bbking67
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Posts posted by bbking67
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Isn't the SIDE just a cartridge? I thought PBI inferred making use of the proprietary 800xl connector? I know many pins are common...
very impressive speeds. Now I have to get one.
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So far I'm really digging the SIO2SD... I guess I like the stand-alone nature of it. For me it was between the SIDE and the SIO2SD. I kinda wish the SIO2SD had a real time clock, because with my 800xl the Rtime8 and SDX look ridiculous. Sadly I've lost the PBI extender that let me use the MIO with a 130XE.
There are apparently some internal mods (the the Atari) that can be done to improve the speed of SIO2SD.
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Yes you need to solder on the board... it's an easy soldering job, but if you aren't experienced you'd be best to enlist some help. Totally worth it though, because the SIO2SD is awesome.
It's 5V by the way.
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You know pc ditto had me very excited back in the day, and I even had the opportunity to meet the developer. Thing is, it was somewhat disappointing compared to Magic Sac as performance never quite hit the usable stage for me. Playing with Mac software was fun, but for me not useful. I tried to use pc ditto with Turbo Pascal and Turbo C and I gave up, bought a boring PC to use at college.
I also bought the Atari 8-bit emulator Atari legend Darek Mihocka developed (I still have the Xformer cable).
It was an amazing programming feat.
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I have a pretty good video upscaler, the DVDO iScan HD. it works really well with everything I throw at it (but obviously there is no RF input)... I've got a few others, but none are quite as flexible. The standard iScan Plus works well with vintage gear, but the Zinwell Brite-view (while its excellent for newer systems) doesn't like the output of older systems like the Atari 8-bit computers.
Thanks for the feedback... the RFDM2 is now on my wishlist--at $85 it's just a tad above the no-brainer price-point.
/bbking67
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shamus II had a really nice countdown screen.
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I am setting up my gaming room and I would like to use my older systems with modern displays (the most important being the Atari 2600). I've already got solutions for various composite and component devices (using a DVDO iScan which works well).
I really don't want to modify the systems which use RF channel 3 output. I do have a cheap "TV Box" from Tigerdirect, but the quality of the image is sub-par. I recognize the limitations of RF, and I believe I have reasonable expectations.
I have considered using a VCR, and then taking the composite or S-Video output from an SVHS machine--I have not actually tried it yet, but the VCR is huge, so it's more of a last resort, but I expect it to work.
Are there reasonably decent Tuners or demodulators that I could use to convert to composite (or better)? I have heard that there are RF noise filters that also may help reducing visible noise.
Example of a tuner:
Anybody else doing this? Successfully?
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Another great show. You guys should try and get some of these Polish hackers on the show to talk about the scene in Poland and their hardware projects. Assuming they speak enough english to make a podcast appearance viable.
The quality of the show is getting better and better.
My suggestion is to move to a weekly format!
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Does the RF output work?
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the 10 pin header J2 is some kind of standard as it directly corresponded to the programmer I used. I verified it against the schematic and then again with a multimeter.
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The software I used to flash the Atmel is the Extreme Burner:
http://extremeelectronics.co.in/avr-tutorials/gui-software-for-usbasp-based-usb-avr-programmers/
I initially read the flash and captured the screen with the fuse bits (very important) before doing anything. I also triple checked the pinout. My the programmer I used I did not have to power the device using the Atari.
The programmer I borrowed is a fairly generic USB model bought at a hacker convention. Worked perfectly. Plugged in the pins I needed based on the schematic and held them in contact with the points on the board. This is a two man job folks--one guy to hold the pins in place and the other to flash.
The only issue I had was that the software was .bin and not recognized by the flashing software. Other software didn't like Windows 7 or the flashing device. In the end, Lotharek kindly supplied me with a HEX file, which if he permits me to I can post here for future use.
/bbking67
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There is also SIO2SD. It can do what you want, but no RTC.
