Skywise Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 I just grabbed a 65XE off eBay to add to my collection. (400,800,600XL) I'd like this one to be the modded unit and have Ultimate 1MB to put in it. For video, I'd like to put in Sophia 2, that should let me use modern monitors. Is there enough stereo games/demos to invest in a stereo mod? What mods are left out there? If I'm putting the U1MB in, is there a reason to bump the RAM up to 128K? I'm going to pull the RF modulator so I can mount the DVI port, I thought I read somewhere that I lose composite if I do that? Should I be throwing a Spectre in to get it back? What else would be good to throw into a 65XE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 18 minutes ago, Skywise said: Is there enough stereo games/demos to invest in a stereo mod? Yes 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopeyman06 Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 22 minutes ago, Skywise said: I just grabbed a 65XE off eBay to add to my collection. (400,800,600XL) I'd like this one to be the modded unit and have Ultimate 1MB to put in it. For video, I'd like to put in Sophia 2, that should let me use modern monitors. Is there enough stereo games/demos to invest in a stereo mod? What mods are left out there? If I'm putting the U1MB in, is there a reason to bump the RAM up to 128K? I'm going to pull the RF modulator so I can mount the DVI port, I thought I read somewhere that I lose composite if I do that? Should I be throwing a Spectre in to get it back? What else would be good to throw into a 65XE? You also need an 800XL for your collection.... I have one available 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywise Posted September 18 Author Share Posted September 18 1 hour ago, Dopeyman06 said: You also need an 800XL for your collection.... I have one available I was pondering an 800xl first but was having problems finding one on eBay at a reasonable price. The 65XE came up a bit over $100 so I grabbed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopeyman06 Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 1 hour ago, Skywise said: I was pondering an 800xl first but was having problems finding one on eBay at a reasonable price. The 65XE came up a bit over $100 so I grabbed it. Although this one specifically has been sold, I have another one available with similar specs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 Does your 65XE have the ECI port? If it does I would suggest a subAVG cart and the additional cables, and Sophia 2. That's pretty much everything sorted IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 Sophia2 is a great video option. If you can do it, (like I have a good few times in XE's), make sure you keep the RF modulator so you maintain legacy AV as an option. Ideally you never wanna be left with just one video output. You can either mod the casing and have the DVI port above the RF modulator. Or adopt the SAVO approach for no modding of the casing, (where this FJC video refers to one in an XEGS, but you get the gist): See here also: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywise Posted September 19 Author Share Posted September 19 7 hours ago, mimo said: Does your 65XE have the ECI port? If it does I would suggest a subAVG cart and the additional cables, and Sophia 2. That's pretty much everything sorted IMO No, it's the North American 65XE, doesn't have the expansion port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 19 minutes ago, Skywise said: No, it's the North American 65XE, doesn't have the expansion port. I came across an Non ECI XE once. Definintely reduces options: There are options to add an ECI (which I am not suggesting here for a moment given it's very involved): 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damocles Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 On 9/18/2024 at 8:33 PM, Skywise said: I just grabbed a 65XE off eBay to add to my collection. (400,800,600XL) I'd like this one to be the modded unit and have Ultimate 1MB to put in it. For video, I'd like to put in Sophia 2, that should let me use modern monitors. Is there enough stereo games/demos to invest in a stereo mod? What mods are left out there? If I'm putting the U1MB in, is there a reason to bump the RAM up to 128K? I'm going to pull the RF modulator so I can mount the DVI port, I thought I read somewhere that I lose composite if I do that? Should I be throwing a Spectre in to get it back? What else would be good to throw into a 65XE? U1MB and Sophia 2 are pretty much mandatory. The Sophia 2 will allow you to output to modern digital monitors (also supports VGA, component and RGB). U1MB (with the FJC firmware) will give you a meg of banked memory to play with as well as a host of useful features like OS and cart selection, built in Spartados, support for PBI 'hard drives' (with a Side cart). It also has a handy Sophia 2 config menu built in ... it really does act like a BIOS for the Atari 8bit. These will both have to be installed internally with some soldering. Fujinet is fantastic too - local SD card for virtual discs, wifi connection for virtual disks mounted over either your LAN or from the Internet plus virtual printer support (generates PDFs when you print to it), virtual modem support and a host of extra toys like CP/M support. Just plugs into the SIO port, no installation required. Some kind of flash cartridge is nice to have - there are a range of ones ranging from a pretty basic A8pico cart (cheap but effective) right up to a Side3 or AVGcart which come with a host of other features. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 On 9/18/2024 at 9:33 PM, Skywise said: Is there enough stereo games/demos to invest in a stereo mod? What mods are left out there? What else would be good to throw into a 65XE? James Bond does NOT like Spectre 😆 but he likes stereo: http://a8.fandal.cz/search.php?search=stereo&butt_details_x=x Guess that more than 700 programs is more than enough...?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 AVG/SubAVG cart, PBI and SIO cables, You have just about everything covered right there optional, sound cable for SubAVG. Stereo update like pokeymax etc now that the last few gremlins are being nailed. ------ down the road, maybe a vbxe or cpu card with speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 44 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said: AVG/SubAVG cart, PBI and SIO cables, You have just about everything covered right there optional, sound cable for SubAVG. Stereo update like pokeymax etc now that the last few gremlins are being nailed. ------ down the road, maybe a vbxe or cpu card with speed. There is no ECI so the PBI connection for Avg/SubAvg carts in this non ECI 65XE isn't an option here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 U1MB and SIDE3 to the rescue, as per the XEGS and 1200XL, then. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bent_pin Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 9 hours ago, mimo said: a subAVG cart and the additional cables, and Sophia 2 Where does one get these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 (edited) 7 minutes ago, bent_pin said: Where does one get these? Depends where you are In Europe and UK: Sophia2 - PM simius here on AA SubAVG: UK reseller Retrolemon: https://retrolemon.co.uk/atari-8bit-storage-devices/232-subcart.html edit: and in EU as per Mimo's link below or USA: Sophia2: https://thebrewingacademy.com/products/sophia-2-dvi-output-gtia-replacement SubAVG: ??? Edited September 19 by Beeblebrox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 6 minutes ago, bent_pin said: Where does one get these? https://miscretro.com/product/subcart/ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bent_pin Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 15 minutes ago, Beeblebrox said: Depends where you are In Europe and UK: Sophia2 - PM simius here on AA SubAVG: UK reseller Retrolemon: https://retrolemon.co.uk/atari-8bit-storage-devices/232-subcart.html edit: and in EU as per Mimo's link below or USA: Sophia2: https://thebrewingacademy.com/products/sophia-2-dvi-output-gtia-replacement SubAVG: ??? 15 minutes ago, mimo said: https://miscretro.com/product/subcart/ Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 (edited) 35 minutes ago, bent_pin said: Thank you no worries. Not wishing to hijack this thread, but which A8 are you looking to install/use these in? Edited September 19 by Beeblebrox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcrow Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 I was under the impression that Sophia gives you great video on modern monitors, but VBXE does that as well, but also adds new video modes that some games make use of. Perhaps someone more familiar with them can better explain the differences. I've been thinking if I were to do a maxed-out upgrade system, I would probably want FujiNet, U1MB, VBXE, PokeyMax, and Side 3, and I think that's probably my priority order. I'm not interested in Rapidus (65816 upgrade). On an 800XL, I would want to add back the +5V to the PBI, just in case. I haven't done any of these yet; just reflecting on what I've seen others talk about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeblebrox Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 (edited) 21 minutes ago, pcrow said: I was under the impression that Sophia gives you great video on modern monitors, but VBXE does that as well, but also adds new video modes that some games make use of. Perhaps someone more familiar with them can better explain the differences. I've been thinking if I were to do a maxed-out upgrade system, I would probably want FujiNet, U1MB, VBXE, PokeyMax, and Side 3, and I think that's probably my priority order. I'm not interested in Rapidus (65816 upgrade). On an 800XL, I would want to add back the +5V to the PBI, just in case. I haven't done any of these yet; just reflecting on what I've seen others talk about. Sophia2 gives a lot of config options and resolutions, and a few modes. It is a complete replacement for the GTIA chip which is no longer needed. VBXE gives you an RGB output but also extra graphical capabilities (320x240p in 1024 colours for example), and as such is a video card upgrade extension. It has blitter functionality, etc. It installs in the Antic socket, but the Antic chip is still needed. Sophia2: - 100% compatible GTIA replacement - PAL/NTSC encoding - Independent RGB/YPbPr/VGA and DVI outputs - eight selectable DVI modes - 15 loadable 18-bit color palettes VBXE: Device info: RGB output providing crisp clear picture using LCD TV or RGB monitor up to 1024 colors on screen from 21 bit palette graphics resolution up to 640x480i (640x240p) in 64 colours, 320x240p in 1024 colours, and 160x240p in 1024 true 80 char mode for text display blitter with 7 modes of operations capable of zooming displayed data, transparency, collision detection and many other features full downward compatible with GTIA chip and many, many more Edited September 19 by Beeblebrox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bent_pin Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 39 minutes ago, Beeblebrox said: no worries. Not wishing to hijack this thread, but which A8 are you looking to install/use these in? I have so many. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 (edited) 4 hours ago, Beeblebrox said: There are options to add an ECI This is what I'd do, use the cart to eci adapter, and then... 3 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said: AVG/SubAVG cart, PBI and SIO cables, You have just about everything covered right there optional, sound cable for SubAVG. Stereo update like pokeymax etc now that the last few gremlins are being nailed. ------ down the road, maybe a vbxe or cpu card with speed. You really can't go wrong doing this as it opens other upgrades as well as devices to your machine down the road Edited September 19 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reifsnyderb Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Need a full ECI or PBI for a 1090XL! 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywise Posted September 20 Author Share Posted September 20 Ok, I think I know what I'll be doing to the 65XE once I get it. U1MB (already have, was going to put in the 600xl but it's tight in there) Side 3 (already have, got with the U1MB) Sophia 2 (ordered from Brewing academy. UAV ordered as well to restore composite video) PokeyMax (have to figure out how to order and get to Canada) I'm not sure if I'll do this (my surface mount soldering skills are minimal), but a clever person designed an HDMI card to tie to the Sophia 2, also has a stereo 3.5mm audio jack. https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Atari_Sophia_2_video_HDMI_stereo_board_eba1d654.html I'll see how the keyboard is when I get the 65XE but I might put a Decent XE keyboard in it. I already have a Fujinet cart which all the Atari's share. I think that should do it Thanks for all the suggestions! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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