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Questions about 1200xl Mods


NML32

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Here are the instructions that I posted a while back. It is based on the OS upgrade portion of the PBI mod by Bob, and the instructions for adding internal basic from the AtariMax 32in1 installation. It has all the info you need to do the mod. I have done this same mod on at least 3 of my 1200XL's.

 

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Great write-up, MEtalGuy66 & bob1200xl! I know that people don't often take the time to just stop what they're doing & thank people, but thanks for all of the good stuff that you've done for the Atari community. I've always admired a "Do it right, or don't do it at all" type of professionalism, and it really makes me feel good when I see people make the extra effort to do things right - you guys rock!

 

 

 

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The Fx keys all work just fine.

 

Thanks Bob! Another question along the same line. You said the F1-F4 keys work using an 600/800XL OS, but what about the following other functions unique to the 1200XL keyboard? Are all the following still supported to include L1 & L2 LED function? I assume the HELP keyboard diagnostic will not show F1-F4 on the screen. Are you saying Atari left all the code in the 600/800XL OS for the F1-F4? I'm asking because I would have thought Atari had to delete something from the 16K OS ROM to handle the new PBI capability so I naturally am assuming they dumped the F1-F4 functionality to make room for the PBI code in the OS. Anyone know what Atari had to dump in REV 10 or 11 (1200XL OS) to make room for the PBI in the 600/800XL OS? Or did the 1200XL OS already have the PBI code that was not integrated in the final product (1200 vs 1200XL)?

 

Press F1 (same as CTRL + arrow UP) = moves cursor UP

Press F2 (same as CTRL + arrow down) = moves cursor DOWN

Press F3 (same as CTRL + arrow left) = moves cursor LEFT

Press F4 (same as CTRL + arrow right) = moves cursor RIGHT

Press CTRL + F1 = L1 LED lights up and locks keyboard

Press CTRL + F2 = toggles on/off video display

Press CTRL + F3 = toggles typewriter click sound

Press CTRL + F4 = L2 LED lights up and switches to international characters

Press SHFT + F1 = moves cursor to upper left of screen

Press SHFT + F2 = moves cursor to lower left of screen

Press SHFT + F3 = moves cursor to beginning of line

Press SHFT + F4 = moves cursor to end of line

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All the functions that you listed work on the 800XL OS. The HELP keyboard diagnostics show a 1200XL keyboard layout and detects the F1-F4 keypresses. Even the 600XL/800XLs have this layout, even though they do not have the F1-F4 keys.

 

I don't know what they took out of the 1200XL OS in order to add in the PBI code.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

The Fx keys all work just fine.

 

Thanks Bob! Another question along the same line. You said the F1-F4 keys work using an 600/800XL OS, but what about the following other functions unique to the 1200XL keyboard? Are all the following still supported to include L1 & L2 LED function? I assume the HELP keyboard diagnostic will not show F1-F4 on the screen. Are you saying Atari left all the code in the 600/800XL OS for the F1-F4? I'm asking because I would have thought Atari had to delete something from the 16K OS ROM to handle the new PBI capability so I naturally am assuming they dumped the F1-F4 functionality to make room for the PBI code in the OS. Anyone know what Atari had to dump in REV 10 or 11 (1200XL OS) to make room for the PBI in the 600/800XL OS? Or did the 1200XL OS already have the PBI code that was not integrated in the final product (1200 vs 1200XL)?

 

Press F1 (same as CTRL + arrow UP) = moves cursor UP

Press F2 (same as CTRL + arrow down) = moves cursor DOWN

Press F3 (same as CTRL + arrow left) = moves cursor LEFT

Press F4 (same as CTRL + arrow right) = moves cursor RIGHT

Press CTRL + F1 = L1 LED lights up and locks keyboard

Press CTRL + F2 = toggles on/off video display

Press CTRL + F3 = toggles typewriter click sound

Press CTRL + F4 = L2 LED lights up and switches to international characters

Press SHFT + F1 = moves cursor to upper left of screen

Press SHFT + F2 = moves cursor to lower left of screen

Press SHFT + F3 = moves cursor to beginning of line

Press SHFT + F4 = moves cursor to end of line

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All the functions that you listed work on the 800XL OS. The HELP keyboard diagnostics show a 1200XL keyboard layout and detects the F1-F4 keypresses. Even the 600XL/800XLs have this layout, even though they do not have the F1-F4 keys.

 

I don't know what they took out of the 1200XL OS in order to add in the PBI code.

 

Bob

 

 

Bob,

One more question to clarify. Do the L1 and L2 LEDS turn ON/OFF using the 600/800XL OS? Wow I've had an 800XL for years and never noticed the 1200XL layout. I guess I never used that function anyway. If you could please verify the LED (L1 & L2) operation with the 800XL OS, I'm sold. Also, if I ran the REV 11 1200XL OS with internal BASIC and the 800XL MMU, would internal BASIC work running Rev 11 OS? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I'm an engineer, it's what I do!

Edited by ACML
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I know if you run the 400/800 OS you have to be careful with internal BASIC because all 4 joystick ports are left as inputs.

 

I don't know that I've ever tried the 1200XL OS, but it will switch ports 3 and 4 to outputs, at least. I can't imagine that it will recognize the OPTION key...

