Atari 400 Upgrade ideas

[Magic Knight]

Hi All

 

I just purchased a pal Atari 400 and am in the process of cleaning and Retr0briting the plastics. I plan to take the 16k ram and up this to 48k by the use of my trusty solering iron and some new IC's etc.

 

Im looking to see if anyone has ideas of upping the quality on this fine computer in additional ways. Ive no issues this not being to XL standard as this isnt the purpose, but to allow more flexibility and the thrill of breaking the mould so to speak!

 

My expection is that i dont want to break the integrty rules on this machine (particularly the looks) and only bend the capacities. I have listed some below which are either out for me or im pondering on.

 

* replace the membrane keyboard with a hardkey type (this changes the look quite a bit which is not my cup of tea)

* add a potentiometer to adjust the volume - easy to do, but involves a cutout for the adjustor. - on the fence whether to do so

* add capabilies for monitor output or composite - im open to this if i can have a flying connector tail instead of a fixed socket on the back (like the tv cable) - im not sure how to go about this but any links to previous threads are appreciated.

* Spray it Black - i did this on an Amiga A600 a few years back (to look like the limited singapore versions) - looked great!, but not for this machine.

 

Has anyone any suggestions which would enhance this fine machine or if anyone has done similar, then id love to hear of this!

 

 

Richard

[mimo]

48k ram, best electronics sell an original atari made upgrade, although it made the video output on 2 ofmy400s noisy

video mod (kjmann did one a while back, but I never got round to trying it)

I would remove the RF cable and route the AV cables through the existing hole.

be very very careful retrobrighting a beige case. I totally ruined a 400 case thinking I could go further.

Keep it looking original, after market keyboards,changing colour etc etc is only going to reduce value IMO

[Magic Knight]

48k ram, best electronics sell an original atari made upgrade, although it made the video output on 2 ofmy400s noisy

video mod (kjmann did one a while back, but I never got round to trying it)

I would remove the RF cable and route the AV cables through the existing hole.

be very very careful retrobrighting a beige case. I totally ruined a 400 case thinking I could go further.

Keep it looking original, after market keyboards,changing colour etc etc is only going to reduce value IMO

 

Thanks for the good info mimo

 

The beige case - i will tread carefully. As there are copious debates on the chemical % levels of peroxide and UV strengths- i will keep this in the lower strengths listed so i can monitor this with some control. Ive got some high res pics of the original shades which i will use as a guide.

I will also check the costs vs upgrading the ram - as if im likely have to play around to reduce noise on a bought ones then i may well perhaps upgrade the existing board. but pre-bought is attractive, so im tempted...

[mimo]

You could also run the case through a dishwasher. Avoiding the drying cycle. I have had great results doing this. One 800 and an xe did not need retrobrighting after a good deep clean.

There is also a cd4050 based video mod called "little brother grows up " floating around the tinterwebs, but there is also an eratta that you need to find as there were a couple of errors printed in the original (Antic?) Instructions.

 

Post pictures and a story when you are done.

Edited December 2, 2012 by mimo

[Magic Knight]

You could also run the case through a dishwasher. Avoiding the drying cycle. I have had great results doing this. One 800 and an xe did not need retrobrighting after a good deep clean.

There is also a cd4050 based video mod called "little brother grows up " floating around the tinterwebs, but there is also an eratta that you need to find as there were a couple of errors printed in the original (Antic?) Instructions.

 

Post pictures and a story when you are done.

 

Thanks again , i dishwashed the unit last night and the plastic had that great squeaky effect you get. As the unit is still in need of a retrobrite lighten, i plan to do this next weekend so i can be at home to monitor this.

Ive removed the endless grime from the membrane, and will airdust the pcb's and polish the faraday case/joystick frame also this week.

 

I will post the highlights of the servicing when complete!

 

Im curious about what happened to your 400 case after an overdo on the retrobrite. Can you tell me what happens if its overdone? (Brittle perhaps?).

[mimo]

It has a white bloom, like a powdery effect, but it can't be cleaned off.it usually appears in patches so looks dreadful.you can't really tell that you have a problem until it is too late and you have dried off the case.

make sure that you cover the case in lots of peroxide. Don't bother with the oxy stuff.cover in shrink wrap and leave to bake. The problem of blooming occurs when the peroxide dries out, adding the oxy made problems worse. As you are probably in winter at the moment, drying out may not be too much of an issue.

