exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

mrbombermillzy wrote: 19 Nov 2020 15:23 Looks quite complex to me.
Would using the VESA DDC signal make things any easier for mode switching?
Would it be possible to use it in this situation at all?

I'm sure one can design a VGA switchbox in many different ways, internal or external.
I choose to use an off-the-shelf switcher IC and a single wire that is either high or low to select source (and build in a UBE switch for the Atari source while at it, because why not?). I'm not sure how you would design it any simpler than that but in the end, equipped with a soldering iron and some low-level code you can do pretty much whatever you feel like doing :)

This software doesn't really have much to do with any specific hardware though. It's not attempting to be a switchbox, but it does toggle a hardware pin inside the Atari that you could potentially hook up to one like I've done.

What the program does is allowing TOS to run ST-Low resolution color games even if the machine is currently running in Mono mode (if you have a UBE-switch), or even if the desktop is being displayed using special hardware such as the ET4000 or the LaceScan.

I'm surprised that previous test version even worked in the few cases it did...

This version is dramatically more compatible, and a lot less rough around the edges.
(This goes for both normal Atari Mono mode & UBE-switch, and if you have ET4000)

agranlund wrote: 20 Nov 2020 15:51
I'm sure one can design a VGA switchbox in many different ways, internal or external.
I choose to use an off-the-shelf switcher IC and a single wire that is either high or low to select source (and build in a UBE switch for the Atari source while at it, because why not?). I'm not sure how you would design it any simpler than that but in the end, equipped with a soldering iron and some low-level code you can do pretty much whatever you feel like doing :)

Yeah, it kinda got 'complex' for me once you have to open the TT to solder stuff! :lol:

Im not like you lot here... If I wield a soldering iron, things turn out like scrambled eggs!

I like what you have done so far with the software though. Will DEFINITELY make use of that and it will be a great match for an UBE switch. Keep up the good work! :)

Good job @agranlund! First "real" implementation of the automatic switching with the ubeswitch.

(Yes, ubeswitch is all in lowercase. :D )

ube wrote: 22 Nov 2020 10:29 (Yes, ubeswitch is all in lowercase. :D )

Sorry, my mistake! :D