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x=usr(1536)

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Blog Entries posted by x=usr(1536)

  1. x=usr(1536)
    If there was one thing that home computer manufacturers understood in the early part of the 1980s, it was that their machines - powerful as their respective computing capabilities may have been for the time - had some limitations right out of the box.  Typically, there was no external storage included; at best, you may get a machine bundled with a cassette drive as part of a promotion or sale.  Printers, then as now, were usually optional unless you were buying something along the lines of a Coleco Adam or certain Amstrad models.  Modems were expensive and somewhat exotic, and more or less a lower-priority consideration as a peripheral - until you got your first one.
     
    This led to a wealth of aftermarket peripherals being introduced for every major platform.  Cassette drives, disk drives, printers, and modems were sold by nearly every first-party company as a complement to their computers.  Occasionally more niche items would be offered, such as touchpads, environmental sensors, plotters, and digitisers.  Third parties covered just about every base possible, with far too many categories of devices to list adequately, let alone comprehensively.
     
    Getting older has two advantages: a) you're not dead yet, and b) technology will progress and improve during your lifetime.  Modern technology allows for the creation of devices such as the FujiNet, which roll several traditional Atari peripherals into one WiFi-enabled plug-and-play device.  It largely eliminates the need for original cassette drives, disk drives, hard disks, printers, serial interfaces, and more simply because it can emulate all of those devices in a way that the A8 recognises and can interface with as though they were physically-connected.  It's the one peripheral that every A8 owner should have.
     
    However, if you're inclined to keep up with the necessary maintenance and troubleshooting, there are some good arguments in favour of having old peripherals laying around.  These can range from needing to read and/or recover old media to 'I just like them'.  Frankly, any argument for or against is just as valid as any other in my view; there is no interest on my behalf in trying to persuade or dissuade someone from owning and/or using them.  As much as I personally like to travel light by way of the FujiNet, the Atari desk in my office is covered in peripherals as well.  Some are there out of necessity, some out of specific reasoning, and some just because they were inexpensive on the day that I ran across them.
     
    Thus, moving on to the list of what's currently plugged into the daily-driver 800XL and/or awaiting attention:
     
    850 Interface Fully-working 1010 Cassette Drive (Sanyo model) Fully-working 1020 Plotter Status unknown PSU possibly dead, need to test Have brass replacement for plastic sprocket that always strips; awaiting installation 1030 Modem Fully-working 1050 Disk Drives (2) 1 working, 1 awaiting troubleshooting and repair Both completely stock 1064 Memory Module Fully-working FujiNet (2) Fully-working Controllers Joysticks (a variety) Fully-working CX22 Trak-Ball (round buttons) Fully-working CX78 Joypads (2) Fully-working KoalaPad (touchpad) Mostly-working Has the usual bubbling on the touchpad surface, but not extensively Light Pen (Atari CX75) Fully-working Numeric Keypad (Atari CX85) Fully-working 80-Column Interface (Atari XEP80) Fully-working  
    Seeing it written out for the first time in this way, the rate of failed to functional devices is better than I'd expected.  That's actually rather encouraging, since it means that once I've got the machines themselves sorted out there'll be no shortage of other things to fiddle with, which means that the forecast for the Enjoyment Factor looks good ? 
     
    In the next installment: what the hell does all of this actually do - or, more to the point, what does one do with it?
  2. x=usr(1536)
    Perhaps at some point, I'll write something about my early involvement with Atari's computers and, later on, their consoles.  Really, though, that's not the main focus here: concentrating on the current menagerie and what's happening with it at the moment is.  Thus, diving in in reverse order, The Master Plan seems like an appropriate place to start.
     
    There is no Master Plan.  At least, there isn't one in the sense that everything is roadmapped, itineraried, and checkpointed eight ways from Sunday, or even partway through this afternoon.  The general idea is to enjoy the machines for what they are, both in stock and modified form.  Stock machines remain exactly that - stock, and kept that way for reference.  Modified machines are the ones that get all the nifty modern upgrades, and generally serve as the daily drivers.  As things require attention or repair, they receive it.  Enjoyment is key.
     
