Atari Mega ST4

[Zap!]

As some of you may already know, my old 1040 STE has been giving me problems (with Ultrasatan, and the floppy drive and the casing falling apart) of late, so I was in the market for another Atari. After not finding much on eBay, I ran across a Mega ST4, which was in the eBay title only as "ATARI ST4 computer" (the word "Mega" was not in the title or description, but I can clearly see what it is). It doesn't have a keyboard, but tested ok with the two disks he tested. He said it was "from a friend who was moving and clearing out what he had in storage."

 

My winning bid was $103.50. How much do these things normally go for? High risk or great deal? I must admit to not knowing all that much about these computers, so any insight or tips will be appreciated. Here is a link to the auction:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARI-ST4-computer-/121933111720?ul_noapp=true&nma=true&si=XVuCMnL%252BDnWk6juUt0CcW09FRlU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

He was also selling an Atari Megafile 60 HD for $69.99. Anyway, what do I need to get besides the hard-to-find keyboard? Do I need the exact keyboard or will certain replacements work? I know it uses the standard power cord that I have tons of, and I already have my old STE's RGB cables. Will the STE mouse work? Does it plug into the keyboard or system itself? Not sure what year it was released, but I have TOS 2.06 that I can put in there. I'm assuming there is no blitter and it's mono. Sorry for the questions, but I'm a bit excited. Happy Easter!

[galax]

Price is OK, not a bargain but there's not that many of these around. You can use any Mega ST/STE or TT keyboard with it. Normal ST mouse and joystick plug into the keyboard, and can even use your STE keyboard if you rig up the right adapter cable. You can use any regional keyboard, but if it doesn't match your TOS the keys won't all match the characters produced. Video output is the same as a regular ST- all 3 modes. The Mega should have a blitter, also a battery backed clock.

[atarian63]

Love mine, fits much better in my collection due to the smaller footprint.

[Zap!]

Price is OK, not a bargain but there's not that many of these around. You can use any Mega ST/STE or TT keyboard with it. Normal ST mouse and joystick plug into the keyboard, and can even use your STE keyboard if you rig up the right adapter cable. You can use any regional keyboard, but if it doesn't match your TOS the keys won't all match the characters produced. Video output is the same as a regular ST- all 3 modes. The Mega should have a blitter, also a battery backed clock.

 

Thanks for the quick response. Does anyone sell those STE to Mega keyboard adapters? I'll look for one ASAP. That's great that it has an internal battery. I'll replace it as soon as it arrives, and give it a nice, good cleaning. I'm so looking forward to using it for my Ultrasatan.

[atarian63]

swear I saw a general pc keyboard asapter on ebay uk or germany, also.. there is this if you like a project, super rare (not mine)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorola-68000-16-MHz-68881-20MHz-ACCELERATOR-BOARD-for-Atari-ST-Mega-/222058022294?hash=item33b3b08596:g:7WIAAOSwMORW7GZt

 

and this

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H-N-MULTIBOARD-for-Atari-Mega-ST-IDE-VGA-8MB-RAM-expansion-/322032037420?hash=item4afa9aee2c:g:7DAAAOSwr7ZW3gwJ

Edited March 28, 2016 by atarian63

[galax]

Does anyone sell those STE to Mega keyboard adapters?

Never seen anyone sell them, this page has disappeared unfortunately but the description (no images) of how to do it is fairly clear: https://web.archive.org/web/20110915021317/http://phsw.110mb.com/hw-stkbd.html

 

You could use a CosmosEx to adapt a PC keyboard to the ST. Eiffel too I think if you can find one.

 

I'd consider finding a real Mega ST keyboard in the long run though as they have mechanical switches. The MSTE/TT keyboards are membrane but have a bit more fedback.

[Zap!]

Never seen anyone sell them, this page has disappeared unfortunately but the description (no images) of how to do it is fairly clear: https://web.archive.org/web/20110915021317/http://phsw.110mb.com/hw-stkbd.html

 

You could use a CosmosEx to adapt a PC keyboard to the ST. Eiffel too I think if you can find one.

 

I'd consider finding a real Mega ST keyboard in the long run though as they have mechanical switches. The MSTE/TT keyboards are membrane but have a bit more fedback.

 

Thanks a lot. I will definitely prefer a real one, but as of now eBay is empty. I found this diagram in the meantime. Looks easy, thankfully!

 

https://sites.google.com/site/probehouse/atari-hardware-mods/adapt-st-keyboard-for-tt

[bugs]

That wont get you joystick/mouse ports which on the TT and Megas are on the keyboard.

 

Best sell an adapter pcboard CB101538 so you can use a 520st keyboard on a mega.

 

I see mega/tt keyboards on ebay germany and uk often enough, never seem to be any over here though.

[bugs]

Ok my memory is failing, forgot the 520 keyboards have the ports on the bottom. Sorry.

 

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[Zap!]

