** 2 pages Q&A regular / 1764 words **

** Q **
I am very happy with my STFM equipped with 1Mb memory and intend to stay with it for the foreseeable future. However I would like to get up to date with the latest hardware/software and I would like some advice on the following:

** UL **
** 1 **
I am confused about the differences SCSI and IDE - they both seem equally fast nowadays and even cost similar amounts. I believe they can both be daisy-chained and I cannot decide how to choose one system over the other?

** 2 **
I intend to replace my original floppy drive with an LS1 120. Is that a good choice - or even possible and is the drive SCSI or IDE?

** 3 **
Is there driver software which supports parallel scanners? I believe the HOMA Systems scanner drivers are for SCSI scanners only? It seems sensible to connect both scanners and printers to the parallel port...

** 4 **
I am interested in the Yamaha 4416 CDRW and would like to know if this is SCSI or IDE.

** 5 **
I'm also interested in the Magnum memory expansion board reviewed in AC#7 but didn't get a reply from 16/32 and my letter to the manufacturers, Aixit, was returned unopened, can you help?
** /UL **

Janos Bajtala, North London

** A **
** UL **
** 1 **
SCSI is the more popular interface used on STFM machines. To use an SCSI device with the STFM all you need is a host adapter which converts the SCSI interface to Atari's ASCI interface (Atari's cut-down SCSI implementation) on the back of the machine. Suitable host adapters include ICD's Link 2 and Woller's Link'97. Coretex Design, TUS or System Solutions can all supply these or you may be able to pick one up from our classified Ads or from ACC'99.
SCSI can be daisy-chained up to 7 devices whereas IDE can only cope with two. Milan machines (and most modern PCs) support one primary and one secondary IDE interface which makes it possible to connect up to four IDE devices - but I've never heard of anyone doing it on an STFM.

If you decide to go the IDE route you can add Mario Becroft's IDE interface (sold by ASP in the UK). We have one of these fitted in an STFM and it works really well with the added benefit of on-board TOS 2.06 - in fact you need TOS 2.06 if you require autobooting. This interface also supports a second IDE device which could be an IDE CD-ROM. Although it's possible to get the board inside a standard ST case you have to cut the shielding away but it's an ideal upgrade for anyone building a tower system using one of ASP's recasing solutions. It is essential to keep the cable runs as short as possible.

** 2 **
The LS 120 is a floptical IDE device which takes both 120Mb disks and standard HD disks. Although you may be able to replace the internal drive there is one potential snag you should be aware of. Normally, if you have HD driver problems, you can boot from floppy to resolve the problem, but because the LS 120 is seen by the system as a hard drive this would not be possible - in which case you would need to connect an external floppy drive.

** SONY_144.IMG here **

Your original floppy drive has a Shugart interface and can be replaced or upgraded to use DD/HD disks using a SONY MPF 520-1 or Teac FD-235HF mechanism. There's an excellent help file which details this upgrade for the SONY mechanism available from Hallvard Tangeraas' web pages at:

 http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/8745/atari_hardware.html
ftp://ftp.sol.no/users/h/hallvart/atari/info/sony_144.zip

The HD upgrade requires either a WD-1772-02-02 or AJAX disk controller chip. Sadly your WD-1772 chip may not be up to the job and AJAX chips are rare.

** 3 **
There's GT-Look, now released as PD, and there's even an English version available for download from:

http://www.cix.co.uk/~derryck/

Alan C runs an EPSON 5000 scanner on an Atari Falcon030 using the GT-Look software and this works alongside his internal hard drive.
System Solutions supplied a special lead which includes a DIN plug wired into the D-Sub 25 parallel plug and this is connected to the MIDI out port to enable the scanner to work with ST models.
We're also aware of an adapter which enables some parallel port devices to be connected to the cartridge port - but this is only available from Woller in Germany and isn't cheap.

Again you're probably better off opting for SCSI, using the HOMA Systems scanner drivers which work well and support the GDPS standard - which means you can scan directly into programs which support GDPS including Alexander Clauss' OCR program.

** 4 **
We'd recommend you check the available software supports your chosen drive before purchasing anything. Currently Anodyne (the UK distributor is System Solutions) and Soundpool (http://www.soundpool.de) in Germany offer suitable software, the latter with a downloadable demo.