    Modern upgrades are tossed into two broad categories: internal and external.  In general, an internal upgrade is considered to be one that requires permanent (though possibly-reversible) alteration to the system in order to work; an external upgrade would be one that utilises factory-provided connection points (joystick ports, PBI, SIO, etc.) and can be installed and removed without the need for any modification at all to the system itself.  As examples, a UAV would be considered internal, but a FujiNet would be external.  Of course, this can all be somewhat fluid at times, but as a general rule of thumb these are the descriptors that will be used.
     
    As an aside, none of the preceding prohibits the use of external upgrades with stock machines.  Plugging a FujiNet into a 600XL with a 1064 attached?  Perfectly fine.  SIDE3 in an 800 with 48K of RAM?  Go for it.  The point is to preserve as much of the stock experience as possible while acknowledging that we have improved upon how we can do certain things.  Back when these machines were still current and in common use, upgrading from a tape drive to a floppy drive was a natural progression, both in terms of storage capacity and data transfer speed.  Later upgrading that floppy drive with aftermarket ROMs that increased speed and / or storage capacities was a logical next step, as was eventually supplanting that floppy drive with a hard disk.  A FujiNet is just today's continuation of that upgrade path.  Ditto the SIDE3.
     
    With the (I hesitate to call it) philosophy out of the way, this would be a good time to go over the systems.  For now, just the A8 stuff will be covered, though that is being left a loose enough description that the 5200 and 7800 are being lumped into that category as well.  The Jaguar, STs, dedicated consoles, etc. will be considered at some point, but there's only so much that can be focussed on at one time.
    600XL: Stock machine acquired Includes 1064 Modified machine: 64K upgrade, Rev. C BASIC UAV and monitor port to be installed as next upgrade 800XL: Need to acquire stock machine Modified machine: 256K upgrade, Rev. C BASIC (socketed), UAV Daily driver Likely finished for now unless a U1MB starts sounding tempting 1200XL: Need to acquire stock machine Modified machine: UAV, +5V SIO mod 5200: Need to acquire stock machine Modified machine: 2-port motherboard in 4-port shell Still dead and haven't touched it since last November UAV candidate if salvageable 7800: Stock machine acquired Includes Concerto Need to acquire candidate for UAV & Asteroids BIOS  
    Next time: fun with peripherals!
  3. x=usr(1536)

    Experiments with CX-55 audio and video plus UAVs

    By x=usr(1536),


    CX-55 Experiments
    This is a scratchpad for some ideas I've had involving how to route audio and video from a CX-55 VCS Adapter in a 5200 with a UAV installed.
     
    First order of business: recap the current CX-55 and replace the voltage regulator.  The video looks awful.  The video looks awful when viewed via the 5200, which has a snow issue over RF that is likely in the modulator.  If the modulator's in need of work to improve the 5200's video, then the same will apply to the CX-55's video.
     
    Next: build a circuit to power it and pull both audio and composite video directly from its edge connector.  Need perfboard, a barrel jack (power), small toggle switch (power), and RCA A/V jacks.  Cartridge port connector and A/V cable are already on hand.  Everything is THT at 2.54mm.  Current-limiting resistor / filter cap / both may be needed.
     
    CX-55 cartridge connector pins:
     
    24    Composite Out
    25    GND
    26    +5VDC
    30    Audio Out
     
    Alternative ground pins: 12, 13, 14, 23
     
    Unregulated DC on pin 11
     
    Pins 11 & 28 not connected (possible chroma / luma outputs?)
     
    Determine if audio / video levels are suitable for use without further amplification.
  4. x=usr(1536)

    UAVs, CX-55s, and physical space

    By x=usr(1536),


    CX-55 Experiments
    Yes, Virginia, a UAV will fit in a CX-55.  Disabuse yourself of the previously-held notion that it won't.
     
    A/V jacks may be a different matter entirely, so feeding out a cable (round or ribbon) with all of them connected to it may be necessary.  This will involve drilling / cutting the case.
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