SpartaDOS X (or SpartaDOS 4.0) is a disk operating system for the Atari 8-bit family of computers, that closely resembles MS-DOS. It was developed and sold by ICD, Inc. in 1987-93.

Ten years later SpartaDOS X considered abandonware has been picked up by its enthusiasts, and developed further. These unofficial revisions, incorporating many of the utilities written since 1992, cleaning many identified problems and including numerous improvements.

Highlights:

• Improved compatibility of 1 MB RAMBO and 576k Compy Shop RAM extensions with the internal BASIC on XL/XE.
• CAR.COM: added support for the Weronika cartridge: to run the dedicated programs, use CAR /F filename.ext;
• INIDOS.SYS should now work for SIDE2.
• Fixed a major bug in the S_VBXE driver, which caused occasional hang ups after the Reset key was pressed.
• CON.SYS: 80-column mode can now survive a warm reset.
• CHKFAT.COM: new command line tool to verify FAT file systems compatibility with our FATFS driver
• New program: MD5 hash tool
• SC now version 1.0.0

Please read the release notes (the whatsnew.txt file) for full information.

The new SpartaDOS X 4.48 runs on the following hardware platforms:

• intSDX128 and intSDX128 “flash”
• IDE Plus 2.0 interface (*)
• Maxflash 1Mb
• Maxflash 8Mb (*)
• Maxflash MyIDE+Flash
• MyIDE II RAM
• MyIDE II ROM
• SIC! Cartridge 256k (*)
• SIC! Cartridge 128k
• SIDE HDD cartridge (*)
• SIDE2 HDD cartridge (*)
• SuperCart cartridge (*)
• Ultimate1MB (*) (**)
• Turbo Freezer 2005 (*) (***)
• Altirra and Atari800 emulators

(*) – includes MAN on-line help
(**) – also use with Incognito board and Turbo Freezer 2011
(***) – use with Freezer ROM only

Dowload: SpartaDOS X 4.48 with Toolkit (1424)

source: sdx.atari8.info wikipedia

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

Below the post of the author on Atariage Forum.

A new firmware and flashtool is availible for Sys-Check V2 series.

The new flashtool now supports both Sys-Check PCBs equipped with a SST39SF010A flash chip (V2.1 and V2.2). When you start the flashtool, it will ask you which version you have. To be absolutely sure, the flashtool shows a simplified graphic view of both versions. I think, everybody can handle it :)

Of course the flashtool (and all other documents) are written in german and english.

Also there´s a new firmware V1.4 out. This firmware can be used with ALL Sys-Check versions – also with the old V2.0 (without flash). Owners of the V2.0 must burn the 16 KB firmware image into a 27128 EPROM. All other please use the flashtool to update their Sys-Check.

V1.4 has this minor changes:

• Sys-Check can be used with the U1MB expansion.
• The new version first checks the whole memory (to be more exact… the first 48 KByte) and then displays the defective bits (if there are any…)
• When bad memory within the first 48 KB is found, the upper 16 KB will not be tested.
• If memory is fine, OS-ROM will be tested as before.
• If both tests are fine, then pressing START after this will set Sys-Check into endless loop test mode. Memory and OS-ROM are tested infinite – until any error occurs.
• During memory tests the background will be coloured red if defective bits were detected.

Download: Sys-Check Firmware & Tools v2.2 (1145)

source: atariage.com

The Japanese Commodore 64 was introduced in the 1983.

The Hardware somewhat different (and incompatible) Kernal and BASIC to accomodate Japanese katakana characters, 46 total (plus punctuation, diacritics, etc.); many graphic characters replaced in the Char ROM with the new Japanese characters.

Breadbox case and original brown keycaps; SHIFT-LOCK replaced with C= LOCK for the purpose of getting at the katakana; modified keycaps to show the new characters with the colour keys no longer present and the remaining graphic characters significantly rearranged.