That wont get you joystick/mouse ports which on the TT and Megas are on the keyboard.

 

Best sell an adapter pcboard CB101538 so you can use a 520st keyboard on a mega.

 

I see mega/tt keyboards on ebay germany and uk often enough, never seem to be any over here though.

 

Thanks, I sent them an e-mail to see if they have any keyboards or that adapter in stock. I have an old 1040 STE keyboard (with mouse/joystick ports) that I can use temporarily. I checked and Germany eBay has one, but I need the US one.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191832014965?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[galax]

STs with an internal floppy (STF/STFM/STE) have the mouse/joystick ports on the keyboard. The earlier models had the mouse/joystick on the case, but all the pins connected straight through to the larger keyboard connector, so the IKBD still handled the mouse + joystick.

[galax]

The German keyboard will work fine, just don't look at the keys, or use stickers, or replace a few of the keys.

[Zap!]

The German keyboard will work fine, just don't look at the keys, or use stickers, or replace a few of the keys.

Thanks, if I can't find one by the time the auction ends (6 days) I will certainly bid on it and the cable he's selling as well.

[bugs]

You can buy a fresh set of US keycaps and put it on the german keyboard. The language is dictated by your TOS as far as I know.

 

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[galax]

Yep, the keypresses are interpreted by TOS; the ST keyboard doesn't know or care what's on the keys. If your TOS matches keycaps, all is good.

 

Make sure they are Mega ST keycaps if you manage to buy them(Best again?). The stem size is a bit different for the regular ST, and MSTE/TT keys are very different.

[exxosuk]

As some of you may already know, my old 1040 STE has been giving me problems (with Ultrasatan, and the floppy drive and the casing falling apart) of late, so I was in the market for another Atari. A

 

Sounds like you need pull up resistors on your DMA. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/DMAfix/index.htm This has been well documented for errors with the floppy drive and Ultrasatan.

[Zap!]

 

Sounds like you need pull up resistors on your DMA. http://www.exxoshost.co.uk/atari/last/DMAfix/index.htm This has been well documented for errors with the floppy drive and Ultrasatan.

 

Yeah, I will eventually do that, but for now (at least until the keyboard arrives) I'll be using it with the Mega ST4. Thank you for the link!

[Zap!]

I got the Mega ST4 in the mail today (after just two days of it being shipped). I ordered a German TT keyboard (all that was available) from Atari Freakz. I am also going to order an RGB SCART with sound, since I had the one with separate stereo audio jacks for my STE. Video looks a bit distorted, probably because of the cable.

Anyway, I did fire it up with the Ultrasatan and card and saw it came up, detected. Not much I can do without a keyboard, but I will wait rather than mod the STE's.

Anyway, here's a pic. Any tips besides a good cleaning? I'm sure the TOS version will be very old. Expect more pics soon!

[Zap!]

Got around to cleaning it after work. Took off the top and threw out the old batteries. I then wrapped the battery terminals and soaked it in detergent and bleach, while giving it a good scrubbing and rinse, with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser being the final touch. It's drying now, but I can see it's going to be amazing. Here's a pic of the TOS, numbered C300683 & C300684 (TOS 1.4 I believe). If anything looks updated, please let me know.

[mellis]

Got around to cleaning it after work. Took off the top and threw out the old batteries. I then wrapped the battery terminals and soaked it in detergent and bleach, while giving it a good scrubbing and rinse, with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser being the final touch. It's drying now, but I can see it's going to be amazing. Here's a pic of the TOS, numbered C300683 & C300684 (TOS 1.4 I believe). If anything looks updated, please let me know.

 

 

It looks to me like that unit would benefit from the Retrobrite process discussed in the 8-bit section of the forum.

[Zap!]

 

 

It looks to me like that unit would benefit from the Retrobrite process discussed in the 8-bit section of the forum.

 

I was thinking about it, and actually bought peroxide cream a few weeks ago for my 1040 STE. However, after cleaning the Mega, it looks great:

[mellis]

 

I was thinking about it, and actually bought peroxide cream a few weeks ago for my 1040 STE. However, after cleaning the Mega, it looks great:

 

 

It does look better in that picture.

 

I just did a 520ST that was particularly greenish a couple of weeks ago. The keys need another hit, but the case looks like a new one now.

[Zap!]

Probably a stupid question, but just how much weight can the Mega support on top of it? It's under my old 13" PVM right now, but my other monitor is a 20". Should I feel safe attempting it?

[Zap!]

There's an Atari Mega/TT to PS/2 adapter on eBay, but at GBP 44.99, it seems way way over-priced.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-ST-TT-Mega-PC-Keyboard-Mouse-Joystick-Adapter-Eiffel-/141945357657?hash=item210c9a4559:g:nLoAAOSwB4NWzzlO

[tjlazer]

I did the same thing years ago, bought a lone Mega ST 4 on ebay, no keyboard or anything. And ordered a mint German Keybaord from ebay.de. Nice score.