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Sophia 2 - improved GTIA replacement


Simius

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23 hours ago, mytek said:

I don't think so, look at the  board and you'll see there is no place for the original GTIA to plug into.

Sophia2.thumb.jpg.718ea4c88335ec7b1f7736d8c54deead.jpg

This new version is completely replacing the original GTIA, so as Simius stated just recently when going from NTSC to PAL, all that is required is to change the Antic and primary oscillator crystal.

 

Yep Sorry I'd just been re-fittin an original Sophia at the time and I'd forgotten the new board didn't need the original GTIA

 

 

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10 hours ago, TheMontezuma said:

For 800, you may want to wait a little bit for the Super Color CPU Card V2.0 with Sophia 2 onboard:

 

https://translate.google.de/translate?hl=de&tab=wT&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abbuc.de%2Fcommunity%2Fforum%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D15%26t%3D10343%23p86134

 

 

This would be *THE* video upgrade we have been waiting for... and better yet, leveraging the 800's architectural muscle.

 

Talk about NTSC and PAL SW-libraries finally unified (!)

 

HOWEVER, I would rather have Simius confirming the answer to my question, as well as Jurgen himself providing details about that kick-ass SCC v2.0, so we all play safe here.

Edited by Faicuai
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On 6/9/2020 at 12:32 AM, Faicuai said:
  1. The CPU board stands upright between two aluminum walls:one is next to the expansion bay, and the other is on the back-end.
  2. Per your comment, we need 5.5mm between GTIA surface and the BACK wall (seems like 6.00 to be safe)
  3. HOWEVER (and assuming that the video-header on SOPHIA clears the right-edge of the CPU board), we will need X.YYmm between the under-side of Sofia and the FRONT wall (next to the expansion bay), so that [SOPHIA's header + ribbon's header] fully clear the board and the front-wall.
  4. So the question is: what is that X.YYmm of clearance needed? (this can be measured directly on your prototype and the  recommended video-ribbon/header for it).

As for the length of the video-ribbon, I should have been more specific: can we get a 12-inches or 16-inches ribbon for the video output? That would give sufficient length to bend-and-route (carefully) the cable out of the CPU-slot, into the expansion-bay, and then out of the expansion-bay.

 

1. I know. I have a 800 machine. 

2. The CPU board with the Sophia 2 placed in the GTIA socket fits between alu shield walls.

3, 4 - Sorry, I don't understand. Maybe the pictures help explain. Can you mark the clearance you are asking about?

 

1317959469_CPUTopView.thumb.jpg.28a61af14656f47a184509c89d88a390.jpg129007953_CPUSideView1.thumb.jpg.6de86c99e602c2a7b116692044614fba.jpg

 

203338970_CPUSideView2.thumb.jpg.e305bdfc9b5555036b99463f6f1c831d.jpg

 

If you cut a 1"x 1/3" hole in the right wall of the alu shield, 8-9" ribbon cable is enough, but I think 12" will be good. 

 

Edited by Simius
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@Simius Any rough idea of a delivery time, I know the pre order stage is very much in full swing and I'm very glad to see that its doing so well, I'm just so bored in lockdown I want to do some stuff :)

 

Thanks to bills this is the only thing I have on the horizon :)

 

And I do mean rough, by the end of the year, next year?

Edited by Mclaneinc
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6 hours ago, Simius said:

 

1. I know. I have a 800 machine. 

2. The CPU board with the Sophia 2 placed in the GTIA socket fits between alu shield walls.

3, 4 - Sorry, I don't understand. Maybe the pictures help explain. Can you mark the clearance you are asking about?

 

1317959469_CPUTopView.thumb.jpg.28a61af14656f47a184509c89d88a390.jpg129007953_CPUSideView1.thumb.jpg.6de86c99e602c2a7b116692044614fba.jpg

 

203338970_CPUSideView2.thumb.jpg.e305bdfc9b5555036b99463f6f1c831d.jpg

 

If you cut a 1"x 1/3" hole in the right wall of the alu shield, 8-9" ribbon cable is enough, but I think 12" will be good. 

 

THANKS!!!

 

You can ignore #4 as GTIA is placed at the edge of the SALLY-CPU boards. Yours is the legacy (older) one. I can see that the video-header is pretty thin and will be just ok at the right-edge as well.

