353 replies to this topic

[flashjazzcat]

I actually think this monitor looks a better match for the 1200XL than the 1084S.

[Mr.Amiga500]

flashjazzcat, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:24 AM, said:

1200XL_LCD.jpg

I actually think this monitor looks a better match for the 1200XL than the 1084S.

You're right. That's because the 1080/1084 was designed for ("infinite beige") Amigas:



Oh how I wish the Amiga 500 had the XL colour scheme.

Your 1200XL is very nice and "un-yellowed". My 1200XL looks like it came out of a smoker's lung. Thankfully, my two 800XLs look brand new.

Edited by Mr.Amiga500, Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:33 AM.

[Mr.Amiga500]

Faicuai, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:44 AM, said:

...Definitely, no Beta will play your Japan-Victor-Company VHS-tapes (nor mine, anyway). As for VHS, I was debating between JVC's last cry-on-the-wild (their D-VHS deck, capable of recording digitally in high-def) vs. Sony's SLV-R1000 (Faroudja-equipped, mutiple I/O console, s-video, and a host of digital signal processing gizmos). I settled for the R1000, not just for looks, but because there are PLENTY of parts available, a pleasure to work-and-service, and it playbacks slightly over 430 lines of resolution when plugged to my Bravia KDL-52W3000 LCD setup (recorded from Avia's calibration DVD).

When people come to my house, and we play some stuff on it, they say "that DVD player looks great"... just to later discover that it is still a VHS deck(playing Fuji H471S tapes)... and I am not short of DVD players & recorders, HDMI/DSP equipped receivers, dual-PS3 BluRay system, etc. Just gotta love the feel of a SOLIDLY built, well-designed VCR, that even after 20-25 years, can put to shame a lot of stuff on the road, today, in terms of quality and durability.

I looked at the JVC D-VHS, but high definition requires expensive D-VHS tapes (I know... same with S-VHS). Anyway, I don't really record anything these days, just playback. TV sucks now (bad shows, endless commercials) so I have no desire to record anything. I actually can't record TV because don't even have a digital tuner and analogue broadcasts finally ended in Canada this month.

To me, VCRs - like Ataris - are a thing of the 80's. I did most of my VCR recordings back in the 80's. I wanted the best 80's VHS by the maker of VHS - to watch my 80's recordings and pretend the 90's never happened.

Faicuai, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:50 AM, said:

Would you look at that (!?) The Kaypro II running CPM 2.2, that is...

I wonder what good pieces of CPM SW would be worth digging for, since my 800XL + IndusGT can now run some of it...

I didn't know an 800XL could run CP/M. I thought you needed a Z80 processor for that. My C128 can theoretically run CP/M software, but everything I've tried has failed. It really doesn't matter. CP/M software is generally crap. CP/M word processors are unusable rubbish compared to The Last Word. (...that quote can be used for future LW advertising ) There's a little character-based game called "Ladder" that was mildly fun - but a joke compared to most Atari games.


Edit: I just read that the Indus drive has a Z80 processor - and that the 800XL acts as a terminal. That's weird... very weird indeed.

Edited by Mr.Amiga500, Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:33 AM.

[flashjazzcat]

Mr.Amiga500, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:31 AM, said:

...the 1080/1084 was designed for ("infinite beige") Amigas:

Now that Amiga 500 makes mine look like it came out of a smoker's lung. Very nice (love the monitor too).

Quote

Oh how I wish the Amiga 500 had the XL colour scheme.

Magnavox made CRTs which were unwittingly a near-perfect match for the XL (they're pictured here on the forum, but I forget via whom). Sadly they're rare (especially here in the UK), and I don't think they do RGB (the 1200 pictured has a VBXE whose output I'll be using 99 per cent of the time).

Quote

Your 1200XL is very nice and "un-yellowed".

Thanks - it was freshly "Retr0Brited" last week, prior to the mods on the I/O panel. I thought it was clean when I received it, but boy did it lighten several shades when I gave it the treatment. Apart from a couple of cracks on the perspex (or whatever the smoked transparent panel is made of), it's near-mint. I was very lucky to get it (it's not one of Bob's; I rather stupidly turned his down since I had a prior offer... so I could have had two!).

[Faicuai]

flashjazzcat, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:24 AM, said:

1200XL_LCD.jpg

I actually think this monitor looks a better match for the 1200XL than the 1084S.

...Your choice is directionally correct, and it also perfectly compatible with the 800-XL itself. In fact, in today's ergo/look terms, an 800XL mated with a sleek, properly color-keyed LCD (and with proper dimesions too) will look NICE and almost contemporary.

