Great work! I have always been a Commodore guy and grew up with only Commodore computers, but since the miracle of the internet I have been able to obtain and investigate the Atari side. I am extremely impressed. These 8-bit computers are really superb. While I wish I had one as a kid, I am grateful to be playing with them now!
A very good informative and educational vid there Chris. I've never had an Atari so this vid has been a learning curve for me. Really enjoyed the vid.......Kim 😋
Sir, one of these days you will find yourself an Easter egg by an outstanding engineer, and you will unlock something unique may need to write a bit of code but give functionality where it was originally omitted.
I can tell this is an old video, the iPhone you're using would be considered retro!😊👍 To consider these are rare systems, I'm the proud owner of the 65XE & the XE gaming system & 2 data corders, Plus manuals. I was pretty impressed when loading up a data cassette while normal audio cassette music plays through the TV speaker.
BIN files are typically cartridge images. ROM are usually OS ROM images. ATR are disk images without copy protection information. ATX are disk images with copy protection information (your disk emulation system needs to support these, not all do). XEX are single file executables. Those are the "modern" extensions that are being used for the most part in the Atari 8-bit community.
A Blast from the past - I owned an XEGS and 130XE never had the 65XE - Wanted the 1040ST but never had a chance to get one. I then got a few Amiga's including the Amiga-1200 , Amiga 4000 but not the Amiga CD32.
Using an Atari Ultimate Cart it plays fine in my Atari 800XL. Mine has an animated title screen with Harrier, a mammoth, and a giant robot. I was booting the cartridge ROM on an NTSC system and I did not have that bar on the right hand side of the screen.
I recently had to replace the LS4091 shift register/encoder chips on my Atari 800XL. Cheap and easy, since mine was socketed. Actually, my RF/EMI shield was a pain, unlike many other 800XLs I've seen, but I've dealt with that in the past and made it easier to get into. Mine must be older than the ones where I see people unscrewing the shield because it also has a terminal/disconnect for grounding the cartridge door flaps.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Many keys would not work, even after cleaning the mylar. Consulted a key matrix diagram and many appeared to be on the same row or column of connections. Checked continuity on those connections and found it was all good, despite the mylar looking burned in some areas (just oxidation). Swapped the two shift registers and noted that the specific keys that worked/didn't work changed. BINGO! I got 3x for $1 and now it's good as new!
Oddly I got a job lot of Atari stuff from a guy over a year ago, its got some odd 4MB RAM upgrade board, it just caught my attention as it had GadgetUK164 penciled on the manual :)
4MB =O OMG, if you want to sell that let me know! Curious to understand how its mounted etc. I assume its in an 800 or 1200 or something? Did it really have GadgetUK164 penciled on the manual??? I am wondering why lol.
I can't say for certain about all .bin files, but certainly Bug Hunt was packaged as a cartridge with many Atari XEGS systems, the console-ised version of the XE. It was a light gun game, one of the few games that used it. Similarly, Flight Simulator 2 was an old 8-bit game dusted off and given a (new?) cartridge release for the XEGS, presumably to make use of the keyboard, which at least initially was a optional extra.
Hi mate Your videos are so good I learn something new every time I watch one of ur videos keep those awesome videos up mate. Also i was hoping if you could please help me with a small problem I can't seem to find the right jumpers for my Mega Drive Japanese model it looks like a Asian Pal
Did you try conductive paint on the mylar? I had great results painting the XE mylar with it. I'm not sure it would fix the issue you described here but I think it might.
That can work well where the membrane has broken down, in this case there's nothing visibly broken to fix and its all covered by clear plastic. Pretty sure the resistance has just increased on one of the traces. Some models of the keyboard are much easier to fix with conductive paint.
This could be done because that's not a real 65XE but a RAM-downsized 130XE. The mobo has the enhanced cartridge interface (ECI) unlike a real 65XE that didn't included this feature. I wonder if there's a way to convert a real 65XE to a 130XE.
You can, I added the 512k sram extension to my 800xl, it requires a programmed GAL chip to access the extra memory - everything is on here www.horus.com/~hias/atari/ look for the heading named "512k SRAM extension for Atari XL/XE".
