BillC Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 6 hours ago, DrVenkman said: Just a note about that “$8” SIO half-cable from Lotharek. For US buyers, add in another $20 or some shit for international shipping this days. Absolutely sucks to buy from Europe anymore. And buying from AliExpress or eBay from China is certainly cheaper but you have ZERO idea when your order will arrive. Might be 3 weeks, might well be 3 months. I ordered some DIP-14 machine pin sockets Friday evening - my predicted arrival window is from July 24 - September 12. So yeah, no one who wants to create a self-funding little small business will operate like that. I know the two US vendors both do a lot of 3D printing themselves, so they’re likely printing their own SIO connectors and building the cables. That avoids the Euro-shipping crap but adds in its own complications (paying for, calibrating, maintaining the printer). You all greatly underestimate the time involved in making stuff, too, especially if you care about doing it right - because I’ve made 3 or 4 of them now, plus added in Mr Robot’s board (which while convenient, doesn’t “fit” the header pins on all UNO boards equally). It’s all very easy to criticize the time, effort and labor of someone else - Marlin’s doing this as a real job now, trying to be the “Lotharek of North America” so to speak. Good for him. Do I wish his and Gavin’s stuff was all 30% cheaper? Sure, as a customer. But as a hobbyist I don’t want another “Bryan Situation” where the guy making the one great little mod board just doesn’t have time and energy to deal with what is essentially a hobby and just gives up. Without Marlin stepping up to work something out, we would have no more UAV boards. There’s value to the work someone puts into becoming a supplier to the hobby community that a lot of you guys either don’t see or refuse to see. Another thing about AliExpress, when I signed up and tried to purchase some items they want copies of my ID, credit card, and credit card statement, just my credit card information and home address is enough for eBay and Amazon. Since I've had a friend have an issue with identity theft, and what they requested could be used for this, I declined to send the information and cancelled the order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 6 minutes ago, BillC said: Another thing about AliExpress, when I signed up and tried to purchase some items they want copies of my ID, credit card, and credit card statement, just my credit card information and home address is enough for eBay and Amazon. I've been buying from Aliexpress for years now and have never been required to give anything but my CC number and a home address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I used to buy quite often from AliExpress, but now for the kind of stuff I need I've been mainly buying from eBay since the shipping situation is better (many times with free shipping). They even beat Amazon Prime on many of the components, although I won't give up my Prime membership since I use their video streaming service. The only thing negative I remember when I ordered stuff from AliExpress was that the shipping sometimes took many weeks to the point of me forgetting I was even expecting something in the mail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I think some folks don't realize there is a business purchase order method of buying on ali express and there is a general method for everyone else to purchase.. you might need to order the same product from a different listing from the same supplier or even just change the method during the order. sometime you might need to pick a different supplier who 'retails' the item(s) for literally a penny or few more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 4 hours ago, chuckcaley said: Here's something im working on to fit my board better. Here's where my new board is at so far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckcaley Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 19 minutes ago, Mr Robot said: Here's where my new board is at so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckcaley Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Looks good. Is the empty footprint for a crystal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillC Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 3 hours ago, Mr Robot said: I've been buying from Aliexpress for years now and have never been required to give anything but my CC number and a home address. The information that AliExpress asked for may be something new, but I didn't see any good reason to provide it and a good reason not to. I ended up ordering the parts I wanted for an ASUS 1215N from eBay, only CDN$2.50(<US$2) more than same items from AliExpress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 No, it's a super capacitor, it'll keep the sdrive powered up for a few seconds when the atari is turned off, that's enough to power cycle the computer and not lose your settings for people who don't like the sdrive program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 2 minutes ago, BillC said: The information that AliExpress asked for may be something new, but I didn't see any good reason to provide it and a good reason not to. I ended up ordering the parts I wanted for an ASUS 1215N from eBay, only CDN$2.50(<US$2) more than same items from AliExpress. Yup. if they asked for it and you didn't want to give it, it was a sound decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 As a project builder, not a developer - I just wanted to thank Mytek, Mr Robot, Dropcheck, tschak909 and all the other developers for designing such wonderful projects. You all deserve a round of thanks and are the reason the Atari 8-bit scene is so active 40 years after these computers were introduced. Many of you develop these projects for no financial gain - and that's commendable. Speaking as a former Atari user group president, newsletter editor, disk librarian and treasurer - I know it's a thankless job. Well done! 