Now the LCD you show up there (in my opinion) needs to go, because of the ugly bottom chunk that appears disconnected / separated (with a twisted line) from the upper rest of the screen. In my case, I am going to use the Viewsonic VP191B and/or the Viewsonic VP930B. The have a thin (but not too thin) elegant bezel, a very pro look-and-feel to them (comparable to my EIZO CG241W) and geometrically compatible with the 800XL design. They also come into two colors: a slightly deep gray (191B) and clearly darker gray (930B). Not sure yet the final choice.

One thing, though, is that the Viewsonics are PURE monitors, and input goes on DVI or RGB, plus there is NO audio I(thus separate analog-to-RGB conversion required, plus sound system) That's the price to pay for a KICK-ASS looking LCD+800XL combo, and not to mention how well Mm INDUS GT drives and NUXX drive wonderfully blend with this whole setup.

Cheers,

F.

[Faicuai]

Mr.Amiga500, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:19 AM, said:

Edit: I just read that the Indus drive has a Z80 processor - and that the 800XL acts as a terminal. That's weird... very weird indeed.

That's correct. You will also need the RAM Charger for the IndusGT (a plug-and-play "daugther" board that goes in a pin-header available on most Indus MoBos). I say most, because in my dedicated stock of Indus Parts, I have a couple of MoBos and one (1) of the DOES NOT have the pin-header, although it could be soldered). My two operational (and restored) drives do have the pin-headers.

Tregare sells them here, and I was impressed when I managed to boot CPM with the 800XL + IndusGT combo (and with SW-driven 80-COLUMNS, for which you absolutely need to go via s-Video, to enjoy crisper clarity on CRT display).

Cheers,

F.

[Bryan]

flashjazzcat, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:55 AM, said:

Magnavox made CRTs which were unwittingly a near-perfect match for the XL (they're pictured here on the forum, but I forget via whom). Sadly they're rare (especially here in the UK), and I don't think they do RGB (the 1200 pictured has a VBXE whose output I'll be using 99 per cent of the time).

A company called Teknika did too.

[flashjazzcat]

Faicuai, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:18 PM, said:

...Your choice is directionally correct, and it also perfectly compatible with the 800-XL itself. In fact, in today's ergo/look terms, an 800XL mated with a sleek, properly color-keyed LCD (and with proper dimesions too) will look NICE and almost contemporary.

Amazing, but true.

Quote

Now the LCD you show up there (in my opinion) needs to go, because of the ugly bottom chunk that appears disconnected / separated (with a twisted line) from the upper rest of the screen.

I have an even nicer LG M1921A but unfortunately there's a fault in the PSU and it keeps tripping off. I'm waiting to afford a replacement part from the Far East, although it might be cheaper to look out for another example of the same TV.

Quote

In my case, I am going to use the Viewsonic VP191B and/or the Viewsonic VP930B. The have a thin (but not too thin) elegant bezel, a very pro look-and-feel to them (comparable to my EIZO CG241W) and geometrically compatible with the 800XL design. They also come into two colors: a slightly deep gray (191B) and clearly darker gray (930B). Not sure yet the final choice.

If only they came in deep dark brown.

[Guitarman]

flashjazzcat, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:55 AM, said:

Magnavox made CRTs which were unwittingly a near-perfect match for the XL (they're pictured here on the forum, but I forget via whom). Sadly they're rare (especially here in the UK), and I don't think they do RGB (the 1200 pictured has a VBXE whose output I'll be using 99 per cent of the time).

I had posted a picture in one of the threads of my livingroom setup. It has an 800XL with a Magnavox monitor with the dark brown bezel. Perfect match. Unfortunately, most of the Magnavox Color 40 and Color 80 monitors had a light brown bezel. The dark is more rare.

[w1k]

19.10.2011

[lbaeza]

Nooooooooooo! Take away those floppies off the TV!
That tv speaker magnet will damage those disks!

Regards

[w1k]

lbaeza, on Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:54 PM, said:

Nooooooooooo! Take away those floppies off the TV!
That tv speaker magnet will damage those disks!

Regards

relax, everything is ok

[lbaeza]

whew! That was close...

Regards

[Gunstar]

Gunstar, on Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:01 PM, said:

OK! Here's my latest, greatest setup. the first picture is my Atari 800 next to my oscilliscope, along with a composite monitor, 2 810 drives, a 410 recorder, CX85 keypad, 7800 joypad and ICD's P:R: Connection. the second picture is my XL/XE setup which is labeled on the picture. My APE '98 PC is out of the picture. Oh, and those boxes behind the left stereo speaker and under the right stereo speaker (speakers are shielded) are 5 boxes of brand new unopened DSDD 5.25" floppy disks! I found them all at the local thrift store! For $1.00 a box!

