BASIC XL cart and 32-in-1 OS issues?

[Urchlay]

Has anyone else run into problems trying to use BASIC XL with a 32-in-1 OS modded Atari?

 

Mine's a 1200XL, and I've got the orange version of the BXL cart (with "left cartridge" embossed on the top).

 

The cart works fine on my 800 and my XEGS, and it worked fine on the 1200XL before it was modded.

 

If I boot the 1200XL with the 800 OS (rev A or B) and the BXL cart inserted, it works just fine.

 

If I boot any of the XL/XE OSes (including the 1200XL and APE Warp OS, and including the regular and "reverse BASIC" versions), I get either a screenful of GR.0 garbage (looks like the font is corrupted, though I hear the normal SIO "fart" boot noise and I get keyclicks when I type), or else I get a GR.0 screen with a few control characters (one of the "horizontal bar" ones). Once I got a regular BXL Ready prompt, but with horizontal bars scattered around the screen.

 

If I boot with SELECT held down and BXL inserted, I get the OS selection screen as expected, but sometimes it has a couple of those same horizontal bar characters where they shouldn't be (and other minor corruptions sometimes)... it seems to work though, despite the slightly mangled display.

 

I've tried cleaning the cart contacts, no change (the 800 OS A/B always work, and the XL ones always fail... and it already worked on the actual 800 and the XEGS before cleaning).

 

Other carts (Galaxian, Pac-Man, Star Raiders) all work fine regardless of which OS is selected (of course, none of them are OSS super carts).

 

I don't know whether this affects anything or not, but I've also got a 256K RAM upgrade and an internal MyIDE. Both have always worked great.

 

I might suspect power issues (am using a standard Atari 9V 31VA supply), but I can't believe the little bit of extra bankswitching logic in the BXL cart is enough to push it over the edge... besides which, if it were power problems, the 800 OS shouldn't work either.

 

Anyone who owns BXL and a 32-in-1 mod, could you try it out and see if you have the same problem? (Particularly if you're using a 1200XL with other mods, but it'd also be useful to know whether it works on an 800XL or an XE).

[classics]

Any problems with the upgrade besides BXL?

 

The first thing I would try is to remove the MMU that came with the kit, and replace it with one from an XL/XE computer and see if that fixes the problem.

 

Steve

[Urchlay]

Any problems with the upgrade besides BXL?

 

No other problems.

 

I do have to wait 20-30 sec between powering off and powering back on (for the RAM to settle), but that's pretty common when using newer RAM on old machines (had to do the same thing on my old 256K 800XL), and I don't count it as a "problem". The BXL issue doesn't seem related to that (it happens even if I wait 10 minutes).

 

The first thing I would try is to remove the MMU that came with the kit, and replace it with one from an XL/XE computer and see if that fixes the problem.

 

Meaning one from an 800XL, not the original one that was in the 1200XL?

[+kheller2]

I'm guessing he means using one from an 800XL, and not the 800XL compatible one that came with the kit. You did replace the stock 1200XL MMU right?

[Urchlay]

I'm guessing he means using one from an 800XL, and not the 800XL compatible one that came with the kit. You did replace the stock 1200XL MMU right?

 

Well, I didn't install any of these mods (Steve did), but he used his standard kit, so yes.

[+Guitarman]

Weren't the early BasicXL carts 800 only?? I seem to remember they had problems with the XL's like other software that wouldn't work properly without a translator.

[Urchlay]

Weren't the early BasicXL carts 800 only?? I seem to remember they had problems with the XL's like other software that wouldn't work properly without a translator.

 

Hmm. I didn't ever think to check that, I sorta assumed "Basic XL" would work on an XL. Also, I could *swear* I used this cart on the 1200XL before it was modded (it doesn't have built-in BASIC, and I didn't have a working Atari BASIC cart at first)... let me try the cart on the XEGS, maybe you're right (though I *thought* I tried it on the XEGS too... it hasn't been hooked up in a while though).