RAMBO XL (In s t a lla t ion & Op er a t ion s Ma n u a l) 2 5 6 K Mem or y S ys t em for At a r i 8 0 0 XL and 1 2 0 0 XL Com p u t er s by ICD
Note-throughout this manual: SpartaDOS, SpartaDOS Construction Set, UltraSpeed, US Doubler, R-Time 8, RAMBO XL, and P:R: Connection, are trademarks of ICD, Inc. Atari 13OXE, 800XL, and 1200XL, are trademarks of Atari, Corp. Published by ICD, Inc. 1220 Rock Street Rockford, IL 611011437 U.S.A. © 1986 ICD, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
FORWARD You have just purchased another high quality product of ICD, Inc. We are the company which brought out exciting products for your Atari like: SpartaDOS Construction Set, US Doubler, R-Time 8, and P:R: Connection. For more information on ICD products, be sure to fill out and send in your warranty registration card in the back of this manual. The installation section of this manual includes three graphic layouts for trouble free installation.
This manual is supplied as part of the RAMBO XL package from ICD, Inc.
Chapter 1 -Introduction to RAMBO XL CHAPTER 1-INTRODUCTION TO RAMBO XL RAMBO XL Compatibility RAMBO XL will work in any Atari 800XL or 1200XL computer regardless of which ANTIC chip is used. The 1200XL will require four jumper wires to be soldered along with soldering of the ribbon cable. The 800XL will require one or two jumper wires to be soldered along with soldering of the ribbon cable.
Chapter 1-Introduction to RAMBO XL RAMBO XL has been tested to be fully compatible with the following programs: BASIC XE from OSS ...................... same as Synfile+ from Synapse ................... same as Atari DOS 2.5 RAMDISK ................... same as PaperClip from Batteries Included ..... same as 130XE optional configuration it uses the full memory. 130XE 130XE 130XE or with RAMBO XL uses 256K DRAMS for the computer's main memory and bank memory.
Chapter 2-Pre-Installation CHAPTER 2-PRE-INSTALLATION BEFORE YOU START Tools This installation is not for the total novice.
Chapter 2-Pre-Installation Check for Sockets A few things must be determined before installing RAMBO XL. First you must determine whether the integrated circuits (ICs or chips) in your computer are in sockets or soldered directly to the printed circuit board (PCB). Most 1200XLs should have sockets on all ICs. On the other hand, many 800XLs have some or all ICs soldered directly to the PCB. If this is the case, we strongly recommend you have an expert install this product.
Chapter 3-Installation for 800XL CHAPTER 3-INSTALLATION FOR 800XL Turn your computer on its back. Remove the six phillips head screws which hold the case together and place them in your parts dish. Turn the computer right side up and lift the left side (near the ESC key) up and towards the right. Look inside and find the wide mylar (a clear plastic) ribbon cable which connects the keyboard to the main computer board.
Chapter 3-Installation for 800XL Locate Important Integrated Circuits (800XL) ANTIC - U7 Also labeled either C012296 or C021697. This is the second 40 pin IC from the left at the front of the PCB. The part number of this IC determines whether you connect a jumper wire to point 'C' (or not) on RAMBO XL and also how you set JP3. PIA - U23 Also labeled C014795 or 6520. This is located two ICs to the right of ANTIC in the 800XL.
Chapter 3-Installation for 800XL JP1-JP3 are the jumper plugs on your RAMBO XL board. For JP1-JP3, the '0' indicates that the jumper position should not match the bar on the silk screen legend. The '- ' indicates that the jumper should match that of the silk screen legend. The '0' (not -') is the most common setting for the 800XL and also the way we ship RAMBO XL from the factory. (See Figure 3.
Chapter 3-Installation for 800XL Remove the 64K DRAMS and replace them with your 256K DRAMS. These ICs are very static sensitive so make sure you are grounded while moving them around. Remove the old DRAMS with a small screwdriver. Notice the notch goes to the left. Replace them with the new 256K DRAMS making sure they also have the notch to the left. Replace U27 with RAMBO XL. Remove U27. Carefully plug RAMBO XL into its socket with the long part of the board towards the rear. Do not plug it in backwards.
