The UAV Rev. D Video Upgrade Thread

[Brian W.]

Hi folks, glad I found this thread.

 

I bought the UAV upgrade a couple of weeks ago for my beloved 800XL. I wasn't expecting any issues when installing it but, alas, issues have arisen and I can use some help figuring out WTF happened. The Atari was running fine before attempting this upgrade. After installation, I turned on the computer and got very badly distorted video. I can't even describe what it looked like, just a jumbled mess. I turned off the computer, reseated just the UAV board, and turned on the computer again. This time the computer didn't even turn on. No power light, nothing.

 

I turned everything off and pulled out the multimeter. I confirmed that all of the connections are solid and there's no shorts or cross-connections happening.

 

I was randomly turning the computer off and on at various times and at one time the computer DID turn on (power light came on) but there was no video. I turned the computer off, then on again, and again had no power.

 

One thing of potential interest/consequence: My 800XL has several mods already installed including a RAMBO XL 256KB upgrade, F1-F4 function keys, and a "cold boot" reset button (so I can cold boot my computer without losing my RAM disk). I don't know if the UAV has an issue with any/all of these.

 

Here's a photo album showing my computer: https://imgur.com/a/eXqUDEP

 

Any ideas where I might have gone wrong?

[Brian W.]

I noticed something that looks off. I'm traveling now, but can look for an image from my install to share with a note later tonight or tomorrow.

[vattari]

 

+1. Same here with my Atari 400. I can't see how can I connect anything with just one image showing what it can be the first step?

It might be worth checking this video out:

https://youtu.be/JG_9W-LzWXc

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BazWhite]

Atari 400 XL – Update and Sound Question

 

Hi Guys

 

I never owned an Atari when I was younger but always coveted a friend of mine’s unit.

So, when I has the chance to buy an Atari 400 for not too much – I jumped at it.

So – Please excuse me for being ignorant of things Atari here…

 

I tried to get an RF picture on the unit when I bought it and could not – I could hear the unit clicking when pressing keys – so I surmised that it was working.

 

I watched the you tube video from “Perifractic's Retro Recipes”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG_9W-LzWXc&feature=youtu.be

 

And so I purchased one of the AV mod units from the Brewing Academy – This arrived and I today looked into getting this fitted.

 

If you have a 400 XL, this ‘might’ be of help - Here’s what I did:

 

• Open the unit & disassemble – be careful not to snap the little tag at the bottom of the keyboard. Remove the power board, metal casing and take the RAM & processor boards from the main board.

So you now just have the main board

• Set the jumpers on the AV mod board to the 400 XL positions (see instructions)

• Take a piece of link wire - around 3 inches in length. Strip a few mm off each end to expose some wire. Solder one end of the link wire to the ‘inside’ leg of capacitor C187

• Remove the chip marked “TC4050BP” and put the new Video mod board into the socket.

 

• Put the other end of the link wire into the green connector – the outside terminal

 

• Then take a single phono wire – about 1 / 2 meters of cable and strip the ends to expose:
  • The outer shielding – Put into the ‘Ground’ terminal – The inside terminal
  • The centre Core – put into the ‘Composite’ terminal – The next one in

• Remove the RF lead from the case of the machine and put to one side.

• Then reassemble and the machine, finding a suitable path out of the metal casing and out of the back.

 

• This should give you perfect AV composite signal from your 400 – It did for me anyway..!

 

Now here’s my ignorance and the subsequent question…

 

Ignorant bit – I saw the speaker when disassembling the unit. I thought...

‘Ah, it’s like the BBC Micro and early spectrum. All sound output must come through this on-board speaker”

 

Never having owned one – I did not know. But I don’t this is the case as when playing Star Raiders it’s in silence.

 

I re-watched Perifractic's video and I then saw he had an additional AC Sound mod board that he purchased from Brian here an AtariAge.

 

I checked the packaging and I don’t seem to have been sent this board.

 

Here’s the question(s):

 

Do I need this AC Sound mod board?

Is all of the above all correct? My fitting and assumptions??

If so – Can I get one??

