1088XEL Atari ITX Motherboard DIY Builders Thread

[ebiguy]

If your design is open source, someone with a 800 and electronic knowledge could do it.

[rj1307]

Remember that this is not my project, I just moved it to 1088XEL.

[koolmoecraig]

I'd pay a premium if someone was to put this together in a kit with all the components.

 

Just sayin

[esplonky]

On 10/16/2019 at 7:45 PM, esplonky said:

So I've reflowed the pins to the POKEY, SIO2PC, and RN2. Still have the same issue, however it may just need to be cleaned better.

Most of my previous issues were from bad solder joints, and some excess flux that didn't come off for whatever reason, so if that turns out to be my issue I really won't be surprised.


If I boot up without any boot interrupting settings enabled, I get the same issue. If I hold down SELECT while it boots, I get the same error message with a "[Device $00] command: $00, aux: $0000 ignored" every few clicks. It does cause some weird corruption on the U1MB Setup and other random glitches after I plug the SIO2PC in.

I tried a different cable and also my SIO2PC USB with the same results.

There was a point where the FTDI USB to Serial board had a small short which could have killed the IC on it so I'm probably going to end up replacing that soon. RN2 is seemingly fine, but from the top of the board it looks like a couple of joints need to be reflowed.

 

Also, I am borrowing my 800XL's IC's for now as I wait for the IC's I purchased to be shipped, so that means I'm using 1 POKEY. Just to be sure, the Left POKEY channel is the one with the PIC underneath, and not the Resistor Networks and Transistors, right?

 

My Issue turned out to be something of my own stupid doing. RN2 was on backwards so desoldering this, resoldering it (With a bit of a hack job) it is up and running smoothly!

 

Pictures coming soon!!!

[bfollowell]

First of all, my XEL is still having some boot issues that I haven't quite had the time to get hammered out just yet. One thing I'm curious about is the built-in SIO2PC. Is it pretty much just plug & go? Do I need to do anything other than setup RespeQt for the right COM port? RespeQt works great with my XEL with an older SIO2USB cable I made a month or so ago, and APE works fine with it using my AtariMax SIO2PC-USB interface, but I can't seem to get the built-in SIO2PC to work.

[+MacRorie]

2 minutes ago, bfollowell said:

First of all, my XEL is still having some boot issues that I haven't quite had the time to get hammered out just yet. One thing I'm curious about is the built-in SIO2PC. Is it pretty much just plug & go? Do I need to do anything other than setup RespeQt for the right COM port? RespeQt works great with my XEL with an older SIO2USB cable I made a month or so ago, and APE works fine with it using my AtariMax SIO2PC-USB interface, but I can't seem to get the built-in SIO2PC to work.

Have you set the switch on the BOB-12731 board to 3.3v?  Do you have the jumper on the 1088 m/b (J4) set to the correct handshake method? (I use DSR, but it needs to match whatever you are telling RespeQt to look for)

[bfollowell]

NO!!!

 

Now I feel really stupid!

 

I'd completely forgotten about that danged jumper. I remember making certain the switch was set to 3.3V initially, but I didn't think about the jumper again. I didn't even have a jumper on there. I jumpered CTS, made certain RespeQt was set to the correct COM port and everything worked great. Actually it felt really good to see something else work as it should. I haven't had a lot of time for troubleshooting the past couple of weeks, but since my boot up is so whacked out, and I see some occasional graphic glitches, I was thinking, "Oh great! What else have I screwed up?" It's good to know that the BOB-12731 is soldered in well.

 

One more SIO2PC question. What are the pros & cons to CTS/DTS? Is one really that much better than the other? Which one typically works better? Is it better to choose one over the other, and why?

 

Thanks.

 

I'm still half-way convinced that most of my other issues are TK-II related. I need to use my magnifying goggles and go over those solder joints really well, and check continuity from each solder point to the next component and look for shorts. Maybe I'll get a chance to tinker some this weekend.

 

Thanks again Marlin!