How things change! I had loads of stuff 5 years ago! While I still a few Atari computers needing repair, my collection has become much more modest since '06. Below is my current set-up. 1200XL(Rambo 256K,APE Warp+ OS w/basic, Gumby stereo, Clearpic '02, PAL Antic), a 1050 with SIO2PC and 10502PC homebrew box connected to it (which will eventually be internalized within the 1200XL), homebrew APEbox (Atari peripherial expander), 1010 recorder, 1020 plotter, 1084s monitor, trackball, joystick and mouse.

That is ATOS running on the monitor, a 16MB ATR running from my SIO-2-PC. I recommend it only if you have the drive space, upgraded ultra/warp OS and extra memory. Otherwise it's useless due to load times. If you have all of the above, I think it's the best GUI out now, with lots of perks like demos as screen savers, desktop pics, dumping and reloading GUI when running traditional programs. tons of extras included on the ATR.

I've settled on the one A8 that I think is the best overall with it's incredible keyboard and all my peripherials actually match, with what I feel is the sleekest Atari line with a design that has endured well.

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by Gunstar, Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:53 AM.

[flashjazzcat]

Gunstar, on Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:32 AM, said:

That is ATOS running on the monitor, a 16MB ATR running from my SIO-2-PC. I recommend it only if you have the drive space, upgraded ultra/warp OS and extra memory. Otherwise it's useless due to load times. If you have all of the above, I think it's the best GUI out now, with lots of perks like demos as screen savers, desktop pics, dumping and reloading GUI when running traditional programs. tons of extras included on the ATR.

OT, but are there any ATOS applications which aren't "traditional programs"? When I've used it, just about every executable I clicked on runs a text mode application with its own proprietary interface. Have you checked out Boss-X and TRS Desktop? As a game launcher whose background can be customized, ATOS seems very good indeed (and I particularly like its persistence after system reset, etc), but it appears to suffer from the age-old problem of not having any actual GUI apps.

Oh - and OT - I meant to add: nice setup!

Edited by flashjazzcat, Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:56 PM.

[Gunstar]

flashjazzcat, on Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:46 PM, said:

Gunstar, on Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:32 AM, said:

That is ATOS running on the monitor, a 16MB ATR running from my SIO-2-PC. I recommend it only if you have the drive space, upgraded ultra/warp OS and extra memory. Otherwise it's useless due to load times. If you have all of the above, I think it's the best GUI out now, with lots of perks like demos as screen savers, desktop pics, dumping and reloading GUI when running traditional programs. tons of extras included on the ATR.

OT, but are there any ATOS applications which aren't "traditional programs"? When I've used it, just about every executable I clicked on runs a text mode application with its own proprietary interface. Have you checked out Boss-X and TRS Desktop? As a game launcher whose background can be customized, ATOS seems very good indeed (and I particularly like its persistence after system reset, etc), but it appears to suffer from the age-old problem of not having any actual GUI apps.

Oh - and OT - I meant to add: nice setup!

It is true, as usual, that it does suffer from lack of GUI apps. It has a lot of it's own support programs, but they are mainly for customizing the desktop/windows system. But as you pointed out, they pretty much all suffer from this, so I figure, why not go with the best, most comprehensive GUI that works well with virtually anything. IIRC, it also has a psuedo-multitasking abilities too, though it's been a while since I've really used it.

I don't recall TRS, I'll look into it, I tried a version of BOSS once, but never looked into it much at the time. ATOS is much more intuitive and user friendly "right out of the box" with loads of features. But, as I said, you have to have superior memory and speed to use it, the faster the better. It even has a voice synthesis text reader! 100's of wallpapers, loads of demos for screen savers, it goes on and on with what is included (hence the 16MB ATR).

I'm looking forward to trying out your GUI, flashjazzcat, and hope it has the support apps. But really, how many people even use 8-bits as their "App" machines anymore? I'm not knocking it, I AM one who still uses 8-bit wordprocessors and graphic arts and spreadsheets, but I assume I'm one of maybe half a dozen people who DON'T turn to their PC for all but fun and games with the 8-bits.

ATOS web site has been down for quite a while now (Closer to Home), but the image can be found at other sites. I'm not sure if documentation is still available for it or not, online; I have a booklet I printed out ages ago. So it's another orphaned GUI.

Edited by Gunstar, Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:44 PM.

[Gunstar]

Guitarman, on Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:39 AM, said:

flashjazzcat, on Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:55 AM, said:

Magnavox made CRTs which were unwittingly a near-perfect match for the XL (they're pictured here on the forum, but I forget via whom). Sadly they're rare (especially here in the UK), and I don't think they do RGB (the 1200 pictured has a VBXE whose output I'll be using 99 per cent of the time).

I had posted a picture in one of the threads of my livingroom setup. It has an 800XL with a Magnavox monitor with the dark brown bezel. Perfect match. Unfortunately, most of the Magnavox Color 40 and Color 80 monitors had a light brown bezel. The dark is more rare.

