========================================================================= (C) 1993 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt.Type XTX99437,GENIE and press [RETURN]. The system will prompt you for your information. ========================================================================== Category 14, Topic 41 Message 1 Tue Jun 01, 1993 B.REHBOCK [BILL@ATARI] at 00:05 EDT Steffan, the Falcon's video output is as good as many $2000 JVC and Sony video titlers/sketch pads that I've seen. Cogswell College is doing some production work right now with a pair of Falcons at this time; I'll touch base with James Grunke and see if he can give us a report on how they're doing in a professional environment. -Bill ============= Falcon030 Bundled Software Bulletin =============== Falcon030's with Hard Drives are currently shipping with the following software: o MultiTOS o SpeedoGDOS o Landmines o Breakout o Calappt (Personal Time Manager, Telephone Book/Dialer) o ProCalc o Talking Clock They are supposed to have (many didn't because everyone was eager to get machines shipped to dealers quickly) a mail-in card that you mail to Atari to receive: o Atari Works (Personal Integrated Productivity Package) o System Audio Manager (Accompany System Keyclicks and Events with Digitized Sounds.) o Audio Fun Machine (8-band graphic equalizer and special effects processor.) o FalconD2D (Direct-to-Disk recording system with special effects and editing.) IMPORTANT: We know exactly which dealers received machines without the mail-in cards and they are being sent their cards this week. Users that purchased machines and did not receive these cards can contact the dealer in about one week to get their card. All you have to do is fill out the card (make sure you include your dealer's name and machine's serial number); keep the verification half, and mail the other half to Atari. Machines without Hard Drives will not be shipped with SpeedoGDOS, Atari Works, or FalconD2D. They will have everything else (including the hard disk utilities in case you have your own SCSI Hard Disk). The Atari Hard Disk upgrade kits will ship with Atari Works, SpeedoGDOS, FalconD2D, as well as MultiTOS, etc. on the Hard Disk. -Bill Rehbock, Atari Corp. ======================================================================= ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 2 Sat Oct 09, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 03:48 EDT >FAIRWEATHER - Could you think about this reasonably? If making Aladdin work >on the Falcon030 will take more than a minor fix, then it isn't in GEnie's >interests to 'authorize' the project until there are A LOT more Falcon owners >here. The way you've been going on sounds like you're demanding something >that's OWED to you -- well it doesn't work that way! >---------- DrHfuhruhurr, In my opinion, my main reason for subscribing was because stating in the ad, that software was available to make navagating around GENie automated for the Atari line of computers. It will cut down on costs tremendously! So in my opinion... yes... it's OWED to me. And yes, it's not the only reason why I joined GENie. It's because Atari claimed that this was the offical Atari Corp hang out. (As stated so many times in AEO, ZNET in the past and present. I was really disappointed when I downloaded Aladdin, and tryed to dial out, that it just didn't work. I highly suggested that within the ST Aladdin Roundtable that they post a login bulletin to inform new Falcon030 owners that Aladdin doesn't work and not to waste their time in downloading it, unless they have an ST or STE also. I just hope that they get this cured before I sell my Mega. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 3 Sat Oct 09, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 10:40 EDT Dan@Atari: How about you and Bob Brodie and other influential people at Atari making a direct request to GEnie to get Aladdin fixed for the Falcon? Since GEnie is supposed to be Atari's "Official" online service some "officials" from Atari might have more influence than we ordinary subscribers. Tim Purves has stated that he won't write the fix until his superiors direct him to. So can someone from Atari please talk to his superiors? Thank you. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 4 Sat Oct 09, 1993 DMJ [dmj] at 11:16 EDT Dan: - ...the problem is with programs that ignore TOS and go directly - to the hardware, like Aladdin does. Wasn't this discussed (and beaten to death) already? If TOS had support for ALL of the serial stuff, software wouldn't have to go to the hardware... but TOS is lacking in its serial support, so direct hardware access is necessary. Period. End of story. -dmj ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 5 Sat Oct 09, 1993 R.BUSH [Richard Bush] at 12:17 EDT >Does SuperBoot 8.0 work with the falcon? Is there any other prgs >that do the same thing and work on the F030? SuperBoot 8.0 does indeed work, for the most part. Some functions don't work right anymore-- for instance, you can't save a boot configuration from the boot screen any more, but you can still do it with the construction set. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 6 Sat Oct 09, 1993 M.STEFANI [MCH] at 14:09 EDT I have a question about the LittleNet program that's been mentioned quite often. I understand that LN uses the MIDI ports to communicate between PCs. Is there a way that I can connect my Falcon to my 1040 with LN and still have my MIDI ports available for music when needed? Thanks, Mark Stefani ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 7 Sat Oct 09, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:24 EDT Dan @ Atari... That approach wouldn't work in the general sense... I don't know if the hooks are there to do it (my) way, and I don't have the time to try and write this, but this way _will_ work for everything, and do it well: You use memory protection to trap all accesses to the addresses formerly occupied by the serial port on the ST 68901. Then you emulate the 68901 _in software_, so that the F030 thinks it has an ST port in it. Windoze programs have been doing this for years to allow multiple applications to use the serial ports by giving them all 'virtual' ports. I'm sure that someone is probably writing this right now... ______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 8 Sat Oct 09, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 19:25 EDT Mark, Yes, you can do that if you rig up a switchbox to choose another set of MIDI out/in connections. But you won't be able to use the network and the MIDI functions at the same time. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 9 Sat Oct 09, 1993 C.OATES2 [Chris] at 20:49 EDT BMAN (I think) I just downloaded the most recent version of SUPERBOOT to use on my (NEW!!) Falcon (got it yesterday!) and it works fine. Ken O (again, I think) You said you hooked up your megaSTE keyboard to your Falcon??? How did you do that, or did I misread your post? ~Chris ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 10 Sat Oct 09, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 22:35 EDT MCH, I think what you have to do to make the MIDI ports available is to unplug the cables from the other computer. :^) Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 11 Sat Oct 09, 1993 K.RICHARD2 [Bondservant] at 23:16 EDT Mark concerning Little net and midi, to use your midi for music just disconnect from the little net and use it , you can"t run both at once. if you have any problems with midi not seemimg to work eliminate the little net acc and reboot Bondservant (runing aladdin on a 1040 and falcon H.D.) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 12 Sun Oct 10, 1993 R.THUROW [Rich] at 00:05 EDT I just downloaded Littlenet and must say its quite a bargain. One would expect to pay a good buck for this capability. However, the installation was not without problems. I was having messages feedback to the host computer after sending them. And lots of garbage in the directory of the host. In fact, I had to backup and wipe by boot partition as I had some lost clusters and things were getting screwy. (But those might not have been LN fault.) The solution was a new midi cable. The problem was on the errant cable all five pins were connected. Remember that the two end pins of the midi out actually carry the midi thru signal. You need to use a standard midi cable that complies to the midi spec. Only 2 of the pins are connected on these. Now I have it working pretty good. For some reason, the second computer will not read any of the files in my ICD folder, but will read all the others on the partition. I have one drive formatted with ICD software, the other with HDX5.0. Sector size is the same though the ICD drive will allow BGM sectors from the syquest. Strange. I have a humongous midi rig. One thing you dont want to do is run a midi application while little net is connected. I'm going to hook up a switch box so i can switch between LN and midi switch box. I see no reason why one of those automated sysnth switchers wouldn't work. Anyone? I enjoyed "The Secrets of LN". The right midi cable is another one. Rich ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 13 Sun Oct 10, 1993 S.DANUSER [Soul Manager] at 00:22 EDT Sending letters to FEEDBACK will not help to get ST Aladdin fixed. GEnie management has their own, rather mysterious agenda, which has little to do with their customers' wishes. There have been new versions of Aladdin ready for most platforms, even Windows, for quite some time, but GEnie will not allow them to be released. You might want to ask FEEDBACK why that is. My own theory is that GEnie is waiting for the completion of PC Aladdin 2.0 before they will release the front ends for other platforms. Soul Manager ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 14 Sun Oct 10, 1993 M.STEFANI [MCH] at 09:48 EDT Al, Is such a switchbox, to your knowledge, available or would I have to indeed 'rig' one up? Thanks, Mark ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 15 Sun Oct 10, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 10:41 EDT Rich, LittleNet won't read BGM formatted partitions no matter what. It reads ICD formatted partitions OK, but they must have 512-byte sectors. I find LN a must in my setup. The other day, while at work, I ran an automated backup over the net of 30 megs. Not sure how long it took, but it was done when I got home, and that's what counted. And my STFAX was running and doing its thing all the time. Mark, MIDI switchboxes are surely available. Try KEYBOARD magazine's ads. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 16 Sun Oct 10, 1993 ARCHIVIST [Charlie] at 11:51 EDT Soul Manager, FEEDBACK does indeed listen to customers, as does GEnie management. They listen very carefully. The new Aladdin versions you're refering too (and I really don't know about a Windows version, other than that I've heard for a long time that GEnie is eager to do one) have not been released because they can't be. They're not done, and can't be completed until system development finnishes a major new project. GEnie's mysterious agenda, as you phrase it, is really very simple: maintenance and development of current software takes precidence over development of new software. That's hardly a surprise. GEnie is an enormous system, and the work has to be done bit by bit. It will come, but you shouldn't let the fact that GEnie doesn't talk about obscure technical details lead you to think they don't listen. Money talks, and the customers have all the money. Heheh. Trust me, it's a lot harder for a sysop to get their attention than one irate customer....