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800XL inside a 1200XL?


YSG2020

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Has anybody ever tried to put an 800XL motherboard inside a 1200XL?  If so, curious how you got the cartridge slot and joysticks adapted/moved to the left side of the 1200’s case. 
I’m thinking to butcher (gasp!) an extra 800XL board and a non-working 1200XL entirely to attempt this. The 1200 is just so great looking and such a better keyboard once fixed. The 800XL with a UAV and RAM upg is terrific. So why not combine the two? :) Im

guessing the extra function keys would be rendered useless though. 

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I'd agree with fixing the 1200XL.   Ataris are not usually difficult to fix.  There is even a way to create a PBI on a 1200.... but I'm not familiar with it, nor have I done it.

 

And that 1200XLs keyboard probably is not working, and will need repair or replacement of the mylar layer in the KB. 

 

I put a new Best Electronics mylar in my 1200XL.  Keyboard works nice, but due to differences between Atari's mylar and Best's mylar, the key 'activates' sooner in the keystroke.

I find if I fast type I'm activating the next key before the first is fully released.  The Best mylar does away with a 'spacer' layer (which the white 'sealing' layer of the original mylar provides.

 

I plan on getting some silver electrically conductive paint at some point to fix the interface part of the mylar where it makes contact with the PCB which I believe is the only issue with my original mylar and then see how that compares to the Best one (as I have not typed on an all original 1200XL keyboard in a long long time).

 

Good luck no matter which way you go.

 

 

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58 minutes ago, YSG2020 said:

 Still left without an expansion port though. Hmmm. 

MEtalGuy66 did make a small number of PBI adapters that plug into the 1200XL cartridge port, plus a small ribbon cable to connect the missing signals. The PCB cost was $400 for 30 bare boards in 2009 due to the size.

 

EDIT: Here is the production run thread:

 

Edited by BillC
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Maybe we can get another run of these going.  It's been 11 years since that run, and it must be possible to get smaller batches made today.  Hopefully @Tempest still has the CAD files for it?

 

I'd like one of these for the day I eventually get a 1200XL, but I'm honestly not sure what worthwhile expansions are around today that make use of the PBI. 

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That PBI extender looks sweet. Even adds double cartridge slots by the looks of it? I’m guessing so you could plug in BASIC and have a free slot like the original 800? That extender would look great in a 3D printed case with feet on it. Anybody have one to sell since it appears they were a very Ltd run? 

Edited by YSG2020
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13 minutes ago, jamm said:

What do you need the PBI interface for?  It'd be a tragedy to mar up the 1200XL.

You make a good point there.  There’s really not much ever made for it that can’t be added or connected via some other fashion or mod. I might just keep this 1200 to look at in its handsome original shape and fix it... it only needs a couple new ICs and maybe a keyboard liner and its good to go.  I wonder how many 1200s are left out there? Didn’t I see a 1200 owners reg thread on here a few weeks ago? I wonder if the 1200s are actually rarer now than the 400s and 800s? 

Edited by YSG2020
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9 hours ago, YSG2020 said:

You make a good point there.  There’s really not much ever made for it that can’t be added or connected via some other fashion or mod. I might just keep this 1200 to look at in its handsome original shape and fix it... it only needs a couple new ICs and maybe a keyboard liner and its good to go.  I wonder how many 1200s are left out there? Didn’t I see a 1200 owners reg thread on here a few weeks ago? I wonder if the 1200s are actually rarer now than the 400s and 800s? 

There are only about 110K 1200XL's ever made.  I don't have exact numbers, but the math is pretty close based upon research.

If you aren't ever going to use the PBI (and there isn't that much need to do so these days), then why not just convert the 1200XL into an 800XL by doing the OS/BASIC/MMU upgrade.  

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24 minutes ago, kheller2 said:

If you aren't ever going to use the PBI (and there isn't that much need to do so these days), then why not just convert the 1200XL into an 800XL by doing the OS/BASIC/MMU upgrade.  

After looking at the amount of effort involved in adding a PBI (even with a pre-made PCB) and the possible uses for one, that's definitely the route I'd take.

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1 hour ago, kheller2 said:

just convert the 1200XL into an 800XL by doing the OS/BASIC/MMU upgrade.  

As I understand it, is this basically (excuse the pun) just a ROM chip replacement upg? A anything else needed? Thx.  I think this route makes the most sense too. I’ll just swap over my video and ram upgrade from the 800xl to it also. 

Edited by YSG2020
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If you don't care about internal basic, you can just burn two 27c64 (8Kx8) EPROMs with the 800XL OS and you are done (replacing U12 and U13).  What's nice about the 800XL is that it retains all the 1200XL keyboard functionality (LEDs and F1-F4 keys).  No need for the Best mylar.  Try Bob Woolly's fix on Retrobits.net. 

Edited by ACML
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2 hours ago, YSG2020 said:

As I understand it, is this basically (excuse the pun) just a ROM chip replacement upg? A anything else needed? Thx.  I think this route makes the most sense too. I’ll just swap over my video and ram upgrade from the 800xl to it also. 

http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/1200xl/1200xl.html

Lower left, 1200XL OS mod. You want mod #2.

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2 minutes ago, YSG2020 said:

As I understand it, is this basically (excuse the pun) just a ROM chip replacement upg? A anything else needed? Thx. 

The ROM socket(s) may need to be upgraded to 28-pin, many already come with 28-pin sockets installed, a shortcut is to simply add female pins to the empty pads.

ROM, MMU, BASIC if desired, change some jumpers, plus add a jumper wire IIRC.

 

A U1MB eliminates the need for replacement ICs, they are built-in, the other modifications are still required.

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21 hours ago, MEtalGuy66 said:

I have 2 of them sitting right. Here. I was gonna sell them to Curt Vendell. But if you'll buy out his rights, Id be glad to price-gouge them to the highest bidder..

 

20200319_134948.jpg

 

I'll trade you two packages of 9-count Charmin Ultra-Soft Mega rolls and 500rds of Russian 7.62x39 sealed in original wax for both.

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, MEtalGuy66 said:

How much Charmin is this one worth?

 

20200402_212430.jpg

 

Wow!  That brings back some memories of late nights with a logic analyzer debugging the memory circuit on that thing.  And the realization it was a miracle that it even worked with all those timing issues.

 

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On 3/15/2020 at 12:31 PM, kheller2 said:

 

If you aren't ever going to use the PBI (and there isn't that much need to do so these days), then why not just convert the 1200XL into an 800XL by doing the OS/BASIC/MMU upgrade.  

I don't know, my IDEPlus is pretty damn awesome.  And since I like hacking around with hardware, PBI makes for some interesting possibilities.  

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