1088XEL Atari ITX Motherboard DIY Builders Thread

[+Firedawg]

This thread has been created for the brave who are embarking on this 1088XEL project alone. This is a place to share your updates, questions, and issues during the course of your journey. Some have already started as others will begin later. Please share what you have done, and anything else that can be of value to everyone completing this board.

 

I have my boards from McRorie, my BOM components from Digi-Key (1 item on Back-Order), UAV Rev D from Bryan, Sophia Board (requires updating, U1MB board (Candle version), which requires an update from v1 to v2. I will be also completing several XEL-CF-][ and JOY2PIC-STIK as well. I will provide updates on those builds too.

 

I will be using a Xytronic 137ESD Solder Station. For the solder I'm using .015 diameter low residue flux core solder with 2.2% flux. It is great to solder with especial with small boards and tight areas where a flux mess is not appreciated.

 

Below, I have soldered the 24 CAP 0.1UF (digi-key 399-9870-1-ND). More to come.....

 

 

Special Thanks to Michael St. Pierre (mytekcontrols) for which none of this would have been possible!!!

[+mytek]

Good luck on your great adventure, and thanks for starting this thread .

 

- Michael

[+Stephen]

Good luck - I hope your board powers up 1st try!

[+mytek]

1088XEL Joystick Connection Cables

 

Just a piece of advice that I learned the hard way, be very careful on buying any pre-made 10-pin dual row header -to- DB9 cables for plugging in joysticks or paddles. There is a type of cable readily available for purchase online generally referenced as a Serial Adapter Cable. It looks right from the outside, but my experience has shown that it simply will not work. Problem is that on the DB9 end they soldered the ribbon wires so that pin-1 on the DB9 goes to pin-1 on header, and so forth with all of the numbers matching. Sounds good at first, but in practice not so good. With a cable that utilizes IDC crimp connectors on both ends an entirely different pin-out results due to the odd/even numbering of the 10-pin header.

 

Pin-out comparison for Serial vs proper Joystick cable

 

 

Serial Adapter Cable (No Good for 1088XEL Joystick Connection)

 

 

Proper 1088XEL Joystick Connection Cable (notice the differences in the DB9 connector - it's a crimp style)

- Michael

[flashjazzcat]

Please share what you have done, and anything else that can be of value to everyone completing this board.

Playlist covering assembly from start to finish with time-stamps so you can jump directly to the point of interest:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyxuDxJcCiU&list=PL--2DV0g7FfqKLS7yScx3g1gD-wF1SEov

Edited December 6, 2017 by flashjazzcat

[+Firedawg]

Moving along slowly but surely as I have many other things requiring my time. I have found it with my stopping and starting to keep up with my progress to use Michael's PCB Layout and BOM to highlight items that I have soldered in, plus to select my next components to solder based on the preferred sequence outlined by Michael.

 

 

 

[+Firedawg]

The board completed so far with most of the Capacitors and Resistors.

 

[+DrVenkman]

Man, I can't wait to start! Still waiting on my kit from Mac - I know he is (was?) still waiting on his shipment of U1MB boards from Lotharek and is heading out of the country today for a few days, so it's great to see Firedawg's progress while I wait. Hopefully the U1MB boards will be there when he gets back and he'll start getting kits shipped out soon after.

[+orpheuswaking]

Looking great... I'm sure Michael and the beta testers will be in and out of this thread if anything goes awry or anyone has issues with their builds.

[Dropcheck]

The board completed so far with most of the Capacitors and Resistors.

 

WithResistors.jpg

 

Looking good so far.....

 

Just remember to solder in U7 before U6.

[flashjazzcat]

Just remember to solder in U7 before U6.

I did it the other way around with no issues. Did you use machine sockets for both or something?

[Dropcheck]

I did it the other way around with no issues. Did you use machine sockets for both or something?

 

It just makes good sense, going from inside outward.

 

Plus I used dual wipe sockets on both and soldered in U6 first. When I tried to solder in the U7 socket, it didn't fit so nice. I made it fit with dremel work, but you don't need the drama.

[flashjazzcat]

It just makes good sense, going from inside outward.

 

Plus I used dual wipe sockets on both and soldered in U6 first.

Ah... that explains it. I guess using dual-wipe for both may cause issues no matter which goes in first.

[+mytek]

 

It just makes good sense, going from inside outward.

 

Plus I used dual wipe sockets on both and soldered in U6 first. When I tried to solder in the U7 socket, it didn't fit so nice. I made it fit with dremel work, but you don't need the drama.

 

The BOM calls for precision to be used for all the 40 pin sockets (including U6). Dual wipes are spec'ed for everything else, with the exception of the UAV which is also precision. If you do it this way, there should be no fit problems .

[+Firedawg]

Project Update:

 

Ok, moving along nice and slow as my eyes are not what they use to be. I've completed the electrolytic capacitors, resistor network (SIP), transistors, LEDs, MosFET on this go around. I'm waiting on a few A29040BL-70F (PLCC) to program with a TL866CS for my Ultimate1MB board from Candle. I have my cable made for my USB Blaster to program the Sophia, but I guess that will have to wait because it will need power via the board to complete that task. I will have my JOY2PIC-STIK PIC Programmer completed here soon to complete the PIC programming for the 1088XEL. So, forward on.....

 

[+Firedawg]

I have finally found some more time to get some soldering done. I've decide to knock out the sockets. I would like to caution those who are doing their own to be careful when trimming the plastic center cross bars (U5 & U6) as Michael noted to use a very sharp lead trimmer if not you can crack the plastic socket as they are not forgiving. I avoided damaging any but certainly had to be careful. Another tip for those who soldering and are looking for some organization is to use the PCB Layout to place your components to be soldered in. More fun to go....

 

[+Larry]

Just curious -- what are you builders going to use for keyboards? Do you have one picked out (link)? If you are going to use a stock PC keyboard, are you going to be satisfied with the PC key layout and the "substitute" keystrokes it provides? Just personal preference, but I've never been happy with using the PC keyboard with Atari emulators. Or maybe the PC keyboard can be re-mapped somehow for this project?

 

@Michael -- how many hours do you estimate to assemble/solder the pcb?

 

-Larry

[+Firedawg]

Larry, I will start with what PS/2 keyboard and mouse that I have on hand. I would like to upgrade to a WASD keyboard with custom Atari keys when my budget permits.

 

Just to throw out my 2 cents on a soldering estimate in time to complete, I would say 3 to 4 hours based on an individuals level of soldering skill, board management, and soldering equipment. There are components that have to be modified i.e. U5-U6 40pin socket cross bar removal, U1MB headers, UAV header, among other single/double row headers that will have to be completed.

 

Mike

[+Firedawg]

Almost there! As far as the 1088XEL that is.........much more needs to be done.

• Need and have on order my PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse and S-Video/RCA stacks components.
• Need to solder in my precision socket for the crystal X1 & X2.
• Need to solder in 0.1” SIL 1-pin Male Header for SYNC.
• Need to flash update my Sophia (latest NTSC palettes) and U1MB (v1 to v2).
• Complete the build on JOY2PIC-STIK V1.1.
• Need to program TK-II (PIC16F1847), Mousetari (PIC16F1847), and Vgate (PIC12F1571). Using JOY2PIC-STIK V1.1 to complete the programming.
• Realan H80 case on order.
• Mouse Select Port boards and components ordered.
• XEL Status Panel boards and components ordered.
• Complete the build on XEL-CF-II V1.0.
• DB9s Male/Female, FC-10P , and flat ribbon cabled ordered for Joysticks and RGB/YPbPr Thru connections.
• Need to get mounting hardware (4-40 screws and nuts) to bolt down the SIO jack.
• Need to socket the remaining Integrated Circuits that are not requiring programming.

May have missed something, but it is getting done none the less.

 

[+mytek]

Nice to see your build at this stage, and looking forward to power-up

 

- Michael

[+Firedawg]

Thanks Michael. Very busy with travel, family, and holiday activities. As I outlined of above I have a lot to do. I liked your Realan case so much I decided to go that same route, but playing around with a mini-tower case down the road. Once I have my CNC machine up and operating I will work on designing some custom cases.

[+Firedawg]

Good news and not so good news. Good news is I have completed the Joy2Pic-Stiks today!!! Not so good news I attempted to do a little programming with the PIC16F1847 using the PicProg Software v1.0 on my Atari 130xe and ran into an error "address out of program memory". Tried several times achieving the same result with both my STIKs.

 

[+mytek]

Good news and not so good news. Good news is I have completed the Joy2Pic-Stiks today!!! Not so good news I attempted to do a little programming with the PIC16F1847 using the PicProg Software v1.0 on my Atari 130xe and ran into an error "address out of program memory". Tried several times achieving the same result with both my STIKs.

 

Joy2Pc-Stiks.jpg

PicProgError (1).jpg

 

Very easy fix. First of all all you are in the wrong program, or should I say using the wrong file on your Atari. The program you are in is the READHEX program in the PicProg development package, which is intended for creating flashing files from microchip hex files that are suitable for use as 'stand-alone' PIC programming files that will execute on your A8. Since I've already done that step for you, and provided those as auto loading Flashing ATR's, you don't need to be doing what you are doing.

 

So here's the JOY2PIC chip flashing procedure that should be used...

1. Unzip the latest packaged PIC firmware files: XEL_PIC_firmware_12-17-2017.zip
2. This will give you 4 folders and a readme text file.
3. Within each folder you will find an additional folder for the particular PIC chip you will be flashing (i.e., TKOS-FLASH-V2_1).
4. Inside that folder will be an ATR file (i.e., TKprog_V2_1.atr).
5. That ATR file can be auto loaded via SIO2PC, SIO2SD, ect. (if using a SIDE or U1MB, make sure that SDX is disabled when booting the ATR).
6. When auto load has completed you should see something like the following screen (press START to flash your chip).

 

I hope that gets you where you need to be .

 

- Michael

[+Firedawg]

Thanks Michael! Long weekend in Nashville and I'm still a little in the clouds;-).

[+mytek]

Thanks Michael! Long weekend in Nashville and I'm still a little in the clouds;-).

 

No problem Mike, I have lots of those days myself, and to be honest it's easy to confuse what program should be used to flash your PIC's. Now that I outlined the procedure it should make it easier for everyone else building up a 1088XEL. BTW, I just updated the V-Gate flasher yesterday, so double check that you got the latest greatest version.

 

Good luck with your flashing .