exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

exxos wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:45 pm

Cosmic Puppet wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:44 pm Assuming something's been disturbed (apart from me) by 'manhandling' the machine. Any ideas how I could have caused it. Some part of my machine being flakey maybe?

Maybe bad contact on the GLUE ?

I'll check that if I get any problems. Machine is definitely showing signs it's been exposed to planet Earth. Top of the Floppy Disk no longer looks sparkly new, so probably some oxidisation going on. My GLUE does have a clip over it but will still check it first sign of issues.

Not even gonna breath heavy near my Atari just now though.

It says here that the DMA 'oversees' the printer. Is the STE DMA compatible with an STFM?

Asking in-case folks assumed I was talking about an STE.

Does anyone have a C398739-001A DMA running in a regular STFM?

Cosmic Puppet wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:15 pm It says here that the DMA 'oversees' the printer.

The only thing connected to the DMA chip is the hard drive port and floppy controller. As posted before, the sound chip does the printer.

Cosmic Puppet wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:15 pm Is the STE DMA compatible with an STFM?

Should be.

FYI in that image it says it oversees 'laser printer' which is an entirely different beast to your parallel printer. Laser printers do connect via the DMA through a special interface device. So nothing related to your issue.

Okay, thanks guys. I realise how this could be annoying.

Just bugs me that I have no idea why everything is working when yesterday it wasn't.

As usual it should be more palatable after a sleep.

I can format a floppy in TOS 1.04 with or without hard disk on, plugged in or out and then read it from EmuTOS running from UltraSatan (transfer files back and forth and also between the PC) Format in EmuTOS and still runs and swaps files when run on TOS 1.04 and between PC. Formatting in TOS 1.04 and then trying to use on the hard disk setup used to brick the floppy disk.

Tried every combination I can think of and haven't been able to make it fail!

My IMP DMA seems to have done the trick (along with mandatory fixes)

If it is working, I'd tend not to question things. You've made your fixes, everything works fine, don't give yourself headache by looking for more unless it still doesn't work.

It is very easy to go down the route of investigating a problem that no longer exists, or at least shows none of the original symptoms. It can be a huge time suck and all you end up doing is becoming very frustrated because the symptom has gone, and you're back at square one.

These machines can break just by handling the board, so the less you do of that the better. Trust me leaving it is your best option right now.

Cosmic Puppet wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:15 pm It says here that the DMA 'oversees' the printer.

It actually says it looks after the laser printer, which uses the SLMC 804 adapter that connects via ACSI, not LPT.

Normal LPT port printers are controlled by the sound chip as @exxos says.

rubber_jonnie wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:20 am If it is working, I'd tend not to question things. You've made your fixes, everything works fine, don't give yourself headache by looking for more unless it still doesn't work.

It is very easy to go down the route of investigating a problem that no longer exists, or at least shows none of the original symptoms. It can be a huge time suck and all you end up doing is becoming very frustrated because the symptom has gone, and you're back at square one.

These machines can break just by handling the board, so the less you do of that the better. Trust me leaving it is your best option right now.

Thanks @rubber_jonnie

I did all those tests last night because the floppy and UltraSatan have never got along fully and was kinda in disbelief that I couldn't create a conflict, after it being that way since I bought the UltraSatan

It does prove that there isn't a one size fits all (apart from a newly designed board lol)

The DMA that I'm happy with cost £6.99. The one I didn't like is going for over seventy quid! and I hated it in my machine. Nothing but trouble since I put that in. Good riddance to it. And that original one was as useless as my original TOS 1.00 ROMs. Just created a tug of war between the UltraSatan and floppy drive. (still there after the fixes)

I count myself lucky though, because by what feels like a fluke (and mandatory fixes) I have ended up with everything working!

Just ordered another IMP DMA for spare.

Gonna be seeing my music collaborator and friend soon to work on already recorded and new stuff.

Gonna use this as a milestone for leaving all the TOS behind me.

The main thing is that you're sorted, I hope the collaboration goes well