Incognito - 6-pin extender and ATR swap alternative?

[Xebec]

Dear Atarians,

 

I've installed and have a working Incognito on my 800 - this thing is *awesome*!

 

However, the (two of the) wires provided are a bit too short to allow me to plug in the 6-pin connector when the plastic cartridge/slot piece is in place.  The short wires are the ones running to the ANTIC chip.  I'd like to buy a short extension cable but I'm not sure what wording to use to try to find such a thing?   

 

Also, I definitely do not have the skill (or sanity/patience) to try to do the ATR swap button internally;  if I bought an external switch or button, how do I wire an external ATR swap button?  My plan/hope was to run the wires out the back where the RF cable usually goes out and just have a button hanging out the back, or even mounted in that back hole.  Any special recommendations for buttons?

 

Thank you!

John 

[flashjazzcat]

Sending the button pin to GND momentarily is sufficient to trigger ATR swap latch. So: any momentary switch. If you want to re-use the RF modulator cable hole, find a switch with a screw thread and retaining nut.

 

As for the cable: I would either buy heat-shrink tubing and just extend the two wires that are too short, try to find alternative pads to solder them to which aren't so far away, or build a new 6-way cable from scratch using a Dupont header and crimp connectors.

 

[+DrVenkman]

17 minutes ago, flashjazzcat said:

or build a new 6-way cable from scratch using a Dupont header and crimp connectors.

That’s what I did for the 6-way cable. The one Lotharek supplies, besides having an ugly and not-quite-right-for-the-job connector, looks like it’s sized to run over top of the 3 now-empty RAM board slots rather than down and alongside the main board, then up into the cart slot guide, which is the neater, less visually obvious way I did it based on Jon’s video suggestion. But unless you have a selection of Dupont housings, crimp connectors and a crimper, it would be kind of a pain to buy all that stuff for one cable. 

 

The other suggestion to extend the existing wires is perfectly do-able. If you don’t have heat shrink tubing, electrical tape will work in a pinch. It may not be pretty but it’ll work. 

[Xebec]

1 hour ago, flashjazzcat said:

Sending the button pin to GND momentarily is sufficient to trigger ATR swap latch. So: any momentary switch. If you want to re-use the RF modulator cable hole, find a switch with a screw thread and retaining nut.

 

Thanks -- any ground then inside the 800?  doesn't really matter where?    Can I use the ground side of the HDD led on the P6 connetor or not?  (i.e. I have some pre-made headers that I could re-use pretty easily)..  

[+DrVenkman]

4 minutes ago, Xebec said:

Can I use the ground side of the HDD led on the P6 connetor or not?  (i.e. I have some pre-made headers that I could re-use pretty easily)..  

I think that’s the idea. The “canonical” way to install an ATR swap button under the LED light pipe uses that ground there on the 3-pin header.

[Xebec]

41 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

That’s what I did for the 6-way cable. The one Lotharek supplies, besides having an ugly and not-quite-right-for-the-job connector, looks like it’s sized to run over top of the 3 now-empty RAM board slots rather than down and alongside the main board, then up into the cart slot guide, which is the neater, less visually obvious way I did it based on Jon’s video suggestion. But unless you have a selection of Dupont housings, crimp connectors and a crimper, it would be kind of a pain to buy all that stuff for one cable. 

 

The other suggestion to extend the existing wires is perfectly do-able. If you don’t have heat shrink tubing, electrical tape will work in a pinch. It may not be pretty but it’ll work. 

Thanks I may try to extend the cables but was hoping just for a simple cable purchase so i don't have to reopen any wiring  .  It's working, Safer to just leave it be at this point :).    I think these are 2.54mm pitch pins?    I guess I could try something like this  https://www.amazon.com/Duttek-Separate-Motherboard-Extender-Extension/dp/B06Y66LZ2L