800xl upgrades?

[Drsoren24]

I have an 800xl. I'm thinking about going exclusively to it and getting rid of my 5200, which I love. I just have to many systems. Is there any reason to upgrade anything or maybe switch to an xegs? Mine works great, it could use a new keyboard though, but other than that its good to go.

[flashbackmatt]

I had an 800XL and a XEGS and I say stick with the 800XL. 
 

The XEGS does not need the DIN cable for composite video and audio, since it has the RCA jacks on it. Built in Missile Command is neat. 
 

The 800XL is just as capable and takes up less space. 
 

One interesting thing is the keyboard. I was not a fan of the keyboard on the XEGS but I’ve seen PS/2 adapters on eBay for it. So if you already need a new keyboard that’s an option on the XEGS. 

 

Funny enough I don’t have either anymore but I just got a 5200. 

[+x=usr(1536)]

10 hours ago, Drsoren24 said:

I have an 800xl. I'm thinking about going exclusively to it and getting rid of my 5200, which I love. I just have to many systems. Is there any reason to upgrade anything or maybe switch to an xegs? Mine works great, it could use a new keyboard though, but other than that its good to go.

I'd say 800XL for the reasons outlined above.  Also, the XE-series machines' keyboards are not the greatest - better to fix the 800XL's keyboard, IMHO.  Speaking of that, what are the symptoms it's having?

 

FWIW, it is possible to use a USB keyboard with an A8.  See https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=311 .

 

And, if having Missile Command (or another 8K game built-in) is a must-have, it is possible to replace BASIC with a different ROM.  You'd have to run BASIC from cartridge or external storage, but it is doable.

[Mrshoujo]

There are many upgrades to consider.

First, RAM..I have a 256K RAMbo XL. There are others being made. Not sure how a 1MB Ultimate goes in but some users have it.

Stereo Pokey upgrade

Video Board XE (VBXE) configured for XL installation

There's the Rapidus speed up enhancement, hopefully stable. I have seen 1 guy on YouTube using it.

For storage, people use various mega bankswitching cartridges. I think Side3 is one. I bought an SDrive MAX and love it. Still have my 1050 drives with US Doubler. 

And the ultimate DOS is SpartaDOS X. I like it, anyway.

And there's this Fujinet thing which looks cool.

Just didn't know where your power level is but hey, hopefully this was helpful.

[+x=usr(1536)]

3 hours ago, Mrshoujo said:

And the ultimate DOS is SpartaDOS X. I like it, anyway.

It's probably worth mentioning that this is also included with the SIDE3 cartridge.  More on that below.

Quote

And there's this Fujinet thing which looks cool.

The FujiNet is, IMHO, the most important peripheral to have.  Given that it emulates cassette drives, disk drives, printers, the 850 interface, etc. and networks the computer, it's invaluable both as a daily-driver peripheral as well as a troubleshooting tool.  By all means collect the various Atari-made and third-party peripherals from back in the day and enjoy them - but the FujiNet is what you want for modern ease of use and reliability.  Read more about it here.

 

Regarding the SIDE3 cartridge: it's essentially an SD cartridge with SpartaDOS X built-in.  The FujiNet can't emulate cartridges as it connects to the SIO bus, not the cartridge slot, so SIDE3 fills that particular niche.  More info here.

 

With respect to both of the above, they're really additions more than modifications since they're essentially plug & play with the standard user-accessible external ports.  Because of this, they also have the advantage of being able to be moved between multiple machines easily - a huge plus if you end up acquiring more A8s in the future.

 

Not knocking any internal modifications by any means; I'm all for them and have a few installed on my stuff.  But there are some advantages to the SIDE3 and FujiNet that might not be completely obvious and are ultimately beneficial both right out of the box and in the long-term.

[Beeblebrox]

And Flashjazzcat has been working tirelessly for many months on the new Side3 firmware also. Check out this older post from last year for more info: