Okay, when Matthias returned my (now working) Cloudy TOS card and STorm ST
card, I purchased a Lightning ST board as well.
When it comes to the Mega ST4 that runs DarkForce (my BBS) I've come to the
conclusion that an additional 8 megs of TT-RAM via the STorm ST board is a bit
of a waste. Running everything that's needed for the BBS to operate, there's
still 3,189,720 megs of RAM free of the original 4 megs. Don't get me wrong,
there's an uber elite feeling looking at all that RAM on my Mega ST4 that makes
me want to rub my hands together and laugh maniacally.
So I've decided to pull that STorm ST board from the Mega ST4 and replace it
with the Lightning ST board. The Cloudy TOS board needs a decoder so the
Lighting ST board will meet that need. I've not installed a Lightning ST board
before so was trying to get all the info together before beginning.
First off, I am using an AdSpeed ST accelerator. That means IDE from the
Lightning ST board won't work. I'm okay with that. I just want the decoder
for the Cloudy TOS board and the USB ability so I can have access to thumb
drives.
With all that in mind, what connections do I still need to make and which ones
can I skip since I won't be doing IDE?
1. Do I still have to hook up the INT line (my printed instructions that came with
the Lightning ST say to hook this up to pin 10 at the back of the ACSI port).
2. My instructions say I don't need to use the ROM signal line with the current
revision C and firmware mx6.
Also, the instructions say it helps (but is not absolutely necessary?) to add a +5v
line and ground to the Lightning ST board for stability. So where is a good place
to pull +5v from on the Mega ST's motherboard?
My understanding is that the Cloudy TOS board should be on the bottom (first
into the 68k socket) followed by the Lightning ST board to add clearance. I have
a couple of 68k sockets. Should I add an extra one for additional clearance?
Thanks all.
Lightning ST board help
Lightning ST board help
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Re: Lightning ST board help
Your cloudy and storm is a paid for product with warranty and support provided by the thunderstorm team... They have their own website and support email.
I think there is only one other person here with these items. Is it @Bikerbob I think. Perhaps he can offer some advice.
I think there is only one other person here with these items. Is it @Bikerbob I think. Perhaps he can offer some advice.
Re: Lightning ST board help
Hi Steve. Thanks for the quick reply.Steve wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:44 pm Your cloudy and storm is a paid for product with warranty and support provided by the thunderstorm team... They have their own website and support email.
I think there is only one other person here with these items. Is it @Bikerbob I think. Perhaps he can offer some advice.
I did e-mail them. They seem to be quite busy so after not hearing anything
for over a week, I thought I'd inquire here.
Hopefully, someone else with Lightning ST board experience will notice this
thread and jump in with some helpful advice.
I did look at the README.TXT file on the floppy disk that came with the board
and it says to pull +5v off the red wire on the P/S and ground from the black
wire on the P/S (and do NOT use the blue wire).
So the picture becomes clearer for me.
Thanks.
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- HigashiJun
- Posts: 1212
- Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:21 am
- Location: Tokyo
Re: Lightning ST board help
My Lightning ST is fitted straight forward and works without any glitches.
If you only use the USB function, INT connection is normally not needed.
I may connect the extra +5V power supply if stability issues arise with my PAK68/3, and that is why I have prepared my Meanwell PSU with all the extra power connectors I may need later.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewt ... &start=120
If you only use the USB function, INT connection is normally not needed.
I may connect the extra +5V power supply if stability issues arise with my PAK68/3, and that is why I have prepared my Meanwell PSU with all the extra power connectors I may need later.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewt ... &start=120
Re: Lightning ST board help
All things being equal, after I started this thread I did get a reply from the
team.
So everything is pretty much like you just stated. I don't have to hook up INT
and I don't have to hook up a ROM line. The +5 and ground are optional, in
case there is stability problems, otherwise not necessary as well.
So no jumpers on the Lightning ST board are needed either and all I have to
do is basically just plug everything in.
I'm hopeful that even I can handle this.
I'll report back after I get everything going...
team.
So everything is pretty much like you just stated. I don't have to hook up INT
and I don't have to hook up a ROM line. The +5 and ground are optional, in
case there is stability problems, otherwise not necessary as well.
So no jumpers on the Lightning ST board are needed either and all I have to
do is basically just plug everything in.
I'm hopeful that even I can handle this.
I'll report back after I get everything going...
Welcome To DarkForce! www.darkforce.org "The Fuji Lives.!"
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- HigashiJun
- Posts: 1212
- Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:21 am
- Location: Tokyo
Re: Lightning ST board help
Great !
Re: Lightning ST board help
Obviously it doesn't hurt to have these, but you will probably find they are necessary only if you are using the USB ports. I did hook them up on my Stacy (closed system and all), but I never found any Lightning-related instability without them. (TF536 without +5 VDC was another story... )
Re: Lightning ST board help
Hmm, well I was planning on using the USB ports for mass storage/backup for my BBS.derkom wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:40 am
Obviously it doesn't hurt to have these, but you will probably find they are necessary only if you are using the USB ports. I did hook them up on my Stacy (closed system and all), but I never found any Lightning-related instability without them. (TF536 without +5 VDC was another story... )
Should I plan on going ahead and doing it? I mean, I don't want to re-assemble everything
only to have to take it apart again to hook up 2 lines... Thanks.
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Re: Lightning ST board help
If you're planning on using a bus-powered HDD, definitely do it. If you're planning on using flash storage or externally powered HDD, it's probably optional, but honestly, given that it's easy to do, I don't see any good reason not to do it anyway.
Re: Lightning ST board help
That's what I'm thinking, and since I'm sitting here with the machine
all disassembled anyway....
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