Congrats on your RAM upgrade. If you do get an 800XL try to get one with a mechanical keyboard if you plan on typing on it much. You can tell because the keycap font is different. The letter O will be more oval whereas on the 800XL mylar version the O will be circular and bigger font. Also the word CONTROL will be big on the mechanicals whereas the mylars CONTROL will be smaller. Some of the XL mylar versions type alright but many don't. The 800XL case is better quality than the XE's. Thicker plastic on the XL's while the XE cases squeak and creak due to the Tramiel cheapness factor as you see here with the 65XE keyboard.
I upgraded an 800XL with a home meade Rambo board and 4256-15 chips. You had to do a lot of point to point wiring to make it work, but the single sided board only had a couple 74LS chips in it and I was able to do a photo resist and etch the board in a small bath of etching solution. You can probably still find the plans online somewhere. OTOH, just get the LOTHAREK Ultimate 1 MEG and have it all.
Thought it was an EEVBlog upload! Very similar thumbnails you both use. Speaking of older computers I need to grab a new keyboard for my A1200 and A500. Missing springs, cracked keys etc. And the plastic pieces are coming off the circuit board underneath.
Good info, like the lint free cotton swabs (8min) and magnifier (9min). Do you ever communicate with lukemorse1 and his channel which has done a bit of Amiga, alongside arcade machines? Not matchmaking or anything (LOL) and I'm only asking because I am playing catchup on your channel and will need to do bingewatching. You know how it is with youtube. I recall RetroGameTech sent stuff back and forth and their videos were awesome as a result. RetroGameTech kinda vanishes though.
Thanks =D Yes, I often watch and comment on lukes videos but I've never seen him post on my channel - maybe he's not seen it. Would be good to collaborate on something in future! With regards to RetroGameTech - that's another one of my fav channels too. We need more videos from both of their channels!!!
Thanks =D I do watch a lot of those channels but will take a look at the others soon. It's going to take me a while to get through that list lol, but I will =D
Cheer. LOL. Yeah that list is massive. It is a list that will just kind of be handy in future I reckon. Copy/Paste to a text file if need. I think there is enough info there to build a video toaster if some more clever clogs find it. As he and I chatted, the Jan Beta channel (in the comments of his 19July2017 video on "Atari2600 VCS 32in1 cartridge") says he would maybe like to mention in some future video the notion of some genius cloning a video Toaster in case the community wish to pick up the idea. A simple plugging-in of a genuine (or clone) toaster (which had FOSS btw) requires no need for scary soldering irons or Warp3D or components about which Amiga-Purists (quite rigtly) say "are no longer an amiga". Instead, it is Workbench 1.3, or 2.0 or 3 all the way. Ahhh yeahhh. :)
Just out of curiosity what kind of flux do you use for a job like this? The atari computers have always had this specific kind of blockyness to what they display. Very distinctively Atari.
For something like this I just rely on the flux core in the solder - no additional flux used or required. Anything where I need to add flux I use the Chip quik brand. eg www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MPN-SMD291ST2CC6-No-Clean-Flux-6-X-2Cc-CHIP-QUIK-Pack-of-6-/262880321239?hash=item3d34e35ed7:g:JdYAAOSw4CFYumTu
I wish I was as neat as you, although I am blaming my iron, it's shite, I've had it over 15 years, I am surprised it even works, I think it might be time to invest in a new one, anything you'd recommend?
Thanks =D To be honest I use an Antex 15w C class iron for 95% of what I do - cost = £15, had this current one for 7 or 8 years. If you want to spend more and get something temperature controller, get something like a Hakko.
Once you upgrade your 1 amp power supply will not be enough...the 130xe with extra ram requies a 1.5 amp. Nevertheless, another great video, wish I could solder half as proficiently as you... perhaps in the afterlife.
