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Silicon Times Report Issue 0010
ST-REPORT #10 October 24, 1987 Volume 1 Number 10 (c)1987 Rovac Industries
Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs
Assistants: Sue Perry, Ken Kirchner, Rich Decowski, Calamity Jane
=============================================================================
=CONTENTS=
==========
October News Roundup...........................................Larry Richards
Game Hints........Silent Service and Rogue
BBS List Compilation Request.....................................Scott Swaine
FoReM ST........................................................Calamity Jane
October ST X-press Magazine
Zmag Technique ST Kit form Upgrade.............................Mr. Goodprobe
CDROM Update....................................................Mr. Goodprobe
+-------------------------------------+
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+-------------------------------------+
=============================================================================
=ATARI NEWS ROUNDUP--OCTOBER=
=============================
Compiled for B.A.S.I.C. and Dateline
by Larry Richards
Copyright (c)1987 B.A.S.I.C. and Dateline BBS All rights reserved.
This article may be freely reprinted by computer user groups and BBSs
provided the above copyright notice is kept intact and credit is given to the
author, B.A.S.I.C., and the Dateline BBS.
The new hardware item now shipping from Atari is the "crown jewel" in the
product line, the Mega. The first production units were finally shipped out
recently and the blitter WAS included. Atari is now off on a "Mega rollout
tour" as they seek to introduce the new machines to "professional" dealers
throughout the country. Atari has also lined up a number of "professional"
software publishers, such as WordPerfect, which will be debuting the ST
version of WordPerfect on the tour, to accompany them. Yes, "professional"
seems to be the operative word here, as the Mega will have "professional"
dealers, "professional" software, and a "professional" price! The retail
price for a Mega 2 is $1699 for a mono system and $1899 for color. The Mega 4
goes for $2399 mono and $2599 color. Add this to stringent Mega dealer
qualifications and a STRICT no mail order policy, and it becomes evident that
discounts on these prices will be very hard to come by, at least for now.
This may account for the recent surge in sales of the 520ST and 1040ST, as
people who were patiently waiting for the Megas to arrive got wind of the new
prices and decided that "Power without the Price" was better than "Power WITH
the Price". In any case, other "professional" features of the Mega include a
attachable keyboard with much improved feel, an internal expansion socket, a
68000 bus extender socket (for external expansion), a battery-backed internal
clock, new ROMs, an internal DMA port and power supply tap, and, of course,
the long-awaited blitter chip.
OTHER ATARI HARDWARE STILL AMONG THE MISSING
All is not peaches and cream with Atari's promised hardware, however. A
number of new products have still not made their appearance and Atari is not
being very helpful in providing information about them. First and foremost is
the Atari Laser Printer, which was supposed to be out BEFORE the Megas. Atari
claims that the printer is working fine, but the INTERFACE that allows the
printer to pass along the ST DMA bus is still having problems. They say it
should be ready to ship "any day now". Of course, by the time it is ready a
$1500 laser printer with no on-board RAM and limited to use with one brand of
computer might not seem to be as much of a bargain as it seemed back in
January.
Cold on the heels of the Laser Printer is the Atari PC. Still missing after
months of on-again, off-again announcements from Atari, the Atari PC, like the
Laser Printer, might not be much of a bargain by the time it makes its
appearance. After almost being killed by a doubting Sam Tramiel, the PC is
apparently on again, but Atari does not seem to be very enthusiastic about it.
A $700 PC clone with a monochrome monitor and no slots doesn't seem like such
a great deal when a local electronics store here in Brooklyn is selling Blue
Chip PC clones for $438 complete with mono monitor and six slots.
Finally, for 8-bit fans, is the XF551 disk drive. This double-sided double
density replacement for the rapidly vanishing 1050 has finally completed
development, according to Atari, but no release date has been announced for
it. Atari had better get moving on it because there will soon be a horde of
new XE Super Game System owners looking for the disk drives promised on their
game packages.
NON-ATARI HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
Magic Sac users now have hard disk support and compatibility with more than
90% of present Macintosh software thanks to version 4.52 of the Magic Sac boot
software, now shipping from Data Pacific. Present Sac owners can get the new
software, along with a completely re-written manual, by sending their original
Atari boot disk, along with $20, to Data Pacific. Ver. 4.52 is also now
shipping with all new Magic Sac cartridges. The long-awaited Translator ONE,
which will allow STs using the Magic Sac to read original Mac disks, was
supposed to begin shipping on October 1, however a shipment of mislabeled
chips from "Raving Idiot Computer Chips" began trashing Translator mother
boards being assembled and played havoc with Data Pacific's shipping schedule.
David Small is picking up the pieces (and preparing his lawsuit), so expect
delivery to be delayed a couple of weeks or so.
Electronic Arts has finally admitted that the ST market does exist and has
just released a number of their programs, including Music Construction Set
(not Deluxe), The Bard's Tale, and the long-promised Marble Madness, to try to
make a few bucks off of it. I wonder if Trip included any "buy an Amiga"
messages with the new programs? Another long-time Atari nay-sayer, Epyx, has
also released some new ST programs, including Boulder Dash Construction Set.
