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Hello together! The ABBUC hardware contest 2024 starts now! Everyone is invited to participate with own, new hardware. For more details read the rules (see link below). The deadline this year : 31. July 2024 You can find the rules here: Rules AHC 2024 Cheers, andY
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Hi all. Happy new year! For the past ten years or so, I have been fixing Atari consoles and often I install AV mods as part of the process. At the beginning I was using a simple amplifier as many projects on the internet do, but I was not very happy with the video quality, so I quickly moved to the digital buffer approach. As I convert a far number of consoles every year, from time to time I will run out of PCBs and, instead of just re-ordering the same design, I try to improve it and make it easier to install, better video and audio quality, etc... Around 2018 I joined my AV design with my game pause mod: Here are some examples of my previous mods: The last PCB on the right is the one I used until mid last year. There were a few things I liked about it: It had AV and pause integrated, so it was easier to install than two separate mods There was no need to modify the console case for the AV cable The pause was controlled by the COLOR switch, so no extra switch installation The pause could be completely deactivated and the COLOR button could be used to switch the game to BW It could be mounted directly on top of the TIA and the labels on the pins made it easier to know which pins to connect for NTSC and PAL consoles. The connections were made straight down which avoided making wrong connections As it was time to order PCBs again, I started working on a new design to include some features I collected on my wish list: An easier way to configure the board for NTSC or PAL. On the last board I made, a resistor network for this, which meant I needed to decide if I wanted it to be used for NTSC or PAL as I built the mod and it was not possible to change it afterwards Gemini support. As the Gemini has a different TIA, I had to reroute the connections manually, which made the installation much more complicated and error prone An LED indicator for the pause state Better connections for the AV cable A better solution for the audio and video chaos while the game is paused. The old board had addressed a lot of the problem, but that was a lot of room for improvement So I came up with the design above which has a single jumper to configure PAL, NTSC and Genesis and the legends next to the pins show which TIA pins should be connected for each console type. This makes it easier to install the mod and also change the console type after the board was build. The other features are also included: 2600Mod_en.mov This is how it looks like installed in a Gemini: So far I have converted a couple of dozens of PAL, NTSC and Gemini consoles with this new mod and I am quite happy with the result. This time I ordered a larger number of PCBs though, so if anyone would like get one of these mods, I will soon put them on eBay for 29€, or you can pm me here. Cheers.
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I'd argue the original DS/DS Lite is bordering on retro/modern gaming at this point, but I figured I might as well group it with the rest of the systems. With the death of the 3DS eShop earlier this year and the Online service on its way out in March of next year, it's been a bit sad to watch one of my favorite portable systems of all time fall away from the support of its original creator. But at the same time, I've still got all of the wonderful memories of me as a young lad happily playing New Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 7, Monster Jam, and many others inherited from my mom way back when. I don't like to get rid of things, so I've still got most of my original games and even my original DS Lite hand-me-down from my mom to remind me of simpler times.. As a 2000s kid, the DS and 3DS were my entire world. Whenever I had the free time, that was the system I played for hours upon hours on end. So many great games only held back by hardware limitations such as the small screens, low resolutions, and processing power. As a kid, this never bothered me. And on the contrary, the 3DS absolutely blew my mind at the time as I had never seen portable gaming like it before. (Never owned/used a PSP, nor even knew about its existence. But that's a story for another day). I wanted to create this thread to serve as a place to discuss all things Nintendo DS. Including hardware, games, quirks, technical issues, modding, homebrew, sharing memories, and whatever else we can think of. I'd like to think that other people on this site have been similarly impacted by these consoles legacies, or at the very least have some fondness over them.
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This is probably the same board that would be shipped in 130XE, with extra ram chips missing here. Question, is it easy to repopulate those? Also, there's a little bodge on the board. Is that stock ?
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Does a NTSC 2600 RF modulator look like this inside the metal can? The PCB is marked „ATARI © 77 CO12171 REV. 3“ and „BP3732“ as you can see. Google gave me no hits for the search terms CO12171 or C012171, unfortunately. I only found photos of modulators still inside the can, the exposed part of the PCB in those looks identical but I couldn’t check the rest, including the marking. The transistor is a 2N3906.
