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VBXE 2


candle

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OK, so here's an odd one...

I opened up my 65XE (NTSC) tonight to look at the ANTIC. It has the number CO12296D (final char is the letter "d"). Below that is C04473.

 

Now, according to a page on http://www.faqs.org/ this is the ANTIC from the 400 or 800 or 1200XL. Did someone switch out chips on me? Someone has also written GOOD on several of the chips.

 

Also, most of the chips are socketed. Looks like I got lucky on that, if I order the VBXE2.

 

Bought on eBay maybe 8 months ago. Didn't boot it up today, but last time I booted it it did work fine.

 

Any comments?

 

Edit: Should I use the Atari CO21697 or does it matter?

Edited by hitchcock4
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Antic "E" provides the extra rows of Refresh addresses that the 130XE needs for it's 128K. Also, many RAM expansion schemes also need it.

 

AFAIK, many/most other XE machines use an Antic "D", my 2 XEGS do, as do both my XLs. I guess it's entirely possible that they went to the "E" revision and at some stage it might have become the standard fitment for all machines.

 

VBXE will work with any Antic revision, so unless you also plan on putting another RAM expansion in that needs the "E" model, you should be fine.

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Antic "E" provides the extra rows of Refresh addresses that the 130XE needs for it's 128K. Also, many RAM expansion schemes also need it.

 

AFAIK, many/most other XE machines use an Antic "D", my 2 XEGS do, as do both my XLs. I guess it's entirely possible that they went to the "E" revision and at some stage it might have become the standard fitment for all machines.

 

VBXE will work with any Antic revision, so unless you also plan on putting another RAM expansion in that needs the "E" model, you should be fine.

You guys are a font of knowledge. I knew I would have an answer in an hour!!

:)

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So, if I purchase the VBXE 2 upgrade and install it, can I still use the popular eBay cable that can take the DIN-5 output from the Atari and convert it to SVideo? [That is, I have the SVideo cable, can I still use it.]

 

[i'm such a fence-sitter, trying to decide whether to buy VBXE or not.]

 

Thanks!!

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but not much to see on s-video output if you want to use some of vbxe-enabled software

besides - isn't a bit silly?

to wedge $133 worth VBXE over $5 cable? its just like buying a blu-ray player and using it with RCA cable

sure it will play blu-ray disks, but whre all that $299 worh quality is gone?

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but not much to see on s-video output if you want to use some of vbxe-enabled software

besides - isn't a bit silly?

to wedge $133 worth VBXE over $5 cable? its just like buying a blu-ray player and using it with RCA cable

sure it will play blu-ray disks, but whre all that $299 worh quality is gone?

Not silly. Useful for testing monitors, and handy if you want to use the machine with VBXE removed for whatever reason (or if it blew up!). If developing VBXE software and the program crashes, stock output might offer a clue... I could go on... :)

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It'll work. I'm not sure how/if it'll do the PORTB bank-switching, although VBXE does it by shadowing the register - but the 400/800 use PORTB in input mode where XL/XE uses it in output mode.

 

On the machines with a ~ 3.6 MHz crystal (practically everything aside from XE), you take that one off, use a ~ 14 MHz crystal on the VBXE, then feed the 3.6 MHz that VBXE supplies back to the Atari.

Edited by Rybags
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It'll work. I'm not sure how/if it'll do the PORTB bank-switching, although VBXE does it by shadowing the register - but the 400/800 use PORTB in input mode where XL/XE uses it in output mode.

 

On the machines with a ~ 3.6 MHz crystal (practically everything aside from XE), you take that one off, use a ~ 14 MHz crystal on the VBXE, then feed the 3.6 MHz that VBXE supplies back to the Atari.

 

Thanks Rybags! Now I'll go and research to understand exactly what you said but if the end of the story is I can take one of my machines and slap a VBXE 2 in and have a hope of it working I might go for it.

 

Or should I just bite the bullet and get an 800 XL as it seems to be the best for hacking/upgrading and such.

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Personally, I'd go for an XL/XE.

 

Chances are that when software really starts coming along for VBXE, it will assume you have 64K base RAM and XL style bank-switching which could rule out the 400/800.

 

Aside from that, the XL is a much easier machine to take apart and work on.

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i would like to provide reference installation for 400/800 as i helped to do with Atari 5200, but - i simply don't have one ;(

You would be out and alone with this - sure i would help as much as i could, but not having access to the real machine is not something that would help, is it?

 

Sebastian

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  • 2 weeks later...

Since there was some discussion if the standard Atari 8-bit graphics modes benefit from VBXE's RGB output, I made a couple of pictures of the three possible output modes (composite video, chroma/luma & RGB) so you can decide for yourself.

 

You can find the pictures in my blog.

 

I think a detailed study like that was long overdue. For the most part, the results speak for themselves. The "fatter" characters in RGB mode explain why pseudo 80 column text is so much more readable.

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