[Atari 130XE or Atari 800]

I have both Atari 800 (stock) and 130XE (stock) and both are amazing in their own way  

 

Atari 130XE (or 65XE or late 800XL with Freddie) gives you basically all out of the box: svideo and min 64kb provides access to almost all programs. The earlier XE had springs in keyboards (I have one of those) and this keyboard is not bad at all. The quality of plastic, keyboards and motherboards is not like in 800 (XL is visibly better), but they work without issues. This is the best value for money in my opinion. 

 

Atari 800 is one of the most beautiful vintage computers (more than 1200 ) to me and the build quality is superb. However, if you want to have it as a daily runner you really need to mod it, which is rather expensive. 

 

 

[Atari 800 (N. American hardware in Europe) Question]

41 minutes ago, santoscork said:

Dear Atari fans

 

I use to have a vast Atari collection that got destroyed in a flood about 20 years ago. Since then I have remained a quiet Atari fan but have always dreamt of owning an Atari 800 computer again, it was my first love and by far my favorite in the Atari 8-bit line. The collection I had was enjoyed while I lived in Canada but I am now living in Poland Europe. If I purchase an Atari 800 computer from the US where they seem to be more available what changes would I have to make to see it operational. I know that I would probably need an EU Atari adapter but what about other things like ROM or otherwise. Could someone advise as I am entertaining the possibility of purchasing an 800 again.

 

I appreciate your feedback and advise in advance.

 

Kind regards

—Alex

The best option is to get a new EU power supply (non Atari); its around 20 euro (I saw them in Poland too). I have PAL 800 with NTSC (US) ROM and it works ok  so I assume you can leave US ROM. You will get NTSC video out so you will need something to accept it, e.g. RetroTink or just a TV with NTSC input. 

 

Good luck!

 

btw. maybe check UK market for PAL version. The best would be to buy it locally in Poland (I know its difficult/expensive), but Atari 400/800 are quite fragile and there is a high chance those will not get in one piece

[FloB - teaser]

9 minutes ago, Mq. said:

Perhaps one of them will be yours ?

 

 

This summer is amazing for Atari fans  first Last Squadron and now, just after few weeks, Flob  

[The Last Squadron]

17 minutes ago, xxl said:

wyluzuj Sikor, ten koleś to troll zobacz na jego komentarze oraz to kto mu przyklaskuje - robią sobie z tego forum takie kółko terapeutyczne. wyluzuj.

Sikor, nie przejmuj sie takimi komentarzami! dostalem wczoraj Last Squadron i jest super!  

I have just got Last Squadron and its superb; it is a really well done release! I wish we had more of those

[Dungeon Hunt II - Order Thread]

I would be interested in cart version too:) is it still available?

[65XE/130XE Cartridge Port Extender - 90 degree]

2 hours ago, Dropcheck said:

The boards are designed to be put into a 3d printed case.  There are also mounting holes in the top right/left corners for support.  Sadly I'm not that great at 3d design and so didn't create a case for it.  You can also check out Digikey for rubber standoffs.  This link will get you started.  Measure the distance from the bottom of the board to the next flat surface (desktop?) and keep the diameter of the standoff/rubber feet to no more than 1/2 in or so.

 

There is some limitation on this type of RA extender.  Some Atari original cartridges may be difficult to use since they were designed to open using the ears on cartridge slot.  Otherwise there is no real 'operation' other than insert the cartridge into the board with the label facing you and then insert into the cartridge slot with the label facing you. 

Thank you for the fast answer. I will skip this idea till the moment somebody will be selling a complete product ? don’t want to replace one hassle with another  

[65XE/130XE Cartridge Port Extender - 90 degree]

On 3/21/2019 at 1:11 AM, NISMOPC said:

 

That was me.

 

Came home today to a surprise package.

 

Dropcheck, these things are incredible. So simple yet so effective!!! THANK YOU!!

 

 

I'll eventually have a 3D printed shell or modify a cartridge shell to protect them.

I am looking for a similar solution as putting carts horizontally is quite annoying  Does it have any support below to make it stable? Is it really easy to use?

[Unicorns season: Prince of Persia for the A8!]

Will the game be released on cartridge once finalized? ?

[Fujinet Hardware 1.4 / 1.5]

On 4/11/2021 at 5:30 PM, mozzwald said:

v1.3 had a hardware bug (my fault) that caused issues with flashing the firmware. There is a fix that should be applied to the v1.3 boards (ask your vendor). v1.5 is released with the fix and some other minor tweaks. Changes are listed in the hardware repo readme and on the wiki. There will be a v1.6 with more minor changes: added SD Card detect pin and better SIO voltage measurement, neither issue hinder functionality in older versions.

 

As for stock on fujinet.online, I build small batches of each revision when I have time and put them up for sale. You can signup to get notified via email from the product page but I don't know when I will be making more so could be a while.

I have been thinking to get v1.5, but I’m still hesitating a bit as the hardware is  continuously evolving. Is it worth waiting a bit to get next versions or those are cosmetic changes mainly? Would be pity to buy now and then 2.0 arrives soon with next gen features;)

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

On 5/22/2021 at 12:13 AM, ascrnet said:

Notice that my design is not perfect yet, I just printed the version I posted.?

 

I can already place the spring well but I need to adjust the central hole as it does not fit.

It looks good; like very close to the final solution. I am still few steps behind; need to get a proper spring first.

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

I still have not managed to print it out corona made it a bit more difficult. Anybody already tried? 

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

20 hours ago, ascrnet said:

ok, I'll share with you my beta 3 of the piece. this one I haven't printed yet so I can't assure you that it's perfect.

xc11_tapa_beta3.stl 64.54 kB · 1 download

 

Thank you! I will try to print it here - any tips I need to know before asking somebody locally to help with printing? I am still looking for a spring. Btw. Are you planning to add a metal ring below (between cap and spring), as in an original design, or not? 

