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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 b274874139 All machines linked to their forum thread (full comment import) 
1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-13 17:26:43 +02:00

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---
title: Atari MEGA STe
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1991'
cpus:
- Motorola MC 68000
params:
name: MEGA STe
image: /media/museum/photos/atari_mega-ste_1.jpg
company: /companies/atari
company_name: Atari
specs:
- label: NAME
value: MEGA STe
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Atari
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: U.S.A.
- label: YEAR
value: March 1991
- label: END OF PRODUCTION
value: Unknown
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: None
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full stroke 94 keys with numeric keypad, editing keys and 10 function keys
- label: CPU
value: Motorola MC 68000
- label: SPEED
value: 8 / 16 mHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: Optional Motorola MC68881 math co-processor
- label: RAM
value: 1 / 2 / 4 MB - Up to 8 MB thanks to a 4 MB card connected to the VME bus
- label: ROM
value: 256 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 40 or 80 chars. x 25 lines (bitmapped graphics)
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 320 x 200 / 640 x 200 / 640 x 400
- label: COLORS
value: 16 among 4096 (320 x 200) / 4 among 4096 (640 x 200) / monochrome (640 x 400)
- label: SOUND
value: 3 FM channels, 8 octaves + two 8 bit PCM channels
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Cardridge, Midi (in, out), Centronics, RS232c (2), Hard Disk, Floppy disk, RGB, Joystick, mouse, Stereo, VME Bus
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: |-
3.5 '' disk drive, Seagate 48 MB hard drive\
The 'open' version had 2 MB of RAM but no hard disk.
- label: OS
value: TOS + GEM
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in power supply unit
- label: PRICE
value: Unknown
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
- hardware
- emulators
- links
- docs
forum_thread: 175
photos:
- title: ANOTHER PICTURE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/atari_mega-ste_2.jpg
- title: ABOVE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/atari_mega-ste_3.jpg
adverts:
- title: 'GERMAN BROCHURE #1'
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to **Volken**
image: /media/museum/pubs/atari_megaste_germandoc_s1.jpg
- title: 'GERMAN BROCHURE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to **Volken**
image: /media/museum/pubs/atari_megaste_germandoc_s2.jpg
hardware:
- title: SF-354
subtitle: Single density disk-drive
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_st_sf354-diskdrive_1.jpg
- title: SF-314
subtitle: Disk-drive
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_st-disk-drive_sf314.jpg
- title: CUMANA DRIVE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_520_cumanadrive_1.jpg
- title: SUPRADRIVE
subtitle: 20 Mb hard-disk
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_supradrive_20mb.jpg
- title: 170MB QUANTUM HARD-DRIVE
subtitle: ''
text: This unit has an ICD Host Adapter.
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_st_quamtum_hd170.jpg
- title: ATARI MEGAFILE 30
subtitle: ''
text: This hard-drive has a 30Mb capacity.
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_st_megafile30_1.jpg
- title: INSIDE THE MEGAFILE 30
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(1)** Seagate MFM 30 MB hard-disk Type ST-238\
**(2)** Power supply\
**(3)** Logical board\
**(4)** Power and disk access LED's
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_megast_insidemegafile_1.jpg
- title: ATARI UNIVERSAL MODEM
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The SX212 modem was one of the rare Atari peripherals that could be used with all the Atari computers range, from the 400/800 series up to the Falcon. It had both the Atari I/O ports for the 8-bit systems and a standard RS-232 connector for ST's
It was a 300/1200 baud modem compatible with the well-known Hayes 'AT' commands.\
Cable and software was sold separately, depending of the computer used.
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_520_modemsx212_1.jpg
- title: SML-804
subtitle: Laser printer
text: |-
The SLM-804 was actually a Kyocera F1000 printer but without neither on-board processor and memory nor buttons other than the on/off switch. It was first delivered with the Mega ST but could be connected on all of the ST series computers through a dedicated interface box.\
The printer used the processing power and the RAM memory of the ST computer for printing at 8 pages per minute and 300 DPI. The paper tray held 250 sheets.
Thanks to **Francois Michaud** who donated us this printer.
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_megast_slm804printer_s1.jpg
- title: SMLC-804
subtitle: Laser printer interface
text: This interface allowed the SML-804 printer to be connected to any Atari ST holding at least 1 MB RAM.
image: /media/museum/hardware/atari_megast_slmcinterface_s1.jpg
emulators:
- title: Pacifist !
url: http://www.pacifist.fatal-design.com/
platform: MS DOS
text: Pretty good emulator
- title: Gemulator
url: http://www.emulators.com/gemul8r.htm
platform: Windows
text: ''
- title: MagiCPC
url: http://www.application-systems.de/magicpc/index.html
platform: Windows
text: ''
- title: SainT
url: http://saint.atari.org
platform: Windows
text: The best Atari ST Emulator !
- title: Steem
url: http://steem.atari.st/
platform: Windows
text: Excellent emulator for 1040/520 STE !
- title: Tos2Win
url: http://www.aixit.com/tos2win/
platform: Windows
text: A good Atari GEM Emulator !
- title: MagiCMac
url: http://www.application-systems.de/magicmac/index.html
platform: Apple
text: ''
- title: NoSTalgia & PowerST
url: http://users.skynet.be/sky39147/
platform: Apple
text: ''
- title: STonX Homepage
url: http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/nino/stonx.html
platform: Unix / Linux
text: ''
- title: Atari ST Emulator
url: http://www.atari-st.lovely.net/
platform: Other platform
text: Written in Java !
- title: ARAnyM
url: HTTP://ARANYM.ATARI.ORG
platform: Multiplatform
text: Multiplatform project
- title: Hatari
url: http://hatari.sourceforge.net/
platform: Multiplatform
text: Hatari is an Atari ST emulator for Linux, BSD, BeOS, Mac OS X and other systems that are supported by the SDL library. More precisely, Hatari is an adaption of the WinSTon source code to the SDL library.
links:
- title: Atari & Commodore Home Computer Museum
url: http://www.best.com/~hmk/
text: ''
- title: Atari Music Network
url: http://www.atarimusic.net/
text: Atari Music Network welcomes and celebrates all vintage digital musicians no matter what their computer
- title: Atari ST Demo History
url: http://wwwbrauer.in.tum.de/~brandtf/ataridemos.html
text: ''
- title: Atari ST Download Area
url: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Services/PDA/atari.shtml
text: Atari 400/800/XL/XE & ST/TT/Falcon Software download page
- title: ATARI.ORG
url: http://www.atari.org/
text: Looking for something on any Atari machine ? Follow the links !
- title: Dead Hackers Society
url: http://www.dhs.nu/
text: Atari demo scene
- title: Little Green Desktop
url: http://www.atari.st/
text: Largest Atari ST ressource!
- title: Medusa computer
url: http://www.kingx.com/kingx/medusa/thes.html
text: You can still buy an Atari ST family clone computer
- title: MiNTOS Distribution
url: http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~steve/mintos.html
text: ''
- title: Musique.Atari.Org
url: HTTP://MUSIQUE.ATARI.ORG
text: Web site dedicated to the ATARI and the Music...
- title: PLOPBOX - Atari music archive and jukebox
url: http://www.plopbox.net/
text: listen to atari tunes directly from your browser
- title: Polish Atari Wikipedia
url: http://atariki.krap.pl
text: A lot of info about Atari (in polish)
- title: ST Anwender Bern
url: http://my.blackpoint.ch/stab/
text: Atari ST Usergroup Bern (Swiss)
- title: The Atari Historical Society
url: http://www.atarimuseum.com/
text: The complete history of Atari Arcade and Home games and computers. Complete site with pictures, commercials (streaming), and full text articles. Amazing site !
- title: The Atari ST Quick FAQ
url: http://www.megacom.net/~q-funk/ST/
text: ''
- title: The Atari WebRing Homepage
url: http://b.webring.com/hub?ring=atari
text: Useful !
- title: The Ultimate ATARI Resource
url: http://www.atari.org
text: ''
- title: What is TOS
url: http://www.vanc.igs.net/~roughley/tos_main.htm
text: ''
- title: Index of -~archive-atari-
url: http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/
text: ''
- title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
text: French forum
docs:
- title: ATARI 520 ST OWNER'S MANUAL
url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/atarist/index.htm
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/atari_520st_user_doc.jpg
text: |-
[**ATARI 520 ST OWNER'S MANUAL**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/atarist/index.htm)written by Atari
 compiled/archived by Daves Old Computers\
 type of document : PDF\
 size : 5 Mb\
 source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield)
**... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
related:
- /museum/atari-130-st-260-st
- /museum/atari-4160-ste
- /museum/atari-520-1040-ste
- /museum/atari-520-1040-stf-stfm
- /museum/atari-520-st-st-stm
- /museum/atari-falcon-030
- /museum/atari-falcon-030-microbox
- /museum/atari-fx-1-sparrow
- /museum/atari-mega-st
- /museum/atari-st-book
- /museum/atari-stacy
- /museum/atari-stylus-st-pad
- /museum/atari-tt-030
oc_id: 164
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605041509/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=164
date: '2023-06-05'
---
The Atari Mega STe is the successor of the [Atari Mega STf](/museum/atari-mega-st/). It is an Atari STe with some features of the [TT](/museum/atari-tt-030/) (the case, the VME bus) and has a new version of TOS (2.05 and 2.06).
It has (like the Mega STf) a battery-backed up clock. The user can choose in the configuration panel the speed of the CPU (8 or 16 MHz) and can switch on or off a small memory cache. Thanks to these two features, the Mega STe was really faster than the STf.
Some companies developed VME graphic cards for the Mega STe. This computer had less success than the Mega STf and was used as a publishing station or in music studios.
A minor note: the Mega and TT gave a nod to the earlier integrated-keyboard ST series by adding a tongue-and-groove design element for loosely connecting the keyboard to the base of the CPU.
The Mega STe ended production in 1993. This was also one of the few Atari product to have an Appletalk networking port (or RS432)built-in. The TT030 was the first machine to have it and the Falcon also had one. Some models included hard drives, and some did not. The drives were usually shipped separately to the the dealers, and installed in the store. The internal hard-drives in the Atari Mega STE where SCSI, not IDE. A small internal SCSI adaptor board had to be installed for this feature.
The Mega STE was the fastest released official ST from Atari and included the VME bus from the TT030. The bottom of the range Mega STE 1MB machine had an optional SCSI drive, though all other machines in the range came with SCSI as standard (At least here in the UK). The maximum official RAM capacity was the same as the rest of the ST range at 4MB, though there were upgrades available from 3rd parties that took advantage of the 68000 address bus, allowing for up to 16MB to be added.
The Mega STE makes an excellent MIDI sequencer, and the LAN port can make use of early Apple Macintosh MIDI interfaces, so long as you are using Cubase and the latest version of MROS.
The Mega STE is also the only one of Atari's 'Professional' range of computers to have a TV modulator on the back, allowing it to be used if a monitor is not available.
---
Contributors: Steve Martin, Malcolm Ramage
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>
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