Shielding - is it needed?

General discussions or ideas about hardware.
Post Reply
PeteW
Posts: 99
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:09 pm

Shielding - is it needed?

Post by PeteW »

I will shortly be re assembling my 520 STFM, and am wondering if the metal shielding is really needed?

I was going to leave it off like I have on my Amiga and just store it in the loft in case I ever feel the need to put it back. It just seems pointless going to the trouble of modifying the shielding to fit around the 4mb memory upgrade if an easier solution is to not fit it at all?!
User avatar
rubber_jonnie
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 10600
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
Location: Essex
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Personally most of mine run without the top shielding, but you do need the bottom shielding for the best fit of the mainboard, so I always keep that.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
User avatar
exxos
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 23705
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:19 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by exxos »

No harm in leaving it off. Mines not had it for the past 20 years along with a case :lol:
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
User avatar
Cosmic Puppet
Posts: 1689
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:03 am
Location: West Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by Cosmic Puppet »

Can the shielding guard against an Electro Magnetic Pulse weapon. Was wondering whilst watching an episode of ElectroBoom?
US Atari 520 STFM (C070523-001 REV.D1) , Exxos PSU, 4MB Marpet Upgrade, Exxos 6 Chip TOS 1.04 USA, EmuTOS 20211020, Ultrasatan, PP Driver, Original Floppy Disk Drive, NEC Multisync EA193Mi Monitor, Star LC-10c Printer, iMP C100110-001 DMA.
User avatar
sporniket
Posts: 969
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:12 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by sporniket »

I believe that the shielding was more necessary when all our equipment were analogic, and thus sensitive to the radiofrequencies generated by surrounding equipment ?
User avatar
stephen_usher
Posts: 5656
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Oxford, UK.
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by stephen_usher »

Given how much RF the MMU seems to spew out, I'm guessing that the shielding is to protect other equipment from the ST.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
terriblefire
Moderator Team
Moderator Team
Posts: 5387
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:56 pm
Location: Glasgow, UK

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by terriblefire »

Pretty sure the shielding was victorian engineering to prevent interference with other devices. Rather than the device itself needing shielding.

It was much more important when we used RF modulators.
———
"It is not necessarily a supply voltage at no load, but the amount of current it can provide when touched that
indicates how much hurting you shall receive."
User avatar
Icky
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3993
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 10:57 am
Location: UK

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by Icky »

Just wear a tinfoil hat and all will be fine :lol:
User avatar
Cosmic Puppet
Posts: 1689
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:03 am
Location: West Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by Cosmic Puppet »

Icky wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:24 pm Just wear a tinfoil hat and all will be fine :lol:
Okay.
20201102_223735.jpg
20201102_223735.jpg (223.02 KiB) Viewed 4124 times
US Atari 520 STFM (C070523-001 REV.D1) , Exxos PSU, 4MB Marpet Upgrade, Exxos 6 Chip TOS 1.04 USA, EmuTOS 20211020, Ultrasatan, PP Driver, Original Floppy Disk Drive, NEC Multisync EA193Mi Monitor, Star LC-10c Printer, iMP C100110-001 DMA.
1040STfit
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:12 pm

Re: Shielding - is it needed?

Post by 1040STfit »

Ha.

Just came here to ask this same question.

Ditching it all. Well, saving it but not reinstalling.
Post Reply

Return to “HARDWARE DISCUSSIONS”