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ratwell

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Everything posted by ratwell

  1. http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/XE/xe_protos/65xem.html
  2. I bought one Feb 3, 2021 on eBay for $100. I looked for years but was always outbid up into the $150 to $250 range. My favorite game of all time.
  3. This joystick adapter is configurable from PC application to work on a variety of emulators: https://www.retronicdesign.com/en/ I also like this dual joystick adapter (store is currently closed due to COVID): http://blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/ Archive of product page: http://web.archive.org/web/20200721213325/https://www.tindie.com/products/tynemouthsw/9-way-d-usb-joystick-adapter/
  4. Another basement find uploaded to archive.org: https://archive.org/details/games-computers-play-inc-flyer
  5. Another recent basement find: a document from Happy Computers (circa 1986) about cutting caps on the 130XE. I couldn't find it on archive.org so I uploaded it: https://archive.org/details/happy-computers-130-xe-notice
  6. It was and after a little trimming of the case here and there it’s now fitting properly. The trouble areas were the four corners where the PCB was not clearing the holes that secure the case halves:
  7. I find some photos at Best’s website showing how the factory alignment is supposed to look like across models: https://www.best-electronics-ca.com/images/Atari CV E2 cable.htm
  8. Here’s another one just for the 3 part ACE series:
  9. There a good playlist of those commercials here:
  10. Can anyone reach their site? http://www.best-electronics-ca.com
  11. http://web.archive.org/web/20131202135121/http://www.ataripreservation.org/websites/freddy.offenga/atari_dev.htm
  12. I bought one on recommendation from AtariAge members and it has worked great. No audio passes through unless there is a video signal is the only shortcoming I’ve noticed so far.
  13. This is new: https://www.retrotink.com/product-page/5x-pro Input Ports: Composite (shared with green RCA jack), S-Video, Component, RGB and Composite on SCART connector
  14. http://www.van-radecke.de/STUFF/tfhh_HW_info.pdf#page27 https://www.conrad.de/de/p/connfly-buchsengehaeuse-platine-polzahl-gesamt-24-rastermass-2-54-mm-ds1020-24st1d-1-st-1390040.html
  15. Both have been rock solid in my 800XL. One time the DVI output went blank but I had video out the monitor port. I ran sconf and the output resolution was not on the default setting. When I switched it back the DVI output was restored to my LCD.
  16. Oops. Thanks. With 8K it was even a a better deal compared to the competition. The VCS was $155 at Sears. Atari 400 was $550 MSRP. Joe's 1977 notes on costs are very interesting: Cost to to build a "Candy Game Player, Non Expandable" = $94.50 inc. labor. That looks like a $250 retail cost or less if the other numbers are representative. References: https://archive.org/details/JoeDecuirEngineeringNotebook1977/page/n105/mode/2up
  17. I was originally going to drill the case and add a switch but since I removed the RF modulator I realized that I already have a switch: the RF channel switch! I decided it was safe to connect the UAV jumper rear pin to Terminal 3 of the RF channel switch because it appears to float. Now the rear pin will be grounded in the off/normal (Ch 2) position: In the on position (Ch 3) the artifact colours are reversed. The other header pin gets +4.5V UAV regulated power and can be connected to the normally unused Terminal 1. I think this is better than using any 5V source so that the wiring behaves more like a jumper. The header pins are 2mm pitch (not 0.1") and I couldn't find such a connector at the local hobby shop but I did eventually find a battery connector with 6 in. pigtail at a battery shop which will suffice for now: Connect the front pin (black) to Terminal 1 of the RF channel switch: Rear pin (red) can be connected to the leftmost pad (which leads to Terminal 2) and is unused after the RF modulator has been removed. I just passed the black wire through the slot in the logic board left behind by the RF modulator removal. The NTSC logic board has a channel switch; PAL has a provision for one; SECAM a color switch that does what with UAV? Not sure... Enjoy.