ICD Inc., makers of the P:R:Connection the MIO board, the US Doubler and
SpartaDOS, among others for the Atari 8-bit line, has just introduced their
first ST product. The ICD SCSI Host Adaptor retails for $134.95 and allows
use of standard SCSI controllers and hard disks with the ST. There are a
number of other products on the market that do the same thing (from Berkeley
Micro Systems and Supra) for about the same price, but the ICD is the only one
that has a second DMA port to allow another DMA device to share the DMA bus.
This means that an Atari, Supra, or Astra hard drive could be used at the same
time as an ICD setup. Packaged with the Host Adaptor is a disk of ICD hard
disk utilities that allow, among other more usual functions, a hard disk to be
formatted to give about 10% more storage space than it would if it were
formatted using conventional software (approximately 2 extra megs on a 20 meg
hard drive). ICD also announced that they will be selling a complete hard
disk assembly using their host adaptor. It will be housed in a low-profile
case that can also serve as a monitor stand, and it will contain either one or
two hard drive mechanisms of 20, 30, 40 or more megs, depending on the
configuration ordered, and it, like the host adaptor, will have a second DMA
connector to continue the DMA bus. It will also have a SCSI port to allow up
to 7 additional SCSI devices to be controlled by the host adaptor. This will
allow flexible and relatively inexpensive expansion of hard disk storage
(great for BBSs!). Final prices were not announced, although ICD said that
they expect a single 20 meg system to be comparable in price to the Atari and
Supra 20 meg units.
Speaking of hard disk utilities, Beckemeyer Development has released a
package called the Beckemeyer Hard Disk Tool Kit which features an excellent
hard disk backup program. Finally, Future Systems Inc., current makers of the
Indus GT disk drives for the 8-bit computers, has just released the GTS-100, a
double-sided 3.5" floppy drive for the ST.
Except for the usual avalanche of games and such for the ST, and the renewed
interest in the 8-bit computers (a.k.a. the XE SGS), that's it for now.
LATE BREAKING FLASH!
Word from Neil Harris on GEnie is that the IBM hardware emulator box, which
had been "on the back burner" while Atari fiddled with the PC, in now
apparently back under full development at Atari. My guess is that Atari
discovered that they could sell the Megas to the business market much more
effectively if they featured MS-DOS compatibility (in fast hardware rather
than slow software), much like the Mac SE/II and the Amiga 2000. Of course,
no price or release date was mentioned.
=============================================================================
=GAME HINTS= Silent Service and Rogue
============
Silent Service, Microprose Simulation. Your mission: As commander of an
American submarine in the Pacific during World War II, you must hunt down and
sink Japanese freighters, troop carriers, and tankers.
* Ships are slowed considerably when hit by a single torpedo. When attacking
a convoy, select the juiciest target, and fire a single torpedo before diving.
Dive deep enough to avoid being detected by any destroyers and continue at
two-thirds speed in the same direction as the convoy. Destroyers will usually
abandon the wounded ship in order to protect the remaining convoy. Speed up
the simulation until the convoy is well out of range while observing the ship
on radar. Then surface to torpedo depth and strike again.
* A few hits from the deck gun will slow down any ship and cause it to fall
behind the convoy.
* Sometimes a convoy will head for land and remain a few hundred yards off
shore. The ships will form a relatively tight circle and continue to circle
while the destroyers (the fastest blips on the radar) move in random
directions. A sub can creep up on the convoy making sure to use slowest
possible speed and minimum profile. Position the sub fairly close to the
convoy, while remaining close to the bottom. If detected by the destroyers,
dive to the bottom and shut off the engines. The destroyers cannot detect a
sub which rests on the bottom unless it happens to be very shallow (under
100'). Ships can be picked off one at a time by surfacing to periscope level
and firing no more than two torpedoes at a time. Be sure the destroyers are
on the other side of the circle before firing.
* If a convoy is guarded by only one destroyer it might be worth your while
to try to sink it. However, make sure that you shoot at it before any of the
other ships in the convoy. When it starts closing on you open up with the
deck gun (especially effective at shorter ranges -- around 1000 yards).
Rogue
Epyx, Inc. Arcade/skill. Your mission: Explore the never-ending levels of
the Dungeons of Doom and recover the lost amulet of Yendor- and get back to
the surface in one piece. Along the way, you'll discover hordes of monsters,
ranging from trolls to copying machines. To help you on your quest, you must
use your weapons, your wits, and the multitude of items that can be found
within the dungeon.
* Food and magic are your most valuable possessions. Use them sparingly.
Both get increasingly scarce as you descend further into the dungeon. Wait
until your characters are faint with hunger before eating, and save wands and
staves for the really tough monsters, such as Griffins and Jabberwocks.
Scrolls are the exception to the rule. Since they are most often helpful,
they should be read at the first opportunity.
* Wands and staves which shoot magic may ricochet. Make sure you are facing
your opponent on a diagonal line before you zap it.
