We present the 1088 XEL computer, which uses the five LSI
chips of a standard Atari computer but recreated in the Mini-ITX format (17x17
cms).
The hardware takes its name from the amount of memory that
it integrates: to the original 64K of RAM the expansion of memory Ultimate 1MB
of Lotharek is added , giving a total of 1088K of usable memory.
The project dates back to the beginning of this year, when
Michael "Mytek Controls" St. Pierre started the discussion in the
AtariAge forum about an alternative motherboard, with different devices and
updates in a single package.
 |
| Hardware Prototype Development |
To the original A8 chips (Sally, Antic, GTIA, PIA and Pokey)
are added several improvements: XEL-CF -] [to read and write in flash memories;
TK-II-STEREO, which combines the most popular upgrades of Pokey sound; as well
as the MouseTari and JOY2PIC interfaces .
As another Atari computer, it has SIO, PCB and parallel
ports for a disketera / cassette player, two joysticks and a cartridge. Aside,
PS2 ports are observed to support compatible keyboard and mouse in the future.
"For all intents and purposes, it is still an 8-bit
Atari" real "computer in terms of basic hardware (and not an FPGA
implementation or emulation in a Raspberry Pi)," highlights St. Pierre.
The first prototype saw the light towards the end of March.
Subsequently, St. Pierre gave permission to six other people to build their own
versions of 1088 XEL, under the Do It Yourself mode .
One of those was Jonathan "flashjazzcat" Halliday,
who contributed a special version of the U1MB BIOS to get the most out of the
hardware. In addition, he recorded a series of videos from unboxing to the
computer assembly.
Comments
Post a Comment