xAâ3(l3(`ENGLISHgUSER.USRZl $  ÁPicaA>A1RC $HRA^P1 A1ÁA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁP1A1Á** 2 pages Q&A / 2531 words **A1Á** A1ÁA1ÁAcrobatic filesA1Á** Q **A1ÁHaving started browsing the web a few months ago I have comeÁacross lots of files in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Are there anyÁprograms available on the ST which will allow me to read these?A1ÁMark Jones, via emailA1Á** A **A1ÁGhostScript can read acrobat-files. The current Atari version isÁ3.53 which allows you to view PDF files on screen and even printÁthem out. To download the current version point your browser at:A1Á** BC on **A1ÁURL: http://godel.ph.utexas.edu/Members/timg/gs/gs.htmlA1Á** BC off **A1ÁDenesh BhabutaA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁAtari and music?A1Á** Q **A1ÁI'm looking for some information on setting up a Mega STe 4 forÁmusic, specifically getting this machine rigged up to someÁkeyboards. What interfaces are available and what software wouldÁyou recommend? I am mainly interested in using Cubase, Notator andÁLogic - are these the same thing?A1ÁWayne Johnson, CaliforniaA1Á** A **A1ÁA Mega STe 4 is an excellent machine for MIDI. The extra speedÁ(compared with a standard ST) is very helpful.A1ÁInterfacesA1ÁIf you purchase Emagic Logic, this includes the LOG3 Interface,Áwhich is a combination dongle and MIDI expander featuring threeÁadditional sets of 16 MIDI channels (48 + STe's 16) on its fourÁMIDI out ports (two of the ports on the LOG3 output the sameÁinformation) resulting in a total of 64 MIDI channels.A1ÁMIDI ins are much harder to come by. The Emagic Unitor II offersÁtwo outputs and two inputs and when used with LOG3 provides 96ÁMIDI channels and a total of three MIDI ins.A1ÁYou can expand using other interfaces to provide more independentÁchannels. The options include:A1Á** Bulleted list **A1Á* Kawai MM-16 MIDI Mixer, providing MIDI merge capability,Áeffectively adding an additional MIDI in. There are a wide varietyÁof (usually expensive) MIDI merge boxes.A1Á* Emagic/C-Lab Export (not for Falcon) serial port interface, 3ÁMIDI outsA1Á* Steinberg MO-4 - Parallel Port interface, 4 MIDI outsA1Á** end list **A1ÁSoftwareA1ÁThe three biggies are Cubase, Notator and Logic. Development forÁthe Atari versions has more or less stopped. You may have to lookÁhard for Atari versions though, as most music shops these daysÁtend to cater for Mac/PC owners - and their bigger wallets.A1ÁHowever, Emagic have recently released a v2.5 upgrade for AtariÁLogic. It apparently includes features from Mac Logic 2.6 andÁsince the newest Mac/PC versions are 2.6.x, MIDI-only work usingÁAtari Logic probably just about rivals the best versions forÁMac/PC. The non-Atari versions have the audio features which areÁmissing from the Atari version though (Except for the Logic AudioÁFalcon 2.01 which isn't very good for Audio stuff anyway).A1ÁNotator SL came before Logic and some early versions of Logic wereÁcalled Notator Logic, but they are not the same. Some peopl haveÁreported Logic seems sluggish in comparison as they could load,Ásave and format disks without interrupting the MIDI playbackÁwithin Notator. Additionally, Logic requires frequent screenÁredraws, taking up precious time.A1ÁLogic and Notator can be a bit confusing at first but areÁincredibly flexible when you get accustomed to them. Cubase isÁsupposedly easier to use for beginners but lacks all theÁconfiguralibity of Logic.A1ÁSteve TaylorA1ÁA1ÁPowerless with a priceA1Á** Q **A1ÁMy 10 year old 520STFM is starting to switch off by itself all ofÁa sudden. It crackles and sometimes it comes back on if I thumpÁthe top of the case. I'm worried a may need a new power supply andÁI heard they were expensive.A1ÁDave Featherstone, PrestonA1Á** A **A1ÁIt does sound like a power supply problem. They're not asÁexpensive as they used to be but you may have nothing more than aÁdry solder joint on the PSU board. It's a fairly straightforwardÁrepair but since the unit is 10 years old and there's mainsÁvoltage involved we recommend you buy a replacement power supply.