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From: Michael Current <[email protected]>
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Subject: Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions
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Welcome to the comp.sys.atari.8bit newsgroup!

Atari 8-Bit Computers

Frequently Asked Questions List
___________ _______________
| ///////// | _____________ | ||||||||||| |
|___________| | | | ||_______|| |
|______/////| |____[---]____| | / _________ \ |
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |LLLLLLLLLLL || | LLLLLLLLLLL L |
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |LLLLLLLLLLL || | LLLLLLLLLLL L |
|__[_____]__| |__[_____]____| |___[_____]_____|
130XE 800XL 800
___________ __---------__
| ///////// | | / _____ \ |
|___________| _____________ | / |_____| \ |
|______/////| |____[---]____| | ___________ |
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |LLLLLLLLLLL || | ========== =|
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |LLLLLLLLLLL || | ========== =|
|__[_____]__| |__[_____]____| |___[_____]___|
65XE 600XL 400
___________ _____________
| ///////// | ___________ | |
|___________| |/// / | | |
|______/////| |// / | /\___________ |=============|
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |/O\ |\/ |LLLLLLLLLLL| | LLLLLLLLLLL |
|LLLLLLLLLLL| |-----------| |LLLLLLLLLLL| | LLLLLLLLLLL |
|__[_____]__| |____O_O_O_O| |__[_____]__| |___[_____]___|
800XE XE Game System 1200XL

Additions/suggestions/comments/corrections are needed! Please send to:

mailto:[email protected]

Copyright (c) 1992-2001 by Michael D. Current, and others where noted. Feel
free to reproduce this file, in whole or in part, so long as the content of
that portion reproduced is not modified, and so long as credit is given to this
FAQ list or its Maintainer, or the author of that section reproduced when
given.

This FAQ list is in a constant state of development and comes with no
guarantees. If you see any problems, I need to hear from you!

Please refer to the latest version of this FAQ list whenever possible!
Available via these locations and Usenet FAQ archives everywhere:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq

news:comp.sys.atari.8bit news:comp.answers news:news.answers

Or you can always ask me for a copy at mailto:[email protected]

**********************************************
For other 8-bit Atari related FAQs
(vendors/developers, new users, emulators, BBS's, hardware mod's, disk images)
please follow the links contained in:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/welcome/

which is also posted to news:comp.sys.atari.8bit every 7 days.
**********************************************

------------------------------

Subject: 0.1) Table of contents

0.1) Table of contents

The Computers
1.1) What is an Atari 8-bit computer?
1.2) What is the Atari 400?
1.3) What is the Atari 800?
1.4) What is the Atari 1200XL?
1.5) What is the Atari 600XL?
1.6) What is the Atari 800XL?
1.7) What is the Atari 65XE?
1.8) What is the Atari 130XE?
1.9) What is the Atari 800XE?
1.10) What is the Atari XE Game System?
1.11) What are the ANTIC, CTIA/GTIA, POKEY, and FREDDIE chips?
1.12) What is the internal layout of the 8-bit Atari?
1.13) What are the pinouts for the various ports on the Atari?

Video Display
2.1) What kinds of monitors can I use with my Atari?
2.2) What is the difference between NTSC and PAL machines?
2.3) Is the software for the Atari 8-bit computers "TV-standard dependent?"
2.4) What are the PAL, NTSC and SECAM video broadcast standards?

Mass Storage
3.1) What are the Atari 410, 1010, and XC12 Program Recorders?
3.2) How do I run a program from cassette?
3.3) What are the Atari 810, 1050, and XF551 Disk Drives?
3.4) What floppy disk drives can I use with my Atari?
3.5) What do I need to connect a hard drive to my 8-bit Atari?

Printers
4.1) What are the Atari 820, 822, and 825 Printers?
4.2) What are the Atari 1020, 1025, 1027, and 1029 Printers?
4.3) What are the Atari XMM801 and XDM121 Printers?

Modems
5.1) What are the Atari 830, 835, 1030, XM301, and SX212 Modems?
5.2) What should I know about modems and the Atari?

More hardware
6.1) What is the Atari 850 Interface Module?
6.2) What is the Atari XEP80 Interface Module?
6.3) What accessories did Atari produce for their 8-bit computers?
6.4) What "vaporware" computers/peripherals were never released?
6.5) What are the power requirements for my Atari components?

Core software: OS, BASIC, DOS
7.1) What versions of the Atari Operating System (OS) are there?
7.2) What versions of Atari BASIC are there?
7.3) What are Atari DOS I, DOS II v2.0S, DOS III, DOS 2.5, and DOS XE?
7.4) What's the best DOS for the Atari?
7.5) How do I modify Atari DOS to support more than two drives?
7.6) Are there Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for the Atari?

Software
8.1) What are the best terminal emulators available?
8.2) What BBS software can be used on the Atari?
8.3) What programming languages are available for the Atari?
8.4) What cartridges were released for the Right Slot of the 800?
8.5) What games support 4 or more simultaneous players?
8.6) What programs run only on the 400 and 800 models, and why?
8.7) What programs make use of the Light Gun or a light pen?
8.8) What programs have a track ball mode or support a mouse?
8.9) What programs have a paddle(s) or Koala Pad mode?
8.10) What programs have a CX85 mode?
8.11) What programs have a Touch tablet mode?

File Formats
9.1) What's this UUEncoding stuff (.uu, .uue files) all about?
9.2) What is an .arc file?
9.3) What are the .DCM, .ATR, .XFD, .SCP, and .DI disk image formats?
9.4) What are the .XMO and .BIN file formats?
9.5) How can I make my commercial boot disk (tape, cart) into a load file
or disk image?
9.6) How can I convert my commercial boot tape into a cassette image file?

File Transfer Solutions
11.2) Can I read/write 8-bit Atari disks on an IBM-PC?
11.3) How do I transfer files using a null modem cable?
11.4) What is SIO2PC?
11.5) What is the Atari Peripheral Emulator (APE)?

"leftovers"
13.19) What's the difference between ASCII and ATASCII?

Timeline
15.1) How did Atari get it's name?
15.2) What is the History of Atari?

------------------------------

Subject: 1.1) What is an Atari 8-bit computer?

Based in Silicon Valley in the U.S.A., the company known as Atari produced
a line of home computers from 1979 to 1991 often referred to collectively as
the "Atari 8-bits," the "8-bit Ataris," the "400/800/XL/XE series," etc.

The computers included the 400, 800, 1200XL, 600XL, 800XL, 65XE, 130XE, 800XE,
and the XE Game System.

These machines competed in the marketplace with the likes of the Commodore 64
series, the Apple II series, the Texas Instruments TI99/4A, and the Radio
Shack Color Computer. Of these, the 8-bit Atari is most similar to the
Commodore 64.

The 8-bit Atari computers are not software compatible with other Atari
platforms, such as the 2600 Video Computer System (VCS), the 5200 SuperSystem,
the 7800 ProSystem, or the ST/TT/Falcon computers. All of these but the 5200,
however, do share the same joystick/controller hardware port.

Here are some of the performance specifications of the 8-bit Atari:

(Some of this text by Bill Kendrick.)

CPU: 6502 (MOS Technology)
CPU CLOCK SPEED:
NTSC machines: 1.7897725 MHz
PAL machines: 1.773447 MHz

SCREEN REFRESH RATE:
59.94 times per second (Hz) on NTSC Ataris
49.86 Hz on PAL machines

GRAPHICS MODES:
ANTIC CIO/BASIC Display Resolution Number of
Mode # Graphics # Type (full screen) Colors
---------------------------------------------------------------
2 0 Char 40 x 24 1 *
3 - Char 40 x 19 1 *
4 12 ++ Char 40 x 24 5
5 13 ++ Char 40 x 12 5
6 1 Char 20 x 24 5
7 2 Char 20 x 12 5
8 3 Map 40 x 24 4
9 4 Map 80 x 48 2
A 5 Map 80 x 48 4
B 6 Map 160 x 96 2
C 14 ++ Map 160 x 192 2
D 7 Map 160 x 96 4
E 15 ++ Map 160 x 192 4
F 8 Map 320 x 192 1 *
F 9 + Map 80 x 192 1 **
F 10 + Map 80 x 192 9
F 11 + Map 80 x 192 16 ***
* 1 Hue; 2 Luminances
** 1 Hue; 16 Luminances
*** 16 Hues; 1 Luminance
+ require the GTIA chip. 1979-1981 400/800's shipped with CTIA
++ Not available via the BASIC GRAPHICS command in 400/800's.

GRAPHICS INDIRECTION (COLOR REGISTERS AND CHARACTER SETS):
Nine color registers are available. Each color register holds any of 16
luminances x 16 hues = 256 colors. (Four registers are for player-missile
graphics.

Character sets of 128 8x8 characters, each with a normal and an inverse video
incarnation, are totally redefinable.

PLAYER-MISSILE GRAPHICS:
Four 8-bit wide, 128 or 256 byte high single color players, and four
2-bit wide, 128 or 256 byte high single color missiles are available.
A mode to combine the 4 missiles into a 5th 8-bit wide player is also
available, as is a mode to XOR colors or blacken out colors when players
overlap (good for making three colors out of two players!) Players
and missiles have adjustable priority and collision detection.

DISPLAY LIST INTERRUPTS (DLI's):
Screen modes can be mixed (by lines) down the screen using the Display
List - a program which is executed by the ANTIC graphics chip every
screen refresh:

All other screen attributes (color, player/missile horizontal position,
screen width, player/missile/playfield priority, etc.) can be ajusted
at any point down the screen via DLI's.

SCROLLING:
Fine scrolling (both vertical and horizontal) can be enabled on any
line on the screen.

