VBXE + Sophia 2?

[Gunstar]

My guess is they aren't compatible together, but since I don't know the inner workings of both, I thought I'd ask for the heck of it. I just think it would be cool to have the expanded graphic capabilities of both in one machine.

[bfollowell]

I'd say it would just depend on the clearance in your machine.

 

I haven't looked into it enough to see how much difference there is between the original Sophia and the Sophia 2, but I have both a Sophia and a VBXE in my 1088XEL, so there are no hardware incompatibilities between the two. Actually, I have both of those as well as composite output via the UAV.

 

Edited September 1, 2020 by bfollowell

[Gunstar]

Cool, though the Sophia 2 is a complete replacement for the GTIA with advanced capabilities, I thought the original Sophia was just an analog-2-digital converter & video output board? I think the Sophia 2 is a completely different beast...doesn't the original Sophia still require the GTIA plugged into it?

 

Multiple different video outputs is not my concern or intention here, having the advanced graphic features of both is. If it's possible, but only through different video outputs is required, that's fine. I'm not looking to be using the advanced features of both at the same time either, I am just hoping they can co-exist.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Gunstar

[bfollowell]

54 minutes ago, Gunstar said:

Cool, though the Sophia 2 is a complete replacement for the GTIA with advanced capabilities, I thought the original Sophia was just an analog-2-digital converter & video output board? I think the Sophia 2 is a completely different beast...doesn't the original Sophia still require the GTIA plugged into it?

 

You may well be right. Like I said, I haven't really looked into the Sophia 2. You are correct though, the original Sophia requires you to plug the GTIA into it, so it certainly doesn't replace it.

[+mytek]

Yep Sophia2 has a GTIA clone built-in, and there is no place to piggyback a GTIA chip. It also recreates the PAL color burst circuit for PAL users, meaning that if you wish to convert an NTSC system to PAL all that's required is to pop in the Sophia2, change the Antic to a PAL version, and change out the main crystal on the Atari motherboard. It not only will work for the Sophia2 video output, but will also allow the standard analog (or UAV) video to work in PAL mode as well.

 

And as @bfollowell mentioned, so long as you can physically install both the Sophia2 and the VBXE into your system they will both work without conflicting with each other or the standard Atari video outputs.

 

[Rybags]

I don't have install instructions or even a pic of an installed Sophia but I'd say there should be no problem other than physical space within the machine.

 

VBXE also does partial cloning of GTIA but isn't dependent on the genuine part being present to function other than the CSync output being required.

[Gunstar]

Great, thanks guys. The plan is to eventually get a VBXL and Sophia 2 into my 1200XL, so I think it should fit under the hood. Right now it has Dropcheck's PAL GTIA board and there seems to be headroom left with it, so I think there should be enough room for what I'm looking to do; if Sophia 2 will fit on the 800's CPU board within the shielding, I think it should fit. And the bonus is I already have a PAL Antic and proper crystal installed.

[bfollowell]

7 hours ago, Gunstar said:

Great, thanks guys. The plan is to eventually get a VBXL and Sophia 2 into my 1200XL, so I think it should fit under the hood. Right now it has Dropcheck's PAL GTIA board and there seems to be headroom left with it, so I think there should be enough room for what I'm looking to do; if Sophia 2 will fit on the 800's CPU board within the shielding, I think it should fit. And the bonus is I already have a PAL Antic and proper crystal installed.

 

Then the only question is how to mod your case for the connectors and where to put them.

 

[Gunstar]

4 hours ago, bfollowell said:

 

Then the only question is how to mod your case for the connectors and where to put them.