Machine started up in English but different colour scheme and only 36863 bytes free; see screenshot. Both Markus and On the Edge remember the original screen as black on pink, but the screenshot and corresponding ROM definitely aren’t.

Graphics and Sound Identical to the breadbox 64.

Gallery:

Directly from the collection of a dear friend “Andrea Pierdomenico” the Commodore 64 with the wrong key.

The factory was wrong to print the “8″ key but only the upper label and not the front label. I did not find any articles on the net that talks about this keyboard, the only one in the world?

Gallery:

The High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC) is a freeware hobby project which organises Commodore 64 music (also known as SID music) into an archive for both musicians and fans alike.

The work on the collection is done completely in the Team and contributors’ spare time and is proudly one of the largest and most accurate computer music collections known.

This update features (all approximates):

• 1022 new SIDs
• 811 fixed/better rips
• 24 repeats/bad rips eliminated
• 791 SID credit fixes
• 143 SID model/clock infos
• 59 tunes from /DEMOS/UNKNOWN/ identified
• 1 tunes from /GAMES/ identified
• 70 tunes moved out of /DEMOS/ to their composers’ directories
• 4 tunes moved out of /GAMES/ to their composers’ directories

Download:

• Complete HVSC #65 (1425)
• HVSC Update #65 (1383)

source: www.hvsc.c64.org

Commodore 64C (ASSY 250469) Repair (1 of 2)

Defect:

• Garbage Screen/Auto Load/Device not Present.

Replaced parts/Fixes:

• 1 x MOS 6526 (U1)
• 2 x Diode 1n4148 (CR9/CR11)
• Rebuilt a pcb track (see photo)

Note:

• As you can see from the photo of the the broken pcb track, evidently someone did a short circuit on the IEC connector on the data lines: SRQin and DATA.

Gallery of the repair:

Commodore 64C (ASSY 250469) Repair (2 of 2)

Defect:

• Black Screen.

Replaced parts:

• 1 x MOS 8580R5 SID in short circuit (U9)
• 2 x TMS 4464 RAM (U10/U11)

Gallery of the repair:

Commodore 64 (ASSY 250407) Repair (1 of 2)

This Commodore 64 has been already repaired in years past.

Defect:

• Grabage screen/Out of Memory.

Replaced parts:

• 5 x MT 4264-15 RAM (U10/U11/U12/U21/U23)

Gallery of the repair:

Commodore 64 (ASSY 250425) Repair (2 of 2)

Defect:

• Black Screen ..then.. Grabage screen ..then (when hot).. Screen out of Sync

Replaced parts:

• 2 x MT 4264-15 RAM (U11/U23)
• 1 x MOS 901227-03 Kernel ROM (U4)
• 1 x MOS 8701 Clock Generator (U31)

Cleaning Tape and User port connectors.

Gallery of the repair:

This is the official demo party results from Gubbdata 2016 (Top 3 Entries only). See also the CSDB GUBBDATA 2016 section for more informations.

C64 Demo:

• 1 – Nothing but PETSCII by Genesis Project
• 2 – Classics by Booze Design
• 3 – Monochrome by Triad

C64 Music:

• 1 – Nothing Compares 2 EU by Fegolhuzz
• 2 – Ruins by X-jammer
• 3 – 2 Days by Magnar Harestad

C64 Graphics:

• 1 – Cock Picture by ilesj
• 2 – Korvsatan by Razorback
• 3 – Elsewhere by Mermaid

C64 Mixed Graphics:

• 1 – Glad Gubbe by Genesis Project, Vision
• 2 – Duelling Invaders by Genesis Project
• 3 – Green Falcon by PVM

Download: Gubbdata 2016 Party stuff (1069)

source: gubbdata.se

I have sacrificed a Floppy Disk Drive Commodore VIC 1541 to give a new look to a Floppy Disk Drive Commodore 2031 (IEEE-488).

It ‘s not been an easy job, but i’d say the result is very good.

Gallery:

Commodore Amiga 500+ (Battery Acid Leaked) Repair

Defect:

• Battery Leaks.

