NISMOPC Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 On the retrobright, is it possible to spray a layer of satin UV clear coat over it? Just a thought to protect from future yellowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 And so it begins ... I have probably 90% of the parts I need on order so while I wait, I decided to start installing sockets. I got all of the 8-pin, 14-pin, 16-pin and 40-pin sockets installed this afternoon. This cleaned out my stock of 14-pin sockets and most of my 40-pin sockets so I'll need to order more eventually. But for now, it's time for a beer. Or maybe two ... (*) (*) If you have the opportunity to try Nashville's own Bearded Iris beers, do! They're all excellent but the IPAs, in particular, are magnificent. Probably the best I've ever had. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Excellent - we are at about the same pace I installed everything I had in stock, which was all sockets minus the 18-pins at U15 and U20. I had the needed 13-pin DIN - I ordered it in 2005, boy had the label went yellow! The SIO plugs, power switch, and power jack were taken from the broken 1050. If not posted, the Flickr album will live at https://www.flickr.com/photos/75619516@N06/albums/72157705660251381 Feel free to do whatever with the photos (just don't laugh). Day one was SIO and 40 pin sockets (266 pins) Day two was 17 sockets and video DIN (259 pins) 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 (edited) Bunch of stuff arrived at the house this past week so I decided to spend some time this rainy Saturday installing the first of the discrete components. Like the XEL before it, there are a bunch of 0.1 uF ceramic caps (40 to be exact!). Installing these was the first main step in my XEL build so I decided to do the same with the XLD. Plus, it's the largest single quantity of a single component in the design, so knocking these out early at least makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Whew. Edited March 9, 2019 by DrVenkman 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Who can I bribe to sell me their spare board ??? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Lucky - I am pretty sure when I ordered the caps for the XEL, I had to hand bend all those damn caps to fit. I used to work at a PCB assembly house full time picking, placing, running wave solder, etc. If these come pre-bent and just drop in, I am a happy camper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Lucky - I am pretty sure when I ordered the caps for the XEL, I had to hand bend all those damn caps to fit. I used to work at a PCB assembly house full time picking, placing, running wave solder, etc. If these come pre-bent and just drop in, I am a happy camper. I ordered these from Digi-Key - the parts I bought were pre-bent and fit the hole spacing on XLD board like the board was designed for them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NISMOPC Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Want so bad... ...spare 1050 patiently waiting for a new life... ...praying these things come available to the common folk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Want so bad... ...spare 1050 patiently waiting for a new life... ...praying these things come available to the common folk. Mike has stated that even if he decides to not produce them, all information will be out there for anybody who wishes to have PCBs made. We should know more in a few weeks as the first few boards power up. Only yesterday was I able to order all parts for assembling mine. It will take me a few days to assemble everything as I do it in stages. It's no fun trying to remove parts from a 4-layer board so I find it better to go at a nice slow pace. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) It will take me a few days to assemble everything as I do it in stages. It's no fun trying to remove parts from a 4-layer board so I find it better to go at a nice slow pace.Ditto. I did more discrete caps this morning and got started on the resistors. Ill do the diodes and resistor networks next, the transistors, the remaining sockets that have arrived, and maybe start on some of the headers. But Im still waiting on the UAV and a few other bits. Then I need to build out the level 1 and level 2 interface boards, program the PIC chips, and finally confirm that the donor chips Ive got on hand work properly, else I have to acquire a few of those as well. Oh yeah - and figure out how to wire up a DIN13-to-Composite/Chroma/Luma/Audio cable without smashing stuff in rage and frustration. Edited March 10, 2019 by DrVenkman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 Mike has stated that even if he decides to not produce them, all information will be out there for anybody who wishes to have PCBs made. We should know more in a few weeks as the first few boards power up. Only yesterday was I able to order all parts for assembling mine. It will take me a few days to assemble everything as I do it in stages. It's no fun trying to remove parts from a 4-layer board so I find it better to go at a nice slow pace. Small correction --- I have made a decision. The PCB manufacturing data will not be open sourced this time around, and instead the boards will be sold through a 3rd party. In the end it shouldn't make an appreciable change to the price that an individual will pay for one or two boards, and may in fact be cheaper if you consider the minimum quantity that's normally required by a board house. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 Moving right along ... Next up will be the inductors, diodes, resistor networks and transistors later in the week. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 (edited) Small correction --- I have made a decision. The PCB manufacturing data will not be open sourced this time around, and instead the boards will be sold through a 3rd party. In the end it shouldn't make an appreciable change to the price that an individual will pay for one or two boards, and may in fact be cheaper if you consider the minimum quantity that's normally required by a board house. That might put a crimp on the guys at Atari.PL, they had bought around 50+ XEL boards that were shipped to the EU area and dispersed from there... But in the end, it's what you decide is best. Edited March 11, 2019 by AtariGeezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 I'm patiently waiting on my parts so I am going to have to catch up with you guys. Now stop being fancy with your machine sockets you bourgeoisie gits. Venkman, where did you get that Atari glass? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 That might put a crimp on the guys at Atari.PL, they had bought around 50+ XEL boards that were shipped to the EU area and dispersed from there... But in the end, it's what you decide is best. Wow 50 boards . Sounds like they made out very well from my 9 months of development work on that project . And I'm certainly not hearing grounds for a complaint now that I've decided to go a different way on this one. Keep in mind that I don't make a single $ on my efforts, which is by my choice, so I always reserve the right to decide how my projects get disseminated. Most likely Atari.PL will still be able to buy a large quantity of XLD boards if they choose, but it will be up to the 3rd party I've selected to decide how that will be done. Once we get through the beta testing, I'll post an announcement of what the situation truly is. If you review earlier posts in this topic, you'll see I've been reluctant to release this design. It really was about being a personal journey, and not something aimed at public consumption. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 Yep, I'll be buying mine from the 3rd party guy in the U.S., but was just thinking of the other guys in EU where shipping would be more. Maybe another 3rd party guy over there would work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 Yep, I'll be buying mine from the 3rd party guy in the U.S., but was just thinking of the other guys in EU where shipping would be more. Maybe another 3rd party guy over there would work? Well we all know who the 3rd party will be here in the US. For this project, I chose to give him complete control when it comes to selling these in order that he also gets something for his time and effort. He's a reasonable guy, so I'm sure something can be worked out for European orders, especially if done in large volume. I'm just not going to make the design and manufacturing files open source, so Atari PL (or anyone else) will just have to work with the 3rd party I've chosen. This is no different then buying Candle based products from Lotharek. Over here in the US we also get screwed on shipping when we buy from there. And none of his stuff is open source last I heard . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 I'm patiently waiting on my parts so I am going to have to catch up with you guys. Now stop being fancy with your machine sockets you bourgeoisie gits. Venkman, where did you get that Atari glass? The pint glass I bought from a seller at a local comic-con about 2 years ago, believe it or not. It's great for a post-Atari beer break. As for the machine pin sockets, I had all of these on hand for a bunch of other stuff but this board used a lot of them up (especially the 14- and 40-pin sockets). I'm cheap though - I buy in quantity from eBay and then wait 3 - 12 weeks for shipping, lol. As you can see, I went with dual-wipe sockets for a handful I had to buy that I didn't already have (e.g., 32-pin and 18-pin sockets, for example). I think I'm done for now. Maybe more tonight if I get motivated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Same here - I had all the machine pin sockets except for the 18 pins. I got a wicked deal on Ebay over a decade ago. I think I bought ebough pins to do a dozen A8 PCBs. The plan was for me to offer a socketing service. I decided it would not be worth my time, nor the chance of damaging other people's gear so I have a shit ton of sockets That being said, if I am going through the trouble of installing something, I am making damn sure it will last, because it is the "permanent" piece. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 With most of the headers installed now, plus the power switch, power jack and SIO ports installed, you can see how this board will be a nearly drop-in replacement for a 1050 drive board. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I'm taking a break with the main PCB of my prototype build for reasons (*) right now, so I spent a bit of time this evening working on the Level 1 and Level 2 I/O Boards. I've got a handful of parts on the way to finish these (mostly the headers that connect the two boards together, and to the main PCB) so this is as far as I can go for now. Still, nice to make a little progress while I have the time to work on the project. These three "feet" at the back of the MIDI jacks need to come off for clearance reasons. Who knew building 8-bit computers could be such a brutal affair? The Level 1 I/O Board, with stereo audio, mouse and keyboard ports, and two joystick ports. The Level 2 I/O Board, showing off those three sexy MIDI jacks. (The reason I've paused the main PCB build is that I have a few smaller parts on order to install, and the things I have on-hand to install are big and will interfere with putting in the smaller stuff later). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNerd Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I know others might have thought of this, as well and it might go a little contrary to the intended spirit of this,which is reuse and preservation, mainly un-modded, of the original hardware, but if someone were to have a custom front-bezel made,with an extended front on the right-hand side, it might be possible, with a squeeze, to move the mouse/key/joys connectors back down to the main board, allowing basic function in not just the 1050 case, but in basic, custom-made cases, as well. Most of the other add-ons then could be put on one level (CF drive might not fit), either leaving a good deal of space if the full-height bezel and case are used, or a custom, low-profile top-panel might also be printed, along with a lower-profile bezel, making a slim-line style case. I know - "Well, Atarinerd, get to work on it, then." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 AtariNerd I'll have to agree with what you stated in your last sentence, since the present design is too far down the road to consider otherwise . The multi-level I/O boards allow for a lot of flexibility in connections and location for future designs, without impacting on the main board which is far more complex and expensive comparatively speaking. So there's always the possibility of different versions of the I/O boards being designed to accommodate different requirements. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Creeping ever closer ... This is one pretty board. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Cool to see the Brewing Academy info on the UAV. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.