A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

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mrbombermillzy
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by mrbombermillzy »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:12 am
mrbombermillzy wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 10:35 pm So is that with the steel ball or the gobstopper? :lol: :hide:
For me, it would be steel ball!
Seriously though, how is that working out for you?
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stephen_usher
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:14 am I do have a Gotek I could use, even if only temporarily to get stuff onto the hard drive, I'd be very interested in any ADFs you might have please.
OK, PM me an e-mail address to use. Nobody saw or heard anything about passing around software, right? ;-)
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by rubber_jonnie »

mrbombermillzy wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:10 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:12 am

For me, it would be steel ball!
Seriously though, how is that working out for you?
As long as it's on a grippy surface, it's OK. The addition of a bit of silicone tube on the rollers does make the ball grip really well to those.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:31 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:14 am I do have a Gotek I could use, even if only temporarily to get stuff onto the hard drive, I'd be very interested in any ADFs you might have please.
OK, PM me an e-mail address to use. Nobody saw or heard anything about passing around software, right? ;-)
I PM'd you my address, though why I don't know ;)

I neither saw, nor heard anything :dizzy:
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by rubber_jonnie »

alexh wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:48 am Nice to know as I'll probably have to go through this with mine.
I've just gone back and tested my Transcend 128MB Flash module and it formats and works just fine, so I expect that the others didn't work as the geometry or something else didn't play nice with the A5000.

That however is good enough for me, 2 drives, 1 SCSI & 1 IDE.

At least I can say that the IDE interface is actually working and I am able to copy to it, create/delete folders and files, so fairly good result :)

PXL_20220623_121918087.jpg
PXL_20220623_121918087.jpg (196.19 KiB) Viewed 1076 times

Now I am done :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:07 pm
stephen_usher wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:31 pm

OK, PM me an e-mail address to use. Nobody saw or heard anything about passing around software, right? ;-)
I PM'd you my address, though why I don't know ;)

I neither saw, nor heard anything :dizzy:
:lol: :hide1:
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:30 pm
alexh wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:48 am Nice to know as I'll probably have to go through this with mine.
I've just gone back and tested my Transcend 128MB Flash module and it formats and works just fine, so I expect that the others didn't work as the geometry or something else didn't play nice with the A5000.
Probably too large. The A5000 doesn't do LBA for a start. The ROM IDE stuff is incredibly limited and only truly supports the exact drives Acorn shipped in the machines.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:44 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:30 pm

I've just gone back and tested my Transcend 128MB Flash module and it formats and works just fine, so I expect that the others didn't work as the geometry or something else didn't play nice with the A5000.
Probably too large. The A5000 doesn't do LBA for a start. The ROM IDE stuff is incredibly limited and only truly supports the exact drives Acorn shipped in the machines.
I did try with the Wizzo ROM softloaded, but even then it wasn't happy. I'm just glad IDE is working :)

I did have a 128MB CF card somewhere, but can I find the damn thing? Nope.

As it goes the Transcend module is way neater.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Updated list of repairs:

1x CMOS/RTC chip
2x 74HCT245 buffer
7x mainboard capacitors (Maybe a few more than that!!)
15x capacitors in the PSU (Super fishy PSU this one!)
A bunch of bodge wires
A ton of time :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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GadgetUK164
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Re: A5000 - diving in at the deep end!

Post by GadgetUK164 »

mrbombermillzy wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 1:59 pm
Badwolf wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 1:43 pm I'm minded of our very own @GadgetUK164's video:
BW
Just watched the vid and one of those mice balls look similarly opaque glazed like a gobstopper too. I wonder how they get like this?

As for the steel ball...wow, I bet thats very torquey. You might not be able to stop the thing once youve got it travelling! :lol:
Haha! It worked perfectly tbh! I will continue to go that way with other mice if the balls disolve. The key was using heat shrink on the rollers -it give them traction vs smooth nylon, and it feels a bit better due to weight. That said, the surface is then important too - a mat is essential with a metal ball.
My YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/GadgetUK164
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