cbmeeks Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I just rec'd my first 130XE. While it was a little dirty, it is cleaning up very well. I fired it up and everything works fine and I noticed a toggle switch on the back. There was a sticker that said " 130 | 800 " I put it in "130" mode and loaded the 130 version of Mario 2007 and it works great. My question is, was this switch normal? I haven't tried 800 mode yet because I am still cleaning. There are no factory indications that the switch was normal. But, it is very professionally installed. I even took it apart and it looks good. Thanks cbmeeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allas Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 It's a mod for sure. Better, use as 130XE to avoid problems, there is little reasons to change at 800 mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbmeeks Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 That's what I was thinking. What would you need to do in order to switch to 800 mode? Disable 64k of ram?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 I bet its just a ROM switcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR> Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 That's what I was thinking. What would you need to do in order to switch to 800 mode? Disable 64k of ram?? It probably just switches between 2 OS versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbmeeks Posted October 29, 2007 Author Share Posted October 29, 2007 Ahh...cool. So, now I'm on a hunt for cool software that shows off my 130XE. hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer raul Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I have a 130xe that has some bad memory... but with a fully working 800xl in use, I often debate if its even worth fixing it. I keep hanging on to it just in case there are some crazy homebrew fad to write games that take advantage of the added memory. I'd fix it for sure then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Larry Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 I have a 130xe that has some bad memory... but with a fully working 800xl in use, I often debate if its even worth fixing it. I keep hanging on to it just in case there are some crazy homebrew fad to write games that take advantage of the added memory. I'd fix it for sure then. I remember reading that frequently you can just piggyback a new memory chip on top of the old (friction fit). This allows quick testing and many times will work when the bad chip is "piggybacked." I've never had need to do this -- has anyone here done it? Might be a Q&D way to find your bad chip (unless you already know which it is). -Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 I remember reading that frequently you can just piggyback a new memory chip on top of the old (friction fit). This allows quick testing and many times will work when the bad chip is "piggybacked." I've never had need to do this -- has anyone here done it? Might be a Q&D way to find your bad chip (unless you already know which it is). Yes, I have - quite a few times now. It's a very handy troubleshooting method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer raul Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 I remember reading that frequently you can just piggyback a new memory chip on top of the old (friction fit). This allows quick testing and many times will work when the bad chip is "piggybacked." I've never had need to do this -- has anyone here done it? Might be a Q&D way to find your bad chip (unless you already know which it is). Yes, I have - quite a few times now. It's a very handy troubleshooting method. Good to know fellows...thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteym5 Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 I have a 130XE with a XL/XE OS and 800 OS with a switch on the back. These simply enable you to run 800 software instead of using a translator program. Some old games will not work with the XL/XE OS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbmeeks Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 I have to admit. I really love my 130XE. Especially that I have S-Video support on my 1084S WOOHOO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I remember reading that frequently you can just piggyback a new memory chip on top of the old (friction fit). This allows quick testing and many times will work when the bad chip is "piggybacked." I've never had need to do this -- has anyone here done it? Might be a Q&D way to find your bad chip (unless you already know which it is). Yes, I have - quite a few times now. It's a very handy troubleshooting method. Good to know fellows...thx Why? If one chip went BAD then others will be sure to follow. The 130XE (16 DRAM chip versions) used the most notorioulsy cheap/shitty ram that could possibly be procured in the mid-late 80s. Just remove all of the RAM, and find an old PC/XT/AT (8088, 80286, or 80386) board and steal all the 41256 DRAMS off of it to replace the ones in your atari. It wint care that they are 256kx1 instead of 64kx1... The extra adress line is on pin one which is orphaned on the atari motherboard. This is how I fix them. I DO NOT try to "troubeshoot" 130XE factory DRAMs.. They go straight in the trashcan. I have learned this the hard way from YEARS of "fixing" 130xes.. If you can't find an old PC motherboard that has these chips (They are 16 pin DIPs, obviously) then you can buy them from JAMECO, BG-Micro, and a variety of other vendors. Be sure and get the 256x1 part. Like I said, it wont hurt anything, and if you want to upgrade to 320k in the future, you just wire up the extra adress line and add a 74LS158 multiplexer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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