Tony's Random Atari Adventures

[tony.reynolds]

The 64-pin DIP socket story: Post Office delivered package to wrong address. Supplier says talk to post office. Well, my post office is a training post office so we get crummy service. I ordered more sockets from a different supplier (through Amazon this time). This is a negative done, a real setback.

Done this week:

• Quartus III for MiST, done/working; I've built 8 of the tutorial cores, ran them on my MiST hardware, and I understand what they did to get to them. The tool chain works great and I can build what I want.
• added JTAG headers to MiST board (5 min, not so bad upstairs in the early morning)
• ordered USB Blaster to be able to short-cycle new core development
• fought MiST and MiSTery for a while on my MIST HW and realized last night it's just the TOS version that makes things blow up. Gotta think ahead on some of these things
• Enjoyed time with the ST playing Dungeon Master just like it was 1987 again.
• built the MiST Viking Mode driver (trivial - it's one assembly file, but had to be done in prep to change the resolution in the hardware)

Next up:

• finish up all the MiST tutorial lessons
• modify the 4th core to support a higher rez just to see it happen.
• altering MiST viking mode in a few ways (alter resolution and driver)

No progress this week:

• USA power supply recapping and capacitor list by model number (tabled by attic heat)
• mandatory upgrades for 1040ST. Must select one or the other 1040ST and desolder CPU (tabled by attic heat)
• practice desoldering (tabled by attic heat)
• VME work (this work is tabled for now until I know what I want to build in the MiST and have a driver working for it in GEM and fvdi)

[tony.reynolds]

My sockets showed up today "miraculously" delivered. Now I will have extras when the others arrive.

Last night, I built the 4, 5, and 6 tutorials, along with 7a. The 7a tutorial is designed to read the filesnames off the SD card from which the core is loaded. This core fills fills the screen with random characters instead of filenames. I'll have to debug that code as the week progresses. No big deal.

[tony.reynolds]

I rebuilt the 7a code; the result was a couple of small changes that didn't produce a 100% working boot_rom.soc. I was able to get the right messages to the screen but the "petite fat filesystem" code didn't get along well with the SD card. I can't tell what's wrong at this point.

I moved on to the next tutorial, 8 for sound, and 9 for keyboard and mouse. They worked out fine.

image0.jpeg (68.2 KiB) Viewed 3712 times

[tony.reynolds]

Done this week:

• Bought a fishing tackle box to help me sort all the SD Cards I have for the MiST, the UltraSatan, etc. So many cards!
• Bought the TF536 from @PhilC - ty, sir!
• Took pictures of my 1040STFs and MegaST motherboards so I can ask for forum help to pick which one to use for my TF536 or to wait for H5 next year (no Rush)
• That attic is hot!
• Older post re: finished tutorial
• got the USB Blaster and set it up. Much easier than my Xylinx platform cables (those come with the wrong downloadable code and you need to spend about an hour seeking the right code out)
• built the MiST code and deployed it by JTAG to the MiST hardware. Bet you didn't know there is, by default, a status in the overscan area for dev builds I know I didn't! Mostly I'm using the MiST to explore graphics options - I recognize most people here are interested in real hardware but the MiST should allow super-quick turns on ideas.

  

  mist first build.jpeg (126.42 KiB) Viewed 3692 times

• Recapping progress: Got the values off the capacitors but this guide showed me I need more info! I'll have to measure the size of the caps to make the order. Makes sense, I should've thought that through.

Next up:

• Tabled: modify the 4th core to support a higher rez just to see it happen. The problem is resolution options and the limited RAM of the Z80 in the SoC. This is not really that possible. So what's left is this below!
• altering MiST viking mode in a few ways (alter resolution and driver)

No progress this week:

• mandatory upgrades for 1040ST. Must select one or the other 1040ST and desolder CPU (tabled by attic heat)
• practice desoldering (tabled by attic heat)
• VME work (this work is tabled for now until I know what I want to build in the MiST and have a driver working for it in GEM and fvdi)

[PhilC]

Have a look at getting yourself a desoldering gun/pump as it makes life so much easier, quicker and safer.

Took me about 5 mins to remove the last cpu socket with mine,instead of three times that and no ginger or thumb ache from using a solder sucker or burnt fingers using braid.

