Name That Module

[fibrewire]

As seen on eBay!

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 290547714630

 

What do you guys think?

[MEtalGuy66]

That looks like it could be a Corvus Integrator module..

 

I think you should bid about $800.00 on it and buy it, just in case it is..

 

If it's not, at least maybe you can trade it to someone for one (even though its probably only worth about $10.00 in reality) But hey.. That doesnt matter, does it?

[fibrewire]

That looks like it could be a Corvus Integrator module..

 

I think you should bid about $800.00 on it and buy it, just in case it is..

 

If it's not, at least maybe you can trade it to someone for one (even though its probably only worth about $10.00 in reality) But hey.. That doesnt matter, does it?

Hey sorry bro, I didn't mean to offend you. I don't mean to come off as some arrogant guy that throws money around. I try to be as informative and concise in my efforts in keeping retro computing alive with pictures, information, documentation, ebay listings, etc. If that means that I need to pay more to stimulate incentive for stuff that I want, then so be it. But as the saying goes - "No good deed goes unpunished." Truth is I'm just as money conscious as the rest of you, and I really only have time to help and be helped. I think that if I have offended one person, then that is one person too many. I just want to be as helpful as possible, so I will try my hardest to remain as professional as possible.

 

Please accept my sincerest public apology MEtalGuy66, as I never meant to offend you or anyone here @ AtariAge...

 

So what kind of ram do you think it is?

[+warerat]

Can't see enough detail in the picture for a positive identification, but likely a 32K card.

 

Certainly not a factory 16K board.

[OldAtarian]

I'm surprised no one has photographed the rare 800 add on boards for reference yet.

[OldAtarian]

That looks like it could be a Corvus Integrator module..

 

I think you should bid about $800.00 on it and buy it, just in case it is..

 

If it's not, at least maybe you can trade it to someone for one (even though its probably only worth about $10.00 in reality) But hey.. That doesnt matter, does it?

 

If it's a Corvus Integrator it's worth a lot more than $10. It's not very likely, though. It's probably just an aftermarket RAM upgrade.

[fibrewire]

The "Corvus Integrator" is nothing more than a modified personality board. Probably a lot easier to reprogram the OS ROM to boot the Corvus.

 

Thanks...

[+orpheuswaking]

Looks like the top of a Mosaic board... But without seeing the front I couldn't say for sure

[Almost Rice]

Probably an Axlon Ramcram or similar card. It is in the middle ram slot so it is probably a 32K card. I would not pay too much just because of it. Now if the last slot was populated, it may be worth checking out.

[MEtalGuy66]

That looks like it could be a Corvus Integrator module..

 

I think you should bid about $800.00 on it and buy it, just in case it is..

 

If it's not, at least maybe you can trade it to someone for one (even though its probably only worth about $10.00 in reality) But hey.. That doesnt matter, does it?

Hey sorry bro, I didn't mean to offend you. I don't mean to come off as some arrogant guy that throws money around. I try to be as informative and concise in my efforts in keeping retro computing alive with pictures, information, documentation, ebay listings, etc. If that means that I need to pay more to stimulate incentive for stuff that I want, then so be it. But as the saying goes - "No good deed goes unpunished." Truth is I'm just as money conscious as the rest of you, and I really only have time to help and be helped. I think that if I have offended one person, then that is one person too many. I just want to be as helpful as possible, so I will try my hardest to remain as professional as possible.

 

Please accept my sincerest public apology MEtalGuy66, as I never meant to offend you or anyone here @ AtariAge...

 

So what kind of ram do you think it is?

 

Really? Who did you offend?

 

Here is my most serious advice:

 

Get a more modern/capable hardisk setup for your ATARI 800, and then keep your eyes open for the corvus stuff. (you may never see one in your lifetime, but there is a miniscule chance that you could).. Then, perhapse the person who HAS that corvus setup is ready for an upgrade.. They might possibly do a trade.. This way, youve got something to use in the meantime, and also something that works (much better than the corvus, by anyone's standards except a Corvus-Freak) with the atari 800 that could form the basis of an attractive deal for that person.

 

You have to come to grips with these facts:

 

a) That atari 800 interface hardware (what you are looking for) constituted less than a fraction of 1% of Corvus's market scope and sales.

 

b) Less than a fraction of 1% of Atari 800 owners ever bought one.

 

c) The last one was sold 30+ years ago.

 

d) Anyone who could afford one back then was almost certainly not a kid at the time, and so the people who could even recognize the thing and know what it is (if they were to come across it) are "getting on in years"..

 

BELIEVE me when I tell you that you'd have had a DAMN HARD TIME finding one of these things 20 years ago.

 

Nowadayze? Heh.. Your talking about a "needle in a haystack"..

Except the Haystack burned down 20 years ago...