* Wands of polymorphing are dangerous on low levels, since you take the risk
of turning a monster into something even more powerful. Use them when you are
very deep in the dungeon, because odds are that you will turn a very nasty
monster into one that is less formidable.
* Aquators, which rust through your character's armor, like to lurk in dark
rooms and behind doors. If you see one coming, remove your armor or try and
fight it from a distance.
* Let sleeping monsters lie, until you have cleared the rest of the level.
* Before drinking a potion, make sure that you have cleared the level so that
(hopefully) nothing will attack you should the potion be harmful.
* If you have lost hit points and need to rest, either stand in a dead end or
over a staircase. By standing over a staircase, you can flee if a monster
comes.
* Some scrolls and potions identify themselves as soon as they are used. For
those that don't, refer to the following charts:
Message Name of scroll
=============================================================================
Weapon gives off a flash of white light. Vorpalize weapon, Weapon glows blue.
Enchant weapon Armor glows faintly. Enchant armor Hands glow red Monster
confusion watching you.
Remove curse. This scroll has a map on it.
Magic mapping This scroll is an identify scroll
Identify
Hear a cry of anguish in distance. Hold monster
Hear laughter in distance. Scare monster
You fall asleep Sleep
Scroll vanishes as you're reading it Teleportation
Create monster
Nose tingles ass your sense food. Food detection
Nothing on paper to read Blank paper
Message Name of potion
=============================================================================
You're confused. Confusion
You can't move. Paralysis
This potion tastes like slime mold juice. See invisible
You suddenly feel more skillful.
This potion has an extremely dull taste. Quench thirst
A cloak of darkness falls around you. Blindness.
You feel yourself moving much faster. Haste self
You feel sick. Poison
You feel better. Healing
You feel much better. Extra healing
You feel stronger. Gain strength
You feel warm all over Restore strength
* The most frequent complaint about the game is the player's high mortality
rate. We found the following method very helpful in keeping our characters
alive: As soon as you have completed a level, save your game. When the disk
is through accessing, remove it from the disk drive and slide the write-
protect button to the up position (so you can look through the little hole).
Next, restore your game and proceed to the next level. If you are killed
during this foray, the machine will attempt to erase your character from the
disk, but it will be prevented from doing so by the write-protect. Therefore,
it is a simple matter of restoring your position, and you'll never be more
than one level away from where your character was killed.
* If you successfully complete a level, you may save your position by turning
off the write-protect, making sure it slides all the way, and then saving the
game normally.
KEEP TRACK OF WHETHER THE WRITE-PROTECT IS ON OR OFF!!!
* If you have one Identify scroll and several magic items, you can try saving
your position as described above, and then identifying an item, restoring
the game and identifying another item. You can do this indefinitely.
=============================================================================
=INFORMATION REQUEST=
=====================
Hey, all you Sysops out there! I'm compiling a BBS list and if you want your
BBS to be included in it then either send Email to my ID #72057,1542 or call
up my BBS at (805) 968-5094 anytime from 8AM to 8PM and leave a message to the
Sysop (me). Please include the following information:
Your BBS name
Your city & state
The BBS phone number(incl. area code)
The baud rate settings
It's hours of operation
The Sysop's (your) name
The type of BBS Software
The type of computer(s) aimed at (IBM, C-64, Atari, etc.) or if none in
particular then say "All"
The access method (standard dial-up, PCPursuit, 800-number, etc.)
And a code to describe the function of your BBS:
0 - General
1 - Message exchange only
2 - File exchange only
6 - Private system
7 - Subscription or pay-to-access system
8 - Religiously oriented
9 - Sexually oriented
If the system is a "first of it's kind" or in other words the original system
using that kind of software then instead of using the appropriate code above
(0-9), use a code between @ and I (add 16 to the ASCII value of the normal
code).
Help me out by formatting this list with each entry enclosed in quotes and
each field separated by a comma. A sample list may look like this (I'll use
my BBS information as an example):
"CONSOLE COMMAND BBS","Goleta","CA","805","968","5094",300/1200/2400",
"8AM-8PM","ScottSwaine","GT PowerComm","IBM","dial up","0"
You will notice that the phone number is split into three parts. This is so
that it can be sorted and searched properly. The field lengths for each entry
are 30, 20, 2, 3, 3, 4, 20, 10, 20, 20, 20, 15 and 1, respectively. If you
have any more ideas about what kind of important information should be
included in the BBS listings, please tell me.
Canadian numbers can be used but please use as the state code the following
abbreviations:
AB - Alberta
BC - British Columbia
ON - Ontario
QB - Quebec
MB - Manitoba
SS - Saskatchewan
LB - Labrador
NS - Nova Scotia
NF - Newfoundland
NT - Notre Dame
NB - New Brunswick
Since I don't know if Canada even HAS 2-letter abbreviations for their
provinces (I got some of these out of my dictionary), this will have to do
unless somebody tells me otherwise. If Canada DOES have 2-letter
abbreviations, let me know! By the way, are all these a part of Canada? Are
there more? (Shows how much I know about Canada!)
