What's new Pussycat too?

Or As it has a ps/2 keyboard plug, try wiring in via the TK-II clone I sent you, at least you end up with a good keyboard for your 800 on a temp basis..

 

@Graham My 800 keyboard is "fixed" and working fine for now, it's just that I noticed some of the NOS plungers I installed almost a year ago now have already developed cracks in the corners. Also for future repairs. I still prefer the feel of my Hi-Tek 800 keyboard over the feel of this PC keyboard, which, in fact, I am typing this message on it, as my PC has legacy ports on it too.

The keys are a bit narrow, it's a bit "deep" were they are concave, so it's a bit different for me and will take some getting used too. But the keyboard feel is the best I've used on a PC in a long time. It's not mechanical, and certainly not some Cherry-standard mechanized board, but it is very nice, and I am quickly getting used too the keyboard the more I type here...

 

Sorry Matt I remerber you had your 800 Keyboard working now, think you said one of the contacts was permanently shorted.
I guess I've missed a lot of posts and goings on .. I'll have to try and catch up.
IBM genrally made good keyboards, even the 'all' plastic one's being fairly heafty so thankfully stay still on the desk.
pleased your putting to good use...

 

I ment to ask what the model number was off the back, that way you can find out what type of switches it uses, I'd guess from what I've read and the timestamp from the PS/2 connector, either a membrane keyboard or the type with the little rubber dot's on a membrane, both still use the bucking spring bit to actuate, both are quieter than the original 84 Key XT type mechanical only boards.
Please note they are still very very good keyboards to type on.

 

That sounds about right, @Graham , and my thoughts exactly (minus the component names like "bucking spring"

It's an RT101 sold by NEC. And supposedly a Hi-Tek, though I wouldn't know for sure without pictures or opening it up, but what I can see of it with plungers and feel, it's made by Hi-Tek.

 

I tell you what though, after looking up RT101 and scrolling through some images, I found some images of some wonderful looking keyboards that have suddenly made me want to build a 1088XEL with a brushed-metal case too. It's the first time I've had an idea that I might want an all-new Atari 8-bit as well as my upgraded 800 and 1200...Of course I'll have to find one of these for sale and at a price I can afford, or a cheaper knock-off. These look like something one might find for a few thousand in a Skymall catalog or at that new high-end specialty site 'Touch of Modern' or whatever it's called.


Ok, I found it on Alibaba.com, it's only $270-370, so attainable if I really want it...

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/IP65-with-trackball-ESD-mechanical-Keyboard_1695575081.html

 

These are custom order, with your choice of PS/2 or USB and touch-pad or trackball, trackball can be 400 dpi mechanical (what I am getting) or 800 dpi optical.

 

Sounds like a pretty awesome project. The keyboard reminds me of the Memotech MTX computer. Looking forward to seeing this project happen

 

Check out what I bought...my alternative to other upgrades, 1088XEL or steel keyboard (for now). I almost got my robot arm, but I'll get that soon enough...I just decided to get something a bit more useful for now. No more "old-school" cases for external upgrade bare boards, even though I'm pretty damn good at making them, now I can design exactly what I want instead of using generic boxes or cases from other hardware.It should be here in a week or two. Ender 3 3D printer. I asked on AA for a good 3D printer for under $300, this was suggested by 2 or 3 people, then I almost bought one on Amazon for $250, until someone gave me a link to one on Woot (an Amazon discount store) for $179!

 

Absolutely incredible for the money, Matt.

When these things were first announced, I thought it was a ruddy April's Fool joke - I mean...3D printer?? WTF?!

But no, they do exist.

I still find them the most amazing concept.

Hours/months of fun ahead!

 

Note HOURS is exactly right, I believe they are still dog slow (I want to be wrong on this)....

Great little beast for Matt, I'm sure there will be mods going everywhere..

It would be a waste with me, probably get turned on once and never again, my creative juices just don't drip let alone flow...

 

Yeah, you can't expect it to print out as fast as your inkjet, that's for sure. I guess the average, depending on how fine you set the print, is anywhere from 30 minutes to 36 hours. This Atari cartridge holder, that SKR (ABBUC & AA) printed, he said it took him 13 hours to print.

 

Fook.....That is a bit of time...

The only thing I found and I don't know if its down to the printing settings is that my SD-Max's printed SIO plug got caught on the edge and then started to sort of unravel..You could see individual threads of the printing material just coming apart..Very odd..

Mind you, its not like Star Trek when you just beam an object to make it

 

Wow that looks good Matt, I must admit that the prices are gradually comeing down, and at some point I'll get something, although I fancy making it, we'll see, thankfully things like print heads etc, you can purchase, I'd be happy making the mechanical bits, and thankfully have a Lathe, and access to a Lathe and Milling machine at work as well.
Thinks like print head, heated build plate etc, that I'd buy in.
Looking forward to seeing what you can do with it, I know from others that it takes sometime to get it setup and working well, two guys I know of had to shield theres from any draft, and keep the whole thing in a box to keep the temperature constant during the printing.
I'm sure your going to have great fun, especially producing parts for your Robotic arm(s)

On my side of things I've just recieved a box of goody's , alongside Andy,'s Oric Microdrive and PSU.
Richie, has confirmed that the Microdrive controller works with a gotek, also included
However I'm now the very proud owner on an Oric Atmos, so with this I can play with Andy's microdrive as also included a few disc, with Sedoric DOS on PLUS PLUS, I've also become the owner of a number of PCB's Atari cart board, Oric Dianostics, Spectrum Disk drive etc etc, looks to be about 15-20 boards, some I've not identified as yet..