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Hello together! The ABBUC hardware contest 2023 starts now! Everyone is invited to participate with own, new hardware. For more details read the rules (see link below). The deadline this year : 31. July 2023 You can find the rules here: Rules AHC 2023 Cheers, andY
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Hello, Recently mentionned by @DarkLord in several topics, I have recreated the PCB of a serial port upgrade named RSVE. https://github.com/sporniket/atari-st-mod-serial-port-upgrade-rsve The gerbers and schematics are available in the release : https://github.com/sporniket/atari-st-mod-serial-port-upgrade-rsve/releases/tag/v1.0.0 The latest pages of the original thread at exxosforum shows the various attempts to convince BBS Express to works with the accelerated port. The github repository also contains the original archive that include the JED file and its source, to program the GAL16V8. (I also have reformated the original documentation to be nicely viewable on github) : https://github.com/sporniket/atari-st-mod-serial-port-upgrade-rsve/tree/main/reference/rsve
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Updated 2022-12-30: The board works! Only GROM support tested so far. Original message: I have several Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller boards which I find quite adorable as they are very affordable, in some respects very powerful and in other respects not too much so. Nevertheless I have been playing around with them for a while and trying various things, I built a prototype eurorack synthesiser sequencer with one for example. I've also used them with some boards I bought from Pimoroni to drive VGA screens and DVI monitors. In the last pandemic call which I participated (I guess around a week and a half ago) we also talked about them. Anyway it was high time for me to get one connected to a TI-99/4A. I know that other folks such as @arcadeshopper and @jedimatt42 have also contemplated the same idea. Perhaps someone has already done it, but if so I'm not aware of it and anyway making boards is fun when there is time for it. So I designed a prototype board and just submitted an order for them. I did not quite have enough time to really do this well, so I decided what the heck, let's see what happens with a quick design. It's a bit bulky, and will not fit into an ordinary cartridge case. This of course also means that I have no idea if this is going to work for sure, but of course I have reason to believe it will. It is not too different design-wise from the StrangeCart, except that the microcontroller is different. The RP2040 chip which powers the Raspberry Pi Pico is not 5V tolerant, so I threw in four 74LVC245 buffer chips and some other stuff. Since the board is large, I used some of the extra space to add a prototyping area, and I added breakouts for three SOT-23-5 footprints and two extra SOIC-8 footprints as well. One SOIC-8 footprint, U5, is fully connected to a SPI port and can serve as flash memory expansion or alternatively house a PSRAM (pseudo static RAM chip). As can be seen from the pictures, the buffers are through hole components, the idea being that if I get it to work and others are interested in these, it would be quite easy for people to build these. I don't like through hole resistors or capacitors, so I used 0805 sized surface mount parts for those. In my opinion they are easy to work with. The only slightly challenging part to solder for some could be the 74LVC1G125 buffer I put in to drive the GREADY signal. It can be replaced with a transistor circuit in the prototype area. To get quickly up to speed, I used FlashGROM99 board as the basis. I removed everything else except the outline, regulator and the edge connector and started from there, to have a basis for the design in Kicad. After placing the parts it became obvious it would be hard to make this fit inside a cartridge housing, so I just gave the board more space which made it easy to route the signals to the Raspberry Pi Pico. Now I just need to wait to get the boards and hope for the best during bringup...
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Is there a site, group of PDFs, or other compilation of known TI 99/4A hardware problems and their solutions? Are the problems encountered typically easy or hard to fix? I have no problem replacing components or repairing board traces, but I'm at a loss if the problem requires an oscilloscope to diagnose.
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I just burned a pair of 27C040 EPROMs with four TOSes and installed them in my 1040STe. I have pins 30 and 31 (A17 and A18) tied to 5v each through a 10K resistor. These pins are also each connected a SPST switch that grounds the address line when flipped up. For some reason, only the last TOS is working - Petar Putniks v1.62i. The other three just sit at a white screen forever at power up or a garbage screen if reset. I'd put the files up for someone to check, but I don't want to post PP's custom TOS online. @ParanoidLittleMan I used PP's ROMSPLI2.PRG on my ST to split each of the TOS images into a HI and LO file. Then I used Windows COPY /B command to merge the four LO files together, ditto for the HI files... ie: copy /b TOS162.LO + TOS206.LO x.LO copy /b x.LO + EMUTOS.LO y.LO copy /b y.LO + PPTOS.LO z.LO ..ditto for the .HI files. Both came out to an even 512KB. EPROMS did burn and verify without issue. I verified that the IMG files worked in the HATARI emulator before I split them. Wiring is clean. No shorts or opens. Pins 30 and 31 are out of the socket and not touching anything else besides the wiring attached to them. What could I be doing wrong?