(G) Charlie/sysop ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 17 Sun Oct 10, 1993 BRIAN.H [ST~SysOp] at 14:22 EDT Soul Manager >Sending letters to FEEDBACK will not help to get ST Aladdin fixed. I feel from the tone of your message that you have been less than happy about a FEEDBACK response in the past. If it concerns this RT, please EMail me and perhaps we can make you a happy customer? ~~Brian..Written on Sunday 10 October 1993 at 02:58 p.m. ADT ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 18 Sun Oct 10, 1993 R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson] at 15:52 EDT Dan, What about Carrier Detect? What about RING indicator? What about buad rates higher than 19200. Is this stuff in TOS for the SCC chip? What about on the TT and MSTE? So, saying that TOS supports it is not all correct. If it did, then yes, there would be no reason to go to hardware but, Atari is forcing us to go to hardware because TOS does not completely support the serial ports. The basics are there but... You fix TOS or come up with a patch for the rest of us and I would be glad to use the calls and not go to the harware. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 19 Sun Oct 10, 1993 B.SEMAAN [BOSEM] at 19:22 EDT Mark Stefani- Check out J.L.Cooper's line of Midi patchbays. They have several to pick from, some even have merging, auto switching etc. Prices start at around $79.00 mail order for 3-in/8-out and go up from there. If you're really into midi you will need a patchbay of some sort, eventually anyway. Call Musician's Friend at 800-776-5173 for a free catalog if you don't have one already. -Bob ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 20 Sun Oct 10, 1993 J.WILSON103 [J_Dub] at 20:01 EDT Does there happen to be a current listing of programs that work on the Falcon? I got my Falcon today, and am wondering about many of my programs. In lieu of installing them all (some obviously for naught), I was just wondering. Thanks in advance. J_Dub ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 21 Sun Oct 10, 1993 T.STARACE1 at 21:39 EDT Does anyone know of any Falcon dealers on Long Island NY. I left this message in the Dealer Info topic a couple of months ago and did'nt get an answer. Can anyone here help me? Thanks ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 22 Sun Oct 10, 1993 M.STEFANI [MCH] at 22:27 EDT Bob, Thanks for the tip on Midi patchbays. I actually have a pretty sophisticated Midi Patcher by 360 systems in my studio rack, but a smaller hardware alternative is what I'd like to find. I have done business with Musician's Friend and do have their catalog. Mark ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 23 Mon Oct 11, 1993 C.FLUEGEL [Curt] at 00:13 EDT as to the Falcon hard drive being slower, remember its IDE... Curt ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 24 Mon Oct 11, 1993 MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp] at 03:42 EDT Wayne, you are very right. Using the Bconmap call you can get a LIMITED set of the other serial ports. However, as far as I can tell, even then TOS only lets you support 1 port at a time without going to hardware. Seems like TOS should have expanded to give us complete control for all the ports. Of course, given Atari's history on serial port firmware (RTS/CTS for example) do we really want them writing anymore serial port code for us? Maybe in TOS 5.0! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` J_Dub, Try file # 29676, FSCL0811.LZH for a Falcon compatability list. Mike Allen ST HelpDesk~Sysop Written: 6:54 PM Mountain Time Sunday, October 10, 1993 ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 25 Mon Oct 11, 1993 ICDINC at 10:25 EDT Curt, We are testing SCSI drives not IDE. Bman, Yes, we are working on those things. - TOM - ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 26 Mon Oct 11, 1993 O-ZONE [Flakes] at 18:44 EDT J_Dub, Check out file #29676 in this library and happy falconing. ~:^)X ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 27 Mon Oct 11, 1993 D.MCNAMEE [Dan @ Atari] at 20:05 EDT David, That has probably been done already. I'll check with Bob to be sure. Dan DMJ, Yes, it has been discussed, infinately, ad-nausium, etc. I let it drop until someone asked a simple question and I gave him a simple answer. I was assigning no blame anywhere in my message, just explaining why a simple fixall program can't be done. Dan Thunderbird, I don't know if that will work or not. Hopefully someone with more time than either of us has will give it a try. ;-) Dan Wayne, Re-read my message, you are reading way too much into it. Personally, I have no idea what is there and what is not support wise on the Falcon serial port. I have other duties at work and am much too busy to look into it myself. What was asked was why doesn't the falcon just re-direct serial port calls to the new port. My answer was it does, if you use TOS calls, not write directly to hardware. Dan ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 28 Mon Oct 11, 1993 TQUINN [Terry~Sysop] at 21:37 EDT The first 200 messages (or so) in this topic have been archived and are available in Library 13 as file # 30356 (FALCON24.ARC). This archive covers the period between September 9, 1993 and October 11, 1993. Terry Quinn ST RT Sysop and BBS Janitor ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 29 Tue Oct 12, 1993 R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson] at 06:30 EDT Dan, Yea, I re-read your message and you are correct. TOS redirects calls that are in TOS to the modem port. It's the calls that are not in TOS that it cannot re-direct (CD, RI, etc.) that you still have to go to hardware on. I do wish Atari had/will fix this problem of not having OS calls for these items. I use the TOS calls when I can but, for those items mentioned, I, nor anyone else, can go to TOS to use. If Atari would have done a patch for the MSTE/TT/Falcon so that you could call TOS for CD, RI, etc., a lot of software probably would not be broken on the Falcon. Some are because every call went to hardware but, others only broke because of CD, RI, etc. not being there for the new ports. Hopefully Atari (or some 3rd party) will remedy this obvious lack in support in TOS for the serial ports. Hopefully that section can be totally re-written and placed out as a patch for all TOS version which would include a fix for the other problems that TOS has with the serial ports. As easy as this message can be taken as a gripe message, I am really asking that Atari either help us programmers out or get some 3rd party to help us out with this problem of having to go to hardware for the things that are needed. It would solve a lot of problems now and in the future for other machines that may come along. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 30 Tue Oct 12, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 07:24 EDT Chris, Yes I did hook my MSTe keyboard to the FALCON with a $15 cord from TODD. The only thing is you need to open the FALCON so have it done by a dealer. It is real simple to do tho. KenO. :) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 31 Tue Oct 12, 1993 D.MCNAMEE [Dan @ Atari] at 18:59 EDT Wayne, I'd like to see serial support improved too. Hopefully it will happen soon. Dan ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 32 Tue Oct 12, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 22:13 EDT I got a reply from FEEDBACK on the Falcon fix. It couldn't have been more non- committal. It said that GEnie is currently "prioritizing" improvements to its front-ends. The Falcon fix is being "considered". When they're done considering (no time frame given) they'll let us know what they've decided. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 33 Tue Oct 12, 1993 C.FLUEGEL [Curt] at 22:24 EDT David : I finally got WinCut uploaded. Its in the library (if I upload at 9600 baud do I pay the surchargE?).. Cubase AUDIO Falcon should start shipping tomorrow!!! It is due in from Germany for immediate release, and it includes the crysal to record at 44.1!!! Currt ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 34 Wed Oct 13, 1993 T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] at 02:48 EDT I agree. Let's get Aladdin working on the Falcon. And while we are at it let's make it work on the extra modem ports available on the TT. I have 5 different programs that expect to be able to use my modem port and each one of them causes me to have to plug in a chunk of hardware. For a machine that has four modem ports I certainly do a lot of cable swapping. Stalker is the only program smart enough to realize I have four modem ports. Geez! Anyone, What is the BEST networking software for the Atari (I have a Falcon and a TT) and who sells it? YAY, Curt Thanks for the INFO on Cubase Audio. Hey Sheldon, reserve a copy for me! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 35 Wed Oct 13, 1993 S.DANUSER [Soul Manager] at 03:09 EDT Brian - Don't worry, I'm not unhappy with the service of this RT. My comment about FEEDBACK not responding was not meant to be a reflection on the ST sysops, but rather GEnie management. I'm sorry if my message was misunderstood. Charlie - Sorry for the confusion. FEEDBACK, I'm sure, does listen to customers. I'm simply saying that it won't do any good to send mail concerning the Falcon fix (as those who have done will attest). Your defense of GEnie management is understandable, considering your position. But it is a fact that GEnie is holding up the release of new front ends for at least three major platforms. I cannot be more specific than this without putting someone's position in jeopardy, but believe me, my source knows of what they are speaking. As I said before, it is my belief that GEnie wants to wait until PC Aladdin 2.0 is ready, and then they will release version 2.0 for Windows, Mac, ST, and the Amiga. Hopefully by this time they will also have paid for the fix for the Falcon. As an alternative for Falcon owners, they could buy the Compo PC emulation board and run PC Aladdin from Windows. Has anyone tried this? Soul Manager ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 36 Wed Oct 13, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 03:34 EDT Dan, You have a little more pull to get that serial support fixed than we do, however. :) Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 37 Wed Oct 13, 1993 B.SEMAAN [BOSEM] at 03:53 EDT O.K. boys and girls - Just when they thought it was safe - came a blast from the past - For your NVRAM pleasure and without further ado - reprinted without permission from the Genie ST roundtable archives - ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Category 14, Topic 25 Message 8 Sat Sep 05, 1992 TOWNS [John@Atari] at 02:26 EDT TOS 4.0 is currently only available for the Atari Falcon030. There is no information regarding upgrades for older machines. When we have some information we will pass it along here ASAP. As for what is new.. - up to 256 color icons - 3D window items - 3D objects and buttons - Submenus and PopUp are now standard in the AES - a new completely 030 compiled, re-written GEMDOS that is even more robust and slightly faster. - a new VDI designed to support the 16Mhz BLiTTER and the VTG Video Hardware of Falcon030. - XBIOS now has support for the DSP, the new sound hardware (playback/record), and new video modes. - On Falcon030, one ROM contains all countries.. The country and keyboard is selected from a configuration in Non-Volatile RAM. - Falcon030 can boot up in any resolution and this is also set from NV RAM. - Hard Disk spin delay is configurable via NV RAM as well. As for the NV RAM settings, there will eventually be a CPX to configure all of this stuff on the Falcon030. Once it is available, we will be posting that here. I hope I didn't forget anything.. -- John Townsend, Atari Corp. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Shame on you, whoever it was that tried to blame D.A. Brumleve for starting a rumour about a configurable NVRAM. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 38 Wed Oct 13, 1993 AEO.MAG [!] FSU #1 [!] at 07:15 EDT Spud Boy, The only supported networking package for the Atari that I know of is PowerNET, from ViewTouch Corp. It is a peer-to-peer system, and supports MIDI, Lantech (and Lantach type) and the LocalTalk ports on MSTEs, TT030s and Falcon030s. 344 NE Terry Lane Grants Pass, OR 97526 (503) 479-4278 --Travis ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 39 Wed Oct 13, 1993 R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson] at 07:24 EDT If one or two people send FEEDBACK a message, then no, nothing may not happen for awhile. If EVERY Atari user would send FEEBACK a message requesting a Falcon version of Aladdin, then thy cannot help but listen. Even if you do NOT own a Falcon, it would still help your Atari friends that do have Falcons and you if you do decide to get a Falcon at sometime in the near future. I say we flood FEEDBACK with request for a Falcon Aladdin. When one or two people say something, it is not as important as hundreds of people saying something. That is why petitions are formed. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 40 Wed Oct 13, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 07:53 EDT This is what I got from FEEDBACK. Maybe the same as David. GE Mail Item 4361188 93/10/12 17:16! Priority ! From: FEEDBACK GEnie Feedback To: K.VANDELLEN Kenneth J. Van Dellen Sub: Feedback Response Dear Ken, Thank you for expressing your concerns regarding using Aladdin with the Atari Falcon. GEnie is currently in the process of reviewing, prioritizing, and budgeting for enhancements to our front-end packages. Compatibility with the Falcon is currently one of the enhancements that is under review. Once a determination is made, the information will be provided to the RoundTable staff for dissemination. Regards, Linda GEnie Marketing ----------- Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 41 Wed Oct 13, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 09:37 EDT Thanks Curt. I already downloaded Wincut but haven't used it yet. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 42 Wed Oct 13, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 19:06 EDT Soul Manager Yep I have a FalconSpeed emulator and tried IBM Alad on it with nada sucess. I didn't try very hard tho. So I am still using 2 computers connected with Littlwe Net. KenO. :) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 43 Thu Oct 14, 1993 C.FLUEGEL [Curt] at 00:00 EDT top this for a funny Falcon file.. a fully working timex sinclair emulator. yes, it does exist. but its over 1 meg large and at 2400 baud would be one heck of a download. Its on internet I believe.. Curt ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 44 Thu Oct 14, 1993 R.THUROW [Rich] at 03:27 EDT Sent to Feedback tonight: Yes, I want to see Aladdin updated to become Falcon compatible. The absence of this program is deeply felt by the Atari community online. We need it to survive! O Please! Please! Put us out of our miseries! We want our Falcons to replace STs! You stand to make more membership fees! Please! Thanks for listening. Rich (5 year GEnie veteran) C'mon all get on the bandwagon. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 45 Thu Oct 14, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 04:40 EDT Did somebody mention the name of a place you could get NEC 3D monitors from for $299? I thought I saved it to the archive but I can't find it now. I have the message on USA Flex at 800-444-4900 for $459 +$20 shipping but thats too much.:-) I'm helping somebody else and he gave me a $350ish budget. BTW he mentioned he saw an Atari monitor at Radio Shack? Didn't know the model but said it was $375 and color so I'm assuming it was the SC1435. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 46 Thu Oct 14, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 06:05 EDT BOSEM! That was one heck of a great post about the NVRAM!!!!!! (And for a while there I was almost convinced we all had a mass hallucination!) ;-) __________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 47 Thu Oct 14, 1993 B.SEMAAN [BOSEM] at 08:52 EDT Joey- I bought a 3D from USA Flex about 5 weeks ago for $359.+ UPS. Go ahead and call and ask if they're still around. Otherwise, NEC was selling direct for $399.+ shipping about the same time. Their number is 800-632-4636. Good luck! -Bob ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 48 Thu Oct 14, 1993 DMJ [dmj] at 20:48 EDT Curt: Hey, I used to OWN a Timex-Sinclair... [nostalgic look] Can't see why an emulator for it should run 1M, tho'. -dmj ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 49 Thu Oct 14, 1993 D.MCNAMEE [Dan @ Atari] at 21:15 EDT Al, Really? ;-) I have been suggesting improved serial support for a while. Hopefully it will happen eventually. Dan ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 50 Thu Oct 14, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 21:29 EDT DMJ: The Sinclair emulator runs 1 meg because it has _every_ program ever written for the SInclair along with it. At least the version I got on some magazine disk did. I can't imagine otherwise why the file would be so large. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 51 Thu Oct 14, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 22:00 EDT Call USA Flex Joey. That $459 price you quoted was down to $359 when I bought mine, and may have dropped again since. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 52 Thu Oct 14, 1993 K.REMICK1 [Amazo / 2] at 23:33 EDT Hi all! I am the President of a 60 member user group in N.Calif. we have 10 Falcon 030 users of which of those 5 are on GEnie. I just posted to FE [C [C [C [C FEEDBACK on the desire of us to have a Falcon version of Aladdin. I for one miss it. Navigating GEnie is a pain without it. Come on folks lets get with it. Give GEnie a ring. Let them hear us. See you... Kim ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 53 Fri Oct 15, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 00:11 EDT I have a question regarding patch programs. I have a MegaST2 with Tos 1.4 and it required a few patch files in the auto folder. Now with the purchase of the Falcon with Tos 4.04, I've noticed that there are some patch programs out for it. What Patch programs do I need and if any order should be implemented on them during bootup? Also, hearing alot of TOS 5.0. This is available yet through Atari corperation? And if so... how much, how do I contact them and is it just as easy to install them yourself? Rodney ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 54 Fri Oct 15, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 00:33 EDT Thanks for the support Kim! Has everyone else written their letters? How about some more of you "future" Falcon owners? We're all in this together y'know! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 55 Fri Oct 15, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 04:32 EDT Thanks guys for the NEC info! $359 sounds close enough!:-) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 56 Fri Oct 15, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 08:34 EDT Joey, I was the one who posted a msg referring to the $299 price. I was wrong; it's $399 direct from NEC. Still a great deal. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 57 Fri Oct 15, 1993 TOWNS [John] at 15:59 EDT Oops.. Me and my big mouth! Well, Atari is allowed to change their minds! Remember, don't blame me.. I don't work there anymore! ;-) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 58 Fri Oct 15, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 18:11 EDT REALM - Actually, a better buy for someone looking for an Atari RGB monitor, rather than spending a hefty $350 on an SC1435, is to buy a Magnavox 1CM35, which is the EXACT SAME MONITOR but also has a composite input and TTL input, for under $250. You just need a cable (I understand TOAD has a cable for it). ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 59 Fri Oct 15, 1993 DMJ [dmj] at 19:14 EDT James: It can't possibly have every Sinclair program ever written for it included... I'm almost certain it didn't include ones I wrote. Anyway... is it Falcon- only, or will it run on an ST? (I'm tryin' to stay on topic, really!) -dmj ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 60 Fri Oct 15, 1993 R.THUROW [Rich] at 22:37 EDT Is the Nec 3d a good mon for the Falcon for DTP? anyone? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 61 Fri Oct 15, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 23:15 EDT For DTP on the Falcon, it's a good idea to get a multisync monitor and the ScreenBlaster. Since the NEC 3D is a multisync, it is a fairly good (if not solid) monitor to use. I use the Falcon, ScreenBlaster, and an AcerView 56L in modes ranging from 768x576x2 to 1280x960x16 with Calamus SL with great results. In the higher modes (greater than 1024x656) you'll get some flickering from the interlacing, but the 1024x768x16 at 88Hz does a good job of eliminating most of the flicker. You could use a standard VGA monitor without the ScreenBlaster and get some decent resolutions to work with, but if you do anything serious it is much better to go with the multisync and ScreenBlaster. Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 62 Sat Oct 16, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 00:12 EDT Steve, this guy has an ST but I remembered seeing the NEC stuff here. I have NEC I bought a while back for an STe so I know the thing works great with the Falcon and the ST. Can you do all resolutions on the MAG? I also wanted a monitor this guy could use with another brand of computer... just in case.:- ) I stopped buying Atari only products on the off chance they stop making computers the rest of my stuff will still be useful. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 63 Sat Oct 16, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 00:12 EDT DMJ: Well, it's very off topic, but the Sinclair thingy I have has, I belive, all the official Sinclair applications that came out when it did. It works fine on the ST. I might just have to did it out, and try it on the Falcon. I'll let you know... J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 64 Sat Oct 16, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 02:05 EDT P-Direct, I've noticed that some of the Europeon Demo's, Games for the Falcon just do not work on my setup. Falcon030/4/84 with a Multiscan monitor. It would seem that some programs have that 50Mhz flicker to it, but can't seem to adjust it on the Multiscan like I did on the SC1224. Would the Screen Blaster help out in anyway? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 65 Sat Oct 16, 1993 R.THUROW [Rich] at 02:18 EDT Sean, Thanks for your informative reply. I'm saving it for future reference. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 66 Sat Oct 16, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 05:47 EDT REALM - No, the Magnavox 1CM135 is the same as an ST RGB monitor. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 67 Sat Oct 16, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 07:17 EDT Sean, I'm not having much luck getting info on how to set lo, med, and hi rez, no. of colors, etc. Maybe you can do an article on it. Most of the time, the screen goes to black and white or I get sent back to the desktop or a crash when I pick a combo that makes sense to me and try to run a program. I can only use the default values with the programs that run with them. Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 68 Sat Oct 16, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 13:10 EDT Rich, Maybe the 3D is, and maybe not. It all depends. (Don't you LOVE answers like this?) The 3D will not go higher than 800X600 resolution without interlace, and you will NOT want to use interlace for DTP. That may seem like a high resolution, but it's borderline for DTP. I'd choose a monitor that supports 1280X1024, like the ADI MicroScan 15-inch 4A. It's a flat-screen model that sells for a little over $400. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 69 Sat Oct 16, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 13:27 EDT Rodney: ScreenBlaster won't help that, because it is a limitation of the monitor. I usually end up connecting the TV or the old SC to watch the demos... Ken: You set the screen mode through a new Set Video dialog which allows you pick the number of colors, the number of columns (80/40), and if you want double line (VGA) or interlace (TV/SC). It also has a big button labeled "Compatibility Modes" which gives you another dialog with buttons for ST Low, Medium, and High (and TT Low and Medium if you are running MultiTOS). For the most part, programs that change resolution need to be run from an ST compatible resolution, preferably the one they run in (very few "nice" Falcon applications force a resolution change). When playing around trying to get a program to run, I try either ST Medium or ST High (since I mostly use applications) and move upto 640x480x2 and then 640x480x16. If all of that works, you should be able to run the program in nearly any mode (including ScreenBlaster modes). Note that ScreenBlaster intercepts the resolution change made by the Desktop and puts up a menu of resolutions to the corresponding color you chose (even if you chose a compatibility mode)... Al: Actually, ScreenBlaster's 1024x768x16 @ 88Hz mode is rather stable and somewhat flickerless, and it is interlaced. If you *want* to make it flicker (by picking a really nasty pattern and filling the screen with it), it will, but it mostly usable. I end up using 768x576x2 or 16 for the most part and it does a perfectly good job (even though I will pop into 1280x960x16 just to impress myself ). And to agree with you, 15" or more is a must for anything greater than 800x600. Those quarter inch icons are a nightmare. A mouse accelerator is also in good order! Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 70 Sat Oct 16, 1993 R.THUROW [Rich] at 17:03 EDT Thanks, Al, for the tip. Yeah, I'd like to be able to see the whole page in Pagestream and be able to read it. Seems like doubling the ST's resolution would be the trick. Thanks! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 71 Sat Oct 16, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 18:34 EDT Thanks Steve! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 72 Sat Oct 16, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 19:43 EDT Ken Van: WHat programs are you having problems with, as far as setting the right resolution? It worries me, as I have had relatively few problems in my first four months of Falcon ownership. One tip, though, if it's an ST program, run it in a compatibility mode (i.e., whatever it ran in on the ST, run it on that setting on a Falcon. That's what works, it seems). Good luck! J. Sean: Do you use a mouse with higher DPI, _and_ a mouse accelerator? I got me one of them super nifty-like Golden Image-like mice. Had to turn my mouse accelerator off. 'Course, I've never gone beyond 800x600 so far... J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 73 Sat Oct 16, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 19:52 EDT Has anyone downloaded the Fractal Flight demo? I am wondering if you see the demo slowing down at points then speeding back up? Is there any benchmarks for the DSP? Bman ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 74 Sat Oct 16, 1993 AEO.7 [Gregg] at 20:02 EDT Sad to say, many (if not most) of the European demo programs REQUIRE the use of an interlaced display, either a TV set or one of the older ST RGB monitors. Something of a royal pain but we're here and they're there..... kind of hard to reach out and bang on them . The dealer demo is perfect for VGA monitors though..... As for ScreenBlaster..... I agree, the 1024 x 768 (88.8 Hz) is a VERY usable resolution..... on the Magnavox or NEC. The only noticable 'flicker' with CalamusSL was on the full page display borders.... not a problem at all! I can easily recommend that resolution to just about everyone. I do urge that you use it on a 15" or larger monitor ;though, at 14" the text and such is just too small for comfortable use. 1280 x 960???? Well, usable yes.... comfortable, no. This is rather heavy into the interlace... at least on the less expensive monitors I was able to test it with. Maybe there's a really good multisync out there that the SBlaster can use to output a 1280 x 960 at more than 60-70 Hz interlaced. In ALL situations... the faster the vertical refresh the more solid the display will look. This includes interlace modes. On interlaced signals look for a signal in the 80 Hz or greater range..... Gregg ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 75 Sat Oct 16, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 20:45 EDT James: I use the standard Atari mouse, myself. Without a mouse accelerator it will take a good 3 or four swipes aross the mouse pad to get diagonally across a 1280x960 screen, certainly not a good thing to contend with when DTP'ing! B man: The slow down and speed up occur as the calculations require more itterations. I don't know of any benchmarks per se that have been made using the Falcon030 -- but it seems that it can do everything in enough time including using multiple effects at 16-bit 50kHz stereo. Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 76 Sat Oct 16, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 22:05 EDT A.FASOLDT - If 800x600 is "borderline" for DTP, I guess we should feel sorry for all the poor ST users stuck with Calamus and PageStream at 640x400, which apparently isn't worthwhile??? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 77 Sat Oct 16, 1993 S.WINICK at 22:24 EDT Sean >> Without a mouse accelerator it will take a good 3 or four >> swipes across the mouse pad to get diagonally across a >> 1280x960 screen .... Sounds like you need a larger mouse pad. Try one of the super pads -- I've been using them (and selling them ;-) for years. They are approximately 14" x 18" in size, and wonderful for folks who are tired of continually running the mouse off the edge of a standard size mouse pad. Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 78 Sat Oct 16, 1993 C.OINES1 [Chazz] at 22:37 EDT 1280x960ix16 was usable on an NEC 4D when I tried it at work. Pagestream just _loved_ it... but the 4D's kind of pricey. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 79 Sun Oct 17, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 01:35 EDT Interlace can't be judged objectively. Some people don't see the flickering, and some see it (as I do) on NON-interlaced displays that run at slower refresh rates. And it's always more noticeable with a white background. Steve, Sorry if I hurt your feelings or anyone else's. Didn't mean to. But serious DTP requires sufficient display resolution to be able to read the details on the screen. I do this professionally, and teach it, and program it. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 80 Sun Oct 17, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 05:40 EDT S.WINICK - I think I'd also need a SUPER DESK (either that or I'd have to clean up all the disks and stuff that are lying all over mine!). A.FASOLDT - I know what you meant, but I was just joking. Still, you should say that pro-level DTP requires a much higher resolution (to be able to see the details in a full-page display). There's a difference between "serious" and "professional" (sorry, I'm nit-picking! ). ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 81 Sun Oct 17, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 22:48 EDT Hi! When I first got my Falcon I could use several term progs with it. Which I did. I have reverted to using the MegaSte tho, as it works a lot better for most communications. So I haven't used the Falcon comm for a while. I did however try to use my Falcon last night and could get no comm progs to work. The CPX for modem is grayed out. I tried stripping down all ACC and auto progs but nothing seems to work. Checked the Falcon cable on my other machine and it works. Hooked up antoher modem to the Falcon and it does not work. Hooked up the Falcon modem to the other machine and it works. This ticked me off cause I showing a friend my Falcon and how good it is. Any suggestions? KenO. :) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 82 Sun Oct 17, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 22:59 EDT KenO: Try file #30416. J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 83 Mon Oct 18, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 00:45 EDT Sean@TWP, This may of already been explained before, but I may of missed it. Is there a cable or a switch box or something that I can purchase and hook up an SC1224 to the RF Modulator on the Falcon or do I have to use the Video Port on the Falcon? Just curious and wanna get some idea's on which way to go with this. Also if I do hook up something through the RF on the Falcon, do I have to disconnect the monitor hooked up to the Video port? Rodney ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 84 Mon Oct 18, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 09:18 EDT Steve, Yep, I agree. I've done some great DTP in ST High, but I wouldn't go back to that now. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 85 Mon Oct 18, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 18:36 EDT Rodney: The video port on the back of the Falcon030 has the ability to output VGA, SC/SM, and Composite output. In addition you have an RF modulator that can output TV (but only usable if you are NOT using VGA). To get the various signals out of the video port, and also to make it the right shape, you need a little "dongle" which connects into the port. So to answer your questions, you just use the video port and the dongle to connect the SC monitors (ask your local dealer about this, it shouldn't cost anymore than $15). And the second question, you can use the TV at the same time as the SC/SM and Composite adaptors -- it does not work with the VGA at the same time, and will produce very bad looking pictures. In addition, the ScreenBlaster doesn't work with the TV very well at all, but it is very understandable due to the strictness in the signals TV's take. Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing clairfication : the bad looking pictures VGA makes aren't fuzzy or some similar effect which makes the screen somewhat recognizable. It mangles everything and produces interesting rolling patterns of green and black bars. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 86 Mon Oct 18, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 22:14 EDT Sean, Thank you VERY much. James, Thanks for asking. I'll see if Sean's advice helps. I just didn't know how to begin. (Are you another Dutchman?) Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 87 Tue Oct 19, 1993 MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp] at 01:01 EDT Rodney, I believe Toad Computers (TOAD-SERV.) makes a F030 video adaptor that is switchable. It allows you to get VGA, Normal ST or Composite with one adptor. (one at a time, of course) Check with them. Mike Allen ST HelpDesk~Sysop Written: 10:29 PM Mountain Time Monday, October 18, 1993 ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 88 Tue Oct 19, 1993 R.SCHILLING [Rob] at 01:09 EDT I wrote my Alladin/Falcon letter, even though I just bought a TT and probably won't get Falconized for a while. I suggest everybody do the same, even if you don't own a Falcon. Let FEEDBACK know they need to get a Falcon compatible version of Alladin, ASAP. Rob ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 89 Tue Oct 19, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 01:34 EDT There is a Falcon at our users club. The fan changes speed and someone was saying there is something wrong with it. Sounds like it's a two speed fan to me. Is it? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 90 Tue Oct 19, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 04:15 EDT Ken Van: Hope you get your problems sorted. And yes, Dutch, via Germany, and then a bit of Italian mixed in. And some Falcon, too (so I stay on topic). See Flat: I totally forgot the Falcon had a fan! My external HD is loud, though. Why might there be a need for a two-speed fan? Why would that be necessary (aside from laptop usage, I suppose)? J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 91 Tue Oct 19, 1993 MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp] at 06:03 EDT Rob, It would be nice if, at the same time Aladdin is fixed for the Falcon030, support was added for the additional ports available on the MegaSTe and the TT. These ports use the same SCC chip that the F030 uses, so it would seem logical to add the code for the TT and MSTe ports at the same time that the F030 code was added. Not only Falcon030 owners need write. TT and MSTe owners have an interest too. Mike ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 92 Tue Oct 19, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 07:24 EDT Hi! James: I tried file #30416 and can't get it to work at 2400 baud. It comes up configured at the higher baud rate. When I use the drop down menu to change the rate I get 2 bombs. So I tried changeing the resolution to ST high 2 colors and still no go. It does dial at the higher rate tho. Now for the good part. I got to removing all my DA and Auto's again and bingo I found a combination of littlenet and hotwire were causing me to bomb when I tried to change resolutions. Without littlenet and hotwire I can now use interlink, vanterm, & STalker in SThigh 2 color as I did before. Interlink loads up in 16 color but will not go any further - like dial out. I am going to check to see if I can use a deskmanager type prog for my boot time. I tried superboot already but gave up on that when I go so many conflicts - I will re-visit that plus some others. I still haven't figured out why the modem port is greyed out on the CDX. So perhaps I should have bought a 486 with a gemulator instead of a Falcon with an enulator. Same money. thanks for the help. KenO. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 93 Tue Oct 19, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 18:44 EDT Mike, Excellent point. I'd love to be able to run Aladdin on one of the other ports on my TT. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 94 Tue Oct 19, 1993 A.PAGE3 at 21:35 EDT The implementation of Bconmap on the Falcon is really wierd. Those that are familiar with Bconmap know that you can use it to get a pointer to a table of serial routines. The table you get from Bconmap on the Falcon appears to contain a single set of entries. Those entries are in fact the ones for the ST MFP serial port, which does not exist on the Falcon. There is actually a second set of entries that immediately follow these entries which contain the Falcon SCC serial port entry points. This despite that fact that the table size is set to one. Secondly, you must not use Bconmap(6) on the Falcon. You must use Bconmap(7) only. Thirdly, the Bcostat function in the Falcon TOS that I have looked at actually uses the input buffer portion of the iorec structure, rather than the output buffer pointers. So it is completely useless. Finally, if you want to use DTR and Carrier Detect, you have to go straight to the serial port hardware. Is it any wonder that some programs don't work with the Falcon? It would have been difficult to figure out this confusion without access to a Falcon. - Alan ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 96 Tue Oct 19, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 22:01 EDT See Flat: My Falcon's fan speed doesn't change, and to my knoledge our technical editor's Falcon doesn't change either. I don't see any reason for the fan to be two speed, as the temperature in the Falcon remains the same temp after a certain period of time (unless you place something on top of the machine). If I lift the front of the machine, the fan noise changes, almost so it seems it is slowing down -- that may be what the "problem" is. I don't think it will cause any damage until the point the fan goes out, or he/she notices the temperature increasing (a good way to tell is to feel the ports in the back of the machine).. Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing p.s. Note that if the person is unconfortable with the Falcon's operation, it is best to take it to an authorized dealer. The dealer can give you a definite answer, or fix it if it is really a problem. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 97 Tue Oct 19, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 23:34 EDT James Kracht, The point of a two speed fan on any device is so that when less airflow is needed to cool the unit, your environement becomes quieter. This type of fan usually has a thermostat mechanism. I have some amplifiers whose fans shut off when the transistors are cool enough. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 98 Tue Oct 19, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 23:38 EDT Sean, The speed is definitly changing speeds. The person who has this Falcon has exchanged it twice. The first time the DSP didn't work, and the second time it was because of the same fan thing that this one is doing. Thanks for the info. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 99 Wed Oct 20, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 00:50 EDT Thanks for the detailed information, I'm going to go ahead and hook up the TV to the Falcon to view some of these euro demos, they just don't hack it on a MultiScan SVGA monitor. Rodney -------- MIKE-ALLEN - One switch box?!? Thank goodiness, I'll give Toad a ring this coming weekend! Thanks for the info! VGA, NORMAL ST or Composite... man you guys are making my life easier now! Rodney ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 100 Wed Oct 20, 1993 T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] at 01:37 EDT It's not just the Falcon. The Mega STe and TT users need to be able to use the extra Modem ports in the back of those machines. Right now I own five programs that think they own the 1st modem port. Boy would I love to be able to hook into the other three ports so I don't have to switch dongles/modem cables, etc. In fact, having the extra modem ports was one reason I bought the TT. I have only found 1 program that understands more than one modem port... Stalker. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 101 Wed Oct 20, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 03:05 EDT Rodney: Euro demos and TVs may not mix! On both "tv" type monitors I've tried to use, anything that drops into PAL mode (50khz, like one of the Plasma demos, and the Left Donut Demo) will cause a most disorienting "rolling" to occur of the picture. It is possible to correct this with a little hold control fiddling (if your TV has those -- some just plain don't!) See Flat: Thanks for the fan info. Still sounds kind of pointless. Kind of like mouse covers, or those "things" your supposed to irrevocably tack to the side of your monitor, so your mouse can be "hung" there. I can understand why it would be important in a studio setting, though... KenO: That archive has a problem. For some reason, the PATHS.INF file (er, sorry). Everytime I tried to load/save anything, the program would crash. I eradicated the file, and everything worked fine. You should also try Mouse Boot v3.5e. I've got it going on the Falcon and it works fantastic. Just amazing. I've got about fifty different presets setup now, and the "mock-GEM" interface looks awesome at 640x480 (3D icons, and BOOTUP! Yippee!!) Perhaps you should have bought a 486. I guess. That was a joke, right? J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 102 Wed Oct 20, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 04:33 EDT Rodney, How about posting the results of your call to Toad! I'm sort of, kind of, interested in an all in one switchbox.:-) I gave USA FLEX a call today just to see what the current price is on the NEC 3D. It's $359 and they had some. Now if Toads switch works with thing to give you all resolutions it would be the perfect Falcon monitor! BTW, I was checking for somebody else but I picked up a NEC about two years ago. Got lucky in my choice as it works great with the Falcon! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 103 Wed Oct 20, 1993 B.STOREY [Billy B.] at 07:35 EDT In all Atari products I have seen, Atari has built a very good machine and introduced it to the market at a very good price. The new product is immediately critiqued and suggestions for improvememt made. Many of the suggestions are implemented in later versions of the same machine, and many are implemented in newer machines. I see no reason to believe the Falcon will differ. I fully expect that the Falcon of 2 years from now will incorporate many of the suggestions being made now. Re mouse accellerators, let me recommend SILKMOUSE. Silkmouse has a feature that if you move the mouse quickly, the pointer moves far, and if you move slowly, the cursor only moves a little way. Re mouse pads, I have a Golden Image optical mouse, and the mousepad is wearing out. I need a pad with little dots all over it for the optics to read. I can't use a standard pad. Does anyone have one available? Billy B. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 104 Wed Oct 20, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 07:51 EDT Is kind of a scraping or gurgling sound just north of the F6 key normal on the Falcon? Also, I have the Falcon on one of these desks with the slide-out shelves. The computer is on the top one and the printer on the bottom. Sometimes it's desirable to move the computer's shelf to get at the printer. Is the HD stable enough to tolerate this, or should it be absolutely still? I don't know much about laptops, but if you really hold them on your lap, I would guess they would get moved a little, so the Falcon maybe can take it, too. Thanks, James. I'm still getting my setup organized. Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 105 Wed Oct 20, 1993 J.TRAUTSCHOL [jtrautschold] at 10:10 EDT Spud Boy... Although you have a valid complaint about the lack of support for the extra modem ports, part of the problem is with the lack of support that Atari gave programmers for those extra modem ports. As has been discussed before here in the Falcon topic, the SCC chip from Zilog, which is used to drive the Modem port on the Falcon and the Modem 2/Serial 2 port on the TT and Mega STe, was not given the same level of support in the OS that the MFP was given. The MFP chip was the original serial port hardware and is used for all Modem ports on STs and the Modem 1 ports on the TT and Mega STe. If the SCC had been given that same level of support, every program would be supporting those ports by now. Not only that, but just trying to figure out how to extract higher baud rates and such from the SCC can be daunting. Case in point is the Modem 2 port on the TT. It's different from the Modem 2 on the Mega STe since it's clocked at a different rate than on all other computers. We've been trying to get Modem 2 to work right for about a month now, and although we've gotten closer, there's still no joy. I've been on the phone with Atari Dev. Support (a big thanks to Mike Fulton for all of his help) but I'm not sure if Atari even understands the hardware totally here. What someone needs to publish is a white paper on how to properly control these extra ports. Perhaps I'll do it once we have this all figured out. Really, Atari needs to do it. It's possible that the new Compendium by Scott Sanders has the info in it. I haven't seen that yet so I'm not sure. John Trautschold Missionware Software ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 106 Wed Oct 20, 1993 R.LUNSFORD2 at 19:45 EDT I just downloaded the demo for Space Junk, and I get sound, but the picture looks like it might require an sc1224 (or equivalent). I have a VGA...can anyone confirm that it requires the 80 column true color mode? (or a tv/1224 for any other reason?) Russ ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 107 Wed Oct 20, 1993 C.LABELLE [Tintin] at 22:00 EDT What _I_ complain about is the lack of support for the DSP port. Where are the phone-line hookup or the video input devices? These are the things absolutely needed to sell Falcons. With the MACs AV with DSPs out now, the Falcon is becoming redundant. Ken Van, My Falcon was making a loud, metallic, sporadic sound the first few weeks. The noise went away, I didn't manifest itself since (over 3 months). ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 108 Wed Oct 20, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 22:22 EDT Russ: Are you sitting? Now, take a deep breath. And remember, don't be bitter. You haven't the time to be bitter. Got it? Okay. Space Junk needs a 1224/1435. I'm about 90% sure it won't work on a TV (since it goes into PAL mode). Again, don't be bitter. It _is_ an excellent demo, but not something you're likely to view more than twice. J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 109 Wed Oct 20, 1993 LYRE at 23:32 EDT On the Modem Port Hogging discussion... Be aware that Griffin Hi Tech Software, makers of Aladdin, have stated that they have tried to obtain the necessary information from Atari in order to do as you have all asked. They would like to include the ability to specify which port to use and to stop grabbing complete control of the port. However, the information they need to do so is, supposedly, not available in any documentation. Nor have quiries sent to Atari been answered. This information is from several months ago and may have changed. In case you're wondering, I do not work for Griffin. Just remember seeing a message to the above effect. Lyre 7:35 pm, October 20, 1993 ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 110 Thu Oct 21, 1993 GREG at 00:40 EDT We just uploaded our Christmas demo for the Falcon as file #30444, XMASDEMO.ZIP. Be the first on your block to have your monitor or TV decorated for Christmas. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 111 Thu Oct 21, 1993 MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp] at 01:05 EDT Lyre, your information is indeed out of date. Griffin now has all the data that is available. Now they are waiting on approval from GEnie to do any further work. Mike Allen ST HelpDesk~Sysop Written: 10:08 PM Mountain Time Wednesday, October 20, 1993 ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 112 Thu Oct 21, 1993 R.LUNSFORD2 at 02:25 EDT J., Space Junk does indeed work on a TV, but not a VGA...:( I did, however, think it was *incredible*! Do you know when it is due out? Russ ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 114 Thu Oct 21, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 05:04 EDT Could someone please tell me if they definitly know. Does the Falcon have a two speed fan? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 115 Thu Oct 21, 1993 B.STOREY [Billy B.] at 05:51 EDT Joey, I just called USA Flex and ordered a NEC 3D, and they are out of stock, but will recieve more next week. Thanks for the tip! Now to see if it will work on the STe...... Billy B. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 116 Thu Oct 21, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 06:56 EDT C.LABELLE - Oh! Those are coming from 3rd parties any DAY now! Atari brags about delivering a machine with a DSP first, but will probably be the LAST to actually have support for it. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 117 Thu Oct 21, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 07:08 EDT J: Guess I'll try Mouse Boot. As far as 486 goes. A friend of mine has one and he has had enought trouble getting his set up the way he likes it and it does not seem to be as much fun as an ATARI product. I remember the pains I went thought getting my first ST520 set up the way I wanted it. So I guess with the Falcon there is a learning process also - but as a hobby thats part of the fun of it. I would hate to be completly without GEnie tho. If bucks were not a problem I would have both and perhaps even a MAC as it is I have Falcon Speed with windows and use it very little mainly because most of what I do is ST stuff. Newsletters for orgs I belong to, family tree, PHA$AR, etc. KenO. :) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 118 Thu Oct 21, 1993 B.SUSLOVIC [Brad] at 19:34 EDT KEN VAN Sounds like your Internal HD. Does it sound like something bouncing around? I had the same problem, the drive was defective. B.Suslovic ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 119 Fri Oct 22, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 00:22 EDT Sean@TWP, Got the mail... Thanks... get my check yet for Power Direct? On to the reply, my Falcon's fan and hard drive hardly makes any noise at all. Matter of fact, if it wasn't for me laying a sheet of paper on top of the Falcon and watching it being attempted to be sucking in to the casing, I wouldn't have even known that it had a fan in it. :-) Rodney ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 120 Fri Oct 22, 1993 T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] at 02:15 EDT Thanks for the reply explaining the Modem Port Blues. Maybe you could talk to Gribnif, Stalker does a good job on the extra ports. I hope this info gets to the people who need it! Tintin, I am also ready to see that DSP phone hook-up...AND a way to get multiple digital channels in and out for Hard Disk recording. I don't know for sure but I have noticed a speed change in mine. The computer seems to work fine though. KenO. What version of MS-DOS do you need when using Falcon Speed? Also, how fast is it? Usable or Dog-slow? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 121 Fri Oct 22, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 05:47 EDT Thanks Bill! You need an adaptor box on the STe but it works fine. I think Toad sells them. It's nice having all your res's at the flip of a switch on a single monitor! ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 122 Fri Oct 22, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 07:57 EDT Brad, Thanks. I'm not sure what "something bouncing around" sounds like. Maybe that's it. The drive seems to work fine. I'll try to give a better description soon. The Falcon is at work, and I'm going to be in Boston for a week for a conference, suffering computer withdrawal symptoms. Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 123 Fri Oct 22, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 21:56 EDT Russ: I've been reading about Space Junk in ST Format for nearly a year. Still no word on a release date, but I would imagine fairly soon. And considering how "small" the demo is, and seeing how it is over 7 megs on a HD, I'm wodering just how big this game is really going to be. 10 high density disks, maybe? Minimum? Definately a candidate for the first Falcon CDROM game... J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 124 Fri Oct 22, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 23:45 EDT James: Even Calamus SL and Outline Art 3 take at most 14megs on my harddrive, including all the document, image, font, and virtual memory files. If a *game* consumes anywhere near that much (to the point you need to upgrade your harddrive to use that new game) then maybe it's time to reevaluate something! :) Come to think of it, just where is Llamazap and all those games that were RSN about 6 months ago... And what about the voice mail box? Perhaps the developers are waiting for something... Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 125 Sat Oct 23, 1993 R.HOEKSTRA1 [RandyH] at 00:00 EDT Hi, Can anyone reccommend a reliable RAM disk program for the Falcon? I am using LittleNet to transfer files between a Mega and a Falcon. The Falcon has BGM partitions so LittleNet won't read files off of them, but it works okay with a RAM disk. It needs to be able to install in a drive letter no greater than J since LNet won't access anything more than that. I have tried 'The RAM' drive and it seems to work other than the drive window usually has a lot of garbage in it. The files are there too and I can copy them off, but I don't trust it in the long run. I tried several others but most insisted on using a drive letter above J. Any suggestions? Thanks, RandyH ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 126 Sat Oct 23, 1993 R.BENNETT7 [Rodney] at 01:05 EDT James Kracht, I 'tweeted' the SC1224 on the ST to stop the rolling affect from those 50khz programs from europe. You can get it set so it works both in 50 and 60khz without any problems... you loose alittle portion of the bottom of the screen when displaying a 50khz program, but at least it's not rolling. Joey, I haven't called Toad yet (waiting tell the end of the month), but as soon as I get any information regarding the 3 in 1 switch box for the Falcon, I'll post it immeditately. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 127 Sat Oct 23, 1993 V.VALENTI at 02:58 EDT Joey, What monitor do you have that is hooked up to the 3 in 1 switch for the Falcon. Vince ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 128 Sat Oct 23, 1993 S.DANUSER [Soul Manager] at 03:14 EDT Sean - You think 7 megs is too much for a game? Ultima 7 and 7.5 each take over 20 megs of HD space on my 486, and I have several other games that are in the 10 meg range. Cool features like digitized speech and music and animated video really eat up the hard drive space, but the effect is usually worth it. If a demo for the Falcon requires 7 megs, I'd laud it as a sign that some mature gaming software might actually be available for the Atari platform. Then I'd upgrade my hard drive. ;) Soul Manager ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 129 Sat Oct 23, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 03:52 EDT Sean: Llamazap is out, apparently, in the UK. ST Format gave it some great reviews. The screen shots look awesome. There is even a new Falcon version of LlamaTron included inside LlamaZap! You might call one of the import houses, like Computer Games+ in Orange, CA. I thought there was a good import house in Florida, too. RandyH: You might try M-Disk. The latest version (I _think_ 6.94) worked on TTs, and was MutltiTOS compatibile, so I think it should work on your Falcon. It is the best RAM disk I've ever seen. It can even back up your HD, although, not as well as something like Diamond Back 2. Has tons of features that bewildered me. Check it out. (Not sure about which letter it wants, and if you've tried M- Disk already, well, just ignore this whole thing). Rodney: I haven't had an SC1224 since late 1991. I got lucky and traded mine in for a 1435, which properly adjusts to PAL mode. Gives you a sort of "letter-boxed" screen. You can see everything. It is AWESOME with the Falcon, too. J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 130 Sat Oct 23, 1993 K.VANDELLEN [Ken Van] at 07:49 EDT You guys might think about a removable HD for those big games. Ken Van ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 131 Sat Oct 23, 1993 D.FREELAND [SAXMAN] at 08:11 EDT Where does one get the Space Junk demo??? David ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 132 Sat Oct 23, 1993 D.GORDON2 [DENNIS] at 09:32 EDT At the risk of asking again and being redundant: Is it necessary to keep my SC1224 if I want all ST compatible video modes? What is the best inexpensive multi-sync solution? For that matter will the SC1224 display only ST Med & ST Low? I know these questions have been answered before, but I'm still in the dark about this stuff. Thanks for any advice.... ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 133 Sat Oct 23, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 10:05 EDT Dennis: The ST monitor can display all of built in SC resoltions including ST Low, Medium, and High, and any combination of 320 or 640 by 200 or 400 with 2, 4, 16, 256, or True Color modes. Note that the VGA monitor can do all of the compatibility modes plus get more scanlines in all modes except 640 by anything TrueColor, which it can't do; 200 lines become 240 and 400 become 480. Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 134 Sat Oct 23, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 10:54 EDT Randy, CodeRam lets you use any drive letter, even B:, as the ramdisk, but I have no knowledge of its performance on a Falcon. It's a wonderfully adaptable ramdisk, one of the best of the 'Heads' many products. Another solution, one I've had to use to allow LittleNet to work between my TT and my wife's ST, is to have at least one GEM partition in each setup. The TT has monster paritions (256 megs X 5) except for the Floptical, and the ST has a couple of GEMs among its BGMs. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 135 Sat Oct 23, 1993 C.OATES2 [Chris] at 14:50 EDT I've got some weird news to report... I've got a switchbox of the 3-way type that has been talked about. It works fine, but in switching back & forth from MegaSTE to Falcon, I found some interesting things. For example, if I boot up the Falcon with the VGA adapter and then after power-up switch to the SC1224 adaptor, the Falcon still thinks it is a VGA, and the output on my MultiSynch is VGA (i.e. no interlace) Then, I booted up with the SC asapter and switched to VGA, the output was SC. Meaning that I could do 640 x 400 truecolor (intelaced) What this seems to indicate is that somebody could write a little rez-switching utility that ignores the SC vs VGA adapter block and simply sets the rez. it COULD work on a multisynch. I might be willing to try to do such a thing, but it would be dangerous if used improperly. For example, I had my Falcon in 640 x 400 interlaces 256 colors through the VGA adapter, then used the normal "set video" to move to truecolor, but then the screen went haywire, so I shut the Falcon off. I don't know what might have happened if I left it on, nor do I want to think about the possibility of someone trying to get their SC1224 to do non-interlaced modes or a regular VGA to do 80 column truecolor... ~Chris ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 136 Sat Oct 23, 1993 DMJ [dmj] at 14:52 EDT Randy: View II comes with a RAM disk that works great on the Falcon, even under MultiTOS. (The rest of the package is not yet MultiTOS compatible, but the RAM disk is.) -dmj ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 137 Sat Oct 23, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 15:28 EDT Vince, I don't have a 3 in 1 switch now but I wouldn't mind having one. Right now I can get all the VGA modes and the True Color modes on the NEC 3D by switching the video adaptors. You can get all modes on the VGA adaptor except 640x480 True Color. You can get that by using the ST Adaptor and a special cable. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 138 Sat Oct 23, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 16:43 EDT David: Space Junk is best gotten at 9600 baud or higher, since the file is over 4 megabytes in size. I know it is available on Delphi. I'm not sure how one could break up the demo to fit on high density floppies. I'm sure it could be done, with adequate compression, and then sent to you via the mails. Where are you, geographically? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 139 Sat Oct 23, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 18:16 EDT What do I need to knock Line Level down to Mic level to record stuff from my stereo? Is headphone out safe? Any word on Dave Small or the Color GCR? Bman ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 140 Sat Oct 23, 1993 D.FREELAND [SAXMAN] at 18:49 EDT James: I live in Terre Haute, IN. David ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 141 Sat Oct 23, 1993 P-DIRECT [Sean@TWP] at 19:46 EDT Bman: There is a little thing from Radio Shack which will do what you want. I don't know a part number, but they call it a headphone volume adjuster or something like that. It is two black male headphone plugs with a bit of cable and a box with a knob on it. It isn't that expensive, and can adapt almost any normal signal to what the Falcon wants. The headphone out is safe providing you have it connected to something that is capable of using a headphone level signal. I use a Kenwood AMP/Reciever with my Falcon and it has this "Voltage Interface Gate Circuit" thing which makes it so I can just plug the Falcon straight into it with the appropriate cord. I personally don't like to use headphones because the output is rather loud and since programs can control the volume at their leisure (such as set it to 15 and play a really loud sound)...well, you get the idea. It's safe providing you don't do anything stupid (much like soda machines are safe unless you do something stupid, such as shake it until it falls on top of you). Sean Dougherty Two Worlds Publishing ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 142 Sun Oct 24, 1993 GREG at 00:26 EDT Randy H: We have been using the ramdisk program included with our View II package and it works great with the Falcon. Most of the time I have it set to make a 10 meg ramdisk so I can test programs in a 4 meg working enviroment. Check it out. The ramdisk alone is worth getting the View II package. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 143 Sun Oct 24, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 01:55 EDT Chris, are you saying that it would be possible to have a Multisync switch to 80 column truecolor without switching to the SC1224 adapter? If so, then I would certainly like to see that kind of a software hack. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 144 Sun Oct 24, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 02:44 EDT Saxman: If I can figure out the most economical way of fitting Space Junk on floppy(s), I could mail you a copy. I'll let you know... J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 145 Sun Oct 24, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 09:00 EDT Since this is the _official_ Atari computer support online network I will ask this question one more time and hope that someone _official-, or just anyone that knows would tell me..... Does the Falcon 030 have a two speed fan or is the Falcon I have been doing tests on, defective....cause the fan is constantly changing speeds. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 146 Sun Oct 24, 1993 M.L.HANSON [Merlin] at 12:30 EDT See Flat: If I were you, I would pose my question in a letter to Atari. Send it certifed mail, return receipt requsted. This may get their attention. It will only cost a bit over a dollar. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 147 Sun Oct 24, 1993 O-ZONE [Flakes] at 13:17 EDT I run the headphone out into the dual inputs on the mixer section of my Tascam 688 and find the out put level from the falcon to be quite normal. I believe I have the sound outputs on the Falcon set to nominal and my inputs at around 4-5. See Flat, There is nothing in my Falcon manual to indicate that the fan has two speeds and there is no software or hardware included that sets the fan speed. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 148 Sun Oct 24, 1993 T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] at 15:17 EDT B Man, If you look in your D2D manual you will find you need two Radio Shack #274- 300a 40db attenuators... ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 149 Sun Oct 24, 1993 C.OATES2 [Chris] at 15:38 EDT Fairweather: All i can say is that I have booted up my Falcon with the SC1224 adaptor, changed to 80 col truecolor, then pulled out the Adaptor, changed it to the VGA adaptor, plugged the monitor directly in, and it was _still_ in 80 column truecolor. It sounds like it could be done. I'm looking into it. One other warning: after doing this, I tried to change the resolution again, and the screen went crazy. See Flat: My fan changes speed if I move my Falcon. Hope that helps. All: I just wrote a simple program that switches the Falcon during bootup to ST High. It's not elegant nor does it do any error-checking, but it does make the text of other auto program look nicer, and it's not messing with NVRam. Would anybody want this? ~Chris ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 150 Sun Oct 24, 1993 J.KRACHT [James Kracht] at 20:36 EDT Chris: Chris, don't take this wrong, but the ICD Pro bootup software lets you select ANY res to boot in, and it doesn't mess with the NVRAM either. And I think anyone with a Falcon _should_ be using the ICD software, so... I also think you should fully document all these strange experiments with monitors. It sounds like you might be on to something. See Flat: Well, er, uh, _your_ Falcon has a two speed fan... :-) J. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 151 Sun Oct 24, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 21:00 EDT Spud's, I saw that and it will cost a fortune to buy the attenuators, and then all the adaptors to make it stereo. Radio Shack should make a stereo version but doesn't, I will check at a music insterment store for what I want. Bman ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 152 Sun Oct 24, 1993 R.LUNSFORD2 at 22:35 EDT James, There's a file tin the library that allows you to cut or concatenate a file. I did a search on concat and there's only one. I downloaded Space Junk in 3 parts and pasted them together using it...works great Russ ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 153 Mon Oct 25, 1993 MUSE [Tomas] at 00:28 EDT See Flat, I really doubt that you have a 2-speed fan. You probably need to check it's connections. B Man, Those 40 dB attenuators are for the inputs and cost around $6.00 for a pair. They are red, BTW. You still need the stereo mini-jack to two RCA adaptor. This Falcon can make an adaptor collector out of you. I wonder if we'll ever be able to plug a monitor directly into that port? ===Tomas=== ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 154 Mon Oct 25, 1993 M.STEFANI [MCH] at 02:11 EDT Chris, Absolutely! Upload it, please!! Mark Stefani ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 155 Mon Oct 25, 1993 R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson] at 05:11 EDT See Flat, If the fan is AC, then it may be that your power is dropping to a lower voltage. If it DC, then the power supply could also be dropping down to a lower voltage. The voltage level may still be above the level required for the electronics but, the fan would slow down. I suggest (if possible) to take to a dealer and let them monitor the power level to the fan. While it won't hurt the fan, it could do other damage if it is a bad power supply. You could also monitor you household power for drops. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 156 Mon Oct 25, 1993 K.OLSON10 [KenO.] at 07:19 EDT Spud Boy, I am using DOS 6 - but you can't install it with all the B & Ws. Everything runs quite reasonable. I also have windows which I don't use much becasue I have very few apps to use with it. The only real bad thing about it is the lack of serial support. The Falcon & Falspeed are really bummers in that respect. With falcon & DOS there is so much to explore it will take a lifetime to use it all. A great combination to play around with just to see what you can do. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 157 Mon Oct 25, 1993 ATARI.BENLUX [W. Kilwinger] at 08:26 EDT J.BRENNER1 [See Flat], > >that knows would tell me..... Does the Falcon 030 have a two speed fan or is >the Falcon I have been doing tests on, defective....cause the fan is >constantly changing speeds. > It should run on a constant speed. It seems something is wrong with yours. C.OATES2 [Chris], > >My fan changes speed if I move my Falcon. Hope that helps. > Actually I don't believe that. I think you here the sound of the fan more clearly because you give it more space. (otherwise you should have a contact problem in the fan or the white/red wires). Regards, Wilfred ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 158 Mon Oct 25, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 19:01 EDT Thank you all RE; Fan speed question. As the owner of the Falcon in question had assumed when he traded the other Falcon that had a fan that changed speed, the unit is probably defective. Unfortunatly this is the third one he gets from this music store and I don't think they will exchange it again. p.s. there is nothing wrong with the power in the building where the Falcon is installed. The think I have been most impressed after spending two days testing the Falcon, was Speedo Geedos. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 159 Mon Oct 25, 1993 C.LABELLE [Tintin] at 20:56 EDT See Flat, I don't think my fan change speed; at least the noise is steady. This place has been deserted by Atari officials. The Falcon has been abandoned by Atari. BTW, my last local dealer closed :-( Tintin ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 160 Mon Oct 25, 1993 D.PHILLIPS24 [Darcy] at 23:19 EDT See Flat, When I bought my external hard drive, the fan, which seemed very loud to me being my first fan-equipped piece of gear, would periodically begin to slowly climb or descend to a new speed, where it would stay for a while before moving again. I found it to be a great relief on the ears when it changed, so I thought it was built that way to avoid ear fatigue(silly me thinking the manufacturer would care about something as aesthetic as ear fatigue). The point of the story is I took it back in and the tech immediately replaced it with one that remains dependably locked on the exact same pitch all day. Lucky me. Just thought I'd share. Darcy ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 161 Tue Oct 26, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 00:34 EDT I was thinking of connecting a 3.5 IDE to my F030, I am betting that it will have to be external, but I need to know where the IDE gets it's power from. If I get it to work I will probably upload the hack, I can't see paying twice as much for the 2.5 IDE. Bman ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 162 Tue Oct 26, 1993 V.VALENTI at 02:16 EDT Tintin, I think the reason that there is no Atari officials here, becuase of there rush to get the Jag ready for sale. Vince ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 163 Tue Oct 26, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 03:23 EDT The Doppler Effect could account for part of the apparent change in fan speed. Although it may seem that such a small rate of speed would not produce much of a Doppler Effect, I did audio research years ago that showed that even the tiniest speed differentials can produce audible Doppler Shifts, especially if the source of the sound is moving itself in a cyclical or back-and-forth motion. The Doppler Effect occurs when waves (of any kind, but light and sound are the most commonly perceived ones) are compressed or expanded because of differences in relative motion. The familiar eeeeehhh-ahhhhhhh-ooohhhh sound of a passing siren comes from the Doppler Effect. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 164 Tue Oct 26, 1993 ATARI.BENLUX [W. Kilwinger] at 06:03 EDT C.LABELLE [Tintin], > > >This place has been deserted by Atari officials. The Falcon has been >abandoned by Atari. BTW, my last local dealer closed :-( > You are WRONG !! I handle most of the questions here since the people at Atari Corp. are very busy with products that are very important for the future of Atari. And in my opinion it doesn't matter whom is anwering your questions as long as you get your answer. Wilfred Kilwinger Support Manager Atari Benelux, International Support Center (Europe) ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 165 Tue Oct 26, 1993 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 10:03 EDT Exactly what kind of chip do I need to add a math coprocessor to my Falcon and how much should I expect to pay for it? ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 166 Tue Oct 26, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 18:56 EDT Tintin, Chiang closed? Al, Since the air intake is on the bottom of the Falcon perhaps the feet are not properly resting on the table top. Lifting the Falcon if this is the problem would be more probable than a doppler effect. The Falcon I was experiencing the problem with was sitting properly on a table and we weren't moving it up and down of the table. :-) The most fun test example of the doppler effect is to take a sheet of stiff paper and move it back and forth in front of your face as you (vocaly) hold a steady tone. The flamging effect is quite pleasant. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 167 Tue Oct 26, 1993 C.OATES2 [Chris] at 23:01 EDT Well, I don't use the ICD software, and my old version of XBoot looks really funny on the Falcon without swtiching to Hi res. Also, there's no wrong way to take any comment about my little program. It's about 8 lines of code. In fact, anyone with a C compiler can do it. #include main() { long phys, log; phys = Physbase(); log = Logbase(); Setscreen(log, phys, 2); } And that's it! funny how that's 3K compiled... Oh well... As to the changing fan. Mine definitely has a pitch difference when I am holding it still in the air versus when it is resting flat. It might be the air intake as See Flat says, since it is not resting on the feet on the desk, it is resting on top of my MegaSTE! Makes an interesting sort of Bunk- Computer look... ~Chris ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 168 Tue Oct 26, 1993 GENIELAMP.ST [John G] at 23:19 EDT -\ differences in relative motion. The familiar \- -\ eeeeehhh-ahhhhhhh-ooohhhh sound of a passing siren \- -\ comes from the Doppler Effect. \- Ahh, that's where that sound comes from! Hmm, gotta tell those neighbors to quit playing their siren so loud at night! John ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 169 Tue Oct 26, 1993 T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] at 23:39 EDT B man, Yes, it does take about 6 inches of adaptors to to the trick, but they do work. I am waiting for a DSP audio in/out digital interface...has anyone heard of such a product? Ken, I just got Falcon Speed and I have it running Windows and DOS. I am having problems getting colors in DOS though. It says I can get CGA in DOS, but I only get monchrome regardless of what I set in the install program. I get color VGA in windows with no problems though. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 170 Wed Oct 27, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 07:34 EDT SPACE JUNK and LLAMAZAP!??? What about the big deal about special STE- specific versions of ROAD RIOT 4WD and STEEL TALONS? Oops! That's right! This is a Falcon030 topic. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 171 Wed Oct 27, 1993 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 07:48 EDT And, in fact, Wilfred has gone out of his way many times to do more than offer verbal help. Keep the faith, Wilfred. Flat, Argh, you are probably righter than I am about the fan sound. Al ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 172 Wed Oct 27, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 19:31 EDT Spud's, Compo is working on musicom 2 which will have D in/out and maybe even Tos link! Bman ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 173 Wed Oct 27, 1993 DMJ [dmj] at 19:49 EDT Chris: Try this: #include main() { Setscreen(-1L, -1L, 2); } It's 3K compiled because of all the startup code thrown in there. If you write it in assembly it's maybe 54 bytes (including the space used by TOS for the program header). -dmj ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 174 Wed Oct 27, 1993 C.LABELLE [Tintin] at 22:15 EDT Wilfred, You reassure me. How are sales in Europe? See Flat, Yep. Chiang closed in August. Is there still only one Falcon in Montreal? Tintin ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 175 Thu Oct 28, 1993 J.BRENNER1 [See Flat] at 06:07 EDT Tintin, > is there still only one Falcon in Montreal. Nope there is a music store that is carying them. Someone told me they had sold thirty units and I was impressed. I went to the store and after talking to the guy for a while I asked him how many he had moved so far. He said ohhhh....6 or 7. I had also been told that about 100 people were waiting to buy a Falcon when they heard the Cubase D2D system. He said the number was about 30. They are selling the machines for 1850. The other place that said they would sell them for 1550 have never gotten any. There is also a middle man in Montreal so there is someone taking a cut before selling it to dealers. Bob Brodie had said there would be no more distributors and dealers would buy directly from Atari so they had a better profit margin. I guess someone changed their mind. It is really too bad about Chiang. The owner seemed like a nice man to me. ------------ Category 14, Topic 41 Message 176 Thu Oct 28, 1993 C.LABELLE [Tintin] at 22:18 EDT See Flat, Yes, Gary _is_ a nice man. He sold six Falcons in two months. And he didn't cut it in the PC sales either. He was complaining about the larger stores selling their supplies at less than he was paying for the same. Is there non-music software at the Montreal store? Tintin ------------