Another great video. I have 3 ST's and am trying not to get a fourth! Although I do want a STE model though. These are a cheaper alternate to an Amiga, although not as good. All 3 of mine have knackered floppy disk drives & I believe this is a common problem. You got yours for £20, one of mine cost me £28 it was upgraded to 1 meg & had an external working hard drive, an external hard drive, mono chrome monitor and some games. Wish I could find bargains like this more often.
That was a cracking bargain! With all the extras even better than mine! I've had a few comments saying "this isn't a realistic price" so I will pin your comment as evidence!
@@MoreFunMakingIt Yea, it was a good bargain. Probably the best bargain I had was a working Amiga 1200 with about 20 original boxed games and some joysticks which cost me £50.
A few years ago I got an Atari 1040 STe from a charity shop for £2, looked a bit further and found a mouse, manual and Prince of Persia for an extra £1......Got it home, plugged it in, switched it on and to my amazement it worked perfectly. I was and still a happy bunny for that buy.
BARGAIN! They are out there! Even now. It's just a smaller pond and there's a lot of competing fish. I love my STE. I bought it for£40 from faceberk muppetplace year before last. Came with 2 pink Zipsticks worth the £40 on their own. Lovely machine!
Nice to see this video doing numbers, it's definitely one of your best - and not just because I'm in it 😉 So good to see this channel going from strength to strength!
Amazing video. Thanks for making and sharing this masterpiece of content! I bought my 520 STFM at the age of 15 in 1990. It was a very memorable and precious piece of computer for me. I remember the pride I felt when I upgraded the RAM on my own. I was lucky to get the chips on a sale and the sales man was so confused that I didn't buy two more for parity as the IBM PC compatibles wouldn't work without it. He warned me that the amount I asked for wouldn't be sufficient for a working RAM upgrade and I replied with a smile that I wouldn't put those into an IBM compatible but an Atari ST I was a proud owner of. I saw he had no Idea what I was talking about and he was sure I was wrong that I didn't buy the extra for parity. I loved so many things about the ST. The only thing I didn't like was the audio chip that made some games sound inferior compared to an Amiga. But hey at least I used a nice Motorola 68000 based machine and not a PC compatible we as kids despised at that time. :)
The clip with Rees made it totally worth it! 🤣🤣🤣 There is fun to be had on the Atari. Mostly with the productivity programs in Hi Res modes. The lack of smooth scrolling on the ST versions of games makes my Commodore 64 laugh
I originally purchased my first STFM in 1988, here in Canada. With a color monitor, it cost over $1000 CAD. Bringing the ram to one megabyte cost me almost $400 extra. 3 months later, I was introduced to an Amiga and 2 weeks after that, my savings were fully depleted and my ST love was replaced with an Amiga 500. Today though, I enjoy both machines.
Those of us that experienced these machines in the time they were current tech all had different things influencing how we would rate them. From the competition the machines had, to the peer group we had, and hundreds of other factors, like age and location. Its really interesting to hear other people's experiences. Too many people just write certain machines off because such and such machine was technically "better". Doesn't mean a thing now. If better is the only metric go buy a state of the art PC or latest games console.
@@MoreFunMakingIt Coming from an 8 bit 130xe to a 520STFM and stumbling onto a ground breaking title such as Dungeon Master in 1988, was simply magic. I do own current consoles, but still enjoy going back to the 80s and 90s. I still find the more simplistic, arcade-like experiences of those time period computers so rewarding.👍
Great content! I came here via viewing Adrians Digital Basement-I'm a huge fan of retro computer content. Back in the day (at various times) I actually had a couple of machines on your wishlist-I'm raging that I disposed of them! Hindsight being 20/20 etc.
Thank you! I'm a huge Adrian fan. Instant watch everything he releases. Don't feel too bad about selling things. It's just part of the natural progression through the different machines. I wouldn't have been able to afford half the things I ended up buying if I hadn't made some easy cash from the previous ones.
I've a restored Atari ST waiting for exactly that upgrade. I have the parts and it's been on my job list for ages but it's nice to see someone else actually do it first. Particularly the solder removal method to use. I liked the style of that video, great job. 👍
Very very nice! I had a similar good fortune, I took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and came back to find the neighbor had placed out an entire C64 system including 1541, MPS802, 1702 monitor, and C2N data-sette. Just all placed out at the end of the driveway, took me about 25 seconds to trot it all inside the door! Thanks Joyce :)
I'm not keen on the camera jump cuts. They feel like a slap in the face designed to make people jump. I've seen this more and more and am tempted to just listen than look, even if it means missing some visual cues.
@@ShamrockParticle They're actually designed to hide the edges. Some people use them just to break up the flow, but I use them to hide the joints between sections of me talking and pausing. I cut the pause out and just leave the cut it looks nasty, put a little zoom in there and it makes it look more natural. Sorry if it doesn't suit you, but not much I can do about that! :D
First time seeing a video of yours and I'm sold! SUBBED! 55 year old CANADIAN who also loves old tech though I've nowhere near your skills I get the gist of what your doing and I appreciate your fun presentation and excellent presentation.
Paul! First of all thank you for the lovely comment 😁 Secondly, I just had a nose around your own channel and that's some excellent content you've got there! I notice you're not on twitter, which is a pain as I have a need to talk to you. Is there a chance you could join my discord so I can pick your brain? Link is in the description 😉
Great find!! Video was entertaining and informative. Highly recommend replacing all the caps. Have a 520 here as well and haven't used it. It throws bombs so it probably needs a new shifter or MMU but I see a whole mobo with updated ROMS that is probably the best route.
