Atari home computer

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In the Atari home computers is a series before, with each largely compatible 8-bit - home computers of the company Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation of Sunnyvale , California , United States . All computers in the Atari home computer series have in common that they are based on the main processor MOS Technology 6502 , which was widely used in the late 1970s , and also use custom chips developed by the manufacturer under the direction of Jay Miner for graphics and sound generation. These special electronic components helped the computers to achieve above-average performance when the computers appeared. This made them the first home computers to be developed with special co-processor chips.

The market launch took place in 1979. In December 1991 production was discontinued and support in the following year. The various models of the Atari 8-bit home computer series found widespread use, particularly in North America and Europe . Two million devices were sold between 1979 and the summer of 1985. The 400/800 series (from 1979), XL (from 1983) and XE (from 1985) differ mainly in their housing shape and the operating system, but also in smaller technical details such as RAM configuration, the number of joystick connections and the type of Keyboard.

Atari 400 (1979)

Atari 400 and 800

Atari 400 in individual parts
Atari 800
Atari 800 with floppy 810
Atari 800, module room, detailed view

From the end of 1977, Atari , which until then had only been active in the video games and arcade machine industries, developed its own 6502 - CPU -based home computer model series: the entry-level model Atari 400 with a membrane keyboard and initially only 8 kbytes of RAM (later 16 kbytes of RAM as standard) and the upgradeable Atari 800 with up to 48 kByte RAM and typewriter keyboard, which is intended for higher demands. In contrast to the competing products from Apple, Tandy and Commodore, the Atari computers available from the end of 1979 were equipped with more powerful and easier to program electronic special modules ( ANTIC , CTIA or GTIA for newer devices, POKEY ). The devices also contain four connections for joysticks, in contrast to the models of the competition, which first had to be retrofitted at great expense. The Atari 400/800 home computers were the first devices in the home area that had an “intelligent” connection to peripheral devices, the so-called Atari SIO bus .

A well-coordinated range of accessories, games, application programs , programming languages , excellent customer service, the integration of other providers and the targeted placement of the computers in educational institutions have made a significant contribution to the success of this series since it was first sold in 1979. Production stopped in 1983.

Atari peripherals

Data storage

  • Cassette station 410 (transmission rate: 600  baud ; simultaneous audio and data channel; storage capacity : approx. 100 kByte per 60-minute cassette)
  • Diskette station 810 (diskette format: 5¼  inches ; transfer rate: 19,200 baud; storage capacity: 90 kbytes per diskette side )
  • Disk station 815 (only manufactured and sold for a short time; disk format: 2 × 5¼ "; transfer rate: 19,200 baud; storage capacity: 180 kbytes per disk)

Atari offered two floppy models for its computers. A minimum of 16 kByte RAM is required for their operation. Up to four floppy disk stations can be connected (IDs 0–3). The drive ID is set using a black and white slide switch that can be operated from the rear with a pointed object.

The 810 Disk Station can store up to 88,375 bytes of data and programs per disk side. A dedicated microprocessor 6507 controls the read and write operations. If you switch the operating voltage of the Atari 800 off and then on again, the floppy disk is automatically set to 0 and the loading process begins. The 5¼ "diskette is divided into 720 sectors. A CRC (cyclic redundancy check) is carried out, which occupies 13 sectors on the diskette.

The 815 floppy disk station contains two systems for 5¼ "floppy disks. Here, 178 kByte of data and programs can be saved. As with the 810 model, a microprocessor controls the entire reading and writing process.

The 810 and 815 are not compatible in recording format; neither of them can read floppy disks recorded with the other drive.

Both drives only write to one side of the disk. The back can be used by turning it over.

printer

This printer receives its data serially from the computer or from the interface module 850. The printer has a microprocessor of the type 6507, a scaled-down 6502. Another component 6532 has an internal RAM with 128 bytes and 16 inputs and outputs. The software is controlled by a 2K ROM. A 5 × 7 printer matrix transfers a maximum of 40 symbols per second to the paper on one line. The paper is standard and on a roll.

  • Thermal printer 822 (b / w; 5 × 7 matrix; 40 characters per line; requires special paper)

This printer receives its data serially from the computer or interface module. The printing speed is 37 symbols per second. The width per symbol is 2.53 mm and 40 symbols are printed per cell. In addition to the symbols, graphic printing is also possible. The symbols are fixed to 96 characters by the ASCII set. The printing is done using a 5 × 7 matrix on thermal paper , since the printing is done thermally. The internal microprocessor allows the paper to be transported forwards and backwards. For the hobby user this should be the right printer.

  • 825 dot matrix printer (b / w; 7 × 8 matrix; 80 characters per line; requires the 850 interface module for operation)

This printer is specially designed for word processing. The writing width is about 100 mm and has four different operating modes:

  • Symbol width 2.54 mm (normal font)
  • Symbol width 1.52 mm (narrow font)
  • Proportional font
  • Broad font

The pressure is controlled by a microprocessor in the device. The print head is equipped with a 7 × 8 matrix, with normal and narrow font being created. This results in 80 or 132 characters per line. The individual symbols are defined according to the ASCII standard, and 96 characters are available. The printing speed is 50 characters per second. The incoming ASCII characters are written into a data buffer and stored temporarily. A total of about 1200 characters can be saved. The microprocessor controls the entire process.

The printer can only work in conjunction with the interface module 850, which can generate the appropriate 7-bit ASCII code with the appropriate spaces.

Remote data transmission

This coupler was developed for data transmission via telephone. The acoustic coupler is connected to the interface module and receives its data serially. This converts the data according to the frequency shift keying method (FSK = frequency shift keying). The transmission rate is 300 bits per second. The coupler sends and receives data to the phone. The transmission is compatible with the Bell series 103 and 113.

When transmitting a 1 signal, a mark, a 1270 Hz tone sounds and when a 0 signal, a space, a 1070 Hz tone. The answer is 2225 Hz with a 1-signal and 2025 with a 0-signal.

As control functions, “FULL” stands for full duplex , “HALF” for half duplex, “TEST” for the tone test, “ANS” for the response mode, “OFF” for the MODEM on and “ORIG” for the origin -Business.

  • Modem 835 (transmission rate: 300 baud)

Other peripherals (selection)

On the front of this device there are two connection sockets (I / O connectors) with which the computer is to be connected. Four serial interfaces are then available to the user on the rear. On the right is a parallel port.

The serial interfaces correspond to the EIA-RS-232C standard. This means that up to four devices can be operated in parallel. This corresponds to four 20 mA current loops. The parallel interface is 8 bits wide and corresponds to the Centronics type. The 825 printer is also connected here.

This interface module enables full duplex operation. The baud rates are programmable and are 75, 110, 134.5, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 4800 and 9600 bits per second. The baudot speed is 60, 66, 75 and 100 words per minute.

The serial transmission of data results in an asynchronous start / stop bit as standard. The transmission is ASCII standard and the Baudot support is designed for RTTY (radio teletype).

The stop bits are programmable, either one or two bits. If required, the data transmission can be made even more secure by generating a test bit sum with an even or odd parity. The maximum transmission length on cables is around 15 meters.

  • Light pen CX70
  • Numeric keypad CX85
  • Memory expansion modules CX852 (8kByte RAM) and CX853 (16kByte RAM)
  • Atari CX77 drawing board

Peripherals from other providers (selection)

Data storage

  • Indus GT floppy disk drive (transfer rate: 72,000 baud with SpartaDOS X, 37,000 baud with DOS XL; storage capacity: 180 kB per diskette)
  • Percom floppy drives
  • Rana floppy disk drive
  • Amdek floppy disk drive
  • Astra floppy disk drive
  • Corvus hard disk system (5, 10 or 20 MByte; operated via two joystick connections; only for Atari 800)
  • SupraDrive Atari Hard Disk (10 or 20 MByte)

printer

  • Dot matrix printers Axiom GP-550AT of Seikosha (built-in interface Atari)
  • Thermal printer Okidata Okimate 10 Personal Color Printer (26 colors)

Other peripherals

  • ATR8000: CP / M unit, also expandable to MS-DOS
  • Multi I / O (MIO) interface: u. a. Connection of SASI / SCSI hard disk possible
  • CSS Black Box Interface: u. a. Connection of SASI / SCSI hard disk possible

Atari XL

Atari 1200XL
Atari 600XL
Atari 800XL
Atari 800XL with Floppy 1050 and expansion module 1090XL
Printer 1027
Plotter 1020

In response to the rapidly growing competition in the personal computer field, notably through the Commodore 64 and Spectrum Computers brought Atari 1982, the first model of the XL series (from the English "e X tended L ine" formed acronym ) on the market: the Atari 1200XL . First announced at a press conference in New York City on December 13, 1982, the renamed 1200XL was presented at the Winter CES from January 6 to 9, 1983 and shipped in March 1983. Due to compatibility problems with the old series, this model was taken off the market again and replaced in 1983 by the 600XL (16 kByte RAM) and 800XL (64 kByte RAM) models.

