A somewhat unusual "Macintosh" for this year's MARCHintosh offering...

Here is my Atari 520ST running Spectre, a Macintosh emulator (or translator, perhaps more accurately) which features actual Macintosh Plus ROMs (user must provide) and in 1989 (along with Magic Sac which preceded it in 1986) was "the only legal Macintosh clone." Gadgets by Small, who made the device, called it 20% faster than a Mac Plus, with a 30% larger screen size (640x400 on the ST monochrome display vs. 512x342 on the early Macs). 

The Atari 520STm shown here features an 8MHz MC68000, has been expanded to 4MB RAM (up from 512K), features an HxC2001 floppy emulator, an ACSI2STM hard disk emulator, and dual Atari RGB and monochrome monitors, switchable with a Monitor Master switchbox. The 12-inch SM124 monitor showing Pinball Construction Set for Mac is nearly identical to the early Mac monochrome displays in terms of clarity, the distinctive bluish P4-class phosphor, and its overall "presence." It is a very nice display running at a rock-solid 71Hz.

(A similar series of devices, beginning with the A-Max, was released by ReadySoft for the Commodore Amiga in 1989, though I found the ST options more appealing, in large part due to the superb high-res, non-interlaced monochrome display the ST supported.)

#MARCHintosh

#Macintosh #Mac #Apple #vintageApple #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #retrocomputers #computing #computers #CRT #emulation #Finder #Spectre #MagicSac #Atari #AtariST #Atari520ST #photo #photos #nostalgia #vintage #BillBudge #tech #ElectronicArts #ByteCellar

Just upgraded TOS to 1.04 ("Rainbow TOS") with ROMs from Baffo71. Next step is to solder sixteen IC sockets, 220 nF caps and 68 Ohm resistors for the memory upgrade.

#atari #atari520st #atari520stfm #retrocomputing

The monitor adapter for my Atari 520 arrived. It can only work in color mode if the monitor supports 15 kHz HSYNC signals, so hi resolution black and white mode it is. I love how non-intrusive the adapter is.

#atari #atari520st #atari520stfm #retrocomputing

A nice side effect of trawling through my storage unit looking for a thing, was finding my old Atari 520ST in the same box. I have always been convinced it was a STE, as it was purchased 89/90, but it turned out to be a STFM.

I'm currently waiting on a ST2VGA monitor adapter and a bunch of HYB 41256-10 DRAM chips to upgrade it to 1 MB the OG way.

#atari #atari520st #atari520stfm #retrocomputing

How could I have missed it?

The Atari ST is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year! 🎂 🥳 🎉 (released in June 1985)

One of my favorite machines and so many good memories on my Atari 520 ST 🥰

#AtariST #Atari520ST #RetroComputer #RetroGaming

The Atari ST, Everyone's Second Favourite 16-bit Home Computer, Turns 40

❝Let me tell you a little story. My father is the person who got me into gaming, and my first genuine introduction to interactive entertainment (not including the Donkey Kong II Game & Watch) was on his beloved Atari ST, which turns 40 this year.❞

🔗 https://www.timeextension.com/news/2025/06/anniversary-the-atari-st-everyones-second-favourite-16-bit-home-computer-turns-40

#Atari #Atari520ST #retrocomputer #retrogaming #videogames #80s #90s #Geek

My newly dual-headed Atari 520ST system.

I've had this 520STm 4MB color setup for some years now, but recently expanded it, as I had long been wanting to.

I've just added an SM124 (very sharp) monochrome 72Hz 640x400 display (switching between it and the SC1224 RGB display with a MonitorMaster switchbox that I acquired new about 10 years ago for this eventual purpose). I also have just added an ACSI2STM SD card-based HD emulator.

The stand is an A520 STation, which is a fairly rare item (I've never seen another in use).

#Atari #AtariST #Atari520ST #vintagecomputing #retrocomputing #retrocomputers #CRT #setups #desk #computers #vintage #vintagetech #photo #computerrooms #retrogaming #retrogames #games #gaming #ACSI2STM #HxC2001 #ByteCellar

My ST busily awaiting the arrival of its monochrome SM124 CRT arriving today. I hope it was well packed...

#Atari #AtariST #Atari520ST #vintagecomputing #retrocomputing #retrogaming #busybee #fujilogo #photo #vintagetech #ByteCellar

It was 40 years ago this week that the Atari ST was announced at the January 1985 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Not long after, in the fall of 1986, I got my own Atari 520ST system and count it as one my favorites among the many systems I haveowned over the years. Here, at the ST's 40th Anniversary, I share one of my earliest and most memorable experiences with my beloved 520ST, which took place on a Halloween night long, long ago.

https://bytecellar.com/2016/11/10/the-year-that-starglider-and-the-atari-st-saved-halloween/

Today, I have a nearly identical 520ST setup here in the Byte Cellar and I still count it among the most beloved of my vintage systems. I hope you enjoy the memory.

#Atari #AtariST #Atari520ST #vintatgecomputing #retrocomputing #retrocomputers #computinghistory #JackTramiel #Jackintosh #Halloween #blog #memorylane #nostalgia #CES #CES2025 #vintagetech #ByteCellar #retrogaming #retrogames #Firebird #Rainbird #Starglider