Years ago I saved a Mega STE that was being retired as a register at a hobby shop. It was headed to the dump I was able to get two keyboards and a mouse all for $25. Still have it.
i bought a STe in a thrift shop for cheap 10 years ago. I consider myself lucky. Great machine and it always puts a smile on my face when I fire it up! ☺
That was pretty funny. I was imagining you in that guys house wanting to pay and get out of there haha. I don't know much about these line of computers. It was great to see it working, before and after the memory upgrade. Nice job!
Your videos get better and better. 👏 Love the parcel throwing out takes at the end. I'm just imagining the conversation, " can you come down the garage and throw a parcel at me" 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭
hi lee, great video.. what a great buy, i bought an ST last year.. 520stfm for 70notes. it works, but i daren't look inside.. i had one in 1988 so it was a bit of nostalgia for me to get one. however, like you, i realised I couldn't load any games on it. i did a little research and discovered it wasn't upgradeable.. i boxed it back up.. i've never soldered anything in my life so wouldn't really know where to start.. so for now.. it's gathering dust. til i decide what to do with it.
I got an 1040ST w/ 6 socket 2 Chip 1.0 TOS.. Was going to burn a 6 chip dual select, but came across Sidecard (using a RBP board) that supposedly can emulate TOS roms..
A little distinction, if I may. What you have is "vintage" tech - Which is much more impressive. Although the definition is a bit blurry, the name "Retro" can mean both vintage and newly made to look like vintage- and to me, this would be considered "retro". However, nothing newly built to made to look old can be called "vintage". This is why I only call old machines "vintage" and newly built to look old, "retro". To be clear, you're not wrong for calling it "retro". I just think you have something worthy of a better title.
I saw your video and obviously you did a great work with the Atari! This machine ( and similar ones ) aren't still part of my collection... I've used them many years ago when there was a big big movement with Atari 520/1040St and Cubase. My wanted list it's still huge and very similar to yours and in the past i sold out some precious hardware i want to have back but without wasting TONS of money. Thanks to Brexit now it's very hard to get "cheap" stuff from UK ( i am in Italy).. in the past before all that, i was able to get a £9.99 untested Zx Spectrum 128 +2A that at the end worked perfectly so i agree with you, sometime it's very good to get working or almost working cheap stuff 🙂
Excellent! Its not too difficult. Removing solder from unpopulated holes is a lot less risky than removing chips. But go steady and dont rush, you'll be fine.
I have the 520STFM too. 2 to be exact. One was bought back in 1989 and another a recent find at a recycler. Apps from TOSEC will run except a few which requires 1MB RAM.
Only issue now is I cannot find an easy RAM upgrade for it. My skill with the soldering iron is rock bottom at best. Probably killed several old laptops previously. 😭
I've been told by @galier2 that the problem loading all the games was the hard drive driver taking up too much memory. They probably would work fine off floppy.
This sounds right. Most Atari ST games were designed to work in 512K, some with enhancements for 1MB. Pirate copies or hard drive versions are often tweaked to require 1MB so they can load more (or all) of the game into RAM at once, so if you're using a hard drive/flash solution 1MB is probably a minimum.
Good memories. Did a lot of work on these when I was young. Even made a memory expansion using SIMMs you could get from Apple users for free, with a decoder and a huge amount of wires to where the RAM chips would be. I think I had 2.5MB in that ST. Didn't fit in its case by the way. There was also an 68020 upgrade board, piggybacked over the CPU. And a PC emulator that worked quite well, a daughterboard that also went over the 68000. The PC-Speed made by Sack (German company). I remember you had to cut 1 pin off the 68000 and wire it.. Installed quite a lot of these.
Very nice. Great bargain. I got a 1040 STf myself a while back also with a faulty disk drive; but I think it's a mechanical failure because I can't insert disks into it. I found it for €100 with shipping but had to pay custom charges and VAT which added around 50% to the price in total. Have since gotten a GoTek, a 2nd external drive, some disks, and also an ACSI to micro SD device. I now only need some newer ROMs (my machine has a German layout so I'm thinking why not German 1.04? (und ich brauche die Übung)), and to upgrade the memory from 1 MB to 4 MB. Buuuut... I will need some practice with a soldering iron first. But I do like the machine and it will sit nice next to my Amiga 500 and Commodore 128. Well until I find an STe that is. :) Great video, Lee.
Superb ,i thought mine was cheap in good condition for £34 though drive is not reading disc my spare drive that was working also does not read maybe its a machine fault ,i have not looked into it ,i need a gotek.
My friend had an Atari STFM as a kid and it was the only machine I didn't own too. I recently picked up one for £50 too and it's cool. So cool I wanted an ST-E as well one arrived for me last week so cool with the Blitter chip. I put in TOS 2.06 also. Will be adding an Ultra Satan tomorrow also. Should be great :)...
I think my original 520ST, floppy drive, and high res monochrome monitor are still in their original boxes somewhere in my dad’s garage. I should try to fine them the next time I’m there.
That’s a great deal Lee! I love the ST but I have to admit that I made a mistake buying it in the day over the Amiga. I now have some amigas and I have to say they are actually more fun and easier to program. The reason I had an ST, next to my XT was for MIDI recording and Cubase and being a cheap skate for not wanting to shell out an additional 50 guilders for a MIDI interface on top of the already almost 200 guilders that the Amiga cost more than the ST. And I recorded a lot on that machine and programmed a bit but and liked it. But it wasn’t love like the C64.
@@MoreFunMakingIt isn’t that the truth. But all it takes is just waiting 31-32 years and you can have what you wanted for a couple of quid 🤣My mom always said: “good things for to those who wait.”
