The Technoshed
Looking at a prototype DIP64 CPU adapter for STE expansions
updated
BlueSCSI has been a phenomenon in the classic Mac community and I've heard good things about it on the Falcon and Atari TT too.
Finally I've found an adapter to let me play with one myself. I've never used SCSI on my Falcon before, and certainly not with my DFB1 accelerator.
What do I need to pay attention to, and what does this let me do?
I'm particularly interested in the WiFi ethernet emulation. Let's try that out and compare it to the traditional cartridge-port based Atari ethernet adapters.
https://thetechnoshed.bsky.social
github.com/dh219
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
Third party links:
* bluescsi.com The main BlueSCSI landing page
* shop.flamelily.co.uk Flamelily (UK distributor from whom I bought my board)
* emutos.sourceforge.io Emutos. The premium Atari OS replacement that does it all
* hddriver.net Uwe Siemet's HDDriver, the premium Atari Hard Disc driver
* http://www.anodynesoftware.com/ethernet/main.html Anodyne's Daynaport driver
* github.com/freemint/freemint/tree/5d6e8d952df0000de2b91df3b5708ec1f7d44298/sys/sockets/xif/daynaport The Daynaport driver is now in the FreeMiNT repository too.
~~~
Check out PCBWay's community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
My PCBWay Projects page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
I still have an original floppy disc drive attached to my 'experimental' STFM board, but would like to be able to boot games from an external Gotek.
Here's a simply modification to switch drive A to be drive B on demand.
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
https://bsky.app/profile/thetechnoshed.bsky.social
github.com/dh219
~~~
Check out PCBWay's community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
My PCBWay Projects page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
My Amiga 500 came with a heavily battery-corroded 512kB + real time clock expansion in the trapdoor.
I made such a mess of cleaning up and socketing the RAM chips that I gave up with it initially. But now I'm back.
Surely it can't get any worse.
What do you think?
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
~~~
Check out PCBWay's community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
My PCBWay Projects page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
Smalliermouse is an Atari-targeted refactor of Simon Inns' Smally Mouse 2 quadrature mouse emulator for modern USB mice.
Unfortunately, I've broken one of my devices.
Let's get the hot air station out and make a mess of repairing it!
Original Smalliermouse video: youtube.com/watch?v=NoOc9DXc0bM
My Github fork: github.com/dh219/SmallyMouse2
~~~
Check out PCBWay's community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
My PCBWay Projects page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
A little while back I built a pair of external PSU bricks for my STs and Falcon as I envied the Amiga's power supply so much.
I don't have an Amiga power supply, however.
Let's upgrade one of those PSUs to also run my A500 using a £1.20 module from EBay.
Can this power (the -12V rail of) an Amiga 500?
@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
The module I used (Ebay UK -- link correct at time of release): ebay.co.uk/itm/204833174430
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture and assembly, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their commuity of makers too. Right here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
This is has been a slow process, but I think I'm close to the end. One of the stick-outs is Day of the Tentacle, however. It's demanding on the hard disc which could be the crucial clue to what's amiss.
This is a lightly edited B-Roll video. Intended to be short, single take, non-sponsored output to show some behind the scenes working.
DSTB1: github.com/dh219/DSTB
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
I recently came into posession of an externally very grubby Mega ST 4 thanks to a generous offer on Twitter from a chap trying to salvage as much as he could from his late friend's house after its sale.
This machine belonged to Francis Monkmon, a classically trained musician and highly respected organist who was a founding member of progressive rock outfit Curved Air and went on to be in and play on many other bands and records over the years.
Something of a limelight-shy maverick he was not averse to using technology in his music and his instruments. This Mega 4 was a part of that and it had a surprise under the hood too.
Can we take this lovely old machine from Spoiled to Splendid?
@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
Francis Monkman: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Monkman
Smalliermouse: github.com/dh219/SmallyMouse2
Smalliermouse video: youtu.be/NoOc9DXc0bM
ST/Falcon External PSU project: youtu.be/yL95z67AbMM
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture and assembly, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their commuity of makers too. Right here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
The correct answer is to replace or retension the sockets as the sprung contacts have been pushed back over time.
However there's a much faster workaround for a short-term win.
Don't rely on this for your space probe, though...
@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
Did I get my calculations wrong? Is it a bad cable? Was someting else the problem? Was it all three?
@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
I spend far too much of my time (ie. most of it) working on my machines with the lid off. If I'm developing hardware or using something that doesn't work (yet!) with the lid closed, then the insides of the machine will be exposed.
On the wedge STs with built-in floppies and the Falcon, unlike on the wedge Amigas, the PSU was internal. And it exposes mains voltages.
It also makes the machines quite heavy to move around between the shed and my desk.
So I've decided to admit defeat and copy the Amiga in the one area we can all agree it had an advantage over the ST series: the external power supply.
Here's how I got on.
@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture and assembly, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their commuity of makers too. Right here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
Co-incidentally @powerofvintage9442 was building an external PSU just this week too!
youtu.be/ObbmF-wmNbM?si=vvu0sE4LCXGCa1Er
I try to build a little circuit that will control a charge/discharge maintenance cycle for my removable EV battery packs when my bike's in long-term storage pending sale.
