What's new Pussycat too?

It certainly would make it look nice. The RGB ones are my first choice since I can have white or yellow lighting, any one of a palette of many colors or multi-color constantly changing. They fit right in with Atari and the rainbow Fuji and rainbow-effect graphics. What ever you are in the mood for. I have 4 sets that have their own remotes, but any of the remotes works on all of them. Also the LED lighting in my computers too. The last set I purchased though, I went with a slightly more expensive brand, but instead of a remote, it works via wi-fi or blue-tooth with my Android phone. Anyhow, the cheaper brand I bought half a dozen sets of works great and they are only $15 dollars a set with free shipping with Amazon Prime. 6 foot, 16 different colors.Peel-and-stick strips. I hide them behind my shelf fascia so you don't see the lights, just their light.

I almost forgot, the type I have only come with a USB-to-barrel plug power cord, so if you want to plug them into the wall, you have to supply your own 5v DC wall-wort phone chargers, but NOT ones that use the USB, but standard barrel plug. It could be just a USB wall-wort and then use the cable that comes with it, but it's very short.Oh, and these are classified as TV back-lighting LED lights.

I have plenty of 5v barrel plug PSU's on hand from all kinds of devices from over the years, so I just used them.

 

Ha ha, the old box of PSU's, I have the same thing here, just loads of random voltages and currents..Dead handy tho..

 

I just recently went through a box of about 20 PSU's I have, with a magnifying glass and a silver Sharpie, checking voltage, amperage and AC or DC and then writing it on the side of the PSU's with the Sharpie, so I could easily identify them when needed. All different types. I still have a bunch more scattered among crates in storage.

 

Yet to organise mine, well I did have a look at what I had and most were 9 - 12 volt DC centre pin positive.

Going to off load some to a mate at some safe time, I'll probably just keep the chunkier / bigger amp ratings.

 

I remember my father's globe from when I was a child, one of the old black oceans ones, and it had the raised relief, so I made sure any I bought had the same as I really loved his for that. What I didn't care for on my father's were the nations in different pastel colors. I really like the metallic look of the one I bought much more. Mine is classier looking and less classroom looking.

 

I'm still in awe of that old teacher's wooden display cabinet you managed to secure to store all your Atari goodies in, Tim. It might as well be an official Atari cab as far as I am concerned as it just oozes nostalgia for me.

Neon lights inside? I'd suggest the faint glow of 70s style small bulbs perhaps recessed under the top shelf/shelves?

Nice work, buddy - looking gReat in there!

 

The under side of my desk has standard white Christmas lights hidden behind the fascia there.

 

I think anything that adds to the looks; be it what looks like a very nice oak cabinet, or glass display shelves to tastful globes, 'vintage' retrobilia ( a new word?) is good, I see Tim likes collecting the documentation as well.
I love RGB / RGBA / RGBWA lighting strips, usually controlled by DMX so I can play with the colours (Colors' for Matt), that way I can go with mood, or on occation the beat of a track to change the colours.. Hmm wondering if I could design a DMX interface for Atari, has it ever been done ?

PSU's Hmm think I'll have to do the same, have draw full of psu's ditto, mains leads if seperate, a look uder my work desk shows 4 wall sockets all used, with 2x 6 ways mounted on the wall (all used), and additional one on the floor with 2 spares outlets, and a newly plugged in 8 way that I've used recently, I thought the two sixways were all I needed. I was so wrong, anyone else always short to sockets?

 

Had three arrivals today, a PokeyMAX 2, which I've got to tryout in all the computers I have, and I purchased a X2 MIDI synthesiser module, the XLD & XEL both have the S2 cards thought I'd try this out as can program the sound banks via USB. And the sockets are the same waveblaster compatible one. as built into the XLD, and added as an extra to the XEL, Oh the third was a packet of rubber blanking plugs, and they still don't fit nor look very nice from what I can see (There for Andy's ORIC PSU I modded and should have sent off p.s. Sorry Andy )
least I'm feeling a bit better, and actually able to concentrate for more that 5 mins.

