x=usr(1536)

March 28

1 hour ago, Rybags said:

64K printer buffer/interface - sounds a bit wasteful if the Ram isn't configured as PORTB accessable as per traditional upgrades.

True, but there were more than a couple of print buffer devices that sat between the printer and the A8. The A8 would dump everything to the print buffer, and when that was complete the A8 would be freed up for other uses while the print buffer handled getting data down to the printer.

Wish I could remember the one that I used with my Epson FX-80; I was so incredibly pissed-off when it was replaced with a 1029 and the print buffer wasn't SIO-compatible. Having to sit there doing nothing through an entire printout sucked.

March 28

On 3/26/2021 at 7:07 PM, Stephen said:

Looks to be like the 1090 but for the XL line.

This one strikes me as the 1090 that actually made it to market, though it may have been in equally-tiny numbers as the 1090's prototypes.

On 3/26/2021 at 7:07 PM, Stephen said:

The CP/M part obviously would require a Z-80 module. Also - it sounds like this was someone's "wouldn't it be cool if" product.

Yep. And both of these are what make me think that this was basically a third-party 1090 equivalent. I'm wondering if this wasn't being developed in parallel with the 1090 and designed to match its capabilities.

On 3/26/2021 at 7:07 PM, Stephen said:

RGB solution? Burglar alarm? Robot control? All pressing the LMAO button now!

Yeah, but I can see where the burglar alarm could've been workable: X10 supported dry contacts from not terribly long after its inception, and burglar alarms have handled them since the 1960s or thereabouts. With X10 being a target for the 1090, it wouldn't be surprising if these folks were looking to replicate that functionality and 'burglar alarm' was just a way of saying 'dry contacts, X10 if you want.'

Then again, it's not like there was never pie in the sky in peripheral advertising of the 1980s, so, y'know... :-D

March 28

Fixed a rubbing ABS sensor wire on the Jeep that was tripping the ABS light when it made contact with the steering knuckle. Now to find somewhere that can replace the dead TPMS sensor battery for less than an arm and a leg. If that happens, I'll have zero warning lights while running!

March 28

No idea how I missed this thread until now, but those are bloody beautiful.

Damn. Now I want both of those devices just to stick them in those cases.

March 28

1 hour ago, BillC said:

The other option would be a SYSCHECK 2.2 also from tf_hh, it offers 512KB extended RAM + 4 switchable OS + hardware diagnostics with no need for internal modifications.

I keep going back & forth on the Syscheck. Not because of any concerns I have about its features or capabilities, but because for my situation it's really only useful for 600XLs and 800XLs.

What I'm doing with the machines that I own is building out two parallel sets of hardware: stock and modified. The stock machines are there as reference items, with the modified ones being guinea pigs for upgrades and experimentation. Ditto peripherals (disk drives, mainly). However, with very few exceptions, I'm really only interested in doing this with the A8s that I grew up with as a major part of my early computing experience. That rules out the 400 and all XE machines.

Because of this, Syscheck is a difficult sell for me. Don't get me wrong: I think it's a fantastic piece of hardware, and can absolutely see where it may be useful to me. But only being able to use it with two machines - while it would be useful - is a limiting factor.

March 28

3 hours ago, Shawn said:

That wouldn't be right. He bought in at $95 each which was a choice.

As far as that goes, I agree. With that in mind:

3 hours ago, BIGHMW said:

NOW I find out, I thought they were sold out

Well... This is why it's almost never a good idea to make impulse purchases. A few minutes' nosing around would've saved you $70.

March 27

2 hours ago, SS said:

The U1MB is a fantastic piece of hardware; I have one in one of my 800XLs. That said, I am a big fan of tf_hh's RAM boards. I have one in one of my 800XLs (coupled with an AtariMax 32-in-1 OS board) and have two waiting in the wings earmarked for my 600XLs. They are also about 1/3 of the price of the U1MB. If extra RAM is your only goal (and not the other features that the U1MB offers), I would highly recommend considering one of tf_hh's boards.

The one machine where I can see installing a permanent U1MB is the 1200XL. Being able to switch out the OS as necessary would give it great flexibility as a daily driver, and the memory bump would be a nice bonus.

WRT tf_hh's boards, I completely agree with all of your reasons for using them, and certainly have no opposition to the idea. I'm just in something of an experimental mood right now, so am slightly fixated on the U1MB :-D

Realistically, though, I'm in no rush to upgrade the 800XL. If adding in another 64KB was something that could have been done with a bit of soldering, great, but since it doesn't I'm OK with holding where I am for now.

