AbeOwitz Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 I've been working on this slowly over the past year or so. It's still a WIP, but mostly functional. I was jealous of the Commodore portable SX64(?) I saw at a retro computer meeting last year... This system is composed of: * A nice sturdy portable equipment case with handle. (about $80) * 130XE motherboard * Ultimate 1MB * VBXE + GBS8220 + PCB800099 + HJ0801A-01E IPS LCD * Stereo Pokey + cheap ebay amp mounted in floppy tray * Dropcheck's excellent XF551 classic board + 3.5" floppy (720k) * 12v/5v Power supply * And a PS/2 -> Pokey keyboard adapter I made from a Teensy 3.1. * Bits of aluminum bar and hardware from Home Depot to hold it all together. Still much to do. Waiting on a 5.25" panel to put my power and other buttons in. Need to properly mount the video cards you see on top. Will probably replace the floppy with SIO2SD eventually. I can always attach an external XF551 or my Happy 1050 via the SIO port in back. Actually, it's nice that the XE has the cart slot in the back, I need to cut a hole in the back panel to allow for it. Will post more detailed images later. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Pretty cool take on a portable Atari. Had they done one, it probably would have looked something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Pretty cool take on a portable Atari. Had they done one, it probably would have looked something like this. They did! http://atariage.com/forums/topic/26540-portable-xe-proto/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Of course, you have Ben Heck's 800 laptop. http://www.benheck.com/new-atari-800-laptop/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechanicjay Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Abe, I had no idea! I suspect I've seen you working on pieces of this rig with out actually knowing what the end result was going to be. Totally amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noelio Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Nice job! What kind of case is that exactly? I've been looking for something along those lines for a PC/portable server build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 (edited) Any details on the LCD display that you used? And it looks like you are utilizing one of those arcade video conversion boards to translate RGB to S-Video, presumably originating from the VBXE outputs. Is that correct? Looking good! - Michael Edited November 4, 2016 by mytekcontrols Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeOwitz Posted November 4, 2016 Author Share Posted November 4, 2016 (edited) Nice job! What kind of case is that exactly? I've been looking for something along those lines for a PC/portable server build! The case is by Schroff. Can't find the model number, nor can I find where I ordered it from... However, this looks similar. I can't guarantee it's the same... http://www.alliedelec.com/schroff-24575138/70067588/ If you need, I can give you dimensions for comparison... Also found this: http://ci-ele.en.made-in-china.com/productimage/ubFnwgCLZqRm-2f1j00OvyEYMUsEezo/China-Series-D2-Aluminum-Outdoor-Electrical-Enclosures.html Digikey has Schroff as well, but I didn't see handles and the best comparison I saw was about $200... Edited November 4, 2016 by AbeOwitz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentarian Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Abe, how does the GBS-8220 compare to your Framemeister on that size of monitor? It really does look great! I'm looking forward to more pictures. If I ever build something like this I would squeeze in a KVM and an RPi or mini-ITX to run Respeqt. If you do the SIO2SD, try a VFD display instead of LED -- that would look very sharp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeOwitz Posted November 4, 2016 Author Share Posted November 4, 2016 Any details on the LCD display that you used? And it looks like you are utilizing one of those arcade video conversion boards to translate RGB to S-Video, presumably originating from the VBXE outputs. Is that correct? Looking good! - Michael Yes, LCD is HJ0801A-01E kit with a PCB800099 as input, which I got off of Ebay. The LCD has IPS, which has a better viewing angle. Since the PCB800099 cannot go below 30khz, I have to use the GBS8220 to convert it. I am picking up a bit of noise, so I will switch to shielded wires and am considering making some shielding or getting a metal project case to put the video boards in. The noise is minor, but as an EE, I think I can do better... BTW, just ordered some of your stereo TK-II boards from Osh-Park. While I did my own PS/2 with a Teensy, I like the polish and feature set you provide. Nice job. I just got a PICKIT-3 and successfully programmed the chips. Now to get all the components together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeOwitz Posted November 4, 2016 Author Share Posted November 4, 2016 Abe, how does the GBS-8220 compare to your Framemeister on that size of monitor? It really does look great! I'm looking forward to more pictures. If I ever build something like this I would squeeze in a KVM and an RPi or mini-ITX to run Respeqt. If you do the SIO2SD, try a VFD display instead of LED -- that would look very sharp! I'd have to take a closer look and compare the two. The Framemeister did seem to have a better signal. It also outputs HDMI, which is superior to VGA. In my portable, I'm going from VBXE to GBS8220 to VGA to LVDS, so, it's not as sharp, but still 100X better than composite. OK, I will look into VFD display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 (edited) Yes, LCD is HJ0801A-01E kit with a PCB800099 as input, which I got off of Ebay. The LCD has IPS, which has a better viewing angle. Since the PCB800099 cannot go below 30khz, I have to use the GBS8220 to convert it. I am picking up a bit of noise, so I will switch to shielded wires and am considering making some shielding or getting a metal project case to put the video boards in. The noise is minor, but as an EE, I think I can do better... BTW, just ordered some of your stereo TK-II boards from Osh-Park. While I did my own PS/2 with a Teensy, I like the polish and feature set you provide. Nice job. I just got a PICKIT-3 and successfully programmed the chips. Now to get all the components together... Thanks for the LCD info, and thanks for the compliments