ÁThe Upgrade Shop or System solutions will be able to help.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁEmulateA1Á** Q **A1ÁI have an Atari STE computer (1 Mb) and since most computers usedÁnow are PCs I am interested to know how to go about turning myÁAtari into a PC computer.A1ÁA friend of mine mentioned a little while ago that a softwareÁemulator costing around œ50.00 can turn an Atari computer into aÁPC, but is that only the start? Would I need a monitor instead ofÁa television, and would I need a High Density Disk Drive? Would IÁbe able to use this as an external drive with my existing DoubleÁDensity internal drive?A1ÁI would be grateful if you could tell me step by step how to goÁabout this conversion.A1ÁL.Willey, BracknellA1Á** A **A1ÁWhatever you do, you will not be able to turn your ST into a fullyÁfledged IBMPC compatible computer. For that, you are better offÁbuying a full IBMPC system. Alternatively you can look for a STÁbased alternative for the software you want to run.A1ÁI am unaware of any PC emulators being available anymore apartÁfrom in second hand adverts. The one you mention is probably PCÁSpeed, which only really allows you to run DOS based programs. YouÁcan't even run Windows on it. There were other more powerfulÁemulators which enabled you to run Windows, and some WindowsÁapplications. But these were slow, and will not run the veryÁlatest software at a good pace. I have recently seen theseÁavailable second hand for around œ50.A1ÁRegarding your other questions, yes, you will be able to use a TVÁwith the emulator, in CGA mode. If your TV is not very good atÁdisplaying Medium Resolution, then it will not be very good forÁdisplaying DOS stuff. A monitor is recommended if you use yourÁcomputer for anything other than playing games.A1ÁYou will not need a High Density disk drive for the emulator, butÁa lot of PC software now comes on High Density disks. You canÁcarry on using your existing Double Density drive, and theÁemulator will recognise an external drive too. All emulators comeÁwith configuration programs, allowing you to customise yourÁemulator with your existing set-up.A1ÁIf you want to run Windows then would I suggest getting moreÁmemory, and a hard disk. Windows is unuseable without a hard disk.ÁHowever, you will be able to run DOS on a floppy system with 1MbÁof memory.A1ÁThe emulators are very easy to set up. Once fitted, it is just aÁmatter of running the installation program, and you are then onÁyour way. Beware though... the hardware emulators may require aÁbit of soldering.A1ÁDenesh BhabutaA1Á** EMULATE1.GIF here **A1ÁSetting up the screen according to your hardware under AT-OnceÁ386SX...A1Á** EMULATE2.GIF here **A1ÁUseful on-line help is at handA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁReady to float!A1Á** Q **A1ÁI have the opportunity to buy a used Motorola 68882 FPU quiteÁcheaply. Is this the one that's suitable for Mega STe computers?A1ÁGary Manley, Co DurhamA1Á** A **A1ÁYes, so long as it's in a PLCC package (flat and square with legsÁon the sides - like the main processor). However it's not aÁPlug&Play upgrade because you'll also need a PAL interface chip toÁenable your computer to recognise the coprocessor. Take adviceÁfrom System Solutions or The Upgrade Shop...A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁHard disk IDEas?A1Á** Q **A1ÁI'm thinking of upgrading my Mega STe internal hard drive. Can IÁuse an IDE drive - these seem to be cheaper and more readilyÁavailable than SCSI drives?A1ÁDavid Smith, WirralA1Á** Q **A1ÁNo, you must use a SCSI drives except on Falcon machines whichÁincludes hardware to support both the SCSI and IDE interfaces.ÁChoose a drive mechanism which has 'parity enabled' and doesn'tÁrequire 'bus arbitration' and it should work first time with AtariÁand third party drivers. If you have a SCSI drive which needs busÁarbitration get a copy of HD-Driver which supports this feature.A1ÁAgain, buying from an Atari dealer is the easy way to avoidÁproblems.A1ÁPhil HoughA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁQuantum lightA1Á** Q **A1ÁSome time ago I acquired a battered TT with no hard drive. SinceÁresurrecting it for my college studies I have bought a new QuantumÁdrive mechanism, which works fine except I don't know where toÁplug in the drive activity light?! I've been told by variousÁsources that it goes into various places (including theÁmotherboard) but none of them worked. There are some small socketsÁon the drive itself but the plug is too big for any of them.A1ÁDavid Dobson via emailA1Á** A **A1ÁThe drive light socket is usually small white socket on the driveÁsomewhere. Exactly where this socket is depends on the drive modelÁ(which you don't mention) so check out Quantum's web site, whichÁprovides excellent technical information:A1Á** BC on **A1Áhttp://www.quantum.comA1Á** BC off **A1ÁYou should be able to obtain a miniature plug from any goodÁelectronics supplier.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁMotherboard switchoverA1Á** Q **A1ÁI have a Mega STe and have in the past had some problems withÁvarious peripherals. As there wasn't a reliable technician in myÁarea who knew about STs I ordered a motherboard from Toad. I haveÁsome experience of replacing floppy and hard drives and TOS chips.ÁApart from protecting everything from static electricity are thereÁany particular pitfalls I should watch for?A1ÁKarl Blinkhorn, LancasterA1Á** A **A1ÁOpening the Mega STe to extract the power supply is fairly easy asÁyou only need to unscrew two screws. Be careful with the PSUÁconnector though as it can be a bit tough unplugging it from theÁmain board. Be firm but not too firm. The motherboard is held downÁby numerous screws, all of which will need to be undone. You needÁto be very careful when lifting the motherboard from the case. TheÁproblem is the reset button - there is no good way of lifting outÁthe board without bending the reset button part a little.ÁReplacing the new motherboard in the case is fairly easy. JustÁremember to attach all the parts back on the motherboard in theÁcorrect place. It may be an idea in the beginning to mark on aÁdrawing where various things plug in, by examining the Mega STeÁbefore pulling it apart.A1ÁSteve TaylorA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁIMG-inationA1Á** Q **A1ÁCan you recommend a decent package to edit IMG pictures? My setupÁis a Mega ST 4 with NEC 3D Multisync monitor.A1ÁMelanie Ferris, BillericayA1Á** A **A1ÁArabesque Professional (œ39.95 from Titan) should fit the billÁnicely. It is fast, feature packed and has a user-definableÁvirtual canvas limited only by your available memory. As a bonus,Áit can also handle vector graphics in the form of GEM or CalamusÁvector graphics.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁDead floppyA1Á** Q **A1ÁIs it possible to find a replacement for my dead and brokenÁinternal floppy drive ?A1ÁJames Greenstreet, SheffieldA1Á** A **A1ÁYes, standard PC drives should work in theory, although some needÁslight modification. Buy from an Atari dealer and you'll avoid anyÁpotential headaches.A1ÁPhil HoughA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁSample the silenceA1Á** Q **A1ÁI use ProTracker, and the sample mixing function doesn't seem toÁwork. When I mix two samples all I get is silence!A1ÁMark Boothe, ManchesterA1Á** A **A1ÁTake a look at the parameters of the sample block. ProTracker setsÁthe volume of the resultant sample to zero by default. SimplyÁadjust this to suit and enjoy your work.