Chapter 4-Installation for 1200XL CHAPTER 4-INSTALLATION FOR 1200XL Turn your computer on its back. Remove the six phillips head screws which hold the case together and place them in your parts dish. Turn the computer right side up and lift the top cover up and towards the front. Look inside and find the two ribbon cables which connect the keyboard and console LEDs to the main computer board. Carefully unplug these cables noting the correct polarity of their connectors.
Chapter 4-Installation for 1200XL Memory Decoder IC we are replacing-U10 Also labeled 74LS158. This is a 16 pin IC. With the 1200XL, U10 is to the right and slightly above ANTIC. RAM Chips-labeled U1-U9 (excluding U7) on the 1200 XL and in the lower left hand corner of the PCB. These should all be installed in sockets. Check Jumpers and Jumper Block Settings on the RAMBO XL Board See the following table (table 2) to determine which jumpers you need to run and how to set the jumper blocks for your computer.
Chapter 4-Installation for 1200XL NOTE: A-D refers to the solder filled pads on the RAMBO XL board marked A-D. You will solder a piece of wire from these pads to the designated points on the computer board as required. When RAMBO XL is packaged, JP1-JP3 are set in the most common position for 800XL installations. Generally, these jumper plugs should all be moved when making the 1200XL installation. Remove the 64K DRAMS and replace them with your 256K DRAMS.
Chapter 4-Installation for 1200XL Bend out pin 3 of U7. Remove U7 from its socket and bend out pin 3 as seen in figure 5. Plug this IC back into its socket. Pin 3 will have jumper wire 'A' attached to it in the next step. Connect all necessary jumpers. See Table 2 and Figures 3 and 5. Use 30 gauge hookup wire for the jumper wires. Solder them from the pads on the RAMBO XL board to the locations on the computer as indicated in Figure 5. Bend out the 5 pins on the PIA and connect the ribbon cable.
Chapter 5-Using RAMBO XL CHAPTER 5-USING RAMBO XL Using RAMBO XL with SpartaDOS SpartaDOS Construction Set now includes a new RAMDISK handler called RD.COM. This intelligent handler determines the size of the RAMDISK and automatically installs itself. RD.COM will work with this RAMBO XL upgrade and install a 192K RAMDISK, the stock 13OXE and install a 64K RAMDISK, and install a 128K RAMDISK in the Ron Boling modified 13OXE. If the VIE' parameter is specified, RD.
Chapter 5-Using RAMBO XL TECHNICAL NOTES Accessing the Extended Memory (for programmers) RAMBO XL uses 5 "extra" bits of the PIA (at $D301) to enable the extended memory and to select which bank of memory to access. The 256K of memory is divided into 16 banks of 16K. Banks 0-3 are your computers "main" memory banks which are normally used by your computer. Banks 4-15 may be selected to appear at a window from $4000-$7FFF when RAME is clear (logic 0).
Chapter 5-Using RAMBO XL Bit 4 RAME When clear, this bit selects the bank determined by AO-A3 to appear at the $4000-$7FFF window. When set, main bank RAM will appear at this window. Bit 7 DRE When clear, this bank selects the diagnostic ROM to be shadowed at $5000-$57FF. When set, the diagnostic ROM is disabled.
16
Chapter 6-Sources CHAPTER 6-SOURCES Suppliers of 256K DRAMS Some suppliers of 256K DRAMS are: Microprocessors Unltd............ (918) 267-4961 Proto PC ...................... (612) 644-4660 NEC and Hitatchi 120 ns or 150 ns DRAMS have worked well with our upgrade. We have had bad luck with OKI DRAMS. SpartaDOS Construction Set If your dealer does not carry our SpartaDOS Construction Set it can be ordered directly from ICD, Inc. for $39.
ICD, INC. warrants to the original consumer purchaser that this ICD, Inc. Personal Computer Product (not including c omputer programs) shall be free from any defects in material or workmanship for a period of 30 days from the date of purchase. If any such detect is discovered within the warranty period, ICD, Inc.