Got the 65XE now none of the tapes will load. It will Csave and Cload ok. Ive cleaned it all up, the belts seem fine its just commercial games that wont load. I get constant boot error. With holding down start and start and option on boot. Ive cleaned the heads with Isoprop. Ive tinkered with adjusting the heads but no joy. It dont sound right either, i know them dulcet loading tones well and you can tell its not going to load. Is there anything I can use to align the heads? I know the c64 had a tape where you turned the screw and the screen colour changed indicating alignment? Any help would be good. Could also need de-magnetising. Tried everything. Tape drive is a XC12.
Sorry for my slow reply!!! Honestly it could be so many things! I would assume that all the rubber parts in the tape deck are perhaps worn. Any deviation in tape speed (or slipping) will mess up loading for sure. I've seen so many C64 cassette units like that! Take a look at what I did in that Amstrad CPC video (not the main repair the video I did soon after on tape loading).
Hi there I've fixed countless Atari and the disk drives and decks. The xc12 probably needs new capacitors. Or the head is out of alignment quite a bit. If the usual audio is really quiet then it's the caps. Believe me I've fixed stacks of them! If the audio is ok and belts ok but deck struggles then either the 220uf power capacitors are on there way out or the motor is gubbed. All the best getting it sorted. Also make sure the sio pins are clean on your Atari and drives as that can cause problems too.
I saw that, a product existed years ago for the XE GS, in order to upgrade it up to 128K too, but i cannot find that upgrade anymore. Is there a way for a custom upgrade up to 128k in the XE GS today?
The Ultimate 1MB from Lotharek might work - but I am not sure if that maps some RAM into the upper 64KB bank there, or whether its all in a different range of banks.
Is something with the disk drive causing interference on the sound? It seems like whenever the disk drive is working, there is this high pitched noise being emitted from the speaker (like during the mario brothers loading screen). Maybe this is an original feature, not a bug. :^)
Not sure, but the version I loaded does need 128KB. Not particularly useful - just some games need 128KB, although there are more games that need more than 128KB, so generally speaking its better to just add the 1MB upgrade from Lotharek (which I will do at some point).
Was it a bin or cart image? Because if it was the original cartridge, it would run with just 64K RAM. After all, that was a redone version with the XE Game System in mind and it only had 64K. Never mind, it's a file version. It's later in the video...
Too bad you could replace that entire grid of DRAM spots with SIMM slots like with some of the ST upgrades [which I think you've featured in some of your other vids]. You'd probably need some sort of logic and cache for the CPU and some of the other chips but it would definitely be a space saver!
true but look what could happen if all of those DRAM spots on the mobo were freed up. And for bragging rights, Lotharek's gotta bump that sucker up to 8MB to keep up with the Apple II fanatics just for bragging rights. And that's even before upgrading to a 65816 CPU replacement. :)
Haha, funily enough - it can run screen shots of Crysis =D I saw a video mod you can do (again from Lotharek) and in the video one of hte photos displayed is of Crysis!
Hello, so I ended up getting the 7-pin din converted over to USB and its working great. I think all my RAM is bad at this point. I noticed on the underside of the motherboard some of the traces are kind of bubbled up in spots too while the top side looks good. Thoughts on swapping out the memory or reading the memory failure screen error? ruclips.net/video/hGkOXOlROIo/видео.html It seems like all 64K of this 65XE are bad if Ihad to guess.
It could be one faulty RAM chip causing this (I think). Get a replacement 4264 chip and piggy back the chip (push it on top of the 1st chip, so its pins make a snug fit on the chip below), and re-test to see if errors change. Also check the temperature of each DRAM chip - one or two might be hotter than the others.
Was wondering if any one can help. Turned my XE on after it's been stored for awhile. I get these black and white horizontal lines. It's a PAL version that worked before with out issue (same setup). RUclips video at the end of the post. Was wondering if it maybe an Antic or GTIA chip issue? Something I can easily swap out of the mother board. ruclips.net/video/KPNKUsKn6T4/видео.html
It could be bad RAM - RAM fails a lot in these. But my suggestion is to take a look at flashjazzcat channel, maybe message him. He has repaired hundreds of Atari 8bit machines. I've not had much exposure to them!
