ST536 STE EDITION

[exxos]

current20 firmware is now on the webpage in the "usual place" for beta testers.

Same firmware for ST536 new builds.

I will see about getting 10 more PCBs made both ST and STE536 soon. Maybe I will get them in before xmas.

[exxos]

It should be possible to "soft load" any ROM image once i've actually done all the updates for it. But not really sure how useful that would be or if it's even worth bothing ? I mean there's only really EMUTOS which would be a option I suppose, and there's PRG versions of that anyway.

Basically, the 536 will boot from 16bit ROM on cold boot. But after a reset it doesn't do the copy again as its already copied. So if the register I use to enable "fast rom / shadow rom" is disabled.. it will fall back to the physical ROM, then you can copy any ROM image into the "shadow rom" area in TTram, and enable the fast rom register again, with a reset. This way you can load any ROM you want.

[exxos]

STE536 webpage is now up !

https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/last/STE536/

[exxos]

JLC just sent me this :pullhair: this didn't happen last time.. So no doubt that batch is now buggered :cussing: :cussing:

image.png

So they tried to solder the pins on the wrong side of the PCB and squashed up against the ROM socket :roll: Why didn't they even question it before soldering them?! I give up!

[HigashiJun]

:shock:

WTF, are they stupid ?

[exxos]

:shock:
WTF, are they stupid ?

Yeah, it's why I'm also moving to a UK fab house. Problem is JLC only reply once a day. Everything takes forever to sort out.

Similar problems with LCSC. I can request a quote for parts but can't add the parts to my basket. So I had to video it to prove to them it doesn't work how they say it works..

Always everything has to be 100x more effort than it should be :roll:

[Darklord]

Looks like some of my work... :lol:

[HigashiJun]

Yeah, it's why I'm also moving to a UK fab house. Problem is JLC only reply once a day. Everything takes forever to sort out.

Similar problems with LCSC. I can request a quote for parts but can't add the parts to my basket. So I had to video it to prove to them it doesn't work how they say it works..

Always everything has to be 100x more effort than it should be :roll:

I hear you.

I guess it will increase prices in your store for certain items, but it's better having something done correctly and hassle free.

[exxos]

Reply from LCSC

Capture.PNG

Nothing works anymore. I think nobody tests stuff properly anymore and doesn't care to fix issues. If I reported all the issues I find with stuff, it would be a full time job for me. But almost no company will care to fix issues anyway. Then the bigger they get the less they care.

Prices are reasonable in LCSC, but they hardly ever have stock of items. Mouser prices have gone crazy over recent years. I stopped using UK companies like Farnell because they went downhill years ago.

Prices wise, they is currently about £20 of generic parts on ST/STE536 . Doesn't seem much.. But, If I get a minimal 50pcs of each made, thats £2,000 gone before I even get started on anything else.


EDIT:

So JLC don't seemed to have soldered the connectors in the wrong side *phew* but now I wonder if they solder the short pins in first...
Dealing with them is like a pending heart attack every order! Madness as the previous 2 orders they didn't have these issues!

[exxos]

I've been looking more into @Badwolf's STE & STE536 some more tonight, trying to figure out the original problem some more.

Basically there seems to be a odd "bug" in my bus grant logic which only seems to show up when the blitter is enabled. I've also remastered the bus grant logic to be latching conditions to cope with random spikes on the signals and adjusted the timing slightly on bus grant stuff. So far it all seems to be working fine. Hopefully solve some potential weird problems for some people.

Will likely need testing on the other STE536 builds, looking at you @Steve and @PhilC ;) Probably won't get done testing for a few more days yet anyway.. Need to make sure I didn't break something else first :P I can't get the ST536 as someone else has that currently :)