** 5 **
Seidel Softwareservice, Heikendorfer Weg 43, 24149 Kiel-Dietrichsdorf, Germany, are currently advertising the empty Magnum card for DM199 (around œ70) or DM 239 (around œ83) inclusive of 8Mb memory. Payment by Eurocheque is possible - add DM15 (around œ5) for post and packing. You will also need to buy UK TOS 2.06 ROMs which can be readily sourced from our advertisers or picked up second-hand.
around œ55 though you may be able to get it cheaper as you don't need the 
Peter West has translated the Aixit fitting instructions and these can also be downloaded from Derryck Croker's webpages at:

http://www.cix.co.uk/~derryck/magnum.lzh
** /UL**

Gary Bainbridge, Derryck Croker, Barry, Joe Connor, Alan C and Peter West via the CIX ataricomputing conference


AC#14 Bug Report!

Last issue's Phenix report stated that Class 4 used, "multi-kilowatt" lasers, which was a slightly ambiguous description. Thanks to Dominique Caeytant for the following clarification:

** Italics **
"We work with power between 3.5 and 75 watts. This is the output power, but the current that we need to have such output is between 32 and 80 Amps/phase. So we need few kilowatts current to have a power output in watts. Don't forget that it is coherent light. Nothing to do with normal lighting."
** /Italics **

** CLASS4F.JPG here **

Rodolphe Czuba, Director CENTEK/CLASS4 emailed us concerning our Turbocharging the Falcon article in AC#14:

** Italics **
We have the rights to ask for a correction of this article in your next issue!

First, I want to tell that this test is not good because it's obvious that John has never seen a CT2 running, because he wouldn't have said things like that. We've already received Falcon with FX card fixed. The users want to upgrade to CT2 because the FX is too slow. But all that is what some would call "feelings", and John can't say because he didn't test the CT2. Apart from this, which is our personal opinion, here are the biggest mistakes made in the article we WANT you to inform the readers of AC.

** UL **
** 1 **
The FX does not "bypass" the Falcon logic. The 5 GALs of the Falcon (located at the left of the NVRAM block : U62, U63, U67, U68 and near the DSP : U44) are steel there, and ONLY the CT2 replace the logic, it has a new 50MHz logic in its internal logic (without the atari bugs).

** 2 **
The FX supplementary RAM can't be called TT-RAM, and certainly not "burst mode 32 bits". If fact, the Falcon expansion bus is 16 bits wide and moreover the BURST leg of the 68030 is not used. Only 32-Bits synchronous accesses can be bursted by the 68030!
In fact, you should call it ALTERNATIVE-RAM,  what was designed by Atari to be a ram that is added to the motherboard RAM without a hole in the address space... TT-RAM is a 32-Bits bandwith access RAM.

** 3 **
The table on page 29 is completely wrong. The speed of the boards are not good at all. The CT2 speed is NOT 25/50 MHz, but 50/50 MHz. Moreover it is ALWAYS at 50 MHz. Other products are only DX/2, which means that the processor is at double speed i.e.e 36 or 40 MHz for the FX, and 40 or 50 when it's the Nemesis) only when it doesn't access to the Falcon logic.

** 4 **
The CT2 is NOT "similar to the Blowup FX in concept, except Centek, have incorporated a separate 50MHz 68030". It REALLY is a different design. The TT-RAM is accessed at 50MHz using BURST EDO 32-Bits (not like the FX-board which is steel 16-Bits NON-Burst at 20MHz). This is why CT2 is so fast compared to a FX.
** /UL **

Please, in future, don't do test like that without a real knowledge of product/hardware. With that kind of article, consumers get really confused, and they could even DON'T BELIEVE US when we say the truth. We want you say these things in the issue 16 of AC. Please, inform your readers!
** Italics **

John Kolak, the author of the article replies:

** Italics **
To answer your points in turn:
** UL **
** 1 **
That's the same as what I said.

** 2 **
Nembench recognises it as TT RAM, and in layman's terms, TT RAM is a close enough description - although your technical points are valid.

** 3 **
Of course, as stated in the article, the Falcon bus is faster than the Falcon CPU; and of course the Centurbo runs at 50/50, not 25/50. The text correctly states that the Centurbo runs a 50MHz CPU, but as you point out, the chart has a typographical error (mine, not the editorial team) listing it at 25/50 instead of 50/50. I would agree to an errata on this point with an apology for any misunderstanding it may have caused. Still, as in my first letter, the chart clearly shows the Centurbo as the top performer, (higher numbers in ALL categories and the only product on the chart running over 500%), so I would hope you would appreciate the positive publicity and interest it generates in your product.

** 4 **
The Centurbo results were provided by Systems Solutions on their Web site ad. The results clearly show the advantage and superior performance of Centurbo, and the review stated that Centurbo was the superior product, so I do not understand your offence.
** /UL **
** /Italics **

It does seem to be a storm in a teacup over an article which was primarily a comparison between Nemesis and Blow Up FX and since Atari Computing has no future anyway we propose we close this discussion and refer anyone interested in the Centurbo II to our review in AC#12.