Components replaced and fixes:

• Battery Removed.
• Cleaned the PCB with PCC Kontakt
• Sprayed DUE-CI G-22 on all IC sockets.
• Made ten bridges to restore the traces corroded by the acid of the battery.
• Replaced 1 x 74LS244 (U12)
• Replaced 1 x 74LS373 (U13)

Gallery of the repair:

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Repair (Wave/Raster Lines)

Defect:

• Wave/Raster Lines (see photo).

Replaced parts:

• 1 x Variable Inductor 2 -> 4.5 μH (L100).

Gallery of the repair:

CBS Coleco Vision Repair (Black/Garbage Screen)

Defect:

• Black Screen and then Garbage Screen.

Components replaced:

• 1 x 2114 Static Ram (U4)
• 2 x 4116 Dynamic Ram (U11/U14)

Gallery of the repair:

APF Electronics Inc MP-1000 (1978) – Joystick Repair

Defect:

• Both Joysticks dead.

Fix:

• The adhesive tape has dried and the conductive pad move inside the joystick. I have disassembled,cleaned and used a new adhesive tape, now they are like new.
• Replaced the fire button on one of the two joystick completely dead.

Gallery of the repair:

Sakhr Computers was a Kuwaiti company (Al Alamiah co.) that was selling MSX computers imported from Japan in all of the Arab world. These MSX were localized and rebranded for some Arabic markets.

The AX-370 is the Sanyo WAVY PHC-70FD MSX2+ computer localised by Al Alamiah with more RAM (128kB instead of 64kB). This machine has an Arabic QWERTY keyboard.

The Rensha controller (autofire), the Pause key and the X-BASIC (or Turbo-Basic) have been removed, the MSX2+ bios roms have been replaced by MSX2 roms, but there’s still the MSX2+ videochip, the Yamaha V9958. It means that software using in language machine the MSX2+ features, especially SCREEN 10 to 12 and the horizontal scrolling, can be runned on this MSX2 computer.

This machine comes with version 2.03 of Arabic firmware, present on all Sakhr/Al Alamiah computers. The firmware can be skipped by pressing CTRL key while booting and until you come on the MSX-BASIC screen. By doing that, the machine will be in International mode and the Arabic characters will not be available.

However, from MSX-BASIC, you can fully enable the Arabic mode with CALL ARABIC, _ ARABIC, CALL ARABON or _ ARABON. It is also possible to keep the Arabic BASIC active without the other Arabic features by entering first CALL ARABIC or _ ARABIC, then CALL ARABOFF or _ ARABOFF.

This firmware adds Arabic characters, new MSX-BASIC commands (see Arabic BASIC) and 4 applications. You can choose them in the menu with the keys 1 to 4.

By comparison with version 2.02, a new application has been added, it’s Sakhr BASIC or how to use BASIC directly in Arabic language. Other options are Word Processor with choice between English or Arabic Word Processor, the Arabic version of The Painter, a graphic tool in screen 5 (the original version can be found in the Yamaha YIS-805) and the Calendar.

If you press key 5 when you are in the menu, you will go to MSX-BASIC. Going back to the menu is possible with CALL MENU or _ MENU. From MSX-BASIC, the Word Processor can be launched with CALL SWP or _ SWP, Sakhr Basic with CALL SBASIC or _ SBASIC, The Painter with CALL PAINT or _ PAINT, the Calendar with CALL CALENDAR or _ CALENDAR.

If you are in International mode, only CALL SWP or _SWP can be used, you will directly go to the English (or French) Word Processor. It’s not recommended to use the other commands without first enabling the Arabic mode.

Gallery:

Gallery of Cleaning and Testing:

source: msx.org

I used a product to regenerate the rubber keypad of remote controls to repair the keyboard flat cable of a Home Computer MSX.

I have used this product many times for my work of Retro Computer restoration but never to regenerate the rubber keypad of remote controls :D

Gallery of the repair: