Some new (not really) hardware made by tfhh

[shoestring]

I believe he announced that he was working on a personality board for the 800. It won't be an incognito killer but knowing how good his products are, I'll definitely want one for my 800.

Edited March 19, 2019 by shoestring

[+Nezgar]

A new version of my classic SRAM memory expansion is made, the version 4.4:

 

SRAM_512kb_V4.4_Front.jpg

SRAM_512kb_V4.4_Back.jpg

This new version is smaller than the both versions before and fits now in ALL Atari XL, XE and XEGS computers - except the Atari 600XL.

 

I'm very impressed on the miniaturization you've achieved here. It looks like the socket and the header pins are the same thing? Did you find sockets that have extra long legs, avoiding the usual headers and sockets side-by-side?

 

I believe he announced that he was working on a personality board for the 800. It won't be an incognito killer but knowing how good his products are, I'll definitely want one for my 800.

I found the post: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/286654-atari-800-best-ram-options/?p=4194533

[+slx]

I believe he announced that he was working on a personality board for the 800. It won't be an incognito killer but knowing how good his products are, I'll definitely want one for my 800.

 

Wasn't that a dual PAL/NTSC CPU board, like a PAL/NTSC SCCC? Which would go nicely with an Incognito rather than replace it (and could even be made to allow a 65C816, bu maybe not with linear RAM).

 

Edit: just read the link above, so maybe my memory was wishful thinking (or an exhortation to Jürgen )

 

Jürgen, thanks for making and selling all this stuff, it's a real pity that UPU requires a small, single-person hobbyist seller from Germany to use 20 EUR parcels while Chinese companies are still able to ship 1$ parts halfway round the world without charging extra for postage.

[+tf_hh]

Hi Jurgen, Are you still working on the expanded ram for the Atari 800? :0)

 

Yes. Main schematics and outline (shape) for the new PCB is already done. But there´s something more to do until I can order the first prototype for testing. Unfortunately workload in the paid job is very high, so less time for Atari projects. And currently I´ve too much irons in the fire

[+tf_hh]

I am definitely interested in this. No need to do the old 64K upgrade first then? Very cool.

 

Yes, the special version for the 600XL has two SRAM chips onboard. And the new version is small enough, so the removal of the RF modulator is not needed anymore.

[+tf_hh]

I'm very impressed on the miniaturization you've achieved here. It looks like the socket and the header pins are the same thing? Did you find sockets that have extra long legs, avoiding the usual headers and sockets side-by-side?

 

Thanks :-)

 

No, such special sockets I never find, or they´re sold out or you´ve to buy 1000 pieces for a horrible price. The PCB´s thickness is reduced to 0.8mm instead of the usual 1.6mm and the via´s for the sockets I´ve made bigger in the Eagle library (bigger holes drilled). So any standard machine-head precision socket will fit completely through the holes and when no parts at the bottom side are placed, it fits well and strong.

[+tf_hh]

Wasn't that a dual PAL/NTSC CPU board, like a PAL/NTSC SCCC? Which would go nicely with an Incognito rather than replace it (and could even be made to allow a 65C816, bu maybe not with linear RAM).

 

Edit: just read the link above, so maybe my memory was wishful thinking (or an exhortation to Jürgen )

 

Jürgen, thanks for making and selling all this stuff, it's a real pity that UPU requires a small, single-person hobbyist seller from Germany to use 20 EUR parcels while Chinese companies are still able to ship 1$ parts halfway round the world without charging extra for postage.

 

This was another project "WIP" - the SCCC V2 with NTSC/PAL switching. This project isn´t completed due to lack of time and several improvements which costs more time than I expected. One thing is, I want it make complete solderless and without the need to drill holes for switches. Most fans of the 400 and 800 computers hates this, which I can understand absolutely.

 

So how to switch the mode without switches? I´ve make a very very small PCB which fits under the POKEY. This one has a little ATTINY microprocessor, decoding the keyboard parallel to the POKEY and enables "switches" by special keystrokes. And, this little PCB makes also the audio connection to the new SCCC V2 card. So you don´t need so solder any wire, if you can acept not having the SIO input sound at the SCCC´s output. This affects ONLY tapes which are playing music or speech during loading from the recorder. If you want it, then only one single wire must soldered. Currently I´m struggling with the coding of the keyboard matrix decoder for the ATTINY.

 

Such "extra" projects, regarding the small free time, forces projects like this to be delayed month by month...

