Mega STE and some needed ugprades

[viking272]

Hi all,

I was super chuffed to pick up a Mega STE off eBay this week.

It came with a 14" mono screen and although advertised as 1MB with no hard disk it is a 4MB machine with a Quantum LPS105 drive.
It looks like it has TOS2.06 also and a bunch of software on the disk from Pagestream 2 to KSpread etc.

I'm unable to look at it for a few weeks so thought I'd just see what people do in terms of updates and maybe preserving any rare apps etc.

I'd like USB (networking and storage), probably Gotek, and a new disk. Then possibly faster CPU/more memory and better graphics if there are options?

Any comments or things to look out for?
I think a re-cap on the PSU should be on the cards? Should I clean up the motherboard - I have IPA to hand.

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[PhilC]

@viking272 definitely look at recapping the PSU to prevent any damage due to the PSU operating out of range due to capacitor age etc.

It looks a good machine, maybe retrobrite it so that all the panels match? Then just have fun using it.

I would backup that drive though and replace it with a modern equivalent like an SD card or CF card.

[mrbombermillzy]

Yep, that's definitely a nice machine there.

You can get some VME graphics card solutions (if that interests you). Although they arent cheap.

[rubber_jonnie]

Probably recap the PSU, but as for the mainboard, I would probably leave it unless you have a specific issue and recapping fixes it.

I personally have a CosmosEx that allows me to connect to the network, plus allows for USB sticks to be used and works as an external FDD. Trouble is they are hard to come by these days.

I'd check your HDD has all the necessary control panel files so you can ensure the CPU is set to 16Mhz and also that the cache is enabled.

Worth also checking if you have a 1.44MB floppy, as depending on age you could have a 720KB device, though it is easily upgraded.

If you really want to you can add an FPU, but there's not a lot of software uses it.

There's also the (Not cheap) VME video adapters, and there are also Lightning VME that provides 2 USB interfaces.

That should keep you busy a while

[olivier.jan]

Be sure to remove or replace the internal battery before it leaks!

[rubber_jonnie]

Be sure to remove or replace the internal battery before it leaks!

Good call.

[alexh]

A good proportion of the Atari ST catalog has been patched to be MegaSTe compatible meaning they can run (and sometimes benefit from) 16MHz and run from HDD.

https://www.8bitchip.info/atari/fromhd3.php?s=n#DL
http://d-bug.me/patch.php

If you have a PC SCSI card and you want to read/write your standard Atari format SCSI HDD in Windows there is a good tool

https://www.8bitchip.info/atari/drimus.php

If you want to continue to use the MegaSTe internal ACSI->SCSI adapter but are finding the 1GiB maximum HDD size limit frustrating there is a HW patch and alternative driver.

https://www.8bitchip.info/atari/modmste1.html

NOTE: You need to burn a new patched TOS to be able to boot.

Baby wipes are the best thing for getting 40 yo hand-cheese off things like mice and keyboards if you don't want to wash them. It is better to disassemble them and wash in hot soapy water but not always practical and very time consuming.

[olivier.jan]

Baby wipes are the best thing for getting 40 yo hand-cheese off things like mice and keyboards if you don't want to wash them. It is better to disassemble them and wash in hot soapy water but not always practical and very time consuming.

And the cases are perfectly happy inside a dishwasher to save you some time with the baby wipes. Just make sure to protect the paper sticker underneath.

[mrbombermillzy]

Baby wipes are the best thing for getting 40 yo hand-cheese off things like mice and keyboards if you don't want to wash them. It is better to disassemble them and wash in hot soapy water but not always practical and very time consuming.

And the cases are perfectly happy inside a dishwasher to save you some time with the baby wipes. Just make sure to protect the paper sticker underneath.

Really?!

I have metal cutlery that gets ruined in a dishwasher! I certainly wouldnt risk a delicate 80s plastic case.

[alexh]

And the cases are perfectly happy inside a dishwasher to save you some time with the baby wipes. Just make sure to protect the paper sticker underneath.

Really?!

I have metal cutlery that gets ruined in a dishwasher! I certainly wouldnt risk a delicate 80s plastic case.

Your metal cutlery gets damages by being in contact with other metal items you're washing on the same cycle. You do this with the dishwasher empty.

I've personally never tried it not because of physical damage (it's only fine water and steam) but some thinner plastic could warp in the heat of the steam of the dishwasher drying cycle.