Not all 65xe are like this. You have a later model, where they used a 130xe board. You have the expansion port and all. Mine does not have the extra memory spots or expansion port.
Great work! I have always been a Commodore guy and grew up with only Commodore computers, but since the miracle of the internet I have been able to obtain and investigate the Atari side. I am extremely impressed. These 8-bit computers are really superb. While I wish I had one as a kid, I am grateful to be playing with them now!
love the videos as always you deserve way more subs man
Thanks, very much appreciate it =D
A very good informative and educational vid there Chris. I've never had an Atari so this vid has been a learning curve for me. Really enjoyed the vid.......Kim 😋
Thanks =D
Thank you GadgetUK, much appreciated upgrade for a Atari 65XE.
Sir, one of these days you will find yourself an Easter egg by an outstanding engineer, and you will unlock something unique may need to write a bit of code but give functionality where it was originally omitted.
Thanks lol =D
11:00 There was a plan for an Atari 320 XE and the German company Compy Shop had an extension board to extend your 130 XE to 320kb.
I got 130 xe with 1 Mb .
Hi mate thank you for everything cheers
No second prize amiga music. Neat detail :)
Thanks! 😊
I can tell this is an old video, the iPhone you're using would be considered retro!😊👍
To consider these are rare systems, I'm the proud owner of the 65XE & the XE gaming system & 2 data corders, Plus manuals. I was pretty impressed when loading up a data cassette while normal audio cassette music plays through the TV speaker.
BIN files are typically cartridge images. ROM are usually OS ROM images. ATR are disk images without copy protection information. ATX are disk images with copy protection information (your disk emulation system needs to support these, not all do). XEX are single file executables. Those are the "modern" extensions that are being used for the most part in the Atari 8-bit community.
Great video. Reminds me of my A400 days.. Never could afford too many games then, they were expensive!
Yes, we forget just how expensive games were back then. Having said that, games today are outragiously over priced lol. Thanks btw =D
A toothbrush is better than cotton to remove the solder flux and residues.
A Blast from the past - I owned an XEGS and 130XE never had the 65XE - Wanted the 1040ST but never had a chance to get one. I then got a few Amiga's including the Amiga-1200 , Amiga 4000 but not the Amiga CD32.
Using an Atari Ultimate Cart it plays fine in my Atari 800XL. Mine has an animated title screen with Harrier, a mammoth, and a giant robot. I was booting the cartridge ROM on an NTSC system and I did not have that bar on the right hand side of the screen.
Thanks, yes - I think it needs a cart. The version I tried there appears to be a 1 level demo or something.
I recently had to replace the LS4091 shift register/encoder chips on my Atari 800XL. Cheap and easy, since mine was socketed. Actually, my RF/EMI shield was a pain, unlike many other 800XLs I've seen, but I've dealt with that in the past and made it easier to get into. Mine must be older than the ones where I see people unscrewing the shield because it also has a terminal/disconnect for grounding the cartridge door flaps.
Out of interest, what problem did you experience before you had to swap the shift register?
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Many keys would not work, even after cleaning the mylar. Consulted a key matrix diagram and many appeared to be on the same row or column of connections. Checked continuity on those connections and found it was all good, despite the mylar looking burned in some areas (just oxidation). Swapped the two shift registers and noted that the specific keys that worked/didn't work changed. BINGO! I got 3x for $1 and now it's good as new!
Back to the good stuff ;)
Haha =D It's all good stuff!!! I do love Atari though - really hard to find 8bit systems though unless you hit eBay =/
Oddly I got a job lot of Atari stuff from a guy over a year ago, its got some odd 4MB RAM upgrade board, it just caught my attention as it had GadgetUK164 penciled on the manual :)
4MB =O OMG, if you want to sell that let me know! Curious to understand how its mounted etc. I assume its in an 800 or 1200 or something? Did it really have GadgetUK164 penciled on the manual??? I am wondering why lol.
Sorry, its for a ST ;) Still got the thing here, trying to sell it actually, lol. Will send you a email later :)
Ah, OK - that sort of makes sense lol. Although my name being written on something doesn't lol - small world!
