ATR8000 and error 140

[AgedAtari]

Hi, totally new here, apologies if I'm doing this wrong.

 

I'm getting my childhood system (ATARI 800) back online (or trying). It's been on a shelf since the 1980s.  I bought an SIO cable from vintagecomputercenter (hopefully that was an ok move) for some reason we couldn't find ours. When I plug in the ATR8000 (with the two floppies not attached for now) and do an LPRINT I get "error 140" which from googling doesn't sound like a good one.  Is this a rabbit hole worth trying to go down to fix?  I tried searching a bit for an answer and it sounded like maybe chips could need replacing (?!). I don't know, I'm new to this effort as well so please forgive cluelessness.  Thanks!

[AgedAtari]

Shoot, well, talking to myself.  I found this on a German page (also I was trying an LPRINT to test, which was suggested on this forum somewhere):

 

- Error 140 (frame bit error) means that something is wrong with the expected stop or start bit. The error can occur when the data transfer speed does not match the expected one. However, it can also occur in the event of a short circuit on the data line (Atari Computer: D_IN), in which case the expected stop bit never comes. If you boot an Atari while D_IN is pulled to ground, you can hear a significantly different SIO noise than when no device is connected

As a result, there might be something wrong with the replacement CPU.

Did you actually have to load an ATR8000 driver to use drives and printers on the ATR8000? I mean no ...

Have you ever connected a floppy disk drive to the ATR8000 and tested disk access?

 

I also can't get the tape drive to work (newer 410, so far replaced the 4 belts). I have a box full of childhood tapes and 4 holders of floppies, so part of me just really wants to see my childhood.   I'm trying to get this working so I can give it to my brother / nephews for another generation to enjoy.  I am unexpectedly seeing him soon so trying to get this done in the next two weeks which seems futile at the moment.

 

Anyway, back to the floppies -- I'll try sticking one in but I'm afraid it might eat it or something. The floppy drives are making all sorts of crazy sounds.

 

[invisible kid]

ATR-8000s are relatively rare, that's why its harder to get help for. Hope you are able to get it going.

[Kyle22]

It does sound as if the problem is in the serial data area. Ask @_The Doctor__ about this. I think he has an ATR8000.

 

[Sugarland]

Did you make sure the 800 works 100% without the ATR? Connect it to a regular Atari disk drive and an 850 and try to print through that if you have one.

[cwilbar]

when you tried the 410 (you didn't indicated the entire peripheral configuration, or what did not work on the 410) did you have the ATR plugged into the SIO chain ?

 

When troubleshooting, you want only one device on the chain.  If something is bad it disrupt the entire SIO chain.

 

 

[AgedAtari]

Apologies for muddying the waters. I am trying one at a time, they are not chained together in any way. The problem with the tape drive is a flat spot (or divot) on the pinch roller. We have that disassembled now, but it seems difficult to source the rubber part. The SIO port on the Atari 800 seems to be fine and was issuing commands to the tape drive. I don't own any other peripherals, just the tape drive and the ATR8000 with the floppy drives.

[cwilbar]

IIRC, the ATR8000 can do serial (using it w/o an Atari) or SIO.  Was this last used on an Atari (vs with a terminal) ?  Probably grasping at straws there, but I recall reading something about that.

Can't recall if there are jumper(s) or dip switch(es) for that..... but worth a look in the docs.  I never used my ATR on a terminal.  Amazingly after over 30 years of storage, my ATR8000 still works (along with the 720K 3.5" drive I was using with it, and the handfull of boot disk games (no protection in tact) that I wrote to the disks :-).

 

I expected to have difficulty, but it worked great (other than the usual rattle/hum caused by the internal transformer).

 

[AgedAtari]

This is my original ATR8000 which was never used for anything else except this Atari (and maybe our Atari 400)!  I think we need to check everything inside is still seated well and then go from there. I remember going to the Atari club meetings with my dad and the ATR8000 back then was still a big deal. I think this was before Atari had floppy drives (we had an Atari 400 first ... my memory is fuzzy about any details though).This is my original ATR8000 which was never used for anything else except this Atari!  I think we need to check everything inside is still seated well and then go from there. I remember going to the Atari club meetings with my dad and the ATR8000 back then was still a big deal. I think this was before Atari had floppy drives (we had an Atari 400 first ... my memory is fuzzy about any details though).

[cwilbar]

The Atari 810 I believe existed in 1979.  Not sure when it was readily available.

 

The copyright on the ATR is 1982.  So the ATR did not come out before Atari's disk drive solution. 

 

Definitely check anything socketed.  I have not looked at the ATR8000s SIO implementation, so not sure if there are any general failure items there.

 

If you have a DVM, you may want to check the regulated voltage(s) and make sure there is no AC ripple, but I'd think you'd have bigger problems than the SIO not working if that was the case.

 

Hopefully a reseating of socketed chips helps.

 

[Kyle22]

On 9/14/2020 at 8:31 PM, AgedAtari said:

This is my original ATR8000 which was never used for anything else except this Atari (and maybe our Atari 400)!  I think we need to check everything inside is still seated well and then go from there. I remember going to the Atari club meetings with my dad and the ATR8000 back then was still a big deal. I think this was before Atari had floppy drives (we had an Atari 400 first ... my memory is fuzzy about any details though).This is my original ATR8000 which was never used for anything else except this Atari!  I think we need to check everything inside is still seated well and then go from there. I remember going to the Atari club meetings with my dad and the ATR8000 back then was still a big deal. I think this was before Atari had floppy drives (we had an Atari 400 first ... my memory is fuzzy about any details though).

Welcome Santa Cruz. I lived about 3 miles away (Scotts Valley) in the 90's while at FTe. I have met Brad Koda, Bob Woolley, John Harris, etc. personally.

I don't have my ATR anymore, but I always loved a CP/M machine. I want to see fast hard drives on the ATR and memory expansions that can run the Z-System or NZCOM.

 

I sadly lost the source for my modifications to Ataribus project originally from F.O.G. I had this running UltraSpeed and faster. This was on a 4Mhz. Z80 TeleVideo system. The TVi's have actual UARTs. The ATR-8000 is even MORE flexible. It is a BitBanger (like Indus GT). I think High speed code could be copied [almost directly] from Indus, or possibly better, the USD emulation code for Indus. Sadly, my code is lost.  My point is: The ATR-8000 code in its EPROM CAN BE MODIFIED to support UltraSpeed (low divisors).

 

High speed SIO on 4Mhz Z80 is easy. I just don't have the code any more.

:(

 

A GOOD Hacker can *DO* this.

:)