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From: kiki@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Jack W. Wine)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: STe Internals
Message-ID: <13060@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 16 May 91 02:07:59 GMT
References: <13023@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> <1991May15.055715.4021@ecst.csuchico.edu>
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In article <1991May15.055715.4021@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes:
>
>Just to compare and contrast, when I opened up my STe to upgrade the RAM,
>I noticed that I had an Epson drive and the 2 TOS ROMs were *socketed*, under
>the drive.

That's interesting, because I was thinking that Atari wouldn't be allocating
any more development time to the 1040 STe machines, so they decided to solder
the ROMs.  Although in the March/April Atari Explorer, Greg Pratt said that
a multi-tasking TOS was due soon, so I suppose it will require a ROM upgrade?

I was a little happy that the Yamaha sound chip was socketed because they make
a similar chip, the YM-2203, with enhanced capabilities (FM sound, 13-bit D/A,
prog. multiple modulation and feedback) that is software compatible and near-
ly pin compatible.  If there is interest, I can post more specs later.

Atari packed a lot of value in the STe models and I think the people of Hong
Kong were right when they voted it the computer of the decade.

>I read in one of the on-line magazines a couple of months ago that Jim Allen
>had developed a 14meg upgrade for the STe and a 10meg upgrade for the MegaSTe.
>I couldn't understand the difference, since I would expect the MegaSTe to
>be able to be upgraded with more RAM, but I haven't heard anything since.
>Perhaps these are related.

The 14MB upgrade sounds like inserting 4 4MB SIMMs into the STe SIMM socket,
with the last 2MB lost because of the ROM address space which begins at $E00000
(start of 14MB).  The 10MB version sounds like 2 4MB and 2 1MB SIMMs, but I'm
not sure why it would be particular to the Mega STe.


Jack