I'm using File Express to manage the database so if any of you have a list of
BBSs in that format then you can send that if you like.
Soon I will have a 'door' to a BBS finder program which the caller can use to
search through the list and find BBSs in their area or around the country.
With all the BBSs in operation, it would be nice to have a master catalog of
them so if you can help out, it would really be appreciated!
Keep a lookout for updates to this info. Thank you and happy BBSing!
Scott Swaine, Sysop
CONSOLE COMMAND BBS (805) 968-5094
300/1200/2400 baud Hours: 8AM-8PM
=============================================================================
=FoReM ST=
==========
FoReM ST BBS Program
by Matt Singer
by Calamity Jane - OpSys
The Prairie Chip BBS
Node # 45
August 1, 1987 -- A typical Saturday night at home around the modem. Wonder
what's new on Matt's board ?? <The FoReM support BBS> Haven't checked in for
some time... Had been hearing some rumblings about a 'new' version, let's go
and see. There sure was something new and it's called Two-Dot-Oh. SysOp
Beware and Enter at Your Own Risk... Beta Version.
The program was different to the point of converting all the message bases --
the file system, technically every thing but the menus. Paranoia set it but
deep. Thought long and hard about this one. When Space Cowboy laid down on
the floor in front of the TV, I couldn't believe it. I un-arcd it and said,
"Well, are we gonna DO IT??" He gave me one of those side glances and said,
"Just waiting to hear something from you." Funny, he got up and automatically
went to the Board. How did he know I wasn't talking about SOMETHING else??
Oh, well, new BBS on the way. I guess I can do THAT "other" anytime... ratts.
The Conversion was the first step in the big switch over... Sweat beads up,
the heart palpitates, the hair on my toes stood on end. Am I really ready for
this?? You bet!! The next few days proved to be quite interesting in the way
you can totally throw yourself into a project. We consumed three pounds of
coffee in as many days. Wired... but oh what fun. Checking into Matt's board
and talking with other SysOp's as to the many problems we were having. It was
amazing what some were having trouble with and others something entirely
different. Trying to get and make some sense of all this proved quite
entertaining. But I think I could consider it miserable fun. Our conversion
went pretty darn good. Many lost their passwords, messages bases, and hard
drives, Upon logging onto a FoReM board, one never quite knew what to expect.
"Due to a system crash all passwords are gone... please re log on," became
more and more common. We had no problem... in fact I bought champagne.
Matt had an UPDATE every day or so... The SysOps went from talking about 2.0
to the date of the archive. Then it really got down. We began talking about
the TIME of the archive!! There was _major difference between something arcd
at 10:00 AM compared to 8:00 PM. Oh, we're having some fun now!! I have
never been thru a complete beta test of something before in my life, and this
was truly 'fun'. I still wonder what Matt thought of some of the questions he
was getting on his Board... some were down right pitiful <I lost EVERYTHING,
but one menu>. SysOps were reporting major trouble and on Matt would go to
fix them. Truly amazing. Matt took the time to talk voice and then call The
Chip to help with a problem in the Doors <On-line Games>. Said thank-you
then, shall state my appreciation once again!!
The majority of problems consisted of minor things, like: the chat wouldn't
come on, the night mode for the screen would lock up, just minor
inconveniences. Other's were finding their board at the desktop every morning
and probably made for some long hours and late nights. I know we experienced
quite a few of them. THEN, enter David Chiquelin author of the F Mailer <and
SysOp of Atari-O!>. The F Mailer allows the FoReM boards to FoReM Net Work
<FNet> by calling out to each other and transferring messages and files.
Everything went sky high... I haven't seen so much hullabaloo, stimulation
and maddening craze set in since The Beatles hit New York City <<well,
almost>>. The talk on the boards, the calls to FoReM and Atari-O! ...wow...
Excitement filled the air and everything around us. My imagination went wild.
Now we had to deal with not only the FoReM updates but the F Mailer as well.
Which FoReM and Mailer are you running was the first question asked. The next
one was, "Do You Wanna F-Net??"
So, we set up all the .DAT files and prepared to F Net... _Major work
involved here!! Ready?? Ready!! The first time, the stat window
disappeared, the modem lights changed, and disconnecting modem appeared on the
screen, and last but not least, the sound of the modem dialing out, I about
fell over. Thrilled isn't the word for this. I probably did something really
stupid and jumped up and down. There is only one thought I had at the time,
and only one I still do. "It's ALIVE !!"
August 18, 1987... Things are going pretty darn good... some of this is even
making sense. Then you run across something like :: "DO NOT use this Mailer
until 11 PM EST on August 20, as the new version is not compatible with the
old one. So use the old one to distribute the new one around and get everyone
switched over by the changeover date." I wanted to croak... or go running and
screaming down the street, one of the two. It became <and still is> a major
thing to keep up; as older versions are not compatible with the newer ones.
All in all, we have used 31 different developments of the new FoReM. I didn't
keep track of the F Mailer.