on my latest TK-II board incarnation I hope you enjoy it. Yeah shielded cabling really should be used on all of the video lines if they are more than an inch or so long, but don't rule out the GBS220's proximity to the A8 motherboard. You might find that you really do need a grounded metal shield between them as you have suggested. So I'm actually interested in a getting high brightness 8-10" flat panel display that works well with the A8's S-Video output (preferably derived from Bryan's UAV board). Do you think the monitor you have would qualify? Or is there something better in your opinion? Project's looking nice - Michael Edited November 5, 2016 by mytekcontrols Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeOwitz Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Thanks for the LCD info, and thanks for the compliments on my latest TK-II board incarnation I hope you enjoy it. Yeah shielded cabling really should be used on all of the video lines if they are more than an inch or so long, but don't rule out the GBS220's proximity to the A8 motherboard. You might find that you really do need a grounded metal shield between them as you have suggested. So I'm actually interested in a getting a high brightness 8-10" flat panel display that works well with the A8's S-Video output (preferably derived from Bryan's UAV board). Do you think the monitor you have would qualify? Or is there something better in your opinion? Project's looking nice - Michael Michael, It's not really a monitor, but an LCD with a pre-programmed driver board. You'd have to do a lot of research to find a driver board that can take S-Video and drive the LCD you want. I used http://www.panelook.com/index.phpto cross reference LCD's on eBay to find an IPS display model in the size I wanted. And I bought the LCD with the board so I knew they would work. (A lot of those boards are pre-programmed for a small set of LCD models, though a few people have been able to hack them. http://tech.mattmillman.com/lcd/rovatools/ftdi-ft232h/ ) There are S-Video to HDMI/VGA adapters out there. I tried one last year, but they shipped me a different model than pictured, and it didn't work. (Luckily it was through Amazon, so I got my money back.) I have a Dell 2007WFPb that takes S-Video input and works with A8. Add in a matching sound bar and you're good! (I used to have a Dell 2001FP with S-Video input. Sold it to another Atari guy.) But these are bulky and heavy, not too convenient to take to a retro computer meeting. :/ -Abe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Michael, It's not really a monitor, but an LCD with a pre-programmed driver board. You'd have to do a lot of research to find a driver board that can take S-Video and drive the LCD you want. I used http://www.panelook.com/index.phpto cross reference LCD's on eBay to find an IPS display model in the size I wanted. And I bought the LCD with the board so I knew they would work. (A lot of those boards are pre-programmed for a small set of LCD models, though a few people have been able to hack them. http://tech.mattmillman.com/lcd/rovatools/ftdi-ft232h/ ) There are S-Video to HDMI/VGA adapters out there. I tried one last year, but they shipped me a different model than pictured, and it didn't work. (Luckily it was through Amazon, so I got my money back.) I have a Dell 2007WFPb that takes S-Video input and works with A8. Add in a matching sound bar and you're good! (I used to have a Dell 2001FP with S-Video input. Sold it to another Atari guy.) But these are bulky and heavy, not too convenient to take to a retro computer meeting. :/ -Abe Yeah I already have a good S-Video to HDMI up-converter (LINK) for a very reasonable price, but it doesn't always render the colors as intended when software is pulling tricks to get more colors than normal. So I have a DELL square LCD monitor that does a very reasonable job at getting things right when fed by a good S-Video signal. However just like you, I am looking to custom fab an A8 and was thinking of doing it more like an all-in-one system. So the DELL would be way too big and bulky for what I have in mind. This is where I need a naked flat screen with S-Video input to custom fit into my new case. But I already got burnt once when ordering something on-line that really had a sucky picture. So now I would like to find someone that is a bit more knowledgeable about what looks good with an A8, and get a recommendation before I buy. - Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeOwitz Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Yeah I already have a good S-Video to HDMI up-converter (LINK) for a very reasonable price, but it doesn't always render the colors as intended when software is pulling tricks to get more colors than normal. So I have a DELL square LCD monitor that does a very reasonable job at getting things right when fed by a good S-Video signal. However just like you, I am looking to custom fab an A8 and was thinking of doing it more like an all-in-one system. So the DELL would be way too big and bulky for what I have in mind. This is where I need a naked flat screen with S-Video input to custom fit into my new case. But I already got burnt once when ordering something on-line that really had a sucky picture. So now I would like to find someone that is a bit more knowledgeable about what looks good with an A8, and get a recommendation before I buy. - Michael Yeah, I lose color artifacting with VBXE as well. FWIW, since your S-Video adapter puts out HDMI, I am happy with my HJ0801A-01E + PCB800099 kit from eBay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-VGA-2AV-Rear-View-Monitors-8inch-1027-768-HJ080IA-01E-TFT-LCD-Display-/371515037326?hash=item568005968e:g:STUAAOSwSdZWeVav If only VBXE output HDMI... sigh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Yeah, I lose color artifacting with VBXE as well. FWIW, since your S-Video adapter puts out HDMI, I am happy with my HJ0801A-01E + PCB800099 kit from eBay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-VGA-2AV-Rear-View-Monitors-8inch-1027-768-HJ080IA-01E-TFT-LCD-Display-/371515037326?hash=item568005968e:g:STUAAOSwSdZWeVav If only VBXE output HDMI... sigh... Wow that's a great price and with FREE shipping even better. Hmm... I think I'll go for it. - Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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