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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
SIO2PC Serial Interface
By
Atari8Warez
Ray Ataergin
Toronto, Ontario
Owner’s Manual / Installation Guide
Version 1.06
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3
AVAILABLE VERSIONS................................................................................................................................ 4
1.
Internal Installation ....................................................................................................................... 4
2.
External with a built-in SIO cable .................................................................................................. 4
3.
External with a built-in SIO cable and enclosure .......................................................................... 4
BOARD CONFIGURATION .............................................................................................................................. 5
SIO CABLE CONNECTION ....................................................................................................................... 5
SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION (AspeQt v0.8.8) ............................................................................................. 7
INTERNAL INSTALLATION .............................................................................................................................. 9
SKILLS and TOOLS REQUIRED for the installation ............................................................................... 11
TOOLS NEEDED.................................................................................................................................... 11
INSTALLATION STEPS .......................................................................................................................... 12
SERVICE and WARRANTY ............................................................................................................................ 19
CONTACT ME............................................................................................................................................... 19
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
INTRODUCTION
My SIO2PC board is an interface device that connects your compatible ATARI computer to a PC
with an available RS232 (DB9) port. Used with peripheral emulator software it enables your
ATARI to see the PC as a big storage (disk) device. This way you can boot your ATARI directly
from the PC without the need of an actual Atari disk drive, store your Atari files on the PC, and
many other tasks depending on the features of the PC software used.
The board is compatible with AspeQt v0.8.8, Atari810 1.4d, APE for Windows 3.0.6, APE for DOS
v1.18, and the original SIO2PC v4.21 (by Nick Kennedy).
I should immediately point out that if you use APE for DOS or the original SIO2PC software, you
must boot your PC into either a version of DOS, or into the Command Line mode of a DOS
based Windows (such as Win95/98), they will not run properly under the GUI/Command Box of
any other NT based version of Windows. AspeQt, Atari810 and APE for Windows will run under
Windows NT/XP/Vista/Win7
Also, most of the current laptops and some desktops do not come with an RS232 port but
instead incorporate USB ports for serial communication. In this case you will need to use a USBSerial Adaptor cable to connect the SIO2PC to the PC. My serial SIO2PC board is only
guaranteed to work at maximum SIO speeds reliably with a quality USB-Serial adaptor cable
such as those powered by an FTDI chip and AspeQt is the only APE software recommended.
For a desktop without a built-in RS232 port you have the option of adding a legacy serial port
card which will allow successful connection of my SIO2PC interface in most cases; however I
cannot suggest a brand or guarantee compatibility with a particular brand. These cards are
readily available from many computer retailers and from eBay. (Your motherboard must have
an available legacy slot to accommodate the add-on card)
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
My SIO2PC interface is a quality built device assembled on a prototyping board. Each one is
hand built with outmost attention to detail and by using quality components for a long and
trouble free operation. I test each and every one thoroughly to make sure that they perform
according to the specs before they are released for sale. I use a prototyping board to keep the
cost down and savings high for you, but I do not compromise quality for price.
The board will perform every bit as good as any professionally produced SIO2PC. The board
comes with a lifetime warranty against material and workmanship defects (Please see the
Service & Warranty section at the end of this document)
AVAILABLE VERSIONS
Our SIO2PC interface gives you many options for installation/use.
1. Internal Installation: As illustrated on the cover page of this document my SIO2PC
is designed to be fitted inside the cabinet of an ATARI 800XL, 65/130XE, and the XEGS
system. The basic board comes with an optional 5 wire flat ribbon cable that needs to
be soldered to the appropriate pins of the SIO port on the ATARI. The other end of the
cable is connected to the board via an included 5 connector terminal block. You will also
need a straight through serial cable for the connection to the PC. Those cables are
readily available from many computer retailers. One inexpensive source for those cables
may be your local second hand store or eBay, if you don’t already have one lying around
the house. Internal Installation requires some soldering and cutting skills.
2. External with a built-in SIO cable: This one is similar to the internal version with
the exception of an SIO cable already connected to the 5 connector terminal block. You
neither need to cut an existing SIO cable nor to purchase a new one (which may be hard
to locate these days). You just need a straight through serial cable for the connection to
the PC.
3. External with a built-in SIO cable and enclosure: If you don’t like to have all
the electronics of your interface exposed (increasing the chance of a mishap) this is the
configuration to choose. It comes enclosed in an ABS case ready to be plugged into your
ATARI. It also includes a Power/Activity LED and a toggle switch for easy RI/DSR
selection. You just need a straight through serial cable for the connection to the PC.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
BOARD CONFIGURATION
All versions of my SIO2PC interface (except the internal mount) require the same simple set-up
procedure before you can start using them.