 

Thanks for the kind words

[+Nezgar]

No, such special sockets I never find, or they´re sold out or you´ve to buy 1000 pieces for a horrible price. The PCB´s thickness is reduced to 0.8mm instead of the usual 1.6mm and the via´s for the sockets I´ve made bigger in the Eagle library (bigger holes drilled). So any standard machine-head precision socket will fit completely through the holes and when no parts at the bottom side are placed, it fits well and strong.

 

Ahh, I get it now! Yes I see they are the normal length pins from the precision socket on top. That's a great idea, never seen that before, it is a great innovation I hope we see on other socket plug PCB's, by others too.

[+tf_hh]

Ahh, I get it now! Yes I see they are the normal length pins from the precision socket on top. That's a great idea, never seen that before, it is a great innovation I hope we see on other socket plug PCB's, by others too.

 

Na, I don´t want to adorn myself with borrowed plumes... this way is already done by the VBXE adapter (XL) PCB or Sophia, for example

[Bikerbob]

Uh uh, it's something else...

 

Everyone's given up waiting for incognito 2 to appear btw...

 

yeah.. seems like it, that sucks.. there seemed like a tonn of excitement around it. I am glad I managed to get one when I did.. When they announced the 2 .. I thought.. damm here I went out on a limb to get this.. now it seems I was super lucky.

 

James

[+slx]

 

This was another project "WIP" - the SCCC V2 with NTSC/PAL switching. This project isn´t completed due to lack of time and several improvements which costs more time than I expected. One thing is, I want it make complete solderless and without the need to drill holes for switches. Most fans of the 400 and 800 computers hates this, which I can understand absolutely.

 

 

Jürgen, you are certainly complicit in inflating 800 prices. With all the stuff you have in mind, it's very tempting to keep some spare 800s around to put all that stuff into. I have two and only one Incognito but it's getting tight... At least we can raid the US market and use SCCC (2) to easily convert them to PAL

[tane]

If you produce a Turbo Freezer, there will be interest.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7NF0jkHwkM

[+tf_hh]

If you produce a Turbo Freezer, there will be interest.

 

There´s already somebody working on this project - look here.

[+Nezgar]

Just had a thought. Is it possible to add a battery backup (like a 3V lithium cell) to keep ramdisk contents in the extended RAM during poweroff?

 

This could be useful for either the 512Kbyte board, or Sys-Check 2.

[+tf_hh]

Hi folks,

 

as written some weeks ago I have finished a new sibling of my SRAM memory expansion - specially made for the Atari 600XL.

 

Welcome the 576 KB SRAM memory expansion for the Atari 600XL"

 

This variant of my memory expansions includes two kinds of memory:

 

- 64 KByte base (main) memory for the Atari 600XL, which has only 16 KByte in stock version

- Expanded memory using "RAMBO" (512 KByte) or Compy-Shop/XE (256 KByte) scheme

 

By default most Atari 600XL have their chips in sockets, so installation of this expansion is very easy.

 

Here´s an example how it looks installed:

 

(Don´t be irretated, the 600XL mainboard used for this photo was already expanded to 64 KB base memory, I haven´t a stock one this time)

 

This expansion is availible now, price is 31 Euros each. For order details please go to post #1 of this thread, you will find all infos needed there!

 

Here´s the manual: 576KB_SRAM_600XL.pdf

 

Jurgen

 

 

 

 

[+tf_hh]

Just had a thought. Is it possible to add a battery backup (like a 3V lithium cell) to keep ramdisk contents in the extended RAM during poweroff?

 

This could be useful for either the 512Kbyte board, or Sys-Check 2.

 

I asked about that feature some years ago, when I started to develope the first Sys-Check V2.2 version. There was no real interest in battery-backed up expansion memory. Main reason was the fact, that nearly all DOS versions (for example) initialize the ramdisk after cold boot. Technically it would be possible, of course.

[+tf_hh]

Hi all,

 

some good news. For small parts (i.e. all of my products except The BitWriter 1050 and Sys-Check V2.2 Standard XL/XE) the shipping costs are now reduced from 20 to 13 Euros, because Deutsche Post DHL has create a new postal product with a cheaper price - but the new condition for this new item is max. 3 cm of height. Sys-Check XL/XE Standard and The BitWriter won´t fit securely packed in 3 cm height, but all other solutions from me will do.

 

I´ve updated the "tfhh hardware catalogue" with more informations.

 

Jurgen

[+Nezgar]

 

I asked about that feature some years ago, when I started to develop the first Sys-Check V2.2 version. There was no real interest in battery-backed up expansion memory. Main reason was the fact, that nearly all DOS versions (for example) initialize the ramdisk after cold boot. Technically it would be possible, of course.

