tf_hh

No, not an illusion. Lenore choose ENIG finish (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold) like I also use for Sys-Check and other projects. This guaranteed a long life and no problems after some years of operation and some dozens of pull-off / plug-in acts.

Wow, didn´t know I create such a magical healing device Seriously, this might be a timing issue. Maybe the DRAMs, CPU or just the combination of parts used. Something like my personal gut feeling says, that more problems at the XE series happens with a Freddie produced by NCR. But this isn´t a scientific finding, of course. Jurgen

QMEG is based on the Atari 400/800 OS - and using this "old os" enables flawless sound playing Moon Patrol. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/193377-moon-patrol-and-jungle-hunt-file-version-sound-issues/?hl=moon+patrol+fixed&do=findComment&comment=2553200 This link explains that and offers a link to a patched Moon Patrol version. Jurgen

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The major reasons of failure to an Atari 8-Bit computer is defect RAM (memory) and defect CPU in the 2nd order. So first way is to check the RAM. The 1200 XL uses eight 4164 DRAMs (64 KBit x 1), if already one is totally dead, the whole system won´t start. So moving the chips around doesn´t fix anything. Try to use one or more DRAMs from a working system (another 8-Bit Atari, some C64 versions, many other old 8 Bit computers with 64 KByte main memory). More tests are only possible if you have spare parts and/or the skills and equipment for further tests. Let us know. BR Jurgen

Anybody has one spare of them or a source?

Hi, just want let you know that the prototype board (needed again a prototype after adding the UAV circuit) has arrived two days ago and yesterday I successfully assemble one. All is fine. Now I will order the PCBs in the amount of orders and start assembling. All parts already at my home. Purchasers will be kept informed as usual by email. BR Jurgen P.S.: There´s a little bug in the markings of the both pads between CPU and ANTIC... Can´t find the reason why I miss that so much, but of course the IRQ and HALT pads are made for connecting the Incognito, not VBXE...

Hi, I assume that "somewhere" in the future Candle will launch the Incognito 2 What I want to know... are there are plans out to work again together with FlashJazzCat, so that he can offer his great BIOS and supplement tools? I don´t want to blame anything, but the original BIOS is... very simple and old fashioned compared to FJC´s BIOS. So, what´s about that point? Any infos? BR Jurgen

I create a proof-by-concept solution some years ago using the 16C550 well-known UART from the PC world. This one is easy to integrate in a 8 bit Atari system. I made a breadboard prototype which enables the UART at the PIA address range ( I choose $D340-$D347, but this isn´t fixed). Technically it works. The only problem was... no software. I intented to use the UART interrupt-driven and would code a R: handler for it. But I´m not so good and fast in coding as in doing hardware Such a solution should offer a relocable (address independent) resident R: handler for standard DOS and SDX. If somebody is able to write a device driver, I would digging my basement, search for the breadboard solution and make a modern PCB. Jurgen

Hi Simius, my Sophias arrived today. Thank you very much for this fine piece of hardware! Jurgen

Yes, some left. Sent you an email in görmän

Cool, thanks for that. I have one 410 with dead belts, but I didn´t try yet... this will help

Maybe later. There´s a new challenge for something like a hybrid CPU card with good video (UAV)... the space on the PCB. Five DIP40 chips plus a lot of other components must fit - and requirements for different voltage paths etc. must be meet. One step to the other...

Hi, please first read all the good and compact informations in the "Newbies" thread. You will find all answer to your questions above there. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/176545-topic-for-newbies/ BR Jurgen

I´ve make some thoughts about while starting the project, too. But main problem is the ANTIC. ANTIC is not only a video-chip, it´s a complete CPU also. To have two GTIAs in one system isn´t a problem, because the GTIA has a Chip_Enable input. Only the outputs for video and frequency generation must be switched - 8 signals at all. On the other hand, at the ANTIC chip nearly all pins must be switched, at least 24 for address- and datalines. Too much additional stuff, too much parts. IMHO.

