More DeskCart Details
I have previously written about DeskCart!, the wonderful Atari ST cartridge that I used with my original 1040ST. It served as a battery-backed clock and had several built-in desk accessories.
When I wrote about DeskCart! last time I noted that its battery was dead and that I would try replacing it at some point. I also sadly noted that I didn’t have the actual DeskCart! software so I had no way to actually use it even if I did get the battery replaced.
Well, a kind reader was able to provide me with the DeskCart! software, which allowed me to test things out. And the good news is that my DeskCart! works great!
You can download the files from here:
Next, I originally thought replacing the battery might be my first solder project, but it turned out that I didn’t really need to do any soldering.
I took apart the DeskCart! and briefly tried heating the connector that was soldered to the battery, but it didn’t really seem to do anything and I was concerned about getting the lithium battery too hot.
So in the end, I just used a small screwdriver from one of my computer repair kits and was able to pry off the connectors from the top and bottom of the battery.
With the battery removed, I just used a small bit of electrical tape to hold the connectors onto a replacement CR2023 battery, wrapping things snugly. This is certainly not pretty and is not a permanent solution, but it worked well enough for me to testing things out.
Now, on to a look at the accessories.