March 27

1 minute ago, Mazzspeed said:

In the case of Varta NiCads leaking, I'd have no problem using vinegar if there was any chance whatsoever it could help. Considering the damage Varta NiCads do to PCB's, the situation really couldn't get much worse.

Having seen exactly the damage you're referring to (right down to the Varta batteries), I'm inclined to agree - but only if things are as badly damaged as batteries can make them. On an otherwise-solid device, contact cleaner and isopropyl alcohol.

March 27

50 minutes ago, Shawn said:

$95 each? You got totally ripped off.

Yes - those are extremely overpriced, regardless of whether they're still in bubble wrap or not.

Best is selling CX78s with extended cables and their improved PCBs installed for $60. You may want to consider a return of the eBay items if that's still a possibility.

March 27

22 minutes ago, sramirez2008 said:

Btw, it’s definitely harder.

Yes, quite a bit. On previous versions, I could get into 5-digit scores without too much trouble. On this one, I'm lucky to make it out of the 3-digit range :-D

Then again, arcade Galaxian was never one of my strongest games. Always liked it, but was never very good at it. Perhaps it's just more arcade-accurate now

March 27

3 minutes ago, Nezgar said:

@x=usr(1536) The 256K upgrade in the XL's is by replacing the base 64K with 256K, as you indicated. In the 130XE, 320K is achieved by upgrading the extended bank of 64K with 256K, so 64K main + 256K extended = 320K. So XL's cannot really directly go to 320K, at least traditionally.

Ah, OK. Thanks for that explanation; it cleared up a definite misconception I had about how all of this works re: XL and XE differences.

3 minutes ago, Nezgar said:

I believe an extension mod would be to stack another set of 256K on top of the first 256K for 512K, and picking which additional bit to use for the second 256K - traditionally this resulted in the loss of BASIC or Self-Test since they didn't add logic to hold/buffer the existing use of the bit on the PIA....

Frankly, I'd be OK with losing BASIC since it's a Rev. B machine, and the Self-Test is at least useful for checking the fundamentals.

3 minutes ago, Nezgar said:

But nowadays you'd be better just off removing the previous 256K upgrade and installing a tf_hh 512K upgrade, which would result in 64K base RAM + 512K extended RAM, which is also software configurable to full separate ANTIC banking compatible Compy-shop 256K mode like an XE can do, not normally possible in XL's.

Sounds good. And nothing against tf_hh's upgrade, but if I were likely to expand the RAM further I'd probably just go straight to a U1MB. The only reason I was aiming for 320K was to be able to run a couple of games / demos that need it, but I can live vicariously through YouTube on that for a while. :-D

March 27

BeOS 4lyf, yo!

*raises two middle fingers and runs off cackling into the sunset*

March 27

5 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

I have not tested yet on my Concerto to see if it’s a DF-specific problem or not.

Seeing it here on my Concerto, so I'm going with non-specific :-D

5 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

The TIA sounds are excellent but my DF cart apparently only “sees” the TIA code based on the title screen.

Yep, seeing the same behaviour here. Not 100% certain about this, but I think that Bob (based on his earlier comment) may have disabled POKEY sound already.

March 27

36 minutes ago, PacManPlus said:

Ok... Here is what I have so far!

I have finished 'porting' over the Z80 code to 6502, and while I had to make adjustments to fit with the way I lay out my games, I think it turned out pretty good! However, it seems VERY difficult, so there may be some 'adjusting' I may need to do.

So, what I think I have left:

- Possibly adjust 'normal' (i.e. arcade) difficulty

Could this be based off of the arcade game's DIP switches? I'm not 100% certain how they may affect gameplay, but they do definitely affect number of starting lives and the score at which a bonus life is awarded.

Quote

- Implement 'easy' and 'hard' difficulty

- Fix up sounds

- Implement 'game demo' mode during attract mode

Once I fix up the sounds, I think I may actually remove the Pokey section, (please forgive me @Synthpopalooza - I will need you for other things I plan on working on, if it's ok) ... I don't think this game needs it too much and I believe I can get closer with the shot, drone, and dive sounds. Also I can use the few cycles that check every time it plays a sound.

Here you go, please enjoy and let me know what you think:

Sorry to lose POKEY, but TIA sounds great. Quite honestly, if I hadn't heard the POKEY sounds previously, I don't think I'd really be aware of there being a difference - both fit the game very well.

