Getting Online with my Atari 800

[_The Doctor__]

just stick it in a folder and mount the folder in respeqt... it should be accessible... as a standard directory item/mirror item or pclink item.... at least that's how it works for me...

I mean you could shove it in an ATR if you wish

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[BillC]

19 minutes ago, Tempest said:

It's a XEX file not a DSK file so I can't just mount it in RespeQt.

XEX files are Atari ML executable files, the extension was changed to prevent confusion with MSDOS/PCDOS executables when used with emulators.

[Tempest]

Ok I got it working by just mounting the directory (didn't know you could do that).  The new IceT works like a charm.   I also started moving over games in XEX format just because I can launch them from SDX.

[_The Doctor__]

once you exceed the standard naming convention or number of files allowable per directory for Sparta in your lin/win/tel box directory.... you will find PCLINK will come in handy as it allows a little more flexibility in what you see, that and it's way faster up to your highest speed divisor...

[Tempest]

8 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

once you exceed the standard naming convention or number of files allowable per directory for Sparta in your lin/win/tel box directory.... you will find PCLINK will come in handy as it allows a little more flexibility in what you see, that and it's way faster up to your highest speed divisor...

What is the max # files per directory for SDX?  What is PCLINK?  I've never heard of that.

 

Is there any advantage of running XEX files out of SDX instead of SIDE?  Better compatibility maybe?

[_The Doctor__]

PCLINK is a SpartaDOS related driver... once loaded and used in concert with RespeQT's later versions, it allows for PCL1: and up drives... the speed of which is divisor 1 or 0 depending on your set up and is as fast as SIO goes without external intervention...

it also allows for extremely expanded mounted folder use in/from the computer RespeQT is running on.

to be honest I try to keep the old 64 files per folder convention if setting things up in peripheral emulators... this allow me to switch between different flavors of MyDOS and SpartaDOS with the least amount of pain...

 

PCLINK is a savior when accessing my downloads/leech/vomit drives

Edited March 25, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[Tempest]

Grr... I'm just having no luck here.  I got my Atari Terminal cable today and hooked it up, but now I'm not able to enter commands.  In IceT or Bobterm I can see the MSS100 boot up and go through it's cycles, but the last line says "Load Completed - Boot in Progress".  After that the lights on the device indicate they're ready and the terminal does a carriage return.  At this point I should be able to enter commands, but I'm not.  If I push A I can enter a letter, but otherwise nothing shows up (I have A set to my autostart character so I assume this is why).  Still, no matter what I do I get no response. 

 

Any ideas?

[_The Doctor__]

from this post

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/284097-mss-100rverter-connection-help/?do=findComment&comment=4137815

 

the atari cord needs a slight modification for the mss 100 and some other devices that REQUIRE additional signalling, this post explains the mss100 book confusion and give the proper pin-out for ALL null terminal connections.... I haven't had a db25 terminal/null device that it didn't work with

850           ltx

atari9  mss100 25

1------------6,8

2------------20

3------------3

4------------2

5------------7

6------------8,6

7------------5

8------------4

9- not connected

dsr 6 and dcd 8 are tied together 25pin side on this old cord this also effectively ties atari db9 pins 1 dtr and 6 dsr together as well... but the cable works... I will revisit the cord as it's probable it was wired to allow this to work with more than one mss variant.

 

so fig 7-2 of the pdf is wrong for mss100

fig 7-6 of the pdf is correct for mss100

Edited March 29, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[kogden]

I've had good luck with an 850, iPocket232 (similar to Lantronix but very compact and usually cheap), and ICE-T.  Have even used it for file transfers from my UNIX boxes, including an old DEC VAXstation running Ultrix lol

[+DrVenkman]

On 3/28/2020 at 10:03 PM, _The Doctor__ said:

the atari cord needs a slight modification for the mss 100

The Atari cable I have (I can’t recall right this second if it’s the CX-87 or -88, but it’s the “Terminal Cable”) needs no modification whatsoever aside from needing a straight-through gender changer at the DB25 end to match the Lantronix port. 

[_The Doctor__]

I think the big issue is some people have gender changers and others have null modem adapters and think they are the same thing... that's why I want them to use a meter and verify the final pin out. many of these adapters aren't even labeled.

The mss and certain other ltx like boxes don't always provide signals on the correct pins for all operations in any event. Running a BBS sometimes requires Carrier Detect (CD) for certain software etc. so it does matter. just changing the config on the device does not allow certain BBS packages to know someone is connected or not or tell the device to send the data... These are some of the reasons people have so much trouble getting online or putting up a BBS.