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1Á** PROTRACK.GIF here **A1ÁLook for this section within Protracker if you want to listen toÁyour creations.A1ÁA1ÁA1ÁPC RodentsA1Á** Q **A1ÁIs there any way to use a PC mouse on my Atari? My overused andÁdamaged original Atari mouse wants to retire.A1ÁMartin Quested, LondonA1Á** Q **A1ÁYou can still buy a proper Atari specific mouse from Atari dealersÁand they're generally nicer to use than the original. TheseÁtypically cost between œ10 and œ15 pounds.A1ÁIt is possible to use a serial PC mouse plugged into the serialÁport along with a PD utility imaginatively called Mouse v2.5. ItÁworks well but doesn't feel exactly the same as a 'real' AtariÁmouse. Obviously if you're already using the serial port for aÁmodem this isn't a feasible idea.A1ÁPhil HoughA1ÁA1ÁA1ÁShareware registrationA1Á** Q **A1ÁI am a firm believer of the shareware ethic and have registeredÁall the programs I use regularly. Having the facility to registerÁvarious shareware programs within the UK is a boon to us AtariÁowners. However sometimes I have to wait up to a month for myÁregistration key. Why do I have to wait so long for somethingÁwhich surely only takes a matter of minutes?A1ÁJoseph Adams, GrimsbyA1Á** A **A1ÁFirst of all, thank you for registering the programs you use -Áyour direct action helps keep the Atari platform alive.ÁInterActive and CyberSTrider handle the bulk of UK registrationsÁfor overseas authors and both Joe and I do it as a hobby to do ourÁbit towards the continued success of our favourite platform.A1ÁHowever, neither of us earn a living from the schemens and we bothÁhave other jobs, families which take priority over registrationsÁnot to mention our contributions to this magazine!A1ÁOver the years registrations have continued to rise and we bothÁfind it difficult to resist adding support for 'just one more'Áextra special program - which adds up to more work. The onlyÁsensible way is to process registrations in batches so if you'reÁlucky it takes a few days and if you're unlucky it can take up toÁa month. We can't do two things at once so please be patient andÁonly start to worry if your cheque has been cashed and you haven'tÁyet received your registration. Neither Joe nor I cash chequesÁuntil we process your registration/s.A1ÁDenesh BhabutaA1ÁA1ÁWhining STeA1Á** Q **A1ÁMy Atari 1040STe is connected to my hifi system via a pair of RCAÁphono leads and when the volume is turned up there is a high pitchÁwhining noise. Is my computer broken? I have disconnected the HiFiÁin case I damage it.A1ÁBob Morro, LondonA1Á** A **A1ÁNo, this is a problem with the design of the machine. The STeÁaudio system is not properly isolated from the rest of theÁcomponents so it inherently picks up noise. Adjusting the graphicÁequaliser on your HiFi system may alleviate the problem.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁA1Á** Boxout begin **A1ÁSystem Audio Manager (SAM)A1ÁPressing the [Tab] key toggles the different available selectionsÁas the default button. However, this does stop working after aÁdialog has been displayed, for example, selecting a sample whileÁholding down [Control] to show information about it - unless youÁhold the [Alternate] key! Unfortunately none of this seems toÁapply on a Falcon.A1ÁShiuming LaiA1ÁA1ÁSAM.GIFA1ÁAssign sounds to various system eventsA1Á** Boxout end **A1ÁA1Á** start boxout **A1ÁMagiC ExtenDOSA1ÁIf you're getting 'invalid drive' errors using ExtenDOS v2.1 underÁMagic you need to upgrade. The current version is ExtenDOS ProÁ2.4A.A1ÁPatch files have recently hit BBSs and FTP sites and should beÁavailable from PD/Shareware libraries by the time you read this.ÁThe filenames to look out for are: EPRO_210.ZIP, EPRO_23A.ZIP,ÁEPRO_240.ZIP, and EPRO_24A.ZIP. If you're using v2.1 you'll needÁall of them. Alternatively contact your ExtenDOS supplier for anÁupgrade.A1ÁDenesh BhabutaA1Á** end boxout **