external extension 3in1 - possible ?

[Poison]

Is possible to invent extension for new sealed ataris, or for peoplle who are not able to work with solder (  ), pass-through cart with RAM (256 kb rambo/compy or 512kb), COVOX and Stereo (covor and stereo output in one 3 1/2 jack)?

The idea is not to interfere with the atari and remain in its original state.

 

I think, that there will be many potential buyers

[+CharlieChaplin]

An external AIO board - all in one:

(for PBI or Cart+ECI)

 

- XRAM (256k or 512k or 1024k)

- Covox

- Stereo-Pokey

- Harddisk interface or SIO2xyz interface

- whatever I forgot

 

The RAM 320 / 576 XE by ctirad already had XRAM onboard and was optionally also available with Covox. RAM 320XE Maybe someone could use this as a starting point for a larger AIO board...?!?

 

 

[Poison]

I think that it is not necessarry to have more devices on this cart  There are many external devices which you can use.

 

pass-through cart with RAM (512 kb is enough, 1MB is unnecessary, because no software), stereo and COVOX + AVG Cart is unbeatable configuration  You can play all games, listen all music (pdm, mods, stereo chiptunes) and watch all videos AVF. Run all xex and atrs

[Mathy]

Hello Marek, guys

 

12 hours ago, Poison said:

512 kb is enough, 1MB is unnecessary, because no software

And there is no software because "only a few" people have 1MB.  Please stop thinking like that.  It prevents the development of new things and new software techniques.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

 

[Poison]

7 hours ago, Mathy said:

Hello Marek, guys

 

And there is no software because "only a few" people have 1MB.  Please stop thinking like that.  It prevents the development of new things and new software techniques.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

 

I was one of few people who initiated the creation for U1MB. It was Prototype demo and I only got hate comments, that there are more and better demos for 64kb Ataris. So ? No more demos . . . It was made as a fun product with some jokes

But there is another reason, somebody told me, that 1MB is not possible to create as external because some wires are needed to add inside atari and this is thing which i do not prefer.

 

By the way there are very many 1MB users as I understood from comments that Gravity Worms will not work with it

Edited October 16, 2020 by Poison

[+Allan]

I think if you want to push 1MB use, you need to create a program that would be run more than once, like a game or utility. Demos are great but most people will only watch a demo once and move on. Yes, there might be a couple of exceptions but it is mostly true.

[Sugarland]

I think it's a great idea for a PBI/ECI all-in-one expansion with U1MB/SIDE3/stereo/wlan/etc function.

[Poison]

4 hours ago, Allan said:

I think if you want to push 1MB use, you need to create a program that would be run more than once, like a game or utility. Demos are great but most people will only watch a demo once and move on. Yes, there might be a couple of exceptions but it is mostly true.

Yes, it would be great to have new version of Innertia Player with new GUI which can use 1MB for *.mod files and support 16mb atr  or directories on AVG cart for very fast loading.

[Marius]

Before people start inventing something from scratch.

 

I would advice take the Turbo Freezer 2011 as a starting point. 

Add PBI (like U1MB has) and External OS slots (like syscheck II has) 

and then start adding possible other stuff.

 

Turbo Freezer is already an amazing external device, and it would be a pity if not all those features would be brought to a new-to-design add-on.

 

I have been thinking of an EXTERNAL U1MB for quite some time, and as far as I can see it, it must be possible. I would prefer external over internal anyway.

If Turbo Freezer had OS slots, and it had PBI it would be ultimate already. 

 

Perhaps external Stereo... yes amazing. I am not sure though whether that is possible.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Yep,

 

I also read somewhere that a 1MB RAM upgrade cannot be done as pure external (PBI/ECI) device, it requires a few cables to be soldered internally...

 

But maybe that was (only) true some years (or decades) ago and nowadays there are new possibilities, e.g. add a RPi like device to the PBI/ECI (or a box similar to the 1090) and you not only have lots of XRAM, but also dozens of other connections or upgrades...?!?

 

[BillC]

7 hours ago, Marius said:

I would advice take the Turbo Freezer 2011 as a starting point. 

Add PBI (like U1MB has) and External OS slots (like syscheck II has) 

and then start adding possible other stuff.

The U1MB DOES NOT add a PBI/ECI, the Atari it's installed in may have this feature. If installed in a stock 1200XL/NTSC 65XE/XEGS there is no parallel interface.

The Incognito does add PBI to the 800, but would not be active in 800/Colleen configuration

Edited October 16, 2020 by BillC

[Marius]

6 minutes ago, BillC said:

The U1MB DOES NOT add a PBI/ECI, the Atari it's installed in may have this feature. If installed in a stock 1200XL/NTSC 65XE/XEGS there is no parallel interface.

The Incognito does add PBI to the 800, but would not be active in 800/Colleen configuration

Perhaps I used the wrong word. I mean this: thanks to FJC we can turn U1MB + SIDE2 (and 3 soon I hope) into real PBI harddrives. That would be great if possible with an external solution in stead of U1MB.

[flashjazzcat]

6 minutes ago, BillC said:

The U1MB DOES NOT add a PBI/ECI

Marius is referring to the PBI device handler ROM/RAM which U1MB DOES provide, not a physical connector. It so DOES install a PBI device handler in the Atari, that even an XEGS with an U1MB in it ends up with a PBI device handler.

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

1MB external shouldn't be a problem, but separate ANTIC and CPU access would be.  Unless you add some wires/signals.  Or find some way to externally mirror bits 4 and 5 of the PIA.  But you don't have mirror all of Port B of the PIA, you could also use the methode the MIO uses to access memory.  The new firmware of the MIO can handle 16 MB.  The big advantage of not using Port B (or only using PB4 and PB5 if possible) would be that you could (still) use your internal extended memory of different stuff.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

 

[Mathy]

Hello Marek

 

17 hours ago, Poison said:

It was Prototype demo and I only got hate comments, that there are more and better demos for 64kb Ataris. So ? No more demos . . . It was made as a fun product with some jokes

 

If Edison would have listened to those people, we still wouldn't have artificial light.  Don't let yourself be put down by those kind of people.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

 

[candle]

the only way to unmap IO space (to add second pokey for example) is to abuse REF signal sourcing from Antic chip - this might be unheatly