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

Wow, this is the first time I see the actual proof of concept  Yes, I would like to test it if you can share the file, so I can print here in the Netherlands. The original part had a metal insert ring from the spring side; I guess it should be easy to find it in any metal shop. The spring should be rather easy as well.

 

I have fixed the first of my XC11s glueing the cap to the axle, but this is not a proper, future proof solution I was looking for. 

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

16 hours ago, svenski said:

I haven't got an XC11 opened up at the minute. 

 

The compression spring, if someone has one to hand, should just be a case of measuring outside diameter and length and getting one off ebay. Chinese sellers sell sets of these things very cheap.

 

The cap is going to be harder to find but you just need something to keep the spring compressed to maintain the tension. If someone has a 3d print design for this or similar I can print one off.

Part of my challenge is the 2nd unit I have has the spring/cap repaired = glued, so I cannot measure nor scan it for 3d printing. If somebody would be so kind to provide measurements it would be the first step to fix it for all. I think that majority of XC11 have the same problem (or will have for sure in coming years). It would be good to find a structural solution so we can rescue those rare tape players. 

[Tape player XC 11 - looking for parts]

Hi, I have just got a second XC11 in a good status. However, one of the missing elements are the spring/cap (see picture) to fix rewind/forward mechanism. Has anybody maybe have spare ones to share? or do you know if there are any on the shelf replacements? 

 

Thanks!

[Atari 410 Recorder on An 800 XL]

2 hours ago, zzip said:

yeah back in the day, when we started loading a game, we'd leave the room.   It seemed like the vibrations from walking on the floor near the Atari were enough to cause the cassette loading to fail.   It was never very reliable even on a brand new 410.

It turned out Atari hardware design had flaws impacting the loading; there were saying 1 in 10 will not load. It is described here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoiA92j-lGw), but only in Polish

[XC11 where does the spring go]

Has anybody found a solution without a glue, like 3D print or similar matching part? I am a bit worried that glue is not a future proof solution.

[Atari XC11 (tape player) not powering]

I have managed to fix it: ) basically, the ground motor cable (pin 6) was broken; after fixing it the player loads the games.

 

Now the rewind is broken. The infamous cap on the rewind spring. Has anybody seen a better solution than just glueing it in? Maybe some spare parts from other players or 3d printing?

[130xe disabling basic]

On 3/31/2021 at 6:08 AM, Nezgar said:

Maybe youre using a newer TV/monitor that takes a few seconds to show/hear the signal, and misses the beep playing too soon.

 

To test this theory, at the screen with only the white cursor after turning on with START or OPTION+START, press return anyway and see if the tape starts rolling.

 

At the same screen with only white cursor you can also keep holding START or OPTION+START then tap RESET and it should play the tone again, when you can press Return to start the tape rolling

I have just tested. On the first run (after boot) there is not sound in my 130XE, but the game loads well. On the second run (after RESET as you described above) there is a sound. Thanks for help

[130xe disabling basic]

1 minute ago, Sugarland said:

Sounds like a hardware issue. Or rather it doesn't sound like a hardware issue ?   Time to start swapping chips to diagnose the issue. I hope you have a way to desolder and some sockets to install.

I will do a real test with tape player (once its repaired) to see if the games are loading anyway without the buzzer sound. If not, I will leave it that way  

[130xe disabling basic]

4 minutes ago, Sugarland said:

 

What do you mean 'boot screen'? Do you get a READY prompt screen with only START on powerup?

 

on both (START and START/OPTION) I get the same result = blue screen with white square (no READY); it looks to me as normal cassette boot screen (at least as I remember it)

[130xe disabling basic]

2 hours ago, Faicuai said:

 

Assuming stock ROMs, and stock memory management, that is a sign of system malfunction, and guaranteed.

 

And this is where things begin to complicare: I see no sockets on that 130XE, anywhere... and that MoBo is butterfly-delicate... 

 

If NO mods there, and keyboard ok, then it could be bad C061618, C025953 or CO61991 (Freddie, if present)... Or even a bad PIA.

 

This would require deeper troubleshooting.

 

All is working OK in this computer, including SIO2SD. Hmmmm, once my tape player is working I will check if the game actually loads without the buzzer sound

[130xe disabling basic]

3 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said:

and in self test the sound screen is playing Atari/Warner song on all four channels ok?

 

Will test again I think all was working ok; I get a buzzer sound on CLOAD and audio in all the games is ok.

[Atari XC11 (tape player) not powering]

Indeed, I studied the diagram too (there is a new version on Polish forum - Diagrams) with some help. In the next days will open it and do testing. Let us see what is the problem. I will report back

[130xe disabling basic]

4 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

I must not be understanding, if you hold option with no other keys while turning on, it should give you the self test....

in the self test you should be able to go to keyboard test and test the console keys option select and start, the three keys should also work when pressed together...

 

start held while turning on with not other keys should get you a buzzer sound, you then press Return key when tape is in position and play is pressed on the player. should start loading

 

start and option held down and turn on machine, buzzer brrrp sound, tape in position with play pressed smack a return key and you should be loading at that point as well

- only OPTION while turning on -> Self Test and all keys are working in tests (including Start/Option/Select)

- only START while turning on -> it goes to boot screen (blue screen with white square) but there is no buzzer sound

- only START and OPTION while turning on -> it goes to boot screen (blue screen with white square) but there is no buzzer sound

 

I know I should get a buzzer sound in those 2 options, but I don't:( I cannot test if the game will load anyway as my tape player is dead (under reparation)