I turned out to be a marathon not a sprint.
Using A Raspberry Pi, an INA237 power monitor chip, a pair of relays, a pair of MOSFETs (the source of much confusion), the battery's supplied charger and a 100W load. Here's what I did.
Programming was done in Python and is very basic as it's not my normal weapon du choix.
The INA237 chip communicates over I2C and has a trap built in for me!
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture and assembly, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing, injection moulding.
Why not check out their extensive community projects section too?
I've not a lot of time of late to work on any projects and to produce videos, so to keep in touch I've started a new series of non-narrative videos that I'm going to call 'B-Roll'.
This is the sort of thing larger channels would have a second channel for. Less edited, less produced, probably no conclusion. More behind-the-scenes, stream of conciousness type output to show what I'm working on and how without necessarily telling a story.
Feel free to go big on the thumbs down if this is not something you want more of, else expect more of these than 'main' videos for the time being.
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Today I'm trying to work out what's wrong with my DSTB1. I'm working on a new SDRAM driver in the firmware and getting nowhere. I then realise my booster seems to be unpredictably unreliable in 'release' configuration having worked beautifully in the past.
What gives?
Issue report: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=107764#p107764
DSTB1: github.com/dh219/DSTB
YAART: atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=30110
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
I've been having trouble getting the PiStorm to run stably in my STE, my primary development platform. Is it a problem with my PiStorm boards, or perhaps (and more likely?) with my STE?
Well the only way to take that out of the equation is to try it with my STFM. But after my CPU socket fitting (see previous videos), it's been unstable. Sometimes running absolutely fine for hours, but then I may move it and it doesn't boot!
Time to sort that out once and for all. Or at least I hope so...
Fixing my crashing STFM.
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
PiStorm has come on leaps and bounds since I was last actively developing for the project. A new ST-specific repository has been set up by Cryptodad (on the Discord) and a lot of new work has gone in.
We've got accelerated high-resolution, high-colour HDMI graphics, virtual hard discs, real-time clock pass-throughs and the biggest breakthrough of all, 100% ST-RAM access speeds at long last on the Pi 3+ (these have been available for a while on the Pi 4).
There are maybe some tweaks needed to firmware still, but this is getting very close to a viable daily driver.
BUT, open case machines, specialist motherboards, or relocator gymnastics have been required to use the two or three board stack.
So I thought I'd do something about it. In this video I build a special STE-targetted version of the PiStorm hardware which allows a Pi3A+ or a modified (ethernet socket removed) Pi 4 to be fitted internally to the Atari STE.
Do have a look and join the PiStorm Discord if you'd like in on project.
Made in KiCAD. Open source, as normal.
This project can be ordered from my PCBWay community page: pcbway.com/project/shareproject/PiStorm_STE_v1_0_df288de0.html
[[ Please note, I have specified latches rather than flipflops in this BOM as the lead time is much shorter. Through-hole components (1.27mm pin headers and 2.54mm receptacle) will need to be sourced separately and fitted yourself. ]]
PiStorm original (Amiga): github.com/captain-amygdala/pistorm
PiStorm-Atari (firmware & software for the Pi): github.com/gotaproblem/pistorm-atari
PiStormSTE (now under the PiStorm Atari repository): github.com/gotaproblem/pistorm-atari/tree/main/hardware/pistorm-ste
PiStorm Discord: discord.com/invite/j6rPtzxaNW
BBAN Solutions ST disc images: bbansolutions.co.uk/index.php/reviving-the-past/pistorm-atari
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
I didn't manage to exhibit or record any of the stalls this year as I was otherwise occupied, but I do have the keynote presentation from Richard of the Phoenix team (aka 'Icky') on the quest to provide modern FPGA-implementations of the custom Atari chips in the ST series.
With thanks to Exxos and Icky himself for the photos shown in the introduction and for the second camera feed.
Exxos' own recording may be found here: youtu.be/85PCFfYF4Hc?si=oe37plC5bH4e4Gwf
Icky's slides (no audio) may be found here: youtu.be/uY-MhbLzOfE?si=QKNeTgpED-cv-EA8
Exxos' forum, mentioned throughout, is here: exxosforum.co.uk
~~~
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Firstly, I encourage you to take a look at the Cyberlegends 2 retro computer show taking place on Sunday 8th October 2023 in Northampton, UK.
Secondly and very much of less importance is a quick update on some of the projects I'm working on as I've not yet been able to put much time into making videos recently.
For more information on the Cyberlegends 2 show, please see the Exxos forum.
exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6375
DFB1X: exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0260
Pico ST HD emulator: github.com/dh219/ST_HD_Emulator
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
How I replaced the battery in an Early 2015 13" Macbook Air with a third party battery from iFixit.
My wife's Macbook Air is shutting down without warning despite having a good reported state of charge. It could be a number of things ranging from thermal, through electronic to physical, but it could also just be the battery is getting on.
Apple suggsted the price to replace the battery would start from £160.
According to the iFixit website, replacing the battery looks to be relatively straightforward and I can get various third party batteries from about £60. Let's have a go myself, then!
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Third party links:
* ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Early+2015+Battery+Replacement/40697 iFixit guide page
* store.ifixit.co.uk/products/macbook-air-13-late-2010-2017-replacement-battery?variant=31646493573169 iFixit replacement battery (UK store)
* https://amzn.eu/d/6eKnBFW Kaiweets ES20 137-in-1 screwdriver set
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
I return to the eBay Amiga 500 which in the last video was shown to be mostly working, apart from the keyboard.
It's time to get the screwdriver out and take a look inside. We check if the problem is in the circuit board or membrane and ultimately decide to replace the membrane with a brand spanky new one.
With thanks to Kaiweets for the 120 piece electric screwdriver, which saved a lot of time: https://amzn.eu/d/cKXGdGM
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.
My PCBWay page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
References:
Amiga keyboard map: github.com/solarmon/Amiga-Keyboard
Membrane I bought: sellmyretro.com/offer/details/2871
EmuTOS: emutos.sourceforge.io
Replacement controller PCB: tindie.com/products/bobsbits/pcb-replacement-for-amiga-mitsumi-keyboard
The Atari Falcon IDE interface stores its data in Big-Endian format (as was natural for a 68030-based computer), but unfortunately it quickly became the standard to store IDE data in Little-Endian format.
Using modern removable media such as CF cards and SD cards with adapters on the IDE interface to your Falcon is common, but it's inconvenient to mount them in modern machines because of the need to image the media and byteswap it in software even though common Atari hard disc drivers, like HD Driver allow the partitions to be read on Windows and MacOS as well as the Falcon.
This board dynamically swaps the bytes in hardware without the register-breaking changes that a traditional 'twisted cable' approach applies. This means that you can auto-boot HD Driver from a byte-swapped SD or CF card, partition it with dual Atari/Windows partition compatibility and load the same SD card directly in your Windows or MacOS machine to copy files at pace.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219/IDE_Adapter_Autoswap
pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Atari_Falcon_Auto_Byte_Swapping_IDE_Adapter_4a5c9bda.html
This is open-source hardware, available at my GitHub and on my PCBWay profile
On-screen twisted wire speed measure in my old video: youtube.com/watch?v=6OSfqDosSyg&t=35m40s
Third party links:
* emutos.sourceforge.io Emutos. The premium Atari OS replacement that does it all
* hddriver.net Uwe Siemet's HDDriver, the premium Atari Hard Disc driver
* atari.8bitchip.info/DOS_IDE_free.php Pera Putnik's Free PC-formatted IDE driver
* https://forum.atari-home.de/index.php/topic,15740.msg247565.html#msg247565 CZietz' smart-swap IDE adapter for IDE-40 interfaces
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
Exxos forum user dad664npc has designed a built an new SD-card based Atari ST hard disc emulator using a Raspberry Pi Pico. It was released open source but public development ceased in January 2021 to take it commerical.
You can by Exxos' version here for what I consider a very reasonable price (it includes accessories): exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0259
I'd already started work on a board for this project based on the firmware as published in December 2022. My fork is here:- github.com/dh219/ST_HD_Emulator
In January my wife gave birth to a very healthy baby girl and I've found my development time somewhat curtailed! So here, six months later, is my attempt to bring up my board. Well, part one of it anyway.
BTW, I don't think I mentioned it. The IDC header on the board is to allow the use of an Ultrasatan-compatible ACSI to IDC cable instead of the DB25 plug.
~~~
Snapshot of the respository I've been working from: github.com/dh219/ST_HD_Emulator/tree/5d3d3df550c2d48f1b7e702f64874f7ab6fcbd85
Exxos forum: exxosforum.co.uk/forum
Commercial version: exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0259
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
They currently have a range of promotions to celebrate their 9th anniversary.
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
A relatively simple project today. I convert a string of 80 LED fairy lights from battery power to USB power, using an old iPhone Lightning cable.
I add an inline switch and reduce the luminosity with a through-hole resistor and a calculator.
Should be a quick one, right..?
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding and check out their great library of community contributed projects and ready-to-order modules: https://PCBWay.com
~~~
The lights I bought
ebay.co.uk/itm/354235013712
My PCBWay projects page
pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
The Falcon shipped with the option of a single internal 2.5" laptop-style IDE hard disc. The default offering was for 65MB (yes, megabytes, kids), but I was flash and received an 80MB one.
Of course, these days, spinning metal isn't all that and the ability to pop out an SD card and shove it into your PC to add files or configure things is very useful indeed.
Except the default Falcon byte order isn't compatible with everyone else's interpretation of the IDE standard so additional conversions steps are required.
The obvious thing to try is to add a second IDE channel via an adapter, boot from the master in Atari-mode and have the slave in PC mode with some software compensating for the change in real time.
Let's try that...