One thing I did notice: there's a stack of four pixels in the upper-left corner of the screen. They're visible in both the attract mode and during gameplay. Are these intentional?

And yes - another excellent WIP :-D Thank you!

March 27

Preface: I know there are arguably-better alternatives out there (such as the U1MB), but I'm curious about how to accomplish this. Humour me :-D

My 800XL has a 256KB upgrade in it. It's the ClausB upgrade (16KB banking), with eight 256Kb Micron MT1257-15 ICs replacing the original 64Kb ICs. I'd like to bump that up to 320KB.

Is this as simple as piggybacking the 64Kb ICs onto the 256Kb ICs, or is there more to it than that (which I suspect that there is)?

March 27

Quick recap of the thread so far:

March 27

Very nice! Congratulations!

It's always interesting to hear the stories behind the machine and how it came to be in its owner's hands. C19 may not be any fun, but this is a great example of how we've had to do things during this time. Makes it a bit unique.

Now go add your serial number to the 7800 Serial Number List thread :-D

March 27

1 minute ago, Tuxon86 said:

I'll dig it out and get back to you.

Thank you! It's greatly appreciated!

March 27

3 hours ago, Mclaneinc said:

That's why I said to await verification before doing it, I have seen many video's ala Adrians Digital Basement etc etc use vinegar but as I've never used it myself because of the acidity I thought I'd mention it with a warning..

Its certainly a weird looking thing on those pads, as Mazz says, looks more like fungus, perhaps water and bits of skin just fermented...Yuk...

I use white vinegar fairly routinely to remove rust from corroded hard parts, mainly fasteners that I'm reusing and various bits and pieces removed from cars. It absolutely does work, particularly if you let things soak overnight or longer.

Having said that: under no circumstances would I ever use it on a PCB, or suggest using it on components attached to a PCB. There's too much room for causing further damage.

If Adrian's Digital Basement does it, then fine, he can take that risk. It doesn't mean that you have to. Isopropyl alcohol is, as others have pointed out, still the safest bet.

March 27

3 hours ago, Tuxon86 said:

I think I’ve got it in the big floppy lot I got this week (950 A8 floppies).

Let me know if you need it.

Yes, please. I did manage to find one on eBay, but can't get it to read (centre reinforcing ring is missing, so the disk isn't clamping down properly and won't spin at the correct speed). Let me know what you might need to get it to me.

There is a Kryoflux headed this way; going to tackle this again once that arrives and is built out.

March 27

Stuck a UAV in the 1200XL. It's now a usable machine; previously, the video was so bad that it would make your eyes bleed to look at it.

March 27

6 hours ago, leech said:

Ha, you know what I don't get? The Switch Joy-cons are pretty shit. Yet the Pro controller is one of the best feeling ones I own. Though in general I use my eSwap Pro controller everywhere.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the joy-cons either. They more or less work and I like the concepts that Nintendo was experimenting with in their design, but in the real world they're just not all that great.

I can't remember if we've rebuilt the same one twice or both of them once, but the jitter issue is very real.

March 27

22 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said:

Biff still invented internet video though.

And forems.

March 27

After a couple of hours trying to determine whether or not the UAV's colour is slightly off, I think it's actually my brain that needs to adjust :-D Compare the following images (and disregard the black boxes in host slot 7; those are my edits):

800XL, stock video, composite output. Note that the text is blue and the green line is somewhat pronounced:

1200XL, UAV, composite output. Text appears white (ignore the pinkish tint; that was my phone) and the green line is less vivid:

At first I thought that the colour on the UAV might be off. Then I noticed that a new #FujiNet video had been released:

I realise that it's difficult to make a direct comparison between poorly-shot photos of a CRT and a screenshot of a paused video stream, but the video stream image is almost dead-on the same as what I'm seeing from the UAV. This is also holding true in video from other streams that are being compared to the 1200's output, so I suspect that I just need to get used to seeing the video as it was intended to be, not as it was being shown

March 27

UAV's in. Installation went fine, and it fired up without issue on the first power-on after surgery. Followed tcervo's guide, which is extremely helpful and is strongly recommended to anybody thinking of doing this upgrade to their 1200XL.

Still only using composite output, but there is a massively noticeable difference between 'before' and 'after'. Some adjustment of the colour pot is likely needed as some blue shades seem to be tilted towards the whiter end of the spectrum, but I'm going to do some testing with the goal of determining if this is just me finally seeing things being displayed properly.

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