1088XLD - Custom A8 Computer in 1050 Drive Case

[Simply_Graham]

1 hour ago, mytek said:

I really don't understand how that would be any simpler, and/or better than making the XEGS keyboard speak PS/2 that the existing TK-II chip will respond to in an appropriate way. So no changes are required in either the XEL or XLD, and it plugs straight into the provided PS/2 port on those systems. Because no matter what, you would have to have a protocol that worked over 2 lines as PS/2 does. So if I went the two processor route, the best I can do instead of the PS/2 protocol is to speak I2C or RS232 which is also a 2 line protocol. That would require a processor in the keyboard to still do the scanning of the key matrix and output I2C or RS232. Then new firmware would be needed for the TK-II chip to speak I2C or RS232. Seems like a lot of work to me, with no real advantage that I can see.

 

BTW, I already have routines to read and write PS/2, so those will get reused in the new firmware.

It was only a thought as you had mentioned the Keyboard programming was to be such a pain, I assumed getting to talk PS/2, which you have already sorted, And I agree if it make no sence unless it made it a LOT easier to implement. (and clearly not the case)

Be nice to see the result, and I like the capacitive touch sensors.

[ivop]

On 9/21/2018 at 5:27 PM, ivop said:

 

This one has evolved and with the help of Serge from Serdashop, it is now available as the Crystal Blaster C1 as a 100% THT solderkit! The SMD DAC will be presoldered.

 

https://www.serdashop.com/CrystalBlasterC1

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXHmRXtgH9g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6CxHOC51vI

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+mytek]

4 minutes ago, ivop said:

This one has evolved and with the help of Serge from Serdashop, it is now available as the Crystal Blaster C1 as a 100% THT solderkit! The SMD DAC will be presoldered.

 

https://www.serdashop.com/CrystalBlasterC1

Very nice ? . And congratulations on the cooperative effort.

 

Looks like it should fit in the XLD, with just a little bit hanging over the bottom edge of the motherboard. Should still be enough space in the 1050 case to accommodate that.

 

So if I understand correctly, this is a different synth chip vs. the S2, and has a slightly different sound?

 

BTW, I like that tune on the YouTube videos. Any chance you can upload that here?

 

[ivop]

1 minute ago, mytek said:

Very nice ? . And congratulations on the cooperative effort.

 

Looks like it should fit in the XLD, with just a little bit hanging over the bottom edge of the motherboard. Should still be enough space in the 1050 case to accommodate that.

 

Oh, that would be nice! When I noticed the orientation of the connector, I was afraid it wouldn't fit, but the boards where already ordered IIRC. There's always the option of using a male header and a flatcable, but this is much better.

 

1 minute ago, mytek said:

So if I understand correctly, this is a different synth chip vs. the S2, and has a slightly different sound?

 

Yes, this is the CS9236 synth chip. It sounds way more retro, which is to be expected because it was made in the nineties If you want realism, go for the S2. If you want retro, go for this one. And if you like soldering your own synth

 

1 minute ago, mytek said:

BTW, I like that tune on the YouTube videos. Any chance you can upload that here?

 

Here's all of Duke Nukem 3D

 

midi-duke.zip

[jaybird3rd]

I just removed a bunch of posts related to the XE keyboard, and the keyboard upgrade offered by Best Electronics, because they have nothing to do with the topic of this thread.  There is already a thread devoted to that upgrade, but because it has been inactive for a while, I decided to move the keyboard-related posts from this thread into that one.  If you wish to continue discussing the keyboard upgrade, please do so in the other thread.  Thanks!

[+Stephen]

On 5/10/2020 at 12:20 PM, ivop said:

 

Oh, that would be nice! When I noticed the orientation of the connector, I was afraid it wouldn't fit, but the boards where already ordered IIRC. There's always the option of using a male header and a flatcable, but this is much better.

 

 

Yes, this is the CS9236 synth chip. It sounds way more retro, which is to be expected because it was made in the nineties If you want realism, go for the S2. If you want retro, go for this one. And if you like soldering your own synth

 

 

Here's all of Duke Nukem 3D

 

midi-duke.zip 100.58 kB · 11 downloads

We could sure do with a better MIDI player app.  I am currently using MIDI-PLAY 1.3 but it is quirky to say the least.  Is anyone aware of something newer / better?

midiplay.xex

[+DrVenkman]

32 minutes ago, Stephen said:

We could sure do with a better MIDI player app.  I am currently using MIDI-PLAY 1.3 but it is quirky to say the least.  Is anyone aware of something newer / better?

midiplay.xex 6.04 kB · 1 download

Agreed. I wonder if we could encourage @flashjazzcat to whip up something? UFLASH already has a 1000% better text-based UI and file selector; and it can load up big chunks of contiguous data without that absurd 17-click memory test-thing this one does.

