To use a Zip drive with your Atari ST (by Laurie Dunkin Wedd, 4-July 2001)
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Some of this sounds a bit complicated, but don't be put off: it is 
simpler than it sounds. My Zip drive works brilliantly with my STE. The 
Zip is almost silent, and I hate the fan noise from the hard drive, so 
I back up the Zip to my hard drive rather than the other way round!

If you fancy using a Zip with your ST, go ahead; it isn't difficult to 
organise, and the benefits are clear. Some people think taking a power 
line from the joystick port is an inelegant solution. It doesn't worry 
me - the cable just goes alongside the mouse cable.
If you need large partitions, I have a Zip disk partitioned in one 
90Meg partition!


A. If you already have a hard drive with host adaptor

You will need:

1.  A cable with a 25 way connector on one end and a 50 way on the 
    other
* Should be freely available from Tandy etc
* To join your Zip (25 way) to your hard drive (50 way)

2. Zip/Jaz tools
* To format your Zip disks - also write protect etc
* As Bob Luneski of Oregon Research no longer supports Atari, his 
software may be going cheap. (Or he may be persuaded to release it into 
the public domain.)

(Once formatted,  your Zip disks can be partitioned with your existing 
hard drive software (AHDI, ICD Pro, HD Driver etc.)

How to proceed

Connect the 50 way end of the cable to your hard drive; connect the 25 
way end to one of the Zip's sockets.

Fire up Zip/Jaz Tools; format the Zip disk.

Start up your hard drive software; partition the Zip disk.


B. If you don't have a hard drive, or  want to keep it switched off 
(You might: the Zip is almost silent compared to a hard drive)

You will need:

1. A host adaptor
* Examples include Toplink, The Link, ICD Link, Translator, etc
* ICD Link II is available from The Upgrade Shop
* Titan offer Link 97 at fifty quid (Sep 98)

2. A power cable for the host adaptor
* You will need to get power for the host adaptor from the joystick 
port of the ST

In my HiSoft-supplied cable the connections are as follows (looking at 
the outside end of the connector, the uppermost row having more pins or 
holes than the lower):

Joystick plug bottom left centre to 25 way bottom second from right
Joystick plug bottom right centre to 25 way bottom right via a small 
component which might be a resistor, marked 
IR
N400

You could make up this cable fairly easily. If you have a dead mouse 
lying around you could use its cable complete with plug.

3. A 25 to 50 way connector
* To join your Zip (25 way) to your host adaptor (50 way)
* You can buy these from Tandy etc for a couple of quid

4. Zip/Jaz tools
* To format your Zip disks - also write protect etc
* As Bob Luneski of Oregon Research no longer supports Atari, his 
software may be going cheap. (Or he may be persuaded to release it into 
the public domain.)

5. Hard drive software (eg AHDI, ICD Pro, HD Driver etc)
* Some are available PD.
* System Solutions sell HD Driver 7.54 for thirty quid (August 98).

How to proceed

Connect the host adaptor to the hard drive socket on your Atari; 
connect the other end to your 50-25 connector; attach that to one of 
the Zip's sockets.

Connect the 25 pin plug of the host adaptor power cable to the other 
Zip socket; plug the other end into your ST's joystick port.

Fire up Zip/Jaz Tools; format the Zip disk.

Start up your hard drive software; partition the Zip disk.

My ST won't recognise the Zip unless I warm boot
If your ST doesn't recognise the Zip first time and needs a reset, you 
can use the program SCSI Fix. Install this on a floppy, boot with the 
floppy in the drive and the Zip will be "seen" first time. I find I 
7need this on my STE TOS 2.06 but not with my Stacy (TOS 1.4).

What about my Falcon/TT?
You can use a Zip without a host adaptor and therefore without any of 
the problems above - just plug in and go.