scorpio_ny

I was just checking Mouser, and it seems that they do sell the crystals at the correct frequencies we are looking for: https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=10d31ecbcc Is there any other criteria we should look for in the clock crystal? I am willing to order them to see if they work.

I tried it with my Dell 2007 monitor. Same issue: composite output shows only B/W, so the issue is not related to just to CRT’s. Same! I have Svideo and a Sophia 2 installed in mine but, I would to know why as well.

@Jfcatari Yes, I made sure that JP7 was installed. I have an old school Dell 2007 monitor with multiple inputs too. I will check to see if it has composite only input and test it with that too.

Unfortunately, I do not have one available.

Hi @Jfcatari, I have the same issue with a CRT. No color.p

Hi @Jfcatari, I am going to go to try with a regular TV. (I am hoping that the TV has composite in 😄). But one thing, I set my Retrotink for composite video input and made sure that the wiring was for composite (no svideo connection) and tested it with my LCD display. I got a color screen (and tons of jail bars 😱)

It will be an interesting test since I am using the Sophia 2 instead of GTIA.

Ok! Which clock crystal are you using? @reifsnyderb mentioned that he had a lot problems with the non-Atari sourced clock crystal getting only B/W. I had the same issue until I adjusted the POT.

Hi @Jfcatari, I personally do not own a CRT based display. I know someone that does and maybe I can take my computer over to test. The only thing is that it now has a Sophia 2 installed. What are looking for to see?

Another way to get stereo is install a Pokeymax. It is a FPGA recreation of the Pokey chip. Depending on the version, it could also do Covox or Quad Pokey for example.

Ah ok. It is funny you mentioned that. When I first powered it on, it was only black and white too. I was able to correct it by adjusting the color pot. I had to do an initial very large adjustment until I saw some color. Then, I had to do very, very small turns to get the color right.

Hi Brian! I was not aware that you had issues with non-Atari crystals and that would make a lot of sense on why I was having issues. I guess I lucked out that the Sally adapter somehow compensated for it. The crystal was recommended by @Jfcatari and here is the part: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cts-frequency-controls/MP036S/67661 So, does this mean it is recommended that the 800XL remake should use original Atari donor parts to lessen the chances of issues?

Hi @reifsnyderb, I finally built the 800XL remake and I have an interesting issue. When I try to boot to basic with the RF switch set to the left, it always goes to rom self test. When I try to boot a cartridge, it still goes to self test. When I try the switch on the right, it looks like it tries to get into basic and it just hangs at the blue screen. Cartridges work fine. I just started to test with some multi-carts and it seems to be working fine. When I ran Simcheck 1.5, it recognized it had as an Atari 400/800 CPU with 48K of RAM which was very strange! Here is the kicker: I am building this system to see how much I can build it without original Atari components. I had already built the Byte Attic's Sally adapter a while ago for this project (before you made this board). I decided to give it a try and guess what? It worked! I was able to boot into basic when I set the switch to the left (Atari) or right (Altria Basic). So I am at a loss what gives. Could it be some sort of timing issue? The other Sally CPU's were Synertek models and one that was manufactured in Mexico. Since it worked with the CPU board I was going to use anyway, I pressed on and installed a Pokeymax and the Sophia 2. It was already using the modern 6520 chip too. And they all worked! I am sure there will be some compatibility issues with some software or hardware down the road. But it is nice to see that we can are close to building an Atari with none of the original custom chips. Hopefully, there will be more cost efficient replacements down the road. Here it is playing the Last Squadron loaded from a Side 3 @olix: The switch I ordered was too small.

Hi Piotr, Thank you for the offer! I am still trying to see if I can source it locally. If I cannot, I will take you up on your offer.

Hi everyone! I am going to install a Rapidus board into my 800XL that has the U1MB installed and I realized that I am missing the cable for GND/EXTSEL/MPD to do the install (I had acquired the upgrade second hand). Does anyone know the name of the connector and/or cable that is needed and where to source it? Thanks!

Hi Olix I had ordered one from Digikey to see if it would viable. I still have not received it yet. Here is the part number: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/apem-inc/MHSS1105/1949465 When I get it, I will let you know if it works.

Why not just replace the socket with a new one?

PM sent for the Imagic games

Hi @CJ Atari, Any chance you can post a picture of the motherboard? Is it possible that maybe something was missed? Like the NTSC jumper for NTSC video for example?

While I agree that there is room for improvement, I am still thankful the modern replacements exist. As time goes one, we will hopefully see improvements in performance, footprint and price down the road.

Actually, there are two active replacements that work.(GTIA—> Sophia2, Pokey—>Pokeymax). The issue is that they are not low cost replacements. I believe the reason why it is cheaper is because it is not based on a FPGA but actually an ARM cortex based chip. Thus the lower cost. Another popular SID replacement, ARMsid, is definitely based on an ARM cortex chip.

The 1200XL needs more work to get it going. Did you follow the install steps outlined in this post? https://forums.atariage.com/topic/224151-ultimate-1mb-in-1200xl/

The Hokey is a sound only implementation of the Pokey chip used for certain cartridge games on the 7800. Here is more info: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/321741-hokey-demo/page/2/#comment-4968839

There are gerber files for a MIDI card too. I believe it has not been tested yet.

I would also check to make sure any diodes are not put in backwards.