[flashjazzcat]

Yes: I was slated to do so but kind of got busy with other things. XLD still doesn't work, either. When SIDE3 is out of the way, perhaps I can look at a MIDI player again. I also aim to release the UI library, so perhaps others could have a go.

[+mytek]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION for DIY BUILDS

 

When assembling your board it is imperative that the voltage regulators (U16 & U17) are in their correct positions. because if you accidentally install them in reverse, high voltage will be present on the 5 VDC Logic Power Bus which would be catastrophic, destroying all of your logic, UAV, U1MB, and MIDI S2 ICs.

 

 

 

To be on the safe side, test for correct voltages on the voltage break-out header (directly in front) before installing any ICs or the UAV, U1MB, S2 modules. Failure to do so could easily cost you 100's of dollars in blown devices.

 

[chevymad]

Ouch! That sounds like someone made a booboo.

[+DrVenkman]

9 minutes ago, chevymad said:

Ouch! That sounds like someone made a booboo.

It does, doesn't it?  Ugh. Expensive mistake to make.

 

I did that exact test myself when I built my beta board before I populated it with chips because I was paranoid.

[+mytek]

2 hours ago, chevymad said:

Ouch! That sounds like someone made a booboo.

Well this time it wasn't me (aka: The U1MB Killer). But yes it was an expensive mistake. Luckily they hadn't plugged in the U1MB. It was nice of them to let me know, so that I could post a warning to others.

 

[Bee]

So here to report I'm a member of the 1088XLD club! 

 

To recap - I have the Dropcheck IO mod on it with a Sophia Rev. C 1536 x 960. 

 

It arrived from @MacRorie ready to rock so to speak.  The cable on the Sophia C was not seated well and had me a bit concerned at first.  I think it happened in shipping.

 

The XLD is a Beast onto itself.  Had I not already had a U1mb and Side 2 I think it would have been dreadfully lost.   Honestly it's a little overwhelming hom much hardware this thing is.  Still dipping my toes in the water.  There is a Mosquito in my office where it is located, so there is a price to pay when testing but worth it.  

 

Once I had good video it's been pure fun.  I still need to get a CF card dedicated to it but I pulled my Side 2 CF and modified the @flashjazzcat firmware to look at it and I was off the the races.

 

Once again I thank and appreciate everyone involved in the project.

 

I enjoy the new fresh Atari 8 bit Buttery Goodness!

 

Thank you

 

Bee

 

 

[+MacRorie]

7 minutes ago, Bee said:

So here to report I'm a member of the 1088XLD club! 

 

To recap - I have the Dropcheck IO mod on it with a Sophia Rev. C 1536 x 960. 

 

It arrived from @MacRorie ready to rock so to speak.  The cable on the Sophia C was not seated well and had me a bit concerned at first.  I think it happened in shipping.

Well, we know from the proof of life video, it was working when it went into the box!   I am glad it was a minor thing.  We try and over protect those things when shipping, but it looks like we will need to make it even more damage proof.

 

I am glad to hear it was nothing but a thing.  Enjoy that beast, it is a monster machine, no doubt.

 

-M

 

[+DrVenkman]

My 1088XLD is going to get an upgrade this week! 

VBXE incoming!

[+DrVenkman]

Success, finally. 

Heads up: this photo in Lotharek's installation instruction is completely bass-ackwards.

 

Once I got that figured out, my 1088XLD booted right up with RGB video. 80 columns in hardware is fantastic. THE LAST WORD, in particular, is just great. Thanks, @flashjazzcat!

 

 

[+mytek]

5 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

80 columns in hardware is fantastic. THE LAST WORD, in particular, is just great.

Looks real nice!

 

BTW, could you post a larger image of the VBXE mounted in the XLD?

 

[+DrVenkman]

10 minutes ago, mytek said:

Looks real nice!

 

BTW, could you post a larger image of the VBXE mounted in the XLD?

 

Sure. I have no idea why that photo is so small. Here you go:

 

 

[+mytek]

Thanks Herb .

 

Wow it looks like it was suppose to be there right from the get go ? .