I´ve done such mods some time for Speedy users. The 7-segment display in the front bezel of the Tandon drive mechanic, switches and leds left and right in the 1050 brown bezel. But this is a lot of handy work, you´ve to use glue and the result looks... ok. But not perfect. Ok, if you spent dozens of hours it may look more professional, but I´m not fanatic enough for something like that Making a PCB supporting these features is not a problem. Also track display working with a unmodified 1050 and all speeder and so on. The lack of space for controls at the 1050´s front is the issue. In the german ABBUC forum there´s a guy planning to make a 3D modelled new bezel with more space at the lower part for better integration of the Mega-Speedy control panel. When I got one... maybe there´s a little batch of such a 1050 expansion possible.

I didn´t know about a 65C802 CPU (only 65C816), but it should run. My board supports both types of CPU, the unmodified, genuine MOS one (6502B, the B indicates max. 2 MHz clock) and the for Atari specialized modell 6502C with additional HALT signal. Also you can use PAL (i.e.my board has the needed parts for generating the PAL color sync signal for the GTIA) or NTSC - not depending on which CPU-type you use.

Hi, a few weeks ago I built one of Bryan´s UAV mod into an 800 XL for an ABBUC member and was absolutely excited about the picture quality. At this time my prototype for the new CPU card was already ordered by PCB house. So I ask Bryan, if I could integrate his superb UAV solution on my new CPU card and he said yes... THANK YOU Bryan for shared your fine solution! Grateful I want now to announce that all ordered Super Color CPU Cards will be equipped with the UAV solution for video-out instead my own circuit to provide the best, non FPGA-based picture quality ever possible. Of course this will imply some delay in my suggested time schedule. I got the schematics from Bryan today, have to change my drawings and PCB. First I will order one prototype... at this size with ENIG thge PCBs are too expensive to play on risk, and errors are human. Depending on my spare time I suggest that first boards can be shipped out in the mid of march. If anybody who ordered and paid already won´t wait so long, no problem, just drop a note and I will refund the money. Thanks to all for support! Jurgen

Count me in for 2, please.

Hmm, I think this will be contradictory to the ANTIC mods done on most XE mainboards. On all XE mainboards I´ve seen only the newer ANTIC "E" series are used with datecodes of 1983 or later. IMHO all these patches and odd additional circuits done by Atari factory are needed only due to the fact, that Atari mostly purchased the sediments of DRAM production charges - 20 years ago, when I (and most others too, I think) built memory expansions using DRAMs instead of SRAMs, a lot of timing issues and problems were normal. In germany, Klaus Peter´s "mega-RAM" was a horrible one, making a lot of trouble - not only the refresh issue. In most cases, changing all existing eight 4164 main memory DRAMs to a good, tested series, all matching from one lot, fixes the problem. More than patching PHI2 and so on... Because every timing issue around ANTIC ends up in graphical issues (sparks, wrong colors, wrong pixel, moving chars and so on), Atari mostly did these patching to make their cheap, sometimes heavy mixed DRAM garbage work. My 2 cents

IMHO the reason why Atari did buffer the PHI0 signal is the poor transient quality of some ANTIC. Falling edge is mostly absolute fine, but rising edge... looks sometimes more than a sine wave - I assume that the LS08 buffer part is only used to get better transitions and signal quality.

IMHO this is the only useful way for a Quad-Pokey-Solution. BEST Electronics rises the price to 20 USD each, I think the stock gets empty time after time. Even when you gut three XL/XE mainboards to get 3 additional POKEYs or buy them... such a PCB is a huge beast which will prevent the usage of other enhancements due the lack of space.

Look for the ebay seller "marstickers". This seller, located in Poland, has several different badges for Atari 8- and 16-Bit computers. I purchased some of them and they´re fine.

Yes, same opinion here. I have had a real genuine Happy 1050 PCB in my hands some years ago. It was with green solder mask and uses 3x 6116 SRAMs (= 6k total, with is enough for trackbuffer etc.). Also it uses a MASK ROM, not an EPROM. This way the special thing on all genuine Happy-PCBs and the reason, why long time no really full existing clone firmware exists. Most of the firmwares "in the wild" didn´t pass the Warp 7.x diagnostic tests for example - reason is the MASK ROM special thing.

Confirm my order.