The board is pre-configured to use the DSR (Data Set Ready) pin of the DB9 port for
handshaking between the Atari and the PC, through the use of a 3 pin jumper block.
Some software (like APE for Windows/DOS) allows you to choose which DB9 pin to use. In this
case you can simply configure the software to use DSR or configure your SIO2PC board to use RI
(Ring Indicator). The choice is yours.
On other software (like the original SIO2PC) there is no setting to allow you specify which pin to
use. SIO2PC v4.21 uses RI by default. In this case change the jumper to use RI.
To change the pre-configured setting on the board, simply remove the jumper cap from pins 12 (DSR) of the 3 pin header and re-insert it to the pins 2-3 (RI) of the same. If you bought an
external board with an enclosure, simply flip the toggle switch up for DSR and down for RI.
Please note that your board may
not look exactly the same as the
illustration, however jumper
settings do not vary from version
to version.
SIO CABLE CONNECTION
if you purchased the terminal block
version, follow these steps to
connect a cut ATARI SIO cable to
the interface:
Take a look at the photo above to
see how to insert the wires of the
cut ATARI SIO cable into the
connectors of the terminal block. Note that the color of wires in an ATARI SIO cable may differ
from cable to cable, however the standard Molex Connector colors are: Orange: SIO-3, Black:
SIO-4, Green: SIO-5, Purple: SIO-7, and Blue: SIO-10
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
We suggest that you double check your cable to verify that the colors do match the SIO pins on
your ATARI computer; a malfunction/damage may result by inserting wrong wires into the
terminal block. If you purchased your interface with an enclosure but without an Atari SIO
cable, you will need to disassemble the enclosure to insert SIO wires into the terminal block.
When re-assembling the box, first insert the DB9 end of the board into it’s opening with an
angle, then ease the rest of the board gently into the box paying attention for a proper fit.
Damage caused during disassembly/re-assembly of the interface is not covered by your
warranty.
See below for an illustration of the ATARI SIO Connector pin-outs (looking from behind the
computer):
Your device is tested prior to shipment and was in perfect working order when shipped. Some
visual imperfections on the case and the assembly are normal as these devices are hand built
and assembled, however functionality and the quality of the components is in no way
compromised. If you take care of your device it will serve you for a long time with no problems.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION (AspeQt v0.8.8)
Follow these simple steps to start using your interface with AspeQt v0.8.8 (steps are similar for
other software):
1. Connect the SIO end of the interface to your Atari or to one of your Atari peripherals
(disk drive, printer, 850 etc.). Make sure that the interface is at the end of the SIO daisychain as the last connected SIO device.
2. Make sure none of the physical disk drives attached to your Atari is configured as drive1. (See your disk drive manual for information on changing the drive number). The Atari
boots only from drive-1 and in this case your SIO2PC board will act as your drive-1. If
there is more than one drive configured as drive-1 in your daisy chain, problems will
arise.
3. Connect the DB9 end of your SIO2PC interface to your PC using a straight through serial
cable. Make note of the serial port you are using, i.e. COM1, COM2 etc. (If you
purchased my external interface without an enclosure, and with a female DB9 connector,
you can skip using a serial cable and insert the interface directly into the male DB9 port
of your PC, you may need to remove the retainer nuts from one of the DB9 connectors
for a proper fit).
4. With your ATARI turned off, start AspeQt. Once you’re on the AspeQt main window,
click “Tools/Options”,
5. Under “Standard serial port backend options”, enter the COM port name to which your
SIO2PC interface is connected, select “DSR” (or “RI” if you re-configured your board) for
handshake method.
6. Select the “High Speed mode baud rate” from the drop down menu, or check the “Use
non-standard speeds” checkbox to enter a “High speed mode POKEY divisor” for a
custom baud rate. Note that SpartaDOS X v4.xx supports down to POKEY Divisor 3, and
HIASSOFT’s High-Speed OS supports all the way down to POKEY Divisor 0 for maximum
SIO Speeds.
7. Click Save to close the AspeQt Options Window and save your settings. You’re now
ready to load a bootable disk image. Click to Number-1 emulated drive’s “Mount a Disk
Image” button and select an .atr file to load into drive-1.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
This must be a bootable disk image file (a bootable Game, Application, or DOS disk
image such as Atari DOS, SpartaDos etc...)
8. Now turn your Atari ON and it should start booting from emulated drive-1.
9. Congratulations, if everything went as expected your Atari should now be up and
running.
