Trevellion

Thanks again to Mytek and Beeblebrox for the additional info. I've had a look in one of my 800XL's to see how the Sophia 2 board would seat on the UGV. There is just one pin from the transition cable header on the Sophia Board that would interfere with a component on the UGV board and the pin could easily be trimmed or bent out of the way. No need to remove a header from the UGV. Unfortunately, with both boards connected, I would have clearance issues getting the keyboard back in place. Maybe a 40 pin male socket to female socket jumper cable to allow the Sophia Board to be moved to another location inside the case would work, but I'm not sure where to get such a cable. I'll have a look online, but if I can't find one to try this I'll go with the Sophia 2/UAV combo.

Thanks Beeblebrox Will go with the UAV/Sophia 2 option in the 800XL and UGV in the 800 I think.

Hello I have a couple Atari 800XL's (PAL and NTSC) and an Atari 800 (currently NTSC, but have all the original boards to make it PAL again). At the moment, the only computer that I've upgraded is the PAL 800XL with Sophia 2 and the output is fantastic and super sharp. I'm waiting on Sophia 2 for the other computers. My only issue is that for some games, such as the Ultima adventures and Mr Do!, which rely on artifacting to get more colours on the screen, I would also like a good composite output. (I also think some games look better with a softer image.) The original composite feed looks pretty awful on my Dell LCD monitor. I do have UAV boards but didn't install them as I decided to wait for an upgrade that addressed the artifacts that occur in the over scan area of the screen. The UGV board seems ideal for the composite output I want, but I'm wondering if I can install this at the same time as Sophia 2 since they both connect to the GTIA socket. Can I plug the UGV into the GTIA socket and the Sophia board into the UGV, or will there be conflicts and could it damage the electronics? Also I've read on these forums that installing the UAV on an Atari 800 will give that computer the artifact colours of an Atari 800XL so the trees in Ultima 3, which were green on an Atari 800, become purple. Would this also apply if I installed a UGV board in an Atari 800? Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their knowledge in answering these questions.

Looks good. If you get to the point that you need to paint your old computer, I'd also go for something different. I like this and the black 800 I've seen on these forums.

Sorry, it was a while back so I can't remember but the prices are listed on the site.

He has a limited stock, so that will be a lifetime limit. Seems fair that he would do this so that more people have a chance to repair their computers. I purchased a replacement 800XL board from him that came with all chips fitted (including POKEY) so I suppose there are ways to circumvent that limit.

In addition to the Sophia 2 I've asked for the Atari 800 in post #413, please also add me to the list for a Sophia 2 for an Atari 800XL.

I'd probably go down this route if a number of the keys were badly marked. It's a bit like painting a console that is badly yellowed - it just wouldn't feel authentic for me.

Probably a reflection of my ham fistedness. Someone with a bit more finesse would have had better results I'm sure.

PM sent

That sounds like a plan worth attempting. I'll wait a little while to see if I can get a replacement and then go down this route if I can't. I'm just waiting for a couple of parts to finish my Sophia 2 install on one of the 800XL's so maybe when I have that done I'll have a go at fixing the trim. Lots of good advice on this forum that I've benefitted from already.

I'll certainly give that a go on the dented piece if I can straighten it out and can't get a replacement. I think I'd stick to attempting to fix the damaged part rather than sanding all the aluminium parts to try and get consistency. With my skills, I'd more than likely end up with 7 pieces of aluminium all looking different.

Have thought about this and may resort to it if all else fails. Can't get the dents out satisfactorily though and trying to get the brushed aluminium effect afterwards may result in one piece standing out from the rest even more if it doesn't match completely. Simple replacement seems easiest and best outcome if I can source a part.

I already tried that with the aluminium piece and, if anything, it looked worse after my attempts to straighten it out. It was a bit like the Father Ted fixes a dent in his car scenario. Thin aluminium is a bugger to try and fix and I don't have the skills or the proper tools.

Thanks again for the kind offer Paul. I'm in Yorkshire, so a bit too far away. Cheers Karl