Note: further testing of SIDE 3.2 revealed some problems with that cartridge revision too, albeit much less severe than with SIDE 3.1. No doubt the proper SIDE 3.2 JED (certainly needed in order to make the hardware report the correct revision) will improve matters. ;)
Sold many of these back in the day when working at a local computer store in 87-88. So nice to see a tear down so many years later. Brings back many memories of meeting Atari enthusiasts.
This was my first computer that my dad gave me as a Christmas present in 1986. I really enjoyed playing games and writing my first computer programs in Basic.
Thank you for this! I essentially relived half a year of my life doing practically the same mods (minus the keyboard plus stereo Pokey) in these 48 minutes. Always learn something useful from you, this time it was the keyboard alternative. I also am looking very much forward to your experiences with the O2 fixer.
@@flashjazzcat due to the fact that Lotharek developed O2/Fixer based on my idea, a few words about it....... I posted on FB why it works. It lower "parasitic capacitance" and do the O2 signal separation between Atari ICs. Lotharek sent me 1.0 for tests and I'm waiting for 1.1 . Actually on my XE board I solved it even in the different way. I have replaced all "LS" to "F" - it is not a case that they are faster up to 125Mhz.. it is a case that they have lowered impact on parasitic capacitance and that's why they are working at 125Mhz. I have replaced PIA na WDC PIA NMOS @14Mhz (new chip - new technology - lowered impact on parasitic capacitance as well). I have also replaced Pokey na PokeyMax. PokeyMax actually is not IC but the board also has low impact on parasitic capacitance. Next step is replacing GTIA to Sophia 2, but it is too much if you have VBXE installed in the system. Sophia 2 do the same job like PokeyMax - has lower impact on parasitic capacitance. Well the subject of parasitic capacitance is well known in any of implementation of bus such I2C. I was even surprised that it hadn't been brought to attention before. So... it's not the noise, not the gate response speed, but the parasitic capacitance that's the problem. The question remains, what does this parasitic capacitance actually do? The line also has resistance. So, together with capacitance, they form a low-pass filter that distorts the upper frequencies (used e.g. in Side 3.0, 3.1, ....)
Hey, thank you. I had more hours of bliss on most Atari computers. I do remember my 130 came the same way. I remember because I thought it odd at the time
Thanks for the sub - it's massively appreciated. As for the choice of machine: that's tough, since it depends on your aesthetic sensibilities as much as your practical needs. If you propose to use parallel-bus devices (externally attached), stick to 65/130XE or 600/800XL. However, if PBI/ECI is not a concern (and few parallel devices exist, frankly), many users go out of their way to get a 1200XL (for its size, looks and excellent keyboard). The XEGS is also popular because of its external, detachable keyboard, but like the 1200XL, it lacks a parallel bus connector. My personal favourite at the moment is the 600XL, owing to its small form factor (I have a tiny desk), generally good keyboard (although many different keyboard types were used), nice design, PBI port, top-mounted cartridge port, and excellent stock video once one extraneous capacitor has been removed. See my 600XL 'Essential upgrades' video from three or four years back for more information on this nice Atari 8-bit model.
Condolences. My daughters lost their Weimaraner dog, Buddy, during the pandemic and were devastated. They now have a Siamese cat that looks not unlike your Jessie. PS Great wire management on the 130XE!
Thank you so much, and I'm so sorry to hear of your daughters' loss. Pleased, however, to hear of the new arrival. I'd love to see pics of the Siamese some time!
Great work, FJC. The RGB port looks very nice and respectful of the machine. I would wonder if those old electrolytic caps would compromise stability and even reliability of the machine..?? Best to replace them with new ones? I would, especially with all that extra power draw in there. Agree with the clacky keyboard is too much sound and the brown switches seem a better option. Been out of touch with the A8 scene lately and didn't know there was a 3.2 SIDE3 so very glad I waited on one. Appreciate your work and sharing your knowledge. Cheers
I tend not to bother replacing caps unless they show visible signs of damage, and in this case, the machine works 100 per cent rock-solid with SIDE3, SIDE 3.2, or no cartridge installed. It's only SIDE 3.1 which manifests an issue. Not that it would take more than ten minutes to replace a couple of 470uf electrolytic caps, but it's not the source of the issues here. SIDE 3.2 hasn't been 'announced' as such or released yet, but I'd definitely hang on for it if I were you. Thanks for the comments!
So me buying a SIDE 3.1 to use on a 130XE would be a waste right now? Does 3.1 work well on the XL series? Awesome work and very informative video as usual. Thanks.
Much as it hurts me directly in the pocket, I'm inclined to suggest waiting for SIDE 3.2, since the chances of mishaps (unless you already know for sure that SIDE 3.1 works with the host machine) appear greatly reduced with the newer hardware. SIDE 3.2 is IMO what SIDE 3.1 should have been in the first place. Glad you enjoyed the video.
The desoldering tool clogging might also have something to do with how long you hold the trigger for. I usually press it a second or two longer than I think I need to in case there's any solder still in the pipe.
That's very true. I've taken to leaving the trigger down a bit longer and I have no problems now, and coupled with the higher temp, the thing works very well, as shown in the video.
Because the XE keyboard Mylars are of generally low quality and don't last. Not to mention that one of the two variants is also horrible to type on. Mine failed entitrely back in 1990 or so, only a year after I got my first XE.
See this thread at AtariAge for details. I've added it to the description. forums.atariage.com/topic/324588-atari-130xe-keyboard-rebuild-vintage-keycaps-on-modern-switches/
@@gamedoutgamer I don’t know but I’ll research it. I certainly want to be respectful of the identity of these machines, especially the ones that came with Alps, as those are awesome. So Alps compatibility is definitely something I’ll try to achieve. To be clear, I’m at the very early stages of design on this one.
Yeah, Side3.1 just doesn't work. I'm using Side2 and have tossed Side3.1 in the stuff that is never used box. Funny, I fitted my 130XE with exactly the same upgrades, only the mechanical keyboard is an older revision with low-profile switches and original key-caps. Regarding the poorly fitting case. I have two 130XE and their cases are slightly different. If I try a top part from one and the bottom from the other they don't perfectly fit, just like this machine of yours. I suspect this computer is built from different parts.
Sorry to hear of your experience with SIDE 3.1. I really hope you fed this information back to the vendor. Most interesting information regarding the XE cases, anyway. I've certainly had a lot of machines through my hands which had mismatched upper and lower casings.
@@flashjazzcat Yes I have (after your good advice on Atariage forums), but sadly received no answer whatsoever from Lotharek. O2 fixer is supposed to fix Atari's wait states (read: Side 3.1 hardware problems) but I don't feel inclined to test it out. I might, if this is overwhelmingly confirmed.
@@robertplestenjak Regrettable. The SIDE3 concept is really great, but 'no answer' isn't really any kind of explanation. If it's any consolation, the promised 'O2 fixer' is the first solution offered to me by the vendor (other than using buffered Phi2, etc, which I frequently do anyway on other models, and replacing the RAM with the SRAM board, which I don't consider a realistic proposition for routine use of SIDE3). The 74F08 fix (which is effective in 9/10 cases) was suggested by a third-party on the forums, IIRC.
Fun fact: while debugging the loader this afternoon (to fix International Karate issues), I discovered that SIDE 3.2 also intermittently fails on this machine. :)
Hey, thank you. I had more hours of bliss on most Atari computers. I do remember my 130 came the same way. I remember because I thought it odd at the time