[richard_g]

Interested to see how your peroxide treatment turns out as I have a couple of 800s that could do with a lift.

 

From my point of view I would stay clear of changing the keyboard or making any obvious modifications to the casework.

 

Although the membrane keyboard isn't a good typing surface, it looks great and is part of the integral design of the machine. Are you going to do any serious typing on this? 400s with keyboard mods look completely wrong to my eyes.

I'm a purist and my restorations are limited to getting the machine back to as original a condition as possible. Any mods I do make should ideally be reversible - so no cutting holes etc.

Black paint would look really nasty. It's an American 1980s machine and the taupe - warm grey not beige - original colour suits it perfectly.

[Magic Knight]

Interested to see how your peroxide treatment turns out as I have a couple of 800s that could do with a lift.

 

From my point of view I would stay clear of changing the keyboard or making any obvious modifications to the casework.

 

Although the membrane keyboard isn't a good typing surface, it looks great and is part of the integral design of the machine. Are you going to do any serious typing on this? 400s with keyboard mods look completely wrong to my eyes.

I'm a purist and my restorations are limited to getting the machine back to as original a condition as possible. Any mods I do make should ideally be reversible - so no cutting holes etc.

Black paint would look really nasty. It's an American 1980s machine and the taupe - warm grey not beige - original colour suits it perfectly.

 

I dont plan doing any programming or adventure gaming as such. Im basically collecting up early atari programs that are mostly 8k / 16k and having a 'time-capsule' area in my hobby room at home for this entry level atari. (my 800xl will do for the high end stuff).

 

Im toying with doing a complete custom version of a Atari 400 type XEG for next year but it will be entirely a 400 based unit (picture how a 400 xegs would hve looked like in 1979 to see what im thinking). I will need another 400 for that and have a few ideas to do the keyboard (like the one that came out for the 2600).

 

As for the existing 400 - i agree with you that keeping the original looks is vital to maintaining the character of the model.

[mimo]

This is a side by side comparison of two of my 400s, they were the same shade of yellow at the start http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/5223497/1024/Retr0bright/DSC05294.jpg

Here is beemers , just to prove aftermarket keyboards spoil the 400

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/138244-how-to-remove-yellowing-from-an-old-atari-case/page__st__600#entry2268393

 

Stevemoos 800

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/138244-how-to-remove-yellowing-from-an-old-atari-case/page__st__575#entry2249170

 

My STE

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/138244-how-to-remove-yellowing-from-an-old-atari-case/page__st__525#entry2021129

 

THE DREADED BLOOM

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/138244-how-to-remove-yellowing-from-an-old-atari-case/page__st__175#entry1684298

[mimo]

And a little how to that I wrote on a different forum under the name 1200xl

http://retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3298.0

[Magic Knight]

Wow - Thanks for the comparisons and guide on your other forum, looks like youve your on top of this sort of thing!

[oracle_jedi]

I added a "retrokidz" SVideo upgrade to my 400, the upgrade was originally intended for a 5200 so it needed a bit of shoe-horning to get it into the 400, but the end result was beautifully sharp and colorful video.

 

You can see the upgrade process in my gallery:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/gallery/album/535-atari-400-svideo-mod/

 

I also added the official Atari 48K upgrade board for extra RAM. I removed the original RF lead and left the membrane keyboard in place. I only use it for gaming and shows, so the keyboard makes little difference. I was lucky to get a late 1982 unit which had been well stored and did not require retro-briting.

 

I would strongly recommend the extra cooling holes as the stock 400 gets hot and adding the extra parts only adds to the heat build up.

[BillC]

I added a "retrokidz" SVideo upgrade to my 400, the upgrade was originally intended for a 5200 so it needed a bit of shoe-horning to get it into the 400, but the end result was beautifully sharp and colorful video.

 

You can see the upgrade process in my gallery:

 

http://www.atariage....400-svideo-mod/

 

I also added the official Atari 48K upgrade board for extra RAM. I removed the original RF lead and left the membrane keyboard in place. I only use it for gaming and shows, so the keyboard makes little difference. I was lucky to get a late 1982 unit which had been well stored and did not require retro-briting.

 

I would strongly recommend the extra cooling holes as the stock 400 gets hot and adding the extra parts only adds to the heat build up.

Upgrading to a memory board which uses 4164 DRAM should actually reduce the amount of cooling needed despite the higher density because they are +5V parts, the original 4116 ICs are +12V parts which I believe require more power/generate more heat.