wildstar87

I ended up buying another 600XL, so I don't need this any longer, thanks anyway!

Tried your OS, but got exactly the same behavior. It always fails in the same place, it gets through to 3 and a half lines, then in Compyshop mode, the screen goes blank, in Rambo mode, I will get garbage across the screen, sometimes stationary, sometimes scrolling, in what seem to be large graphic characters, with some being letters/numbers, lots of random colors, and random blinking. But it works just fine if I turn the extended memory off. I've flashed a new GAL, which verified fine, so did the original GAL, SRAM memory chip tested out fine on my TL866II. I did find a bent pin on the OS EEPROM when I went back to switch to the Original Mask Rom, I thought that was the culprit, but nope, still failing exactly the same way. Switched out one at a time, Sally, GTIA, Antic, PIA. No changes, and Simtest seemed to pass, didn't run any other memory tests, and didn't jumper over those pins on the GAL yet, I'm getting tired, and a bit discouraged, so I'm done for the night.

I kinda figured something like that, but wanted to make sure. The extended memory test runs through, but doesn't seem to have as extensive reporting as the base memory, just one line, with the address numbering counting. I wasn't even sure if if passed, it just went to ED, but I'm assuming if there were any failures, it would call them out.

Is it normal during Simtest, when checking base memory, for the display to get a bit corrupted during parts of the test? The corruption flickers a few times, then the display is back to normal.

Not sure if ABBUC can just run boards whenever, or if they just had a run of boards and that was it. I think Santosp might have released gerbers to ABBUC for them to run boards to sell, but never released them publicly that I know of.

I mistakenly referred to the GAL as a PIC, because I was thinking Microchip/Atmel, and I associate Microchip with PIC, because they make the PIC micro. Anyway, was referring to the ATF22V10C (Technically a PLD). Which pins are you talking about jumpering over? 14,16 for CI? I'll also try reflashing and verify. Also just checking to make sure, everyone is using Sram13.Jed from Hias (https://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/#sram512k), right? No, Santosp isn't going to release the Gerbers, unless something has changed.

Bypassing the GAL kind of misses the point though. I'm trying to solve the self test crash when the extended memory is turned on. It works fine if it is turned off. So for all of you replying, the Atari built-in self test memory test just works when the extended memory is turned on? No problems? As I said, it seems to otherwise work, passes memory test programs, just the onboard self test (which is apparently broken anyway) crashes to either black screen, or fills up with garbage at some point in the test.

I figured, but the switch you had on the bom is actually on the higher side current rating, 100ma, vs 25ma of others, so just wanted to make sure it wasn't that way for a reason. Thanks

The switch listed in the BOM is on backorder, trying to find a substitute, what's the minimum current and voltage rating?

If that's all you are doing, then what @Beeblebrox just said is probably the better way to go. I'm assuming the PAL case all lines up (never seen one in person), I think if I remember correctly, the 600XL just use the one MB design, and left the PAL stuff unpopulated, along with the video circuit. On the NTSC versions, most people just remove the channel switch, since you have to, to put the monitor port in, and make a hole where the switch used to be. It can be done really clean with a step drill bit, and if you are careful, essentially looks stock, with the only difference visually between the PAL/NTSC cases being the printing below the port. BITD, Jeff Popp did the mod on the 600XL I had at the time, and just kinda chopped a hole out of the plastic.

I think I have another PIC around here that I could make a new GAL, don't have another SRAM chip, though I could test it in my TL866 to make sure it's functional. I'll have to go over the board again, but pretty sure there aren't any shorted/lifted tracks, or other artifacts.

The 130XE Remake board is basically setup as a 65XE with the first 64k being the standard DRAM circuit, then it also has the Hias 512k SRAM expansion on board (https://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/#sram512k), which has switch configuration for 64k only, 256k Compyshop, 256 Rambo, 512k Rambo. A PIC microcontroller is used as an "EMMU" to drive the extended memory, though I don't think it has any relation to the 130XE EMMU in functionality (I could be wrong on that). There is a variation of this in Mytek's 576NUC+ project, which is essentially the same circuit, but with a few slight changes done by tfhh, with also the first 64k being SRAM, instead of DRAM. I'll have to try your new OS, it looks pretty cool, and give Simtest a shot, though I believe the extended memory works just fine, since I did test it back when I initially finished this board with xRam and some other programs.

I am using the SRAM expansion, if I switch it off, Self Test works fine on the memory. I would have expected at least the Atari/Compyshop to work, but it crashed as well. The failure has been intermittent in how it fails, yesterday when I tried this, it failed to a black screen, but the day before, I was getting garbage all over the screen. Seeing what reifsnyderb said about what he has noticed in his OS modernization, I guess it isn't uncommon for it to crash. I'll have to run the extended memory tests through a program, but when I did test it a few years back with the extended memory tests, it was working, though I can't recall if I ever went through and tried the Self Test from the OS itself.