 

[_The Doctor__]

RI is edge triggered and half the speed of DSR/CTS    it also stands that falling edge may need to be checked

DSR is the standard line used most often in APE and RespeQT

CTS is an alternate cabling utilizing the pin for clear to send signal on some usb to sio ftdi cables and variation on old nick kennedy designs

none is just that, no control line used, no flow control used

SIO2BT is actually software flow control...

 

hope that helps

Edited April 22, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[Mr Robot]

Quick (I hope!) question about the onboard SIO2PC-USB of the 1088XEL.

 

I just got a beta Fujinet board from @mozzwald and I was having problems getting it to work with the 1088XEL. It worked fine with my 800XL. It turns out that the Sparkfun board on the 1088XEL is causing an issue when trying to load disks, there was no USB cable plugged into the Sparkfun board. I unplugged it from the PCB and all the problems went away. To further confuse things I plugged a Lotharek SIO2PC-USB into the through port of the Fujinet and it didn't cause any problems at all and then, and this is the interesting bit, I plugged the Sparkfun board back in and it wasn't causing any issues any more either.

 

I noticed that plugging the SIO2PC in causes the TX/RX lights to go out on the Sparkfun, which the Fujinet doesn't do on it's own.

 

So after all that; the question. What disables the Sparkfun board on the XEL? what signal isn't being set that should be to let that device know it's not in use?

[+DrVenkman]

2 hours ago, Mr Robot said:

So after all that; the question. What disables the Sparkfun board on the XEL? what signal isn't being set that should be to let that device know it's not in use?

Nothing disables it per se. Do you have the voltage jumper set on the Sparkfun? I seem to remember having some SIO conflicts generally with my XEL until I set it properly.

[Mr Robot]

Yes it's all been working for a long time now, I thinks its something about the Fujinet, I don't recall having problems with the SDrive-Max but I don't know SIO well enough to know what isn't happening that should. I'll be doing more extensive testing tomorrow and @mozzwald has suggested I try putting a diode here so we'll see how that goes.

 

[_The Doctor__]

just make sure that diode is one of the super low voltage drop varieties listed so many times across the threads

 

[+mytek]

And make sure the BOB-12731 has it's voltage switch set to 3.3V.

 

------------

 

This is a continuation of something that was talked about earlier today in the 1088XLD topic (I posted it here by accident, but it's still pertinent to this system as well). Essentially this is a way to translate a stock XE or XL keyboard to PS/2 in a way that the XEL or XLD can understand. The board has been designed with drop-in installation in mind for the XEGS keyboard, taking the place of it's key scanning PCB.

 

Well new plan for the Atari keyboard to PS/2 adapter board. Since the XE and the XL have radically different pin-outs for their keyboards, I've decided the best plan is to go with a larger PIC chip and have it handle all the I/O on the keyboard connector, and then via a dip switch, the PIC will reconfigure itself to match. This means that the key matrix scanning is now done entirely inside the PIC. More complicated software-wise, but much simpler hardware.

 

 

That particular PIC has the option of directly driving an LCD, which I won't need for this application. It just happens to be supported by the current software that can turn a hex file into a com file for flashing with the JOY2PIC. It's also relatively cheap at $2 or less, and it has a built-in precision oscillator that can run at 32Mhz.

 

The dip switch also has a setting for either AKI or TK, which simple means it can match up with the latest TK-II 2.5J firmware that has two different choices for how the PS/2 function keys are mapped for the HELP, Console, and Reset keys.

 

[jamm]

This is great - now I'm going to want to attach this to a PS/2 to USB keyboard adapter to put an Atari keyboard on my PC.

 

AND THEN THE CIRCLE SHALL BE COMPLETE!!

[+mytek]

Just now, jamm said:

This is great - now I'm going to want to attach this to a PS/2 to USB keyboard adapter to put an Atari keyboard on my PC.

 

AND THEN THE CIRCLE SHALL BE COMPLETE!!

Yeah the AKI configuration should work well for that under Altirra, since other than the HELP key it matches up perfectly.

 

AKI

F1  HELP

F2  Start

F3  Select

F4  Option

F5  Reset

 

[rockdoc2010]

BTW,

I thought i could use the XEGS cable for the 1200xl but the cable only has 13 conductors. The 1200xl requires 14.. Atari felt that one less conductor (actually two are not connected within the cable) would save them a buttload of money...