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
github.com/dh219/ide_adapter_1
pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
This is open-source hardware, available at my GitHub and on my PCBWay profile
Links:
* emutos.sourceforge.io Emutos. The premium Atari OS replacement that does it all
* hddriver.net Uwe Siemet's HDDriver, the premium Atari Hard Disc driver
* atari.8bitchip.info/DOS_IDE_free.php Pera Putnik's Free PC-formatted IDE driver
* https://forum.atari-home.de/index.php/topic,15740.msg247565.html#msg247565 CZietz' smart-swap IDE adapter for IDE-40 interfaces
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
It's been a quiet period in the shed as we've had a new addition to the family :-)
But on the subject of quiet, my Atari Falcon's replacement fan certainly isn't. What can I do about it easily & cheaply?
Here I measure the fan's current draw from the 12V line, introduce a resistance, measure the current flow after that and make sure the resistors can take the power dissipation.
I finally decide on 4x330 Ohm quarter-Watt resistors in parallel is the best compromise for me. 2x300 was quieter still, but I was concerned I'd lowered the cooling performance to much, given I run an accelerator too.
Here's a similar approach, but using a linear regulator to drop the 12V rail to 8V: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9330#p9330
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
I've been asked by a friend on the Exxos Forum to burn him some dual-OS ROMs. No problem, I've covered something similar before on this channel (albeit for the STFM).
HOWEVER, I have normal EPROMs in my STE. How can I test that these work?
Time to build an Exxos STE Dual TOS adapter board & show you how to make & flash 256k dual TOS images, then. :-)
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Exxos forum: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/index.php
STE Dual TOS at Exxos store: exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0232
My guide to burning 27C4096s: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4271
Emutos: emutos.sourceforge.io
Discussion about SuperTOS: atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=16398
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding. pcbway.com
Also, do check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.: pcbway.com/project
You can find some of my projects here: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
~~~
Following on from his recent acquisition of an Amiga 500, this life-long Atari ST aficionado tries to get to grips with the software side of Amiga-ing and tests what parts of his new hardware needs attention.
He also tries to play a game of Sensible Soccer, but clearly something's wrong with the joystick port...
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their extensive community section including shared designs and off-the-shelf project ordering.
~~~
References:
My first Amiga: youtu.be/qJJqirIsXQE
Keir Fraser's Github for Flashfloppy, Greaseweasle, Amiga Test Kit & more: github.com/keirf
Phil Kendall (et al)'s FUSE, the Free Unix Spectrum Emulator: fuse-emulator.sourceforge.net
0:00 Introduction
2:20 Power on
5:41 Keyboard and mouse in
7:57 PCBWay!
8:40 Playing with Workbench
11:48 Amiga Test Kit
14:43 Sensible Soccer
16:03 End of video. Definitely. Don’t watch any further.
DFB1 has a footprint for an 29F400 512k flash ROM chip and the 221018 firmware (current as of December 2022) has support for booting from this in the normal TOS4.04 address space (0x00E00000).
In this video I'll flash an image I've been sent by a user to test that it's Falcon compatible & discuss the jumper configurations necessary to do this.
The DFB1 is an open source booster card for the Atari Falcon 030. More information at: github.com/dh219/DFB/wiki
All source published under the terms of the GPL v2.
@thetechnoshed
DFB1: github.com/dh219/DFB
Emutos: emutos.sourceforge.io
~~~
I've been kindly sent an xmas decoration by PCBWay. It's a RGB strobing PCB in the shape of a tree, powered by a CR2032 and using copper layers for the tinsel.
The design, by Salvatore Raccardi, uses RGB auto-flashing LEDs which don't require current-limiting resistors.
They are, however, very bright and do drain the CR2032 very quickly, so I wondered if hacking in a series resistor would improve things.
This did seem to help with the brightness, but I noticed few blue and green flashes with an 820 Ohm resistor in line. Dropping this helped, but perhaps there's an internal resistance to each of these with which we're now creating a voltage divider and possibly messing up the forward voltage for the Blue and Green LEDs?
See what you think.
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding and check out their great library of community contributed projects and ready-to-order modules: https://PCBWay.com
~~~
Hackster project description: hackster.io/SalvatoreRaccardi/pcb-christmas-ornaments-18e73e
PCBWay ordering page: pcbway.com/project/gifts_detail/PCBWay_Xmas2020_Christmas_Badges_Tree.html
My PCBWay projects page: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
GadetUK164's channel where you won't find soldering like this: youtube.com/@ConsoleRepairs
0:00 Introduction
1:27 PCBWay!
2:17 Inspecting the board and its circuit
8:11 Calculating the battery life
12:48 Cutting the track & adding a resistor
16:40 Testing at 820 Ohms
18:16 Coda: revision to 330 Ohms
In an ongoing effort to get PiStormST working on other machines, I've decided I need another PiStorm. Today I build one from a 'part assembled' kit I bought.
This turned out to be *far* harder than I imagined!
PiStorm: github.com/captain-amygdala/pistorm
PiStormST (work in progress): github.com/dh219/pistorm/tree/wip-pistormst
PiStorm Discord: discord.com/invite/j6rPtzxaNW
Debug 68K: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
STE Relocator: pcbway.com/project/member/?bmbno=2C89C44C-EDF4-43
EmuTOS: emutos.sourceforge.io
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding.