 

I’ve checked the brewing academy website an cannot see one

 

Is it the Audio Companion board that i need that is here:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260267-the-uav-rev-d-video-upgrade-thread/page-20?do=findComment&comment=3851659

 

Please advise me

 

Thanks

 

Baz

 

 

PS – Does anyone have a 6 Volt power supply for an Atari 410 Program Recorder (tape deck)

(I'm in the UK)

Edited April 14, 2019 by BazWhite

[Retrofan_AKReal]

• "Remove the chip marked “TC4050BP” and put the new Video mod board into the socket."

Well, my UAV board doesn't have any pins to insert it into that socket. I would like to have a link to order them somewhere like Ebay, please.

 

Thanks @BazWhite. And I also would like to get an Audio Companion board.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Retrofan_AKReal

[+DrVenkman]

 

• "Remove the chip marked “TC4050BP” and put the new Video mod board into the socket."

Well, my UAV board doesn't have any pins to insert it into that socket. I would like to have a link to order them somewhere like Ebay, please.

 

 

Where did you get it? If you bought a bare board (not a kit and not an assembled unit), that's the problem. You need male SIP header pins. Cheap as dirt. Can't recall the exact spacing but surely somewhere in this 38 page thread it's mentioned. Cut to length and solder in one strip for each row of pins that insert into the 4050 socket.

 

But if you don't have the socket pins, do you have the other male headers necessary for the configuration jumpers? And are you soldering the video outputs directly to the board or using a terminal block?

[Retrofan_AKReal]

 

Where did you get it? If you bought a bare board (not a kit and not an assembled unit), that's the problem. You need male SIP header pins. Cheap as dirt. Can't recall the exact spacing but surely somewhere in this 38 page thread it's mentioned. Cut to length and solder in one strip for each row of pins that insert into the 4050 socket.

 

But if you don't have the socket pins, do you have the other male headers necessary for the configuration jumpers? And are you soldering the video outputs directly to the board or using a terminal block?

Ups. Yep, I don't see how I ordered this bare board. I'll have no problem to solder the cables directly to the board, but I'll have to buy those pins and the jumpers.

Edited April 15, 2019 by Retrofan_AKReal

[SlagOMatic]

I noticed something that looks off. I'm traveling now, but can look for an image from my install to share with a note later tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[curtludwig]

A user on Reddit directed me to this: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/270354-the-uav-blog-install-uav-ac-in-the-400/?hl=uav+400

which describes the 400 upgrade process pretty well.

 

I also ordered a composite video adapter from Tynemouth software. Now I'm debating if I should use both, use the composite adapter for my output and this to clean things up. I think I'll try the composite adapter first and see what it looks like, this board might get to live in my 130XE instead.

[bfollowell]

It's kind of daunting reading through a 38 page thread when you need a question answered. I'm hoping someone can save me some time.

 

What I'm wanting to know is, what is the output of the UAV?

 

In my limited understanding, it seems that it doesn't have a new video output like the Sophia upgrade. Am I correct in saying that the UAV cleans up and improves upon the video signal, but that it still uses the standard monitor output of, say an 800XL?

 

Thanks.

[+DrVenkman]

It's kind of daunting reading through a 38 page thread when you need a question answered. I'm hoping someone can save me some time.

 

What I'm wanting to know is, what is the output of the UAV?

 

In my limited understanding, it seems that it doesn't have a new video output like the Sophia upgrade. Am I correct in saying that the UAV cleans up and improves upon the video signal, but that it still uses the standard monitor output of, say an 800XL?

 

Thanks.

The UAV replaces the existing video output circuitry of the Atari machine with a set of current-design, very clean and well-matched output components that produce a much cleaner-than-stock signal with excellent definition and retaining excellent color. The output signals are standard NTSC composite, chroma and luma. That’s it.

 

SOPHIA produces a complete second output signal, either RGB or DVI depending on which model you go with. The Atari cannot generate two independent outputs of course, but you can connect two screens to one computer, both showing the same output.

[bfollowell]

OK, that helps. Thanks.

 

Just the fact that it give the XL series chroma would help considerably.

