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Thanks for the subforum! I think it's a great idea. The Portfolio is a remarkable little machine.

I would like to get one Lynx II Multi-Card. Please add me to the list Thank you!

Thanks Oliver! I added this information and the new build to the Project website. http://www.atari8ethernet.com/

Interesting idea. My first thought is to put the board onto something like the 5" robot chassis that Pololu sells. It would make it much easier for others to build one if they wanted too: https://www.pololu.com/product/1500 But It would really be cool to give him the "Axlon" or "androbot" Look.

Thanks. I always wanted an Axlon Andy ever since I saw it in an Antic magazine back in '85. I wasn't able to get one then, and now when I see them on e-bay they go too high a price for me, so I decided to build my own. I knew from my initial research that the electronics were pretty simple. The electronic and mechanical parts are probably under $50.00. I know Andy's functionality is pretty limited, but I think he is fun and there is real potential as educational tool to get kids excited about robots and programming.

Sure: Semiconductors: --------------------------- CD4069 Hex inverter CD4013 D type Flip Flop CD4028 BCD to Decimal Decoder SN754410 Motor Driver 3 each - 2n3904 Transistor 8 each - IN914 or IN4148 Diodes Resistors - all 1/4 watt ---------------------------- 9.1M 1M 51K 2 each - 3K 22K 6.8K 5 each - 10K 4 each - 1K 100 ohm 10K Pot 2 each - Red LED 3mm or 5mm Capacitors ------------------ 7 each - .1uf ceramic (three for the circuit and four to be soldered to motor cases to suppress motor noise) Sensors & Motors --------------------------- 1 Electret mic element 1-2.2K impedance such as digikey 102-1720-ND 1 CDS photocell - looking for something like 10-20K dark, to 1-3K light such as digikey PDV-P8001-ND (the one I have on hand wasn't quite right so I added a 10k potentiometer to add some resistance) 8 ohm Speaker NC push button switch for the bump detector. 2 each - 6v Brush type DC gear motors. The SN754410 can handle 2A for a short while if the motors stall, and continuously 1A, so choose motors carefully. Other ------------------- 9 pin cable to connect to Atari - need all 9 pins, so a Joystick cable will not work. It has to be fully wired such as an extension cable

I took some time and hooked up the Axlon Andy Circuit on a breadboard. I used the schematic, data sheets, and a lot of trial and error, but I got it working, so I thought I would share the results. It was really a thrill to hear and see him come alive! It's really an ingenious design. 3 CMOS gates, three transistors, and a 10 transistor motor driver. Very inexpensive parts. The circuit I build is exactly from the schematic except for a couple of resistor values I had to change to get the sensors working. I have no idea what values were used in the original Andy (I do not own one) so I had to adjust for what I had available. The sound sensor is still actually a bit too sensitive, but I am still working on that. Also, I replaced the motor driver section with a SN754410 motor driver chip which saved me ten transistors! It will also allow a smaller and more efficient Andy to be build. Here are some pics of the circuit: Here's the video of Andy in action: [media=320x240] [/media]

And here is the 2xxx manual. Axlon Andy Manual 2xxx.pdf

I have been doing some work with the Axlon Andy interface circuit so I converted the scans that Bob posted. Here is the 1xxx manual converted to PDF Axlon Andy Manual 1xxx.pdf

yea, Let me know if you need help or have any questions if you use my mod. It should work on PAL video, the impedances are pretty close, but you might need to experiment with R55. maybe 10K? None of the values are critical, and as long as they are close, you should be fine. The performance of most video mods varies depending on the end device. I tested this mod on about 10 different monitors / TVs, including LCD and LED, and the values seem to be a pretty good compromise.

I second this! I have been working on Atari hardware for over 20 years, and installing mods for people can get frustrating when the hardware fails. With that said, I am in eastern PA, so right in the middle of the east coast, more or less. I would be happy to help repair hardware, but I prefer to do it to original working order by following the service manuals. If there is one of the common RAM or video upgrade present, that's not a huge deal, but a computer with 4 or 5 mods can be a nightmare to work on.

I have seen a lot of 1050s with power supply issues. That is the first thing I would check. You can check the regulator outputs with a multimeter if you have one and have the skill. IMHO, capacitors and the voltage regulators are aging past their expected life in a lot of Atari hardware.

Thank you for the kind words Oliver. I am very proud of the work we have done. After lookig into the W500, I just think that might have more potential than the Dragon Cart, but it only had a small part in my decision to put the next hardware production oh hold. You make a great point though, It is the only Ethernet solution for the Atari 8-bit at the moment, so I will certainly keep supporting it. I still might do a run of single board Dragon Carts, just not right now. All the information is on the project site if anyone else wants to design and do a run of circuit boards and / or carts. I actually have a couple other Atari projects would like to work on as well, and I would to put some time and effort into those. In the mean time, I will continue to support the Dragon Cart hardware that is out there, keep the website up to date, and I will make sure I put some time aside to test any new software that comes along. I am looking forward to being more active on the forums again as well. Also, I mentioned on the project website, I am going to try out a new type of circuit board prototyping device that might make it very feasable to make short runs of circuit boards like Atari Cartridges, but I am not expecting the device until winter. The other issue I didn't mention in the availability of parts. The CS8900a seems to still be pretty available, but the 10baseT transformer is getting REALLY hard to find. Even the substitutes are getting rare. I will look into getting parts from China, so I have some to build or share, I will have to see if that will be cost effective. I am really impressed at the software that has been done and how well it works on the Dragon Cart. The fact that much of the work already done can be applied to the W5100 is amazing too. I think Dan is right, these are new realms for the Atari, and it is exciting to see where it goes!

Sorry for the bump, I fogot to put in the website URL in case anyone is unfamiliar: http://www.atari8ethernet.com/index.html

For anyone interested, I just updated the project website with some new info, link fixes, the new contiki software and project status. http://www.atari8ethernet.com/index.html