SOUND:
Four voices of 8-bit pitch-resolution, 4-bit volume-resolution,
8-distortion sound can be produced. 2 voices (1 and 2, and/or 3 and 4)
can be combined to make 16-bit pitch-resolution. Also 4-bit volume-only
modes can be enabled for digitally sampled sound replay.

A fifth "voice" is produced by the internal speaker on Atari 400/800's
(for keyclick and buzzer) and in the XL's and XE's this was
(fortunately!) rerouted through the normal audio output, and the
keyclick can be disabled.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.2) What is the Atari 400?

Released along with the 800 in 1979, the 400 was the low-end model of the two.
The only 8-bit Atari with a membrane keyboard rather than a full-stroke
keyboard. One of the few 8-bit Ataris lacking a composite monitor port.
Originally released with just 8K RAM, but most were sold with 16K RAM. There
was also a factory-authorized 48K upgrade available through dealers.

Only the 400 and 800 8-bit Atari models have four controller (joystick) ports.

Early 400 units include the CTIA chip; later units include the GTIA chip,
also present in all later 8-bit Ataris.

The 1982 Atari catalog calls the 400 "The Basic Computer".

The 400 was discontinued in 1983.

During development the 400 was known internally as "Candy."

------------------------------

Subject: 1.3) What is the Atari 800?

Released along with the 400 in 1979, the 800 was the high-end model of the
two. The 800 is the only 8-bit Atari with a Right Cartridge slot, in addition
to the Left Cartridge slot as present on all 8-bit Ataris. Originally
released with just 8K RAM, many were sold with 16K, later on 48K was standard.

The 800 is also the only 8-bit Atari with a four-slot modular design, where
the first slot holds the CX801 (CX801-P for PAL machines) 10K ROM module, and
the other three slots hold combinations of CX852 8K or CX853 16K RAM modules.

Only the 400 and 800 8-bit Atari models have four controller (joystick) ports.

Early 800 units include the CTIA chip; later units include the GTIA chip,
also present in all later 8-bit Ataris.

The 800 was discontinued in 1983.

During development the 800 was known internally as "Colleen."

------------------------------

Subject: 1.4) What is the Atari 1200XL?

Released as a big brother to the 400/800 in 1982, the 1200XL now uses Atari's
slightly customized 6502C microprocessor, and includes a full 64K RAM. The
1200XL was the first 8-bit Atari with just 2 controller ports. In addition,
the 1200XL includes 4 programmable Function keys and a Help key, 4 LEDs,
built-in diagnostic and graphics demonstration programs, and probably the
favorite keyboard of any 8-bit Atari computer. Clicks previously outputted
through the built-in speaker are now heard from the television or monitor's
speaker. The revised 16K Operating System offers many new features, including
an alternate International Character Set.

The 1200XL was the biggest single step forward in development of the 8-bit
Atari platform, but the corresponding software compatability problems hurt
its popularity.

The 1200XL was discontinued in 1983.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.5) What is the Atari 600XL?

Released in 1983 as a replacement for the 400, the 600XL is the low-end
version of the 800XL. The 600XL/800XL include most of the features of the
1200XL minus the Function keys and the demo program. But both the 800XL and
600XL have the Atari BASIC language built-in. In addition, these two systems
offer the Parallel Bus Interface (PBI), providing fast parallel access to the
heart of the computer. The 600XL has 16K RAM.

The 600XL can be expanded from 16K to 64K with the 1064 Atari Memory Module.

Normally boots with Atari BASIC enabled;
Hold down [Option] on startup to boot without BASIC.

The 600XL was discontinued in 1985.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.6) What is the Atari 800XL?

Released in 1983 as a replacement for the 800 and 1200XL, the 800XL is the
high-end version of the 600XL. The 600XL/800XL include most of the features
of the 1200XL minus the Function keys and the demo program. But both the
800XL and 600XL have the Atari BASIC language built-in. In addition, these
two systems offer the Parallel Bus Interface (PBI), providing fast parallel
access to the heart of the computer. The 800XL contains 64K RAM.

Normally boots with Atari BASIC enabled;
Hold down [Option] on startup to boot without BASIC.

Though Atari never disclosed sales figures, the 800XL was likely the most-
sold of all 8-bit Atari computer models.

The 800XL was discontinued in 1985.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.7) What is the Atari 65XE?

Released in 1985 as a replacement for the 600XL, the 65XE is the low-end
version of the 130XE. The 65XE is nearly identical to the 800XL in features,
minus the PBI. European 65XE's include the ECI port, present only on the
130XE in North America.

Normally boots with Atari BASIC enabled;
Hold down [Option] on startup to boot without BASIC.

The 65XE was discontinued in 1991.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.8) What is the Atari 130XE?

Released in 1985 as a replacement for the 800XL, the 130XE is the high-end
version of the 65XE. The 130XE offers 128K RAM, plus the FREDDIE chip,
supporting the unique (but rarely used) ability for the 6502 and the ANTIC to
independently access RAM banks. In addition, the 130XE replaces the PBI port
with the Enhanced Cartridge Interface (ECI), continuing the powerful feature
of a fast parallel port.

Normally boots with Atari BASIC enabled;
Hold down [Option] on startup to boot without BASIC.

The 13XE was discontinued in 1991.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.9) What is the Atari 800XE?

Unseen and unknown in North America, the 800XE is identical in features
to the European version of the 65XE. Which means it could also be described
as a 64K version of the 130XE.

Normally boots with Atari BASIC enabled;
Hold down [Option] on startup to boot without BASIC.

So far I have not been able to determine when the 800XE was released, but it
was definitely discontinued by 1991.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.10) What is the Atari XE Game System?

In a change of marketing strategy, Atari introduced the new XE Game System
in 1987. Despite its label, the XEGS is a true 8-bit Atari computer system.
It offers the convenience of a detachable keyboard and built-in
Missile Command game (hold down Select at startup), while offering 64K RAM
and full compatibility with the 65XE. It was packaged with the Light Gun,
and the Flight Simulator II and Bug Hunt cartridges.

James Bradford offers:
With the keyboard connected and no cart, basic boots, with out a
keyboard connected and no cart, the built in game runs.
There is only 1 32K ROM in the XEGS, it has the OS, BASIC and Missile
Command on it.

The XE Game System was discontinued in 1991.

------------------------------

Subject: 1.11) What are the ANTIC, CTIA/GTIA, POKEY, and FREDDIE chips?

The following four paragraphs were written by Chris Crawford and appear in De
Re Atari (Atari#APX-90008), a book published and copyright by Atari, Inc.,
1981-1982. The text been very slightly modified here for generality.

"The internal layout of the Atari 8-bit computer is very different
from other systems. It of course has a microprocessor (a 6502), RAM,
ROM, and a PIA. However, it also has three special-purpose (LSI) chips
known as ANTIC, GTIA, and POKEY. These chips were designed by Atari
engineers primarily to take much of the burden of housekeeping off of the
6502, thereby freeing the 6502 to concentrate on computations. While
they were at it, they designed a great deal of power into these chips.
Each of these chips is almost as big (in terms of silicon area) as a
6502, so the three of them together provide a tremendous amount of
power. Mastering the Atari 8-bit computers is primarily a matter of
mastering these three chips.

ANTIC ("Alpha-Numeric Television Interface Circuit") is a microprocessor
dedicated to the television display. It is a true microprocessor; it has an
instruction set, a program (called the display list), and data. The display
list and the display data are written into RAM by the 6502. ANTIC retrieves
this information from RAM using direct memory access (DMA). It processes the
higher level instructions in the display list and translates these instructions
into a real-time stream of simple instructions to GTIA.

CTIA ("Color Television Interface Adapter") / GTIA ("George's Television
Interface Adapter") is a television interface chip. ANTIC directly controls
most of GTIA's operations, but the 6502 can be programmed to intercede and
control some or all of GTIA's functions. GTIA converts the digital
commands from ANTIC (or the 6502) into the signal that goes to the
television. GTIA also adds some factors of its own, such as color
values, player-missile graphics, and collision detection.

POKEY (means "POT and KEY" as in the paddles and keyboard) is a digital
input/output (I/O) chip. It handles such disparate tasks as the serial I/O
bus, audio generation, keyboard scan, and random number generation. It also
digitizes the resistive paddle inputs and controls maskable interrupt (IRQ)
requests from peripherals.

All four of these LSI chips function simultaneously. Careful
separation of their functions in the design phase has minimized conflicts
between the chips. The only hardware level conflict between any two
chips in the system occurs when ANTIC needs to use the address and data
buses to fetch its display information. To do this, it halts the 6502
and takes control of the buses."

6502--MORE:
While the 400/800 models contain a generic 6502B CPU (a faster version of the
original 6502A microprocessor), all of the XL/XE models contain Atari's
customized 6502C chip.

On the Atari, there are two microprocessors, ANTIC and the 6502. To
allow them to coexist, ANTIC must shut off the 6502, a process called
DMA. The 6502B supports DMA, but in Atari's implementation, it required 4
chips. The 6502C has an extra line called HALT. It is controlled by ANTIC
which uses it whenever it needs the data/address bus. The HALT line is on pin
35 of the Atari 6502C and must be pulled high for the chip to work.