I have recently acquired the same revision MB to yours, and still at 512Mb, I hope to add the missing RAM myself in next few weeks, pleased to see a 'walk thru'. Laid on top of the shielding I see an unidentifiable circuit board, unless that is an early version of ACSI2STM, I bought SD4ST+ the other day, easy to flash ICD Pro to a separate card, keeping original supplied with device for post-512Mb-upgrade. Engaging video, I shall subscribe and watch more, thanks.
Nice machine! This was my first ST in 1987. The 520 + 360K disk drive. Excellent machine for all kids of tasks, but the games were my favorite part. This machine would be a few $100 in the USA right now. Those hard drive versions usually need 1MB at least because the hard drive driver takes up too much memory, With GoteK SD floppy replacement you cab play 95% of the originally released games.
I have 2 amiga500 computer's in their original boxes and they rarely come out as i have an amiga emulator on my laptop...the atari ST shared the same motorola processor as the amiga and so in essence most amiga games were simply port overs of the st version...some software was amiga specific but overall the experience was the same...great stuff none the less.
Great video. Very odd about those games, I don't remember any that wouldn't run in 512k. Maybe it's a TOS version compatibility issue requiring more RAM (my ST had 1.02 which played nicely with most games and demos).
I like your dry wit! The Zoidberg animation was one of many nice bits added too. A couple jump zooms took me off guard, but I really did enjoy the presentation overall! 😊 Prices for ST computers in America are through the roof due to rarity. $500 and more with ease. Just for the main computer. Thet's arguably 40~50% too much for a tested operable unit, but rarity is the ultimate variable. Never seen a 6-socket ST with only 2 chips, usually the 6ers had 6 chips and 2 for the 2ers, of course. Nice socketing job and describing, and tips! Desolder pumps are a nightmare. Those vacuums can be better but I had some of the same problems. As with for you, adding new lead solder then vacuuming took care of it. But, wow, the ST had a more robust motherboard than the XE line, which are insanely fragile and the circuit traces can come off. I've been lucky so far, but - zoiks... I'd rather burn a finger than a trace.
Thank you for the nice comment! I've had the dubious pleasure of working on boards similar to the fragile one you describe. This one was a walk in the park in comparison. The normal price of an ST over here is much higher than I paid, around £75-150 for a good one. I got ridiculously lucky this time. But saying that I'm a patient man and only buy things if they're a bargain. My other Atari STe only cost me £40 and came with 2 pristine Zipsticks! Just takes a lot of work to keep checking the ads.
I'va got the exactely the same motherboard, and I'm looking for documentation. Can you describe in more details what you did to upgrade the ram ? Where did you find all the informations ? Thanks !
Love the video, heck I love all the videos, but I just picked up an Atari ST 1040STe for similar reasons so this one really hit. In the video you said you would put a link to the eBay seller for the chip tester, can't see it in the description? Would you be able to whack it on a pinned comment, or maybe edit the description?
New sub, enjoyed your video. The bloopers at the end were hilarious. Also, very relaxing watching someone solder all of those points on the back of the board.
Love this video! You have a great presentation style that's unique. I remember the day I bought my ST back in the day... think it was on speical offer in about 1991 or 92 through Evesham Micros or Silca Shop... long time ago now... I only used it for MIDI sequencing via Cubase V2 mainly.... but loved it for the odd game of Mahjong. As a kid growing up with computers in the early 80s I also remember having a period feeling I wanted to get all my old computers from the 80s but never really went with it... I had someone drop off a load of ZX Spectrums with Microdrives, printers the lot... but passed it on once the novelty wore off... I think they'd just end up in boxes like you say.
Thank you for the kind words Neil! Yes! Without a reason to collect these things I would be bored very quickly. Fixing and modding them is my biggest reason
Thank you! Yup. PSU all good. I did recap my STE as that had a really bad audio problem which I thought was down to the PSU caps failing, but that turned out to make no difference.
Quite a nice bargain with this Atari! I have never seen an ST with an internal Floppy and that extra "non standard" logic PCB (15:05) mounted on the shielding! I got that version as an external doublesided Atari SF314 drive. Interesting to see how many different Floppy models Atari installed back then.
I did look up at the time (a year ago so my memory is foggy) which drive that is. The advice I remember was basically don't bother too much with repairing it as its not very useful anyway.
It's an ASCI2SD which is a very simple board that just uses a blue pill and a couple of other components. There are a few different versions. Ill dm you a link to the github
Really enjoy your narration Lee, u as a good way wif wurds init! Great new format, works really well, bravo. I absolutely love a bit of RUclipsr Collab, Mr Rees is a v good sport, counting his solar money 😅. Bravo! Bravo!
My Atari mega st2 was 6 pounds in very good condition (20 years ago) , vectrex 12 pounds , spectrum with microspeech , interface one , two microdrives , datel plus interface + discdrive + printer 50 pounds
Not sure if anyone else said - but I suspect the external disk driver takes too much ram. That is the 512Mb and a floppy runs many games. But resident drivers for hard disk - that requires it's memory too so 1Mb or more. Like what you did here. Top content
any ideas where i can get a replacement upper case for the atari st please..?..i bought one off ebay and it arrived damaged so need a replacement...thanks.
I really like your channel! Happy to get in on the ground floor of what I expect will be a growing channel... and let me come over to yours and play all your games plz.... I'll bring the beers!
What a nice board with that unpopulated space for the extra 512k. My 520ST+ board has the additional 512k chips factory piggy-backed, which is quite the sight ;-)
I was mighty relieved when I saw those unpopulated spaces. I'm not sure I'd have taken on the upgrade if it was one of the tricky ones. Atari loved a piggyback!