The electronic architecture of the XL computers differs only slightly from that of the 400/800 series. There were only a few changes in the memory management (OS can be hidden), the Atari-BASIC programming language, which is now installed ex works, and an external parallel bus interface (PBI), in order to be able to connect expansions more efficiently. In addition, the number of joysticks that can be connected at the same time has been limited to just two. The XL computers and their peripherals have clearly slimmer and less playful housings.

The development of the XL series was continued until 1984. During this time, a number of concept studies and prototypes (the office computers 1400XL and 1450XLD, the expansion module 1090XL, various disk stations also for diskettes in 3½ "format, CP / M modules, etc.), which stand out due to details such as integrated electronic speech generation or distinguished for its time very fast modems These and other development projects such as the 1650XLD (with. 80186 - emulation ), the 1850XLD (codenamed "Lorraine", in cooperation with Amiga Inc., a little later by Commodore was bought) and a The 900XLA with music synthesizers never made it to market due to changes in Atari's development philosophy.

Atari peripherals

Data storage

  • Cassette station 1010 (transmission rate: 600 baud; simultaneous audio and data channel; storage capacity: approx. 100 kByte per 60-minute cassette)
  • Floppy disk station 1050 (floppy disk format: 5¼ "; transfer rate: 19,200 baud; storage capacity: ex works up to 130 kByte per diskette side, with exchange firmware up to 180 kByte; also compatibility mode for 810 format with 90 kByte; the back can be turned over. )

printer

Remote data transmission

  • Modem 1030 (transmission rate: 300 baud; not sold in Germany due to lack of postal approval)

Other peripherals (selection)

Peripherals and accessories from third-party suppliers (selection)

  • Computer accessories: Turbo Freezer: to "freeze" running programs. B. from each game at any time the score can be saved; it is also possible to manipulate running programs in order to e.g. B. to get unlimited lives in computer games. The "Turbo Freezer" developed by B. Engl in the 80s was redeveloped and significantly expanded in 2004-2005 by a small group of enthusiasts around the ABBUC computer club with the latest hardware.
  • Computer accessories: SIO2USB for connecting an ATARI with ATR diskette images on a USB stick , in which the files are integrated as virtual drives. The ATR diskette images can be transferred to the USB stick or read from it using a PC. Real diskettes can also be copied from an ATARI drive to the USB stick as ATR diskette images.
  • Accessories Floppy disk station: 1050 Turbo to increase data throughput and write density, optional printer cable to connect standard PC printers.
  • Floppy disk station accessories: Speedy 1050 to increase data throughput and write density.
  • Printer accessories: Compyshop Centronics interface for connecting an ATARI to any EPSON compatible printer (see ESC / P ).

Atari XE

Atari 130XE
Atari 65 XE
Atari XE Game System

After the video game crash in 1984, Atari, Inc. became the home computer division as Atari Corporation . As part of the launch of the ST type series, the 6502 CPU-based range of products in 1985 refreshed - Atari has now supplied the XE models (acronym e X tended line E nhanced "), the oriented with a more modern, at the ST-series The technical changes compared to the XL series were essentially limited to a further expansion of the minimum RAM configuration (64 kbytes for the 65XE and 800XE; 128 kbytes for the 130XE) and a few changes to reduce production costs The parallel bus leading to the outside was replaced by a leaner, but incompatible expansion port and poor quality keyboards were installed. This made efficient use in the home user sector more difficult and led to a large number of customers moving to the ST series or to the competition. The cost pressure also fell victim to promising projects like a portable version of the 65XE (65XEP) as well as one with the synth esizer special module AMY equipped variant (65XEM), also peripheral devices such as 3½ "floppy disk drives (XF351), monitors (XC1411) and color printers (XTM201, XTC201).

The product range of the XE series also includes the game system (XEGS) that can be expanded to a full-fledged XE computer using an external keyboard unit. The XEGS is seen as an attempt to take Atari's, Nintendo's NES and Sega's Master System market share.

The general decline in demand for the 8-bit computer segment in the USA , poor product advertising in Europe , a lack of powerful peripherals, poor workmanship and a lack of support from third-party manufacturers - especially in the games sector - led to a comparison with the 400/800 and XL - Series low sales, with the Atari 800XE produced for the then Eastern Bloc being an exception. The production of the XE series was stopped in 1992.