FREDDIE:
The 130XE and XEGS contain a small additional LSI called FREDDIE, a RAM
address multiplexer. According to
James Bradford, "FREDDIE is a type of memory controller. It takes the
address and clock from the CPU and multiplexes it with the appropriate timings
and signals to use DYNAMIC memory. FREDDIE also buffers the system clock
crystal and divides it down then feeds that to GTIA. The XEGS has a FREDDIE
but it doesn't have the extended RAM. Even if it did, you would still need
the chip that does the REAL bank switching. It is a small 16-pin chip
(Atari/Best Electronics catalog number CO25953: rev9/page 42). It gets RAS
from FREDDIE, the bank select bits from PIA, A14, A15 and the 6502 halt signal
to control which bank of 8 chips RAS goes to. A14 and A15 then go to FREDDIE
for the address range of the extra memory bank (or normal address range with
no bank switching). The ANTIC/6502 select bits in combination with the 6502
halt line, control the switching of the PIA bank number bits to A14/A15 and
which bank of memory RAS goes to. Why people say FREDDIE does the bank
switching is beyond me. An 800XL can look like a 130XE with that 16-pin chip
installed (That's right NO FREDDIE) and an extra 8 RAM chips."

And more recently James Bradford has written:
FREDDIE is just a memory decoder and timer. It replaces several chips in the
800xl The small chip near FREDDIE does all the bank selection.CO25953. One line
from FREDDIE , Ras (or is it cas?) goes to this chip, Halt and the bank
/processor select lines go into this same chip and ras (cas?) comes out. a pin
for each bank. If i remember correctly, refresh also goes into this small chip.
It would be quite easy to make an 800xl work just like a 130xe with this chip
since Ras (Cas?) is required by ALL dynamic ram.

GTIA--MORE:
In BASIC, type POKE 623,64 [RETURN] and if the screen blackens, you have the
GTIA chip. If it stays blue, you have the old CTIA chip.

By the way, apparently no CTIA-equipped Ataris were shipped to Europe.

Clay Halliwell provides this tidbit:
A bit of trivia: CTIA 400/800s artifacted in blue/green, GTIA 400/800s
artifacted in green/blue, and all XL/XEs artifact in red/blue.

Jerry Jessop explains why French Ataris produce fewer colors:

"I will tell you why it only has monochrome out, because it's SECAM and a
SECAM GTIA was never produced. The PAL GTIA is used in France and the Lum
outputs are run into an onboard encoder to produce a "psudo" color depending
on the Luminance output, composite only. This is why a SECAM VCS or 800 has
nowhere near the same number of colors (16) availible as a PAL or NTSC unit
(256).

The FGTIA was never completed as the market size did not warrant the expense.
The largest SECAM market is not France but the Soviet Union (former) and in
80-84 sales of these items there were not possible."

Andreas Magenheimer writes:
All of these newer and buggy GTIA`s were built with the "eastern
european" XE computers. they were made in China. Although Atari knew
about this, they did not change them. so you have to replace them with
older XL/XE GTIA chips...

But one more thing to GTIA and ANTIC chips: All PAL versions of these
chips have a color bug, since gr. 11 produces 16 colors, but merely 15
different colors (one color: brown at the beginning and end of the
palette is absolutely the same; normally there should be a red tone here
!); with gr. 9 you will see 16 shades, but merely 15 different shades
(the same as gr. 11, one shade is doubled!).

Strange enough, I also found this color bug to appear in PAL ANTIC
chips, there is also the red tone missing (and the brown one doubled !).
This color bug appears in all PAL ANTIC and especially GTIA chips. Atari
never fixed it, so you find it inside any GTIA equipped PAL Atari 800
and also the later XL and XE models. Since PAL users have to live with
this bug, they sometimes do programs which look absolutely strange on
NTSC and vice versa (not to mention the different Herz frame 50/60 hz
and higher PAL line resolution/overscan).

Imagine the following: a PAL GTIA has 15 colors in gr. 11
a NTSC GTIA has 16 colors in gr. 11
a PAL GTIA has 15 shades in gr. 9
a NTSC GTIA has 16 shades in gr. 9

Thus, a combination of gr. 9 and 11 gives:
16x16 = 256 colors on NTSC
15x15 = 225 colors on PAL

And - as said before, the bug seems also to appear with ANTIC...
Bad luck, we PAL users... Greets - Andreas Magenheimer.

Technical data and schematics for the ANTIC, GTIA, and POKEY chips are
available on Curt Vendel's web site, thanks to permission from Hasbro's
Atari Interactive Divisions release of this data. See:
http://www.atari-history.com/articles.html

------------------------------

Subject: 1.12) What is the internal layout of the 8-bit Atari?

ASCII art by Thomas Havemeister.

->
+---------------------------------------+
| +------------+ |
| | CPU (6502) | +-------+
| +------------+ <- | I/O- |
| | +----------|release|
| +-+ | +-------+
| +---------+<- |p| | |
| | MMU |-----| | | <-+---------+-|----------+----------+
*-| memory- | |r| *---| PIA | | (trigger)|Controller|====\
| |managment|-----|-+--------| (6520) | |+---------| Ports |====/
| +---------+<- |o| -> | +---------+-|-+ <--> +----------+
| | | | ||| | |
| +-----+ |c| | <-+---------+ ||| |(lightpen)
| | RAM |<-A/D | | *---| ANTIC | ||| | |
*---|8-128|-------|e|----|---|(2nd CPU)|---------------+ |
| |Kbyte|->D | | -> | +---------+ ||| +---------------
| +-----+ |s| | || ||| |
| | | | <-+---------+-|||--------+(screen)
| +-------+ |s| *---| GTIA |-|+| | |
| | Atari |<-A | |----|---| /CTIA | | | | +----------+ +-----------+
| | BASIC |------|o| -> | +---------+ | | | | summary |===| modulator |
*--|8 Kbyte|->D | | | | | | |connection|===| ^^^^^^^^^ |
| | ROM | |r| | <-+---------+ | | | +----------+ +-----------+
| +-------+ | | +---| POKEY |-|-|-+ |(sound) |
| | |--------| |-|-|--------+ |
| +-------+ |b| -> +---------+ | +----------+ |
| |AtariOS|<-A | | | | | |
*--|10/16Kb|------|u| +--|----------+ | tv/monitor
| | ROM |->D | +----------------- | | | **********
| +-------+ |s| | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| +-+ +-+ | | |
| | | | | |
+--------------*---|------------*---| | | |
| | | | | | |
+-----------+ +-----------+ +------------+
|ParallelBus| | Cartridge | | Serial |
|Interface/ | | Slot | |Input/Output|
| Enhanced | | ROM | | (SIO) |
| Cartridge | +-----------+ +------------+
| Interface | | |
+-----------+ | |
| | |
- memory expansion -cartridge with - disk drive
- Z80 card programs - printer
- 80 char card (games , dos ) - modem

NOTES
* RAM: 400/800: 8K, 16K or 48K standard
600XL:16K standard
1200XL/800XL/65XE/800XE/XEGS: 64K standard
130XE:128K standard
* ROM: 400/800:10K OS, 1200XL:16K OS, all others:16K OS + 8K Atari BASIC
* CPU: 400/800:6502B, all others:6502C
* 800 includes two Cartridge Slots, all others include one
* early release 400/800 have CTIA instead of GTIA
* 400/800 have 4 Controller Ports, all others have 2
* PBI is on 600XL/800XL only
* ECI is on 130XE/800XE/European 65XE only
* Some late XE's use a 68B21 for PIA; PIA is 6520/6520A on all others

The following are most of the team who originally designed the 400/800.
Credit for providing this information for the FAQ goes to:
Doug Neubauer (by way of James Finnegan), Jerry Jessop, Scott Emmons

VLSI HARDWARE:
Jay Miner - Creator and System architect, VSLI manager
Steve Mayer - Also one of the creators - Partner in "Cyan Engineering"
Lawrence D. Emmons - Also one of the creators - Partner in "Cyan Engineering"
Joe Decuir - ANTIC and system and creator
???A French guy - ANTIC logic designer
George McLeod - CTIA and GTIA logic design
Doug Neubauer - POKEY logic design
Mark Shieu - POKEY chip design
Steve Stone - POKEY layout design
Steve Smith - Technician for ANTIC and GTIA
Delwin Pearson - Technician for POKEY

------------------------------

Subject: 1.13) What are the pinouts for the various ports on the Atari?

Controller Port (4 on 400/800, 2 on all others):
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
CX22 trackball meanings from Steve
Wallace:
1. (Joystick) Forward Input X Direction
2. (Joystick) Back Input X Motion
3. (Joystick) Left Input Y Direction
4. (Joystick) Right Input Y Motion
5. B Potentiometer Input
6. Trigger Input / Light Pen Input. Port 4 only on 400
7. +5V
8. Ground
9. A Potentiometer Input

Serial I/O (SIO) Port (all machines):
2 12
o o o o o o
o o o o o o o
1 13
1. Clock Input 8. Motor Control
2. Clock Output 9. Proceed
3. Data Input 10. +5V/Ready
4. Ground 11. Audio Input
5. Data Output 12. +12V (400,800 only. 1400XL/1450XLD?)
6. Ground 13. Interrupt
7. Command

Cartridge Slot ("Left" slot on all machines; "Right" slot on 800 only):
A B C D E F H J K L M N P R S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1. ~S4(Left) R/~W late(Right) A. RD4(Left) B02(Right)
2. A3 B. GND
3. A2 C. A4
4. A1 D. A5
5. A0 E. A6
6. D4 F. A7
7. D5 H. A8
8. D2 J. A9
9. D1 K. A12
10. D0 L. D3
11. D6 M. D7
12. ~S5(Left) ~S4(Right) N. A11
13. +5V P. A10
14. RD5(Left) RD4(Right) R. R/~W
15. ~CCTL S. B02

Monitor Jack (all but 400, N. American 600XL, XE Game System, SECAM systems):
3 1
5 4
2
1. Composite Luminance
2. Ground
3. Audio Output
4. Composite Video
5. Composite Chroma (not on 800XL,1200XL; grounded on 600XL)