I can't say for certain about all .bin files, but certainly Bug Hunt was packaged as a cartridge with many Atari XEGS systems, the console-ised version of the XE. It was a light gun game, one of the few games that used it. Similarly, Flight Simulator 2 was an old 8-bit game dusted off and given a (new?) cartridge release for the XEGS, presumably to make use of the keyboard, which at least initially was a optional extra.
Thanks =D Yes, I think you are right in that the .bin files are cartridges. I need to get one of those SIDE2 things now I think.
Hi mate Your videos are so good I learn something new every time I watch one of ur videos keep those awesome videos up mate. Also i was hoping if you could please help me with a small problem I can't seem to find the right jumpers for my Mega Drive Japanese model it looks like a Asian Pal
And see here on how to set them:- www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?28280-How-to-region-mod-a-Sega-Genesis-model-1-NTSC-JAPAN-ONLY-(Thunderblaze16)
Bidding on a 65XE on ebay at the moment.
Nice job :)
Thanks =D
Did you try conductive paint on the mylar? I had great results painting the XE mylar with it. I'm not sure it would fix the issue you described here but I think it might.
That can work well where the membrane has broken down, in this case there's nothing visibly broken to fix and its all covered by clear plastic. Pretty sure the resistance has just increased on one of the traces. Some models of the keyboard are much easier to fix with conductive paint.
This could be done because that's not a real 65XE but a RAM-downsized 130XE. The mobo has the enhanced cartridge interface (ECI) unlike a real 65XE that didn't included this feature. I wonder if there's a way to convert a real 65XE to a 130XE.
I wish this could be done on 800XL. I have two of them, I really don't like XE series too much.
Amazing video as always.
Thanks! Wouldn't mind an 800XL at some point - they look so nice =D
You can, I added the 512k sram extension to my 800xl, it requires a programmed GAL chip to access the extra memory - everything is on here www.horus.com/~hias/atari/ look for the heading named "512k SRAM extension for Atari XL/XE".
Congrats on your RAM upgrade. If you do get an 800XL try to get one with a mechanical keyboard if you plan on typing on it much. You can tell because the keycap font is different. The letter O will be more oval whereas on the 800XL mylar version the O will be circular and bigger font. Also the word CONTROL will be big on the mechanicals whereas the mylars CONTROL will be smaller. Some of the XL mylar versions type alright but many don't. The 800XL case is better quality than the XE's. Thicker plastic on the XL's while the XE cases squeak and creak due to the Tramiel cheapness factor as you see here with the 65XE keyboard.
I upgraded an 800XL with a home meade Rambo board and 4256-15 chips. You had to do a lot of point to point wiring to make it work, but the single sided board only had a couple 74LS chips in it and I was able to do a photo resist and etch the board in a small bath of etching solution. You can probably still find the plans online somewhere. OTOH, just get the LOTHAREK Ultimate 1 MEG and have it all.
Does using SRAM increase the speed in some games?
Hold down Option when turning on the Atari 8-bit so you don't have any game loading problems.
Thought it was an EEVBlog upload! Very similar thumbnails you both use. Speaking of older computers I need to grab a new keyboard for my A1200 and A500. Missing springs, cracked keys etc. And the plastic pieces are coming off the circuit board underneath.
Those keyboards sound in a bad way =/
Good info, like the lint free cotton swabs (8min) and magnifier (9min). Do you ever communicate with lukemorse1 and his channel which has done a bit of Amiga, alongside arcade machines? Not matchmaking or anything (LOL) and I'm only asking because I am playing catchup on your channel and will need to do bingewatching. You know how it is with youtube. I recall RetroGameTech sent stuff back and forth and their videos were awesome as a result. RetroGameTech kinda vanishes though.
Thanks =D Yes, I often watch and comment on lukes videos but I've never seen him post on my channel - maybe he's not seen it. Would be good to collaborate on something in future! With regards to RetroGameTech - that's another one of my fav channels too. We need more videos from both of their channels!!!