And since then, several tornados have come through...

And the field where the haystack was has been plowed and had crops planted on it for many seasons...

And then the farm got forclosed on and the property was sold to a developer who poured a huge concrete parking lot and put up a Walmart store..

 

I'd say that's a pretty accurate analogy of what your chances are..

 

As far as the Axlon 128k boards go, they are not nearly as rare.. I was going through some old magazines last night, and they apparently sold those for MANY years.. I saw several vendors who still advertised stock as late as 1987.. So you are talking about a good 3-4 year period when they were being advertised in major ATARI publications. Theres probably quite a few of them "floating around" I would guess..

Edited March 21, 2011 by MEtalGuy66

[+warerat]

I'm surprised no one has photographed the rare 800 add on boards for reference yet.

 

Here are my Axlon 32K and 128K boards. There are several different brands of clone 32K boards that exist. The switch on the 128K disables the memory.

 

The ROM board is the Newell Ramrod that goes in the personality module slot.

 

Also have the Bit-3 80-column card.

 

I also have a working harder-to-find Austin-Franklin 80:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/154535-austin-franklin-80-information/

[jacobus]

I have this 32K card - not sure who makes/made it (help would be appreciated) ... looks somewhat like the one pictured in the original post...

 

Edited March 22, 2011 by jacobus

[fibrewire]

There were two 32K Axlon boards, RamCram & RamPower. I wonder what the difference was? Brand name alignment?

[fibrewire]

Warerat: thanks for the picture posts, they will help to identify future boards - and the character generation of your Austin Franklin is better than anything i've ever seen!!!

[fibrewire]

Just got one of the Atari 800 hauls from ebay and this was inside. Looks to be a 32K module, is this the Mosaic 32K board?

 

EDIT: Identical to the MPC 32K board

[BillC]

I have this 32K card - not sure who makes/made it (help would be appreciated) ... looks somewhat like the one pictured in the original post...

 

A better picture of the white area on the left side with the printing/logo would help.

[OldAtarian]

I have a Mosaic 32k board but it's inside one of my 400's and it's too hard to get to to photograph. Have to completely disassemble the 400 to get at it which is something I promised myself I would never do again once the upgrade board was inside. Still, it would be nice if someone had a webpage dedicated to these upgrade boards so that when someone is selling any of them they will be easier to identify. It's too hit or miss buying every 800 or batch of boards that has one in it that you don't recognize. You end up with a lot of junk you'll never use that way.

[iratasan]

This one i recently got inside an "untested" Atari 800.... it should be a 32K Ram module by Intec Peripherals Corp.

 

It seems like it doesn't work... (if i plug it in the system hangs).

 

Any way to check what the problem is by swapping memory chips around with a CX853 original 16K card?

 

Any suggestions?

Edited March 27, 2011 by iratasan

[+orpheuswaking]

This one i recently got inside an "untested" Atari 800.... it should be a 32K Ram module by Intec Peripherals Corp.

 

It seems like it doesn't work... (if i plug it in the system hangs).

 

Any way to check what the problem is by swapping memory chips around with a CX853 original 16K card?

 

Any suggestions?

 

What slot do you have it plugged into? I think it has to be in slot 3 with a 16k in slot 2

[ClausB]

No, the Intec goes in slot 2 with 16K in slot 1.

[+orpheuswaking]

I think we are on the same page, but I always counted the OS board as slot 1... So to make it easy, OS Board, 16K, INTEC (Front to back)

 

 

[ClausB]

OK. I'm going by the slot numbering in the Hardware Manual. It calls the OS ROM slot "PERSONALITY".

[+orpheuswaking]

OK. I'm going by the slot numbering in the Hardware Manual. It calls the OS ROM slot "PERSONALITY".

 

 

Yeah, my bad... I'm not as familiar with the 800 as the other machines

[BillC]

I think we are on the same page, but I always counted the OS board as slot 1... So to make it easy, OS Board, 16K, INTEC (Front to back)

This is computers we`re talking, logically the OS board is in slot 0

[iratasan]

No, the Intec goes in slot 2 with 16K in slot 1.

 

Slot "zero" (the one closest to the keyboard) = Atari ROM

Slot one = 16K Atari

Slot two = Intec Ram upgrade

 

This way (which is the "common way") it does not work.

 

It does not the other way either...

 

Slot "zero" (the one closest to the keyboard) = Atari ROM

Slot one = Intec Ram upgrade

Slot two = 16K Atari

 

I think this 800 was a "puzzle" of dead parts...

 

The ROM PCB was defective, the 16K Ram was also defective, some chips on the motherboard were defective etc.

 

I have somehow addressed all the faults and now it works with but with just 16K of Ram

Edited March 28, 2011 by iratasan