Monitor Jack, SECAM systems: (thanks Jer Sobola)
V

5 1
3
4 2

6
1 +12V DC 5mA max
2 Audio 1 output
3 Audio 2 output
4 Video output
5 GND
6 +5V 100mA max
Amplitude Audio 2 is about 6 times closer than Audio 1

Power Adapter Plug (all but 400,800,1200XL,1400XL,1450XLD):
7 6
3 1
5 4
2
1. +5V
2. Shield
3. Ground
4. +5V
5. Ground
6. +5V
7. Ground

Parallel Bus Interface (PBI) (600XL and 800XL only):
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50
1. GND ground 2. External select
3. A0 Address output 4. A1
5. A2 6. A3
7. A4 8. A5
9. A6 10. GND
11. A7 12. A8
13. A9 14. A10
15. A11 16. A12
17. A13 18. A14
19. GND 20. A15
21. D0 Data (bidirectional) 22. D1
23. D2 24. D3
25. D4 26. D5
27. D6 28. D7
29. GND 30. GND
31. Phase 2 clock output 32. GND
33. NC Reserved 34. Reset output
35. (IRQ) Interrupt request 36. Ready input
37. NC 38. External decoder output
39. NC 40. Refresh output
41. Column address output 42. GND
43. Math pack disable input 44. Row addr strobe
45. GND 46. Latch read/write out
47. NC (+5V on 600XL only) 48. NC (+5V on 600XL only, used to power 1064)
49. Audio input 50. GND

Enhanced Cartridge Interface (ECI) (130XE, 800XE and European 65XE only):
A B C D E F H
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A. Reserved 1. ~EXSEL
B. ~IRQ 2. ~RST
C. ~HALT 3. ~D1XX
D. A13 4. ~MPD
E. A14 5. Audio
F. A15 6. ~REF
H. GND 7. +5V

------------------------------

Subject: 2.1) What kinds of monitors can I use with my Atari?

In general, you either need a Composite Video monitor, or a standard TV.

Television:
You'll need a video cable (not detachable on the 400/800), and a TV Switch
Box. Used with VHF Channel 2 or 3.

Monitor:
The 8-bit Atari produces a color Composite Video signal, plus
separate chroma (color) and luminance (brightness) signals which the best
composite video monitors can take advantage of. Popular examples of such
monitors include the family of monitors produced by Commodore.

Gotcha's:

-the 400 and North American 600XL lack a monitor port entirely. They can only
be used with a TV.

-the XE Game System provides an RCA-style jack in place of the Monitor port;
so it provides Composite Video but lacks separate chroma\luma signals

-the 600XL, 800XL and 1200XL lack separate chroma signal (can be added via
hardware modification)

-the XEP80 Interface Module produces a monochrome Composite Video signal via
an RCA-style jack. This higher-resolution signal produces crisp, clear 80
column text on 80-column monochrome composite video monitors.

The pinout of the Monitor port is in the pinout section of this FAQ list.
The monitor connector on the back of the Atari can be utilized using a
4-pin DIN to RCA converter. You don't need to build a separate cable.

Brent Buescher, Jr. writes:

"The best monitor for an Atari 8 bit that is readily available today would be
a television with an S-video input---these tend to be large and high-quality,
so the s-video input is the deciding factor there. You'll have to build the
cable yourself, and if you have an XL you'll want to do the Super Video
upgrade that Ben Poehland published in Atari Classics a few years ago---this
puts the chroma signal back on the pin that it should be and cleans up the
video signal enormously. It's really more of a fix than an upgrade.

I use a commodore split-video monitor. They work great and are
cheap-to-reasonable when you can find them."

Bryan Edewaard writes:

"Yes, the best choices are monitors that support "Separated Video"
(sometimes called Commodore video on Commodore monitors), or S-Video.
These monitors have separate color and luminance video inputs, which
give a sharper picture without cross-color artifacts - such as the
colored fringes on text when viewed on a TV (although some games use
these artifacts to get additional colors). If you have an XL
computer, then it needs an upgrade to support these monitors due to
the omission of chroma from the monitor port. the 800 and XE
computers don't have this problem.

The 2nd best choice is a TV or monitor that has a "Composite Video"
(usually called just "Video" or "Aux") input. This is a signal that
has the color and luminance information combined into one signal. The
picture will be a little less sharp, but still much better than using
the "Channel 3" output.

>Where might I find one?

I've seen them a flea markets, garage sales, swap meets, ham fests,
and in newsgroups like this one. Plus, many new TV's support S-Video
and Composite video inputs.

>What are the advantages of using one of these rather than a TV?

Well, it's all a matter of how many stages the signal must go through.

1. The Atari generates video as a color signal and a brightness
(luminance) signal. These are passed to the monitor port as Chroma and
Luma signals (XL's have no Chroma output from the factory).

2. The signals are mixed together to make a standard video signal
which is also passed to the monitor port as Composite Video.

3. Then the mixed video signal (along with audio) goes through the
process of being "modulated" into a TV radio signal (channel 3 or 4).
This step involves removing high frequencies from the video (blurring
it) and sending it to the TV in a fragile broadcast form that's
suseptable to all kinds of interference. Then the TV must (1) extract
the video signal from the radio signal, (2) separate the Chroma and
Luma components as best it can, then (3) divide the Chroma in R, G,
and B. Any of these steps that you can eliminate will help your
picture.

>Are there any other composite video monitors that anyone would recommend
>(and where might I find one)?

The most common one is probably the Commodore 1702 which has a very good
picture and is quite reliable.

If you plan to use an XL (which I do), upgrading the video circuitry
makes as big a difference as what monitor you choose. Ben Poehland has
some excellent articles in Atari Classics magazines for improving the
quality of the XL's video, as well as restoring the missing Chroma
output."

Lonnie McClure has the last word on Commodore monitors:

Comodore models: 1701, 1702, 1802, CM-141, 1080, 2002, 1902, 1902A*,
1084**, 1084S**.

* The 1902A used a DIN connector for chroma/luma, which makes cabling a
bit more of a problem. The composite and audio connectors are standard
RCA jacks, however.

** The 1084 and 1084S had more than one version. Some used the a DIN
connector for chroma/luma connections, like the 1902A, while some used
standard RCA jacks.

The 1902 and 1902A are very different in appearance. The original 1902
shares the same slightly rounded front case design as the 1080 and 2002,
while the 1902A is has a rather square case design, and was manufactured
by Magnavox (as were some of the 1084 and 1084S versions).

------------------------------

Subject: 2.2) What is the difference between NTSC and PAL machines?

Software written for NTSC (North America) will always work on PAL machines,
but software designed on PAL machines (Europe) won't necessarily work on
NTSC machines.

Wayne Booth writes:

The differences with PAL and NTSC have to do with the number of lines
displayed on the screen and whether they are using 50 or 60 Hertz.

If I remember correctly, I believe PAL has 625 lines/screen and they
refresh the screen 50 times a second doing 1/2 the lines each refresh
so they effectively repaint the screen 25 times a second. NTSC is
525 lines/screen with a 60 times a second refresh - again only half
the lines each refresh so a 30 times a second frame rate. This
would change the amount of time available during vertical sync pulse,
and the number of lines that need to be redrawn each time.

Graham Thornton adds:

I use both a real PAL Atari 800 and a PAL-ANTIC 1200XL here in the US.

Replacing the ANTIC chip with a PAL version changes the screen refresh rate
to 50Hz which allows most of the PAL-only European software to run. Your
system will still report itself as a NTSC machine, unless you change the
ROM (see the Nir Dary upgrade), but most software doesn't care.

But James Bradford responds: (7/19/00)
Not true. the PAL Flag is in the GTIA chip, not in ROM. The NTSC and
PAL roms are the same. Only Rev A ROM was had different versions. I am
not sure if Rev B ROMs had seperate versions.

Graham continues:
The one problem you might run into is your monitor. Replacing the ANTIC
will mean your North-American Atari is now generating an NTSC signal at
50Hz, instead of the usual 60Hz. Some people will tell you that modern TVs
and monitors don't care but that isn't actually true. My brand-new Sony
Trinitron 15" colour TV/monitor goes bezerk with the upgraded 1200XL, but
my 15-year old 10" Texas Instruments color monitor (designed for the
TI-99/4A) is fine.

You can also use real European equipment here in North America, provided
that you have a PAL-compatible TV/monitor. The frequency of the power
system is irrelevant, as I use my 800 with a 110V/60Hz 1050 power supply.

------------------------------

Subject: 2.3) Is the software for the Atari 8-bit computers "TV-standard
dependent?"

(some PAL demos flicker, or won't run at all on NTSC machines)

Brent Buescher, Jr. writes:

This is because PAL machines have a vertical refresh frequency of 50hz
(NTSC use 60hz) which translates into more vertical blanking time for
demos and other computation-intensive graphics software. So PAL demos
that won't work on NTSC machines are usually returning from a VBI
(vertical blanking interrupt) too late. Some also attempt to use more
vertical resolution ("longer" display lists) than an NTSC display can
handle.

Thomas Richter adds:

Yes, it is. Mostly because the frequency of the vertical blank interrupt
is different (60Hz for NTSC, 50Hz for PAL). The old OS A was not clever enough
to notice the difference, so all system timings like the keyboard auto-repeat
function depend on the TV system. These parts of the OS have been corrected
with OSB and the XL versions of the OS. However, as most games install a
VBI, their timing does still depend on the frequency -> they will run
slightly slower for PAL versions.