 

The LEDs? They work - do you mean with the F1-F4 keys? They work just like the 1200XL OS.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

All the functions that you listed work on the 800XL OS. The HELP keyboard diagnostics show a 1200XL keyboard layout and detects the F1-F4 keypresses. Even the 600XL/800XLs have this layout, even though they do not have the F1-F4 keys.

 

I don't know what they took out of the 1200XL OS in order to add in the PBI code.

 

Bob

 

 

Bob,

One more question to clarify. Do the L1 and L2 LEDS turn ON/OFF using the 600/800XL OS? Wow I've had an 800XL for years and never noticed the 1200XL layout. I guess I never used that function anyway. If you could please verify the LED (L1 & L2) operation with the 800XL OS, I'm sold. Also, if I ran the REV 11 1200XL OS with internal BASIC and the 800XL MMU, would internal BASIC work running Rev 11 OS? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I'm an engineer, it's what I do!

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Hello guys

 

I may remember incorrectly, but I seem to remember that the F1-F4 key functions were taken out when the 128kB memory test was included in the OS. That would mean that all XEGS's and the last XE's that were built don't have F1-F4 key functions.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

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This thread got me to thinking what did Atari remove from the 16K 1200XL ROM OS to make room for the 600/800XL PBI? If it wasn't the F1-F4 functionallity, maybe it was the one thing that's obviously missing from the REV 10/11 1200XL OS, the rainbow ATARI graphic at boot up (no cartridge). Make sense? Can anyone confirm my theory?

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The rainbow definately isn't there - but I don't think it took up a great amount of space to begin with.

 

I don't have the time now, but there are spare (00) bytes just under $CC00 in all the factory OS versions - different amount per revision could give some clues to what the space increase was.

 

Not sure about the F-key processing in XEGS - the funny thing about that is that since it changes PORTB (LEDs on 1200XE), F-keys added to a 130XE or >64K RAM-expanded other machine could produce system instability.

 

You'd really think that since they did all the cleanup effort they would have just dispensed with that bit of code - might only save a few dozen bytes but every bit helps. Although on the other hand, it'd change set locations of other stuff so maybe that's why they kept it.

Edited by Rybags
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You'd really think that since they did all the cleanup effort they would have just dispensed with that bit of code - might only save a few dozen bytes but every bit helps. Although on the other hand, it'd change set locations of other stuff so maybe that's why they kept it.

 

They got burned on the XL OS. It wasn't that they made the OS incompatible, it's just that they set up the proper ways to do things, and people skipped those to just jump to random pieces of the OS ROM that happened to work. Then, everyone blamed Atari when the "dirty hack" software broke on the 1200xl. The rainbow display wouldn't really be something useful to call, but maybe they figured the parts to toggle keyboard and/or screen might have been used by someone, so left them in.

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My guess is that Atari left the F1-F4 functionality because of the 1450XL and XLD that shows up in the 1983 catalog. Atari still planned on releasing the 1450XL when the 600/800XL came out, so they were probably thinking they could save money with one OS to maintain. It's all starting to make sense now. Again, my theory. Too bad Warner management was clueless on marketing the 1200XL as it was in my opinion the best home computer available in 1982/3. I guess bad 2600 decisions killed the 8-bit line in 1983/4.

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Reasonable theory.

And knowing Atari, they probably committed to a 500,000 production run of ROMs before the 800XL came to market, so there was no turning back when the 1400s were axed.

 

Some of the code is still relevant - for what it's worth, software can disable the keyboard and turn keyclick on/off by storing to the relavant variables.

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Heh.

 

ALL XL/XE ROMs have the code for the F-Keys.

 

I use the XEGS OS in my 1200XL OS ugrades all the time (ripped directly from an XEGS ROM) and the F-keys work fine.

 

Theres no extra circuitry for the F-keys they are simply hooked to places on the key matrix that are not used by the machines that dont have them.

 

The LEDs shouldnt cause a problem, but they will probably quit working or do wierd stuff if you ever add a PORTB banked memory upgrade.

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The Fx keys all work just fine.

 

OS: Step 5: you want only jumpers 11, 12, and 13. (not 9)

It does work with 9, 11, and 12. (or at least I dont recall ever having a problem) And that's also what you wrote in your original article.

 

http://www.retrobits.net/atari/pbi.shtml

 

 

BASIC: Step 3: use a 27C128 EPROM and eliminate this step. (also, step 6)

Step 7: Duplicate the ROM data into the high addresses (copy the lower 8K into the upper 8K) and burn a 27C128.

 

U14 pin 18 should go thru a 3K (1/4 watt) resistor to +5v. (from pin 18 to pin 20 on U14)

 

This should work OK... I have a setup like this, only with the ED/ASM cart internal.

 

Bob

 

 

The instructions I wrote for the BASIC EPROM work fine as-is. I've used them many times, as have others with no problems.. Its only 2 wires, and its the cleanest way to do it, when it's all said & done.

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  • 2 months later...

Hmmm.... well it's all moot anyway since I no longer have the 1200XL OS ROMs in the machine and I spent minimal time using the 1200XL OS before removing it (and thus had no clue that the self test was present). I suspect I phrased the original query badly. What I was really asking is if there's a version of the XL OS hacked to display the 1200XL logo when there's no cart present, regardless of where the Atari Logo code might actually reside. I just thought it would be kinda cool, especially on a VBXE equipped 1200XL.

 

Blog updated with PBI connector... looks pretty neat. ;)

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