Well bargains like that don't happen here in New Zealand. You'd have to strike the garage or estate sale lottery. An old ZX81 will be $150 minimum. An old spectrum closer to $250. Commodore 64s around $300 minimum. Amstrad or Atari 400 or 800 ditto.
@@MoreFunMakingIt 😂... thanks... I will be retrieving it this week & firing up some old games & see if it still works, i remember many yrs ago i upgraded the memory on but an external h/d would have been a cool thing too. Dungeon master... here we come.
I had a 1040 STE till I got my first Mac in 1998. Wish I’d kept it because the emulators available are garbage and don’t even allow customisation of input devices so you can end up having to use the select button as the fire button in games. Also had a Neo Geo (home arcade system not handheld), a SNES and a PS2. Got rid of all of them and regret it.
![Hunxho - Ball Forever [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nki9ZTF9Uls/mqdefault.jpg)
Another great video. I have 3 ST's and am trying not to get a fourth! Although I do want a STE model though. These are a cheaper alternate to an Amiga, although not as good. All 3 of mine have knackered floppy disk drives & I believe this is a common problem. You got yours for £20, one of mine cost me £28 it was upgraded to 1 meg & had an external working hard drive, an external hard drive, mono chrome monitor and some games. Wish I could find bargains like this more often.
That was a cracking bargain! With all the extras even better than mine! I've had a few comments saying "this isn't a realistic price" so I will pin your comment as evidence!
@@MoreFunMakingIt Yea, it was a good bargain. Probably the best bargain I had was a working Amiga 1200 with about 20 original boxed games and some joysticks which cost me £50.
Superb! Although I have that beat. My 1200 was free. Best mate kept his from back then and gave it to me for a Christmas present
A few years ago I got an Atari 1040 STe from a charity shop for £2, looked a bit further and found a mouse, manual and Prince of Persia for an extra £1......Got it home, plugged it in, switched it on and to my amazement it worked perfectly. I was and still a happy bunny for that buy.
BARGAIN! They are out there! Even now. It's just a smaller pond and there's a lot of competing fish. I love my STE. I bought it for£40 from faceberk muppetplace year before last. Came with 2 pink Zipsticks worth the £40 on their own. Lovely machine!
Nice to see this video doing numbers, it's definitely one of your best - and not just because I'm in it 😉
So good to see this channel going from strength to strength!
Helps when you surround yourself with awesome people to learn from 😍
Amazing video. Thanks for making and sharing this masterpiece of content! I bought my 520 STFM at the age of 15 in 1990. It was a very memorable and precious piece of computer for me. I remember the pride I felt when I upgraded the RAM on my own. I was lucky to get the chips on a sale and the sales man was so confused that I didn't buy two more for parity as the IBM PC compatibles wouldn't work without it. He warned me that the amount I asked for wouldn't be sufficient for a working RAM upgrade and I replied with a smile that I wouldn't put those into an IBM compatible but an Atari ST I was a proud owner of. I saw he had no Idea what I was talking about and he was sure I was wrong that I didn't buy the extra for parity. I loved so many things about the ST. The only thing I didn't like was the audio chip that made some games sound inferior compared to an Amiga. But hey at least I used a nice Motorola 68000 based machine and not a PC compatible we as kids despised at that time. :)
68k forever!
Thank you for sharing your memories 😁 that was really lovely.
I do love it when the shop "expert" tries to tell me I'm wrong 🤣
The clip with Rees made it totally worth it! 🤣🤣🤣
There is fun to be had on the Atari. Mostly with the productivity programs in Hi Res modes. The lack of smooth scrolling on the ST versions of games makes my Commodore 64 laugh
Rees is a legend! 🤩
I'm looking forward to finally getting some proper hands on time with my ST's when the workshop rebuild is finished.
As should your C64's Sound Chip and I say that as an ex-C64 abd 520STFM owner.
One of the most entertaining presentations I have seen in quite a while. Addiction is a wonderful thing !
Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed it.
Only £20? You were extremely lucky. I would love to buy 5 of them for this price ;)
Ill be round later to buy 4 of them off you for a tenner!
@@MoreFunMakingIt Of course I meant to 5 of them for £20 each :)
@@tiemanowo booo! I'm now crushed. 😆
That's my thought too. The title is a little "misleading", as it is extremely hard to spot one for that price! Nevertheless, great video.
They are 10 times that price on ebay
I originally purchased my first STFM in 1988, here in Canada. With a color monitor, it cost over $1000 CAD. Bringing the ram to one megabyte cost me almost $400 extra. 3 months later, I was introduced to an Amiga and 2 weeks after that, my savings were fully depleted and my ST love was replaced with an Amiga 500. Today though, I enjoy both machines.
Those of us that experienced these machines in the time they were current tech all had different things influencing how we would rate them. From the competition the machines had, to the peer group we had, and hundreds of other factors, like age and location. Its really interesting to hear other people's experiences. Too many people just write certain machines off because such and such machine was technically "better". Doesn't mean a thing now. If better is the only metric go buy a state of the art PC or latest games console.
@@MoreFunMakingIt Coming from an 8 bit 130xe to a 520STFM and stumbling onto a ground breaking title such as Dungeon Master in 1988, was simply magic. I do own current consoles, but still enjoy going back to the 80s and 90s. I still find the more simplistic, arcade-like experiences of those time period computers so rewarding.👍
Great content!
I came here via viewing Adrians Digital Basement-I'm a huge fan of retro computer content.
Back in the day (at various times) I actually had a couple of machines on your wishlist-I'm raging that I disposed of them! Hindsight being 20/20 etc.
Thank you! I'm a huge Adrian fan. Instant watch everything he releases.