Another point is that the popular pseudo-colors used in the ANTIC-F
(Graphics 8) mode are not colorful at all when displayed on a PAL TV, because
of differences in the color encoding for the TV. The schematics of
the Xl computers include however a hack how to change the PAL version to
the NTSC version (the PAL versions include two crystals, one with 5/4th of
the frequency of the other. One is used for the system clock, the other for
the color clock), but I never dared to apply it.

------------------------------

Subject: 2.4) What are the PAL, NTSC and SECAM video broadcast standards?

Here are several links on the topic.

http://www.ee.washington.edu/conselec/CE/kuhn/ntsc/95x4.htm
http://www.alkenmrs.com/video/standards.html
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/WorldTV/
http://www3.3dresearch.com/video/Countries2.html
http://www3.3dresearch.com/video/Conversion2.html

------------------------------

Subject: 3.1) What are the Atari 410, 1010, and XC12 Program Recorders?

The Atari Program Recorders provide storage and retrieval of programs
and data on cassette tape. In addition to the digital track that stores
computer data, a second audio track is provided to play music or voice
as the program runs.

Data transmission rate: 600 bits per second.
Data storate capacity: 100,000 bytes per 60-minute cassette.
Track configuration: 4 track, 2 channel (digital data and audio track)

410 Program Recorder -Japan and Hong Kong versions. 410a--Taiwan version

1010 Program Recorder -Sanyo and Chelco versions

XC11 Program Recorder
XC12 Program Recorder
XCA12 Program Recorder -in same case as XC12...Poland
CA12 Program Recorder -in same case as XC12...Poland
image: http://romualdl.multimania.com/images/atari/ca12.jpg
XL12 Program Recorder -XC12 w/slight changed design. Czech/Slovak/Poland
XC13 Program Recorder -XC12 which was "T2000 ready". Czech/Slovak/Poland

------------------------------

Subject: 3.2) How do I run a program from cassette?

To run an Atari BASIC program from cassette:

1. Place the cassette in the recorder.
2. Press REWIND of FORWARD, if necessary, to bring the tape to the position
where the program is located.
3. Boot the computer to the Atari BASIC READY prompt.
4. There are several possibilities for the next step, depending on how the
program was saved, and whether you want to run the program or just load
it into RAM. Enter one of the following four commands:
a. CLOAD loads programs saved with CSAVE
b. LOAD "C:" loads programs saved with SAVE "C:"
c. ENTER "C:" loads programs saved with LIST "C:"
d. RUN "C:" loads&runs programs saved with SAVE "C:"

] Relative efficiency of the three cassette tape recording techniques:
] CSAVE/CLOAD - most efficient - fastest saves/loads - tokenized files
] SAVE "C:"/LOAD "C:" - middle efficiency - middle speed - tokenized files
] LIST "C:"/ENTER "C:" - least efficient - slowest - straight ATASCII

5. The computer will "beep" as a signal for you to press PLAY on the recorder.
6. Press the RETURN key on the computer keyboard, and the program will load
into the computer.
7. Press STOP on the recorder when loading has finished.
8. Unless you entered RUN "C:" above, now enter the command: RUN

To run an Atari BASIC or machine language program from cassette upon startup:

1. Place the cassette in the recorder
2. Press REWIND of FORWARD, if necessary, to bring the tape to the position
where the program is located.
3. Turn on the computer while holding down the START key.
But if your computer has Atari BASIC built-in and you're running a machine
language program, hold down both the START key and the OPTION key.
4. The computer will "beep" as a signal for you to press PLAY on the recorder.
5. Let go of the START/OPTION button(s).
6. Press the RETURN key on the computer keyboard, and the program will load
into the computer.
7. Press STOP on the recorder when loading is complete and the program is
running.

------------------------------

Subject: 3.3) What are the Atari 810, 1050, and XF551 Disk Drives?

==> Atari 810 --- a 5.25" floppy disk drive
The least common denominator for the Atari. Single-Sided, Single-Density:
FM 40 tracks x 18 sectors/track x 128 byte/sector = 90K capacity
19.2Kbps transfer rate. 288RPM.
The 810 includes a 6507 microprocessor.
Shipped with DOS I (very early) or DOS II Version 2.0S
MPI&Tandon versions.
accessories from Atari:
CX8100 Atari 810 Blank Diskettes (5 per box)
CX8111 Atari 810 Formatted Diskettes II (5 per box)
CX8202 Atari 810/815 Blank Diskettes (5 per box, certified for double density)

Third-party upgrades for the 810:
810 Archiver -- copy many copy-protected programs
Happy 810 -- Happy Backup, Warp Speed 52Kbps, 18 sector buffer
810 Fast Chip by Binary 10%-40% faster
810 Turbo by Neanderthal Computer Things (NCT) -- double-density
see: http://www.qnet.com/~dons/810T.html

==> Atari 1050 --- a 5.25" floppy disk drive
Same as the 810, plus Dual-Density capability:
Single-Sided, Single-Density, 810 compatible
Single-Sided, Dual-Density, otherwise known as "Enhanced Density" because it
is not true double-density:
MFM 40 tracks x 26 sectors/track x 128 bytes/sector = 128K capacity
19.2Kbps transfer rate. 288RPM
The 1050 includes a 6507 microprocessor.
Shipped with DOS II v2.0S, DOS III, or DOS 2.5
DIP switches: Black & white left: Drive 1
Black right, white left: Drive 2
Black left, white right: Drive 3
Black & white right: Drive 4
Third-party upgrades for the 1050:
ICD US Doubler SS SD/ED/DD UltraSpeed (US) 54Kbps, sector skewing
Happy 1050 SS SD/ED/DD Warp Speed 52Kbps, 36 sector buffer,
Happy Backup. also read/write 180K 5.25" MS-DOS floppies
CSS Super Archiver SS SD/ED/DD UltraSpeed 54Kbps (US Doubler clone)
CSS Super Archiver II SS SD/ED/DD UltraSpeed 54Kbps (US Doubler clone)
Cheer-Up 1050 SS SD/ED/DD Warp Speed 52Kbps (Happy clone)
Speedy 1050 SS SD/ED/DD Warp Speed 55-57Kbps (Happy clone)
Super Speedy 1050 SS SD/ED/DD Warp Speed 55-57Kbps (Happy clone),w/180K RAM
SuperMax 1050 SS SD/ED/DD UltraSpeed 52Kbps (US Doubler clone)
Lazer 1050 SS SD/ED/DD Warp Speed and UltraSpeed 54Kbps

Rich Mier professes:
You've been plugging and unplugging the SIO cable with the 1050 power pack
plugged in, right? That's a no-no. Most of the time it's Okay, but about 1
in 10, 20 times, it will blow out 'U-1'. It's a CA/LM 3086 I.C. at the right,
rear of the main board. A 14 pin DIL chip. Actually it is an array of 5
transistors.

Unplug the power pack from the 1050, then unplug the SIO cable. Power can be
ON on the CPU. The problem has to do with the secondary winding of the Power
Pack. Remember, the problem only occurs 1 out of 10 - 20 times that you do
it, not all the time.

It doesn't really matter if the 1050 Transformer has power on or off, it
'Might' happen if plugged into the 1050. It is really bad on 810's.

One thing, if the system has been turned off for, oh say, 5 - 10 minutes it
won't matter. By then all the capacitors should be bled(sc?) to 0 volts.

==> Atari XF551 --- a 5.25" floppy disk drive
Single-Sided, Single-Density, 810 compatible
Single-Sided, Enhanced-Density, 1050 compatible
Single-Sided, Double-Density:
MFM 80 tracks x 18 sectors/track x 256 bytes/sector = 360K capacity
Writes "backwards" to the second side of the disk, rendering it incompatible
with existing third-party 180K formats on the reverse side of the disk.
High speed 38400 bps burst mode usable only with SpartaDOS X, SuperDOS
5.1, TurboDOS, DOS XE, and patched SpartaDOS 3.2.
Rotaton rate: 300RPM.
Shipped with DOS 2.5 or DOS XE.
DIP switches: Both dips down: Drive 1
Left down, right up: Drive 2
Left up, Right down: Drive 3
Left and Right up: Drive 4
Chinon-built XF551-cannot read/write/format backside if no timing hole
Mitsumi-built XF551--can read/write backside if to timing hole, if formatted
Third-party upgrades for the XF551:
CSS XF Single Drive Upgrade--3.5", 720K floppy drive replacement
also read 720K 3.5" MS-DOS disks
see http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/XFsingdrup.htm
CSS XF Dual Drive Upgrade--add 3.5" drive w/o losing the 5.25" drive
also read 720K 3.5" MS-DOS disks
see http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/XFdualdrup.htm
CSS XF551 Enhancer--overcomes sensor for index hole, create flippy disks
see http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/XF551enh.htm
CSS XF Update--replace drive OS, adds UltraSpeed
see http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/XFupdate.htm

------------------------------

Subject: 3.4) What floppy disk drives can I use with my Atari?