  18. The reason for the original post was to draw attention to the opinion of someone who was there at the time, attended the design and decision meetings and has been generous enough to give us some insights into the history of these consoles and computers. I find it interesting that Joe considers the release of the 400 as a low cost computer a strategic error on Atari’s part and I agree. Whether you are a consumer or engineer or marketer, it’s still an interesting study that has relevance today. I searched for the prices of home computers that were available in Nov 1979 when the 400/800 were introduced (in USD): Atari 400 (4K) $550 PET (4K) $595 TRS-80 (4K) $599 PET (8K) $795 TRS-80 (8K) $889 PET (16K) $995 Atari 800 (16K) $999 Apple ][ (16K) $1195 The 400 is clearly the best value but it had to be quite an improvement over the B&W competition with a two year head start and software libraries to match. If 400/800 total lifetime units sales of 2 million and the 2:1 ratio are accurate, that means that only 1.3M 400’s were sold (until 1985 stocks were finally exhausted). Given the sales of 5200’s (1M units) and 7800’s (3.7M units) and XEGS (? units sold) and Intellivision (3M units) and ColecoVision (2M units), I think the argument can be made that a VCS successor in 1979 would have generated more revenue for the company than the Atari 400. Millions of consoles could have been sold based upon a unified architecture from 1979 instead of going back to the well 3 times ending up with multiple models from the same company that competed with each other. The video game crash of 1983, the transition to Atari Corp, the lack of a 65816 upgrade path, ST’s lack of compatibility (think 800 on chip like the Mega in the Apple //GS) all happened long after the decision point in 1979 whether to include a keyboard or not. Even as late as the 7800 the design of an add-on keyboard demonstrated the fundamental Atari conundrum of whether or not to ship a console, an expandable console or a complete computer: http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/7800/7800keyboard.html References: VCS $155 (1979) Intellivision $299 (1980) ColecoVision $175 (1982) VCS, Sears Catalog, Page 651 https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1979-Sears-Christmas-Book/0651 Apple Computer Inc. Suggested Retail Price List, Nov. 15, 1979 http://mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple II Documentation Project/Companies/Apple/Documentation/Price Lists/Apple Price List 1979-11.pdf TRS-80 Model 1, Radio Shack Catalog 1979, Page 78 https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/1979_radioshack_catalog.html Commodore Pet Mail Order Ad, Compute! Fall 1979, Page 27 http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazines/compute/Compute-001.pdf PET pricing: https://www.commodore.ca/commodore-products/commodore-pet-the-worlds-first-personal-computer/amp/ The four kilobyte PET’s (yes that is 4096 bytes which equates to a whopping 4096 characters!) were offered through mail order for $495 and a three to six week wait. Immediately orders starting pouring in and so Jack Tramiel quickly adjusted the price to $595. Then the $795 8K model was actively promoted and the 4K model was downplayed by indicating 8K machines would ship much sooner than 4K machines. When Commodore expanded to Europe in 1978 Jack doubled the price for the same machine but the only physical change was a 220 watt power supply. The UK \ EU models were sold under the Commodore PET 3008 3016 and 3032 badges. As was almost always the case in those days, Jack’s instincts were right; the re-branded but otherwise identical 3000 series and related future models were highly successful in the European markets at the higher prices.
  19. Was that mentioned in the video at the top of this thread?
  20. I ordered the double-shielded S-Video monitor cable from Hercules Workshop (thank you Rob) to compare to the Lotharek multi-output monitor cable... http://herculesworkshop.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-product.cgi?d=hercules-workshop&item=80304 System: 800XL with UAV Rev.D (and Sophia VGATE=on) with RetroTink 2x Mini and El Gato CamLink. S-Video comparison: Differences are more apparent on a large LCD as the thread was discussing earlier. I then split the Luma (Y) signal from the S-Video and fed it into the composite input of the RetroTink 2x Mini: A B&W image is what I was expecting to see just as if I had hooked up a stock 800XL without the chroma pin connected. I think this conclusively shows how the unshielded Chroma (C) wire inside the Lotharek cable is polluting the unshielded Luma (Y) wire.
  21. Let’s get this back on topic... Here’s Joe again, this time in the audience of this panel of 4, talking about the “strategic error”:
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