Check out their community of makers here: pcbway.com/project
~~~
~~~
Today I look at my old Compaq FP5315 1024x768 XGA monitor which I use as my primary test monitor in the shed.
It started flashing the menu on the screen then locking up during one of my previous videos. The kind of thing you can expect with a failing power supply, or an aging tactile switch.
So, armed with a 50/50 chance, could I guess right first time?
Spoiler: no! I test the PSU and the main filter capacitor and eventually I replace the menu button's tactile switch.
BadMood by dml: atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=24561
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding and check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
~~~
0:00 Introduction
1:01 Disassembing the monitor
3:10 The PSU
5:10 Testing the main filte capactor
7:44 PCBWay!
8:27 PSU voltage testing
14:00 Testing the button switches
19:44 Voltage measurements under load
21:40 RTFM
22:35 Back to the swtich
23:23 Replacing the button/switch
27:04 Great Success!
27:36 Gratutious BadMood: Falcon030 Doom by d.m.l.
What on Earth have I done?
I've only got an bought a dirty, filthy Amiga. Literally dirty and filthy, actually. It's a 'loft find'. How does it look? Can I make it work or has it suffered Vartacite?
Well, to do that I'll need to power it up so the first task (after a good disinfectant bath) will be to build a power lead.
How did things go for this Atari ST nerd entering the dangerous world of Commodore?
https://www.YouTube.com/@thetechnoshed
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
0:00 Introduction
2:45 RAM expansion Vartacide
7:20 Quick rear port inspection
8:44 PCBWay!
9:25 Opening her up: the keyboard
12:13 Removing the can: motherboard inspection tour
19:07 Making a new power supply cable
23:32 Testing the cable in vitro
32:48 Powering up the Amiga!
35:02 Thou shalt check voltages
35:25 Outro
References:
PiStormST WIP Github: github.com/dh219/pistorm/tree/wip-pistormst
GadgetUK164: youtube.com/c/GadgetUK164
DFB1: github.com/dh219/DFB
On Saturday 24th September 2022, the first 'Cyberlegends' vintage computer show was held at the Hythe and Dibden Village Hall in Hampshire, England.
I was there with a modest display of some of my hardware projects and I had a wander around to speak to some of the exhibitors.
The event was sponsored by the Exxos Forum (exxosforum.co.uk) and there was a raffle to win a populated Phoenix Platform H5 (STF remake) board with all proceeds going to MyelomaUK.
With thanks to Exxos Forum user 'Robson' for the photographs and timelapse recording.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
~~~
Links:
Cyberlegends exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=115&t=5633
MyelomaUK myeloma.org.uk
Phoenix Platform exxosforum.co.uk/atari/last/REMAKE_INTRO exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=106
Acetracker http://newbeat.atari.org/main.php?page=productions
1-800-NATALIE by Timbral youtube.com/watch?v=vFUIDfu1drE&t=66s http://nb.atari.org/main.php?page=ace_tunes
Twin Shifter project exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=302
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
They also have an impressive community section where users can share designs: pcbway.com/project
Or order complete modules: pcbway.com/project/gifts.html
As of the date of publishing the 5th PCB Design Contest is underway. Submit a project to enter!
~~~
0:00 Introduction
1:08 MrBomberMillzy's display
12:38 DFB1 with Basilisk II and my desk
14:00 https://www.PCBWay.com
14:43 The Phoenix Platform: Icky speaks
28:02 A sheep in wolf's clothing?
28:16 Stephen_Usher's display featuring Kelly LeBrock...
I've been making heavy use of the Exxos PLCC to DIP adapter for my STE when developing PiStormST and DSTB1. It's great, but the orientation doesn't let put my keyboard without soldering directly to the board.
As an experiment into building a PLCC emulator of my own, I have a go at designing and building a re-oriented PLCC to DIP adapter for the STE and see how much room I have left to work with. Spoilers: not much.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Links:
My project at PCBWay: pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Atari_STE_CPU_PLCC68_to_DIP64_adapter_d1745a7c.html
The STL for the 3D-printable backing plug can be downloaded from the above link.
Exxos' adapter exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0234
Exxos' backing square exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0243
TwiSTEr atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?p=438151#p438151
DSTB1 github.com/dh219/DSTB/releases/tag/20220531
PiStormST playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBirr2xVnY5WSP5HiKwhJAbqc70Utyn4
DSTB1 playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBirr2xVnY5RSopx7pODmZmNqASdn5Px
STE playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBirr2xVnY7CdQCFlC3Jdzy3iZe28GR_
~~~
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
They also ahve an impressive community section where users can share designs: pcbway.com/project
Or order complete modules: pcbway.com/project/gifts.html
As of the date of publishing the 5th PCB Design Contest is underway. Submit a project to enter!
~~~
0:00 Introduction
0:27 My current Exxos adapter
3:16 The plan for this project
7:45 My design
10:24 PCBWay!