 

For the above reason, and with a 12" cable, there is absolutely no need to open any hole on the RF-shield. On Sally, exit-ribbon could 180-degree wrap behind the board, then carefully fold at 90-degrees going down, and entering through a small slot (to be made) on the plastic-frame of the expansion-bay. Just like this, but on the back-side of the bay:

 

B25188F5-D751-49AB-BE74-2E9E26CB9BEA.thumb.jpeg.c26b3e565ac8e884a7ae8f17dc674ea9.jpeg

 

Once inside the expansion-bay, exit through the top-cover is now possible... all this without any modification (whatsoever) to the external case of the machine.

 

Thanks for the detailed diagrams. It seems a relatively smooth and stealth install is perfectly possible with Sophia-2 form-factor.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Edited by Faicuai
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My two, never going to happen, "features" would be simulated NTSC artifacting so Ultima IV has color through DVI and change the graphics 0 screen to match what it is on a NTSC TV (non-square pixels). I know, a circle won't be round anymore, but I'm not used to it being round.

 

Frank

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I remember there being quite a bit of discussion for Sophia 1 regarding compatibility with various LCD displays (certain models, etc. not playing well with the output). Have these issues been addressed with Sophia 2 or are some recommendations of monitors to use or not use with it?

 

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  • 1 month later...

OK, a demo ...

 

This is an interlaced Graphics 10 in text mode, I named it Super 10.  45 colors displayable at 80x192 resolution.  But with the Sophia, perhaps 160 pixels across.

 

I tweaked the kernel so that $D01B switches between 128 and 192 every VBLANK.  This toggles the Graphics 10 shift, and puts the screen in a simulated 160 pixel mode.

 

On the accompanying ATR, RUN "D:PARRSOPH.TUR" ... and please, someone with this board, tell me what this looks like on the actual hardware.

 

Note:  The program does antiflicker dithering, but the pixel shift might mess this up some ... that can be disabled.  Insert this line:

 

2020 GOTO 5000

 

sophia.atr

Edited by Synthpopalooza
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2 minutes ago, Synthpopalooza said:

OK, a demo ...

 

This is an interlaced Graphics 10 in text mode, I named it Super 10.  45 colors displayable at 80x192 resolution.  But with the Sophia, perhaps 160 pixels across.

 

I tweaked the kernel so that $D01B switches between 128 and 192 every VBLANK.  This toggles the Graphics 10 shift, and puts the screen in a simulated 160 pixel mode.

 

On the accompanying ATR, RUN "D:PARRSOPH.TUR" ... and please, someone with this board, tell me what this looks like on the actual hardware.

 

 

sophia.atr 90.02 kB · 1 download

SOPHIA 2 is not yet available. 

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OK ... well, when it is, we got a little test for it. :)

 

I also noticed this ...

 

$D01B register ...

 

Bits 3:0 – PALE3:0 Color Palette These flags chooses one of 16 active color palette. Palette #0 is default, standard PAL or NTSC palette. Palettes #1...15 are user programmable in the embedded RAM. Access to these flags is possible only when the SPECEN flag is set. The composite and TV, PAL/NTSC encoded outputs uses always only default palette.

 

So, this means we can switch active palettes on the fly.  Are these programmed using the standard 16 chromas?  If not, it means that these could also be swapped out every VBLANK as well, and increasing exponentially the number of palettes that could be displayed onscreen.

 

The wheels are turning for me on this one ...

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  • 1 month later...

As a returning 800xl user upgrading their system, I'm considering this upgrade or the Rev C. Sophia.

Is there any chance of an update on the timeline of availability? I'm in no major rush as I've just pre-ordered a Side3 and U1Mb, so going full gung-ho on upgrades and their inherited shipping/making time.

However I don't want to get a RevC if the Sophia2 is about to drop.

 

Thanks!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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11 minutes ago, mimo said:

Send message to Simius. Not sure if they are still available though as V3 will be available soon

Huh ? . He hasn't even begun deliveries on the Sophia 2, what makes you think there is Sophia 3? Do you have insider information?

 

 

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21 minutes ago, mytek said:

Huh ? . He hasn't even begun deliveries on the Sophia 2, what makes you think there is Sophia 3? Do you have insider information?

 

 

No, I forgot, it's Sophia 2 but side B.

Getting old sucks.

Thanks for the correction 

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5 minutes ago, mimo said:

No, I forgot, it's Sophia 2 but side B.

Getting old sucks.

Thanks for the correction 

Tell me about it... my mind has major brain farts all the time, my fingers spell out words my mind never even thought of, and damn if I don't keep dropping caps left and right. But thank goodness for the ability to edit posts ;) .

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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