Atari 8-bit Video Upgrades and 800XL Sophia Install

[@davidwillard2796]

Is the DVI output through the 4 analog pins or is it a truly digital output? Is it DVI-I or DVI-D ? If it's DVI-D then you could put an adapter on it for HDMI...

[@flashjazzcat]

No analogue VGA signal. It's DVI-D and HDMI adapters work (tested here on the machine in the video with a DVI to HDMI cable). The only downside is that there's no digital audio on the connector. :).

[@dxgo9512]

@@flashjazzcat Can you use an adapter, say DVI-D to VGA, to output the video to a VGA monitor?

[@flashjazzcat]

@@dxgo9512 Not with this version of Sophia, since there is no analogue signal on the DVI port. Perhaps things are different with Sophia v2 (there are certainly more signals on the ribbon cable, so perhaps VGA is there on the DVI jack).

[@saroku]

No need to apologize at the end.. I think your vids are great from one geek to the other. cheers!!

[@michaeljefferson6370]

I don't think you come across as being narcissistic, our team finds great value in your KZbins, so keep it up. From your USA cousin across the pond. The team at [EpR] Electronic PCB Retro thanks you for all your work and look forward to seeing more of your KZbins. Thanks Michael [EpR] Electronic PCB Retro

[@rideon41]

Best ending yet :)

[@flashjazzcat]

Thank you. It took some takes to get right. :)

[@jrherita]

Very timely for me as I am looking at these. Thank you FJC!! Edit: thanks for all you do for the community!

[@wesstarmedia]

I think your attitude is humble and light, with informative and entertaining videos too. I'm thinking of sorting out my old atari 800xl that has an rf flicker. If you jiggle the rf, obviously with the rf lead in, the display flickers. These solutions would bypass the rf. All the best.

[@flashjazzcat]

Thanks so much, and best of luck with the 800XL.

[@lb7144]

OMG, that opening music! I’m 8 years old again.

[@brianwild4640]

dont listen to then you seem a normal good fellow to me and you know what you are about. you seem genuine.you seem like a very good teacher showing how while explaining why you do things as you do. thankls for work you put in let Atari keep rocking

[@ecwnikos]

wow that intro music is from comapss international verry cool makes me feel verry old.

[@przemekkobel4874]

There are some ways to improve Dremel part. Basically, you want to keep work area and the bit free of hot plastic. You could either cool it down (could be with water), not let it heat up too much (larger diameter of a bit, less force, more/shorter cuts), or mask the plastic with a painter's tape and cut through that (this one is also extra effective with jigsaws). There are many non-Dremel bits that can work much better with some plastics (I tried some that are normally used by dentists, jewelers, and of course various Chinese products). And I always use one of those lamps with magnifying glass - they improve the precision and also act as protection from stuff flying off the material.

[@flashjazzcat]

That's why I cut inside of the marked line and then finish with a file: it doesn't really matter if the bit becomes encased in plastic. I stop every so often and slide the hot plastic off the end of the bit: problem solved. Perhaps the tools could be improved, but the results achieved are consistently excellent regardless (a view confirmed by clients). :) I wear glasses while using the Dremel, mind you (eye protection is indeed a good idea).

[@przemekkobel4874]

@@flashjazzcat Yup, this way is the most straightforward and gives you lots of control. Yet, few times I was in a spot where I could not use any file or knife, and that's how I found ways to do stuff with various bits instead, and get clean lines right away (sometimes I really do need a magnifying glass for that). When I was watching this video I started to think about some kind of internal mounting bracket for DVI fixed in that empty place on the mainboard, but after a while I was like 'meh - overengineering'... apparently your solution is the optimal one. (:

[@flashjazzcat]

@@przemekkobel4874 Ironically, I was not entirely satisfied with the end result here and ended up doing exactly as you suggest (mounting the DVI adapter directly to the board where the RF modulator used to be). The owner was happy with the initial work but I thought it could be improved. I can't post a photo here but I think there is one on my atari8 Facebook page. I made the hole wider (exposing the bolts) and fabricated a blanking plate by cutting part of a Coke can so it would fit neatly around the DVI connector. The mounting bolts went through two holes in the aluminium panel, holding it in place. Totally over-enginereed, but the machine is much easier to dismantle now. :)