I am however preparing a little package to send back to Richie, and another slightly diffrent one for Andy..
May take me another week to finalise. (Finalize Matt )
Just so you know I'm itching to get it setup, but really need to finish off an 800XL I'm working on.

Andy Richie
Thank you so much for Thinking of me and for a great treat.

Trully nice Gents. Hope we catch up tomorrow on a video/voice call.

 

Cheers, Graham.

As you know, one of the strengths of this little group is that everyone's keen to help others - as you've been doing from day one.

It's a pleasure and it sounds like you're now even busier with the XL, microdisc, PCBs, diagnostic boards, Oric Atmos to play with and heaven knows what other projects you've got up your sleeves, mate.

Enjoy and here's to a catch-up tomorrow.

I'm not sure Rich will be available as he said he was a little tied up during January but he'll be back with us for a video group chat as soon as.

Hoping we hear from Andy V, Matt B, Manu K and anyone else who is keen to join Al, me and thee.

Theme for tomorrow - build your own 3D printer.... with a 3D printer!

 

HeHe Paul's in as well Andy that's assuming we are on for 3PM ??
I think Al was going to set up a link

 

Yeah, it's looking lively now tomorrow, Graham.

Is my maths co-processor right with the Fantastic Four, forming-up -

me, thee, Paul and Andy V.... so far?

 

Hmm depends
Motorola 68881, 68882
or Intel, 8087, 80187, 80287, 80387, 80487, 80587
anything Pentium like had it included ..
However, they are used for floating point Math ...
so only bit's (Hehe) of us will be turning up .. (Well there a lots of dead brain cell's when you get older)

 

Good luck on building your own, Graham, I never really thought of that, but I think I have enough engineering ahead of me with the robot, and yes, I will definitely be using the printer where I can for parts for it. Actually, I was given links on AA to some things to print out to upgrade the printer itself once I get it too. Though the robot arm I have an eye on is a kit made of aluminum parts for me to have fun assembling. I may upgrade it with parts I design and print out...we'll see, I need to learn to use the printer first, and learn whatever new CAD program I need to design my own parts, and I think the printer itself require assembly on my own.

I don't know yet if I'll design my own tracks to make the robot mobile or not, but I will be designing my own body to go on the track base and have one or two arms attached to it and an 800 motherboard stashed inside. I'm sure there's a lot I haven't thought of yet, so the body won't be designed until the 11 hour. I do know It'll have camera's and sensors galore so it can find it's way around and no pre-programmed movements like the toy robots of old. I'll probably use sheet metal for the body, and I'll have to design a rudimentary brake-press to bend the sheet metal to my will. Luckily I had a job for six months running a brake-press and learned to set it up for different jobs, on the job, so I have an idea...

But I'm not and educated engineer, just an educated electronics techie, though I do my own minor engineering sometimes, but this is all about the learning process including teaching myself to be a bit of an engineer. I'm educated in art and sculpting and self-taught with construction, plumbing, electrical (well I really learned that bit when I was got my associate's in electronics). I've built a home, I've built a green house, I designed and built my own trailer for my business, etc. I learned to learn and that's what I do.

 

My 800 version Sophia 2 arrived today. I may install it tonight, but soon anyway.

 

Its superb...And if you have a socketed machine its 2 secs..

The picture is pin sharp on my HDMI, just about to make an RGB cable for a real crt (if the bloody virus will let me pick the cable up from my mate, he's the other side of London and I don't want to be the one person they stop to ask why I'm out, I don't think making an Atari cable will cut the mustard..200.00 fine)

 

Are you able to display a 4:3 screen ratio through HDMI on your TV/monitor or are you stuck with 16:9 wide screen stretching everything? I'm going with VGA I think, so I can get a 4:3 ratio which my LCD screens won't display in HDMI, or RGB which will work with my 1084S when I repair it, or I have a converter/upscaler to turn it to VGA. But if I'm not mistaken, I believe the pre-programmed modes on the Sophia 2 are DVI out on the main area of the plug/port and VGA where the 4 pins are grouped together. Anything else I believe you have to reflash the firmware, or it's programmable and savable in some way. I have to go read the PDF's on the Sophia 2 again, now that I have it.

As per getting the cable from your mate...you are probably right, it might not be such a good idea...I can see it now..."Yes Officer, I know no one's suppose to be about unless it's an emergency, but how can I live without my Atari displaying RGB!? Are we to live like barbarians!?"

 

With the config program you can get a 4:3

And yes, I don't think I want to ruffle the feathers of a Policeman..

 

I did not know there was a 4:3 option that way. My LCD monitors will only display HDMI in 16:9 ratio currently. If it's possible to change that at the source to display a 4:3 screen on my monitors, then I will stick with DVI and the 1084 monitor will stay with the 1200XL (I already painted it to match the XL livery anyway, and would have had to repaint)