800 REV C vrs REV D which is better?

[ace]

okay I pulled my XL's apart today and was checking out if they had been moded yet and was just in general looking and poking about and noticed that these two 800XL's differ in several places as some chips are different and some are "fixed" without sockets for some of the chips. now by now I am sure by now the pros that read this board are thinking that I am a complete moron, but if I dont ask questions I cant learn. anyway, I want to know if its worthwhile to take anything from either 800 or both of them and add to or replace in the 1200 or just leave it alone. I have been trying to read up on mods in my spare time, and trying to figure out what all I will do to it. or the other possabilty, just fix up one 800 and forget about the 1200, since the 800s have the expantiion slot.... sorry this is so long... I geuss my question is what would you do if you had these and time to mess with them? I want to do the "right thing" and not say later dang I should have done that! thanx for you input and time. pics of the innards of all three are here:

http://www.geocities.com/tj429f/atarigreenboards.html

give it two minutes on a dialup, just pictures of the boards... nothing else.

[Shawn Jefferson]

I want to know if its worthwhile to take anything from either 800 or both of them and add to or replace in the 1200 or just leave it alone.

 

About the only thing you could possibly use from the 800XLs to put in the 1200XL would be the ROM chip, but why bother with that? As it is you have three Atari 8-bit computers, if you take parts out of one then you will only have two. Sell one on eBay if you don't want to keep it.

 

On the subject of mods:

 

A memory upgrade is nice, since you won't be able to use any software that requires more than 64k.

 

Stereo pokey upgrade lets you listen to music designed for two pokeys.

 

A PAL antic chip would let you run PAL games provided your TV/monitor could accept the signal. You could also just buy a PAL computer from someone overseas.

 

Built-in IDE/CF card? The MyIDE interface is very cheap and easy to use, and there's this great image manager software for it now. LOL.

 

The PBI is pretty useless unless you are going to buy an add-on that fits it. There aren't that many and they are expensive. Most of them allow you to hook up SCSI hard drives to your system, but why do that when you can have an IDE drive instead? If you keep at least one 800XL you will have a computer with a PBI port if you need it.

[ace]

thanks Shawn, I think I will keep one of the 800's to use and keep the other for "parts". heck never know when I might need something else. I am going to do the ide mod, and I would like to get it up to 256 mem. thank you for help in my decision.

 

anyone else know what the differences are between the different revisions of 800XL's? I'm just wondering if ones any better than the other. I assume that the one that has most of the plugin sockets for the chips is better, but its the older one. I geuss it really doesnt matter though.

[+Stephen]

This is just my opinion, but if you really want to modify an Atari, I would say go to town on the 1200XL. The keyboard feel is excellent (again, just my opinion) and the inside of the case is full of space. You also have the 4 function keys, and 2 LEDs which are not on any of the other 8-bits.

 

As soon as I get a little spare cash, I will be modding my 1200XL. I plan on adding:

- 256K upgrade (I know the 1MB SIM upgrade is out there, but I already have the 81256 chips)

- Steve Tucker's 32-in-1 OS

- a MyIDE interface with an internal HD

- Super Video mod

- stereo Pokey

- if necessary, Bob Wooley's PBI add-on

 

Oh - while inside the 1200XL, you should also enable the 5V line to the SIO connector so the SIO2PC adapter will work.

 

Stephen Anderson

[+Stephen]

anyone else know what the differences are between the different revisions of 800XL's? I'm just wondering if ones any better than the other. I assume that the one that has most of the plugin sockets for the chips is better, but its the older one. I geuss it really doesnt matter though.

 

As you noted, the socketed XL is much easier to modify. I have heard that the 800XL used 2 different keyboards, although I have only had the cheap membrane styles in my 800XLs(one socketed, one not) and 600XL. Other than that, I believe they were all the same.

 

Oh - if you will be doing any programming, you should consider swapping out the REV B BASIC for REV C.

 

Stephen Anderson

[ace]

hey thanks!

[ace]

hey thanks! what about Rev D?

[+Stephen]

Sorry for the confusion - I am not really sure what the REV C and REV D markings on the mainboard mean. All 800XLs came with REV B of the BASIC ROM. REV C was the latest Atari BASIC.

 

800XL board layout has all the components labeled.

 

Have fun with those Ataris and good luck with the modding.

 

Stephen Anderson

[miker]

Hmm... And what about XE Game System? I've heard that it had some modified ROM (not only the game included). Some games/demos just don't work on it...

[ace]

well, I know that most of my programs, software and cartrages were used on both a 800XL and a 130XE before I got it and it seems to work ok on my 1200XL ... that is what is left thats not degraded beond use from age and wear. but there may be some stuff that does not. you do have to have a basic cartrage for the 1200 where the 130XE you dont. I do sortof recall one program that the 130 didnt like but its been too many years since I used it.

[Tempest]

As soon as I get a little spare cash, I will be modding my 1200XL. I plan on adding:  

- 256K upgrade (I know the 1MB SIM upgrade is out there, but I already have the 81256 chips)  

- Steve Tucker's 32-in-1 OS  

- a MyIDE interface with an internal HD  

- Super Video mod  

- stereo Pokey  

- if necessary, Bob Wooley's PBI add-on  

 

I have a decked out 1200XL, but the four OS's on it (400/800, XL, XE, and 1200XL) have some issues. I think it's because the 400/800 OS is a free one and not the original (I'll have to check the docs). I notice that some games have tiny glitches (the High Score display on Congo Bongo for instance was a bunch of jumbled characters instead of numbers).

 

I never added a PBI to it, but I really didn't see a use for it either. What are these 32-in-1 OS and Stereo Pokey mods?

 

Tempest

[+Stephen]

I have a decked out 1200XL, but the four OS's on it (400/800, XL, XE, and 1200XL) have some issues.  I think it's because the 400/800 OS is a free one and not the original (I'll have to check the docs).  I notice that some games have tiny glitches (the High Score display on Congo Bongo for instance was a bunch of jumbled characters instead of numbers).  

 

I never added a PBI to it, but I really didn't see a use for it either.  What are these 32-in-1 OS and Stereo Pokey mods?

 

Tempest

 

The 32-in-1 OS is Steve Tucker's latest OS mod. It replaces his previous 4-in-1 Warp OS.

 

The stereo pokey just adds another Pokey (sound chip) into the machine. Some demos use it to give 8 channels of sound instead of the 4.

 

Stephen Anderson

[Tempest]

Interesting, I'm going to have to look at this.

 

Tempest