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Sophia rev.C - DVI board


Simius

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Just finished up an install of the Sophia DVI upgrade and it's amazing. 1280x1024 looks great and seems to work on most modern monitor and televisions. I'm using a standard DVI to HDMI converter cable. Easy install other than actually mounting the DVI port on the 600XL (64K, Atarimax APE Warp+ OS 32-in-1, Sophia DVI and audio jack). I'm happy with the end result and everything works properly. I decided to leave the RF intact, so you can even do simultaneous Channel 2/3 RF and DVI on side by side screens. The inside wiring is pretty ugly, but here is a shot of the finished DVI and audio jack on the 600XL.

 

post-42914-0-29661500-1531444211.jpg

 

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I ran into a snag with my Sofia chip and just wanted to alert anyone who might have the same situation. On a 1200XL, you will need a double socket in order to install it. Here's what a TRIED to do: First, I pulled the GTIA and inserted it onto the Sofia board but, then noticed that the board would need to sit up higher to avoid the small chip nearby. I tried using the extra socket that comes with the chip into the existing socket (seemed to fit well), but the Sofia board will not seat into the socket that was supplied. It easily pops back out. I then desoldered the factory socket (destroying it in the process. I am now going to get one or two sockets from the electronics store solder one to the board and insert the next one on top of that, with the Sofia chip on top of that.

 

If there is a better way to do this, someone let me know.

 

Still very excited about this but I had planned to do this to all three of my Atari 1200XL's. Not sure if I want to go through this all over again though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

Now I'm not sure. This is what is displayed on a 1280x1024 monitor. It's stretched when I would have thought it wouldn't be.

 

IMG_3983.JPG

Is it stretched? I might be wrong but it doesn't look stretched. I would expect a small black bar since most of those "square" monitors have a 5:3 aspect ratio and 1280x1024 is 5:4.

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

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Load Turbo BASIC XL and run this line:

 

GR.8:COLOR1:CIRCLE 80,80,80

 

You will know if it's stretched.

 

So as it turns out, all my other Atari's are actually displaying wrong and I just never noticed. The Sophia board shows a nice circle, my other s-video output Atari's show an egg.

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If I could just figure out how to attach files. I got it from this post

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254730-vbxe-rgb-tuning/?do=findComment&comment=3550339

 

Way back when, I had trouble figuring out my first attachment... There's a "More Reply Options" button next to the "Post" button. That's where you get the option to attach files.

 

Bob

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If I could just figure out how to attach files. I got it from this post

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254730-vbxe-rgb-tuning/?do=findComment&comment=3550339

When posting, you need to hit the "more reply options". You will then have a full editor, which allows you to attach files. Only certain extensions are allowed, if you're ever in doubt, just ZIP it first.

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Has anyone installed one of these in an 800xl? If I add an additional socket to clear the 74ls158n chip then it hits the keyboard. I'll try removing the socket from the 74ls158n but I don't know if that will give me enough room. Even without using an extra socket on Sophia it seems really close to the keyboard.

 

Frank

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Load Turbo BASIC XL and run this line:

 

GR.8:COLOR1:CIRCLE 80,80,80

 

You will know if it's stretched.

 

WARNING:

 

Unless that I am missing something really unusual, here, you will hardly EVER get a round circle in NTSC with the above command, due to the fact that if such circle is generated in a 1:1 per-pixel aspect ratio space (looking circular there) and then mapped into NTSC true aspect ratio (where an actual on-screen NTSC DOT IS NOT squared), it will then look compressed horizontally. The correction factor is about 11/12 or ~ 0.9166.

 

Actual evidence of this lies everywhere being Astrology, Mapware, and other (very old) titles good examples (as you look directly at APX catalog prints, etc.)

 

So if folks are getting here a perfect circle on NTSC aspect-ratio input signal, then properly mapped into 5/4 (1.25x viewing area, like a 1280x1024 monitor, which is a much BETTER choice than anamorphic, for the Atari), then something is not right.

Edited by Faicuai
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WARNING:

 

Unless that I am missing something really unusual, here, you will hardly EVER get a round circle in NTSC with the above command, due to the fact that if such circle is generated in a 1:1 per-pixel aspect ratio space (looking circular there) and then mapped into NTSC true aspect ratio (where an actual on-screen NTSC DOT IS NOT squared), it will then look compressed horizontally. The correction factor is about 11/12 or ~ 0.9166.

 

Actual evidence of this lies everywhere being Astrology, Mapware, and other (very old) titles good examples (as you look directly at APX catalog prints, etc.)

 

So if folks are getting here a perfect circle on NTSC aspect-ratio input signal, then properly mapped into 5/4 (1.25x viewing area, like a 1280x1024 monitor, which is a much BETTER choice than anamorphic, for the Atari), then something is not right.

 

I thought it looked stretched even though the circle was round. I was almost positive when using my atari on a tv back in the day circles were never round.

I don't suppose there will be a core for Sophia that mimics the NTSC aspect ratio and not 1:1 pixels.

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Image ovality and differences resulting from the properties of NTSC and PAL systems are a disadvantage, not a desirable feature. Tolerated because it is indelible. So far.

 

I still hold out for someone to simulate artifacting. I can't bring myself to play Ultima IV without it.

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