Interesting homebrew 1050 happy mod pics

[xrbrevin]

So... xrbrevin, can you let me know if the Lazer Copier successfully loads with your drive? Likewise, try the Happy 7.1 disk diagnostics and see if you get a ROM test fail, and then try the Happy backup and see if that loads. Also listen/watch closey to the head seeking, and see if you observe it faster than a stock 1050. Might sound more like a higher pitched buzz instead of a grind when seeking multiple tracks. May give some clues if it's just a slightly modified happy ROM or something else...

 

Cheers!

 

CoNfUsIoN!!

 

Lazer to 1050 chip converter (does this rip disks to cartridge files?) generates an error - see pic. It gives the same outcome regardless of the position of the 3-position switch setting.

 

Happy 'enhancement' diagnostic generated a RAM error - see other pic. A reset then showed the drive to be unhappy. I cycled the drive power, reset the Atari and it became happy again.

 

Im puzzled because it is fully functional, has super fast read and writes and the stepper seek time is very short.

 

 

[1050]

8A is 138 - "device does not respond". But what 1743

is, is in the RTFM manual, where ever that might be.

I might actually RTFM if I had one, but I often don't

and even with the only "into a CHIP" software I have

ever been exposed to, there really isn't a manual.

With three hacks in do we look to a Happy manual,

Lazer manual or Hackers manual?

 

I don't have any other answers.

 

Last word in screen shot is Restored? I would

assumed you've been unhappied at that point. At least

an attempt was made to unhappy the drive. That state

won't survive a power cycle of the drive.

[+Nezgar]

So... basically this means your drive is not a happy compatible, or lazer, etc. Time to dig out some more disks from other upgrades to try.

 

- I.S. Plate

- Duplicator

- Happy to US Doubler converter(s)

- I'll think of some others,e, I'll add links to some later when I'm back at my computer

 

Also to try E474's happy ROM dump tool, (PM him) but I suspect it will fail if the CHIP archiver upload fails.

[+Nezgar]

All those screenshots look too similar to the original Happy and Happy-To-Chip software. Probably they were all just hacks.

 

I agree. Do you have, or have a link to, the original Happy-To-Chip disk?

 

I'd also like to find the Happy Customizer.. What kills me is my Dad apparently had a copy of this disk in his 'collection' back in the day, now evidenced in his software database I recovered recently...

DSK# PROGRAM              COMPANY   #K'S C/D  FORMAT SD TYPE    DOC BACKUP MY HIGH SCORE OTHER
   7 HAPPY CUSTOMIZER 3.2 HAPPY INC 48   DISK BOOT   1  UTILITY NO  DOS

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/289462-a-blast-from-my-past/?p=4247331

[ijor]

I agree. Do you have, or have a link to, the original Happy-To-Chip disk?

Sorry, I don't have an image ready. But here is a screenshot: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/227422-what-was-the-1050-kiwi-chip-for-1050/page-2?do=findComment&comment=3613992

 

I'd also like to find the Happy Customizer.. What kills me is my Dad apparently had a copy of this disk in his 'collection' back in the day, now evidenced in his software database I recovered recently...

The Happy Customizer seems to be the lost Holy Grail

[E474]

Hi,

 

I have made a new thread - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/290892-lazer-laser-1050-drive-mod-software-images/ - and uploaded the disk images I have for my copy of the Lazer/US-Doubler 1050 drive mod.

[xrbrevin]

update:

i recorded a load of disks using the ATR files found in this thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/290892-lazer-laser-1050-drive-mod-software-images/

I tried each one in turn and my drive passed all the tests on the one entitled: "lazer_copier_master.atr" - thanks E474 (see images) I think this ATR is not a pirate one.

 

It still fails the tests on the other disks though but the drive functions perfectly fine so im not concerned.

The upper casing is now outdoors in the sun for an attempt at the 8-hours natural UV retrobright process, posted in a recent thread. So the old girl should look as good on the outside as she does on the inside hehe

 

Can anyone advise if the drive should support chip/archiver software? I dont know what this software is used for so im unsure about trying it, i dont know what to expect of it.

Cheers

 

 

Edited May 16, 2019 by xrbrevin

[1050]

Can anyone advise if the drive should support chip/archiver software?

