smb@cs.purdue.EDU (Scott Ballew) (03/22/89)
I have an Atari 800 (the old kind) and although I want to get a bigger, newer machine, I am confined by my budget to wait on that. In the interim, I want to try to expand the memory of this machine beyond the current 48k. I know there are many people who have done so and written instructions on how to do it and I hope that one of you out there has one or more of these "How-to" documents online and will send it to me. Please let me know about your experiences with any of these expansions even if you can't send me information on how to do the expansion. Also, please include any compatability information and reference any programs that may be needed to use the extra memory. Thanks, Scott Ballew Bitnet: privateer@drycas.bitnet Internet/UUCP: smb@cs.purdue.edu
clf3678@ultb.UUCP (C.L. Freemesser) (03/22/89)
Yes, a number of memory upgrades are available for the 800. However, finding one will be difficult. Axlon once made a number of upgrades, and you can make them yourself by modifying a 16k board. However, you will find that your upgrade won't really be compatible with those for the XL/XE machines. What I mean is, you can't get a 64k/128k program meant for newer machines and expect it to run on the 800. I might be wrong about this, but this is my experience with it. =cf=
u-mderha%ug.utah.edu@wasatch.UUCP (Max Derhak) (03/23/89)
In article <6289@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> smb@cs.purdue.edu (Scott M Ballew) writes: > >I have an Atari 800 (the old kind) and although I want to get a bigger, newer >machine, I am confined by my budget to wait on that. In the interim, I want >to try to expand the memory of this machine beyond the current 48k. > (other Stuff goes here.) >Thanks, >Scott Ballew >Bitnet: privateer@drycas.bitnet >Internet/UUCP: smb@cs.purdue.edu Upgrades to the old atari 8-bits are rather messy. A friend of mine (Ron Bolling of UPGRADE Productions) does upgrades for just about every one of the 8bit line. I have an 800 with 320k, but it is addressed differently than any other upgrade i know of. There are many ways of addressing ram in 8bit atari's. Exactly how do you want it to be addressed? If you want compatability with the XL/XE computers, then you need to be able to address memory underneath the operating system via the pia address. Mosaic memory systems used to produce an upgrade that did that. In addition to being able to address all of your memory as RAM (64k), there are various ways of exceeding this by using memory banking. The 130XE (and compatables) use 16k banks in memory from $4000 to $7FFF. The bank selection is also done through pia port B. The Axalon system banks in the same place, but is banked through a register located at $CFFF. The Mosaic Ramdisk banks only in 4k banks in memory locations $C000 - $CFFF, and is selected by writing to memory locations $FFC0 -$FFE0. My 800's system is completely different. We affectionately call it the 64k+. The operating system memory as well as memory (cartridge) protection is enabled by a write only register somewhere in the unused I/O addresses. The extra (RAMDISK) memory is banked in two locations. First in 4k Blocks from $C000 to $CFFF, and then in 256 byte blocks from $D700 to $D7FF. The upgrade provides for deselection as well as memory protection (simulated ROM) for these memory locations. They are also banked via write only regs in unused I/O memory locations ($D000-$D7FF). Ron also has a simular upgrade for atari 400's, but there are a few things left out due to the archatecture of the 400. Ron has also come up with a complete memory system for XE's which gives cartidge memory protection, operating system ramdisk support, and expanded memory up to 2 meg. This is made possible by the addition of an extra PIA. I have one of these, and let me say that its great! I don't know much about getting the axalon/mosaic upgrades, but Ron still does them. (A couple of months ago, he upgraded a 16k 400 to 52k for a friend of mine.) I don't know about his current pricing though. If your intrested in finding out about any upgrade Ron does, just send me e-mail, and I'll try and find out. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- (Take it to the) Max Derhak : u-mderha@ug.utah.edu.UUCP -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
ajy2208%ritcv@cs.rit.edu (03/24/89)
A friend of mine has a 1megabyte 800 that he still insists on using solely because he did get the 1meg upgrade. While I don't remember who he bought it from, he did buy it less than a year ago. It is a single board, and it has a switch that will turn it on/off if the need ever arises. As someone stated earlier, this RAM is not directly accessible by the computer. If I remember correctly, it can only be used as a RAMdisk. It is also compatible with AXLON memory boards. If anyone would like more information, I'd be glad to fetch it for ya.. Albert Yarusso, Bitnet: ajy2208@ritvax.bitnet Internet: ajy2208.ultb.rit.edu Usenet: rochester!rit!ritcv!ajy2208
hamill@sky.COM (John Hamill) (04/07/89)
In article <6289@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> smb@cs.purdue.edu (Scott M Ballew) writes: >I have an Atari 800 (the old kind) and although I want to get a bigger, newer >documents online and will send it to me. Please let me know about your >experiences with any of these expansions even if you can't send me information >on how to do the expansion. Also, please include any compatability >information and reference any programs that may be needed to use the extra >memory. Try Analog magazine for the 256K upgrade, the name of the company that offers it is Newell, I think, don't quote me. They also make other upgrades for the Atari.