Forgot my own upgrade!?!?!

[macsonny]

Hi All,

 

I did a few upgrades to my Atari 800XL some time ago and I forgot what the upgrade is for one of them. As you can see from attached photo, the upgrade on left is a UAV but I can't remember what the bottom upgrade is? I'm looking to install an Antonia upgrade and was trying to work out what the upgrade I currently has is and if it's better to keep it or install Antonia.

 

Anyone know what the upgrade on the bottom is?

 

Thanks

 

macsonny

 

p.s. Yes - a bit embarrassing. Guess old age is catching up with me

 

 

[Peri Noid]

It's a RAM upgrade, if I get it right. 

https://abbuc.de/produkt/512-kbyte-sram-speichererweiterung-v4-4-fuer-alle-xl-xe-xegs-ausser-dem-600xl/

Edited November 2, 2023 by Peri Noid

[macsonny]

30 minutes ago, Peri Noid said:

It's a RAM upgrade, if I get it right. 

https://abbuc.de/produkt/512-kbyte-sram-speichererweiterung-v4-4-fuer-alle-xl-xe-xegs-ausser-dem-600xl/

Fantastic! Thank you.

[Dinadan67]

I would keep that upgrade, 576k is plenty enough for almost all software and this upgrade by @tf_hh just works with highest compatibility. You can even switch from Rambo mode to compy shop.

[Ray Gillman]

6 hours ago, Dinadan67 said:

I would keep that upgrade, 576k is plenty enough for almost all software and this upgrade by @tf_hh just works with highest compatibility. You can even switch from Rambo mode to compy shop.

Do you have an opinion on how this (ebay upgrade) would compare to the 576K (highest compatibility) upgrade? https://www.ebay.com/itm/276072596239

I am just so averse risking breaking my system doing one of those birds nest upgrade with my weak cold solder sloppy work jobs knowing my coin toss history with doing those DIY.

Truth be told if there were a 576K that just plugged into the bus for under $100 like that I'd likely already have pulled the trigger on it. What put me off was only 320K not 576.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Ray Gillman

[darwinmac]

31 minutes ago, Ray Gillman said:

Do you have an opinion on how this (ebay upgrade) would compare to the 576K (highest compatibility) upgrade? https://www.ebay.com/itm/276072596239

I am just so averse risking breaking my system doing one of those birds nest upgrade with my weak cold solder sloppy work jobs knowing my coin toss history with doing those DIY.

Truth be told if there were a 576K that just plugged into the bus for under $100 like that I'd likely already have pulled the trigger on it. What put me off was only 320K not 576.

The person who developed that 320k upgrade is here on AA. @reifsnyderb would be the person to ask. I wouldn’t worry about it being “only” 320k. There are a few demos that require more memory, but I’m not sure there’s any game that requires more. 
 

I use a somewhat similar upgrade (SysCheck II) from tf_hh in Germany. However, you should be able to get the 320k upgrade faster since I think he’s in the US (I’m assuming you are as well). 
 

I don’t solder so I was looking for a similar plug-in upgrade. The other advantage is if there’s a game that’s incompatible with the upgrade, you can simply unplug the upgrade. 
 

Bob C

[Peri Noid]

It's actually +256KB vs +512KB (together with on-board 64KB they give 320 and 576, respectively). There is a 512KB external expansion available. Write to @zaxon, he makes them. The thing is, it's only rambo-compatible, unlike an internal by @tf_hh, which can be switched between the two standards). But the truth is, almost NOTHING needs a Compy-Shop type of RAM expansion  

[Ray Gillman]

50 minutes ago, Peri Noid said:

It's actually +256KB vs +512KB (together with on-board 64KB they give 320 and 576, respectively). There is a 512KB external expansion available. Write to @zaxon, he makes them. The thing is, it's only rambo-compatible, unlike an internal by @tf_hh, which can be switched between the two standards). But the truth is, almost NOTHING needs a Compy-Shop type of RAM expansion  

Coming back to me now. I once owned a 130XE which the Atari expert "Paul (whatshisname) in the Mid-Cities" (Bedford Hurst Euless) did the upgrade on it for me and he did a three way switch so I could flip from 320 Rambo to 320 Compy to 576K or back to 130K? I do remember now most I really used it for was ram disks and don't remember it mattering much which I used. yup yup yup.

[reifsnyderb]

1 hour ago, Ray Gillman said:

Do you have an opinion on how this (ebay upgrade) would compare to the 576K (highest compatibility) upgrade? https://www.ebay.com/itm/276072596239

I am just so averse risking breaking my system doing one of those birds nest upgrade with my weak cold solder sloppy work jobs knowing my coin toss history with doing those DIY.

Truth be told if there were a 576K that just plugged into the bus for under $100 like that I'd likely already have pulled the trigger on it. What put me off was only 320K not 576.

Hello!