 

All sounds very tasty, Graham - be sure to update us here when you have your work in projects up and running. Thanks for all the extra effort you've put in on my Oric disk drive PSU unit. As and when, fella. You've a busy life, I know. Cheers once more.

 

My latest Atari 800 upgrade arrived today. The CX85 numeric keypad. I managed to find one, keypad only, in mint condition for $20.

 

What? No pictures?

 

Lurving that 800 and CX85 paired together, Matt and the bill was a whopping $20? Call Starsky & Hutch - there's been a retro robbery somewhere! Excellent asset acquisition. Mine went up to Nysavant and I think he plans to downgrade it and turn in into an Oric. Also liking the radio alarm green LCD display, the calculator on standby and the racks of ROMs. Even from this side of the pond, this set-up just hums of sweet old nostalgia and my recycled retro nostrils are picking up the positive perfumes. Are those x2 Indus GTs sat on top of the battle tank? If so, think about changing their "skins" to 810 camo??! Only joking, fella - the set-up is grand as it is and I also spot the Atari 400 mouse mat design which you were kind enough to send me t'other Xmas. Marvellous line-ups, Matt.

 

OOO never seen the keypad before, most interesting so wheres it plug into; a Joystick port ?, and presume requires additional software to work.
The calculator reminds me of a Texas Instruments one I had when Hmm oh much younger..

I'll sort out some pictures and add them soon, I take it that it was the Rubber bungs you wanted the pics of

I also like the drives, Black or not ...
Actually a nice setup as we have seen over a period of time whilst you have built your command centre, And I know you will find small changes to enhance it further...
So have you given your Brother the grand tour and let him loose on an Atari yet ?

 

The green LED radio alarm clock, CD player is my old BOSE Wave radio which the 800's new stereo output will be hooked up to via the Bose' rear inputs, I posted about the radio a few days ago. Yep, them GT's and an 810 for the 800 and a CA 2001 and two Happy 1050's for the 1200XL. At least until I get another 1200XL, besides Paul's, up and running again.

 

The calculator is Texas Instruments, Datamath TI-2500B with the red LED display.

Generally speaking, yes, the software has to be made to work with the CX85, which is plugged into a joystick port. But, there is a lot of PD software that utilizes it, and I have a program called Reeve Key, by Alan Reeve of Diamond GOS fame which allows it to work with many programs, like the Synapse series and WP's, etc. too. I've heard there are other keypad drivers out there as well, and I think there is one or more for Sparta DOS too.

 

pics

S2&X2 X2 in XLD X2+PM in XLD S2&X2
ITS ON THE 'TIN'

Compare Pokey & PMAX

 

And found this circuit diagram :-


the 74c923 is worth $10 all by itself !!

 

Nice Diagram! I think I may use it one day to make a matching keypad for my 1200XL, since the 800 is the only model to ever get one.

@Graham , How much are the Pokey MAX boards selling for and are there more for sale or was it a limited run? I wasn't particularly interested before because I could still get real Pokey's for cheaper and the original run, IIRC, was only made for arcade boards and wasn't compatible with the 8-bits?

 

Since you said you've never seen a CX85 keypad before, @Graham , here are close-up shots of it for your viewing pleasure.

 

Bootiful, absolutely bootiful.

Class 80s brilliant build...

Lovely pics, Matt.

Here's another angled pic I pinched off the web.

Al Nysavant, did you ever get yours up and running as yet?

 

Gawd, just on a Space 1999 Watch Party (as you do when it's blowing a gale outside, so i'm dodging DIY jobs), and here is Dr Helena Russell using a prototype CX85...

I kid ye not:


ABOVE: Atari hardware gets the Space 1999 treatment - Series 1 Episode 19 - 40:29.

Koenig is a working on an Oric device driver to stop the Main Computer at Moonbase Alpha suffering further tape loading errors...