Major contributors to this section: Glenn M. Saunders, Tomasz M. Tatar,
James Bradford, Konrad M. Kokoszkiewicz, Don Schoengarth, Andreas Magenheimer

SS=Single-Sided SD=Single-Density, 90K/disk side
DS=Double-Sided ED=Enhanced-Density, 128K/disk side
DD=Double-Density, 180K/disk side

Printer port=has a standard Centronics printer port,+ maybe a print buffer
Master=includes drive controller, can add additional,non-Atari-specific drives

Top transfer rate=19.2Kbps unless stated otherwise

Atari 810 SS SD
Atari 1050 SS SD/ED
Atari XF551 DS SD/ED/DD, 38.4Kbps burst mode
Access Unlimited ATAR88-1 SS SD master
Access Unlimited ATAR40-1 SS SD/DD master
Amdek AMDC I SS SD/DD uses flippy Amdisk III 3" disk/carts,printer port,master
Amdek AMDC II SS SD/DD dual drives, printer port, master
AS SN-360 DS SD/ED/DD
Astra 1620 SS SD/DD dual drives
Astra 2001 SS SD/DD dual drives
Astra Big-D DS SD/DD dual drives
Astra The One DS SD/DD, printer port
B&C 810 SS SD, optional Happy Warp Speed 52Kbps
Concorde C-221M SS SD/DD master
Concorde C-222M DS SD/DD master
CSS Floppy Board, for the Black Box, master, support PC 720K and 1.44MB 3.5"
drives, support PC 1.2MB and 360kB 5.25" drives,
also read/write 5.25" and 3.5" MS-DOS disks
see: http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/floppy.htm
High-Density Disk Interface (HDI) a PCB master,connect up to 4 standard drives
Indus GT SS SD/ED/DD, Synchromesh mode usable with SpartaDOS X
and DOS XL only. 72Kbps under SpartaDOS X, 37Kbps under DOS XL.
KARIN MAXI DS SD/ED/DD/QD
L.E. Systems LEDS5-01 SS SD/DD master, 134.4Kbps, 800 only
CP/M expansion: 4MHz Z80, 64K RAM
L.E. Systems LEFDC-04 SS SD Four drives, copies a disk in 22 secs, 800 only
L.E. Systems LEFDC-08 SS SD Eight drives, copies a disk in 22 secs, 800 only
LDW Super 2000 SS SD/DD, 19.2Kbps or 67Kbps
image: http://romualdl.multimania.com/images/atari/super2000.jpg
LDW CA2001 SS SD/DD, 19.2Kbps or 38.4Kbps "California Access"
image: http://romualdl.multimania.com/images/atari/ca2001.jpg
LDW CA2002 DS SD/ED/DD,19.2Kbps,70Kbps w/SpartaDOS. "Calif. Access"
Micro MainFrame MF-1681 SS SD/DD, printer port, 4K to 54K printer buffer,
hard disk firmware included, master, Z-80 CPU w/ 16K to 64K RAM for CP/M,
TRSDOS, MaxiDOS A, and OASIS. see: http://www.qnet.com/~dons/mmf.html
Micro MainFrame MF-1682 dual drives version of MF-1681
Percom RFD40-S1 SS SD/DD, master
Percom RFD40-S2 SS SD/DD dual drives, master
Percom RFD44-S1 DS SD/DD, master
Percom RFD44-S2 DS SD/DD dual drives, master
(80-track RFDs hinted at http://www.atarimagazines.com/v1n2/newproducts.html
Percom AT88 SS SD, master
Percom AT88-S1 PD SS SD/DD, printer port, master
Percom AT88-S2 PD SS SD/DD dual drives, printer port, master
Rana 1000 SS SD/ED/DD, stand alone disk formatting
RCP 810 SS SD
San Jose Computer Special Edition 810 SS SD, optional Happy Warp Speed 52Kbps
SWP ATR8000 4MHz Z80, 16K RAM, RS232, master, printer port
or 4MHz Z80, 64K RAM, RS232, master, printer port, CP/M 2.2
options: 128K or 256K CO-POWER-88 with MS-DOS; CP/M-86
TOMS 720 DS SD/ED/ID/DD/QD/ID printer port, MYDOS 4.50 on ROM, 70Kbps
- SS/SD - 40 tracks, 18 sects, 128 bytes = 90 KB
- SS/ED - 40 tracks, 26 sects, 128 bytes = 130 KB
- SS/ED - 40 tracks, 18 sects, 256 bytes = 180 KB
- SS/ID - IBM S-9 - 40 tracks, 9 sects, 512 bytes = 180 KB
- DS/DD - 40 tracks, 18 sects, 256 bytes = 360 KB
- DS/QD - 80 tracks, 18 sects, 256 bytes = 720 KB
- DS/ID - IBM D-9 - 40 tracks, 9 sects, 512 bytes = 360 KB
TOMS 710 DS SD/ED/ID/DD/QD/ID printer port, MYDOS 4.50 on ROM, 67Kbps
one more format: double sided, 80 tracks, IBM (720 KB)
also TOMS Navigator on ROM (like Norton Commander).
Trak AT-1 SS SD/DD master.upgrade: printer port+4K/16K buffer
Trak AT-D1 SS SD master, printer port, 4K print buffer.upgrade:16K
Trak AT-D2 SS SD/DD master, printer port, 4K print buffer.upgrade:16K
Trak AT-D4 DS SD/DD, printer port, print buffer
Trak Champ SS SD master
Trak Champ2 SS SD/DD master
Trak AT-S1 SS SD/DD slave
XFD601B DS SD/ED/DD 70kbps,Top Drive,Synchromesh,UltraSpeed,XF551 compat.
XFD602B dual DS SD/ED/DD 70kbps,Top Drive,Synchromesh,UltraSpeed,XF551 compat

While any standard "slave" drive will work with "master" drives listed above,
the following are slave drives marketed specifically to Atari users:
Access Unlimited ATAR88-A1 SS SD slave
Access Unlimited ATAR40-A1 SS SD/DD slave
Concorde C-221S SS SD/DD slave
Concorde C-222S DS SD/DD slave
Percom RFD40-A1 SS SD/DD slave
Percom AT88-A1 SS SD/DD slave
RCP 100 DS SD/DD, slave
RCP 200 DS SD/DD dual drives, slave

------------------------------

Subject: 3.5) What do I need to connect a hard drive to my 8-bit Atari?

==> Corvus hard drive (10 megabytes)
Fast but still relatively slow I/O, kludge through joystick ports for 800 only

==> K-Products/Supra Hard Disk Drive Interface
by K-Products (Bob Klaas)
Some limitations on drive type and size and total number of drives in sys.

==> Multi I/O (MIO) (formerly from ICD)
from Fine Tooned Engineering (FTe) (Mike Hohman)
256 byter per sector restriction. 256K and 1 meg ramdisk models.
Printer and modem, modem will handle 19.2Kbps

==> CSS Black Box
RS-232 Serial Modem Port (19.2Kbps) w/ hardware flow control,
Parallel Printer Port,SASI/SCSI Hard Disk Port, Operating System Enhancements,
optional 64K printer buffer. Supports drives with 512-byte sectors.
see http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/black.htm

==> IDE Hard Drive Interface
from Konrad M. Kokoszkiewicz and Jacek Zuk
(see http://www.orient.uw.edu.pl/~conradus/docs/ide_eng.html )
o Maximum drive capacity: 16777215 physical blocks on each device.
o Maximum number of partitions: 16
o Maximum capacity of a partition: 16777215 logical sectors
o Logical sector length: 256 or 512 bytes
o Average speed (in kilobytes per second, WDC 130AB drive):
- Native mode, sequence of sectors (R): 75
- Emulation mode, sequence of sectors (R): 43
- Emulation mode, back sequence (R): 28
- Emulation mode, random sectors (R): 13
- Emulation mode, same sector (R): 29
- Emulation mode, DOS file (W): 7
- Emulation mode, DOS file (R): 36
o Booting from any partition (on the standard XL OS)
o Write protection capability
o 8 jumpers to set the device number for the operating system
o Sweet 16 compatibility

==> Fine Tooned Engineering Multi I/O II
An IDE interface. Released?

==> MSC IDE Harddisk-Controller
created by Steve Birmanns and Matthias Belitz
http://www.birmanns.de/
* real device for the parallel-port of the Atari XL-Series
* up to 240 partitions per harddisk supported
* emulates D1: until D9: of disk devices (access to 9 partitions at one
time)
* full bootable from any partition (with standard XL-OS)
* write protectition capability
* supports master/slave configuration
* more than 30 KB/s file access with SPARTA-DOS 3.2 gx (reading)
* more than 10 KB/s file access with SPARTA-DOS 3.2 gx (writing)
* access of ATAPI-CDROM with additional software

==> BTL Hard Disk System
BTL 2001 Connector for 600XL/800XL PBI
BTL 2002 Connector for 130XE/800XE/European 65XE ECI
BTL 2004 SASI Hard Disk Adapter
More info at http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n12/BTLHardDisk.html

------------------------------

Subject: 4.1) What are the Atari 820, 822, and 825 Printers?

Atari 820 40-Column Printer:
- 5x7 dot matrix, impact printer
- 40 characters per line, upper & lower case alpha
- horizontal and vertical alphanumeric characters
- 6507 microprocessor, 6532 RAM I/O chip, 2K ROM
- 40 characters per second
- uses Standard Roll Paper/adding machine paper

Atari 822 40-Column Thermal Printer:
- 37 characters per second
- 10 characters per inch
- 40 characters per line, upper/lower case and point graphics
- 5x7 dot matrix

Atari 825 80-Column Printer ( = Centronics 737 )
- 3 character sets:
monospaced 7x8 dot matrix at 10 characters per inch
monospaced condensed at 16.7 cpi
proportionately spaced Nx9 dot matrix at avg of 14 cpi (N=6..18)
- all characters can be elongated (printer double width)
- characters per line: 80 at 10 cpi; 132 at 16.7 cpi
- speed: 50 cps at 10 cpi; 83 cps at 16.7 cpi; 79 cps avg. proportional
- print buffer: 1200 dot columns
- paper: roll, fanfold, or cut sheets
- requires Atari 850 Interface Module or equivalent

------------------------------

Subject: 4.2) What are the Atari 1020, 1025, 1027, and 1029 Printers?