Uhhh... well yeah ?!!??

 

I dont know what this software is used for so im unsure about trying it, i dont know what to expect of it.

Fair enough, mind you I have only a passing experience

myself with the original Happy version, but what it

did there was to reprogram the drive to be a chip

archiver with essentially the same working screen as

that 1050 mod. With either, one makes fuzzy sectors on a

target disk if one likes, checks sector skew and all

kinds of other 'hacker' type stuff for disk cracking

galore. That was not my cup of tea although I did

use it to make a fuzzy sector and thus was successful

at my one and only bad ass hacker move. I completely

lost interest in both the '1050 to chip' and the real

archiver which I had some version of as well but never

real clear on what I had there anyway. Manual for a

different archiver, was told by Puff to not worry, 'it's

all in there' whatever that meant. Which is why I called,

I wanted stuff to make some sense and I just wound up

in a bigger hole after the call than I was in before

the call. So I quit calling.

But then I didn't have a collection of protected

disks that needed cracking anyway. No buddies to trade

the same with also due to living rural and missed the

frenzy of the early days when that was the main reason

to have an Atari - steal software. And mostly games at

that which still isn't a real motivation for me.

 

 

I think this ATR is not a pirate one.

More like 'this ATR' actually works because

it hasn't been stepped on by some unknown operator

that makes the rookie mistake of leaving the wrong disk in

the drive? And then goes ahead and makes the stepped on

disk available for download anywhere.

 

Congrats are in order for finding a working disk.

Gustafson sure started a brush fire didn't he?

[ijor]

Fair enough, mind you I have only a passing experience

myself with the original Happy version, but what it

did there was to reprogram the drive to be a chip

archiver with essentially the same working screen as

that 1050 mod. With either, one makes fuzzy sectors on a

target disk if one likes, checks sector skew and all

kinds of other 'hacker' type stuff for disk cracking

galore.

 

Not exactly. You need the SuperArchiver to be able to make sectors with weak bits (fuzzy). Neither the original Archiver, neither the Happy can make weak bits, they lack the hardware needed.

 

For the rest of the stuff, yes. The Happy "Chip Emulator" let you do everything the original 810 Chip/Archiver is capable and even slightly more when using the newer SuperArchiver software.

[+Nezgar]

I recorded a load of disks using the ATR files found in this thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/290892-lazer-laser-1050-drive-mod-software-images/

I tried each one in turn and my drive passed all the tests on the one entitled: "lazer_copier_master.atr" - thanks E474 (see images) I think this ATR is not a pirate one.

 

It still fails the tests on the other disks though but the drive functions perfectly fine so im not concerned.

The "Lazer" ROM matches the "HAPPY 3" ROM posted in this thread:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/213804-1050-happy-warp-with-led-display-v3/

 

That ROM contains additional 7-segment display code, and from my testing has a faster stepping rate, and corrects the single density ultraspeed 3rd byte bug by enabling fast writes by default.

 

It's been a few weeks since I tested, but the ROM mostly works under Happy 1050 full drive emulation in Altirra, but causes the "emulated" 1050 to fault during the ROM test, but both you (xrbrevin) and E474 confirmed it passes successfully on a real drive with the Lazer utility disk with the larger selection menu.

 

Some previous findings of mine testing the 'smaller menu' version of the lazer utility disk:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/289957-interesting-homebrew-1050-happy-mod-pics/?do=findComment&comment=4264391

[E474]

On 4/27/2019 at 4:12 PM, Nezgar said:

So... basically this means your drive is not a happy compatible, or lazer, etc. Time to dig out some more disks from other upgrades to try.

 

- I.S. Plate

- Duplicator

- Happy to US Doubler converter(s)

- I'll think of some others,e, I'll add links to some later when I'm back at my computer

 

Also to try E474's happy ROM dump tool, (PM him) but I suspect it will fail if the CHIP archiver upload fails.

Hi,

 

   I started a thread for the Happy/Lazer ROM dumping tool in https://atariage.com/forums/topic/293149-dump1050-dump-rom-of-a-happy-lazer-or-similarly-modded-1050-drive/