[TheCoolDave]

Sent PM, looking for the plugin version for an Atari 5200

[+DrVenkman]

Sent PM, looking for the plugin version for an Atari 5200

Be aware that Bryan is no longer producing these boards. He’s given permission for MacRorie to produce and sell them through his website, The Brewing Academy. Scroll back through the thread a few weeks and find the link.

[+DrVenkman]

OK, that helps. Thanks.

 

Just the fact that it give the XL series chroma would help considerably.

You can add the chroma signal with just a simple wire. That said, the UAV has a much cleaner and precise signal than that produced by the stock XL video circuit. If you do a search for Bryan’s first public thread about the UAV design he posts images, scope traces, etc showing what’s wrong with the Atari video signal and how the UAV design improves on it.

[bfollowell]

I have an 800XL that has socketed main chips, but the 4050 isn't one of them, so I'll need to desolder the 4050 and solder in a socket. I also have the lower, wedge shaped RF shield rather than the higher one, so I have some modifications to make to that if I decide to keep the shield. I may decide to get rid of it altogether. As far as the desoldering goes, how robust are the traces on a typical 800XL board? I'm more concerned about my desoldering skills than I am my soldering skills. I have a basic 5 to 40W Weller soldering station and, while I was pretty good at soldering years ago, flying a desk for the past twenty years and sending others out to work has probably let my skills atrophy a bit. I plan to be extra careful with my old 8-bit, but I'd like to know up front if the traces are more robust or if I need to be even more careful or if I should invest in better equipment.

 

Thanks.

[+MacRorie]

Ups. Yep, I don't see how I ordered this bare board. I'll have no problem to solder the cables directly to the board, but I'll have to buy those pins and the jumpers.

Send me an email. If you bought the bare board, I will be happy to send you all the parts for the difference between the two.

[+MacRorie]

Atari 400 XL – Update and Sound Question

 

Hi Guys

 

I never owned an Atari when I was younger but always coveted a friend of mine’s unit.

So, when I has the chance to buy an Atari 400 for not too much – I jumped at it.

So – Please excuse me for being ignorant of things Atari here…

 

I tried to get an RF picture on the unit when I bought it and could not – I could hear the unit clicking when pressing keys – so I surmised that it was working.

 

I watched the you tube video from “Perifractic's Retro Recipes”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG_9W-LzWXc&feature=youtu.be

 

And so I purchased one of the AV mod units from the Brewing Academy – This arrived and I today looked into getting this fitted.

 

If you have a 400 XL, this ‘might’ be of help - Here’s what I did:

 

 

• Open the unit & disassemble – be careful not to snap the little tag at the bottom of the keyboard. Remove the power board, metal casing and take the RAM & processor boards from the main board.

So you now just have the main board

 

• Set the jumpers on the AV mod board to the 400 XL positions (see instructions)

• Take a piece of link wire - around 3 inches in length. Strip a few mm off each end to expose some wire. Solder one end of the link wire to the ‘inside’ leg of capacitor C187

• Remove the chip marked “TC4050BP” and put the new Video mod board into the socket.

• Put the other end of the link wire into the green connector – the outside terminal

• Then take a single phono wire – about 1 / 2 meters of cable and strip the ends to expose:

• The outer shielding – Put into the ‘Ground’ terminal – The inside terminal
• The centre Core – put into the ‘Composite’ terminal – The next one in

 

• Remove the RF lead from the case of the machine and put to one side.

• Then reassemble and the machine, finding a suitable path out of the metal casing and out of the back.

• This should give you perfect AV composite signal from your 400 – It did for me anyway..!

Now here’s my ignorance and the subsequent question…

 

Ignorant bit – I saw the speaker when disassembling the unit. I thought...

‘Ah, it’s like the BBC Micro and early spectrum. All sound output must come through this on-board speaker”

 

Never having owned one – I did not know. But I don’t this is the case as when playing Star Raiders it’s in silence.

 

I re-watched Perifractic's video and I then saw he had an additional AC Sound mod board that he purchased from Brian here an AtariAge.

 

I checked the packaging and I don’t seem to have been sent this board.

