Atari 65XE Ultimate1MB Upgrade & Retrobrighting

The good old days when 1Mbyte was more than we could ever envisage using!

Could you perhaps feed the wires through the slot space left next to the mounting screw and solder to the underside instead of directly to the cpu?

How sleek would that look with an aluminum case :)

Wouldn't it have been easier and cleaner to solder the 4 wires to the backside of the board?

I like your RetroBright box but I’ve stumbled upon a better solution. Use high concentrate H2O2 in liquid form. Put the part in a resealable plastic bag with enough liquid to fully cover. Place the bag in a water bath with a sous vide heater. The consistent heat from the sous vide warms the H2O2 and you get a very consistent result. Good video.

You make desoldering the OS chip look so easy. Far easier than my experience even on a 800XL. Show off! :)

I like your socks, they are different.

NOICE!

Try FJC's firmware for the Ultimate 1MB...

Nice socks 😁

Good old days! I used to have a 130xe

Great Job!
The keys likes as new brand, is it ?

One comment on your soldering, try not to solder the socketed chip while beeing in the socket. especially chips that wer previously solderd in. You melt the solder thats on the pin and accedently solder the chip into the socket which makes the socketing useless because that chip will never leave the socket again. Also when beeing careful using good solder/flux let the solder flow into the socket (especially when gold plated) very easy.

I've done 1meg expension in the days of piggy banking over the initial ram chips and using multiplexer chips connected on the lines for the 3 and 4 joystick. That was a large act of faith for those days.

Never had one, but I love these the still modern look of these late Atari machines.

I did my A500 cover out in the sun with peroxide crean the other day. The result was amazing. A wee bit of marbling but I need to really look to see it. Also done my A4000 front but it's not quite where I'd like it. Though, from the almost brown orange that it was it's immensely better. Don't think it got quite hot enough to get a perfect result.

The only thing left would be a Fujinet for this machine.

I wish they would have thrown the sockets in the box for those who needed them, but now you need the Side3 cart to really unlock the Ultimate 1Mb Upgrade's power. That chip came out so easy for you, I had to desolder from both sides to get my rom out.

Is there software to utilize 1mb? That’s a lot for an 8-bit. I’m less familiar with the Atari ecosystem.

I wonder how mind-blowing stuff like this would have been when these computers were shiny and new, such easy, and affordable, access to what were back then huge upgrades... :D

The colour came back nicely. Just needs a 1024XE badge now.

Die u1mb ist schon seeehr mächtig, ich habe die schon seit einem Jahr in meinem 800xl und immer noch nicht alle Funktionen ausprobiert 😉 Mit dem Sidecard lädt die Maschine wirklich jedes Dateiformat, welches irgendwie für den Atari gedacht ist....

Great video. Very instructive. I'm not an Atari guy but I enjoyed it.

I think that the AVG / SUB carts have rendered most of the internal memory upgrades irrelevant. At the same price of an U1MB (maybe lower) you get a cartridge with an SD lot, 1 to 4MB memory upgrade, RTC, almost 100% compatibility with ALL types of files(full ART support), a list of ROMs to choose from and in SUB's case a stereo pokey upgrade. All that without cracking the case open, just by using its 3 different dongles. Those carts are so goods for plain users that I've shelved my 65XE with the U1MB upgrade. Great video as always Jan!

You need one more mod. The Sophia2DVI. Great video mod, I can't believe how crisp the image is. I use an older LCDS panel for mine. It is a 19" 4:3 panel.

i dont think u will use 512k

Very satisfying to see the wonderful end-result. I remember how this machine looked in the beginning! What a difference. Top Job!

Ok, the socks are adorable!

Fun project. I wonder what can you run that uses 1 Mb on this ? Also, in my experience there is no need for UV-light to retro bright. I think heat is the key element. I have retrobrighted with good result just putting plastics into the owen at 50 degrees for 4-5 hours and also outside in the sun.

Blessed are the humble tinkerers, for they shall see their Atari 65xe transformed. Today, I, Yan Beta, embark on a journey to upgrade my beloved machine with the ultimate 1 Megabyte upgrade, the pinnacle of enhancements for our cherished Atari 8-bit computers.

We have faced many trials, moving from a DIY 320 kilobytes RAM upgrade to a steadfast 128 kilobytes setup. Now, our 65xe, though appearing as a mere 130xe, hides the soul of a true champion, adorned with a splendid keyboard.

In our hour of need, our brother Ingo bestowed upon us the ultimate 1 Megabyte expansion for the Atari 8-bit series. Let us gaze upon this gift and proceed to install it, so that our quest for the ultimate Atari may reach its zenith.

We must also cleanse and brighten the physical vessel of our Atari, stained and yellowed by time. With diligence, we shall restore its former glory or perhaps don it in new raiment of black. We must be patient, for retro brighting is fraught with peril.

First, we open the case one more time and prepare the interior for the ultimate upgrade. We scrub the case parts with soapy water. While the plastic parts soak, we install the upgrade, requiring some soldering and socketing of chips.

Let us give thanks to our sponsor, PCBWay, for their support. Their kindness and service are unparalleled.

We desolder the system ROM, install the sockets, and connect the wires with precision. Once done, we reassemble the machine and test our labors. Holding down help and reset, we see the Sparta DOS X menu, and we rejoice.

Let us restore the outer shell, using peroxide cream and cling wrap under a grow lamp. This process requires patience. The next day, we behold the transformed casing, closer to its original color, and we are satisfied.

Finally, we route the cables, ensuring everything is in place. As we close the case and turn on the Atari, we see the fruits of our labor: a machine restored and enhanced, ready for new adventures.

In conclusion, let us give thanks for this journey. May our efforts inspire others to restore and enhance beloved machines. Blessed are the patient and diligent, for they shall see their dreams realized. Amen.

I wonder if mounting it connectors side down wouldn't be best.

I would probably have routed those 4 colored cables to the underside of the board and soldered them to the socket rather than soldering them onto your 6502. Kind of defeats the purpose of the socket otherwise.

Get a sticker made that says ultimate in a similar font and color to stick over the damaged part of the original atari badge it will cover the ugly and you'll know which atari is the modded one if done right i think it will be better then replaceing the badge.

So its now a 1040 XE ? 🙂

Do You think that retrobryting a bathrooom would work? 😮

AVGCART = 1MB RAM 👍

Again... No cream, no marble effect. Just use fluid peroxide... 😕

I'm not a subscriber, but all of the videos attempting to upgrade this Atari to 1MB came up as recommendations and watched them all. It's finally over. The Atari that refused to be upgraded finally is.

great job, you make it look easy!

What a tremendous result. I am very pleased. Magnificent.

Think you can get FUZIX onto this also?

Nice!!

Always nice to see that keyboard in your videos ;) Definitely upgrade to FJC's firmware. I also like to shorten those ribbon cables to size when I do a U1MB upgrade, to keep things tidy with neat folds and nothing to hide under boards :)

I would like to see a video of a Commodore 64 Reloaded Mk2, I saw your video of the evo, but i'm not that resourcefull and think the reloaded can be a litte more friendly and will be delightfull to know your opinion. I'm from Argentina, so if i make some mistakes sorry but english is not my native language. Thanks a lot and you rock!

Why not just remove the RF modulator? Do you need really poor display for some reason?

Outstanding! Hallo from Australia. The industrial design of these machines is quite beautiful.

I have very fond memories of my childhood 130XE.