Why don’t we all love the NetUSBee?
What does it do?  What doesn’t it do more like.
Ethernet Connectivity.
USB Mouse support
USB Keyboard support
USB Storage Support.
It also allows you to copy files across a network to the Atari
(Mega) ST(e)
Astonishing, stuff. It does have one minor Achilles heel, but I’ll cover
that at the end.
I got mine from Lotharek, and it is beautifully made. A nice metal case
and it’s as strong as an Ox. Stronger, I’d say.
Adding the drivers couldn’t be simpler, and things only get a little
more complicated when you start configuring a TCP/IP Stack, so we’ll
leave that till later.
Mouse support is a doddle.
Download the umouse.prg, copy it to
your AUTO directory, reboot and hey-
presto USB Mouse works.
What’s interesting, is that I found the
USB mouse felt nicer running from the
NetUSBee than from a Atari Mouse to
USB adapter that I plug into the side of
my Mega STe keyboard, it just felt
smoother. Your mileage may vary, but I
definitely prefer it.
Copying files to the ST via the
network is pretty easy too
.
No need for TCP/IP stack configuration,
the UIP-Tool does it all for you. Just plug
in the NetUSBee to your ST’s cartridge slot, connect an Ethernet cable to your network and to your NetUSBee and run the
UIP.tos tool. It will get an IP Address automatically using DHCP and then display that IP on the ST’s screen.
All that’s needed then is a web-browser on your PC, you point it at the IP Address that’s showing on your ST Screen and you’re
golden. You can literally drag and drop files from your PC into any drive or directory on your ST. Slightly freakishly onto your
Floppy Drive and indeed a Gotek floppy drive .st image as well. You can also download files from the ST to the PC. This is a
fantastic utility.
USB Storage
This is a little weird, but works great. First you have to copy the necessary applications into your Auto directory in the correct
order. There are, of course, dependencies but getting the files to start in the right order is simply a matter of copying them
across in the right order:
USB.PRG
STORAGE.PRG
NETUSBEE.PRG
You also need to add USB.ACC to your root directory. In my case C:\ The USB.ACC is a little desktop tool that polls the USB
adapter at frequent intervals to see if a USB device has been added or removed.
Ethernet Network Access.
The first thing to note is what are you going to use it for? You see the Mega STe was never really designed for ethernet access
to a BBS on the Internet. Other applications you may want to use are expecting a modem. And that means they are expecting
to dial first, then make a TCP connection to a server (Email, Telnet, FTP, etc)
Then again, you could configure a local PoP3 server or FTP server, Telnet server on your home network. Just for kicks right?
Here’s a guide to installing STinG with a NetUSBee. Here’s a simple Guide to getting the two working together. (
Here
)
Conclusion.
So, this is all very positive. It’s a great device, works well, and will really benefit you day-to-day tinkering with your Mega STe.
The downside, is that all these great features are dependant on drivers installed in your Auto directory. Just keep in mind that
when you launch a game, more often than not, these drivers won’t be loaded. So, the USB mouse won’t work and the USB
Storage wont work.
That aside, this is well worth getting, it’s a fantastic utility
Now Open to the public
My Private Computer Nostalgia
3DO ATARI MEGA STE ATARI FALCON AMIGA 1200 PC ENGINE NEO GEO AES SINCLAIR SPECTRUM +3 ATARI JAGUAR SONY PLAYSTATION
The late 1980s and early 1990s were my personal golden age of gaming. I like tinkering with them, I like seeing what they can do and I like making a website. So here we are.