Get Atari'ing quicker for less with a Sidecart
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The Sidecart project can really lower the barrier to entry for Atari ST hardware...even replacing the need for a floppy drive on a "floppy driveless" Atari 520STM (no internal floppy computer).
I take an ebay sourced sub-$100 Atari 520ST and get it up and running in a matter of minutes (after some minor deoxit and re-seating of chips).
Sidecart project: sidecartridge....
#retrocomputing
#vintagecomputing
#atari
#atarist
#sidcart
I designed and uploaded a 3D printable case for the Sidecart to Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6508796
Just ordered a sidecart. Looks amazing. Is there a 3D case variant for the usb ports ?
Ignore that, I see someone has already remixed it for the USB ports.
SidecarT “perpetrator” here 🙋🏻♂️! Thank you very much for the review. I believe you did a great job explaining how it works and, particularly, how it aligns with my goal of helping people revive our beloved old Atari ST computers.
Something I would like to mention is the device firmware is in very early stages and it will add more features very soon. So games that now don’t work will work and some new devices like hard disks, keyboards, mice and more will hopefully will be emulated very soon. It will take time, the SidecarT is only 4 months old! 😅
Great device with great promise, and I think the it's especially useful with new users of Atari ST hardware.
Thanks to both of you - I was waiting for my curry last night in England - saw this - looked up origin - asked my Spansih friend to check it out .. this morning I ordered 2 (one fully assembled and one diy). We will give it a go. If we can get it working then likely we will try to get involved in dev etc. I was using STs heavily in early 1990s for programming. Thanks for rekindle my interest.
I second the thanks to both of you. AMAZING device and very approachable video for an old timer getting back into a ST for the first time in nearly 40 years!
Amazing device. WIll be ordering one pretty soon. If I order the one "with" the Pico WH, does it come already "to Go"? Or is there some assembly required? ;)
@@AzraelSWFC2011yes, it’s ready to go. Plug and play with the latest firmware if you order a unit with the Pico WH
I am from iceland and i did buy it for my atari st. It is a amasing device and thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing this! I started off with a TRS-80 CoCo2 when I was 13 and just a few years ago got back into that era of computing. After buying and fixing a couple dozen CoCos, I started branching out into all the other machines from the 80s and 90s that I never got to experience, my latest acquisition being an Atari 1040 STF! I have the machine itself, a mouse and power supply, but currently have no monitor cable (on order from eBay). Now because of your video, I've ordered a SidecarT kit and a couple of RasPi Pico Ws, and I can't wait!
It’s a good starting point, and is in active development.
I have never been into anything Atari but I always liked the look of the ST so I added a 1040STf to my collection which does work and when I saw the Sidecart and what it could do I ordered one. I already have options for video and I have VGA monitors that can display 15 KHZ because of my Amiga Collection but I am in the process of converting them to run HDMI which I will also do with the 1040STf and I plan on converting the Keyboard an Mouse over to USB so I can place the 1040STf into my server rack where most of my Amigas are. Honestly if I really put that 1040STf to use then I will have to buy another for my Wall Displays for retro computers unless I can find a suitable case replacement then I would display the empty 1040STf Case but I could probably find a 2U or 3U Case and modify it for the 1040STf motherboard and rack mount it that way. I use a 27U Rack which is an ugly solution to hold my primary Amiga Retro Collection and use KVM Switches and PDU's to use them but this was more about saving space.
I think the greatest about the 520 and 260 ST is, that they have an external power device. So all the heat does not go into the housing ans also it is much easier to replace with an up-to-date one. Unfortunately they have no play for to upgrade a blitter chip.
I do really like the smaller form factor. There existed accelerators that could allow a blitter to be added: An Atari Mega STe in a 520ST body?
ua-cam.com/video/_6h4HsDCgio/v-deo.html
It's certainly a lovely little device. A nice 3D printed case is next!
Next weekend is what I’m thinking. We’ll see if I can find time. have to travel to Italy this week.
Case designed and tested...video of my sloppy and iterative process incoming. www.thingiverse.com/thing:6508796
I would post a link. But, i remembered you cant anymore, lol.
I would love to see a video on it if you can get it too work.
To remove the discoloration after you clean with some dish soap.
Use this mix. dissolve as much oxy clean as you can in hydrogen peroxide (%3 ) it wont take much you should have some undissolved. Place the plastic parts in a glass or plastic tray, works well on the keys. Then just put it in the sun on a sunny day ,( I did this in Florida so results may vary, try a UV light if you are sunless) this works well on the plastic and wont hurt the plastic. In a few hours rinse them off.
It would be nice with a 3D-printed cover/case. Great video as usual.
I’ll get designing one!
@@powerofvintage9442 I'm looking forward to seeing that.
You can find it here: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6508796
Does the device add ram? I'm pretty sure the 68000 can access extended ram from the cart port.
No this does not add RAM. At the moment it emulates various ROM's, diagnostic cartridges, floppy drive, and hard drive.
I guess i cant reply anymore on UA-cam, lol.
I sent 3 replies, they were automatically deleted, lol.
I was trying to ask which atari computer would you recommend for users like me?
I know you said these machines have different versions?
Are stfm any good? How are stfs?
For a first time Atari owner in the US, I would recommend an Atari 1040STFM which can be found for around $200-$300 USD. It is a good balance of capability (1mb of RAM can run pretty much any software and an internal floppy drive and power supply are helpful so you don't have to find / buy an external PSU or cables.)
If there aren't any available or if you're more budget constrained, the 520STM I show in this video with as sidecart is a good first option! It has less RAM, but they can often sell for less than $100 USD and the sidecart makes them an option to get up and running with them without the need for a floppy drive and cables.
I would not be spraying deoxit on this board. Instead, I would get some 99% IPA and a toothbrush and dip the toothbrush in the IPA and then scrub the sockets with the toothbrush.
For one, deoxit ain't cheap. It's like 20 bucks for a small can. But second and more important, is it is some nasty stuff that stinks and stains a lot of different materials.
That $20 can has lasted me years though…it isn’t magic but has helped on multiple occasions. Still plenty left for years to come.
@@powerofvintage9442 Have you had problems with staining? I was cleaning a pot in a stereo and accidentally stained the tuner dial. Though I suppose staining is no big deal inside a computer.
I’ve not used it outside of PCB mainboards. There may have been some staining but I wasn’t looking for it. I can imagine what you mean though..especially on plastic.
How do you swap disks with multi disk games?
Right now, there isn’t a way to set it up. However, the developer is constantly updating the firmware with new capabilities and features. I wouldn’t count on it coming, but wouldn’t be surprised if it did in the future.
Dang I just bought a frikn’ Gotek.
Games which load stuff after the initial load likely work better with a gotek. This is because many games use the disk controller directly which would scupper any attempts at rerouting through the OS. Sidecart is an awesome bit of kit, it is great for emulating cartridge based ROMS which were not as common back in the day due to expense and being limited to 128k, making it more suitable for utils. Sidecart also has the potential to emulate other cartridge hardware which is pretty interesting, sound samplers and playback would be a great addition which folk are looking into already.
Exactly this! I reallly have been thinking what is the best use of the sidecart, and while it isn’t perfect it’s a good start for those computers without a floppy drive at all. A Gotek is a great and flexible option.
You dont actually explain what setup is needed, im guessing there is more to it than just ordering the card with pico and a blank sd card. Could you do another vid with that level of detail pls
Great question! I didn’t show the setup because “Commodore is not the only Fruit” has a great overview here: ua-cam.com/video/c1xYBofchm8/v-deo.htmlsi=0HtExrXFAyPLxOD_
@@powerofvintage9442 Ah thanks
Could you use a raspberry pi as a coprocessor and get an Atari to go in modern browsers or play UA-cam, or the vintage machine UA-cam that they just made? I’ve always been trying to find a vintage machine that I could get to do that stuff! I’m gonna get an apple to use sorbet leopard or one of the older operating systems that they make in order to use mac’s from the early 2000s but I think that’s gonna be as far back as I can go But I always wondered if you could use a raspberry pi as a Coprocessor, even in like an apple2! Lol
There are limitations to video processing and even the operating systems themselves that keep much of those types of functions not really possible. You can browse the web somewhat, but UA-cam isn’t a possibility. There would need to be something to take the place of the video output.
