XEGS MAXED-OUT

[Blake]

So, after getting an SIO2PC-USB, all the way from Poland, I see that Lotharek and a few other places online offer "upgrades" for 8-bit Ataris, and I'm wanting some suggestions as to what I should grab hardware-wise to max out my XEGS for ram, stereo POKEY, RTC, and whatever else? I am very good with soldering so no issues with a little internal "re-locating" of parts.

[+mytek]

Get an Ultimate 1Meg (U1MB), it'll give you lots of easily reconfigured memory, built-in SDX and R-Time 8, as well as multiple language and OS possibilities. It's kind of like a swiss army knife.

 

- Michael

[Blake]

What about the stereo POKEY, the rapidus 8-bit, and vxbe? There's also an F7 Turbo card - External, and someone here is/has made a 4MB upgrade?

[Roydea6]

What about the stereo POKEY, the rapidus 8-bit, and vxbe? There's also an F7 Turbo card - External, and someone here is/has made a 4MB upgrade?

Yes to all of this, but DO IT in small steps.. Too many upgrades and it upsets the XEGS stomach. A good S-Video mod is useful for clearer/cleaner video. The TK Pokey board by Dropcheck for an external PS keyboards is also nice to have for the XEGS + it has Pokey Stereo and connections to the U1MB memory SDX configuration.

[Blake]

rdea6, on 21 Jan 2017 - 6:59 PM, said:rdea6, on 21 Jan 2017 - 6:59 PM, said:rdea6, on 21 Jan 2017 - 6:59 PM, said:

Yes to all of this, but DO IT in small steps.. Too many upgrades and it upsets the XEGS stomach. A good S-Video mod is useful for clearer/cleaner video. The TK Pokey board by Dropcheck for an external PS keyboards is also nice to have for the XEGS + it has Pokey Stereo and connections to the U1MB memory SDX configuration.

Just checked it out. I like the idea of a combination upgrade, especially, since it requires less soldering, and that always reduces the risk of something going wrong.

 

Would the s-video mod affect the functioning of the light pen/gun at all?

 

Edit:

 

Do you know if the left and right pokeys can be programmed independantly, then the left and right combined via a Y audio adapter, so you could have 8 voices simultaneously, instead of 8 voices total?

Edited January 22, 2017 by Blake

[Roydea6]

I have not used a CRT tv for ages but the light gun light pen don't work with my LCD monitor. But I believe they will work with a CRT tv, but not sure..

[Blake]

rdea6, on 21 Jan 2017 - 10:22 PM, said:

I have not used a CRT tv for ages but the light gun light pen don't work with my LCD monitor. But I believe they will work with a CRT tv, but not sure..

I'm currently using a 27" CRT, but I'm keeping my eyes open for a monster 36", I'm guessing that it won't affect the overall size of the workable screen area much from what it is now, but it might help the accuracy a bit with the cursor being the size of the tip of my thumb!

[Kyle22]

Do you know if the left and right pokeys can be programmed independantly, then the left and right combined via a Y audio adapter, so you could have 8 voices simultaneously, instead of 8 voices total?

The whole point of stereo is that there are 2 channels (or PoKeys). If you combine them with a Y adapter, you will have mono.

 

You have 4 voices per PoKey regardless if you have them in stereo or mono connection to the speaker(s).

 

Stereo sounds better.

[vattari]

I would also check out the CPLD iPad upgrade (currently being space discussed on this forum) for RBG quality video for the A8. This would provide a feature that benefit the user each time they turn on their machine!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Blake]

Kyle22, on 21 Jan 2017 - 10:50 PM, said:

The whole point of stereo is that there are 2 channels (or PoKeys). If you combine them with a Y adapter, you will have mono.

 

You have 4 voices per PoKey regardless if you have them in stereo or mono connection to the speaker(s).

 

Stereo sounds better.

 

I agree, but I was asking because I had heard (somewhere) that the second pokey was receiving the same signals from the motherboard as the first one was, just with a slight delay, to create the illusion of stereo, by essentially creating dual mono output. Maybe I'm thinking of the NES stereo mod?

[Kyle22]

No illusions here. They are independent and there is no delay. They both receive the same signals from the board, but their registers are at different addresses.

[haightc]

I would recommend Mytek's stereo PS/2 board, dropcheck built mine but his DIY instructions are really good. I would recommend the DIY build if you think you'll deviate from the default install at all. If you do a DIY build I recommend using a slightly different socket because getting a used POKEY chip in there was a PIA for me. Also I would recommend you have a good desolidering iron, on the XEGS only one chip is socketed. So any interenal upgrade will require desoldering of chips excluding bryan's UAV upgrade where you can actually solder the board over the chip.