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Lotharek, I was successful with the reflash and the unit is now working with my 800XL (and I am very excited to play around with it!!!). I have not yet tried it on the 130XE, so if the theory that the Atari was not supplying enough current/voltage holds water, my 130XE could be the culprit. It's a near-mint 130XE that has been working perfectly. The 130XE that used to be a daily driver for me has now got bad RAM...
I do remember that back in the day some 130XE machines had issues with bus-powered devices (I've never experienced problems myself, but the only bus-powered devices I ever used were the XM301 modem and the ICD P:R: Connection).
I am going to cannibalize an ingot power supply for the connector... maybe with a nice 2.0A power supply the 130XE will play nice.
Thanks again for your help Lotharek (and to all from AA who offered help!) If I have some time this week I'll make a demo video and post it to Youtube, G+ and AtariAge (I did a quick unboxing video the day I received the unit).
/bbking67
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Lotharek, no worries, I know how busy you are. Yes, I did open it after the unit on a different Atari (the first unit was a stock 130XE and now I have tried it on a stock 800XL). Once thing I didn't consider is that I used the same power supply. I have two more, so I can try one of those. I'll be hacking the connector off one soon to use with a modern power supply.
I won't play with the fuse bits. I have worked with various jtag and ISP devices and I am reasonably experienced, so I won't do anything dumb.
Sorry for opening it up... I just assumed that was cool because programming the flash is something people would want to do. Well if I screw it up it's on me.
Is there a way to test my Ataris to verify the voltage/current on the SIO port?
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I can read the Atmel chip with my friend's ISP... the software he has only accepts HEX files... the SIO2SD firmware is a .bin. I've tried some of the programming software found in other threads here on AA, but these programs don't see the ISP. Is this a simple task of conversion? Or do I need to find a compatible flashing program?
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I'm still tryiing to determine if I can flash the atmel chip without voiding the warranty. From what I can see I will have to solder wires to the top of the board seeing as its epoxied to the case. I wish the 10 pin header was installer from the get-go. If lotharek will let me do that without voiding any warranty, ill try it. Otherwise I'm shipping it back to poland.
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He's responded to my emails... He asked me to try on another 8-bit. I tried my 800xl with the same result.
I'm still hoping that I can flash the atmel myself... My device looks nothing like others I see on the net.
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What are you referring to? The MIDI stuff?
My 1965 guitar and 1965 amp don't do MIDI...
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Well I opened the unit up and it's not clear if there is a JTAG header, so I think I might be out of luck. The Atmega is SMD...
I did not hot plug the device. It only half worked for about 2 minutes...
There is an unpopulated header on the left hand side of the unit labeled J2, but everything is glued down with epoxy, so accessing the backside is not possible. On top of that the epoxy goes over one of the holes... So I'd have to solder wires on top. I think I made a major mistake buying the boxed unit.
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I haven't opened it yet... it says 1.3 on the plastic case. I'll open it up this evening.
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Can I remove the atmel chip and program it using a commercial atmel programmer?
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If you plugged in the SIO2SD while your 130XE was powered up, that could have messed it up.
But it does look like it will need to be reflashed...
I never plugged it in with the power on. I plugged it in with the power off and then turned on the 130XE... just like every Atari peripheral I've ever used other the last 32 years :-)
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Okay, I have access to an Atmega flasher, so I'll try that.
The handler that loaded wasn't working right either (Select and Start did nothing). I was able to load a game using the panel of the unit.
I have to admit I'm a little surprised how little infoirmation there is with this thing (if I get it working again I may write a manual).
Where do I get the appropriate flash? Do I just flash one from here?
http://sio2sd.gucio.pl/wiki/SoftwareAVR_en
Do I need to uncase the device and flash the chip directly? Or is there a method that just requires placement of files on the SD card?
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Are you being serious?
I e-mailed Lotharek, and he seemed to think I tried to flash it (which I didn't unless I accidentally initiated some kind of sequence using the buttons).
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in Atari 8-Bit Computers
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What's BOSS XE? Is that a machine language monitor?