SIO2PC Success!

[joeybastard]

I got the SIO2PC cable from the AA store and built my cable yesterday. It was a little unusual because I I didn't have SIO cable from a DD, only one from a 410 Tape which had different colored wires in the cable. I had to switch around some wiring and add a wire but it all works great. This thing is a must for anybody with an Atari 8bit and internet connection.

 

I know a minor electronic project is nothing to many of you but I was very excited to have made this all work

[Albert]

Glad to hear your success in building the SIO2PC cable. Definitely a worthwhile addition for any Atari 8-bit fans.

 

..Al

[Cybernoid]

0100100001001111 0100100001001111

 

 

hehehehehe.

 

Wouldn't that need to be

0100100001001111 0100100001001111 0100100001001111

 

for Santa-bot?

 

And remember don't get Christmas confused with Halloween:

 

Oct(31) = Dec(25)

 

~C~

[Lost Monkey]

This thing is a must for anybody with an Atari 8bit and internet connection.

'

 

I'm going to have to look into this "internet connection".

 

I have an 800, but I haven't used it in YEARS. Maybe I'll dig it out this week and see if I have enough interest to get this c3po thing.

[joeybastard]

This thing is a must for anybody with an Atari 8bit and internet connection.

'

 

I'm going to have to look into this "internet connection".

 

I have an 800, but I haven't used it in YEARS. Maybe I'll dig it out this week and see if I have enough interest to get this c3po thing.

 

Well there's tons of diskimages on the net and this thing will let you use your PC as a drive on the 800. Download some games to the PC, play them on real hardware. It's great!

[ATARIeric]

2 words for describing sio2pc "WOW & FUN"

[8BIT 1337]

I know a minor electronic project is nothing to many of you but I was very excited to have made this all work

 

I still get excited about getting all my stuff up and running. There's just something cool about having an old machine like that working along with a newer PC. Something only people like us would appreciate (hence the reason you brag about it here and not, say, at work/school )

[Justin42]

Is there an SIO2PC FAQ anywhere? I've been trying to figure out exactly what I need to use one of these cables. I've been reluctant to buy until I understand it a bit more. Do I need to buy the APE software? How does it work? I always thought you could just plug it into the 8bit and your PC but I never figured out what loads the driver (or if it "just shows up" as d1: or whatever)

 

(Sorry to sound like such a total n00b, I swear I've looked around for info!)

[ATARIeric]

i myself use ape cause im a big fan of atarimax i bought my sio2pc board from them and it doesnt even need any type of splicing wires, just hook your serial cable to one end and your atari cable to the other.

 

Steven Tucker "Classics" over at www.atarimax.com is the man!

 

[joeybastard]

Well the cable part is probably easier if you have a real Atari DD to steal it from. I had to modify a tape cable so it was a little more involved. Here's the hookup instructions: http://www.sio2pc.com/sio_hookup.html

 

For software, I downloaded APE for free. It's a trial version I think but it works fine. After installing APE, I ran the configurater that walks you thru the first time connection between 8bit and PC. It's very simple, almost automatic. You can copy your disk or cassette images to the appropraite folders and you're ready to go.

 

After it's up and running it shows the drives and what's loaded in a Windows box. You can pick disk images with a simple Windows interface. Loading them on the 800Xl is just like loading any other disk.

 

It's much simpler than it sounds, I'm no genius and I did it so I'm sure anybody else can.

[ATARIeric]

hey joey, did you get the feeling like i did after you hooked it up and started messing with it, that it felt like you scored alot of new hardware for the A8

[joeybastard]

hey joey,  did you get the feeling like i did after you hooked it up and started messing with it, that it felt like you scored alot of new hardware for the  A8

 

Sort of, I was more shocked my rewiring the tape cable worked. It's more like scoring a whole bunch of software since I have very little for my 800XL at the moment. I'm looking into doing this for my C64 too.

[ATARIeric]

i hear that on the software. 2 weeks ago i got the holmes disc that has over 2000 software titles, if you want, just send me a pm with your addy and i will make cd/r copies for you and send them. i got them free so i will send them free. just if anyone ever asks, you send it to them next and tell them to do the same if anyone ever asks them for it. id hate to sell blanks with the roms on them, too much time consuming

[joeybastard]

Thanks, but I have a source for games so I think I'll pass. I'm sure someone else here will take you up on your generous offer.

[liquidcross]

I'm still tooling around with SIO2PC and Virtual PC on the Mac. Hopefully I can finish tweaking it so it'll run smoothly...my USB-to-serial adapter is twitchy.

[doctorclu]

Being a Mac user practically since the days I exited the Atari 8 scene in 1989 let me just say that the Mac is the most UNFRIENDLY computer to use with a Atari 8-bit. It is that damned serial port on the Mac, and is even more unfriendly when they are just USB!

 

Has anyone got Virtual PC and APE to work? I remember I tried the AT version of virtual PC and APE and that went over like a led balloon.

 

Ever transferring files from the Mac to the Atari 800 via null modem seems to corrupt them. I just E-mail files from the Mac and that seems to work better.

 

Oh... ever since I established my SIO2PC cable worked (Originally a SIO2ST cable) I have loved the ape software! Great stuff! I can play more software, but really I tend to use it as 48 meg (or whatever) hard drive more than anything. And when I am done with the hard drive, I can put it into sleep mode. Nice stuff.

 

Doc Clu 800