Don't feel too bad about selling things. It's just part of the natural progression through the different machines. I wouldn't have been able to afford half the things I ended up buying if I hadn't made some easy cash from the previous ones.
I've a restored Atari ST waiting for exactly that upgrade. I have the parts and it's been on my job list for ages but it's nice to see someone else actually do it first. Particularly the solder removal method to use. I liked the style of that video, great job. 👍
Definitely add some fresh solder. That made a massive difference. Thanks for the compliment :D
Very very nice! I had a similar good fortune, I took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and came back to find the neighbor had placed out an entire C64 system including 1541, MPS802, 1702 monitor, and C2N data-sette. Just all placed out at the end of the driveway, took me about 25 seconds to trot it all inside the door!
Thanks Joyce :)
That's a score! I love hearing that kind of thing. Wish it happened more (to me 🤣)
Just replying 10:46 in to say I’ve never seen someone hold components with masking tape and I think it’s really clever. Making a mental note 🫡
Brilliant! Try not to use the cheap stuff though. That doesnt peel off quite so neatly.
One of the best videos. Really engaging, numerous but also informative and fun! Great to see the channel and you growing in harmony MFMI 👏
Thank you Jonathan! 😁
This is your best video yet, Lee. Love the new format, and love the contributions from Rees, your parcel delivery person and the other Lee. 👍
Thanks mate! Really enjoyed making this one. I'm desperate to get cracking on the next one. Hopefully I've not peaked!
I'm not keen on the camera jump cuts. They feel like a slap in the face designed to make people jump. I've seen this more and more and am tempted to just listen than look, even if it means missing some visual cues.
@@ShamrockParticle They're actually designed to hide the edges. Some people use them just to break up the flow, but I use them to hide the joints between sections of me talking and pausing. I cut the pause out and just leave the cut it looks nasty, put a little zoom in there and it makes it look more natural. Sorry if it doesn't suit you, but not much I can do about that! :D
I use blue painters tape as well to hold down components. Works like a charm!! :)
Great minds! 😁
Love the new improved formula. Great production, more please!
😁 It's easier working this way. Definitely the way forward for me.
Saw this channel mentioned on the RMC. Loving it. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber, good sir.
Fantastic! Neil is a legend 😁
I love it when the YT algorithm works and actually recommends me something new AND good!
Thank you! It's been a lot of work to get youtube to finally take notice, but hopefully it's now starting to pay off.
First time seeing a video of yours and I'm sold! SUBBED! 55 year old CANADIAN who also loves old tech though I've nowhere near your skills I get the gist of what your doing and I appreciate your fun presentation and excellent presentation.
Well thank you for the very kind words! You just made my day :D
Excellent video! Loving the content, the presentation style and your commitment to taking a package to the face!
Paul! First of all thank you for the lovely comment 😁
Secondly, I just had a nose around your own channel and that's some excellent content you've got there!
I notice you're not on twitter, which is a pain as I have a need to talk to you.
Is there a chance you could join my discord so I can pick your brain? Link is in the description 😉
Great find!! Video was entertaining and informative. Highly recommend replacing all the caps. Have a 520 here as well and haven't used it. It throws bombs so it probably needs a new shifter or MMU but I see a whole mobo with updated ROMS that is probably the best route.
Thank you!
Years ago I saved a Mega STE that was being retired as a register at a hobby shop. It was headed to the dump I was able to get two keyboards and a mouse all for $25. Still have it.
Oh that's very cool!
i bought a STe in a thrift shop for cheap 10 years ago. I consider myself lucky. Great machine and it always puts a smile on my face when I fire it up! ☺
Its doing its job then! :D
Oh the new format is funky! Although it's a little speedier in pace, I found it harder to keep on track with.
Thanks mate!
I'll refine it as I go. Hopefully it will make better sense when I'm more practiced.
That was pretty funny. I was imagining you in that guys house wanting to pay and get out of there haha. I don't know much about these line of computers. It was great to see it working, before and after the memory upgrade. Nice job!
Thank you! They were very popular over here, just after the ZX Spectrum and before the Commodore Amiga.
Excellent and fun video!! Thanks for sharing
Thank you Rudy! Glad you enjoyed it 😁
@@MoreFunMakingIt Always do ;)
Your videos get better and better. 👏 Love the parcel throwing out takes at the end. I'm just imagining the conversation, " can you come down the garage and throw a parcel at me" 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭
Word for word exactly what happened! 🤣
hi lee, great video.. what a great buy, i bought an ST last year.. 520stfm for 70notes. it works, but i daren't look inside.. i had one in 1988 so it was a bit of nostalgia for me to get one. however, like you, i realised I couldn't load any games on it. i did a little research and discovered it wasn't upgradeable.. i boxed it back up.. i've never soldered anything in my life so wouldn't really know where to start.. so for now.. it's gathering dust. til i decide what to do with it.
Thank you Baz!
Shame your Atari is one of the tricky ones. There are ways to upgrade them, but they're much more tricky than the one I showed.
Great vidoe presentation, nice, clear voice without ums and ahs. Best wishes to your channel!
Thank you!
Love it! Looking forward to finding more ST videos.
Soon as I find a broke one!
Not only the STEs had an Blitter, also the Mega ST Series had them!
That's a machine I am yet to look at! Thanks for the info!
I got an 1040ST w/ 6 socket 2 Chip 1.0 TOS.. Was going to burn a 6 chip dual select, but came across Sidecard (using a RBP board) that supposedly can emulate TOS roms..
I recently picked that project up. Looking forward to giving it a try
Great video. I have absolutely no interest in Atari's and yet watched your video to the end, you're obviously doing something right.
