Atari ST chiptune plugin for VLC
update 2018-02-09: VLC 3.0 has just been released. Here’s a compatible version of the plugin (same source revision as before).
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It’s retro computing time again! As part of my quite extensive rebuild of one of my Atari STE machines I want to have both an HxC SD floppy emulator as well as the original floppy disk drive mounted internally in the machine at the same time.
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I’ve done an extended writeup of a little project I’ve been working on and off on for the last few months. Extending the video modes of an old Atari ST in new and interesting ways. Going from 4 colors to 16 might not sound much with today’s tech, but for us oldies this is pretty fascinating ;)
Atari · Code · English · Retro
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It’s somewhat easy finding modern software able to read ancient data formats (note, "somewhat"). It’s often more difficult finding the opposite - conversion from modern formats to older ones. When I’ve wanted to edit graphics using modern software (GIMP) and convert it to Atari ST I’ve so far used the excellent Netpbm package.
Atari · Code · English · Retro
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I’ve added yet a new little description to Projects - a circuit and modification to “nudge” wakestates on Atari STs without needing to power cycle.
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update 20-07-20: Since a few weeks back I no longer use any macOS systems, being Linux only nowadays. Because of that I feel that I can no longer keep this service running, due to not being able to verify that things are working or being able to quickly correct them when they’re not. Hopefully the Hatari project can in time setup automatic CI pipelines for macOS too.
Atari · Development · English · Retro
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How to generate a square root table
Well that headline looks weird. I mean. You click √ on your calculator. Or you type Math.sqrt() or something similar.
Atari · English · Math · Retro
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Mega STE 1.44 HD floppy, FPU, fan and RTC upgrades
A few weeks ago I acquired a computer I never had the chance to play around with when it was new, an Atari Mega STE. It’s the culmination of Atari’s 16 bit line of computers, very compatible with the ST(E) range yet much more expandable, usually coming with a SCSI adapter and HD (1.44MB) floppy support. Besides the expandability, it can run at 16Mhz, with cache, compared to 8MHz for the rest of the ST(E) computers. It also has a socket for a 68881/68882 FPU. However, a few very early Mega STEs didn’t come with 1.44MB floppy support, and there aren’t really any Atari dealers left if you want to sort that out - or for that matter add the logic chip needed for the FPU. So, during the last few weeks, I’ve sorted out what needed to be done to get the machine “up to spec”. 1) I found a wonderful guide over at Dbug’s site on replacing the (VERY LOUD!) PSU fan with something almost completely silent. 2) I realized the mythical Epson 340 floppy drive (Atari’s HD drive of choice) was also sold under the HP brand as Hewlett Packard D2035-60011, and snagged two quite cheaply off Ebay. The big benefit of using the Epson is that you can transplant the eject button and faceplate from the old 720KB drive and thus no modification to the casing is needed. 3) After some searching I found GAL files for both 1.44MB floppy support and the FPU support , and thanks to a fellow retro computing enthusiast (hi joska) I had both chips programmed. See below for more detail. 4) I figured out that there was a cheap and easy replacement for the original RTC battery - see separate post. 5) TOS 2.06. Yes, my machine came with 2.05. This was by far the easiest part .. I really only bought the machine to be able to test compatibility with my software, I already have both a very tricked out STE as well as a heavily upgraded Mega ST, but I’m getting to appreciate the Mega STE more for every day. Maybe I need to have three different Atari models at my desk at all times? Additional details for the curious: FPU upgrade. As can be seen in Atari’s official installation manual most motherboards come with a jumper W3 that should be opened when you add an FPU. My motherboard didn’t, since it’s an older revision. According to the manual there should then be a resistor on the bottom side of the motherboard that you need to remove. At first I thought mine had already been patched, since a resistor was placed in the socket topside - but due to needing to do something else on the bottom side later (see below) I found out there indeed was a resistor there as well. Remove, insert the C301903 GAL, insert FPU (a 68882 in my case), test with Gembench 4.03 and everything’s fine.
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This last weekend me and many others were participating at the third incarnation of the STNICCC Atari ST conference . The first and original one was held in 1990 - where sadly I didn’t attend - and the second one was held as a reunion in the year 2000. Back then they joked about meeting up again in the far far away future of 2015.
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picoPSU Atari ST replacement guide
I just did a writeup on how to replace the original PSU in an Atari ST/E with a modern picoPSU . I’m quite satisfied with how it came out - click the link for some pretty pictures ;)
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