10. If your Atari does not boot as expected, go through all of the above steps once again to
double check that you haven’t missed anything, that your serial cable is connected to
the correct COM port, then turn the ATARI OFF and back ON after waiting for about 10
seconds. If you still have trouble booting then you’ll have to isolate the source of the
trouble. If you still cannot resolve the issue, refer to my SERVICE AND WARRANTY
section at the end of the User Manual.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
INTERNAL INSTALLATION
If you purchased your SIO2PC Interface for internal installation please follow the following
steps to install it into your Atari computer. The steps and photos provided in this guide is for
installation into an Atari 130XE, you may also be able to install this board into other ATARI
models; however the board was designed to fit into a 65/130XE, and compatibility is only
guaranteed with those computers. Installation into an 800XL is possible, with the board
installed vertically rather than horizontally.
(Atari 1200XL lacks the +5V power on pin # 10 of the SIO port, serial SIO2PC is designed to draw
it’s power from this pin and therefore is not compatible with a stock 1200XL regardless of space
requirements inside the cabinet. Having said that, if the space requirements are met, there is an
easy fix for this problem; Find resistor R63, IIRC, towards the back of the PCB in the center, just
to the right of transistor Q3 in the vicinity of the SIO port and replace that resistor with a jumper
wire. You will now have +5v on SIO pin 10).
The SIO2PC board dimensions are 1 6/8” (45mm) x 1 6/8” (45mm), so please make sure you have
enough clearance and space for the board and for mounting the DB9 serial connector on the
side or back wall of the cabinet before attempting to install it. If space is an issue, then I suggest
you use the “External Version” of the board that comes with an SIO cable.
Also note that the SIO2PC board shown on the photos may not look exactly the same as the
one you received. This is due to the differences between different versions of the board,
however the board dimensions are the same for all versions, only components and/or
component positioning on the board may be different, so available space requirements are the
same across different versions of the board.
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
Below are some suggested/potential installation locations for an 800XL and XEGS (note that
these are only suggestions, double-check the measurements before installation):
Atari 800XL:
1. Suggested mounting location (vertically)
2. Potential mounting location (horizontally)
Atari XEGS:
1. Suggested
mounting
location
(horizontally)
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
SKILLS and TOOLS REQUIRED for the installation
You will need some basic soldering and cutting skills to install this board. If you’re in doubt I
suggest you get the help of a professional or somebody who has the required skills. Unless you
use the services of a certified electronics professional you must accept the possibility and the
responsibility of damaging the board and/or your computer, and release me from any liability
whatsoever arising from such damage. I will not be able to issue a credit for the boards
damaged during installation as they will not be covered by the warranty that’s included with
the purchase of the board.
TOOLS NEEDED
a small Phillips screwdriver,
a low wattage soldering iron (30 to 45 Watts) suitable for electronic circuit soldering,
some resin core solder,
a stamp pad,
a coping saw or a Dremel tool for cutting a hole on the housing of the Atari for the DB9
connector,
a drill and drill bits,
a drafting lead pencil,
a small piece of cardboard to isolate the solder side of the board from the metallic shield that
covers the ATARI motherboard.
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
INSTALLATION STEPS
1. Remove the four screws from the bottom of the XE cabinet,
2. Lift the upper section of the cabinet to expose the metallic shield that covers the PCB
board,
3. Carefully remove the flat keyboard ribbon from the keyboard connector, put the
keyboard aside ,
4. If you have a male DB9
connector on the interface then
carefully grab the SIO2PC board
from its edges, remove the two
retainer hex nuts from the DB9
connector, and lightly press the
connector against the stamp pad
making sure you have ink all
around the outer edge of the
connector.
5. Point the DB9 end of the board
towards the back of the cabinet
(from inside, to the right of the
SIO connector) making sure the
right edge of the board fits flush
with the side of the cabinet and
is over the inside groove. I want
to make an impression of the
DB9 connector on the cabinet
back wall. Push the board
towards the back of the cabinet
to make the impression. Do not press too hard and do not touch any of the electronic
parts that are on the board. You may have to try this a few times to get a good
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impression as the plastic material of the housing is rather hard. You can erase an
imperfect impression with a piece of paper towel dampened with a bit of windows
cleaning solution and try again. If you have a female DB9 connector you need to have a
template made for a DB9 opening and use the template to draw an impression of the
opening on the case.
6. The next step is to cut out the opening, to do this you may want to set the ATARI’s
motherboard aside by removing the Phillips screws (around the edges of the PCB board)
that are holding the motherboard against the bottom part of the housing. Now you have
just the bottom part
of the housing to
work with. You can
cut the opening
using a coping saw.
First you must drill a
hole large enough
inside the impression
you made on the wall
of the cabinet, then
you must remove the
blade from the coping
saw and then pass it
through the hole that
has been drilled. The blade is then fitted to the coping saw frame. The saw can then be used in
the normal way, cutting the opening by following the outer edges of the impression made. (Cut
the opening slightly larger for a comfortable fit). Once you have the opening cut-out, try fitting
the DB9 end of the board through the hole. It must fit comfortably without having to press hard.
