+mytek Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Ok here's what I plan to do... I will purchase an alternative 1.35mm x 3.5mm power jack that will fit the existing PCB footprint and test fit this in one of my spare boards (I think I'd prefer to source it from someone like Digi-Key or Mouser). At the same time I'll source a compatible PSU from the same place I get the jack from, and I'll run some tests using a scope for comparison of old vs new as it concerns the stability and filtering of the DC supply, as well as check for voltage drop. If all looks good I will change the spec in the BOM for both items and call it a day. I do think this is worth doing, and I'll tell you why. Today when I was building up my latest system I accidentally plugged into a 9 VAC supply and zapped my U1MB (it only took a second). Luckily the other parts on the board were more robust and survived. The survival of most of the parts is likely due to the type of power switching circuit I employed on the 1088XEL, since it would not turn on for more than a split second when powered from the AC source. I have also noticed that if you have a short on the 5 VDC bus, that the power control circuit will not sustain. This is good, and is a form of electronic protection that reacts faster than a fuse ever could, protecting the PSU in the process from overload. Yes I should have been more careful, but I had multiple projects going on over the last week, and wasn't keeping good track of things due to having a very bad cold and a fuzzy brain to contend with. Anyway the deed is done, and once more I live up to my reputation of being a U1MB killer . Hence the reason for my posting about being careful in what you plug your 1088XEL into. The _Doctor_ is absolutely right about this being the correct thing to do. Because sure as s_it there will be other people inadvertently doing the same thing, no matter how careful they try to be. The very fact that these 9 VAC power supplies are so prevalent for use in other A8 peripherals and computers almost guarantees future mishaps. All it takes is one mistake and there goes $75-80 up in smoke. If you have already built a board per the old spec, just be very careful, and yes mark your cables clearly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) remember that you don't have to buy a new power supply if you've already bought a board or kit, you can use the barrel size adapter a buck or less, pennies in quantity.. and the jack on the board swapped out OR conversely another jack/barrel adapter, (yes it may seem silly to do double adaption) however for a dollar maybe two and some epoxy or glue you're safe forever... one attached to the end of the power supply cord one attached to the jack... lot's of options. at very little cost for every skill set. Edited January 21, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) @U1MB_Killer! (see me ducking and running for cover as fast and as hard as I can!) please tell me that's not Ultimate1Meg # 3! I suggest we take an offering for the cause and shower Michael with good stuff. Good thoughts and some happy stuff to cheer him up. Power supplies can be a bear, you never know what you've got till you scope it hook it up tear it open and see it's build as well as failure mode.. Edited January 21, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 @U1MB_Killer! please tell me that's not Ultimate1Meg # 3! I suggest we take an offering for the cause and shower Michael with good stuff. Good thoughts and some happy stuff to cheer him up Yep 3's a charm as they always say . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 This is why I literally put my 9V AC PSU at the other side of the room prior to powering up my 1088XEL for the first time. It's also the reason I fitted a standard 7-pin DIN to the 1200XL I modded for 5V DC (someone asked later "What was wrong with the original connector?"). This is why. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 This is why I literally put my 9V AC PSU at the other side of the room prior to powering up my 1088XEL for the first time. It's also the reason I fitted a standard 7-pin DIN to the 1200XL I modded for 5V DC (someone asked later "What was wrong with the original connector?"). This is why. Believe me when I say mine's definitely across the room now, because that's where I threw it yesterday after ripping it out of the wall socket 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavalamp Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Believe me when I say mine's definitely across the room now, because that's where I threw it yesterday after ripping it out of the wall socket Hi Michael, How does the VGATE option work? Do I need to jumper J19 to activate it? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Hi Michael, How does the VGATE option work? Do I need to jumper J19 to activate it? Cheers! It's controlled through the U1MB setup screen. If you are not running one of the 1088XEL specific versions of the BIOS, then it can be controlled by enabling/disabling one of the auxiliary I/O bits accessed in one of the original BIOS's Setup screens (I forget exactly what it's called but, there will be a screen with two selections that can be enabled and disabled, it'll be the top one in the list). Hope that helps . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Final V2.2 version of TK-II now available I would recommend that everyone (even non 1088XEL users) update their TK-II chips over to this new firmware. In general it's more stable, and provides a few more special key combos that it couldn't produce before. I also added a bit more delay to the macro 'slow send' toggle (invoked with CTRL+1 while recording a macro) when I discovered that Atari Writer was so slow at processing keys, that it would sometimes miss a recorded key in a slow send toggled macro being played back. This zipped file includes FlowCode source (per open source requirements) which is not required to re-flash your chip. For flashing the firmware: both a HEX file (for use with 3rd party PIC programmers) and a Flashing ATR (for use by JOY2PIC hardware) have been provided. TK-II_V2.2_firmware.zip 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Well, if USPS tracking is to be believed, my next delivery from MacRorie will be Wednesday, so hopefully by one evening late this week I'll have this thing finished! Or at least able to boot up and display video. And to that end ... Final V2.2 version of TK-II now available Thanks, Michael! I spent a couple minutes updating the PIC chip for my build. It's always a tad frightening to press START and watch my 1200XL screen start going haywire in black & white for what seems like 30 minutes. (*) This is the same "Ugly Duckling" 1200XL I repaired and restored over the course of a couple months last spring, so I always harbor a lingering fear that it will just die on me for no apparent reason. (*) I know it's only what? 20 - 30 seconds or so? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Yeah it looks like the TV is having a seizure when flashing the chip. But no worries, your 1200XL isn't being a abused and will survive . FlashJazzCat has also established a page on his website where the new 1088XEL Ultimate Firmware will reside (not there yet, but hopefully soon). So stuff is coming into alignment on this project, and soon will be in a completed form in all regards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Funny my joy is in knowing, whatever happens my Atari will always bounce back... every couple years a x86 suffers some problem or hits the bin, the Atari just keeps going... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Are there specific hooks built in to the new firmware and how many rom slots will the JAZZ GUI take up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Funny my joy is in knowing, whatever happens my Atari will always bounce back... every couple years a x86 suffers some problem or hits the bin, the Atari just keeps going... Indeed. Or that if something breaks, it's within the realms of any dedicated and patient amateur to repair. Prior to last year, this particular machine had never been fully functional for the entire time I'd had it (purchased in a big lot off that new-fangled place on the information superhighway no one had heard of, a web site called "eBay" whatever that means ). So it sat in a box in the garage, unloved and mostly forgotten about, case horribly yellowed, with a broken piece of plastic over the LEDs and a physically broken joystick port. Then I got an urge to figure out what the hell was wrong with it besides the stuff I could see. Turned out to be quite a bit, lol. It's got a U1MB in it now and it's my daily driver. Anyway ... two days 'til I can get to work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Funny my joy is in knowing, whatever happens my Atari will always bounce back... every couple years a x86 suffers some problem or hits the bin, the Atari just keeps going... My 1088XEL survived 9VAC input to it's 5 VDC bus and only lost the U1MB. Here's it running with a new U1MB, and everything else checks out as good. Even my dual stacked RGB/DVI Sophias survived (great job Simius). Are there specific hooks built in to the new firmware and how many rom slots will the JAZZ GUI take up? All the changes relate to either the new features of the 1088XEL (V-GATE and the 2nd Pokey IRQ), or to it's accessory XEL-CF board. All of the original stuff that we've grown to love remains the same, other than reliability enhancements. So you still have 4 OS Slots, 4 Language Slots, and 4 Game Slots if you enable the XEGS mode and run an XEGS OS. There are some enhancements that came with the XEL-CF support (dual CF drive capability). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 All the changes relate to either the new features of the 1088XEL (V-GATE and the 2nd Pokey IRQ), or to it's accessory XEL-CF board. All of the original stuff that we've grown to love remains the same, other than reliability enhancements. So you still have 4 OS Slots, 4 Language Slots, and 4 Game Slots if you enable the XEGS mode and run an XEGS OS. There are some enhancements that came with the XEL-CF (dual CF drive capability). I have a question regarding this. When I flash the new U1MB BIOS to my beta 1088XEL, will the VGATE be controlled via the BIOS, or will I have to rely on the physical jumper on the board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I have a question regarding this. When I flash the new U1MB BIOS to my beta 1088XEL, will the VGATE be controlled via the BIOS, or will I have to rely on the physical jumper on the board? This should answer your question: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/272817-1088xel-atari-itx-motherboard-diy-builders-thread/page-14?do=findComment&comment=3941300 But yes, the U1MB controls the V-Gate chip (always has in the 1088XEL). Of course you need the 1088XEL BIOS revision to actually have a menu item identified as such. Non-1088XEL version BIOS's would have controlled it through a different menu in a non-specific way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 So this maybe begs the question: what does jumper J19, labeled "VGATE", control on the mainboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 This should answer your question: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/272817-1088xel-atari-itx-motherboard-diy-builders-thread/page-14?do=findComment&comment=3941300 But yes, the U1MB controls the V-Gate chip (always has in the 1088XEL). Of course you need the 1088XEL BIOS revision to actually have a menu item identified as such. Non-1088XEL version BIOS's would have controlled it through a different menu in a non-specific way. Thanks - it was actually that post that led me to ask if it would work on the beta board. I wasn't sure if a change had been made for that. You & John kept adding so much stuff so quickly, it's hard to keep up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 So this maybe begs the question: what does jumper J19, labeled "VGATE", control on the mainboard? If you look carefully at the silk screen image next to it, you'll see what looks to be a diode (meant to denote an Light Emitting Diode or simply LED). So it's not really a jumper after all , but a place to hook up a status LED. You'll see this repeated across the board in several more places such as the power control header where the power switch is connected. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) If you look carefully at the silk screen image next to it, you'll see what looks to be a diode (meant to denote an Light Emitting Diode or simply LED). So it's not really a jumper after all , but a place to hook up a status LED. You'll see this repeated across the board in several more places such as the power control header where the power switch is connected. That was a common practice back in the day for hard drive activity, I/O, all manner of lights and sometimes switches, and x86 front panel goodies, usb , etc... Edited January 23, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 That was a common practice back in the day for hard drive activity, I/O, all manner of lights and sometimes switches, and x86 front panel goodies, usb , etc... Yep that was my intention to make it a bit more clear what the header was to be used for, and to give a polarity indication as well. The 1088XEL has a total possibility of 7 LED status indicators that can be connected. But if you use the Mouse Select board instead of a toggle switch and LED's the total is reduced by one. And if you use the XEL Status Panel, 5 of those are accounted for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 If you look carefully at the silk screen image next to it, you'll see what looks to be a diode (meant to denote an Light Emitting Diode or simply LED). So it's not really a jumper after all , but a place to hook up a status LED. You'll see this repeated across the board in several more places such as the power control header where the power switch is connected. Doh! Of course. Im an idiot. I saw the diode symbol but wasnt sure what it denoted in the context of what looked to me like headers for a jumper. Thanks for setting me straight! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Doh! Of course. Im an idiot. I saw the diode symbol but wasnt sure what it denoted in the context of what looked to me like headers for a jumper. Thanks for setting me straight! Perhaps I should have put circles around them to get the point across better . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Perhaps I should have put circles around them to get the point across better . Nah, I still wouldn’t have got it. My undergraduate degree is aerospace engineering; we had two required semesters of EE-for-Dummies (EE301 and 302 or something) and that was it. As a friend of mine said, as we were baffled by some obscure concept after yet another obtuse lecture by the bored and frustrated junior professor, “Sparks and magic, man. Sparks and magic. That’s all this stuff is.” That same year we were taking thermodynamics of jet and rocket engines, aerospace structural design and analysis, control systems design and theory, numerical methods for engineers, linear algebra ... you know, stuff non-wizards can understand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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