 

I am not a fan of the 576k PBI upgrades.  This is mainly because to exceed 320k, the PBI RAM module needs to short the Refresh signal to ground.  Doing this disables most of the functions of the memory management unit but also conflicts with the ANTIC chip.  While many people say it's safe to short ANTIC's Refresh signal to ground, I really don't like the idea of doing this to a 40 year old chip that's no longer made.  I also don't want it ever coming back on me that using my memory module damaged somebody's ANTIC chip. 

 

Best Regards,

 

Brian

[+CharlieChaplin]

2 hours ago, Peri Noid said:

 But the truth is, almost NOTHING needs a Compy-Shop type of RAM expansion  

 

Depends on what you count as almost nothing.

- Hobbytronic High Resolution Power Pack Demos:

  a) Glashead (Headphone glashead), b) Trabant  (both by Analog Research)

- The Starwars Demo  (by Analog Research)

- The Edelweiß Demo (by Analog Research)

- The Brundles, when in 320k config. mode (loads all 100 levels into XRAM)

- Kaiser 2 (320k version, there are also 64k and 128k versions)

- Audio/Studio Master (Mirage/ANG, 256k XRAM, 26AE Compyshop only?)

- Halle 1994: The Wormhole (Magic Arts, 256k XRAM, 26AE only!),
- Hardware Demo (A.R.+C.S.S., 256k XRAM, 26AE Compyshop only!) 

 

And a dozen or so other demos, games and applications. Since Compyshop was a german company, most A8 programs that do either support or require a compyshop enhancement are also from Germany. Most of these programs will not work correct (gfx bugs / glitches) or not at all with a Rambo compatible extention.

 

 

[Peri Noid]

This is what I mean by "almost NOTHING"  We made a list of such software on our Polish forum. It turned out, that there are really a few of positions. And some of them have a Rambo version anyway.

[XL Freak]

On 11/2/2023 at 3:27 AM, Dinadan67 said:

I would keep that upgrade, 576k is plenty enough

That's not the point. The Antonia not only provides up to the entire 4MB as LINEAR, non-banked memory, but swaps out the 6502C for a 65C816S 16 bit processor. It doesn't run it fast, like the Rapidus does, it just runs along at the system speed of 1.79Mhz. Plus, there is a 16 bit OS for XL/XE to take full advantage of the new CPU.

[XL Freak]

On 11/2/2023 at 10:23 AM, Ray Gillman said:

I am just so averse risking breaking my system doing one of those birds nest upgrade with my weak cold solder sloppy work jobs knowing my coin toss history with doing those DIY.

Truth be told if there were a 576K that just plugged into the bus for under $100 like that I'd likely already have pulled the trigger on it. What put me off was only 320K not 576.

The Antonia requires no soldering *IF* your motherboard is fully socketed already. It is truly Plug-N-Play. Just pull out the CPU and insert the Antonia, then pull out the MMU and insert the male header into the socket. That's it.

 

Edit: Currently, they are about $85 for US customers

Edited November 4, 2023 by XL Freak

[Ray Gillman]

My NTSC 800XL is not socketed.

[macsonny]

22 hours ago, XL Freak said:

The Antonia requires no soldering *IF* your motherboard is fully socketed already. It is truly Plug-N-Play. Just pull out the CPU and insert the Antonia, then pull out the MMU and insert the male header into the socket. That's it.

 

Edit: Currently, they are about $85 for US customers

It really is a simple install for a socketed machine. Just plug-n-play. Was a major reason why I bought it and now installed in my 800XL.

[+slx]

On 11/2/2023 at 12:28 AM, macsonny said:

Anyone know what the upgrade on the bottom is?

 

...

 

p.s. Yes - a bit embarrassing. Guess old age is catching up with me

 

 

 

I always put a sticker or note inside anything I mod so the next person opening it up (or even I) will know what I did. I use Brother P-Touch labels but even a small piece of paper taped to the RF shield should do. (I also stick a copy to the outside.)

[macsonny]

30 minutes ago, slx said:

I always put a sticker or note inside anything I mod so the next person opening it up (or even I) will know what I did. I use Brother P-Touch labels but even a small piece of paper taped to the RF shield should do. (I also stick a copy to the outside.)

That is actually a really good idea. I'll stick (pun intended) to that forward.

[Peri Noid]

On 11/4/2023 at 1:04 AM, XL Freak said:

That's not the point. The Antonia not only provides up to the entire 4MB as LINEAR, non-banked memory, but swaps out the 6502C for a 65C816S 16 bit processor. It doesn't run it fast, like the Rapidus does, it just runs along at the system speed of 1.79Mhz. Plus, there is a 16 bit OS for XL/XE to take full advantage of the new CPU.

I have Antonia in 2 machines. It's advantage (65C816 CPU) is it's biggest weakness at the same time - it's not full Sally-compatible. There are some games/demos that do not work on it. Not too many but still. Yet - I agree, it's features are really good.