Is there 80col. only hardware available right now?

[Android8675]

Guy at the 2015 Atari Party brought a XL connected to one of those Sony Trinitron PVR(?) monitors. I think it was a 20" monitor, but he ran Last Word on it and you'd swear he was using an 80col card of some kind, turns out it was just a slightly modded video mod connected to a really nice CRT monitor.

[+mytek]

Here's what TLW looks like with Bryan's UAV s-video upgrade going through a $40 HDMI up converter into my $99 Element HDMI TV. The grainyness is due to my camera, and was not visible on the TV (this is an un-retouched image).

 

 

 

And here's the one that FJC posted earlier with a video modded A8 feeding into an s-video monitor.

 

 

 

And FJC's video showing TLW running on a VBXE machine with the 15KHz RGB video going through a GBS8220 VGA upscaler.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWiVSBWgILk

 

So as can be seen, there are several ways to get decent 80 column text on your A8

 

- Michael

Edited December 3, 2016 by mytekcontrols

[gozar]

After watching the video of the ZXHD for the Spectrum (http://www.indieretronews.com/2016/03/zx-hd-zx-spectrum-hdmi-device-teased.html) I was wondering how the 8-bit could take advantage of a Raspberry Pi Zero.

 

From the video, it looks like the Pi is running custom software, not just using Linux as a base. I'm assuming that's for speed issues. So, would it be possible to use the Simius' GTIA in CPLD and hook it to a Pi Zero and give the 8-bit 80 columns and HDMI out?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[+remowilliams]

Here's what TLW looks like with Bryan's UAV s-video upgrade going through a $40 HDMI up converter into my $99 Element HDMI TV. The grainyness is due to my camera, and was not visible on the TV (this is an un-retouched image).

 

Just recently ran Ice-T (80 col) through my 1200XL with Bryan's UAV (s-video into my XRGB mini) it looks unbelievably great!

[19rsn007]

Hello guys

 

 

 

That's like strapping a Ferrari engine into a Reliant Robin and welding a piece of metal to the gearbox so you can only use first and second gear.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

please explain...

How is "rebuilding the new thing" comparable to holding back the fast car in 1st and 2nd gear ?

[Mathy]

Hello 19rsn007

 

The video chip inside the XEP80 can handle 64k x 16 bit. The dat sheet mentions bank switching as a way to use even more memory. You can use as many bits as you like for color, so it would be possible to use 8 bits for red, 8 for green and 8 for blue. That's 24 bit color.

 

You can find the data sheets and lots of other interesting stuff (about the XEP80) here on my Special Stuff page.

 

That's what I meant when I said the XEP80 is like stuffing a Ferrari engine in a three wheeled car with only two gears.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

PS but the chip would be a nice start for a PBI connected video upgrade.

[+Stephen]

 

Sorry if I am thick FJC, I have read the very little about RC_gr8.sys in the manual, no mention of the colour changes, also with con.sys all I can find is the switch to turn it on /e I cant find anyway to turn it off. You say release notes... is that in an old edition of SDX? I have no idea where to find this information I spent a while last night reading.. found nothing.

 

James

Newer versions of the rc_gr8 driver can take two parameters. I can't remember the order - I believe it is text, then background colour. Remember though, that with the standard A8 video hardware, it's just one colour with 2 luminance values.

 

So, when setting up the driver, use "DEVICE RC_GR8.SYS 14 0" to have very light grey text on black background.

[AtariGeezer]

Did MIO's video port do 80 column? There's one on ebay: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 152340248143

[+mytek]

Did MIO's video port do 80 column? There's one on ebay: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 152340248143

 

Nice but kinda pricey and big when compared to the newer alternatives. Wasn't the 80 column aspect an unreleased design?

 

- Michael

[+MrFish]

Did MIO's video port do 80 column? There's one on ebay: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 152340248143

 

Nice! First boxed one I've ever seen.

[gargoyle]

Did MIO's video port do 80 column? There's one on ebay: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 152340248143

 

I don't think so but $500 for an MIO, and there are still 4 days before the auction ends. collectors are a strange bunch :-)

[gargoyle]

Did the MIO come with an Atari power supply!. If not then how is this NIB?

Edited December 3, 2016 by gargoyle

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

Yes, the MIO was intended to have an 80 column video port.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[Bikerbob]

Newer versions of the rc_gr8 driver can take two parameters. I can't remember the order - I believe it is text, then background colour. Remember though, that with the standard A8 video hardware, it's just one colour with 2 luminance values.