Atari periphery

Data storage

Atari XC12
  • XC11 cassette station (transfer rate: 600 baud; simultaneous audio and data channel; storage capacity: approx. 100 kByte per 60-minute cassette)
  • XC12 cassette station (transmission rate: 600 baud; simultaneous audio and data channel; storage capacity: approx. 100 kByte per 60-minute cassette; end link of the SIO chain)
  • Floppy disk station XF551 (floppy disk format: 5¼ "; transfer rate: from 19,200 baud; storage capacity: up to 180 kByte per disk side with turning or 360 kByte DSDD without turning. Compatibility modes for 1050 and 810 with 130 or 90 kByte per side. Some XF551, this depends depending on the type of drive mechanism, do not allow the back to be used by turning it over, but only by recording on both sides. These drives are therefore not compatible with floppy disks that were recorded on both sides on earlier drive types.)

printer

  • Type wheel printer Atari XDM121 (b / w; 80 characters)
  • Matrix printer XMM801 (b / w; 80 characters)

Remote data transmission

  • Modem XM301 (transmission rate: 300 baud; end link of the SIO chain)
  • Modem SX212 (transmission rate: 1200 baud, has SIO and serial interfaces)

Other peripherals (selection)

  • Interface Atari XEP80 80-character extension with parallel port
  • Atari XG-1 light gun
  • Atari Mindlink (computer control by thought, did not get beyond the prototype status)

Technical specifications

Atari
400
Atari
800
Atari
1200XL
Atari
600XL
Atari
800XL
Atari
65XE / 800XE
Atari
130XE
CPU a 6502B (corresponds to MOS 6502A ) 6502C ("SALLY")
Clock ( NTSC ) 1.79 MHz
Clock ( PAL ) 1.77 MHz - b 1.77 MHz
R.A.M. 16 kB 48 kB 64 kB 16 kB 64 kB 64 kB 128 kB
ROME 10 kB 16 kB 24 kB
Sound four sound channels (mono)
Max. resolution 320 × 192
Color palette 128/256 colors c 256 colors
Special building blocks CTIA /  GTIA c GTIA (graphic)
ANTIC (keyboard, graphics)
POKEY (sound generation, interrupt generation, keyboard)
- FREDDIE (memory management)
joystick four connections two connections
PBI d No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
TV out Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
monitor No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
keyboard Membrane keyboard Typewriter keyboard
57 keys
four function keys 11 function keys five function keys
a Names according to Atari Marketing
b did not appear as PAL
cThe first Atari 400 and 800 only had CTIA as a graphics chip, which could only display 128 colors. the later used GTIA 256 colors
dPBI ( P arallel B us I nterface), external connection with direct connection to the CPU

emulation

On modern computers, existing software can be executed in the form of diskette, cassette and module images as well as Atari executables on emulators such as the Atari800.

Literature (selection)

  • Lon Poole, Martin McNiff, Steven Cook: My ATARI Computer - The key to the ATARI private computer , Te-wi Verlag GmbH, 5th edition 1983, ISBN 3-921803-18-7 .
  • Julian Reschke, Andreas Wiethoff: The ATARI Profibuch , Sybex, Düsseldorf, 1985, ISBN 3-88745-605-X
  • John Eckstrom et al .: DE RE ATARI , Atari, 1984, catalog no. 921804
  • Ian Chadwick: Mapping the Atari , COMPUTE! Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-87455-004-1 (online)
  • Bernd Enders, Wolfgang Klemme: The sound and MIDI book for the Atari ST (with Wolfgang Klemme), M & T-Verlag, Haar near Munich, 1988, ISBN 3890905285

Web links

Commons : Atari 8-bit computers  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The History of Atari Computers. April 21, 2011, accessed April 18, 2020 .
  2. ^ Musings from a science fiction writer - Post. Retrieved April 18, 2020 .
  3. The Story of Atari - atarimuseum.de. Retrieved April 18, 2020 .
  4. ^ Computerworld.ch: The history of the modem. Retrieved on April 18, 2020 (German).
  5. 1983 Winter Consumer Electronics Show; creative computing presents the Short Circuit Awards. July 2, 2013, accessed April 18, 2020 .
  6. ^ The Atari 1200XL Computer Systems. Retrieved April 18, 2020 .
  7. Thomas Tausend: Turbo 1050 - The extension for your floppy disk station. Computer Kontakt Magazin, Issue 8-9, 1986, p. 78.
  8. InfoWorld , Volume 5, No. 12 (March 21, 1983), InfoWorld Media Group, Inc .; P. 41. ISSN 0199-6649.