I understand the feature would be of limited use to most, and not worth incorporating in the released design. I regularly use SpartaDOS X, as well as John Picken's "HyperSpeed Ramdisk" in disk-based SpartaDOS and RealDOS, which support preserving ramdisk contents across reboots.

 

Just curious if there might be a hack I can try perform on an existing 512K expansion board to try to add battery-backed power to the 512K SRAM.

 

I fully understand you wouldn't endorse such hacking by a customer as it might render it inoperable.

[+tf_hh]

I understand the feature would be of limited use to most, and not worth incorporating in the released design. I regularly use SpartaDOS X, as well as John Picken's "HyperSpeed Ramdisk" in disk-based SpartaDOS and RealDOS, which support preserving ramdisk contents across reboots.

 

Just curious if there might be a hack I can try perform on an existing 512K expansion board to try to add battery-backed power to the 512K SRAM.

 

I fully understand you wouldn't endorse such hacking by a customer as it might render it inoperable.

 

No problem - I think the only feasible way is to cut the +5v power from pin 32 of the SRAM and feed it constantly using a CR2032 lithium battery - also in usage with the computer. As long only pin 32 of the SRAM is connected to the positive of the battery, all is fine. Additional one resistor (10...12k, not more, not less) between the +3v from the battery and pin 22 (CE - chip enable) must be connected. This resistor, used as a pull-up with battery-power, is needed to enable fall-back of the SRAM to ultra-power-saving mode.

 

By default a CR2032 lithium battery should remain good for datakeeping up to 10 years, with usage in normal operation (Sys-Check powered on) the lifetime of the battery may be reduced to 1 or 2 years, dependend on the usage of the SRAM.

 

So if you want to try it, heat up pin 32 of the SRAM and lift it up, so that no connection to the PCB exists. Solder a wire to that single pin connected to the positive of the battery. A second wire from to the positive of the battery through a 10...12k resistor to pin 22 (not bended up). This should work fine.

 

Jurgen

[CJ Atari]

Hello - I just order the Color CPU Card via PayPal.  Looking forward to it - awesome stuff you have !

 

[_The Doctor__]

would placing a diode on the lifted pin to the pcb be another choice so what computer is powered no battery is used?

[+tf_hh]

On 9/25/2019 at 4:53 PM, _The Doctor__ said:

would placing a diode on the lifted pin to the pcb be another choice so what computer is powered no battery is used?

 

Hmm, I didn´t see (surely language issue) the difference between this and what I wrote above?

 

Nevermind, for those who want this feature without modding their SysCheck, I create a slightly updated version "SysCheck Deluxe" with battery back up and write enable/disable switch (for the extended memory in memory expansion mode) - availible at the end of October 2019.

 

[manterola]

8 hours ago, tf_hh said:

 

Hmm, I didn´t see (surely language issue) the difference between this and what I wrote above?

 

Nevermind, for those who want this feature without modding their SysCheck, I create a slightly updated version "SysCheck Deluxe" with battery back up and write enable/disable switch (for the extended memory in memory expansion mode) - availible at the end of October 2019.

 

Hi Jurgen, I think that the confusion arises since the solution you posted provide power from the battery (always) no matter whether the Atari is on or off (or at least that is what it seems). The Doctor, is asking about adding a diode, so the battery powers the board ONLY when the computer is Off (further extending the battery life). 

[+tf_hh]

10 hours ago, manterola said:

Hi Jurgen, I think that the confusion arises since the solution you posted provide power from the battery (always) no matter whether the Atari is on or off (or at least that is what it seems). The Doctor, is asking about adding a diode, so the battery powers the board ONLY when the computer is Off (further extending the battery life). 

 

Ok, but this isn´t resonable, because all parts are SMD parts. You must include two shottky diodes (one for the battery, the other for the default +5 volt supply) and a little mosfet to enable/disable chip-signal support with "high" during battery mode. Withou these parts the SRAM won´t switch to deep energy safe mode and consumes much more power - battery is exhausted also faster than usual.  An real expert can add these parts with SMD parts, but not the most common users, so I didn´t offer a solution - this will end up in much support I can´t give.

 

[+tf_hh]

Hi,

 

due to the Coronavirus crisis and worldwide limited capacities in postal services, the DHL / Deutsche Post company has reducing their service.

 

Using "cheap" shipments isn´t possible to the USA and some other destinations from now on. The cheapest shipping price to worldwide destinations exceeds 50 Euros each, because DHL/Deutsche Post only accepts standard parcels with extra-service "Premium". This is nonsense regarding my 100-200 grams small items...

 

So until the extreme high shipping costs aren´t accepted, I can´t take any orders from the U.S. until the crises ends.

 

Best regards - and please stay healthy!

 

- Jurgen