Atari 1020 40-Column Color Plotter/Printer:
- 4-color graphics: (black, red, blue, green). optional 8-pen rainbow package
- alphanumberics and X,Y plotting capability
- 10 cps (40-column mode)
- 20, 40 and 80-column modes
- horizontal and vertical alphanumerics, English and International chr sets
- water soluble ink pen technology
- 4-pen barrel print head
- microprocessor
- paper: standard roll paper (40 column width)
- cassette software included
Frank McKenney writes: The printer/plotter mechanism for the Atari 1020 is (I
believe) the same one used in the Tandy/Radio Shack CGP series and the
Commodore 1520(?), and was made by a company named ALPS.

Atari 1025 80-Column Printer: ( = Okidata ML80 )
- 40 cps (80-column 10 cpi mode)
- 5 cpi expanded (40 col), 10 cpi (80 col), 16.7 cpi condensed (132-col)
- 5x7 character dot matrix
- buffer: 132 chrs at 16.7 cpi, 80 chrs at 10 cpi
- paper: roll,fanfold,single sheets. optional:roll paper holder, tractor feed

Atari 1027 Letter Quality Printer: ( = Mann-Tally Riteman LQ.)
- fully formed characters, prestige elite 12)
- 12 characters per inch (80 columns)
- 20 characters per second
- single sheets or roll paper

1029 Printer -7-pin dot matrix, same as Commodore MPS-801

------------------------------

Subject: 4.3) What are the Atari XMM801 and XDM121 Printers?

coming

XMM801 Printer -80 col. Ribbon: Mannesman/Tally MS80
XDM121 Printer -80 col.letter quality.
Ribbon: Silver Reed CF130, Olivetti ET201,ET221,Nu-Kote NK136

------------------------------

Subject: 5.1) What are the Atari 830, 835, 1030, XM301, and SX212 Modems?

A MODulator/DEModulator translates digital information from your computer
into acoustic tones that can be sent and received via standard telephone
lines.

Atari 830 Acoustic Modem: ( = Novation 'CAT' )
- a stand-alone, acoustically coupled, frequency shift keying (FSK) modem
- up to 300 bits per second
- Bell 103/113 modem compatible
- requires Atari 850 Interface Module or equivalent

Atari 835 Direct Connect Modem:
- 300 bps
- Bell 103/113 modem compatible

Atari 1030 Direct Connect Modem:
- 300 bps
- Bell 103/113 modem compatible
- built-in ModemLink software.
- 2 SIO ports

XM301 Modem -300 baud, w/ XE Term software. Permanent SIO cable
SX212 Modem -1200 baud, rarely with SX-Express! package.
SIO & DB25 RS232 serial ports.external power supply

------------------------------

Subject: 5.2) What should I know about modems and the Atari?

Thanks to Bob Puff and Clay Halliwell for helping me with this section.
But I'm still not real confident about the accuracy here. I'd love for
anyone to help me fix up this section!

There are three types of modem protocols: modulation protocols, error
correction protocols, and compression protocols. The international
standards for these protocols are laid down by the branch of the United
Nations known as the ITU-TSS (formerly the CCITT). ITU standards are
known by their "V-Dot" names. They're only names, don't try to apply
any meaning to the names.

Modulation protocol standards, the major ones
(bits per second)
300 bps - V.21 (103J is used instead in the USA)
1200 bps - V.22 (212A is used instead in the USA)
2400 bps - V.22bis
9600 bps - V.32
14.4 Kbps - V.32bis
28.8 Kbps - V.34

Error Correction standard:
V.42 - requires either software or hardware flow control

Compression standard:
V.42bis - requires V.42, and hardware flow control.

If your modem is capable of V.42bis compression, set your communications
software to enable hardware flow control. If your terminal interface
allows you to set the terminal<->modem (DTE) and modem<->modem (DCE)
baud rates separately, you should set the DTE rate to the maximum
allowed. If the DTE and DCE cannot be set separately, set the terminal
baud rate at four times the maximum actual data rate of your modem
(V.42bis achieves a compression ratio of up to 4:1). Examples: If a
V.22bis/V.42bis modem is used, set the terminal for 9600 baud. If a
V.32/V.42bis modem is used, set the terminal for 38400 baud. If a
V.32bis/V.42bis modem is used, set the terminal for 57600 baud.

Let's define a "high-speed" modem as a modem capable of V.42bis compression.
(Some 2400 bps modems, and all modems faster than that)

Using high-speed modems on the Atari

Unless you're using a CSS Black Box or a patched MIO, the 8-bit Atari
RS232 interfaces do not support hardware flow control. (I have heard
that the P:R: Connection does too, but it can't be controlled in
software.) So we must send the modem a command to tell the modem not to
use it. Using a Hayes-compatible modem, the modem command AT &K4 will
enable software flow control, and disable hardware flow control. AT &K0
will disable all flow control.

The MIO patch, HyperSpeed by Len Spencer, is available at:
http://members.aol.com/lenspencer/atari8.htm

Question. Why does my modem report V.42bis is used even when my terminal it
set for the same speed as my modem?

Cause the modem will do what you tell it. You've configged it to talk at the
highest speed, using LAP/M, and compression. Even if you connect modem to
modem at 14.4k, you can be talking to the modem at 300 baud, and it will still
use everything. You'll undoubtedly drop bytes, but hey...

Question. Why does V.42bis compression appear to function after I have sent
the modem the AT &K4 or AT &K0 commands? And knowing the Atari doesn't
support hardware flow control?

Compression doesn't have to have flow control to work. Same as above - its
just an added step that the data goes through. Note that if the modem's input
buffer is small, you can overrun it easily if you send it data faster than it
can digest and send. That's why you -really should- be using flow control
with compression... But it's not a necessity.

Question. Why does V.42 error correction appear to work even when I have
disabled flow control with the AT &K0 command?

Question. Why don't I have problems performing binary downloads when I have
software flow control enabled? (flow control characters could appear in data
stream accidentally)

Depends on the protocol. Zmodem accounts for spurious XON/XOFFs. Xmodem and
Ymodem don't. Also, you are able to digest the data as fast as the modem is
giving it to you, hence no flow control is happening. I suspect it would be a
different case if you were uploading using a streaming protocol like Ymodem G.

More tips, from Clay Halliwell:
On 11 Feb 1996, Marc G. Frank said:

> I'm having problems getting a modem attached to my Atari 850 to
> communicate at 9600 baud. When I set my communications program to 2400
> baud, everything works fine. However, when I set it to 9600 baud, the
> modem echoes my characters but doesn't act on them. That is, at 2400,

The problem with the 850 is that some of them (like mine) don't produce a
PERFECT 9600 baud signal. As a result modems can't train on it, and while
they will echo characters back, for some nitpicky reason they won't pick up
on the "AT" attention code.

The solution is to do all your dialing at 2400 baud, but set the S37
register to force the modem to try to connect at 9600. Then switch your
Atari to 9600 after connecting.

Jon Melbo responded to me in 1997:

>I have a Zoom 2400bps V.42bis modem, connected through a P:R:Connection. I
>need to do the
>at&k4 no matter what I'm dialing into, and no matter what comm program I'm
>running.
>
>Nobody's ever really been able to explain it to me, but I know it has helped a
>few other people. Try it!

What &K4 does is select XON/XOFF flow control. Apparently, all/most
atari serial interfaces or at least R: handler software does not
support hardware (CTS/RTS) handshaking (selected on the modem via &K3
which is also a default). Anyway, that's why the &K4 setting helps a
lot.

Glenn Saunders responded to other writing of Jon's, 4/5/97:
: 28.8 CARRIER connects are possible BB or no, it's just that there is
: no point in having your modem do data faster than your puter can.

It simplifies modem configuration to let the modems connect at their
native speeds.

: Right! But you should never have your DCE to DCE speed exceed your
: DTE to DCE speed. Never, unless you like errors and strange behavior.
: With a BB, one should use CTS/RTS flow control, and force the modem to
: operate at a maximum of 19.2 PERIOD (this means disable compression).

It doesn't really matter. CTS/RTS can throttle the I/O down as much as it
needs to. The faster modem will wait for I/O without any complaints.
Disabling compression isn't a good idea because it will disable it for ALL
calls including 9600 or 14.4 users in which it could do some good even on
an 8-bit BBS. Software flow control is pretty much dead in
telecommunication, and has been dead as long as data compression has been
standard since the stop and start commands take way too long to register
that way.

: If using some other serial interface, I would use software flow
: control, disable data compression on the modem, force the modem to a
: max speed of 9600bps, and experiment with error correction. Does

This combination is deadly for most modern users unless they degrade their
modem via reconfiguration. And if users have to do this, odds are they
will stay away rather than futz with AT settings to get a reliable
connect. That's why I think the MIO essentially died as a viable BBS
interface when 14.4s became standard. They won't work well unless the
"mythical" hardware flow control of the thing is enabled in some way.

An explanation of XON/XOFF from Eric Sokolowsky, 4/11/97:

I looked in my modem manual, and the at&k4 command enables XON/XOFF
flow control, which is a form of software flow control. As I understand
it, when a XOFF is sent by the receiving end of a line, the sending
end holds off sending for a little while to give the receiving end
a chance to catch up. When the receiving end catches up, it can
send a XON which tells the sending end to continue sending. Using this
should reduce the liklihood of dropped characters. It's not as good as
hardware (RTS/CTS -- check out the FC light on most high-speed external
modems on fast transfers) flow control (enabled by default or the
at&k3 command), but it's good enough for the Atari, which as I
understand, doesn't normally allow hardware flow control, unless using
such a device as the Black Box.

to which Robert Ely responded:

Just a quick addition. If you are using a modem at 9600bps or faster,
don't use xon/xoff, use the RTS/CTS. Since you can do this with the MI/O
and BlackBox, use it for all it's worth. If you are on an 850 or
P:R:Connection, you won't be able to deal with it and probably won't be
going at or above 9600bps anyway.