The Jeff Popp 600XL video mod, puts all the video circuit stuff back in, including the monitor port, but this was only made with NTSC in mind, since all the PAL machines already had the monitor port installed w/circuitry. Oddly enough, I've been looking for the actual Jeff Popp mod, and while I find references to it on Atariage, I haven't been able to find the actual instructions, w/bom component locations. Are you trying to put PAL video into an NTSC 600XL? My first thought would be to find the Jeff Popp mod, then compare the NTSC schematics with the PAL schematics in the video section, it might be the same, or a few components might need to be changed. The other issue is converting all the other chips, crystals to being PAL compatible, otherwise the video won't work right. Mytek's UGV is also an option, instead of trying to put the original video circuit back in.

I built this a while back, and verified functionality, then life happened, and stuff got set aside. I'm going back to this, and noticed that the self test when going through the Ram test, it gets so far, then I get garbage all across the screen. It has passed other memory tests, Syscheck, Xram, so it seems to be working. I know the self test in the 130XE is kind of broken, I believe it just keeps testing only the first 64k, but it should still work the same shouldn't it? The garbage/crash worries me a bit, and makes me wonder if something is wrong, or if everyone sees this?

I think RTFM is what I needed, I didn't notice the specific installation instructions, just the picture with wiring on the main TKII page. I had assumed that the function keys would be picked up by the TKII directly, but it seems I missed the part that the Function keys actually have to be tapped into, in order for TK-II to control those. Just doing the piggyback isn't enough, correct? I have to run wires to those header locations for the function keys, and tap into traces on the motherboard. The other two boards that I had these in, were designed with TKII in mind, so already have those in the layout. This is the first time I put it in a stock motherboard. The example pictures showing the install in the 1200XL threw me off, because I thought the function key header locations didn't seem to be used there, helps if I count pins, they are being used, it's the three pins that are part of the PIC programming pins that aren't connected. Still appreciate the replies, even though it was my dumb ass mistake..

So I've run into a problem. The function keys don't seem to work. The main keys are fine, inverse works. The F-EMU is TK-II. Any ideas?

Yeah, I have programmed other TK-II chips for 1088XEL, and the 130XE Remake board, so I know it works, just wanted to see if you knew a way. Thanks!

Mytek, I just built one of these, and am using a Pickit3 to program. This is more of an issue with MPLab that I thought you might know the answer to. I'm using the MPLab IPE to program, and it passes Programming/Verification step, but when I manually Verify, it always fails. I did find this note, https://microchipdeveloper.com/faq:2334, however I don't see any settings to add a delay, I'm guessing this is part of the firmware code itself. Any other way to fix this verify failure? I've never seen this work ever, even in the lab I work in, where we use the programmers with more features and more expensive. The checksums are the same between the hex file and what is read off the device, and it usually works, so I'm not too horribly worried, just wanted to know if you have a trick, or just don't worry about it, if it passes the Programming/Verify step.

Do you have the mfg part# of the Din5 you used for this? It looks like it matches both the wiring, and the mount solder points. I've only found ones that match the wiring points, not the two mount points. I used hot glue to reinforce the port, but I'd rather have the solder mounts.

Yeah, I'm not sure why he does it that way, though based on anecdotes on Atariage, I think (this is just my opinion), is that he wants to sell stuff, but he doesn't want to sell THAT much stuff at once. If the website was easier to navigate and find stuff, he would have more orders to process. It's his business, so he gets to run it the way he wants it, but if nothing else, I wouldn't want to run it that way, I mean he does update it, with all the customer quotes, and his stories and everything, that just makes updating even more complex IMO. I mean, I think it's all manual editing, nothing programmatically generated, though I could be wrong. I'm an old curmudgeon now, and I have things that I want a certain way, that younger people think me strange about, so I can somewhat understand, but I find it hard to find stuff, having to literally read between the lines. Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad he's still around, and you can find stuff for relatively reasonable prices, especially with the topic of this thread being the point. I remember hearing about Best Electronics back when I was B.R.A.C.E. back in the 80's.

His entire description, kind of reminds me of Best Electronics website.. You get an entire backstory, and tangents, on the thing you want to purchase.

Looking for an unmodified 600XL case, or case bottom. Don't care if it's dirty, but would like it to be undamaged. Looking for one in the US, as shipping overseas can be expensive.

FYI, I have 8 of the PLA10AN1522R0R2B chokes available, I ordered them in bulk a while back, because there wasn't any other way to get them. I'll let them go for $3ea+shipping costs. So if you are interested let me know,

I'm also interested