 

Yes, the case will be heavily modified in the end, as there will be much more that just these connectors. An internal XF351 (using one of Dropcheck's boards), will also be installed (I also have to remove the heat sink and old PSU circuit and go with a direct 5v PSU so the drive and other ports will fit), and a second PIA with 2-4 more controller ports and maybe another SIO port too. If it will all fit, I also plan to install a Hybrid Art's MIDImate internally too, so it will also have MIDI ports and sync ports (the reason I'm going with a MIDImate instead of one of the newer MIDI boards). It already has been modified with a PBI on the back where my Syscheck 2 XL board is already installed with a case I made from an old Commodore modem case I cut down to fit next to the current SIO port. Most of the new connectors will be coming out the back, through the top half case above the connectors on the bottom half case, with the drive on the right side. So I've already had plenty of experience in modifying cases and making it look good. In the end I'll have a computer in many ways similar to the 1088's, but all in the 1200XL. I just prefer to use original equipment and design it all my way.

 

The question of "why all of that" is simply because I can and it's my hobby. Though I do have future plans to use it all.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Gunstar

[+mytek]

2 hours ago, Gunstar said:

I also plan to install a Hybrid Art's MIDImate internally too, so it will also have MIDI ports and sync ports (the reason I'm going with a MIDImate instead of one of the newer MIDI boards).

There is an advantage to basing it on the newer SIO2MIDI board, in that with some careful modding it can fit in the spot where the RF Modulator used to be. Here's a 600XL project where I did that...

 

Although it was a little messy on the inside, the end result as seen from outside was very good.

 

 

And other than the missing sync jacks which are rarely needed, it has full Midi-Mate compatibility.

 

But I understand if you have a different vision or already have an original Midi-Mate you wish to use .

 

BTW, that'll be one killer 1200XL when you get it done 👍 .

 

 

[Gunstar]

42 minutes ago, mytek said:

There is an advantage to basing it on the newer SIO2MIDI board, in that with some careful modding it can fit in the spot where the RF Modulator used to be. Here's a 600XL project where I did that...

 

Although it was a little messy on the inside, the end result as seen from outside was very good.

 

 

And other than the missing sync jacks which are rarely needed, it has full Midi-Mate compatibility.

 

But I understand if you have a different vision or already have an original Midi-Mate you wish to use .

 

BTW, that'll be one killer 1200XL when you get it done 👍 .

 

 

I already have a POKEY stereo amplifer board and headphone jack out there, so that's not going to happen. But thanks for the suggestion. Why does you power in jack look empty?

Edited September 2, 2020 by Gunstar

[+mytek]

7 hours ago, Gunstar said:

I already have a POKEY stereo amplifer board and headphone jack out there, so that's not going to happen. But thanks for the suggestion. Why does you power in jack look empty?

It's not. Just a trick caused by the light source focused on the other jacks, and probably the angle as well. It has a standard 7-pin DIN 5VDC power jack.

 

[Gunstar]

8 hours ago, mytek said:

There is an advantage to basing it on the newer SIO2MIDI board, in that with some careful modding it can fit in the spot where the RF Modulator used to be. Here's a 600XL project where I did that...

 

 

👍 .

 

 

Though I think I might piggy-back the MIDImate board there, now that you mention it, aesthetically I think it will look better with similar connectors & holes grouped together. I could mount it upside-down so the MIDI jacks are over the monitor jack and the sync jacks over the headphone jack. Or, I might re-wire the sync ports and mount them on either side of the head-phone jack. I'll probably piggy-back the second SIO on top of the first too. Only the new controller ports connected to the second PIA, will be mounted away from the original two. I've been discussing at great length for months with @Graham, about additional PIA's and may in fact go with a VIA instead of a second PIA. VIA's of course aren't pin compatible, but all the right I/O is there and they are logically compatible, I'll just have to make a special PCB and redirect. This is advantageous to a special project I have planned for the future. That's also something I'll be adding to my 800 w/Incognito too, so I can still have 4 or more controller ports even in XL/XE mode.

 

To answer your question as to if I already had a MIDImate, no. I used too, and installing one internally has been a plan from decades ago I never got around too, originally with the 130XE. And I don't know if I'll ever use the sync jacks, but I like the idea of having them available. I do know a couple of dealers where MIDImates are available still.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Gunstar