan on fitting 4MB then I really would suggest updating the PSU as 4MB puts extra load on the PSU and they tend to fail not long after that. That's way interesting. I have been wanting to upgrade my RAM and make a video of me installing it. But you say that the 4MB puts extra strain on the PSU? Well I just did some looking on Best Electronics and they have a PSU upgrade listed, and they are in the states. Exxosuk, would this work for us in the US? http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/520_1040.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorsten Günther Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Early STes may have the dreaded DMA bug, meaning they can read data from hdd, but will inevitably scramble hdd contents while writing. You may want exxosuk to check for that before you purchase an Ultrasatan. Possible workarounds are an IDE interface (these attach directly to the CPU, but require TOS 2.06 for auto-booting capabiility), a CATA (cartridge port attached IDE/CF - if these ever become available to the public, Pera Putnik designed them but sadly still noone seems to produce them) and of course a HxC (fdd replacement which features hdd emulation (though of course this is slower than a real hdd). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Early STes may have the dreaded DMA bug, meaning they can read data from hdd, but will inevitably scramble hdd contents while writing. You may want exxosuk to check for that before you purchase an Ultrasatan. Possible workarounds are an IDE interface (these attach directly to the CPU, but require TOS 2.06 for auto-booting capabiility), a CATA (cartridge port attached IDE/CF - if these ever become available to the public, Pera Putnik designed them but sadly still noone seems to produce them) and of course a HxC (fdd replacement which features hdd emulation (though of course this is slower than a real hdd). I will keep my fingers crossed and hope mine doesn't have this issue. So you are saying if it did it would render the Ultrasatan useless without a repair, or there is no repair that would make the US SD drive usable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 People may want to check my DMA pages, I don't believe any DMA is faulty. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/DMAfix/index.htm If more people tried stuff out the issue would be solved. I think you just need a pull up on the DMA databus, don't need a new DMA chip. Even so a new DMA doesn't always solve peoples problems anyway. DMA problems can also be down to bad PSU. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorsten Günther Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 It may not the chip that is at fault (Jookie also suspected the issue of the DMA chip writing all zeros sometimes is caused by the surrounding electronics rather than the chip itself - after all, this sounds logical because the same chip - in earlier ST models - did not scramble hdds), but nonetheless early STes (with this chip) will scramble hdd contents, BTDT, and Atari blamed "third party hdds" as the source of the problem. Apparently your fix mends this issue, making the Ultrasatan usable on all STes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Apparently your fix mends this issue, making the Ultrasatan usable on all STes. Double like. Exxosuk I will definitely be in touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 It may not the chip that is at fault (Jookie also suspected the issue of the DMA chip writing all zeros sometimes is caused by the surrounding electronics rather than the chip itself - after all, this sounds logical because the same chip - in earlier ST models - did not scramble hdds), but nonetheless early STes (with this chip) will scramble hdd contents, BTDT, and Atari blamed "third party hdds" as the source of the problem. Apparently your fix mends this issue, making the Ultrasatan usable on all STes. A lot of problems are down to noise. I wrote a lot about this on my site. But also DMA issues. Thing is, I have more issues on the STFM than the STE with hard drives and floppy drives. Documented that also. So the DMA issue has been there since day 1 and not just limited to STE's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) I have TOS 2.6 US for sale for the STE and I'm in the US. As far as the RAM all you need are 1MB 30-pin Simms. I have some of those as well. Edited November 10, 2015 by tjlazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 I have TOS 2.6 US for sale for the STE and I'm in the US. As far as the RAM all you need are 1MB 30-pin Simms. I have some of those as well. Wait, so help me learn something here. The ST has no HDD, the OS is on a chip, and software is run from the disc drive? I think my Apple IIGS and Mac Classic have an HD so this is a new concept to me. Granted my Apple IIc doesn't but I guess I never thought about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 The STe does not have a hard drive. The OS is in ROM. The IIgs does not have a hard drive by default. If yours has one, it was added later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I'd recommend getting 4MB RAM, an UltraSatan, and a connector or converter for RGB video. Other upgrades are fun but don't add much real functionality per dollar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlazer Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Yes, the OS is pretty simple on the ST so it resides in ROM. You can add extensions and control panel programs from disk. You can add a HD as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryoder Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I just ordered a 1040ste yesterday and also need some ram. Can I just go to eBay and get any old 4 1mb 30 pin Simms are should I look for something specific? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorsten Günther Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 This method should(!) work, but there are some kind of SIMMs that share the same form factor physically, but have a different type of RAM on them (was it EDO?) and are said to cause stability issues, the STE needs 4 fast page mode 30 pin SIMMs with 1 meg capacity each to reach its full potential of 4 meg (the "MMU" chip doesn't allow for more, the workaround is installing up to 10 megs "alternate" RAM on a daughter board, which is similar to "Fast RAM" in the Amiga or "TT RAM" in the TT030, yet actually slower than ST RAM, and pushes the limit to 14 megs on normal STs and 10 megs in the Mega STE (4 megs of address space are reserved for the VME bus found in these machines)). "Alternate" RAM requires a driver software to be accessed, IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I just ordered a 1040ste yesterday and also need some ram. Can I just go to eBay and get any old 4 1mb 30 pin Simms are should I look for something specific? I sell brand new simms in my store if that helps , monies go towards new projects rather than pocked by people on evil bay. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/store.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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