11:07 PCBWay send me swag
16:15 The boards arrive
17:07 Soldering up the board
23:20 Fitting the adapter board
28:47 The 3D printed backing square
32:15 Summing up
PiStorm is, basically, fully working, but the ST-RAM access speed is half what it should be. I explain why here and show off some of the fancy features PiStorm lets you have.
ALSO: Saturday 24th September 2022 is the CYBERLEGENDS RETRO COMPUTER SHOW in Hythe, Hampshire, UK.
Entry is free, but please book a ticket at cyberlegends.eventbrite.co.uk
Enter the raffle to win a fully populated and tested H5 STF recreated motherboard. You don't need to attend the event and all proceeds go to the MyelomaUK charity: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5639
I'll be going and displaying some of my projects. Do drop by for a chat!
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
0:00 Introduction
0:18 Cyberlegends retro show 24th September 2022
2:35 PiStormST development update
7:27 Booting stock TOS2.06
8:51 EmuTOS, 68040, 512MB TT-RAM
10:43 MiNT
13:01 Cyberlegends flyer
References:
PiStorm: github.com/captain-amygdala/pistorm
Discord for PiStormST and to discuss development: discord.com/channels/784428461330530305
My PiStormST playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=44shk0mjZcs&list=PLZBirr2xVnY5WSP5HiKwhJAbqc70Utyn4
Part of my STFM motherboard series.
My STFM is merely a motherboard. I've added a Gotek drive emulator, a new PSU, bus pull-ups and an accelerator, but I don't have a keyboard (and therefore mouse or joystick port).
Step up FieldOfCows' Raspberry Pi Pico-based IKBD emulator. Originally intended to replace a broken external keyboard on a Mega ST, it will work just as well on a STFM, STE or Falcon. Let's see how we get on.
To program the Pico, simply hold down the BOOTSEL button and connect to your PC. Most OSs will now present you with a virtual drive. Copy the atari_ikbd.uf2 file onto this drive. The Pico will instantly reboot and unmount itself. That's it.
Find the firmware file here: github.com/dh219/atari-st-rpikb/releases/tag/20220825
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Video includes the track "Wakka Wakka" by Brian Teoh, who I thank very much for releasing his music into the public domain.
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
0:00 Introduction
2:46 Smalliermouse
3:49 Eiffel
4:14 RPIKB
6:04 Checking the firmware flashed sucessfully
7:40 Choosing what to solder
9:23 Breadboarding timelapse!
12:15 PCBWay!
13:06 Pico working
16:14 Keyboard working
26:21 Mouse working
References:
FieldOfCows: github.com/fieldofcows/atari-st-rpikb
My STFM playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBirr2xVnY7M2_DVD8O4pVgCryolrmW7
Part of my STFM motherboard series.
I've previously recapped my Falcon's PSU and installed a custom-designed Exxos PSU in my STE, so, to complete the set of obvious retro machine PSU upgrade options, today I modify a Meanwell industrial PSU for my STFM.
I re-use the bracket from an old PSU, but find it hard to make the Meanwell fit accurately. Power switch and the IEC socket also have to be forgone.
Better than using an unmaintained original? Yes.
Better than a recapped original? No, but safer.
Better than the Exxos supply? Not by any measure, unless you're really pushed for price.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
Meanwell terminal safety cover by zymurgic:
thingiverse.com/thing:4679982
Video includes tracks "Going Bananas" and "Wakka Wakka" by Brian Teoh,
who I thank very much for releasing his music into the public domain.
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
0:00 Introduction
2:52 The Meanwell NED-50A PSU
5:32 Removing the bracket from the old PSU
9:39 Dodgy switch
12:25 Mounting decisions
18:12 Extending the ST's power cable
20:24 PCBWay offer
21:14 Crimping terminals
27:49 The mains connection
35:15 Final assembly
38:40 3D printed terminal cover
40:15 Checking voltages
44:40 Powering up the STFM
45:27 Looking for ripple with the 'scope
49:13 Summing up: the Meanwell NED-50A
References:
DSTB1: youtu.be/VHx3kat0Q6M
PiStormST: youtu.be/44shk0mjZcs
Dual TOS switcher for STFM: youtu.be/XA2CSNpYP3k
Mandatory fix: bus pull-ups: youtu.be/iRdvJUHq2m4
Exxos PSU: youtu.be/1sYyGynntZ8
Falcon PSU recap: youtu.be/ppJFRf5TIPA
UK Plugs (Tom Scott): youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q
My STFM playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZBirr2xVnY7M2_DVD8O4pVgCryolrmW7
Exxos new-built replacement PSU: exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0030
Part of my Atari ST Mandatory Fixes series.
Today I look at the change that can improve stability across all parts of the machine: overhauling the bus pull-up resistor packs.
The 10 kilo-ohm pull-up resistor packs fitted onto the data and address busses of most Atari STs was barely adequate for the task of stabilising the busses back in the mid-80s. Forty years of degrading boards coupled with the desire to add new hardware to these old machines has rendered them woefully so.