If you own a Dremel Tool cutting of the hole will be faster and easier.
7. While holding the board against the back wall, take a drafting pencil like the one shown
on the picture, and extend the tip enough to reach the back wall of
the cabinet through each retainer nut hole of the DB9 connector,
and mark the holes for drilling. Drill the holes with the appropriate
size drill bit. Refit the DB9 connector to the opening and install the
retainer nuts from the outside of the back wall of the cabinet. Tighten them enough to
hold the whole interface snug against the cabinet wall.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
8. You must end up
with something
looking like this (with
the exception of the
metal frame I have
behind the hex nuts.
If you’d like to add a
frame similar to the
one shown on the
picture, you can use
a mounting bracket
from an old PC serial
port connector like
this.
You will need to do some measuring, cutting, filing and drilling
to fit the bracket properly. I will not go into the details on how to
do that here in this document as it is not necessary for the
proper installation of my SIO2PC interface. Also, using a metal
frame may adversely affect the ability of the female connector
of the serial cable to make perfect contact with the male connector pins of the board due
to added thickness, so use your best judgment here, or get it done by a professional).
Also note that I have the
Atari motherboard and the
shield re-installed in this
picture; however you will
need to postpone reinstalling those pieces until
after the wire soldering
steps are completed.
Here’s another view of the
interface looking from
above, again you will not have the motherboard and the shield re-installed at this stage
of the installation.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
9. Now, take
your serial
cable and
insert one
end into the
DB9 male
connector on
the SIO2PC
interface. It
should go all
the way in, if
it doesn’t you
may not have
a good
connection. If your cable has thumbscrews make sure that they will not prevent the
connector from going all the way-in, if they do, you may need to remove them or simply
not tighten them.
10. Note that if
your board
came with a
terminal
block, and
you
purchased
the optional
5 wire flat
ribbon cable
skip to step
12.
Otherwise
take the 9
wire flat
ribbon cable that came with your board and look at the picture on the left to identify
loose wires at the end of the cable.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez
SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
Now look at the following photo to identify and match the solid wires of the SIO
connector in your Atari to the lose wires on the flat ribbon cable.
Solder each wire as
shown on the picture.
Note that solid, curved
Atari SIO connector
wires 7, 5 and 3 are in
the front row while 10
and 4 are on the back
row.
11. The next step is
to connect the
flat ribbon
cable to the
board.
Take a look at
the photo on
the left to
determine how
to insert the
plugged end.
Simply align
number 1 pin
of the header
with the
number 1 hole on the plug (the hole with the small arrow head pointing down).
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
12. If you have the terminal block version, follow these steps:
Take a look at the following photo to determine how to insert the wires of the 5 wire
flat ribbon cable into the connectors of the terminal block. The first wire has a red stripe
or a red marking identifying wire number 1. I suggest you use that wire for SIO-5.
Then solder the other end of the cable to your ATARI’s SIO port as shown of the
following photo.
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
13. Finally, Re-install the motherboard and, slide a small piece of cardboard under the
SIO2PC to
prevent possible
contact of the
solder side with
the metal shield
of the Atari’s
motherboard.
You may want to
use a small
amount of glue
to fix the
cardboard to the
metal shield.
Congratulations.
You are done
with the
installation. You can now re-install the keyboard and the upper section of the Atari’s
cabinet and tighten the 4 screws you removed at the beginning of this installation.
14. Finally follow the steps in BOARD CONFIGURATION and SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION
sections to start using your SIO2PC.
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SIO2PC SERIAL INTERFACE OWNER’S MANUAL VERSION 1.06
SERVICE and WARRANTY
SIO2PC boards purchased with an enclosure, toggle switch and a built-in SIO Cable come with a
Lifetime Warranty against defects in material and workmanship. Bare boards or boards with an
enclosure but without an attached SIO Cable don’t come with a warranty, but include a 1/2
hour free tech support (as detailed below).
The warranty does not cover damage caused by misuse/neglect, disassembling/reassembling of
the enclosure and only valid when a product failed due to defects in material or workmanship.
Please keep your proof of purchase for your warranty claims.
For free support check the Contact Me section below. If you have a problem with the product
and I find that the cause of the problem is my interface, I will replace or repair it at my expense.
CONTACT ME
You can reach me through one of the several ways below:
Email:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
eBay ID:
atari8warez@gmail.com
www.atari8warez.com
atari8warez
atari8warez
esellbuy
The full, most recent User/Installation Manual for Atari8Warez SIO2PC interface can be
downloaded from http://atari8warez.com/SIO2PCManual.pdf.
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Copyright© 2007-2014 Atari8Warez