14 replies to this topic

[wood_jl]

What I was really after was the floppy drive, the floppy cables, and the computer - which I **THINK** has the built-in drive. I did not think this over too well before bidding. Shipping is, of course, the bitch here. I think I may have run my mouse click finger faster than my limited brain; right after I bid, I was hoping someone to outbid and bail me out of this in the end....fool!



I thought the computer was STfm. Then I realize that looks like an old 520ST power supply in the background. That huge computer does look like it's deep enough to have the drive in the side, right? Now I'm thinking I remember floppy power supplies were grey and not black. For all I know, that's a 1-amp XEGS power supply! DOH! I didn't even bother to ask the guy anything, just bought on impulse.



As I have the floppy emulator coming, I was planning to mutilate these things in an attempt to practically contain the floppy emulator. If I end up with a decent STfm computer, I was planning to mutilate the top of this one so you can read the floppy emulator LCD and poke at the buttons.

If I end up with a 520STm (kind of preferred) I would mutilate the SF354 and put the floppy emulator in there. Now that I think about it, the little PC board in the SF354 has some kind of "drive select" shit in it, doesn't it? That's why there's no manual drive select. I wonder if this will screw with the floppy emulator? I was thinking it would be easy to just unplug the floppy mech and plug in the floppy emulator to the power and 34-pin cables. Any thoughts? I guess floppy emulators aren't popular enough (yet??? ever??) for anyone to say for sure, but your thoughts would be appreciated!!! I guess I can practice tearing things up with my soldering iron, if no less.

ebay listing:
eBay Auction -- Item Number: 320500058592

Edited by wood_jl, Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:49 PM.

[Stephen Moss]

Well to me it appears to be an orginal ST which IIRC had an external floppy drive, external power unit and no modulator so monitor output only.

[flashjazzcat]

Looks like a 520STF or STFM to me. May or may not have modulator, but clearly has internal power supply and 3.5" floppy.

[Rybags]

Has to be a later model... the orignals were a good 3 inches smaller in depth.

[wood_jl]

Thanks, guys.

Rybags: That picture is what I'm really nostalgic about. I sure did the original. I haven't seen an actual ST in - damn - close to 20 years? Surely not!

Flashjazzcat: I always think about your Retr0brite experiences. I'll be re-reading your posts in that thread since it looks like I'll have some work to do, and this will be the first "colored" computer I've done....only done 800XL and Vic-20 white before!

If this isn't an "M" model then I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything with it! Even if it is, I don't know if I'll ever get my composite cable from those Ebay guys.
Wish I'd have taken up making my own cables years ago. I anticipate a possibility that it may come to that shortly.

Edited by wood_jl, Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:52 AM.

[oky2000]

wood_jl, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:51 AM, said:

Thanks, guys.

Rybags: That picture is what I'm really nostalgic about. I sure did the original. I haven't seen an actual ST in - damn - close to 20 years? Surely not!

Flashjazzcat: I always think about your Retr0brite experiences. I'll be re-reading your posts in that thread since it looks like I'll have some work to do, and this will be the first "colored" computer I've done....only done 800XL and Vic-20 white before!

If this isn't an "M" model then I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything with it! Even if it is, I don't know if I'll ever get my composite cable from those Ebay guys.
Wish I'd have taken up making my own cables years ago. I anticipate a possibility that it may come to that shortly.

You could have asked me...I have 3 STM machines, one boxed I even offered up here to cries of 'it's worth nothing' here. This is why you don't see really good quality rare stuff on ebay anymore (ontop of the fact ebay are scum too )

[mimo]

I know a guy in the UK that will make cables, run at about £10+postage 'cus the 13pin din plug is expensive to buy over here compared to the 5/8 pin versions. He will do 5/8 pin ones for about £5 fyi

[wood_jl]

oky2000, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:08 AM, said:

You could have asked me...I have 3 STM machines, one boxed I even offered up here to cries of 'it's worth nothing' here. This is why you don't see really good quality rare stuff on ebay anymore (ontop of the fact ebay are scum too )

Thanks, for the offer! You're just so far away!!!! It would cost £100 to ship. Plus, since I'm in the land of Yankee (redneck, to be more specific) none of your machines would work here....I suppose. On the other hand, if I wanted to run all the cool PAL demos and games, I guess I'd need a PAL machine......then monitor and power conversion... YIKES!!! I guess I'll have to stick to A8 to get cheap PAL thrills.