I am using a 15 HD d-sub cable with all conductors at bay..

I can pull +5V and ground to light up LED's but i only have 1 spare line to light up LED 2 (keyboard disabled .. OR LED 3 International Character set..

I am not sure which one is most important.

I dont know which games kill the keyboard nor do I know if the INT CHR set even matters.. I have a keen interest in ATASCHII graphics.

 

Douglas

 

[rockdoc2010]

JET BLACK SCREEN

 

I have both an XEl and an XLD and I get a jet black screen with no sound on either a Sophia-c as well as a VBXE.

Both machines.

I get Composite video as well as audio out on both machines

 

I get NOTHING on either the Sophia or the VBXE.

I would think that the DVI would work?

I have tried it on a smart TV (4k)

I have tried it on a 32" Curved Smartsync monitor

I have tried it on a smaller older LCD screen that has Component IN, HDMI IN, and SVGA/PC  IN......................

I GOT NOTHING

 

The little green LED on the VBXE board lights up.

 

I would not really think that I fucked up both machines as far as the soldering goes.

I have 3 most capable?? monitors..

 

Douglas

 

 

 

[bfollowell]

5 minutes ago, rockdoc2010 said:

JET BLACK SCREEN

 

I have both an XEl and an XLD and I get a jet black screen with no sound on either a Sophia-c as well as a VBXE.

Both machines.

I get Composite video as well as audio out on both machines

 

I get NOTHING on either the Sophia or the VBXE.

I would think that the DVI would work?

I have tried it on a smart TV (4k)

I have tried it on a 32" Curved Smartsync monitor

I have tried it on a smaller older LCD screen that has Component IN, HDMI IN, and SVGA/PC  IN......................

I GOT NOTHING

 

The little green LED on the VBXE board lights up.

 

I would not really think that I fucked up both machines as far as the soldering goes.

I have 3 most capable?? monitors..

 

Douglas

 

 

 

I can't answer for the VBXE, but as far as the Sophia goes, what resolution did you get it programmed for, and did you confirm that it would work with your displays before purchasing? I originally bought mine at 1536x960, and I've found that to be one of the most incompatible resolutions anyone can attempt. Personally, I think Simius should remove that resolution altogether. It's just an oddball. I had to get another core, and a USB Blaster, and the special cable connectors, and reprogram my Sophia for 1280x1024. From what I've read, that seems to be a very compatible resolution.

 

[rockdoc2010]

i got the 1080x1024 to start with.

I have a new 1536x960 that i have yet to install.

 

Either way i schould have got some fucked up screen to start with............

 

[rockdoc2010]

everyone has dead to nuts video and i aint got shit

 

[Dropcheck]

On 4/17/2020 at 2:40 PM, rj1307 said:

Everything I present here can be placed wherever you want, maybe someone will like it  

 

To be honest I wasn't looking anywhere, I made the project for the elements I have. But you can use a simple socket https://www.ebay.pl/itm/5pc-Industrial-Card-Edge-Slot-Socket-Connector-15x2P-30P-2-54mm-0-1-3A-240-30/140888497123?hash=item20cd9bdbe3:g:yFwAAOSw24hclGXj and connect with wires to the adapter, or buy angled https://www.ebay.pl/itm/10x-Industrial-Card-Edge-Slot-Socket-Connector-31x2P-62P-2-54mm-0-1-Right-Angle/130970285291 and cut to width.

 

Tomorrow I will try to present the first of the modules using this adapter.

Here's another option.  Might be easier, but not sure of the footprint pin spacing.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-Industrial-Card-Edge-Slot-Socket-Connector-15x2P-30P-2-54mm-0-1-Right-Angle/131372011109?hash=item1e9661ce65:g:gWkAAOSwofxUiw1l

 

Also could be an issue with height on the cartridge.  It looks like the CDTV version has much longer pins.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Dropcheck
added info

[rockdoc2010]

i will look at that. but to fuck up on an xel as well as an xld?

 its not in the cards..

its not a solder issue!

 

it is a 15 khz monitor issue

 

 

I an not gonna spend 250$ for a SC`1224 monitor

EVER!