Thanks =D I do watch a lot of those channels but will take a look at the others soon. It's going to take me a while to get through that list lol, but I will =D
Yeah, no worries - I always allow them when I spot them in the 'spam' folder lol - damn RUclips, it blocks anything with a URL normally.
Cheer. LOL. Yeah that list is massive. It is a list that will just kind of be handy in future I reckon. Copy/Paste to a text file if need. I think there is enough info there to build a video toaster if some more clever clogs find it. As he and I chatted, the Jan Beta channel (in the comments of his 19July2017 video on "Atari2600 VCS 32in1 cartridge") says he would maybe like to mention in some future video the notion of some genius cloning a video Toaster in case the community wish to pick up the idea. A simple plugging-in of a genuine (or clone) toaster (which had FOSS btw) requires no need for scary soldering irons or Warp3D or components about which Amiga-Purists (quite rigtly) say "are no longer an amiga". Instead, it is Workbench 1.3, or 2.0 or 3 all the way. Ahhh yeahhh. :)
Here's the link the Ultimate 1MB upgrade from Lotharek which I mentioned :- www.lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=67
hey gadgetuk where you from in UK, really love ya vids specially on c64 keep up the good work.
Nowhere, and everywhere ;) Thanks btw =D
Always has a soft spot for the Atari systems even though i was a commodore guy at school, ohh. hope my old school mates don't read this. ha.
Haha, yes - same here! I've always loved the Atari machines, despite the hard time people give them.
Just out of curiosity what kind of flux do you use for a job like this?
The atari computers have always had this specific kind of blockyness to what they display. Very distinctively Atari.
For something like this I just rely on the flux core in the solder - no additional flux used or required. Anything where I need to add flux I use the Chip quik brand. eg www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MPN-SMD291ST2CC6-No-Clean-Flux-6-X-2Cc-CHIP-QUIK-Pack-of-6-/262880321239?hash=item3d34e35ed7:g:JdYAAOSw4CFYumTu
Obviously soldering is full of personal preference. I see so many different ways of going about it. Thanks for the link :)
Absolutely, there's more than one way to crack a nut!
I wish I was as neat as you, although I am blaming my iron, it's shite, I've had it over 15 years, I am surprised it even works, I think it might be time to invest in a new one, anything you'd recommend?
Thanks =D To be honest I use an Antex 15w C class iron for 95% of what I do - cost = £15, had this current one for 7 or 8 years. If you want to spend more and get something temperature controller, get something like a Hakko.
Cheers I'll have a look at one of those.
Once you upgrade your 1 amp power supply will not be enough...the 130xe with extra ram requies a 1.5 amp. Nevertheless, another great video, wish I could solder half as proficiently as you... perhaps in the afterlife.
Thanks =D It has been upgraded (on my channel) a number of times - dual Pokey, 1MB RAM, SD2SIO etc. Working fine! Higher current is better though!
Hi. Is it possible to understand by the serial number what version of the board?
It probably is, but I am not familiar with the different revisions of these boards =/
Got the 65XE now none of the tapes will load. It will Csave and Cload ok. Ive cleaned it all up, the belts seem fine its just commercial games that wont load. I get constant boot error. With holding down start and start and option on boot. Ive cleaned the heads with Isoprop. Ive tinkered with adjusting the heads but no joy. It dont sound right either, i know them dulcet loading tones well and you can tell its not going to load. Is there anything I can use to align the heads? I know the c64 had a tape where you turned the screw and the screen colour changed indicating alignment? Any help would be good. Could also need de-magnetising. Tried everything. Tape drive is a XC12.
Sorry for my slow reply!!! Honestly it could be so many things! I would assume that all the rubber parts in the tape deck are perhaps worn. Any deviation in tape speed (or slipping) will mess up loading for sure. I've seen so many C64 cassette units like that! Take a look at what I did in that Amstrad CPC video (not the main repair the video I did soon after on tape loading).
Hi there I've fixed countless Atari and the disk drives and decks. The xc12 probably needs new capacitors. Or the head is out of alignment quite a bit. If the usual audio is really quiet then it's the caps. Believe me I've fixed stacks of them! If the audio is ok and belts ok but deck struggles then either the 220uf power capacitors are on there way out or the motor is gubbed. All the best getting it sorted. Also make sure the sio pins are clean on your Atari and drives as that can cause problems too.