At that point it might just make sense to run a raspberry pi in the case and dual boot raspbian and Hatari.
...👏👍🖖 I would love to find one so I could put a raspberry pi some other SBC or a laptop motherboard inside.
If that’s how you retro, go for it.
11:30 That's for a drive that will need servicing. Even PC/Mac drives from the late 90s usually need to be disassembled and, at minimum, the old dried up grease removed and then re-greased and a cleaning of the heads. Unless you have a model with built in DOS support, your nightmares have just begun. Transferring floppy images downloaded from the internet is a royal pain in the butt.
Agreed. I do personally use floppy drives when I can because of the nostalgia. However it can be a barrier to many just starting out.
@@powerofvintage9442 Yes, I have many floppies, though not primarily for nostalgia. I like backups when dealing with any type of flash memory. They really aren't that reliable.
A great product!! Do you think this could/would work to replace a Spectre GCR cartridge for Mac emulation?
Ooh great idea! I don’t see why it couldn’t. The developer commented earlier so he’s watching here.
Very cool video! But even though I have very fond memories of my Atari ST, if there's one of my old computers I'd like to own again it's an Atari 800XL - if not to run some of the programs I've been writing on it using an emulator. But the prospect of finding a disk drive, a CRT monitor and find a way to copy data from my current computer to a 5"1/4 disk isn't very appealing.
For you and the 800xl, there is the Fujinet!! Also, I did an earlier video on copying from downloaded disk images to Atari 8-bit floppy disks. It’s not the “right” way, but I’ve used it to create a library of floppy disks. Extra hardware is needed though, I used an Sdrive max along with the floppy drive.
Again Great Video, Can this sidecart also Somehow be used on the 800XL or is just intended for the ST. I wouldnt mind one for the older Atari's or maybe one in comparison.
Just for the Atari ST, but the Fujinet offers similar functions for the Atari 8-bits
First!
Just a tip, chances are your WiFi IP address is just local to your router and wouldn’t be of use by anyone not on the same wifi.
Great channel, just found it!
Thanks!
This sure looks like the easiest way to enjoy my ST! Waiting for them to be back in stock.
Definitely this simplest I’ve experienced.
damn, be more careful, those two lose screws on the mainboard, bad bad...
I know! You never know what you’ll find.
so if i were to get one in the future. which atari computer would you recommend? atart 520 or atari 1040 or mega ste? i know falcons and tt030 are hard to find.
That depends on your budget and where you’re located. If you want one Atari ST to do most everything and budget isn’t an option, a 520 or 1040 STe are best. I feel this device is best suited to be paired with an Atari without a floppy drive and thus is a way to make use of these early Atari 520ST’s that you can find cheaper than the “optimal” but more expensive versions
@@powerofvintage9442I see, so each device has its own version.
How good are the stf and stfm?
Iknow ste are enhanced. I see mega ste and mega st?
I'm hoping to spend at least 300.
@@powerofvintage9442ok, my comment was removed again.
Google ai is annoying. Mass censorship is pathetic.
So Atari has tons of versions of these machines.
How good are the stfm?
@@powerofvintage9442 sounds like these machines have many different versions.
how good are the stfms?
@@powerofvintage9442so each Atari computer has its own versions.
Are stfm good machines?
I picked up a sidecart for my 1040stfm. neat device. can't seem to get the hard drive option to work right. i know it's listed as experimental. it shows up on the desktop fine but i can't copy stuff to it. do i need to partition and format it..?? thoughts..??
Good question. I’ll have to take a look at the hard drive capability for the sidecart. I’ve only used it for cartridge replication and floppy drive emulation.
In general though, all hard drives for the Atari ST need to be partitioned and have a driver installed in order to use them.
I’ve used HDdriver and PPdriver mostly myself but ICD driver is freely available as well. Some drivers have better compatibility than others and I’m not sure what works with the sidecart.