I am looking forward to trying ST Gauntlet again, though, since you brought it up in one of the other threads!

[wood_jl]

Preppie!!, on Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:10 AM, said:

I know a guy in the UK that will make cables, run at about £10+postage 'cus the 13pin din plug is expensive to buy over here compared to the 5/8 pin versions. He will do 5/8 pin ones for about £5 fyi

Thanks for that! You're definitely a handy person to know - I mean, everything I have ever wanted to try with these classic machines...YOU already have, and your advice and comments are certainly appreciated. I will keep that cable in mind. I'm not sure how I'm going to work out the logistics of the floppy emulator yet....cut STfm case, run a ribbon cable out to external homemade case, make a switch to swap the A and B drives so the floppy emulator plugged into the fm computer external port would be A and internal drive would be B [I can not do this, but it is an interesting idea], run ST floppy cable off the port (of 520ST (no f)) [this would be neat and clean], or what. This kind of stuff makes the hobby challenging yet a little bit of fun. I kind of want to start a thread on "floppy emulator setups" but I should probably just PM you!! Maybe if these get a little more popular a thread would be justified! Will be curious how to do this with Amiga in the future.

[wood_jl]

BTW - before I bought this clusterf**k parts package, I was looking at STf/m cases. One easy way to implement the floppy emulator would be to throw it in the floppy bay of STf/m machine and cut the top out to get to the thing. This sounds gruesome. As I would hate to deface the machine, I started looking for extra case top, which is how I stumbled upon this auction. Now I am thinking the extra case top is a little more complicated.

Unknown to me - as I have been out of the scene a long time - evidently, Atari switched drive mechs from 1/2-height to 1/3-height, and then changed the top half of the STf/m case, correspondingly? I can not believe this, until I see it a couple of places.

From the BEST site:
http://www.best-elec...om/520_1040.htm

Quote

Atari 1/2 height drive to 1/3 height drive Conversion Kit. Kit includes a new 1/3 height 520STFM or 1040STF Atari case top, 1/3 height drive spacer set (4) with 3 longer drive mounting screws and one Atari 1/3 height Disk Drive (CB101841). This kit is used to convert the older style Atari 520STFM and 1040STF computers that were supplied with the now obsolete 1/2 height disk drive mechanisms CB102412 $100.00

I'll be damned - a case half, corresponding to the height of your floppy drive!!! I'd have never thought this.

Then I looked for cases on B & C Computervisions:
http://www.myatari.com/ataristh.txt

Quote

PRS073 CASE TOP 520/1040 1/2HDD 25.00
PRS074 CASE TOP 520/1040 1/3HDD 25.00

Well, that pretty much confuses the issue of swapping around case halves.

I had been looking on Ebay and this guy caught my eye with his $10 520STfm and $10 1040STf cases....

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 180470686116

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 180470684805
But look....$31.70 shipping for an empty case...BWA HA HA HA HA HA and we're both in the U.S.

I contacted the seller (my seller, seller of parts lot not those cases) who says he thinks my 520STf/m (not sure which) might work but didn't have monitor to test (heard that one before, we all have). Well it looks like mixing and matching case tops is not so easy. Likely just cut the one I get, if only for practice, if the machine does not work. I suppose could cut it and then swap the entire case with a known-working STfm.

Heh, we'll see. This will be a little project. Maybe have to find that Dremel thing....off-brand, Chinese knockoff, or whatever it is!

