Compatibility
You should read this section to ensure that your Atari ST model is compatible with the SidecarTridge TOS emulator. Please find your motherboard model number in the list below to determine compatibility and verify that the number of ROMs matches the supported configuration. If your motherboard is not listed, or if you have any doubts about compatibility, please contact us for further assistance.
Table of contents
Firmware, SWITCHER and rescue switcher versions
v4.0.0
The firmware, the SWITCHER and the rescue switcher talk to each other, so their versions must match:
| Board | Firmware | SWITCHER | Rescue switcher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board revision 4 | v4.0.0 | 4.0.0 | 4.0.0 |
| Board revision 3 (red power LED) | v4.0.0 | 4.0.0 | 4.0.0 |
| Board revision 3, before upgrading | v3.1.0 | 3.1.0 | 3.1.0 |
| Board revisions 1 and 2 | v2.1.0 (the last for these boards) | 2.1.0 | none |
SWITCHER 3.x and the rescue switcher 3.1.0 stop with a “not compatible” message under firmware v4.0.0, and the 4.0.0 programs refuse an older firmware. When you upgrade a board, replace all three: Upgrading to v4.0.0.
Board revision 4 runs only firmware v4.0.0 and later. Never install a firmware v3.x file on it: firmware v3.x does not check which board it runs on, and on board revision 4 it would drive pins that are inputs on this board.
Supported Atari ST Motherboards and Carrier Boards
The tables below tell you whether your motherboard is supported by the SidecarTridge TOS emulator and how many ROM chips it has. To know which specific SidecarTridge TOS emulator kit you need to order for that motherboard, see the kit table in Before You Buy.
Carrier boards for non supported motherboards are in active development. Please check the SidecarTridge website for updates.
Atari ST series
| Motherboard Model Number | Number of ROMs | Status |
|---|---|---|
| C070115 Rev. 2 | Not supported | |
| C070243 Rev. C | 6 | Supported |
| C070243 Rev. E | 6 | Supported |
| C070243 Rev. F | 6 | Supported |
| C070243 Rev. H | 6 | Supported |
| C070243 Rev. I | 6 | Supported |
| C070523-001 Rev. C | 6 | Supported |
| C070523-001 Rev. D | 6 | Supported |
| C070789-001 Rev. A | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C070789-001 Rev. B | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C070789-001 Rev. C | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C070789-001 Rev. D | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C070789-001 Rev. F | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C070859 | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C103088 Rev. 3.1 | Not supported | |
| C103253 Rev. 3.1 | Not supported | |
| C103088 Rev. 5.3 | Not supported | |
| C103253 Rev. 5.3 | Not supported | |
| C103175-001 Rev. 1 | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C103175-001 Rev. 1.1 | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C103225 Rev. 1 | Not supported | |
| C103414-001 Rev. 1 | 2 and 6 | Supported |
| C103414-001 Rev. 1.1 | 2 and 6 | Supported |
Atari Mega ST series
| Motherboard Model Number | Number of ROMs | Status |
|---|---|---|
| C100167-001 Rev. 4.0 | 2 | Supported |
| C100167-001 Rev. B | 2 | Supported |
| C100167-001 Rev. 5.0 | 2 | Supported |
| C100501-001 | 2 | Supported |
| C103277 Rev 2.2 | 2 | Supported |
| C103544-001 | 2 | Supported |
Atari STE series
| Motherboard Model Number | Number of ROMs | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CA4003290 | 2 | Supported |
Atari Mega STE series
| Motherboard Model Number | Number of ROMs | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CA400677 Rev. F | 2 | Supported |
Motherboards listed as Not supported either use a ROM socket layout for which no carrier board has been developed yet, or have hardware characteristics that the SidecarTridge TOS Emulator cannot currently emulate. If you own one of these motherboards and want to know the current status, please contact us.
If you can’t find your motherboard model number in the list, or have any doubts about compatibility, please contact us for further assistance.
