UBESWITCH

My best purchase ever?

After more than two years, I can finally update our hardware section with my latest Atari ST purchase. Yep, I dumped my old monitor switch box for a Ubeswitch by Urban Jonsson, which I bought off the Exxos Web Store.

It's amazing how fantastic this thing works: plug it in and power on your Atari ST (mine defaulted to high resolution but that can be changed by holding the top button for a couple of seconds). Changing resolution is simple, just tap the same button to send a signal to the ST that you wish to switch resolution - and you can easily flip between colour/mono at any time. I'm using an NEC 1970NXp multisync which works very nicely.

STOP!! You should first check that your monitor is fully compatible and listed here:

Best-Electronics
Atari-Forum Wiki
15khz.net
Wikidot

What a cracking piece of hardware and with an incredible design that makes using it so easy to use. If you have a monitor that can support the ST's awkward 15Khz display demands, then head over to the Exxos web store and get this adapter bought. Fascinating witchcraft and I wish I'd have bought one of these years ago!!

Forgive my handy camera skills! Click it for a bigger view of my Ubeswtich love.

Ultrasatan

UltraSatan? More like UltraGOD!

When my hard disk decided to kick the bucket I replaced it with an Ultrasatan. It's built like a tank and incredibly versatile and (obviously) silent - the old hard drive sounded like a Vulcan Bomber!! Of course, I could have bought CosmosEx/Gotek route but I'd rather attempt open-heart surgery than risk breaking my Atari ST.

But what about games?? Not to worry, there are runnable disks thanks to Floppy Image Runner by Peter Putnik who has also adapted hundreds of games to load directly off the Ultrasatan. The D-Bug guys have converted loads of games with stunning menus and cheats - I wish they'd continue on as these are amazing.

Yep, I sure love my Ultrasatan which is a superb clump of hardware and one I cannot recommend highly enough. So visit Lotharek's website for more information and lots of other goodies - get yourself one of these beasts!!

Monitor Switch Box

Okay, it's not exactly a modern option compared to what's available but I love my old monitor switch box. If there's one thing I dislike about the ST (no, it's not the joystick ports) but it's swapping the cables when going from colour to mono. So, this little device works wonders for me but perhaps it's time I looked to upgrade?

However, next on my wish list is a graphics card for my Mega STe. Can anyone help me with that??

Atari 1040 STf

When eBay proved fruitful

I've bought an Atari ST off eBay which also included an SM125 monitor. However, both are in terrible condition! Very dirty with many battle scars and also what looks like scorch marks near the power unit area. Anyhow, I took the chance and ended up winning the bid for a shocking 99 pence. Yep, less than one pound and that included the monitor as well :-)

Once home, I began the cleaning - which took a long time!! This poor old computer must have suffered fire damage at some point in its life judging by the scorch marks inside. It also appears to have suffered other damage at some time as I saw several repair company stickers inside. Funnily, I needed to hoover around the floppy drive area because of a soot-like sludge that looked like tar. Plus also a thick bunch of spider webs covering all the cables. Quite the toxic state!

Well, after all the hard work, I'm so happy to have this marvellous ST up and running! Plus the SM125 is a fantastic monitor that still looks great. To think of its previous condition with the keyboard grime, burn marks, and all that weird thick sludge is gross. For once, eBay has produced a bargain and I'm glad to have rescued this beautiful old computer.

SysInfo reports it to be a 1040 STF with TOS 1.00 and 1MB RAM ...and all for 99 pence. Woop Woop!

Filthy but even worse inside thanks to a thick sludge and many cobwebs!!

I wish I would have taken a better photograph but the old ST scrubbed up beautifully :-)

ATARI STM (...continued)

I thought it was about time that I followed up on my previous article concerning my new Atari STM. Well, I have opened it up for a good clean and it powered on perfectly. Sys Info reports: 1mb Ram / TOS 1.2 / GEM 0.13 / AES 1.20 and I have successfully connected up my external floppy disk drive and played many games. Yes, I'm a happy bunny :)

Also, this is such a cool-looking computer and one with a super-compatible gaming specification. I now need to buy myself a pair of midi cables for Midi Maze against my 6-year-old daughter. Yes, I sense so many easy victories ahead!!

Atari STM

I've always had a secret longing for the sleek Atari STM computer before it became bloated with an internal PSU and floppy disk drive (STFM). I've just bought one off eBay for a meagre £14 and it's in superb condition too. Needless to say, I now require an external floppy drive and PSU so I cannot wait to get this beast working :-)

UPDATE: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/atari-stm-continued.html

NetUS-Bee

Lotharek has done it again!

I've just received my latest gadget from Lotharek, the NetUSBee. This awesome piece of hardware slots into the ST's expansion port to provide the option for fast ethernet networking and two modern USB ports.

I've connected a USB mouse (worked a treat) but sadly, at the moment, there are no more USB devices to use. I hope this changes soon because the potential is huge. Using a modern mouse is nice but I'm really looking forward to getting the ST connected to my home network. I've already been able to access my FTP file server. Later, I shall attempt to configure STinG and get my Atari ST on the internet using CAB - so wish me luck!

I look forward to future drivers getting more out of this. NetUSBee is a fantastic product and built like a tank.

lotharek

Thank you Lotharek

Shortly before Christmas, the hard drive inside my Mega STE died. Thankfully, I had only just backed it up the previous day (how lucky am I) but this did give me a big kick up the backside to invest in something better. After all, it was the original 47MB SCSI from 1991 so it was only a matter of time before it went BOOM!! ;-)

Lotharek is selling the Ultrasatan via their web store and I'm currently restoring everything I can. It's quite something to go from a noisy 47MB drive to a fast and silent SD card offering much more space. I must say, Lotharek are quick, as this arrived on Christmas Eve so I'm spending the holidays playing! The possibilities appear limitless because I am no longer struggling with meagre storage. Lotharek's UltraSatan is a brilliant piece of Jookie kit. Buy this!!

Why not use your UltraSatan to game or enjoy a few demos...

One of the most famous shoot 'em ups ever - Xenon II Megablast. This will always be a firm favourite of mine so it was exciting to hear Peter Putnik had doctored it back in January with his magic. The game now streams 25Khz music directly using the Ultrasatan (sorry STFM guys - this feature requires the audio co-processor hardware of the Atari STe). What a jaw-dropping upgrade!! Such an unbelievably huge size for an ST game and worth it. I certainly hope Peter converts more games in the future!

Drone, an Atari STe demo which I would personally rank as a masterpiece. Stunning audio, artwork and presentation.... all far beyond excellent. It was released back in 2012 by the legendary Dead Hackers and is a whopping 11+MB. It was released for Sommarhack to pay special tribute to the Ultrasatan. This is one of the best demos I've ever experienced.