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) On 7/7/2019 at 5:30 PM, DrVenkman said: There are a lot of very smart people in this community but the refusal to understand the basics of retail economics is kind of depressing. Clearly you all have never tried to run a business. Wow, the condescension here is really uncalled for. We're all grown ups and have taken basic economics. Many of us have run successful businesses for years. Attacking people that have contributed to the community to defend ones that have contributed almost nothing is a strategy I have a difficult time understanding. I honestly expect better from a community we are spending so many hours contributing our work to for free. Reading the responses of some of the people here frankly make me feel like an idiot for giving my time away. Thanks for that ? Edited July 9, 2019 by Farb 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) I continue to give a great amount of time, this cycle comes and goes. We're still here. Your not an idiot, and what we do is not only for us but all others. People been beaten up over stupid stuff from those on high for quoting actual factual information and statics of all things. I'm still here. Same thing for quoting words from books of people who have given their time and work. Please don't allow anyone to alter your feelings about your contribution of time and effort here, in fact use it to fuel your efforts in the face of it! Point is there is a lot of bickering over things to the point where the lunacy of posting the original holder of a position or thought may have changed and to use that position even in printed form from a book or online writing will be considered offensive to some and be argued or erased from the forums. I will continue to provide what I am comfortable with and give of time to this community in the face it. It does in fact have a majority of people who respect contrary opinions and views. Enjoys debate without censure. The majority enjoy what is provided, and enjoy providing as well. In closing Farb, you have my support, and in fact the support of many others. We all can enjoy the wonderful Sdrive Max as well. I've made a few and given them away, I've had someone send me free cases for them! Kindness was returned by kindness. We do as a community in large margin support each other. I'd still like all of the Sdrive Max info moved into one distillation to get them all wrangled into one great final design. A last issue with this device or that has been resolved. Now to get all of them consolidated and made the same. Edited July 9, 2019 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Robot Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 25 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said: I'd still like all of the Sdrive Max info moved into one distillation to get them all wrangled into one great final design. A last issue with this device or that has been resolved. Now to get all of them consolidated and made the same. https://atari8bit.net/everything-sdrive-max/ ? 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Farb said: Wow, the condescension here is really uncalled for. We're all grown ups and have taken basic economics. Many of us have run successful businesses for years. Attacking people that have contributed to the community to defend ones that have contributed almost nothing is a strategy I have a difficult time understanding. I honestly expect better from a community we are spending so many hours contributing our work to for free. Reading the responses of some of the people here frankly make me feel like an idiot for giving my time away. Thanks for that ? Farb, I respect very greatly the contributions you and many, many others have made to the community over the many years and decades since these machines were first created and marketed. My specific comments which you have quoted out of context reflect the previous comments and conversations which led up to them: attacks on the open-market prices charged by those who contribute a great deal of time, personal effort and skills to make products available to those who don’t have the time/skill to do so themselves. Further, those attacks have no objective basis given the vast differences in the economics of businesses across the many parts of the world the individuals live in. But if you choose to ignore all that prior discussion and take offense anyway, my apologies. I certainly appreciate everyone’s contributions to a healthy community, even those who have to charge for the time and efforts they put in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, DrVenkman said: Farb, I respect very greatly the contributions you and many, many others have made to the community over the many years and decades since these machines were first created and marketed. My specific comments which you have quoted out of context reflect the previous comments and conversations which led up to them: attacks on the open-market prices charged by those who contribute a great deal of time, personal effort and skills to make products available to those who don’t have the time/skill to do so themselves. Further, those attacks have no objective basis given the vast differences in the economics of businesses across the many parts of the world the individuals live in. Oh wow..... So when I express my opinion that I think that VCC is too expensive, than this is an "attack on the open-market prices charged by those who contribute a great deal of time, personal effort and skills to make products available to those who don’t have the time/skill to do so themselves." I really did not know that giving my opinion is an attack. What a great way to make sure that no one can express another opinion than you have... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 11 minutes ago, Fred_M said: I really did not know that giving my opinion is an attack. Your opinion that it took you five minutes to build an SDrive-MAX is complete nonsense. You didn’t answer any of the concerns raised regarding making a case, a cable, installing an isolation board and power switch, or flashing the software. You also refused to even accept the different economic conditions prevailing around the world which have been brought up repeatedly. Ergo, you are - as we say - talking out of your ass. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_M Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) On 7/7/2019 at 4:45 PM, Fred_M said: I have built one sdrive max myself. Okay, without the SIO fix board. It took me about 5 minutes to build and another 5 minutes for flashing. So I really don't think it is so much work to construct one. It is the soldering of 5 wires to the board and putting the LCD screen board in its place. The connectors are already there, so you don't have to do anything exept for the soldering of 5 wires. It costed me € 20 and 10 minutes of my time. Quote But for my sdrive max I used a standard transparent arduino case which costed me 1 dollar on aliexpress. ....and I expect here is a cultural difference between Americans and Europeans? Sorry, but I have to quote myself... Edited July 9, 2019 by Fred_M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 It's all good, I get caught up in stuff myself... can we get back to what a nice bit of kit the thing is? You can have one for next to nothing! You can pay a fair price if you wish You can pay a steep price if you want You can overpay or donate extra to a person if you wish... btw please feel free to patreon, gift, back, whatever, pal you want to your faves @Mr Robot thanks, we need the same chart for the common screens GoodSceeno and BadScreenoh and the the fixes.. I mean it's only been a couple of minute and all but you know us Atari folks! :) Awesome sauce... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricortes Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Same old, same old. I think when SIO2PC first came out, people were charging up to $50. I remember Nick Kennedy said something about nobody showing him any love<$$$> in terms of shareware fees. At the time I suggested people making the devices send him a buck or two per device sold just to ack his efforts. Near as I can tell, no one did. *BUT* this wasn't even close to the first time it happened IMO. I remember Bob Woolley did his XF3.5 conversion back in the Compuserve days. One outfit that sold them gave him kudos but Bob Puff just snagged his thunder and AFAIK gave him no credit. True, he did modify the system a bit but he was asked by me to document what he changed and he just ignored me. It was even more critical because the original XF551 had errors in its ROM that would trash disks so by not sharing the info, it probably lead to hundreds of people losing data. Point being, there is always lag between prices and new designs: It just takes time for the price to drop. Except for a few people such as myself who like to ack good work, the only place you will find 'credit' is between crap and crook in the dictionary. Trust me, I really know what I am talking about on this topic. Time wounds all heels.<sic> In another 35 years nobody will give a rats ass about the current drama. That being said, even at the high prices the devices are a good buy. I mean an original 1050 was $200! The current SDrive is a remarkable upgrade. Allowing for 35 years of inflation, at $100 per SDrive, they are practically a give away. That there is a profit to be made is completely due to the designers brilliant choices of materials and software. I've worked on cost sensitive commercial designs and I can only say job well done. There has been a perfect synergy of things that have come together with everything from Arduino to 3d printing that the designers did a most excellent job of selecting the right bits and pieces to make this happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farb Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 5 hours ago, DrVenkman said: But if you choose to ignore all that prior discussion and take offense anyway, my apologies. I read everything posted both before and after your comment. Your point was valid... but the way you presented it was unkind and I felt obliged to point that out. Based on your "apology" and subsequent postings, I see there's little point in discussing the matter further. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 25 minutes ago, Farb said: I read everything posted both before and after your comment. Your point was valid... but the way you presented it was unkind and I felt obliged to point that out. Based on your "apology" and subsequent postings, I see there's little point in discussing the matter further. Well, my apology to you is sincere, as are my thanks for your service to the Atari world. I know can come across bruskly in the written word, and I've worked hard all my life to try to avoid it. Clearly I failed in this thread. Mea culpa. I will now bow out of further pricing discussions about these devices, as we are *all* speaking past one another in frustration. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Also wishing I did not post a pricing comment here. I'm enjoying my SDrive Maxx along with all my other Atari 8-bit gear. Apologies, and I raise a toast to all of us keeping these old ass machines purring. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manterola Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Now that this thread is more or less settle regarding the previous issue I would like to bring up the following questions, since there are many current and old topics regarding SD Maxx. I want to build one SD Maxx at the lower price possible, but getting the parts from ebay/amazon (I would prefer to avoid aliexpress) (China, SE Asia included since I can afford patience). I am mostly clear about the main board (there are many cheap arduino clone), but I got confused by the screen. Most screens are >3 or 2.8", but SD Maxx site mentioned 2.4" but that looks like difficult to source, which it weird. Where can I get cheap 2.4" screens? or can I use larger ones? what about the 3d cases availables? are designed for 2.4" or larger screens? Can I use a clone board with microUSB connector? instead of the more common with big USB connector? (I dont remember the name , maybe USB B connector?) If this is not the correct thread to raise these questions, please redirect me to the correct one... Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddtmw Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I used this screen. It is 2.8" and fits in the cases I have printed. (It's also $15) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EUVJYME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 A couple of the 3-d cases available have both mini and micro usb versions. You can print the one that matches the board that you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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