Depending on the situation/needs/requirements people jumper 1-6 or 2-6 on the Atari DB9 end of the cable. Not all ltx models are the same from beginning of run to the end of manufacture either and that's a whole nother ball of wax.

[Tempest]

Just now, DrVenkman said:

The Atari cable I have (I can’t recall right this second if it’s the CX-87 or -88, but it’s the “Terminal Cable”) needs no modification whatsoever aside from needing a straight-through gender changer at the DB25 end to match the Lantronix port. 

That's what I've read.   Yes I'm using the Terminal Cable now, but still having no luck.  Here's a summary of what's going on:

 

1. Using the Modem Cable with a Null Modem adapter I was able to get BobTerm and Ice-T to show all the MSS100 startup messages then allow me to type in connect strings, but whenever I connected to a BBS it got to the Connect 9600 message and hung.  I was unable to do anything past that.

 

2.  Using the Terminal Cable with a gender changer I get BobTerm and Ice-T to show me the MSS100 startup messages but after stating "Load Complete - Boot in Progress" it never gets to the next message which is:

 

%% Lantronix MSS100
%% Ethernet Address: 00-80-a3-66-9d-5b
   Internet Address xxx.xx.x.xxx

 

So I can never type the connection string in to see if it connects.  If I push the A key (which is my Start Character) I can type one letter, but then nothing.  I can keep doing this, but obviously it's not doing anything in the program.

 

3. I can connect to the MSS100 through Putty on my PC and connect to a BBS through that.  So I know the MSS100 itself works just fine.  I don't know if it matters but it's a Rev: B15 with the latest firmware.

 

 

So that's where things stand right now.  For some reason it appears that the Terminal Cable isn't allowing the MSS100 to fully boot up, and the Modem Cable with the adapter isn't allowing the final connection to the BBS.  It's really weird.

[Tempest]

I got it working!  I had to disable DSR Logout. 

[+DrVenkman]

31 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I got it working!  I had to disable DSR Logout. 

Yeah like I said waaaay back towards the beginning of this thread, there are a lot of options inside the Lantronix firmware, most of which are not really needed for our use-case with vintage machines, but if some of them are changed incorrectly or accidentally, it can screw up modem emulation. I was just about to suggest you do another factory-reset and reconfigure the thing. Glad it didn’t come to that!

[tschak909]

FWIW, the work I am doing on #FujiNet is LITERALLY because of threads like this.

 

-Thom

[_The Doctor__]

every device is different... and many cables are as well, the jumper would have handled it, but we configured around it... many devices don't allow for what we did with the mss 100.

 

During the call out, it would connect and then hang up. So killing the missing DSR signal was the only way we could do it without a soldering iron or crimp tool.

 

/s

Edited March 30, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[Tempest]

16 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

every device is different... and many cables are as well, the jumper would have handled it, but we configured around it... many devices don't allow for what we did with the mss 100.

 

During the call out, it would connect and then hang up. So killing the missing DSR signal was the only way we could do it without a soldering iron or crimp tool.

 

/s

I wonder if the modem cable with the null modem adapter would work now?

[_The Doctor__]

give it a try

[Tempest]

12 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

give it a try

I'd have to unscrew all the cables, but if I ever have to do that for some reason I'll try it.

[Gunstar]

On 3/20/2020 at 4:03 AM, Philsan said:

Eight years ago my 800XL went online with Dragoncart and Contiki.

 

 

More useful and entertaining was getting online two years ago to play 8bit-Slicks racing game against C64 e Apple II computers (no photo, sorry).

I'm not really interested in attempting to browse the web on my 8-bit Atari, just using stuff like Plato and the new Fujinet, I haven't gotten around to trying either yet, though I probably could right now using A.P.E's R: handler with my SIO2PC, but a large part of it for me is wanting to get on-line using Plato and Fujinet without a PC being connected. I also want to check out what BBS's are left, I missed out on all of that back in the day. And lastly play 8-bit slicks, but I believe, IIRC, that requires the Dragoncart which I don't have.

 

But I'm actually hoping for the new version being made for PBI as I already have the cart port in use for Spartados X with MyIDE II piggybacked and I want to be able to use them while online. But in the mean time I am looking into connecting via wi-fi with the DIY project for doing so that's on AA somewhere, just using my old 1030 as a housing for it. But we'll see what available when I finally have the time to look into it all. Right now real life and too many other projects on my Atari to-do list, it's down the list a bit.