Did you buy that touch tablet and cartridge from me? I know I sold mine a while back, and I think we've done some business before...

[Gunstar]

Mr.Amiga500, on Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:39 PM, said:

I've got a "command centre" filled with vintage computers and keyboards, but only one computer is allowed in my living room - the Atari 800XL - and it fits the scheme nicely, as you can see:



Also pictured is the ultimate 80's VCR - the JVC HR-S8000U - in all its wood-panelled glory:



(... a VCR in 2011?? Yes! At least it doesn't skip, jerk and disintegrate into pixelated garbage - like those damn DVDs!)

That's a SVHS player isn't it? I have one SVHS and three VHS player/recorders still myself, as well as a CED player and a Laserdisc! My DVD is VCD compatible too. No Blu-ray yet.

[flashjazzcat]

Gunstar, on Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:39 PM, said:

It is true, as usual, that it does suffer from lack of GUI apps. It has a lot of it's own support programs, but they are mainly for customizing the desktop/windows system. But as you pointed out, they pretty much all suffer from this, so I figure, why not go with the best, most comprehensive GUI that works well with virtually anything. IIRC, it also has a psuedo-multitasking abilities too, though it's been a while since I've really used it.

Of course I merely ask the question because I have a vested interest in what people want out of a GUI on the 8-bit Atari. One of the most popular features is probably the ability to launch all exisiting software via mouse clicks. For this reason, I tend to categorize most existing GUIs on the Atari as "Desktops", since they are (for the most part) not GUI infrastructures (as in "frameworks" for applications), but program launchers with extra features. Diamond GOS is one notable exception... but - once again - it lacks apps.

Quote

I don't recall TRS, I'll look into it, I tried a version of BOSS once, but never looked into it much at the time. ATOS is much more intuitive and user friendly "right out of the box" with loads of features. But, as I said, you have to have superior memory and speed to use it, the faster the better. It even has a voice synthesis text reader! 100's of wallpapers, loads of demos for screen savers, it goes on and on with what is included (hence the 16MB ATR).

No doubt about it - it's fast, and the bundled wallpapers and extra functionality are cool. However, the windows and their contents are static and the bits you'd expect to work fast (like the config program drawing its text screen) are slow. But it's all good, since we can learn from it.

Quote

I'm looking forward to trying out your GUI, flashjazzcat, and hope it has the support apps. But really, how many people even use 8-bits as their "App" machines anymore? I'm not knocking it, I AM one who still uses 8-bit wordprocessors and graphic arts and spreadsheets, but I assume I'm one of maybe half a dozen people who DON'T turn to their PC for all but fun and games with the 8-bits.

The "killer app" is the essential ingredient that they all lack, IMO. Our GUI will get a word processor soon after its release, and the desktop ile manager will be "the business", but you make a very valid point about how many people actually use the Atari as a productivity tool. I think the number is greater than half a dozen (otherwise SDX, LW, etc would be dead in the water), but it's interesting to consider. The GUI topic has a huge number of views, but are these views all from potential users, or from the same small core group of followers, or just casual spectators? Time will tell.

Quote

ATOS web site has been down for quite a while now (Closer to Home), but the image can be found at other sites. I'm not sure if documentation is still available for it or not, online; I have a booklet I printed out ages ago. So it's another orphaned GUI.

That's probably the greatest problem - the fact it's not being supported any more. Nevertheless - it's a really interesting product.

OK - any more comments on ATOS, etc, I'll confine to one of the ATOS threads, or the GUI topic itself.

[flashjazzcat]

More photos of the ongoing 1200XL mods (didn't know where else to post link):

http://www.atariage....-1400xl-part-8/

[Fletch]

Rotated the current stock. Here is my current set up.

Fletch

[Ransom]

Here's my current software collection.

First, the closet o' doom (contains software for all my consoles and classic computers):


Close-ups of the A8 stuff:



And the carts without boxes (that's AtariArtist and AtariGraphics hiding in the second row; the third row has SDX and RT8):

[svenski]

Wow Ransom, great collection you have there. Thanks for sharing the pics and making me drool quite a bit !

[Bryan]

Ransom, on Sun Apr 8, 2012 7:03 PM, said:

Here's my current software collection.

Just give me a shopping cart and that's a picture of my dream store.

I'd take a picture of my collection, but my room's a big-assed mess right now.

-Bry

[svenski]

Excellent pics and great collection.

Fletch, on Sun Apr 8, 2012 6:44 PM, said:

800.jpg 800xl.jpg 1040ste.jpg 2600.jpg setup.jpg

Rotated the current stock. Here is my current set up.

Fletch