List of supported TOS versions tested with the SidecarTridge TOS emulator
You can find below a list of TOS versions tested with the SidecarTridge TOS emulator. The list includes the TOS version, the size of the ROM, if it was tested, if it works, and any additional notes. You can download them from several sites like:
| TOS Version | Size (KB) | Tested | Works | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOS 1.00 DE | 192 | Yes | Yes | Original ROM TOS |
| TOS 1.00 FR | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.00 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.00 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 DE | 192 | Yes | Yes | Mega TOS |
| TOS 1.02 ES | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 FR | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 SE | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.02 DE Fast load edited icons | 192 | Yes | Yes | Customized TOS |
| TOS 1.04 DE | 192 | Yes | Yes | Rainbow TOS |
| TOS 1.04 FR | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.04 NL | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.04 SE | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.04 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.04 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.04 UK without Line-F | 192 | Yes | Yes | Customized TOS |
| KAOS TOS 1.4.2 DE | 192 | Yes | Yes | Customized TOS by Andreas Kromke (image) |
| TOS 1.06 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | STE TOS Rev. 1 |
| TOS 1.06 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.06 FR | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.06 SE | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.06 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.06 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | STE TOS Rev. 2 |
| TOS 1.62 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 FR | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 SE | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 1.62 ES with an easter egg | 256 | Yes | Yes | Customized TOS |
| TOS 1.7 DE | 256 | No | ? | Customized TOS (TEX TOS) |
| TOS 2.00 US | 256 | No | ? | Pre-release TOS |
| TOS 2.05 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | Mega STE TOS |
| TOS 2.05 FR | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.05 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.05 SE | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.05 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.05 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | ST/STE TOS |
| TOS 2.06 FR | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 SE | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| TOS 2.06 UK SuperTOS | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS (Unknown creator) |
| TOS 2.16 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 ES | 192 | Yes | Yes | Open-source TOS |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.2.1 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 ES | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.3.0 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 ES | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 UK | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 US | 192 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 ES | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| EmuTOS 1.4.0 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | |
| MagiC 6.20 UK | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS |
| MagiC 6.20 DE | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS |
| MagiC 6.20 US | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS |
| MagiC 6.30 | 256 | Yes | Yes | Custom TOS. Tested on STE and on Mega ST with the 256KB Decoder. Build the ROM with the MagiC ROM Builder |
| Jackintosh (Mac Plus) | 192 | Yes | Yes | The Atari boots as a Macintosh Plus. For the ST, STF, STFM and Mega ST. Build the ROM at jackintosh.sidecartridge.com |
| Jackintosh (Mac Plus) | 256 | Yes | Yes | The Atari boots as a Macintosh Plus. For the STE and Mega STE. Build the ROM at jackintosh.sidecartridge.com |
You can learn about the different TOS versions in these videos:
MagiC 6.30: build the ROM in your browser
MagiC is the multitasking alternative operating system for the Atari ST family by Andreas Kromke, the author of KAOS. Kromke published the complete MagiC sources under the GPLv3, and in 2026 he released MagiC 6.30 for Atari computers. It is a recent release and well worth a look.
To make it easy to try, we built the MagiC ROM Builder. It builds MagiC 6.30 from the official sources into a 256 KB ROM image that boots in place of TOS, plus the boot floppy or hard disk files it loads its desktop from. Everything runs in your browser.
- Load the ROM image in the SidecarTridge TOS Emulator on an STE or Mega STE, or on a Mega ST with the SidecarTridge 256KB Decoder.
- MagiC sources: Atari-Mac-MagiC-Sources by Andreas Kromke.
Jackintosh: your Atari boots as a Macintosh Plus
Switch on your Atari, and a Macintosh Plus comes up. In 1985 the press called the Atari ST the “Jackintosh”, after Jack Tramiel. Jackintosh makes the joke come true: the genuine Mac Plus ROM runs on the Atari’s own 68000, with the happy Mac, System 6, the Finder and the software of 1986 to 1990. No TOS, no emulator: from power-on, the Atari is the Mac.
The SidecarTridge TOS Emulator serves the Jackintosh ROM in place of TOS. You build it in your browser at jackintosh.sidecartridge.com, from your own Mac Plus ROM: Apple’s code is not distributed.
- 192 KB image for the ST, STF, STFM and Mega ST; 256 KB image for the STE and Mega STE.
- You need your own Mac Plus v3 ROM (128 KB), a monochrome monitor, and the SidecarTridge Multi-device running Jackintosh for the floppy and hard disk images, the clock and the parameter RAM.
- Copy the image to the board’s
ROMEMULdrive like any TOS image, and choose it with the SWITCHER or inDEFAULT.TXT. Keep the rescue switcher as the rescue image, so you can always go back to TOS. - Jackintosh is free software under the GPLv3.