[tony.reynolds]

I got a really nice Hakko desoldering gun and the practice will be with that on a board I can tear up. Then I'll put it to the STs. I bought enough SIP resistors to do the "normal things" to the STs that I can use for the experiment. One of the 1040s will give up its components for the (eventual) H5

[tony.reynolds]

Here are some capacitor figures for four P/Se I have:
Mega ST P/S Best Electronics Part CB101635 by Skynet Electronics Capacitors US 115V or UK 220V
47uF 200V 16mm x 25mm
47uF 200V 16mm x 25mm
1000uF 25V 12mm x 25mm
1000uF 16V 12mm x 25mm
1000uF 16V 12mm x 25mm
330uF 25V 8mm x 18mm
120uF 25V 7mm x 12mm

STE P/S Atari C070800-001 Rev 6 by SONG IJ MMO with orange upgrade label ATARI Model ASPF34-3 117V
100uF 200V 18mm x 32mm
100uF 200V 18mm x 32mm
330uF 35V 10mm x 20mm
330uF 35V 10mm x 20mm
330uF 35V 10mm x 20mm
4700uF 16V 18mm x 27mm
2200uF 16V 16mm x 27mm

1040STF Model SR97 CA070059-002 115V
220uF 200V 22mm x 32mm
2200uF 16V 16mm x 26mm
2200uF 10V 16mm x 26mm
2200uF 10V 16mm x 26mm
1000uF 10V 13mm x 21mm
1000uF 10V 13mm x 21mm
1uf 50V 5 mm x 12mm 

1040STF Model 4501U1 CA0700059-002 117V
220uF 200V 24mm x 27mm
47uF 18V 13mm x 22mm
47uF 18V 13mm x 22mm
1uF 50V 5mm x 12mm
100uF 25V 6mm x 13mm
2200uF 16V 13mm x 22mm
2200uF 16V 13mm x 22mm
330uF 35V 10mm x 18mm
330uF 35V 10mm x 18mm4
70uF 10V 8mm x 12mm


Done this week:

• Received the other sockets I ordered to replace the sockets I actually received.
• Made a huge order at the Exxos store to support the TF536 @PhilC 's sending to me (no rush!)
• Made a huge order at Mouser for the caps listed above to recap 4 P/Se

Next up:

• altering MiST viking mode in a few ways (alter resolution and driver)

No progress this week:

• practice desoldering (tabled by attic heat)
• mandatory upgrades for my machines. I'll pick a 1040 for the bus resistor fix, first.
• VME work (this work is tabled for now until I know what I want to build in the MiST and have a driver working for it in GEM and fvdi)

[tony.reynolds]

Received my exxos store order. Received a machined socket that I ordered before I placed my exxos store order. The attic is cooling down.

Progress on altered MiST video port: Decided to make the alternate resolution be 1024x768. Reassembled the driver. I did a simple replacement of the H/V resolution numbers in the verilog but that went to "unsupported resolution" on my monitor. I know what I did wrong: I didn't make the H/V timing right.

Next up:

• altering MiST viking mode timings.

No progress this week:

• practice desoldering (tabled by attic heat)
• mandatory upgrades for my machines. I'll pick a 1040 for the bus resistor fix, first.
• VME work (this work is tabled for now until I know what I want to build in the MiST and have a driver working for it in GEM and fvdi)

[tony.reynolds]

Hi @philbo34 and anyone else , I received the TF536 in the post today. I took these pictures of my megaST so I can show what I have and what is to be done.

0. I will recap the MegaST4's power supply.
1. The entire motherboard: I will measure/possibly replace the bus resistor packs.

image0-3.jpeg (169.45 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

2. I will build the TOS 1.04/2.06 switcher and leave it in 1.04 setting. Of course I will remove the extra ROMs.

image2-2.jpeg (179.55 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

3. My MegaST4 has a Fast Technologies Turbo St 16mhz accelerator board. I will remove this board. I will install the exxos TOS 2.06 decoder and try out TOS 2.06

image1-2.jpeg (175.86 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

4. This is the location the TF536 will go.

image4-2.jpeg (180.31 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

5. The "stack" includes, from the bottom up:

1. pink poly = mainboard simulator
2. exxos machined socket
3. exxos TOS 2.06 decoder board
4. exxos machined socket
5. TF536

image5.jpeg (71.97 KiB) Viewed 3463 times

How's this? Does this sound sane to anyone? I will use my new exxos diagnostic cart to check out the machine at each step.
PS my attic is cooling to the point where I can stay up there for 20 minutes without turning into a sweat machine.

[PhilC]

@tony.reynolds really happy to see the TF536 hot to you ok.

And in answer to the above, this is what I've done / got.

Cpu socket replaced, then the decoder board on top of that, followed by the TF536.

I changed the bus resistors to 2.2k and fitted pullups on the WD1772 and 74LS06( in case of non atari floppy.)

I didnt solder on the cap or resistor on the TF536 clock circuit as it looks so far like it was just my Mega ST that needed that.

And then fitted the dual tos adaptor with EmuTOS and Tos2.06. Tos1.04 won't boot an 030.

I also found that my diag cart wouldn't work with a TF536 installed, so check it all works with a 68000 on the top first.

Then hopefully you will be good to go