600XL 256K Upgrade?

[+Larry]

This subject has come up several times in the past either as 256K or 130XE compatible 128K upgrade. The conversations usually turn to SRAM 512K or SIMM or such.

 

I ran into this:

 

Atari 600XL to 256K (130XE Compatible) Ram Upgrade (at BEST Electronics).

 

http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/800xl.htm

 

Have not been able to find any additional info about this upgrade on the net. The BEST info suggests it was from Jeff Popp. Anybody know anything about it? Does not sound complicated at all...

 

-Larry

[+orpheuswaking]

If it wasn't $32 I would buy it just to try out

 

[edit]

 

http://www.strotmann.de/~cas/Infothek/TwaugJanFebNineSex/twaug19.pdf

 

starts at page 18

Edited January 28, 2016 by orpheuswaking

[Rybags]

Piggy-back method. Dodgy, I wouldn't do it.

 

A way better upgrade would be the 64K in-place chip replacement then put an Ultimate 1 Meg in.

 

64K cost, next to nothing. U1Meg, probably more than double the Best one but a much more capable and reliable piece of hardware.

[+Larry]

Thanks for the link, ow. I'll check it out. Ultimate? Hadn't thought of that, but that's a BIG add-on to put in a little 600xl case. I do have a spare Ultimate unused for now, and that also would give me the swappable os and carts. Its a good suggestion.

 

Edit- I just read through that Popp mod, and I was ok with it until I hit that "cut traces" part. I have a (negative) thing about that... I was thinking that there must be a way to do it with either 44256 drams or adapt a Rambo etc. board to do the job. But it is an interesting hack.

 

-Larry

[Rybags]

Another possibility is the likes of Ram 320XL. I think you can use on a stock machine, the jumper lets you override the whole base 64K.

The downside though is you then can't have IDE +2 or other PBI type.

[+Larry]

Yes, and the Ram 320/576xl would solve that, but not ready yet.

[flashjazzcat]

Don't worry about fitting the Ultimate in the 600XL: it fits, unless there's a dual Pokey in the way.

[+Larry]

Hi Jon-

 

I looked up a couple of threads that have Ultimate-600XL installs, and looks pretty straight-forward. Probably my best route for now, and won't mung up the 600XL insides.

 

No dual pokey -- virgin machine.

 

-Larry

[flashjazzcat]

Great - good luck with it.

 

I've had numerous attempts at fitting a Lotharek or MegaHZ Stereo board in an Ultimate 600XL and they will not clear the OS ROM Harting connector. I guess you'd have to solder it direct to the motherboard, which I'm not prepared to do. Candle's stereo board is the only one which fits alongside Ultimate in a 600XL, AFAIK.

[spookt]

Hmm. Sure I have both in my 600XL. Can't remember if it's here or in storage. If it's here I'll take pictures. I do remember that it's a tight fit.

[flashjazzcat]

The back of the Lotharek Pokey board (the overhanging part) hits the front of the Harting connector in the OS ROM socket, and if you elevate the Pokey board, it snags the keyboard. Actually I should take another look at the Wolfram board since I don't think it overhangs as much (and the outputs are on the right instead of at the back).

[spookt]

Yeah my 600XL has a Wolfram stereo board.

[flashjazzcat]

Yeah my 600XL has a Wolfram stereo board.

Great - thanks. Mystery solved.

[flashjazzcat]

Yeah my 600XL has a Wolfram stereo board.

Paul: if you ever get a chance, could you post a photo of your Wolfram board in the 600XL? Since I have machine apart all over the place at the moment, I took the Mega-HZ board out of the 800XL and test fitted it in the 600XL's Pokey socket:

 

 

It still snags on the Harting connector sitting in the 600XL's OS ROM socket. I see a solution, however: there are vias for a 28-pin socket where the BASIC ROM used to be, right behind the OS ROM socket. So if I replace the old 24-pin socket with a 28-pin socket, I guess I can plug Ultimate's OS ROM adapter into that, and the Harting connector will no longer snag the Pokey board.

 

Is that the way you have things set up?

[flashjazzcat]

Found this: I'd forgotten to change the jumpers to the 2764 position. Ultimate now works off the extended BASIC socket and I have room for Stereo Pokey.

 

EDIT: Lotharek board even fits at a pinch:

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by flashjazzcat