 

[flashjazzcat]

5 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

Heads up: this photo in Lotharek's installation instruction is completely bass-ackwards.

 

Erm, I don't know if reading everything at 300 per cent magnification is the reason for the misunderstanding, but whatever the case:

The pictures in the right-hand column show VBXE for an XL machine with the XL ANTIC adapter. The lower right photo does NOT show VBXE plugged backwards into an XE adapter.

 

You purchased the one on the left (XE style), just to be clear.

Edited July 7, 2020 by flashjazzcat
typo

[+DrVenkman]

5 hours ago, flashjazzcat said:

Erm, I don't know if reading everything at 300 per cent magnification is the reason for the misunderstanding, but whatever the case:

(snipped)

The pictures in the right-hand column show VBXE for an XL machine with the XL ANTIC adapter. The lower right photo does NOT show VBXE plugged backwards into an XE adapter.

 

You purchased the one on the left (XE style), just to be clear.

The photo was a screen cap showing the actual photo used on Lotharek’s document; it appears blown up because it was a snipppet. And to be clear, I know exactly what I purchased and I know exactly what I did wrong.

 

That said, his photos and documentation are unclear at best and misleading at worse - there is no photo of the VBXE plugged into the ANTIC carrier board, but right next to it is a photo showing the XL variant plugged in. He also doesn’t mention the PAL/NTSC jumper anywhere in the documentation but at least I knew enough to look underneath the board for the jumper, since I knew there had to be one somewhere.

 

Anyway, it’s in, it’s working, and I quite like it. 

[flashjazzcat]

3 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

And to be clear, I know exactly what I purchased and I know exactly what I did wrong.

If you're confident in the knowledge that you purchased the XE version of VBXE, it's unclear to me why anything in the 'XL SERIES' column of the page in question would be of any interest at all, let alone worthy of being screen grabbed and posted on the forum.

 

That's not to say that I'm standing here extolling the installation manual as a paragon of excellence. Glad you got it working and find the device likeable anyway.

[+DrVenkman]

27 minutes ago, flashjazzcat said:

If you're confident in the knowledge that you purchased the XE version of VBXE, it's unclear to me why anything in the 'XL SERIES' column of the page in question would be of any interest at all, let alone worthy of being screen grabbed and posted on the forum.

 

That's not to say that I'm standing here extolling the installation manual as a paragon of excellence. Glad you got it working and find the device likeable anyway.

I posted it because, as I said before, there is nothing in the documentation that displays the XE version sitting on its carrier board, and if anyone makes a similar mistake in reasoning by analogy when faced with incomplete documentation, they might do the same as I did and wonder why it doesn’t work. I’m not above admitting I screwed up in so doing, and sharing what inspired my incorrect conclusion and thus saving anyone else some of the similar embarrassment. Having installed a grand total of ... let me make sure I’ve got my math right here ... ONE VBXE or VBXL into ONE machine, better documentation of my failure as well as my success will hopefully help others avoid that mistake.

 

The good news is, that was the only mistake, doozy that it was. Even more fortunately, the VBXE itself was not damaged by the goof. But big kudos for that go to @mytek for putting such nice, well-laid-out headers on the 1088XLD for the necessary connections.

 

EDIT: And again, Jon, the VBXE version of THE LAST WORD looks really, really marvelous. Kudos!

[+mytek]

5 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

ONE VBXE or VBXL into ONE machine

That makes one more than me .

 

5 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

But big kudos for that go to @mytek for putting such nice, well-laid-out headers on the 1088XLD for the necessary connections.

Thanks for the feedback on that. Yes this time around I was determined to create a system that would also allow an easy upgrade path for both a VBXE and a Rapidus. Funny thing is I thought I had everything covered, until I heard that someone also wanted to add the Sophia to the mix, and then suddenly found out that the GTIA chip was blocked by the VBXE. Oh well can't please everyone or every possibility. I had just assumed it would be one or the other and not both.

 

6 hours ago, flashjazzcat said:

That's not to say that I'm standing here extolling the installation manual as a paragon of excellence.

Yes after looking over what's available documentation wise on Lotharek's site, it is very minimal. Too bad he doesn't have you working there, since your docs are beyond reproach, and some of the best I've ever seen. I still see a future for you in a technical writing profession .

 

[flashjazzcat]

Just now, mytek said:

I still see a future for you in a technical writing profession

Red Hat agreed with you until they changed their minds two years ago. I've resigned myself to a lifetime of janitorial computer repairs.