Atari 1200XL with the wrong VBXE and SIDE 3.2

[@rickcortese2023]

Hey flashjazzcat! Trying to get back into the hobby after a long layoff. Bone head move on my part, cooked my Rambo 1200Xl. Power supply cap is only 16V and I used a 12VAC power supply, let the magic blue smoke out. New parts just got here today. Decided to see what was out there with respect to fixing and came across your video. Nice to see you are still slugging away.

[@flashjazzcat]

Yes - still plugging away here. Hope the repair goes well!

[@michaelst.pierre1187]

I noticed you are still doing the DIN-13 RGB/Stereo jack installation in the same way you did in the past, requiring drilling 13 precision placed holes. It would seem like it would be far easier to have a PCB consisting of the jack and a break-out header instead. I forget where I saw it, but I believe someone was working on such a PCB. Any thoughts?

[@flashjazzcat]

It's not really a difficult undertaking at this point. I'm aware of various low-profile adapter PCBs which have been dreamed up (SAVO - ironically - being reasonably convenient), but none of them result in the DIN connector being at an identical height to its neighbours. If any of the alternative solutions produced a comparable or superior result, I would use them.

[@waltciii3]

I probably would have tried soldering the GTIA directly to the mainboard and trim the 40 pairing wires off the bottom of the carrier board to add more clearance.

[@flashjazzcat]

I had to do something similar on a couple of 600XLs when using the original XL VBXE adapters (the ones attached to the VBXE with a push-fit connector), since the board wouldn't clear a couple of ICs behind the ANTIC socket. In fairness, the newer XL adapter is actually a better fit in the 600XL than the old one was.

[@TheWoj76]

I am in the middle of the video and waiting for the conclusion on the VBXE, and perhaps I do not remember things correctly, but watching you considering the XE adapter for the job is so painful knowing it takes the VBXE the other way round and that's not going to work... I want to scream at the video ;) EDIT: Oh, I see, it was supposed to go to the front, I wouldn't imagine this clears the keyboard...

[@flashjazzcat]

You need to keep watching, then. Rotating VBXE 180 degrees is in fact the object of the exercise.

[@jamesalexander9468]

Good to see another video. I do have a question for you, do you ever do any floppy drive repairs? would make for an interesting video. At least to me as I still use them on occasion as part of the old style experience.

[@flashjazzcat]

Thanks. Yes, I have done basic repairs on disk drives, and although results have been mixed, I am yet to do a deep-dive video covering head recalibration, etc.

[@jamesalexander9468]

@@flashjazzcat For me drive repairs can be trouble half the time. I've gotta XF551 I been working on a bit here & there over the summer that's been annoying. Won't boot from most disks except for a few games that came with it (all from 1 company). Only recently got it to be consistent in symptoms. Hopefully the recap set sorts that out at least somewhat.

[@flashjazzcat]

@@jamesalexander9468 That's also been my experience. When lubricating the head rails and cleaning the heads doesn't fix it, we're rapidly approaching oscilloscope territory and then a lot of pragmatism and patience is required.

[@jamesalexander9468]

@@flashjazzcat and I still have to get a scope. Something I've put off for years cause of the cost but I should do it in the next couple of months or so. I've got a buncha uses for 1 anyways.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Definitely replace the huge Elna cap with a shorter stubby one for visual effect.