Mega Speedy 1050 Drive Upgrade
Mega Speedy 1050 Drive Upgrade
This web page was last updated 12/16/2014 by SJC
2nd Place Winner in the ABBUC 2014
Atari Hardware Contest
Mega
Speedy
582 points
Guus Assmann & Matthias Reichl
Prototype Mega Speedy Board
The Mega Speedy combines the most common Atari 1050 Upgraded Drive Modes including these drive types.
ˇ
Speedy:
Speedy original mode with track display and buzzer
ˇ
Super
Speedy: Super Speedy with 192k and SuperCopy
English translation of Mega Speedy internal Copy Program
ˇ
Mega
Speedy: Speedy new mode with 32k ROM and 448K RAM
ˇ
Original
1050
ˇ Duplicator 1050
ˇ 1050 Turbo with speed switching and Centronics interface
ˇ Internal Configuration Software and Upgrade Menu
Software & Firmware Support Pages
Mega Speedy Quick Reference Sheet
Technical Drawings of the Mega Speedy
Mega
Speedy can function with these modes by uploading the firmware into the Mega
Speedy. Because we do not have permission to use these firmware's. The
Mega Speedy is not shipped with these firmware installed.
It will be up to the users to upload the firmware:
ˇ
Happy
including track display (depending on the ROM)
ˇ
US-Doubler
ˇ
Super
Archiver including speed switching and generation of fuzzy / Weak Sectors
ˇ
SuperMax
The Mega Speedy ... is a universal floppy extension. It
replaces the famous floppy speeder, has an "original 1050" mode and
the new "Mega Speedy" mode with 32k ROM and 448K RAM. Of course, all
the features of the existing floppy speeder are supported, eg track display
and buzzer at the Speedy, Centronics interface and speed switching of the 1050
Turbo and other special features of the emulated speeders. For each of the
modes are each 4 ROM slots available, eg for the variants "Speedy with
BiboDos" / "Speedy with HSS Copy" etc, which can be changed
with the integrated flasher easy , The flasher can also a floppy ROM into the
RAM of the Mega Speedy upload and activate, thus in-house developments can be
quickly and easily tested. The selection of the speeder mode and ROM slots is
easy and convenient means of the display, a digital rotary knob as well as
desired a or two toggle switches: After switching on, and after pressing the
reset button the Mega Speedy is in configuration mode. The current
configuration is displayed and automatically activated after 3 seconds. Using
the toggle switch can be switched between up to four user presets (eg
"original 1050", "1050 Turbo", "Speedy" etc).
can with the digital rotary knob the configuration can be changed. On the mode
is to display on the first point and is sent to the second point, the
respective ROM slot number (1-4). By pressing the rotary knob to set the
selected configuration in the preset selected by the switch saved and
activated. If you wait about 5 seconds without the knob to push the
configuration is activated only the preset but not saved. The following modes
are available (in brackets in each case the letter is displayed to the
screen): - Speedy ("y"): original Speedy mode with track display and
buzzer - Super Speedy ("S"): Super Speedy with 192k and Super Copy -
Mega Speedy ("E"): new Speedy mode with 32k ROM and 448K RAM -
original 1050 ("o") - 1050 Turbo ("t"), including speed
switching and Centronics interface - Flasher ("FL"): an integrated
flasher, with open drive lever the flasher is booted directly from the Mega
Speedy. The memory is still room for further Speeder. The Super Speedy
support, in addition to the above-mentioned factory programmed speeders, the
following types: - Happy ("H") including track display (depending on
the ROM) - US Doubler ("U") - Super Archiver ("A")
included speed switching and generation of fuzzy / Weak Sectors - 1050
Duplicator ("d") - SuperMax ("u") The user must play with
the help of a built-in menus the ROM files themselves and be in possession of
the corresponding extension. The emulated extension is ansich to operate the
Super Speedy of course not necessary. Depending on personal preference, the
following variants for the User Preset switch can be installed: - no switch: 1
User Preset - 1 switch 1xUM: choice between 2 presets - 1 toggle switch 1xUM
with neutral Middle position: 3 presets - switch 1xUM 2: 4 presets
The Mega Speedy is a 65c02 based computer for your Atari 1050 disk drive. The Mega Speedy has a 65c02 processor, 512k by 8 Flash Chip which holds the programs the drive runs, it also has 512k by 8 SRam which is a large amount of ram for its use. The most powerful part of the Mega Speedy is it Xilinx CPLD which is a large reprogrammable logic chip. The CPLD is like a Gal or Pal chip but much much more capable. Now if you look at the amount of Flash, Sram, Cpld this is the Last upgrade your 1050 will ever need because it is expandable and can have new logic or firmware uploaded to it. The Amount of Flash and Sram is the same size as a 512k Ramdisk in your Atari 8-bit Computer. So you can see this is a very powerful system. One of the things I really like about the Mega Speedy is it's internal copy program. If you boot the Mega Speedy with the drive gate open it will load a copy program that is very cool. The copy program can copy an entire Double Density Disk and hold the drive image with in the memory of the Mega Speedy SRAM and write it out on command. The Mega Speedy also has a multi position switch to select the mode you want to use as well as a Digital Display that can display useful info like the current track or mode the Mega Speedy is in. So you can have up to 15 different modes with 4 Selection firmware for each of these modes, the mega speedy can operate in. Here is a list of some of the modes.
Here is a picture of the prototype I worked with as a beta tester while Guus was working on the current upgraded printed circuit board.
How to install the Mega Speedy
Software and Firmware Support Directory
Other Cool info about the Mega Speedy 1050 Atari Disk Drive Upgrade
Atari User that Built and Tested the Mega Speedy!
Credits:
Wolfram Fischer (MegaHz) initial design.
Matthias Reichl (Hias) firmware and programmable logic.
Guus Assmann Hardware design and prototyping
Erhard Pütz (FloppyDoc) Beta testing
Stephen J. Carden (SJC) Beta Testing & WEB Design
A.B.B.U.C. USER Group and their Support!
All team members, documentation.
Due to the Small PCB run we are allowing the Sale of ONE Mega Speedy upgrade to each house hold. WE only had 100 PCB's Made. Should we have some left then you may purchase a second one. At the Moment We do not have plans to do a second run of PCB's.