September 21, 1987 - Stephen Kings birthday... Problems still arise when the
Board connects to one running an old mailer. One had an .ARC time of only 3
1/2 hours difference. I mean, we still don't talk version numbers or .ARC
dates... we talk TIME!! SysOps are getting it straight who to call direct,
and who to VIA with. The callers are becoming involved and making new friends
all over the country. The Prairie Chip is F-Netting with FoReM boards from
D.C. to California -- Texas to Canada. I personally, have made a different
type of contact with old friends and made some _very interesting new ones.
Some of the messages are quite bizarre, where as others follow a discussion on
terminal programs etc. Football is a HOT topic, and I really and truly wonder
if Matt Singer and Dave Chiquelin know, what they have done for the sexual
fantasy?? It is alive and well in the F Net...
The Next Rumor: Multi-User FoReM... ----SLAM---- The sound you just saw was
the door slamming behind me... I am running down the street screaming my fool
head off making a total spectacle of myself. Somehow I don't think I will get
too far before my imagination takes over once again... multi-user, huh?? hmmm,
sounds _very interesting. Lets see... more STs, modems, hard drives, phone
lines... I need some major money. Too bad Wyoming doesn't have a lottery,
guess this calls for a trip to Colorado. I wonder if I can get the next
number to be ***-2447 <***-CHIP> ?? I think I have gone mad...
October 21, 1987: FoReM is _super, the Mailer is fixed and things are _very
pleasant. I am getting some sleep once again, and the cold I got is just
about gone. The SysOp's are getting organized thanks to the F-Net-Master
General...David Chiquelin!! When anyone asks me what I "do", I tell them
"I F-Net!!" Join us... call a FoReM BBS today...
I would like to thank Matt and Dave for all their support, their dedication
and hard work. I am truly impressed with you two. Good luck with all
future's!!
FoReM 2.0 is available from Matt Singer at :
Commnet Systems
50 Eaton Road
Framingham, MA 01701
(617) 877-0257 (voice)
(617) 877-8756 (BBS)
FoReM ST & PC $59.95 -- VISA/MC/COD
Version 1 to 2 UPGRADE -- $5 for new disk, $20 for manual and disk
Supports the US Robotics Courier HST 9600 bps modem
Hard Disk highly recommended !!
Ten Dollars for the F Mailer Share Ware at <grin>:
David Chiquelin
501 Woodbine Circle
Omaha, NE 68128
Permission granted to reprint... as long as proper credit is given
-=-CJ-=-
=============================================================================
=ST XPRESS OCTOBER DETAILS=
===========================
ST X-PRESS is the fastest growing ST-specific magazine, and for good reason.
There is SO MUCH material, a little bit for everyone. We cover more reviews,
more languages, and more topics than any other ST magazine! Discover a whole
new world of information. Try our GEnie trial offer: $3.50 for the magazine
or $7.50 for the magazine with disk as opposed to the cover prices ($3.95 for
the magazine and $8.50 with disk).
ST X-PRESS has a full color glossy cover, glossy pages, excellent artwork,
and quality writing.
To order call or write to:
ST X-PRESS
P.O. Box 2383
La Habra, CA 90632
(213) 691-8000
Subscriptions are $35.00 for 1 year (12 issues) or $75.00 for the magazine
with disk.
ST X-PRESS
October 1987 Volume 1, Number 9
Contents
COLUMNS
-------
Best of the Public Domain
A series of reviews of the Best Public Domain programs.
By the Numbers
A very well-written column to guide Beginner's through the ST
Critic's Corner
A medley of various reviews, opinions, and advice.
Forth Forum
A monthly Forth column.
GFA Basic
The only monthly column specifically covering GFA Basic.
Let's C
A monthly column covering the C language.
Modula-2
A great column to learn GEM Modula-2 programming.
Off the Wall?!?
A tremendously hilarious off-beat column!
Pascal Primer
A monthly Pascal column.
Personal Publishing
The only column covering Publishing on the Atari ST.
STalking MIDI
A MIDI column from an expert, Stefan Daystrom, programmer at Hybrid Arts.
Zoomracks
The only monthly column covering Zoomracks, an excellent database.
FEATURES
--------
Atari's Blitter and New Rom
An indepth look at Atari's Blitter and the New Roms.
REVIEWS
-------
Alice
Barbarian
Goldrunner
First Shapes
Inventory Manager
Kid Talk
Micro Kitchen Companion
Mr. Boston Bartender Guide
French, Mexican, American Recipes
Mad Libs
Math Talk
Math Talk Fractions
Sales-Pro Plus
Speller Bee
ST Sprite Factory
Sub Battle Simulator
Vegas Craps
Vegas Gambler
Wanderer
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
Grapevine
The monthly Grapevine covering hot new products and rumors
International ST BBS List
A verified ST BBS list.
ST Archive
A Public Domain library of over 130 disks.
=============================================================================
=ZMAG TECHNIQUE=
================
If Only I Had Known!!!
by Mr. Goodprobe
Can you imagine how history would have been changed if the people involved
had a premonition of what was about to befall them? Would you have been at the
front of the line to get a ticket on the Titanic? Hardly! Well then, what
about a first class seat on the Hindenburg? A bit toasty for your likings?
Could I interest you in purchasing a bright and shiny new Edsel? No? I imagine
your hesitation to participate in these items is simply because you KNOW what
befell those poor folk that were there.
With the idea of forethought in mind, I have redone the infamous memory
upgrade for the 520St to include Revision B, H and 520STFM motherboards. At
this time no one is positive whether or not you will have to swap your
motherboard so you can have the Blitter chip installed, or if it will be
offered as a kit that the user can install himself. And, as we have all
learned, one should NOT believe any information that supposedly comes from
Atari till you see it firsthand. This upgrade will allow you to send in your
motherboard if that is required for a Blitter upgrade, and also allow for much
easier repair if you should ever encounter a bad ram in your beloved ST. And
away we go!.............
Needed:
1. 16 41256-150 (or -120 if that is what is installed in your ST already)
256k ram chips.
2. 16 16 pin IC sockets, the thinner the socket is the better.
3. 3 to 6 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistors (depends on unit you install the upgrade
in.)
4. #30 hookup wire, insulated.
Disassembly:
___ 1. Lay a soft carpet on your workspace to protect the face of your ST.
Lay the 520ST face down and remove the 6 Philips screws from the cabinet
bottom. Turn the unit over and remove the top and carefully lay it aside.
___ 2. Grasp the plug extending from the right side of the keyboard and
gently unplug it from the motherboard, then proceed to lay it aside also.
___ 3. Unscrew the 3 screws that are holding the top shield to the
motherboard, and straighten out the 11 metal tabs that are twisted to hold
the metal shield on. Set the shield aside.
___ 4. You will now find 3 screws remaining at the back side of the
motherboard. Remove these and pull the motherboard toward yourself until it
comes free of the bottom of the computer cabinet. Set aside the bottom shield
and the bottom of the computer cabinet.
Upgrade:
___ 1. If your using a quality solder station such as the Weller WTCP then
you can skip this step (Pass Go Collect 30 Saved Minutes!). If not, then
remove the following capacitors by desoldering one end, gently lifting it up,
and then desoldering the other end. The parts numbers are:
__C26 __C27 __C28 __C30 __C36 __C37 __C38 __C39 __C41 __C42 __C44 __C45 __C57
__C78 __C79 __C80
(If you have a Weller Station with a fine point you will be able to move
these capacitors aside with a jewelers screwdriver and still have ample room
to properly desolder the ram chips.)
___ 2. Desolder all 16 of the ramchips, doing so as carefully as possible as
you will need to reuse them later.
On a Revision B board you will need to desolder and pull away a 68 ohm
resistor that is presently fastened to pin 15 of U17. After the chips are all
installed you will tack a short length of wire on this resistor and reattached
it to pin 15 of what will then be the bottom U17. You will also need to remove
the bottom end of another 68 ohm resistor that is presently going to pin 15 of
U32. Later on, you need to also tack a short length of wire here and refasten
the lead to pin 15 of the bottom U32.
____ 3. Install and solder 16 IC sockets in the place you removed the ram
chips from.
___ 4. Prepare the set of 16 new rams for piggy-backing. Bend up pins 4 and
15 on all the new rams. If you hold the ram with the notch facing the left, as
you look at the top the pin closest to you on the left is pin 1. Count 3 more
pins to the right, thats pin 4. Pin 15 is on the other side of the IC and is
the next to the last on the top left side. Snip the skinny part of the lead
from pins 4 and 15 of all the rams so all you have left is the "stub" of the
lead left. This has to be done so they will not touch each other when
installed.
___ 5. Piggy-back the new set of rams on top of the old set. Make sure all
the notches face the same way. When soldering all leads to their mate (pin 1
of the top to pin 1 of the bottom and so on) solder all leads in this fashion
with the exception of 4 and 15. Make sure the chips are pushed together as
tightly as possible as you solder them, and that the sockets are as far into
the motherboard as possible. The reason for this is that if you don't push
everything closely together, the cover of your computer will bulge a bit as
the stack of rams will be a bit on the steep side for it. Even if it is, it
will not be too objectionable.
___ 6. We will now plug these 16 "ram packages" into the IC sockets. Do this
slowly and carefully, making sure all pins are lined up before you proceed to
plug it in, this will help you avoid the dreaded "mangled leads!". Insert all
16 IC packages, making sure they are facing the proper direction.
___ 7. Cut 15 1 inch long pieces of wire, and strip both ends of each piece.
Tack solder one end of each wire to a ram chip, the last ram in the row will
not have a wire...for now! Bring the free end of the tacked wires around and
attach it to the pin 4 of the the neighboring IC. Now all rams will have a
wire on pin 4, connecting all of them together.
___ 8. Cut 14 1 inch long pieces of wire, and strip both ends of each piece.
Tack solder one end of the wire to pin 15 of a ram chip, and proceed to the
next. After one side of all wires are tacked, then proceed to tack the other
end of this wire to the pin 15 of the neighboring IC. DO NOT join pins 15 of
U30 and U32 together, they must be separate. You will end up with 2 groups of
8: U16, 17, 18, 24, 28, 29, and 30 in one bank, and U32, 33, 34, 38, 42, 43,
44 and 45 in the other bank.
___ 9. Reattach the resistors you unsoldered before if you had a Revision B
board, those that were fastened to pin 15 of U17 and U32 respectively.
___ 10. If you had to remove the capacitors mounted between the ram chips,
you may now go ahead and reinstall them.
___ 11. Solder a 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistor to the pin 4 line you tied
together. Run a wire from the free end of this 68 ohm resistor to pin 18 of
U15 (the MMU IC). If you look at the IC you will note a little bump on the
chip, this is pin 1. If you turn over the motherboard, you count in counter-
clockwise direction, 1 being on the outside in the middle of the pins on this
IC. Count to the left, up and over a tad is 2, the down and over a tad further
to the left is 3, and up and a tad further to the left is 4 and so on. Pin 18
will be on the outer edge, on the left side of the chip as viewed from the
bottom. If you wish, an Arc'ed version of this text file and some handy
pictures will be available for each of locating these points. Whoever did them
really did a super job and I wish to extend my personal thanks to them for a
job well done!
___ 12. Solder one end of another 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistor to pin 15 of the
wires of the bank of rams on the left, which includes U30. Tack a wire onto
the free end of this resistor, and solder the other end of the wire to pin 21
of U15 (the MMU).
___ 13. Solder one end of another 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistor to pin 15 of the
wires of the bank of rams on the right, which includes U32. The other end of
this wire is to be soldered to pin 22 of U15 (the MMU).
___ 14. On a Revision B motherboard you will find a white wire tacked to pin
8 of the MMU. Take the lead off of U15, insert a 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistor,
one end going to pin 8 of the IC and the other end to the wire you just took
off U15. On a Revision H motherboard you will notice that directly to the
right of R134's bottom lead (closest to you) is a solder pad. Go to the
underside of the motherboard and gently cut the trace going to this pad on
the underside. Insert a 68 ohm 1/4 watt in this solder pad and solder it.
Locate the bottom left corner of the metal housing that contains the shifter,
crystal and the like. Count over 2 solder pads from this point (if you went
one more solder pad you would be next to the hole in the motherboard designed
to be a keyboard support, the pins on the right side of U30 are directly in
line with the solder pad you seek). Solder a wire here and attach the other
end to the free end of the 68 ohm 1/4 watt resistor you just installed.
There! Whew! That should do it! Take a deep breath, check your work,
especially the soldering of the rams together. The real advantage of doing the
upgrade this way is that since the rams were out in the open when you piggy-
backed them, it should be no problem getting the job done right! It should
boot up fine, and if you use the little "free ram" accessory I will include in
the Arc'ed file, you should see quite a bit more memory than you are used to!
Have fun!
Reassembly:
___ 1. Take electrical tape, or packing tape, and cover the INSIDE of the
metal shield where it will be covering the rams, do a good job as with this
upgrade, there is almost no free space, and the rams will almost be touching,
therefore it MUST be insulated.
___ 2. Reseat the motherboard in the bottom of the computer cabinet, and then
place the metal shield over it. If you soldered the sockets close to the
motherboard, and also tightly squeezed the rams together as you piggy-backed
them ,you should have just enough room. If not, it will bulge slightly, but
not too much, tighten the screws on the metal shield just enough to begin to
tighten it, but not too much.
___ 3. Plug the keyboard back in, reseat it properly in the case, and then
place the top over this. Hold the entire computer together and flip it over.
Reinstall the 6 screws to hold the covers together.
Now, if our beloved Atari does require a motherboard swap, you are all set,
and won't loose the investment you made in the extra ram chips. And if any
repair is ever needed, your job will be much easier along that line also. By
the way, if you purchased a 520STFM, which has a built-in single sided disk
drive, you can easily upgrade the memory by removing the solder in the holes
found in the motherboard., and install the 16 256k rams in the PRE-DRILLED
holes, couldn't be easier! Then pick up 16 .001 at 50 volt capacitors and pop
them in the appropriate slots also. Wasn't that a snap!
While you are in your ST, check to see if there is a diode connected up in
the air from pin 3 of U19 to the bottom side of C32, it would be wise to
install this protection diode. Use an ECG 519 for this purpose, just a little
security your ST will appreciate!
Keep those Atari's hummin'!
Mr. Goodprobe
(on lend from)
Midtown TV
Atari 8/16 Service/Sales
Here is an additional note. Shortly after this issue is published, I will
make the arced file referenced in this text available. On the Zmag BBS we
will locate it in the MISC1 file area and the filename is: MRG_MOD.ARC. On
GEnie and CompuServe, check for the upload in the following areas.
GEnie--ST RT
CompuServe- Atari16 DL 8
Thanks for reading ST-Report. This weeks edition brought to you by Midtown
TV. Check out the rest of this weeks edition for Midtown advertising!
=============================================================================
=CD ROM UPDATE=
===============
Msg# : 3
Read: 1
Sent : Oct 13, 1987 at 10:40 PM
To : ALL
From : MR. GOODPROBE
Subj : finally...
It seems that our patience with our Beloved Atari is finally paying off.
Please capture this message and spread it around to the faithful!
Last Saturday in London Atari showed its CD Rom system, it will be compatible
for all computers, and its presently available in a 350 meg format. We are
promised it later this fall, but wouldn't look too hard for it till this
coming summer. Now pull up a chair and I will type in an article I just found
in one of our trade magazines that arrived yesterday. The headline reads:
ATARI TO DISPLAY TRANSPUTER-BASED WORKSTATION AT COMDEX
by Tom Moran
INFO World Oct. 12,1987 Volume 9, Issue 41
In its first entry into the technical workstation market, Atari Corp. will
show at Comdex prototypes of a workstation that will operate at 10 MIPS
(million instructions per second) in its most basic configuration, the company
said.
Because the system supports the Inmos T-800 Transputer CPU, which is designed
for parallel processor chips, users will be able to add additional
transputers, perhaps as many as several hundred working on one application at
the same time. In such a system "its actually very easy to have 100 MIPS for
very small amount of money, " said Shiraz Shivji, vice president of research
and development for Atari.
We're aiming at a price point under $5,000 (for the basic system), but that
doesn't mean we will hit it," said Bob Gleadow, general manager of Atari's UK
operation. The basic system will have one processor; more will be added in
cards holding 4 processors each.
Gleadow declined to estimate what a four-processor card might cost, based on
the market value of the Inmos processor. "I'm sure the market price is a lot
more than we intend to pay, so it wouldn't be a fair estimate."
The Unixlike operating system for the workstation will be Helios, under
development by Perihelion Software of the United Kingdom. "Unix doesn't
support great graphics, so this is like a cross," said Gleadow. He confirmed
that the company is working on a proprietary coprocessor chip for music and
graphics functions. He also said that Atari is working on a chip that will add
virtual memory capability to the Inmos transputer.
Atari hopes to begin production in March or May. "there's more likely to be
slippage on the software than on the hardware," said Gleadow, noting an
operating system is more prone to delays than a hardware design. The company
will first market the machine to the United Kingdom and Europe building up
languages and applications before introducing it in the United States. "We
would like to see it there in late 1988," said Gleadow. One of the
applications being developed by a third party is a DOS emulation program, he
noted.
The workstation will include a very high-resolution monitor being made for
Atari in the Far East, according to the company, Atari will provide for
compatibility with the firm's Mega and St line of computers, a spokesman said.
Well, it appears our beloved Atari, with the release of the long awaited Mega
ST, the showing of their CD Rom system in London as announced this past
Saturday on the Computer Chronicles (so nice to see Atari on the news!) and
now this announcement, really are healthy and looking forward to the future...
just another reason to BUY Atari! Is seems so long ago that that Atari was
nearly totally out of the picture as far as the home computer world goes,and
now they are alive, vibrant, and ready to take on the BIG guns of the micro-
world.
You and I of course will not be able to afford these systems mentioned in
this article, but it will directly affect you and I as we can expect Atari to
be around for a long, long time, and therefore receive continued product
support, and that is super news!
Finally, for those uninformed souls amongst us,a CD ROm system, is a mass
storage device system, similar in some ways to a hard drive in that you can
store large amounts of data in it. A CD ROM system can hold 500+ megs easily
on a disk, (Atari has chosen a standard format which will hold 350 meg on
disk), while a hard drive can hold large quantities of data, 20 and 30 meg
being typical sizes of drives today, with them extending as high as 160 on a
single drive. The difference between the two is that the CD ROM system is NOT
prone to head crashes upon power failures as the hard drives are, you can
change the data-holding disk in the CD ROM just as simply as popping in a new
record, while with a hard drive "what you see is what you get". The price too
is much more affordable, and Atari plans to introduce its CD ROM device at
$650, while the equivalent in hard drive storage would easily run you over
$6,000! Until recently, CD ROM devices were read only, but I have great news!
There is a fine gentleman over in the United Kingdom that has a read/write
capable CD ROM system up and running on the ST, and he plans to introduce it
next year, at a very affordable price.
I don't know about you, but with each passing day, I am more and more amazed
at how intelligent I was for buying an Atari system, and the list of reasons
why is growing with each passing moment!
Keep those Atari's hummin!
Mr. Goodprobe
(on lend from)
Midtown TV Atari 8/16 Repair/Sales
=============================================================================
ST-Report Issue #10 October 24, 1987 (c)1987 Rovac Industries.
If you are interested in placing an ad in this or any other Rovac publication,
please call: (201) 968-8148 Modem Only 24 hours a day.
Next issue of St-Report November 7, 1987..Happy Halloween!
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