Exxos (of the eponymous Exxos Forum) has investigated this in detail and has found the best compromise value for these should be around 2.2kOhm.
The normal technique is to desolder the five resistor packs that cover the two busses and replace them with 8-way bussed 2.2kOhm resistor packs.
In this video I try something different: fitting extra packs, in parallel, underneath the motherboard.
Mandatory Fixes master thread: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585
This particular fix: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2235#p27504
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
Check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
0:00 Introduction
1:45 The Mandatory Fixes
2:18 The address and data bus and their pull-ups
8:28 The plan for today
11:43 PCBWay!
12:34 Adding the resistor packs
29:56 Testing
31:18 Shielding on
34:17 Summing up
This is a long-form project video with all circuit and firmware work developed on camera.
The project has examples of using an Arduino Nano for analogue input and digital output, performing digial to analogue conversion, using SPI and level shifting audio.
In this, the first part, I build a circuit with he Nano that performs some elementary audio sampling, a very small but measurable delay and plays that audio back at low fidelity.
Later in the project I intend to improve the sampling, regulate the playback, filter the audio properly, extend and make configuratble the delay and build a user interface.
Let me know down below if you like these long-format tutorial-style videos, or prefer a simple brief-and-show-results approach.
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding and check out their new price reduction on 4 and 6 layer boards here: pcbway.com/blog/News/Big_News_Sale_Promotion_for_Multilayer_PCB_86a5864f.html
0:00 Welcome & PiStormST update
1:26 Introduction
3:55 Components & initial circuit design
19:27 Initial breadboarding
24:38 PCBWay Price Reductions!
25:30 Firmware: programming a sine wave
32:31 Firmware: driving the SPI DAC
38:42 Testing the output on on the scope
41:32 Firmware: sampling input with an analogRead()
43:31 Testing with audio input
45:35 Testing with audio output too
48:09 Theory: adding a delay
49:52 Firmware: adding a delay
55:16 Measuring the sampling frequency
56:42 Testing the delay
59:05 Summing up
Having long hated desoldering through-hole components even more than soldering them (often with comic or flame-filled results), a proper vacuum desoldering station has long been on the cards. The problem is I don't have much opportunity to use them and so splashing £80 or £90 on a 'nice to have' is hard to justify.
However I spotted a bit of a bargain on 'Amazon Warehouse' (a kind of returns resale outlet) and picked up the latest in the ZD-915 line: the ZD-8915.
How did I get on?
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
The product I bought: amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079ZC3WBC
(Please note, this is not an endorsement and I have no relationship with the manufacturer or seller)
I'm very happy to be sponsored by PCBWay. They offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: https://www.pcbway.com. Check them out.
0:00 Introduction
1:17 Unboxing
4:50 Inspection & assembly
10:55 Filth
11:12 Experimenting
17:00 PCBWay.com
17:30 A big job: timelapse
19:05 Results
19:53 A simpler challenge
21:49 Conclusion
21:17 Bonus damage!
The PiStorm is an adapter to allow the Raspberry Pi 3 to replace a real 68000 processor by emulating it in software, offering many possible hardware expansions as well as proffering impressive raw speed.
Unfortunately it only really works in the Amiga.
Can we take the first baby steps into the brave new world that is PiStormST?
In this video I design and build a 68000 adapter board to let me easily attach a logic analyser and start the process of porting this great project to my favourite platform.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
http://github.com/dh219
github.com/captain-amygdala/pistorm
Project page at PCBWay: pcbway.com/project/shareproject/68k_Debug_breakout_board_160c445c.html
0:00 Introduction
2:41 The plan & the need for debugging headers
4:29 Breakout board design
8:12 PCBWay.com
8:46 Ordering the circut board
12:14 The boards arrive
16:02 Testing in the STE
16:59 Sneak peek at progress & current caveats
~~~
PCBWay kindly sponsor this video. At pcbway.com you'll find a variety of services to help with projects large and small. PCBs, 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal work and injection moulding plus SMD component assembly. They also have an extensive shared projects library.
I've been chancing my arm with some very old, unrefurbished electronics which are crucial to drive my STE and STFM.
It's time to bite the bullet and address the elephant in the room: I need a new power supply.
New PSU core: exxoshost.co.uk/atari/store2/#0030
This is part of the 'Mandatory Fixes' series. Please see the Exxos Forum, for more information: exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
0:00 Introduction
1:08 The new PSU
2:58 Disassembling the old PSU
7:55 https://www.PCBWay.com
8:26 Wiring
25:06 Testing voltages
27:14 Mounting & testing in the STE
31:55 Fixing the reset problem
39:43 Explaining the soft start feature
41:15 Sign off
At the end of my previous DSTB1 video, I soft loaded EmuTOS to enable the ability to use the AltRAM that DSTB1 provides as TOS 1.2 (installed in ROM) does not support AltRAM. This left me with only 70kB useable STRAM free!
Time to do something about that.