I saw that, a product existed years ago for the XE GS, in order to upgrade it up to 128K too, but i cannot find that upgrade anymore. Is there a way for a custom upgrade up to 128k in the XE GS today?
The Ultimate 1MB from Lotharek might work - but I am not sure if that maps some RAM into the upper 64KB bank there, or whether its all in a different range of banks.
Is something with the disk drive causing interference on the sound? It seems like whenever the disk drive is working, there is this high pitched noise being emitted from the speaker (like during the mario brothers loading screen). Maybe this is an original feature, not a bug. :^)
Hehe, yeah - that's suprisingly the way these Atari 8 bits work! It's like the Spectrum loading but only with 1 tone lol.
Wasn't Mario Bros XE for the XEGS? Is that a special version or something? The XEGS has 64k IIRC. Just curious, but what is this upgrade useful for?
Not sure, but the version I loaded does need 128KB. Not particularly useful - just some games need 128KB, although there are more games that need more than 128KB, so generally speaking its better to just add the 1MB upgrade from Lotharek (which I will do at some point).
Was it a bin or cart image? Because if it was the original cartridge, it would run with just 64K RAM. After all, that was a redone version with the XE Game System in mind and it only had 64K. Never mind, it's a file version. It's later in the video...
Somebody send me an Atari 130 XE, I wanna play with that one again.
Search for Atari 130 XE on eBay. There are always a few for sale all over the world.
Too bad you could replace that entire grid of DRAM spots with SIMM slots like with some of the ST upgrades [which I think you've featured in some of your other vids]. You'd probably need some sort of logic and cache for the CPU and some of the other chips but it would definitely be a space saver!
The easier way to upgrade the RAM is with the 1MB Ultimate from Lotharek, featured in one of my later Atari XE videos!
true but look what could happen if all of those DRAM spots on the mobo were freed up. And for bragging rights, Lotharek's gotta bump that sucker up to 8MB to keep up with the Apple II fanatics just for bragging rights. And that's even before upgrading to a 65816 CPU replacement. :)
Hahaha =D Yes, 8MB would be nice! And a 65816 would be awesome too!
But Can It Run Crysis?
Haha, funily enough - it can run screen shots of Crysis =D I saw a video mod you can do (again from Lotharek) and in the video one of hte photos displayed is of Crysis!
Hello, so I ended up getting the 7-pin din converted over to USB and its working great. I think all my RAM is bad at this point. I noticed on the underside of the motherboard some of the traces are kind of bubbled up in spots too while the top side looks good. Thoughts on swapping out the memory or reading the memory failure screen error? ruclips.net/video/hGkOXOlROIo/видео.html It seems like all 64K of this 65XE are bad if Ihad to guess.
It could be one faulty RAM chip causing this (I think). Get a replacement 4264 chip and piggy back the chip (push it on top of the 1st
chip, so its pins make a snug fit on the chip below), and re-test to see if errors change. Also check the temperature of each DRAM chip - one or two might be hotter than the others.
Was wondering if any one can help. Turned my XE on after it's been stored for awhile. I get these black and white horizontal lines. It's a PAL version that worked before with out issue (same setup). RUclips video at the end of the post. Was wondering if it maybe an Antic or GTIA chip issue? Something I can easily swap out of the mother board. ruclips.net/video/KPNKUsKn6T4/видео.html
It could be bad RAM - RAM fails a lot in these. But my suggestion is to take a look at flashjazzcat channel, maybe message him. He has repaired hundreds of Atari 8bit machines. I've not had much exposure to them!
@@GadgetUK164 Thanks for the referral. Appreciate it.
@@FilCanJay "flashjazzcat" I miss-typed his name =D
A simple spell in basic shows availble memory. Type in basic "? FRE(0)"
Not all 65xe are like this. You have a later model, where they used a 130xe board. You have the expansion port and all. Mine does not have the extra memory spots or expansion port.