 

So, when setting up the driver, use "DEVICE RC_GR8.SYS 14 0" to have very light grey text on black background.

no the two values are the margin from 0-5 and the keypress delay...nothing about colour.

 

James

[+mytek]

Hello guys

 

Yes, the MIO was intended to have an 80 column video port.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

 

 

Hi Mathy,

 

Yes I heard it was intended to, but did it ever actually happen?

 

- Michael

[Mathy]

Hello Michael

 

AFAIK it never did. IIRC the earlier MIOs had a connector for it on board, but the later versions did not. Somewhere in the back of my mind a small voice is saying they intended to use the 6545, but that might be a misinterpreted echo...

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[+bob1200xl]

Mike Hohman had some working 80 column cards in his MIOs. I don't think they used a 6545 - that would have been too cool.

 

Bob

[+Stephen]

no the two values are the margin from 0-5 and the keypress delay...nothing about colour.

 

James

I'm out of state until Monday. I'll check my setup when I get home, but I know for a fact that there is a way to set colour because my SDX install runs 80 col, and I keep the same settings for SDX, Last Word, and Ice-T.

[Bikerbob]

I'm out of state until Monday. I'll check my setup when I get home, but I know for a fact that there is a way to set colour because my SDX install runs 80 col, and I keep the same settings for SDX, Last Word, and Ice-T.

 

Thanks, I would appreciate that! To be correct, RC_GR8.doc has no settings specified. CON.SYS has the margin and the keypress delay.

 

What about a way to run the con.sys off? so /e makes it go to 80col.. is there a way to return? or only reset?

 

James

Edited December 5, 2016 by Bikerbob

[Bikerbob]

I found it!! it was in the SpartaDOS commander install files - IT says that you can install RC_GR8.sys with [f,b] these are the foreground and background colour values.

 

Anyone have a colour grid? LOL!!

 

James

[popmilo]

I would like to try some software solution for 80 columns that is in driver form (not stand-alone program).

Think I have an idea for faster soft-driver and need info on how drivers are written.

 

Could anyone point me in the right direction ?

 

ps. I'm not experienced in using Atari dos so I don't understand even the simple sounding stuff like "install RC_GR8.sys"

[Bikerbob]

I found it!! it was in the SpartaDOS commander install files - IT says that you can install RC_GR8.sys with [f,b] these are the foreground and background colour values.

 

Anyone have a colour grid? LOL!!

 

James

 

WOW.. figuring how to set the colours has been a real challenge. I have a combo that works, but not liking the colours really.

 

Also notice that con 80 does not work with ED - Can ED be updated so that it can work with con set at 80??

 

James

[+Stephen]

 

WOW.. figuring how to set the colours has been a real challenge. I have a combo that works, but not liking the colours really.

 

Also notice that con 80 does not work with ED - Can ED be updated so that it can work with con set at 80??

 

James

I use 13,176 for my SDX, as well as Last Word and Ice-T setups. Those are my top 2 production apps, so the machine has a proper full time 80-col feel to it, always with the same colours.

 

EDIT:

D'oh. Realized that I use the new version of ice-T XE that does simple colour, so for that I have black background, light grey text, dark grey border.

[+Larry]

Any chance of "fixing" the XEP-80? Might be easier than starting from scratch? It has one severe issue and others less problematic.

 

1) The silly thing overscans on a huge number of displays. I have tried numerous monitors and it cuts off the right margin so that usually only 77 or 78 columns can be displayed. Similarly, it cuts off the bottom two or three lines of the display. Did you know that there is supposedly a status line visible at the bottom? 25th line IIRC. I've never seen it. Never even seen line 24.

 

2) The font is very bad, and that may be related to the overscan. It is very tall, and it seems if the fonts were a pixel (or two) shorter, then everything could be displayed. I was told once that the font is embedded in the rom.

 

Another possibility is that one of the new display devices now available could correct the overscan? That would be great if true. I've got a couple of these things, but no real reason to get them out in view of the issues.

 

-Larry

[Bikerbob]

I think a really good hardware, either fixing with a new rom etc.. or something new would have enough interest to sell. I am using the rc_gr8.sys at the moment.. still trying to find a good colour combo but hardware would be better so that there is a wider range of compatable software, or that would be my assumption (which might be incorrect).

 

The XEP80 has its own monitor output? I know it connects to the computer through a joystick port - never used one.

 

James

 

ps 13,176 is not working for me on my monitor - too much artifacting on the 13 foreground colour.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Bikerbob