[@iulianispas8634]

Atari wore so well build and engineered much better then Amiga

[@jzarfas]

The glasess and glugging of ipa lol nearly spat me drink out laughing

[@quincy1048]

Love these new style videos you been doing...having done some work with atari and action back in the early eighties the platform stuck...but coming back to it...all the enhancements available that was not even dreamed of back then. They have left me scrambling to keep up and having to litterly buy each one to sample them and figure out which one works. I have had all three video options covered here...my Ultimate video didn't work well but I think that was a machine in a faulty state with the install of that. My VBXE I could never get to put a picture on my 50 inch 4k tv I use for a monitor. Yea I used several scan doublers and no luck. The sophia that worked the best for me...a dvi to hdmi into the tv and I was set. Nice picture. And this video covers the unasked question can sophia exist with ultimate 1meg in a 800xl. I wonder what the real experience is with rapidus...I also just glaze over at the number of options for putting some programs on a sd card and then plugging that into a adapter into the atari. Yea I have at least a couple of those. Also a incognito should land over here next month for my recently aquired atari 800 which tested good enough to use to try that.

[@flashjazzcat]

Thanks for the comments. Sorry UAV and VBXE didn't work out for you, but very glad to hear Sophia did the trick. Regarding Rapidus: I eventually fitted it in my 1088XEL and it lives there very happily. This confirms that - given the proper environment (i.e. clean signals and no noise; the 1088XEL has a four-layer PCB with power and ground plane) - Rapidus works perfectly well alongside Ultimate 1MB, etc. As for storage solutions: I recommend SIDE2 or AVG. The latter has the advantage of using SD cards instead of CF cards. It also handles cartridge emulation, and has a SIDE emulation mode. With U1MB in the machine, either cartridge will provide functionality almost identical to that of Incognito in an 800.

[@markfisher696]

that IPA / glasses gag gets me every time

[@Syntheticham]

I jam so hard to the intro music every time.

[@SussexHistory]

Thanks for making this video. Advanced stuff. I have recently acquired an Atari 800XL, having not previously been an Atari user. Previous machines were Apple II, BBC Micro, Amiga A500, Macintosh iMac, Windows Vista Laptop and now I Chromebook on which I am typing this! Could you make a series of videos for beginners on the Atari 800XL? Although I know a lot about computers in general, I am a tyro on the Atari!

[@flashjazzcat]

Thanks for the comment. You're in for a bewildering overload of information when it comes to add-ons available for the Atari 8-bit. The 800XL is a good, solid choice, anyway. One would barely know where to start when it comes to a complete beginner's guide (A guide to using the stock machine, a guide to gaming, a guide to upgrades, a guide to productivity apps? Or all of the above?), but a good place for you to begin would be the 'Topic for Newbies' at AtariAge: atariage.com/forums/topic/176545-topic-for-newbies/

[@cbmeeks]

So, SOPHIA is 15KHz output only? Which means I will still need a hard-to-find monitor in the US?

[@flashjazzcat]

Just the oppostite. VBXE outputs 15KHz RGB, but the Sophia featured in the video outputs a DVI signal which will work with any DVI monitor or even HDMI using a simple passive adapter cable. Finding a suitable monitor should not prove difficult (although you may wish to get one with built-in speakers and a 3.5mm audio input for sound which needs to be tapped separately from the Atari). It could not really get any more convenient than this.

[@cbmeeks]

@@flashjazzcat Thanks for the response!

[@edbrown1166]

Enjoy the humour presented in your videos. Not all countries understand/get English humour and may be why there's that misundstanding on how you're coming across. Perhaps adding a laugh track to your videos would help :P - that's a joke - mostly ;)

[@flashjazzcat]

There's a misunderstanding of how I'm coming across? :) I get 25 per cent of my views from the USA, anyway.

[@martinkiszel8903]

You've fired my interest in the Atari 8bit stuff. I'm now updating an 800 & 800xl with RF problems, UAVing. Think further upgrades will happen in time, especially if 'lockdown' is still happening. Love your vids, especially the Sid James interjections. Martin from Notts UK.

