It's a disk drive, but …

In the early 1980s when I first started working full time, I was in operations. I occasionally reorganized disk packs, which made me very aware that an IBM model 3330-1 drive held 100 MB of data and its double density cousin the 3330-11 held 200 MB.

Much later (in the Wikipedia era), I learned Digital Equipment Corporation had used 3330-1/3330-11 compatible drives on their systems as the RP04/RP06 drives.  

This weekend I went to install an emulated PDP-11/70 image, and discovered that while the legacy IBM and DEC systems may have used similar drives (in fact, the media on the real drives is interchangeable), how they use them isn't the same. If you write full tracks (13030 bytes, a number I can rattle off from memory 40 years later) as IBM users do, you can fit the aforementioned 100/200 MB per volume.  But DEC environments write 512 byte sectors (which imposes more overhead per track), and it reduces the 200 MB capacity to 176 MB.

This confused me no end when I was looking at the RP06 webpage and the "same" drive had different numbers than what I knew.

"It's an IBM model 3330–11 drive, but not as we know it, Captain."

A Pinball Wizard For the New Millennium

I've mentioned before that I've had a series of machines dedicated to arcade games running MAME. The current setup includes a Raspberry Pi 3B+ with:

• Logitech Gamepad F310
• Backup media
• Shared access to my desktop KVM, which in turn connects to my:
• Keyboard
• Trackball
• 27" ASUS monitor
• Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX speakers

Of course, 1980's video games don't deserve either the monitor or the speakers, but the Mac Studio doesn't mind sharing.

What I have not done in the years I've had these machines take the proper time learn about my hardware, MAME, or its games. (Or to use them!) But, finally, I've made progress on that in the past week.

First, I reread the GamePad documentation. I discovered it can do either XInput or DirectInput protocols, and I had in it the wrong mode (which disabled a button required to exit games!). I also didn't know the GamePad can swap the function of the left four-button D-Pad and the left analog joystick. (Many games play better with a joystick.)

Hardware problems do exist which don't have an easy fix, like using a Gamepad that has generic A-B-X-Y buttons for games written for specific controls. That means sometimes you "Cross the Streams". For instance, under MAME firing in BattleZone also turns the tank slightly before it fires! (Try aiming while anticipating that!) (BattleZone fixed by twiddling the game specific controls.)

Alas, I've also rediscovered a problem I knew in the 1980's and let fade from memory: I positively stink at video games, especially the ones that rely on twitch reflexes.

In other words: PBKAC

*sigh*

Arcade Emulators, Redux

Back when I owned an iPad 2 (acquired ~13 years ago), I bought Atari's Greatest Hits and also a Atari Arcade stand with a joystick. The stand connected to the iPad 2 with a Doc Connector, which speaks to how old the technology was.

I declared the iPad 2 both obsolete and slow after a few years; I replaced it with a 5th generation iPad, which alas uses a Lightning connector. The newer iPad is now also obsolete, but not so slow (or used enough) to replace it.   

I still have the Atari Arcade stand and its incompatible Doc Connector sitting around gathering dust. However, last week I discovered not only was Atari's Greatest Hits was installed on my current iPad (I didn't think the App was supported), but by using a Doc Connector <--> Lightning Adapter & an extension cable it will run the games with the Atari Arcade stand and its joystick. 

Cool!

Atari Lunar Lander running on my 5th Generation iPad

Sadly, my attempt to make the display bigger with the iPad HDMI adapter simultaneously with the Arcade stand did not work. 

I can now run arcade games on MAME on Linux, on Windows 95 virtual machines, and my iPad. Not that I ever get around to using any of them …