 

Here’s the question(s):

 

Do I need this AC Sound mod board?

Is all of the above all correct? My fitting and assumptions??

If so – Can I get one??

 

I’ve checked the brewing academy website an cannot see one

 

Is it the Audio Companion board that i need that is here:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260267-the-uav-rev-d-video-upgrade-thread/page-20?do=findComment&comment=3851659

 

Please advise me

 

Thanks

 

Baz

The Audio board is a completely different upgrade that Bryan made. I have reached out to him about it. Will keep you informed.

 

I would like to include this write up in the manual that gets sent out, if that is okay.

[+MacRorie]

It's kind of daunting reading through a 38 page thread when you need a question answered. I'm hoping someone can save me some time.

 

What I'm wanting to know is, what is the output of the UAV?

 

In my limited understanding, it seems that it doesn't have a new video output like the Sophia upgrade. Am I correct in saying that the UAV cleans up and improves upon the video signal, but that it still uses the standard monitor output of, say an 800XL?

 

Thanks.

Indeed. It was also rather daunting trying to condense TWO 38 page threads into a barely usable manual, so I feel your frustration.

 

Remember folks, the manual that gets sent is REALLY version 1 manual. It gets updated all the time based on feedback, but only if I get your feedback. If you post here, I will try to catch them, but if it is really significant, send me an email! (Please?

 

Thanks!

[+MacRorie]

Sent PM, looking for the plugin version for an Atari 5200

Did you send a message to me?

 

Either that or: https://www.thebrewingacademy.com/

[BazWhite]

The Audio board is a completely different upgrade that Bryan made. I have reached out to him about it. Will keep you informed.

 

I would like to include this write up in the manual that gets sent out, if that is okay.

 

Fine with me - i hope it will help someone

 

Yeah - I have good composite pic now - just need the AC Audeo board

 

email me if you mange to source this - make sense to me if you can get this from Bryan. Audio & Video :-)

 

All the best

 

Baz

[SlagOMatic]

Hi again. Does anyone know what the return policy is at The Brewing Academy? I bought a UAV upgrade a couple of weeks ago, installed it (correctly, AFAIK) a week ago, had problems, posted about it here, but have gotten zero help. I contacted The Brewing Academy through their contact form, got a reply saying one of the URLs I provided didn't work (their form processor turns everything into lower case which breaks some URLs), then nothing. So, I have an upgrade which doesn't work and has no support channel. At this point I'm content to remove it from my Atari and return it for a refund.

[SlagOMatic]

Okay, well, since there doesn't appear to be any venues for support for this product, I've just used the contact form on their web site to ask about a refund. Hopefully they'll understand and accept the return request and I won't need to get the bank involved.

 

It's a shame; I had such high hopes for this upgrade.

[+DrVenkman]

Okay, well, since there doesn't appear to be any venues for support for this product, I've just used the contact form on their web site to ask about a refund. Hopefully they'll understand and accept the return request and I won't need to get the bank involved.

 

It's a shame; I had such high hopes for this upgrade.

 

Message MacRorie here on AtariAge. That’s his site. He’s taken over production and marketing of the UAV under license from its creator, Bryan.

 

I don’t recall seeing a post from you with pics of your installation, but there are a LOT of satisfied UAV users who’ve put them into every kind of A8 machine, 5200 and 7800 there is.

[+mytek]

Ditto on not seeing any the installation pictures so that people could be of assistance. The UAV works and will give you the best video ever (assuming a correct installation). The only other possibility for a bad picture is if there were something wrong with that particular UAV, in which case I'm pretty sure MacRorie would be willing to exchange for a new one. Have you PM'd him?

 

Talking about getting the bank involved is a bit over the top if you ask me. PM MacRorie (owner of the Brewing Academy), and you'll likely get a quick response.

 

EDIT: Found your earlier picture post here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/260267-the-uav-rev-d-video-upgrade-thread/page-37?do=findComment&comment=4256778

 

Tomorrow when I'm not on a tablet I'll study the pics you posted and see if there is anything not quite right, although doing a quick once over on my tablet I didn't see anything questionable.

Edited April 25, 2019 by mytek