Thank you! Just hopped over to your channel and had a quick look, as you do! Love it! Will be checking that Nascom video out tomorrow for sure :D
I love this new format. Also nice cameo with ctl alt Rees. LOLZ "there's your problem"
😆 I watch a lot of Mustie1 and he's always saying that when he cracks open an engine and it's full of rust.
A little distinction, if I may. What you have is "vintage" tech - Which is much more impressive. Although the definition is a bit blurry, the name "Retro" can mean both vintage and newly made to look like vintage- and to me, this would be considered "retro". However, nothing newly built to made to look old can be called "vintage". This is why I only call old machines "vintage" and newly built to look old, "retro".
To be clear, you're not wrong for calling it "retro". I just think you have something worthy of a better title.
I saw your video and obviously you did a great work with the Atari! This machine ( and similar ones ) aren't still part of my collection... I've used them many years ago when there was a big big movement with Atari 520/1040St and Cubase. My wanted list it's still huge and very similar to yours and in the past i sold out some precious hardware i want to have back but without wasting TONS of money. Thanks to Brexit now it's very hard to get "cheap" stuff from UK ( i am in Italy).. in the past before all that, i was able to get a £9.99 untested Zx Spectrum 128 +2A that at the end worked perfectly so i agree with you, sometime it's very good to get working or almost working cheap stuff 🙂
Thank you for sharing your memories. I love reading these. Hope you get your list completed one day!
I can't believe that pcb still works !!! has the copper gone green yet ?
Nope! Still looks the same 😁
Awesome job. You've piqued my interest in having a look see whether I can do the same with the one I have now ....
Excellent! Its not too difficult. Removing solder from unpopulated holes is a lot less risky than removing chips. But go steady and dont rush, you'll be fine.
Loved this vid Lee 😂 and as the owner of a couple of STe Atari’s was nice to see a bit of love for an Atari 😃 cheers Mike 🇬🇧
Thank you Mike! The trouble with Atari's is they never go wrong!
@@MoreFunMakingIt very true, unlike the Spectrums that keep you on your toes 😥 but very satisfying 😎 cheers Mike 🇬🇧
Nice collab! Also luckily you wear glasses looking at those out takes!!
Should have worn a crash hat!
I have the 520STFM too. 2 to be exact. One was bought back in 1989 and another a recent find at a recycler.
Apps from TOSEC will run except a few which requires 1MB RAM.
Lovely! We're not allowed to take computers out of recycling here. Keeps me awake at night thinking what's getting crushed
Only issue now is I cannot find an easy RAM upgrade for it. My skill with the soldering iron is rock bottom at best. Probably killed several old laptops previously. 😭
Great video. Thanks for sharing your story 😊
Thank you Miguel! 😁
I've been told by @galier2 that the problem loading all the games was the hard drive driver taking up too much memory. They probably would work fine off floppy.
This sounds right. Most Atari ST games were designed to work in 512K, some with enhancements for 1MB. Pirate copies or hard drive versions are often tweaked to require 1MB so they can load more (or all) of the game into RAM at once, so if you're using a hard drive/flash solution 1MB is probably a minimum.
Wow you are a smashing fellow ! Nice vid and good luck with all your collection !
Thank you! You're smashing too!
You should definitely look for ST audio software with sampling capabilities.
One day! 😁
That's what I like to see, an Atari ST video. Good to see Rees making a cameo too!
Everyone loves Rees. The man's a comedy genius!
That’s a good deal. I’d be happy to get a Falcon030 for twice that!
That sounds like a fair price to me 😉
Good memories. Did a lot of work on these when I was young. Even made a memory expansion using SIMMs you could get from Apple users for free, with a decoder and a huge amount of wires to where the RAM chips would be. I think I had 2.5MB in that ST. Didn't fit in its case by the way.
There was also an 68020 upgrade board, piggybacked over the CPU.
And a PC emulator that worked quite well, a daughterboard that also went over the 68000. The PC-Speed made by Sack (German company). I remember you had to cut 1 pin off the 68000 and wire it.. Installed quite a lot of these.
Sounds like a lot of great memories tied up with the Atari for you! Thanks for sharing :D
Very nice. Great bargain. I got a 1040 STf myself a while back also with a faulty disk drive; but I think it's a mechanical failure because I can't insert disks into it. I found it for €100 with shipping but had to pay custom charges and VAT which added around 50% to the price in total. Have since gotten a GoTek, a 2nd external drive, some disks, and also an ACSI to micro SD device. I now only need some newer ROMs (my machine has a German layout so I'm thinking why not German 1.04? (und ich brauche die Übung)), and to upgrade the memory from 1 MB to 4 MB. Buuuut... I will need some practice with a soldering iron first. But I do like the machine and it will sit nice next to my Amiga 500 and Commodore 128. Well until I find an STe that is. :) Great video, Lee.
Great vid! Ouch on those outtakes! 😂
Thank you! I suffer for my art. 😆
Superb ,i thought mine was cheap in good condition for £34 though drive is not reading disc my spare drive that was working also does not read maybe its a machine fault ,i have not looked into it ,i need a gotek.
That's still a great deal you got!
Fantastic stuff mate!
Cheers Snorkers! 😍
The Mega ST did have a Blitter, though. I would count the Mega into the ST line.
My friend had an Atari STFM as a kid and it was the only machine I didn't own too. I recently picked up one for £50 too and it's cool. So cool I wanted an ST-E as well one arrived for me last week so cool with the Blitter chip. I put in TOS 2.06 also. Will be adding an Ultra Satan tomorrow also. Should be great :)...
