Level42 Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 (edited) OK. Wel all know that Lotharek has great products. We also all know that his.....instructions aren't usually the clearest. So...I'm (finally) installing my Stereo Pokey and U1MB into one of my 600XL's. Now....considering instructions I found this on Lotharek's site: Now. I understand the switch part. You simply solder the PCB to the Stereo Pokey PCB like that, and it will "act" just like a DPST switch. However, what about the rest. I can figure out that I will need to connect 1 wire from the U1MB M0 pin to the one arrowed. Clear enough. But what is that jumper ? And why wound't I hardwire it instead of soldering (a not included) header and put a removable jumper on it ? And why on that "1" setting ? What is the "2" setting ? But the most important of all......doesn't the Vcc and Gnd need to be connected ? Will it work exactly as pictured ? And if so, how can it work like that because I guess there needs to be some operating voltage somehow ? It's amazing that such simple things can't be clearly instructed in ONE go....seriously..... Edited August 19, 2017 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Jumper and all inputs are described next to the picture at the foot of the page: http://www.lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=112 You can pick 5V and GND off the Pokey chip with a couple of wires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Since I'd like stuff to look a bit tight..... well as tight as possible..... I came up with this. It's kinda weird cause the ground obviously is already connecter through to the U-switch PCB via one of the switch pins....but anyway. I found at that that spot on the Stereo Pokey board is Ground so wired that up with the blue wire. To get Vcc I took this from the underside of the board too.....I guess this should work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 More or less what I did, although I picked GND straight off the POKEY socket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 (edited) More or less what I did, although I picked GND straight off the POKEY socket. Well, I figured this wat at least one empty hole which was begging to be used New revisions of the Stereo Pokey PCB should have two special pins to directly connect 5V and GND to the U-switch....which will also nee a revision of the U-switch of course...but it would be handy to have two pins next to the switch ones, solder all 8 and be done....it feels very "unfinished" to have to solder two wires between these two boards. But I understand that the U-switch came after the Stereo Pokey board... Edited August 19, 2017 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Well, I figured this wat at least one empty hole which was begging to be used New revisions of the Stereo Pokey PCB should have two special pins to directly connect 5V and GND to the U-switch....which will also nee a revision of the U-switch of course...but it would be handy to have two pins next to the switch ones, solder all 8 and be done....it feels very "unfinished" to have to solder two wires between these two boards. But I understand that the U-switch came after the Stereo Pokey board... You know... Dropcheck has 6 of the TK-II-Stereo boards in stock that eliminates all this hassle, and fits better as well (taking less space). Seems like a better option for someone buying new. More info: http://ataribits.weebly.com/tk-ii-stereo.html Installation Photos (scroll down): http://ataribits.weebly.com/installation.html Just a thought - Michael 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsp Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 But the most important of all......doesn't the Vcc and Gnd need to be connected ? Will it work exactly as pictured ? And if so, how can it work like that because I guess there needs to be some operating voltage somehow ? But what about 6pin header that connects switch with pokey stereo board? Now I'm far away from Atari and my switch board and unable to check it, but even based on your photos it seems VCC connected to one of the pin of 6pin header... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 You know... Dropcheck has 6 of the TK-II-Stereo boards in stock that eliminates all this hassle, and fits better as well (taking less space). Seems like a better option for someone buying new. More info: http://ataribits.weebly.com/tk-ii-stereo.html Installation Photos (scroll down): http://ataribits.weebly.com/installation.html Just a thought - Michael Nice, but it's not really fair comparing a 15 euro PCB to a 40-55 dollar (about 40-45 euro) PCB. Especially because I don't see the point of a PS/2 interface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 But what about 6pin header that connects switch with pokey stereo board? Now I'm far away from Atari and my switch board and unable to check it, but even based on your photos it seems VCC connected to one of the pin of 6pin header... Uh no, the 6 pin switch header is the double row of pins on the soundboard itself. To this youmsolder the u-switch board since it will act as the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Nice, but it's not really fair comparing a 15 euro PCB to a 40-55 dollar (about 40-45 euro) PCB. Especially because I don't see the point of a PS/2 interface. Good point. However here in the US when factoring in the shipping from Poland the price is a lot closer to the same, which wouldn't be the case for where you live obviously. And the point of the PS2 keyboard interface is to combine something that at least 'some' users do have a need for in a single package, since it requires interfacing with Pokey as well. Basically we are talking about 3 devices in one, taking up pretty much the same space as Lotharek's stereo board alone. And to be fair the price is actually more like 18 euros for both boards (Stereo Board+U-Switch), but you are absolutely correct that the TK-II-Stereo board is still much higher. However try installing a stereo board with a U-Switch attached into an XEGS, the smaller footprint makes this a much easier process . Anyway I wasn't trying to hijack this thread, but instead simply providing an alternative that might better suit someone that is buying new (BTW, I have nothing to gain by promoting this product --- I make zero $$$ from it's sale). Another option would be to buy the bare boards and build your own if you are so inclined (OSH Park: buy link w/free shipping world wide). That would be about 18 euros for 3 boards, and a good option for a small group of people that wanted to do something like this, and of course possessed the necessary skills. - Michael 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 (edited) Hey I'm all for choices, the more the better ! Yeah I understand the shipping and it's the same the other way around so your board would cost even more for me because of shipping from the US has become insanely expensive the last years. I don't fancy a loose keyboard in front of my 600XL so the PS/2 option is not for me. I think it's really only something for the XEGS and for people who insist on user their "modern" keyboard...althoug USB or even better Bluetooth would have been a lot more modern. I wouldn't have minded using my Logitech Bluetooth keyboard (with backlit keys !) on my A8's I like that bare board. Building it up would be no problem but for now I'll stick with what I invested in already some years ago Edited August 23, 2017 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 By the way, surprised that that board uses through-hole components. That's great for self-builders and that the entire board is still smaller than Lothareks is an accomplishment as that one uses SMD parts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 By the way, surprised that that board uses through-hole components. That's great for self-builders and that the entire board is still smaller than Lothareks is an accomplishment as that one uses SMD parts. It's not smaller than Lotharek's stereo board (pretty close to the same size), but when you factor in the extra stuff like the U-Switch then I guess you could say that it's smaller since that functionality is built-in. Yeah it was quite a challenge making all the through-hole stuff fit, but using some of the analog gates for inverters really helped by eliminating the number of IC's required. All my stuff is aimed at DIY, so through-hole makes that aspect much easier (although some would argue that point). I guess if you're old like me and need more than one pair of glasses, then through-hole is the only way to go . As for the PS2 external keyboard... I wish I was up to the challenge of doing USB or Bluetooth, but this old brain doesn't feel like thinking that hard. Maybe someday . - Michael 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 So, as I understand it, the U-Switch allows one to turn off the stereo Pokey feature if they desire? It also requires that the Ultimate board also be installed? I assume this is because it's turned on/off via the Ultimate menu? I don't have an Ultimate so I guess, for now, the U-Switch will have to be replaced with a real switch. Question. When would one want to turn off the stereo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentarian Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Question. When would one want to turn off the stereo? When running non-stereo software -- so sound comes out of both speakers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 When running non-stereo software -- so sound comes out of both speakers. To add to what Brent is saying... when stereo is switched off, the mono (left channel) sound channel is mixed into both the left and right channels. This should not be confused with being actual stereo sound, but simply the mono channel being heard over two speakers. - Michael 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Payne Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 To add to what Brent is saying... when stereo is switched off, the mono (left channel) sound channel is mixed into both the left and right channels. This should not be confused with being actual stereo sound, but simply the mono channel being heard over two speakers. - Michael Thanks for the clarification guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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