DSTB1 is an open-source accelerator and AltRAM card for the Atari ST: github.com/dh219/DSTB
Dual TOS kit: exxoshost.co.uk/atari/store2/#0245
Reset switch: exxoshost.co.uk/atari/store2/#0114
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
PCBWay offer PCB manufacture, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and injection moulding: pcbway.com
0:00 Introduction
2:56 The Dual TOS board
5:05 A closer inspection
10:51 Assembly starts
15:27 PcbWay!
15:57 Alignment checks & final assembly steps
19:20 I replace the reset switch, as an aside
26:18 Programming the EPROM
29:03 How to make the ROM image
33:12 Installation
36:00 Testing
43:29 What's next?
Having received reports of issues with the first release of DSTB1 on pre-STE hardware, I've picked up an STFM motherboard off eBay. In this video I take you through what's necessary to prepare one of these early STs for the accelerator card.
This video is kindly supported by PCBWay: pcbway.com
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
0:00 Introduction
1:24 Testing the new board
5:46 Chip removal briefing
10:17 PCBWay.com
10:50 Chip removal
12:19 Pin removal
16:59 Unplugging the holes
17:33 Soldering the new socket
19:19 Testing the new socket
24:18 Fitting & testing DSTB1
35:52 Outro
I had to hack FrontBench to locate screen RAM in the bottom 512k of ST-RAM. Consequently it won't run if AltRAM is unavailable.
Just a demo as sound output on pre-STE machines has been an issue.
exxoshost.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=5384
DSTB1: github.com/dh219/DSTB
http://twitter.com/thetechnoshed?lang=en
exxoshost.co.uk/forum
After the relief of publishing DFB1 and DSTB1, I took a break to mess around with what I could do with a CPLD, some STRAM, the cartridge port on an ST and... a VGA socket?
0:00 Introduction
2:18 Can it run DOOM?
5:00 Example images
6:25 Bootup process
9:36 The circuit board
15:00 Wrapping up
The second revision of my Atari ST accelerator is here and it's time to build it up prior to its open source release on GitHub (github.com/dh219/DSTB)
Many thanks to Exxos for supplying the CPLD. Visit his webstore (exxoshost.co.uk/atari/store2) and discuss DSTB1 at his forums (exxoshost.co.uk/forum/index.php).
Previous version of this card: youtu.be/PlojawkgNAM
Programming the CPLD: youtube.com/watch?v=MPWsPKPZxIc&t=15m10s
0:00 Introduction
5:10 CPLD
6:05 Buffers
8:00 Bent pints on the RAM!
9:30 SDRAM
12:17 Oscillator & LED
14:00 Oscillator voltage selection
16:28 Regulator & passives
21:42 Inspection
24:50 Pin and socket headers
32:38 Testing
35:50 Explaining the current blitter limitation
Anders' port: http://www.happydaze.se/basiliskii/
Upstream: basilisk.cebix.net
DFB1 (featured here): github.com/dh219/DFB
The fourth and final part of the build series.
The DFB1 is an open source booster card for the Atari Falcon 030. More information at: github.com/dh219/DFB/wiki
Gerbers & Kicad files are available now. Verilog & JEDEC files soon to be released. See github.com/dh219/DFB for downloads.
All source published under the terms of the GPL v2.
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
0:00 Supporting both 64MB and 128MB TT-RAM
3:54 Soldering the FPU socket
11:41 Debugging the FPU
23:26 Scoping the clock lines
24:50 Success with a 25MHz FPU
28:59 Upgrading to 40MHz FPU
36:20 Benchmarking
39:26 Summing up
42:09 Frontier (Frontbench) to close
Part three of a build series.
github.com/dh219/DFB/wiki
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
The DFB1 is an in-development open source booster card for the Atari Falcon 030.
It's intended for the release version to have source files for the hardware, the firmware and the supporting software published under the GPL v2.
0:00 Introduction
2:25 Soldering the SDRAM
12:30 Testing with the diagnostic cartridge
17:48 Testing the new RAM
21:20 Memspeed benchmark
22:52 Doom
23:39 MiNT & outro
Part two of a build series.
github.com/dh219/DFB/wiki
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
The DFB1 is an in-development open source booster card for the Atari Falcon 030.
It's intended for the release version to have source files for the hardware, the firmware and the supporting software published under the GPL v2.
0:00 Introduction
5:04 Resistor networks
12:00 LEDs
15:10 Testing with the programmer
22:05 Throughhole components
38:16 Flashing the CPLD
43:46 Testing it in the Falcon
[ Obligatory Gadget16UK mention: youtu.be/MPWsPKPZxIc?t=18m48s ]
Time to build one up and try to make it work.
Part one of a build series.
github.com/dh219/DFB/wiki
twitter.com/thetechnoshed
The DFB1 is an in-development open source booster card for the Atari Falcon 030.
It's intended for the release version to have source files for the hardware, the firmware and the supporting software published under the GPL v2.
0:00 Introduction
2:13 DFB1r4
4:00 Previous revisions
9:30 The new board
11:10 Assembly: soldering the CPLD
25:07 Assembly: the passives
41:25 Assembly: salvaging a voltage regulator
44:02: End of part one