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fujinet FujiNet for #ColecoAdam 1.0 Schematic released.
tschak909 posted a topic in ColecoVision / Adam
@mozzwald has released version 1.0 of the #ColecoAdam #FujiNet to the public, for anyone who wishes to make the hardware. https://github.com/FujiNetWIFI/fujinet-hardware/blob/master/ADAM-Prototype/adamfuji-v1.0-schematic.jpg -
Hi; I have been a die-hard Atari 8-bit user since buying the snazzy new 130XE when it was first released and gradually acquired a motley collection of hardware. The past 30-40 years have taken me into various new responsibilities and interests and I look at this pile of stuff (along with a bunch of other piles of stuff) and say to myself "I'm not likely to use many of these things anymore, time to get them to someone who needs and wants them". Unfortunately I have forgotten how to use a whole bunch of these things and will have to re-learn a bit in order to test them/get them ready to auction. So, over the next few weeks I will be putting some or all of the following out on Ebay (Ebay name: "Kibbywibbles" (the kitten we had when we started selling stuff there, who passed away about 5 years ago at the age of about 15)) (Already sold) 65XE with horrid case and keyboard with many dead keys (Sorry: This one is already sold). *Currently listed as of 1/10/2022* 130XE with a ROM board/switch that can switch/boot between 3 different chips (This is currently listed/available, however it does not boot past the dreaded green screen) I may sell all of the following: but will do so strategically so I can test everything before listing it/actually selling it to anyone. Not yet listed: 130XE with 320 RAM upgrade/CSS Multiplexer OS (in good working order)/Will probably include some extra ePROMS of unknown pedigree as they can easily be swapped into the ROM socket. CSS Black Box with Floppy Board (Bob Puff was my main go-to guy back in the day!) SpartaDOS X Cartridge R-time-8 cartridge (I managed to put a new battery in it and it still works!) 800XL standard/good working order 1050 disk drive XF551 disk drives (2) Hard drive with various Sparta/MyDOS boot partitions and utilities. Various game cartridges and 8-bit software mostly on 5.25 disks. Some old Atari books that I never had time to read/do anything with. If you are looking for any old programs public domain or otherwise, message me and I will see if I have them.
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- atari 8-bit
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Second installment in the series: Hardware Computerist Expect useful updates over the coming years. Hover over either the Serious Computerist or Hardware Computerist logos (on their respective pages) and you can site jump between the two. [Note #1: If you're experiencing any oddities on the Serious Computerist site, with graphics, etc., use <CTRL><F5> to force update of CSS changes.] [Note #2: AtariVerse.com mirror of the Serious Computerist will be down until sometime later today (12/19) for maintenance.]
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Hi everyone. I'm putting together vintage computer and console related items which I hope to sell. Please click below to see the current items I'm listing. Items For Sale I'll be adding more as I test, and package the items. Thanks, John
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There is a new DIY through hole FujiNet hardware design that uses the espressif devkitc-ve board. It's basically a shield for the devkit board with all the needed bits for FujiNet. I'm happy to finally see someone else release hardware based on the completely open FujiNet design. https://github.com/djtersteegc/fujinet-devkit-shield
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Pokeymax v3 is now available for pre-order. Features: Quad Pokey Dual SID Dual PSG Four channel Covox, with Paula style DMA GTIA audio digital pass though SIO audio mixing PBI audio mixing May be updated/configured via software on Atari Larger 10M16 FPGA, leaving adequate resources for future enhancements Spare 5V safe IO for future enhancements For the pre-orders Retronics are offering a special promotional price of 99USD. Note that version 2 will remain available for the simpler mono/stereo Pokey/Covox options. --- Ordering info from @Duddie --- Additional features confirmed: SPDIF digital output (TTL level, excludes SIO in/PBI in) PS2 keyboard input
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Hello everyone! I picked up this device at a surplus electronic store, and I wanted to know if you folks might have more information on what it is, how to use it, etc.? I believe it is an EPROM programmer but I cannot find any info on it when I look it up or the associated company (Timely Technology). I wondered if it could be used to write to EPROM chips for creating homebrew cartridges for the 2600 but I'm not sure what else I would need to get it hooked to a modern computer. I think one of the cables is a parallel port but I'm not 100%. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction with this!
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I recently got a beige non-QI TI-99/4a system with a speech synth and several cartridges, including Extended BASIC and Editor Assembler. The joysticks I have are worn out and don't work. I was able to revive the Mitsumi mylar keyboard. I don't have a PEB or memory expansion or disk drive. I'd like to do some BASIC and assembler coding on the system, as well as play some games. What should I be looking for? Stuff I'm considering to do or purchase... - Cassette cable and recorder - Atari joystick adapter interface - Is there a preferred model? Most that I see don't have any kind of case on them. - Memory expansion - What is the go to for adding more memory to this system? - Disk drive, or disk drive emulator - I have a Gotek drive in my Amiga. My Coco has an SDC cartridge. My Atari connects to my Windows PC to retrieve files. How can I emulate a disk drive on the TI-99/4a? - I'm currently connected to a TV using a component video cable. Are there any video upgrades for the TI-99/4a to use VGA, component or HDMI? - I have an MX-80 parallel printer. Can I connect this to the TI-99/4a? Is it worth the hassle? - Is there an assembler/editor that works on a TI system without a disk drive? How about without the 32K expansion? I've done some searching online, and checked out some of the online vendors and eBay. Most of the info I find is outdated and I'm not sure which of the upgrades are good for a system today. Any and all info is appreciated!