Edited by wood_jl, Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:38 AM.

[Rybags]

If it's not an "M" model, then all is not lost.

There's at least one project around to add composite + SVideo, using the same MC1377 IC that's used in those models, as well as Amiga's A520 modulator.

[mimo]

When I had my device set up with the ST I removed the drive completely, rigged up a ghetto extension cable using some pin headers and a spare drive cable (the ST drive cable is soldered on to the motherboard and cable is barely long enough to reach the drive) looked awful but got the job done. I have the older large PCB version as you know, and it slotted in the empty drive hole(with a bit of trimming) with just the LCD and buttons poking out.

Other alternative would be to butcher that external drive you have and do the simple boot drive select mod so you can set drive B as the default drive. Would certainly look neater

[wood_jl]

Preppie!!, on Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:09 AM, said:

When I had my device set up with the ST I removed the drive completely, rigged up a ghetto extension cable using some pin headers and a spare drive cable (the ST drive cable is soldered on to the motherboard and cable is barely long enough to reach the drive) looked awful but got the job done. I have the older large PCB version as you know, and it slotted in the empty drive hole(with a bit of trimming) with just the LCD and buttons poking out.

Other alternative would be to butcher that external drive you have and do the simple boot drive select mod so you can set drive B as the default drive. Would certainly look neater

HcX Installed Close-up.JPG

HcX Top View.JPG

That doesn't look bad at all! I was thinking about putting the thing all the way inside and butchering the top of the case. I hadn't thought of how you did it. Thanx for the pics! Now I have more to think about!

Did you do similar for the Amiga? (500?)

[mimo]

wood_jl, on Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:43 AM, said:

Preppie!!, on Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:09 AM, said:

When I had my device set up with the ST I removed the drive completely, rigged up a ghetto extension cable using some pin headers and a spare drive cable (the ST drive cable is soldered on to the motherboard and cable is barely long enough to reach the drive) looked awful but got the job done. I have the older large PCB version as you know, and it slotted in the empty drive hole(with a bit of trimming) with just the LCD and buttons poking out.

Other alternative would be to butcher that external drive you have and do the simple boot drive select mod so you can set drive B as the default drive. Would certainly look neater

HcX Installed Close-up.JPG

HcX Top View.JPG

That doesn't look bad at all! I was thinking about putting the thing all the way inside and butchering the top of the case. I hadn't thought of how you did it. Thanx for the pics! Now I have more to think about!

Did you do similar for the Amiga? (500?)

nope, I just had the device on to of the miggy using a longer FDD cable (the amiga is a plug in version)

[wood_jl]

Well, I received this stuff today.

Surprisingly, everything (mostly) works!

As I have no monitor cable, I used my A8 RF cable and I'm quite surprised at how clean the RF out looks. I remember it looking like shit back in 1986-ish.... I suppose the televisions tune in a lot better/sharper than they did then. Needless to say, I still want a composite cable at a minimum.

At first I was VERY curious if the built-in floppy drive is single or double-sided. Well, it doesn't matter, since it's toast. When it spins, it whirs LOUDLY and it just doesn't respond to any disks - generating that same error message as if the disk was bad.

It came with external SF354 and there was a floppy (copy of ST BASIC disk) in it so I verified it works! Whoopie. It's the OLD SF354 before they got all funky with the EJECT buttons - it has the little standard-looking rectangle eject - and it's the louder motor grrrrrrrrrrrr when it's running but it's not a malfunction as I remember that's how they were. The computer's floppy has a small similar-sized eject button but it's the angled parallelogram. I remember some ST drives had the huge parallelogram eject bar under the disk slot.

Going to need some retro-brite, I believe. Also, the whole thing STINKS to high heaven like cigarettes (???) Not sure if it's cigarettes or just "old computer smell" but none of mine ever stink. Going to be taken all apart and cleaned, that's for sure.

Edited by wood_jl, Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:46 PM.