dmlloyd Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Topic says it all. I want to replace my 600XL's 16K OS with a programmable flash device. It has to be easily removed or disabled in case I banjax it. I'd like to be able to reflash in-system. Multiple OSes is a nice-to-have, I suppose, but not really essential at all. Flashable BASIC image is also not necessary as I intend to disable the internal BASIC mechanism anyways. So, is there a common solution that folks use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+skr Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 (edited) I recommend the 32-in-1 OS: http://www.atarimax.com/warpos/documentation/ In a stock 600 XL all Chips should be socketed, so all you have to do is to remove the OS Chip, insert the 32-in-1 OS, solder three (3) cables to resistors (really simple!) and there you go. Flashing can be done using an AtariMax 8MBitFlash Cart, no need for the programmer. But with the programmer you can flash directly from the PC/MAC (using BootCamp and/or Parallels Desktop). Edited August 8, 2011 by skr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 AtariMax 32in1 or their internal IDE + OS. Although 32in1 can't and I don't think the IDE one can be flashed "in place". Maybe a 1 Megabit cart could be somehow modified to serve as an in-place flashable 8 in 1 OS. Although only 8K is visible at once which might present a problem. A method could be devised to automate the bank-switching with a combination of latched bits + high/low 8K region. But the selection would occur on the same cycle as the memory access, so mightn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sub(Function(:)) Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Topic says it all. I want to replace my 600XL's 16K OS with a programmable flash device. It has to be easily removed or disabled in case I banjax it. I'd like to be able to reflash in-system. Multiple OSes is a nice-to-have, I suppose, but not really essential at all. Flashable BASIC image is also not necessary as I intend to disable the internal BASIC mechanism anyways. So, is there a common solution that folks use? I guess this may be of interest: 32-in-1 Switchless Upgrade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+skr Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Maybe a 1 Megabit cart could be somehow modified to serve as an in-place flashable 8 in 1 OS. You need the 8MBit Flash Cart and get two Chips flashed from which you take one to replace the Chip which on the OS Board. Then you take the "old" chip, put it into the 8MBit cartridge and flash it with whatever you want. Preparation is done with a simple web interface, just go to the Atarimax board and ask for assistance. Easy. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I've heard of that method, but it's not "in place". The one I suggested would mean it's resident and can be flashed without opening the machine up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchcock4 Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 So I noticed that 16 minutes after the original post, three (count them, 3) posts came in at the same time. Shows you how dedicated the Atari 8-bitters are. -Hitchcock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+rdemming Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 What you are looking for is the Ultimate 1MB that includes in circuit flash-able OS (4 of them). And you get 1MB, SDX and RTC as bonus Unfortunately, the pre-order is already long over so I doubt there is still one available Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I can also recommend the 32-in-1 OS. It may be a tiny bit overkill, but the ease of use and interface is great. An added bonus is the ability to do a cold reset via SELECT+RESET. Really saves wear on the power switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphasys Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 As far as I know, FLASH-ROM is a bloody pain, and doing so on an OS basis will be more so. There are basically 3 types of OS-es. XL, 800, custom. Even if you ever need more than 3 of them, just burn them into an eprom and hook it up and be glad. Before my system got fried, I had 10 OS chips inside my bitbucket, but I actually never used most of them. If you are trying to develop new OS-es, it may come in handy, but then again, Altirra can do the job of testing your new OS stuff, and you can eventually burn it into an eprom, once it's past the "crash and redo" stages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bob1200xl Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I agree - somewhat... Battery backed-up SRAM is probably the best and easiest programmable storage for this purpose. It's not as 'neat' as Flash, but it needs no complicated s/w to load - you just write. It's the same as pushing the OS into RAM under the OS ROM, only it is non-volatile and you still have the RAM under the OS for whatever. I was aprehensive about data integrity at first, but I've had no problems with code stored in one for more than 10 years. (well, I changed the battery...) You do need to write-protect it, however. Bob As far as I know, FLASH-ROM is a bloody pain, and doing so on an OS basis will be more so. There are basically 3 types of OS-es. XL, 800, custom. Even if you ever need more than 3 of them, just burn them into an eprom and hook it up and be glad. Before my system got fried, I had 10 OS chips inside my bitbucket, but I actually never used most of them. If you are trying to develop new OS-es, it may come in handy, but then again, Altirra can do the job of testing your new OS stuff, and you can eventually burn it into an eprom, once it's past the "crash and redo" stages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sub(Function(:)) Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) I was thinking about this last night and remembered there is also this product Wice M4. I think it has been mentioned before.I think by "compact" in the description they mean it is smaller than other eprom emulators, it looks a bit tall to me Downsides are: 1) the cost 2) you won't be able to get the case of your atari back together when connected. BTW this is like Bob's idea of having an SRAM based OS solution just a more generic product, you can use it on other systems if you want OK strike the above. I did a quick search on "batterybacked SRAM" and found this "http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/technologies/semiconductors/memory/battery-backed-sram/Pages/3204955-M48Z35Y-70PC1.aspx" it looks like they only cost about $8-9 and you can fit two OS images in one (32K) Edited August 10, 2011 by Sub(Function(:)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Taking it back to the 'Old School'... eBay Auction -- Item Number: 330597222005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 That SRAM looks cool. If only they provided an easy way to disable writes, it'd be a lot more instantly useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fibrewire Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 That SRAM looks cool. If only they provided an easy way to disable writes, it'd be a lot more instantly useful. SPST on 5V Nah, I dunno for a SRAM... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 That SRAM looks cool. If only they provided an easy way to disable writes, it'd be a lot more instantly useful. SPST on 5V Nah, I dunno for a SRAM... That's not a decent way to disable ANY digital device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bob1200xl Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yes - you need some foolproof write protection (boot with joystick pins active - write once lockout - etc.) and a way to switch from system RAM to SRAM. So, you need a PCB. Might as well do it all with piece parts. Might as well put the PBI code in there... And, some carts... Bob (didn't somebody do this already?) That SRAM looks cool. If only they provided an easy way to disable writes, it'd be a lot more instantly useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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