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#FujiNet is a complex beast, for sure. It has tons of firmware, and would need a full ESP32 emulation, or high level equivalents of everything in the firmware. This is infeasible, and @phaeron has admitted as much. But I was talking to @48kRAM tonight, and he posed a question: What if there could be a simple UDP bridge that bridged over SIO to a real FujiNet? This is possible, because the FujiNet can run entirely stand-alone, not connected to an Atari, only needing power. It could be placed into a mode where it would reflect the SIO traffic to UDP packets to the FujiNet and back. So while you would need a FujiNet device, they're only $65, and you wouldn't need a physical Atari to run it on. It would allow for software development to take place, very easily, and within the confines of emulation, where you have _EXCELLENT_ debugging facilities. @phaeron is the python device server stuff documented? Could it be used to prototype something for this? Thoughts? -Thom
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Hello, I have a used PAT 9000 that I am ready to sell. I figured I would put it here first before ebay or Craigslist. It was tested and working back in the late 1990s (by Dunis in Portland, OR), but has sat unused for years. It powers up, but I have no way to test it. The XY monitor was tested back then and was not working - diagnosed as a flyback issue. It comes with a mess of plugs, the PAT 9000 manual, some assorted game manuals, and at least 2 Ampliphone deflection boards - untested, condition unknown. Everything is being sold AS-IS. DM me with your best offer. Sorry, I can't ship this - way too heavy! I live in the San Jose, CA area. Own a unique piece of Atari history!! https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1-tqG-7dPjIVDedUjWnIIDimyQfmEnBJM
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I've seen articles about putting RAM on the 16-bit part of the bus to gain some speed, and am thinking of building one. However, I'm not sure about being able to fit it under the RF shielding clamshells. Ideas? What kind of metal are the clamshells made of? Is it readily available? K-R.
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p-box Plug & Play - Replacements with possible updates.
Omega-TI posted a topic in TI-99/4A Computers
Mean Time Before Failure - It's starting to look like this is beginning to effect more and more P-Box power supplies. Preemptive Maintenance - Fixing the situation before it destroys something else more expensive with it's failure or, puts one out of service. Plug & Play - Designed so even the least technical people in the consumer market will feel comfortable installing it, ensuring more sales. Limited Targeted Market - Niche markets, usually have test markets or single runs of a moderate size to keep costs down. I'm thinking it may be time for "someone out there" to consider a viable Plug & Play replacement for the P-Box power supply. 1 - Could the cost be reasonable? (How much are you willing to spend for an easy replacement to protect your equipment) 2 - Could it be a direct replacement, not requiring any other modifications from the customer. 3 - Could there be "an extra" on the board as a further inducement to purchase? (Example: USB power port) -
So a long while ago I had a bright idea on a "captain's chair" 'controller' for playing Star Raiders on the 8-bit / 5200. My thought is a joystick on one arm of the chair (e.g. on the right, for right-handed folks), with a thumb trigger on top, or index finger trigger on the front, so it can be controlled entirely with one hand. On the other side, there'd be a keypad controller (like used by the 2600 version of the game), offering the various toggle controls: front view (F) aft view (A) long range view (L) galactic map (G) attack computer (C) targeting computer (T) target selector (M) shields (S) hyperwarp (H) pause (P) That's 10 keys, so totally doable with a 12-button keyboard controller, connected to the second controller port. Finally, on that same side (e.g., left, for right-handed users) would be an analog throttle, like you see in a boat. Fully forward (towards the TV) would be "twin-ion engine" at full-speed (9), and fully back (toward the player) would be full-stop (0). This would be connected to the paddle input of controller port 1, alongside the main digital joystick input (if I'm reading things right, it looks like the POT stuff is used by keyboard controllers). Obviously, a hacked version of Star Raiders would be required for this to work (read paddle for engine control, read keyboard controller for other keyboard control). It'd be a pretty cool set-up, though, don't you think? Sadly, I don't have the skill to do either the hardware, or the ROM hacking. ?
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