I think my original 520ST, floppy drive, and high res monochrome monitor are still in their original boxes somewhere in my dad’s garage. I should try to fine them the next time I’m there.
That’s a great deal Lee!
I love the ST but I have to admit that I made a mistake buying it in the day over the Amiga.
I now have some amigas and I have to say they are actually more fun and easier to program.
The reason I had an ST, next to my XT was for MIDI recording and Cubase and being a cheap skate for not wanting to shell out an additional 50 guilders for a MIDI interface on top of the already almost 200 guilders that the Amiga cost more than the ST.
And I recorded a lot on that machine and programmed a bit but and liked it. But it wasn’t love like the C64.
We always covet the things we didn't have 😆
@@MoreFunMakingIt isn’t that the truth. But all it takes is just waiting 31-32 years and you can have what you wanted for a couple of quid 🤣My mom always said: “good things for to those who wait.”
I always think of only I knew. But I think even if I did know back then I would still have sold all my stuff anyway. I used to live in the moment!
I have recently acquired the same revision MB to yours, and still at 512Mb, I hope to add the missing RAM myself in next few weeks, pleased to see a 'walk thru'. Laid on top of the shielding I see an unidentifiable circuit board, unless that is an early version of ACSI2STM, I bought SD4ST+ the other day, easy to flash ICD Pro to a separate card, keeping original supplied with device for post-512Mb-upgrade. Engaging video, I shall subscribe and watch more, thanks.
Nice machine! This was my first ST in 1987. The 520 + 360K disk drive. Excellent machine for all kids of tasks, but the games were my favorite part. This machine would be a few $100 in the USA right now. Those hard drive versions usually need 1MB at least because the hard drive driver takes up too much memory, With GoteK SD floppy replacement you cab play 95% of the originally released games.
Good to know! Thanks for the info. Having the memory upgraded makes it an easier decision. I'll still have a gotek option though
Nice, simple and straight forward. And for £20, that ST was a bargain!
I really did almost bite the poor fellas hand off!
TBH I'm surprised Lee didn't get nicked for stealing... 🤣
I have 2 amiga500 computer's in their original boxes and they rarely come out as i have an amiga emulator on my laptop...the atari ST shared the same motorola processor as the amiga and so in essence most amiga games were simply port overs of the st version...some software was amiga specific but overall the experience was the same...great stuff none the less.
Great video. Very odd about those games, I don't remember any that wouldn't run in 512k. Maybe it's a TOS version compatibility issue requiring more RAM (my ST had 1.02 which played nicely with most games and demos).
No, it's the hardisk drivers for the ACSI2SD that take up a little bit too much memory.
That makes sense! I was really surprised hardly any of them worked. I will pin your message as its good info I wish I could add to the video.
You got the deal of the century. Nice video.
Thanks! It's the kind of deal that makes you keep hunting for the next one. 😆
You got lucky with a board where the custom chips are socketed, in case something breaks, later revisions had the custom chips soldered to the board.
Oh really!?
That's handy to know
I love the video. Very entertaining, funny and informative!
Glad you enjoyed it! 😁
I like your dry wit! The Zoidberg animation was one of many nice bits added too. A couple jump zooms took me off guard, but I really did enjoy the presentation overall! 😊
Prices for ST computers in America are through the roof due to rarity. $500 and more with ease. Just for the main computer. Thet's arguably 40~50% too much for a tested operable unit, but rarity is the ultimate variable.
Never seen a 6-socket ST with only 2 chips, usually the 6ers had 6 chips and 2 for the 2ers, of course.
Nice socketing job and describing, and tips! Desolder pumps are a nightmare. Those vacuums can be better but I had some of the same problems. As with for you, adding new lead solder then vacuuming took care of it. But, wow, the ST had a more robust motherboard than the XE line, which are insanely fragile and the circuit traces can come off. I've been lucky so far, but - zoiks... I'd rather burn a finger than a trace.
Thank you for the nice comment!
I've had the dubious pleasure of working on boards similar to the fragile one you describe. This one was a walk in the park in comparison.
The normal price of an ST over here is much higher than I paid, around £75-150 for a good one. I got ridiculously lucky this time. But saying that I'm a patient man and only buy things if they're a bargain. My other Atari STe only cost me £40 and came with 2 pristine Zipsticks!
Just takes a lot of work to keep checking the ads.
I'va got the exactely the same motherboard, and I'm looking for documentation. Can you describe in more details what you did to upgrade the ram ? Where did you find all the informations ? Thanks !
Love the video, heck I love all the videos, but I just picked up an Atari ST 1040STe for similar reasons so this one really hit.
In the video you said you would put a link to the eBay seller for the chip tester, can't see it in the description? Would you be able to whack it on a pinned comment, or maybe edit the description?
Oh! Thanks for the reminder!
I'll edit the description in s moment 😁
@@MoreFunMakingIt thanks, have just ordered one.
New sub, enjoyed your video. The bloopers at the end were hilarious. Also, very relaxing watching someone solder all of those points on the back of the board.
Welcome to the channel! Thank you for the kind words 😁 and for laughing at my face. 😉
Blooper reel! Yay! :-)
They're my favourite bit!
Love this video! You have a great presentation style that's unique. I remember the day I bought my ST back in the day... think it was on speical offer in about 1991 or 92 through Evesham Micros or Silca Shop... long time ago now... I only used it for MIDI sequencing via Cubase V2 mainly.... but loved it for the odd game of Mahjong.
As a kid growing up with computers in the early 80s I also remember having a period feeling I wanted to get all my old computers from the 80s but never really went with it... I had someone drop off a load of ZX Spectrums with Microdrives, printers the lot... but passed it on once the novelty wore off... I think they'd just end up in boxes like you say.
Thank you for the kind words Neil!
Yes! Without a reason to collect these things I would be bored very quickly. Fixing and modding them is my biggest reason
Just loved the style of this video. Great exchange with Reece too. 😂
Thanks mate!
I'm hoping making them like this will actually make the process easier. And possibly faster once i get going
Good video, I am surprised the PSU is still good.
Thank you! Yup. PSU all good. I did recap my STE as that had a really bad audio problem which I thought was down to the PSU caps failing, but that turned out to make no difference.
Quite a nice bargain with this Atari! I have never seen an ST with an internal Floppy and that extra "non standard" logic PCB (15:05) mounted on the shielding!
I got that version as an external doublesided Atari SF314 drive. Interesting to see how many different Floppy models Atari installed back then.
I did look up at the time (a year ago so my memory is foggy) which drive that is. The advice I remember was basically don't bother too much with repairing it as its not very useful anyway.
Nice deal! I need a new D key for my STE and some people are selling single ST keys for more than you paid for an entire system.
Parts are always crazy expensive. I got really lucky with this one though, probably my best bargain so far
Enjoy being envious of your Amiga owning friends all over again in 2023
I sit very firmly in both camps. And am jealous of everyone as a matter of course. 😉
This might sound stupid, BUT.. I like the way you overlaid the Chip labels in the video, looks professional. What editor did you use?
Thank you. Davinci Resolve
Curious as to what the SD HDD adapter was that you used?
It's an ASCI2SD which is a very simple board that just uses a blue pill and a couple of other components. There are a few different versions. Ill dm you a link to the github
my 1st 16bit computer , I upgraded my single drive to a dual
Atari STs all survived because they don't have exploding batteries in them. Amiga, you're paying the 'Varta battery tax.'
I think some one had way too much fun throwing things at your face 😉
I got suspicious when she kept asking for more takes!
Just found your channel today and I had to subscribe. You have a very entertaining delivery style.
Thank you Chris! That's very kind of you to take the time to comment ☺️
I remember cannon fodder on the amiga. Used to play it at my friends house was brilliant.
Amazing game for the time. So much character.
Really enjoy your narration Lee, u as a good way wif wurds init! Great new format, works really well, bravo. I absolutely love a bit of RUclipsr Collab, Mr Rees is a v good sport, counting his solar money 😅. Bravo! Bravo!
Thanks Chris! Rees is a legend 😍
My Atari mega st2 was 6 pounds in very good condition (20 years ago) , vectrex 12 pounds , spectrum with microspeech , interface one , two microdrives , datel plus interface + discdrive + printer 50 pounds
Not sure if anyone else said - but I suspect the external disk driver takes too much ram. That is the 512Mb and a floppy runs many games. But resident drivers for hard disk - that requires it's memory too so 1Mb or more.
Like what you did here. Top content
any ideas where i can get a replacement upper case for the atari st please..?..i bought one off ebay and it arrived damaged so need a replacement...thanks.
Sorry. No idea
I really like your channel! Happy to get in on the ground floor of what I expect will be a growing channel... and let me come over to yours and play all your games plz.... I'll bring the beers!
They're not for playing! They're to be watched carefully until they break again 😆
But beer does sound good.
@@MoreFunMakingIt hah true true re just for watching
Nice pick up you jammy git! Nice mod, loved the blooper reel.
Cheers Taz! 😁
Mr Roe getting a shoutout 10:24 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm so glad you timestamped that or I would have just thought you were really bad at spelling Rees! 🤣
Obviously, Mrs. Lee enjoyed throwing stuff at you! 😂
The only shock here is she missed once!
@@MoreFunMakingIt true love!
I like your laugh in the intro. 20 pounds?!? Unfair for sure. 😂
😁 I know I got really lucky. Probably annoyed a few people 🤣
Expecting to get an ST for 20 pounds is unrealistic. The cheapest I ve seen in the past couple of years was 100 EUR.
I didn't expect it 😉
That was a bargain! I have never come across an ST in the UK in the last 10 years for less than 150
What a nice board with that unpopulated space for the extra 512k. My 520ST+ board has the additional 512k chips factory piggy-backed, which is quite the sight ;-)
I was mighty relieved when I saw those unpopulated spaces. I'm not sure I'd have taken on the upgrade if it was one of the tricky ones.
Atari loved a piggyback!
Nice job, more of an Amiga person myself but i enjoyed watching this.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😁
Well bargains like that don't happen here in New Zealand. You'd have to strike the garage or estate sale lottery. An old ZX81 will be $150 minimum. An old spectrum closer to $250. Commodore 64s around $300 minimum. Amstrad or Atari 400 or 800 ditto.
I got very very lucky. Our auction prices are not a million miles away from yours. But its not the first time, and I hope not the last!
Still got mine under the stairs with a large box of games 👍
I'll give you £20 for it 😉🤣
@@MoreFunMakingIt 😂... thanks...
I will be retrieving it this week & firing up some old games & see if it still works, i remember many yrs ago i upgraded the memory on but an external h/d would have been a cool thing too.
Dungeon master... here we come.
Have fun!
First time here. You're freakin hilarious. Thanks for the great video. ☮
(edit: pretty sure you've voided the warranty!)
Thank you for the lovely comment! Welcome to the channel 😁
STFM: Sheet The Freaking Manual.
I had a 1040 STE till I got my first Mac in 1998. Wish I’d kept it because the emulators available are garbage and don’t even allow customisation of input devices so you can end up having to use the select button as the fire button in games. Also had a Neo Geo (home arcade system not handheld), a SNES and a PS2. Got rid of all of them and regret it.