Kavik

Grover--What method did you end up using to cut the hole for the DVI port? I'm looking to do the same mod to my 1200XL.

It's probably too late since the expo is tomorrow, but since I'll be there I'd love to have my very own AtariAge badge! Kavik Washington State

No worries. It was a fortuitous mistake since I learned how to disassemble the top case so I can retrobrite just the beige portion. My only question left before I give this a try is how to best protect the label on the bottom of the machine.

Hi flashjazzcat-- Thanks for the tip, though I guess I should have clarified that I was trying to remove the clear panel from the 1200XL. I used a plastic spudger and tried to gently lift the bezel thinking that a lug would eventually release, only to have the end of the panel crack and break off! Thinking it was a fluke I tried the same procedure from the other side, but the bezel starting cracking there as well. Luckily it was my "practice" on the unit that I fried last year. Still it was painful to inflict the damage on this 38-year old survivor. I tried your tip on an 800XL and the panel came right off, so I was a little mystified. However, upon closer inspection I saw that the 1200XL panel was an inlay with no apparent way to remove without damaging the panel or surrounding case. After studying it for a while, I finally was able to snap off the entire brown plastic portion of the shell from the rest of the top cover, and the clear panel popped right out. The clear bezel is wedged between the two components. Hopefully this will help others avoid the same pain and suffering.

For those who have retrobrighted an XL machine, I was curious how to deal with the clear plastic bezel. I'm leery about trying to remove it for fear of breaking it, but also scared of getting the mixture and/or water under the bezel. Any tips would be appreciated!

By the way...is the Rev C board still coming? While I'm using Sophia with my Commodore 1084S and TV via component, DVI output would be my holy grail which would allow me to use several of my older monitors. Definitely down for one or two.

A (very late) thank you and follow-up. I was able to fairly easily crimp the connector onto my USB-Blaster cable. And after a little bit of work trying to figure out how to use Quartus Prime (and wrangling to find the correct drivers for Windows 10 !), I successfully updated the firmware on both of my Sophia boards to 1.3. Finally my colors are correct! So...is there much value updating to the 1.4 firmware, or was this to address the unique issues mentioned in post #717? Thanks again Michael and Simius!

Woot! After several delays, I finally have my Sophia board installed and working with my homemade DB9 cable connected to a Commodore 1084S. Thanks to ivop and Simius for providing the pinout info. Now I'm ready to reprogram the board to get the correct NTSC palette. I have my USB Blaster and micro-match connector in hand, however I'm not sure how to crimp this like shown above. There seems to be a rather expensive tool available, though an online article says I can do it in a vice. I'm afraid to screw it up, given that the connector cost me $10. Any advice?

I really wish this Nyari Atari 400 PC keyboard from a few years back had been more widely available...I tried to find one to no avail. It would have been perfect for the 1088XEL. Based on your idea for a custom WASD keyboard, I came up with this color scheme. Just needs the custom label layout you created above!

Did you see that a few months back the designer of this concept was trying to gauge interest in crowdfunding this awesomeness? Here's a link to the AtariAge facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atariage/permalink/10154965741960255/

I already took a look but not sure if I can tell if a cap is blown...everything looks normal to me. Attached is a pic of the motherboard. Only one big capacitor that is part of the mod--a 2200uF 16V as you can see in the second picture. I'll take the advice and begin testing chips in a beater 800XL I have on my next day off, starting with the RAM. As far as the connector is concerned, that's how I received it and it's just unfortunate that the original power port was used and wasn't made foolproof. Thanks everyone for the input!

Thanks DrVenkman. Yes, the rectifier was removed for the mod (as discussed in this post), so I imagine the 9VAC did some damage. Not sure if I want to take the risk of swapping chips and ruining another good 1200XL. I'm pretty sad about my dumb move and losing that one, since it did have a nice s-video and audio out mod as well.

I have three 1200XL's, including one that I picked up about six years ago from kjmann that was modified to use a 5V DC adapter. Long story short, I was testing the keyboards on all three units and accidentally plugged the OEM 9V AC power supply into the modified 1200XL. I heard a little hum from the monitor speaker and then the red power LED went off just as I realized the mistake. When trying the correct adapter, the power comes on but nothing but a black screen. I'm assuming I've fried this particular motherboard but just wondering if there might be an potential fix or something salvageable.

My bad...I totally overlooked the discussion of this around post #362. Guess I will get my order into DigiKey.

Ok my USB blaster just arrived...haven't opened the package yet. So I need to order something else now?

Great to see that the issues with the NTSC palette have been resolved! I haven't had the time to install my two Sophia boards yet, but I just ordered the USB blaster off eBay so that I can update when the time comes. Michael--when you say powered up, do you mean installed with the Atari system on? Now I just need a DB9-Component cable. Does anyone have a direct email for the eBay seller retro_console_accessories? She has the SCART Sophia cables available but I sent a message about a component version but have yet to receive a reply. Btw...thanks for all your hard work Simius! -Kavik

I'm crossing my fingers that someone steps up to offer fully assembled (unpopulated) XEL boards. I can solder a few wires but there's no way I could handle entire sockets without melting the board and burning my house down lol.

Thanks!

I just stumbled across the Analogue NT a few days ago. It looks like everything I've been waiting for in a retro system. Other than this thread or the 107-page FPGA system topic, is there anywhere that has a summary of the cores that have been released for the NT and news on potential adapters? I know that the official site doesn't provide any info. Thanks, Kav

Maybe it just really wants to be a 1200XEL Kidding aside, congrats on working prototype! Best of luck with the troubleshooting. -Kav

This is awesome! So exciting to see not just one but *two* new custom modern 8-bit motherboard projects happening now. Each is distinct in direction, but both are geared towards supporting SIO connectivity and cartridges as well as some key mods. Looking forward to supporting both projects! Here's hoping we get some custom new cases to go with these projects.

I'm looking for a DB9 to Component cable. Are these being made by Retro as well? Does anyone have their contact email?

That means I can still cross my fingers for a 1088XEL that looks likes this

Good to hear it...I'll most likely order the higher resolution print. Still trying to decide on which color, though I think I'm down to the grey or translucent blue. Do you have any examples of your printed items with the orange filament?

I recently picked up an Atari 800 for my collection and would be very interested in one of these gems as well.