[@flashjazzcat]

Thanks Martin! I'm delighted to hear I've helped rejuvenate your interest in 8-bit Ataris. :)

[@rager1969]

At 12:22, or make an HDMI revision for both video and audio.

[@briwylie5]

does the metal shield go back on with the U1MB fitted ?

[@flashjazzcat]

Not on any machine in which I have installed U1MB, but if one is handy with an angle-grinder, it's possible to alter the shield to fit in certain situations. Probably not worth the bother, though, unless the machine suffers badly in terms of stability from removal of the shield (and this would be a very rare phenomenon).

[@briwylie5]

@@flashjazzcat thanks when I send mine to you I will take off the shield. do you socket the chips at the same time?

[@flashjazzcat]

@@briwylie5 Yes - I do all the socketing here. I can remove the shield as well, but if you take it off beforehand, it saves the metal making a pointless round-trip (and I certainly have no need of more discarded shields). :)

[@rhayadercomputers6468]

Are 800xl keycaps the same as a 1200xl as ive a missing key and was looking to replace

[@gamedoutgamer]

Probably not, no. There are six or more 800XL keyboard variants. The 1200XL uses a different keyboard from all of them. You can find the key on AA forum or ebay maybe.

[@flashjazzcat]

As GamedOutGamer says: they're not really compatible with 800XL key caps. Even if you can find a key cap which fits the plunger, it's likely to look out of place. The 800's key caps are a pretty close match for the 1200XL, but I'm not sure if any of the 800 keyboards have caps which will fit 1200XL plungers.

[@jamesarmbruster]

Will you be doing a UAV install video too?

[@flashjazzcat]

Can do, James. I have a spare here; just not sure what machine to put it in. :)

[@gamedoutgamer]

Awesome. Good to hear Sophia has NTSC color palette, though a toggle switch (2/3 switch) might be nice. Does Sophia use the PAL aspect ratio/resolution? That was my understanding is that the pixels are PAL shaped so, if that make sense. Where can I buy life size posers of FJC? I knew an A8'er back the 80's and 90's - very much a narcissist. Everything had to revolve around him. :(

[@flashjazzcat]

That's a good point regarding the aspect ratio. It looked PAL to me, despite the NTSC palette. Regarding narcissism: I guess those who can't attract attention by being productive have to resort to getting attention via words. Winding such people up is a lot of fun. When I get some merch produced (including posters), I'll let you know, LOL.

[@MoparStephen]

Excellent video as always! If you're still having issues with the way you feel, perhaps you could seek the advice of a doctor? There may be a pill you could take to cheer you up or something?

[@bjbell52]

Why? Don't you need programs that take advantage of these upgrades?

[@flashjazzcat]

Why install the upgrades? Video quality which far surpasses that of most stock machines for one (that's the sole purpose of UAV and Sophia). With VBXE, you get superior video quality plus hardware 80 column text which you can use with many programs via display drivers which have existed for around a decade.

[@bjbell52]

@@flashjazzcat Gee, I have an Atari 800 add-on that lets me display 1,000,000,000 colors. Without a program that needs all those color, the upgrade is worthless. That's what I mean. Gee, I have an upgrade that gives me 10000000 sprites but no game that uses them. That's my point.

[@flashjazzcat]

@@bjbell52 Don't buy it then.

[@bjbell52]

@@flashjazzcat I won't waste my money buying them. BTW - I go WAY back with Atari. My first professional computer job was writing a 4-player volleyball game.

[@flashjazzcat]

@@bjbell52 Impressive. Given your illustrious history, you should also be aware that one of the 'Holy Grail' features for many productivity users was a good quality hardware 80 column text mode which doesn't require the XEP-80.

[@saroku]

Nice Sandy Frank opening!.. cut to porn music.. lol!!

[@cathrynm]

Is that how you say Lotharek. I've always been saying "LO-thar-REK, though honestly I've never heard another human pronounce it until now.

[@flashjazzcat]

I have no idea whether I'm pronouncing the name properly or not, but no-one ever corrected me yet so I assume so. :)