 

 

Douglas

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by rockdoc2010

[bfollowell]

9 hours ago, rockdoc2010 said:

i will look at that. but to fuck up on an xel as well as an xld?

 its not in the cards..

its not a solder issue!

 

it is a 15 khz monitor issue

 

 

I an not gonna spend 250$ for a SC`1224 monitor

EVER!

 

 

Douglas

 

 

DVI output isn't a 15kHz signal, it's a pure digital signal, so that has absolutely nothing to do with your Sophia. My Sophia displays on displays that are definitely not 15kHz compatible. Also, did you not install a UAV for basic composite or S-Video output? If you have a TV that still has a composite input, you should be seeing something there, and that has nothing whatsoever to do with a 15kHz signal. It sounds like there is just a problem with something in your video circuitry. Or it could be in the processor or memory and your XEL/XLD just isn't making it far enough through the boot sequence to have any video to show. Also, your logic that you should just have some screwed up video to see something isn't sound, at least in reference to the Sophia. When I had my 1536x960 Sophia, I got nothing but a black screen and the display would say no video signal. Until I reprogrammed mine, I had no idea if the card was good or what. I didn't get any screwed up video. I got absolutely nothing. The signal wasn't compatible with any of the ten displays I tried it on, so they didn't know what to do with the signal, so they didn't try to do anything.

 

Do you get any lights on your keyboard when you boot up? From what I was told, and what I've seen with mine, one of the very first thing the system does is initialize the keyboard. A second or two after powering on, you should see the caps lock/num lock, scroll lock lights flash. If you're not seeing that, your system isn't making it very far into the boot process and it likely has nothing at all to do with the video portion of the circuit.

 

My XEL is still booting weirdly and having some occasional graphic issues and I haven't had the time to troubleshoot much yet, but the first few times I tried to boot, I got absolutely nothing. I kept going over the board and I'd find something, fix it, then things would proceed a little further. The three issues I found initially were all solder issues. If your issues are solder related, there's every reason to suspect that you'd have similar problems with your XEL and your XLD. You soldered them both, right? Two of my issues were really questionable as well. The solder joints didn't look all that bad under a magnifier, just a little questionable. I'd reflow the solder though, and then sure enough, my XEL would boot a little further, or a little better. You may be great at soldering, and your issue may have absolutely nothing to do with soldering, but there's a good chance that it does. Those seem to be the most common issues that we builders have. They're definitely the low hanging fruit, so to speak.

 

Good luck.

 

[+mytek]

You really have to read between the lines to make any sense out of what was recently posted. So apparently both the XEL and the XLD have video out of the UAV, and both systems are working correctly in the stock configurations. The problems are with the 15Khz RGB  coming out of the VBXE and the digital video out of the Sophia DVI, both apparently rendering a black screen.

 

As to what an XEGS keyboard cable with a 1200XL has do with anything, is anyone's guess.

 

[Mr Robot]

On 4/29/2020 at 2:51 AM, rockdoc2010 said:

JET BLACK SCREEN

 

I have both an XEl and an XLD and I get a jet black screen with no sound on either a Sophia-c as well as a VBXE.

Both machines.

I get Composite video as well as audio out on both machines

 

I get NOTHING on either the Sophia or the VBXE.

I would think that the DVI would work?

I have tried it on a smart TV (4k)

I have tried it on a 32" Curved Smartsync monitor

I have tried it on a smaller older LCD screen that has Component IN, HDMI IN, and SVGA/PC  IN......................

I GOT NOTHING

 

The little green LED on the VBXE board lights up.

 

I would not really think that I fucked up both machines as far as the soldering goes.

I have 3 most capable?? monitors..

 

Douglas

 

 

 

It sounds like display compatibility issues to me. The Sophia DVI is tuned to a specific resolution that maybe your screens don't support, you might need to get a different firmware for it, check your displays' capabilities and which firmware you have installed.

 

The VBXE outputs 15Khz and most monitors nowadays can't handle that, get one of these https://www.amazon.com/s?k=GBS+8200 (don't forget the cables!) that will give you a 'regular' VGA display and allow you to verify that you are actually getting output from the VBXE.