chevymad Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Quick question, does APE work with the sio2pc built into the 1088xel? Respeqt seems to work fine for me. I'm having trouble getting a connection with APE, but i've read ape doesn't like non Atarimax interfaces. I'm mainly wanting a print to my network printer function. I haven't figured out if Respeqt's printer option will work or not.. It seems to be a work in progress and I definitely don't know how to configure it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 I've read of some people getting APE to work with various homemade and board-type (XEL) SIO2PC cables and devices. Personally, I've not had a lot of luck but, to be honest, I haven't spent a ton of time trying to get it to work. It definitely isn't really straight-forward and easy. It seems like, from what I've read, it has a lot to do with how you setup the handshaking. Hopefully, someone with more experience will pipe in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 APE will work with NON AtariMax SIO2PC USB interfaces if you use virtual com port software and set APE up to do the same. Only AtariMax Interfaces can handle emulating XF and other similar fast baud rate flipping devices. You can always use APE with true rs232 devices hand built or otherwise with the correct handshake lines selected. Make sure your APE software is registered and up to date. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8guy Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 One has to wonder about the future of APE, with Fujinet (and the Fujinet on PC port) as well as Respeqt - it's niche is getting smaller and smaller. In some ways that is to be expected and it was/is a great product, but it is very much a product of it's time and that time seems to be passing. Still I used it for many, many years with a lot of reliability and joy. What is left that is exclusive to APE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) APE still has the most comprehensive control over the peripheral emulation spectrum, but not everyone need it. It is the most reliable and stable of the offerings out there... and it the only one capable of the timing needed to emulate all the drives (as stated) that were available at the time. There is a reason the Atarimax SIO2PC USB devices have a little more on the adapter. Edited March 1, 2021 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Regarding APE vs AspeQt/RespeQT, APE is the only software to offers full modem emulation. It also has several modes of printer emulation (pass through to Atari printer, print to file on the host PC, print to a printer on the host machine, virtual MX-80, and virtual 1020 plotter). However, FujiNet as noted now does all of this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8guy Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Stephen said: However, FujiNet as noted now does all of this. This is the main thing, especially if the Fujinet on PC project comes to complete fruition. I was, however, unaware of _The_Doctor__'s good points. Maybe there are still some use cases where APE is the only game in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Oh - one more thing. The AtariMax APE device can also be used with ProSystem software such that a PC is in control of the connected Atari drive. I am not aware of other devices that can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Yes APE and the Atarimax SIO2PC devices can do Pro Mode control on the fly so you can read and write out disks without changing out the SIO2PC to a 10502PC or having to flip hardware switches. APE with it's own brand device is automatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted March 21, 2021 Author Share Posted March 21, 2021 Ok, finally got my registered APE software. First disk sent apparently lost in the mail, but I was given a d/l link and got it up and running on my win 10 tablet. Works fine now with the sio2pc built into my 1088xel. The virtual com port seems to be what was needed. I've also finally managed to actually print directly to my network printer!!! At first no success, all that was needed was to d/l the atascii font and away she goes. Now, does anyone have a simple walk through on how to connect to a bbs? I have a MPP Smart Terminal cart if that will work. Otherwise I suppose I could d/l whatever. Would like to try the cart though, since who knows how many years ago it last did anything. I never had a modem back in the day, so complete newbie. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 7 hours ago, chevymad said: Ok, finally got my registered APE software. First disk sent apparently lost in the mail, but I was given a d/l link and got it up and running on my win 10 tablet. Works fine now with the sio2pc built into my 1088xel. The virtual com port seems to be what was needed. I've also finally managed to actually print directly to my network printer!!! At first no success, all that was needed was to d/l the atascii font and away she goes. Now, does anyone have a simple walk through on how to connect to a bbs? I have a MPP Smart Terminal cart if that will work. Otherwise I suppose I could d/l whatever. Would like to try the cart though, since who knows how many years ago it last did anything. I never had a modem back in the day, so complete newbie. APE software - you will need to configure the R: device to full telnet mode. At this point, Windows firewall will immediately pop. Tell it to allow incoming and outgoing traffic. Now, you can use any term program on the Atari. I recommend Ice-T XE. Dial out via ATDT ##.##.##.## ## where each ## is from 0.255, space then the port. Note - I have found that APE no longer seems to like DNS names with the underscore character. For this reason, I tend to store and dial by IP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Eyvind Bernhardsen Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 6 hours ago, Stephen said: Note - I have found that APE no longer seems to like DNS names with the underscore character. For this reason, I tend to store and dial by IP. That's probably because the DNS spec doesn't actually allow underscores in host names: only letters, digits, and hyphens (RFC1034, RFC1035). (In practice a lot of DNS servers and clients do support underscore). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 5 hours ago, Eyvind Bernhardsen said: That's probably because the DNS spec doesn't actually allow underscores in host names: only letters, digits, and hyphens (RFC1034, RFC1035). (In practice a lot of DNS servers and clients do support underscore). Thanks - I went back and checked on my system, and I actually meant that hyphens are no longer allowed. This worked for a long time, because I had my dial list stored as "darkforce-bbs" rather than the IP. When in terminal mode, I can type ATI for info, ATZ to clear the screen, but the - character won't even echo. I do not know when this changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Eyvind Bernhardsen Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 28 minutes ago, Stephen said: Thanks - I went back and checked on my system, and I actually meant that hyphens are no longer allowed. This worked for a long time, because I had my dial list stored as "darkforce-bbs" rather than the IP. When in terminal mode, I can type ATI for info, ATZ to clear the screen, but the - character won't even echo. I do not know when this changed. In that case you'll have to ask Steven Tucker. Sounds like a bug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 (edited) he he he he , I have had no end of troubles when using underscore and hyphens (dashes) in the internet world from the very beginning... it was a problem for DNS, E-Mail systems and the like... turn the - to _ one works the other fails, and vice versa... and it varied from intranet to intranet and wide area to wide area network base on who implemented what. I still use them (see my alias ?) and it still makes for fun talk at geeky parties... it's nice to see nothing has changed decades later... the dash and underscore interchangeably mucked up. It isn't just APE that has the issue, lantronix, pearl, and other middleboxes have varying degrees of this particular issue... and yes email can still be an issue... depending on software and ISP's implementations of the variables. Edited March 22, 2021 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 8 hours ago, Eyvind Bernhardsen said: That's probably because the DNS spec doesn't actually allow underscores in host names: only letters, digits, and hyphens (RFC1034, RFC1035). (In practice a lot of DNS servers and clients do support underscore). They have to to some degree because MS went off and made their own underscore spec. All Active Directory Service records etc are underscores. I have to tell BIND to allow such nonsense in order to communicate. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 Is there an APE manual anywhere? The link on Atarimax says it's under construction, but been that way for awhile. I still haven't managed a connection yet. When I try to "dial" out I get a message about missing carrier. Been trying both IceT and Bobterm. Also have used the images included with Ape and my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 Gave up and ordered a fujinet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 Ok, question for XEL owners with a fujinet. Is there a sio extension or something? My fujinet blocks the audio port. Might be able to find a 90* audio plug too. What are your solutions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, chevymad said: Ok, question for XEL owners with a fujinet. Is there a sio extension or something? My fujinet blocks the audio port. Might be able to find a 90* audio plug too. What are your solutions? I don't own either (Fujinet or 1088XEL), but I imagine one of these from Lotharek would work for you. Edited April 11, 2021 by MrFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 34 minutes ago, MrFish said: I don't own either (Fujinet or 1088XEL), but I imagine one of these from Lotharek would work for you. Yeah, something like this would work, or something as simple as plugging it in via an SIO cable, or plugging it in as the last SIO device in the chain, assuming you have other SIO devices plugged in. I don't believe I've read anything that says the FujiNet has to be the first device or anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 My only other sio device is a Sdrive Nuxx and it's an end device. Will plugging into the other side of the sio passthrough with a cable work? Hadn't thought bout trying it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) read the top then scroll down to the bottom https://atarimax.com/sio2pc/documentation/ https://atarimax.com/sio2pc/documentation/usbchapter1.html navigation of the links by chapter. forward back is at the bottom of the page. https://atarimax.com/newstuff/newmain.htm https://atarimax.com/ape/ape.htm as you traverse the AtariMax forums, running updates of changes are interspersed throughout the forum, as well as videos of the stuff in use. it became a mix of demonstration videos and posts about the changes and updates over time. The base information is in the original documents, the rest of it is spread out in the forums and videos. Edited April 11, 2021 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 2 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said: read the top then scroll down to the bottom https://atarimax.com/sio2pc/documentation/ https://atarimax.com/sio2pc/documentation/usbchapter1.html navigation of the links by chapter. forward back is at the bottom of the page. https://atarimax.com/newstuff/newmain.htm https://atarimax.com/ape/ape.htm as you traverse the AtariMax forums, running updates of changes are interspersed throughout the forum, as well as videos of the stuff in use. it became a mix of demonstration videos and posts about the changes and updates over time. The base information is in the original documents, the rest of it is spread out in the forums and videos. Thanks for the links. No idea where in the world that all was hiding. Been on the Atarimax page and forum several times. Every manual link i've found was dead, and i've never ran into that page before now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevymad Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Haven't gone back to ape yet, but I have fujinet up and working. Tried a few BBS tonight and was able to check them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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