1050 SIO PORT QUESTION

[YSG2020]

Having a weird issue with my 1050 drive. When plugged into my 800XL using one of its SIO ports it works fine, but when plugged into its other SIO port I get ‘boot error’.  Any ideas what would cause this? A corroded plug or something worse like a faulty SIO controller in the 1050?  The SIO ports are interchangeable when daisy chained between multiple peripherals correct? So it doesn’t matter which plug is used and if the peripherals are powered on or not to pass data through the SIO through the daisy chain? It’s funny how I took for granted that this system worked so easily 35 years ago when I was a kid. Lol. Now it’s a trouble shooting exercise everytime I power it on. 

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by YSG2020

[xrbrevin]

if one port works fine then the other should also work

check for pin damage or open it up and check the bad port for solder issues

if you able, do a continuity check using a multimeter

[Rybags]

Problem would be probably be the plug or somewhere on the board in the vicinity.

Chances are that passthru to other peripherals wouldn't work either so you'd have to put it last on the daisy chain.

If you've got a multimeter then a quick/easy test could be to check the data in, data out, ground and command lines (same pin to same pin on SIO connectors).

 

My bet would be a severed trace or seperated solder joint.

[TGB1718]

This is the 1050 port, as you can see they are connected together pin for pin

 

[YSG2020]

That's awesome help guys. Thank-you.  I took it apart, cleaned it gently, inspected it carefully (looks ok?!), and tested the continuity on all the port pins and they all miraculously ok.  Hooked it all back up and it now works fine.  Very weird.  This old equipment is very sensitive and tempermental now.  I guess it just needed a little TLC and use!  Cheers.

[xrbrevin]

sounds good but i would dismantle the SIO plug just to check the wires are not misbehaving intermittently..!

[+Nezgar]

Sounds like the SIO pins might have been dirty, or oxidized... and the simple act of connecting and disconnecting an SIO cable a few times might have 'cleaned' the pins for a better connection.

[+CharlieChaplin]

On 2/12/2020 at 8:27 PM, YSG2020 said:

That's awesome help guys. Thank-you.  I took it apart, cleaned it gently, inspected it carefully (looks ok?!), and tested the continuity on all the port pins and they all miraculously ok.  Hooked it all back up and it now works fine.  Very weird.  This old equipment is very sensitive and tempermental now.  I guess it just needed a little TLC and use!  Cheers.

 

Yes, it is old equipment and temperamental nowadays, but still repairable and usable!

Imagine it were made in China - it would be dead and thrown away approx. two years after production.

 

[YSG2020]

Yes I am glad it is from an era before miniaturization. Almost everything can be accessed , diagnosed and is serviceable and replaceable with only basic electronics knowledge. Thankfully Atari did not cheap out on their boards. They are simple, but really well made from good quality materials. You can beat the crap out of them with a soldering iron as an amateur and the traces don’t come off easily and are more forgiving than most. The original Atari company was much like Apple in the early days.  They believed in technology as a quality art form. It showed in their early products and marketing. It’s unfortunately also why they went broke too as their costs were too high.  

Edited March 7, 2020 by YSG2020