------------------------------

Subject: 6.1) What is the Atari 850 Interface Module?

Atari 850 Interface Module: (beige & black metal versions)
- four 9-pin serial EIA RS232C ports
- One 15-pin 8-bit parallel Centronics-type port
- programmable baud rate on any port, including:
75, 110, 134.5, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 4800, and 9600 bps;
baudot speeds of 60, 66, 75, 100 words per minute
- uses standard ASCII. Baudot support for radio-teletype (RTTY).

850 R1: Serial port DB9P:
5 4 3 2 1 ____________________________
9 8 7 6 / DB25P
1. DTR - Data Terminal Ready (out) + 20
2. CRX - Signal (carrier) Detect (in) + 8
3. XMT - Transmitted Data (out) + 2
4. RCV - Received Data (in) + 3
5. GND - Signal Ground + 7
6. DSR - Data Set Ready (in) + 6
7. RTS - Request to Send (out) + 4
8. CTS - Clear to Send (in) + 5
No connection to shield + Frame - to the shield wire

850 R2: Serial port DB9P:
5 4 3 2 1
9 8 7 6
1. DTR
3. Send Data
4. Receive Data
5. Signal Ground
6. DSR

850 R3: Serial port DB9P:
5 4 3 2 1
9 8 7 6
1. DTR
3. Send Data
4. Receive
5. Signal Ground
7. RTS
8. -8 Volts

850 R4: Serial port DB9P:
5 4 3 2 1
9 8 7 6
1. Send Data +
3. Send Data -
7. Receive Data +
9. Receive Data - (20 mA)

850 P: Parallel port DB15P:
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ____________________________
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 / 36 pin Centronics (male)
1. Data Strobe + 1
2. D0 + 2
3. D1 + 3
4. D2 + 4
5. D3 + 5
6. D4 + 6
7. D5 + 7
8. D6 + 8
9. Data Pull up (+5v) +
10. - +
11. Ground + 16
12. Fault + 32
13. Busy + 11
14. - +
15. D7 + 9
No connection to shield + Frame - to the shield wire

------------------------------

Subject: 6.2) What is the Atari XEP80 Interface Module?

This text written by Thomas Raukamp.

Since the development of the Atari 8-bit line of computers in 1979, users
wanted better text displays than the default 40x24. There has been some
attempts to satisfy this need, like the Austin-Franklin board or the Ace
80/80xl cartridge. For more informations about these modifications read The
Atari 8-bit Hardware Upgrade FAQ from David A. Paterson.

The Atari XEP80 Interface Module is Atari's entry to the 80 column field. It
lets a XL, XE, 400 or 800 computer system display a full 80 columns across
your monitor screen. The XEP80 provides a 256-character wide by 25-line
display window. Up to 80 characters are displayed horizontally at once, and
you can scroll horizontally all the way to the 256th character, depending on
the application you're running. The XEP80 is connected to your system via a
joystick port.

The XEP80 Module interprets commands from the computer for screen display or
output to a printer. The module is supplied with an industry-standard 8-bit
parallel port so you can connect a parallel printer to your Atari 8-bit (I
even use a HP LaserJet IV on my 130XE ;) ).

All programs that use the standard screen call (E:) should be compatible with
the XEP80 Module. The software provided by Atari supports a 320x200 graphics
mode - this mode only support direct bit images. Note that you can't use all
of the standard graphic capabilities of the Atari anymore.

Although Atari recommends a monochrome monitor for usage with the XEP80, it
runs fine with any type of composite monitor. The output looks great on my
Commodore 1084 for example.

Along with the module comes a software-package containing an AUTORUN.SYS file,
which is the XEP80 handler. If you want to use the module with an application
that is compatible with the XEP80, which has it's own AUTORUN.SYS file, you
can append the application's AUTORUN.SYS on the module's AUTORUN.SYS.
***********************
Editors for the XEP80:
AtariWriter 80 by Atari
TurboWord by MicroMiser
emacs subset by Stan Lackey
MAE and its previous standalone editor ED

XEP80 P: Parallel port:
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
1. Strobe
2-9. Parallel Data
10. Not Used
11. Busy
12-17. Not Used
18-25. Ground

------------------------------

Subject: 6.3) What accessories did Atari produce for their 8-bit computers?

This should be a complete list of Atari "CX" accessories, two or three digit
numbers, marketed for use with the 8-bit computers.

CX30-04 Paddle Controller Pair
CX40-04 Joystick Controller Pair
CX40 Single Joystick Controller
CX41 Joystick Repair Kit
CX22 Trak-Ball Controller
CX23 Kid's Controller
CX24 Pro-Line Joystick
CX50 Keyboard Controller Pair
CX70 Light Pen (beige; the original Atari light pen)
CX75 Light Pen
CX77 Touch Tablet ( + graphics tablet cassette program)
CX80 Trak-Ball
CX81 I/O Data Cord (5 ft)
CX82 Monitor Cable (Black and White Monitor)
CX85 Numerical Keypad ( + software Handler on diskette)
CX86 Printer Cable (included with 825 Printer)
CX87 Interface/Modem Cable (included with 830 Acoustic Modem)
CX88 Interface/Terminal Cable (null modem)
CX89 Monitor Cable (Color Monitor)
CX418 The Home Manager Kit (Pers'l Financial Managmnt,Home Filing Manager dsks)
CX419 The Bookkeeper Kit (The Bookkeeper disk, CX85 keypad)
CX481 The Entertainer (Star Raiders, (Missile Command or Pac-Man), 2 joysticks)
CX482 The Educator (410, BASIC cart., States & Capitals cassette)
CX483 The Programmer (BASIC, BASIC Ref. Manual, BASIC Self-Teaching Guide)
CX484 The Communicator (850, 830, TeleLink I cart.)
CX488 The Communicator II (835, TeleLink II cart.)
CX852 8K RAM Memory Module (for 800 computer)
CX853 16K RAM Memory Module (for 800 computer)

need CX number - Remote Control Joysticks

------------------------------

Subject: 6.4) What "vaporware" computers/peripherals were never released?

For definitive information on unreleased Atari products, see:

Atari Historical Society, http://www.atari-history.com/ (Curt Vendel)

Atari 8-bit vaporware computers: (note some are more vaporous than others)
800D (Developers Bus System)
1000 Sweet 16 Project, lower end model. Became the 1200XL
1000-X Sweet 16 Project, higher end model. Became the 1200XL
1200 1200XL internally, many slight cosmetic differences
1200XLS 1200XL Show prototype, top-mounted cartridge slot
600 early 600XL, all black case, joyports on the left, missing PBI
800XL brown prototype
800XLD low-cost 1450XLD,no modem&speech,include disk drive controller&FREDDIE
800XLF late European 800XL with a redesigned motherboard, + the FREDDIE chip
900XLF 800XLF motherboard with further improvements,found in early 65XE's
1250XLD Earlier name for the 1450XLD
1400XL brown prototype
1400XL 800XL plus modem, speech synth.(looks like a 1200XL)
1450XL 1400XL plus room for 2 internal 5.25" drives (controller not included)
1450XLD 1400XL plus 5.25" floppy drive (Epson SD521 360K disk drives)
1600XL Amiga/Amiga-like.Now appears that 1850XLD was the model name for this
1650XLD to use 1450XLD case and 1200XL keyboard
1850XLD "Mickey" Atari clone of the Amiga Lorraine
65XEP 65XE plus 3.5" floppy drive, 5" green monitor
65XEM 65XE plus AMY sound chip

Atari 8-bit vaporware peripherals:(note some are more vaporous than others)
815 Dual Disk Drive -2 x SS/DD 180K with DOS 2.0D. some were produced!
1027 PLUS -daisy-wheel, 80 columns
1053 -looks like a 1050, but supports DS/DD 360K format
1055 -a 1050 (SS/ED) with a 3.5" mechanism
1060 CP/M Add-On Module -"SweetPea" Z-80 CPU, 64K RAM, CP/M 2.2, 80 col display
1090 XL Expansion System-5 PBI slots, CP/M/MS-DOS/Apple II compatible
XM128 -12" green monitor w/ built-in 80-column card
XC1411 -composite 14" color monitor
XF521 -5.25" floppy drive - 1050 compatible, in XE style
XF351 -a 3.5" drive.
XC35 -an XF551 with a 3.5" mechanism
XTM201 -non-impact printer
XTC201 -XE Thermal Color Printer

------------------------------

Subject: 6.5) What are the power requirements for my Atari components?

Thanks to Matthias Belitz for the European
data in this section. I need more international help!

As with the rest of this FAQ list, please let me know if any of this
information conflicts with the units you have.

The most important information is the voltage (in volts) required, and
whether you need a transformer (AC output) or an adapter (DC output).
The power (in voltamps or watts) and current (in amperes) specifications
of the original equipment as presented here should be regarded as
minimum values. Higher-than-specified power and current capacities are
entirely usable, and often preferable because such supplies run cooler
and last longer.

Direct Current (DC):
Power (in watts) = current (in amps) * voltage (in volts)

Alternating Current (AC):
Apparent Power (in voltamps) = current (in amps) * voltage (in volts)
Effective/True Power (in watts) = current (in amps) * voltage (in volts)
* (cosine of the angle of lag)

N O R T H A M E R I C A: INPUT = 115-120 V AC, 50/60Hz
========================
9 V AC 5.4 VA (600 mA) Atari#CO62195 transformer:
1030
9 V AC 4.5 VA (500 mA) Atari#CO61516 transformer:
1010
9 V AC 15.3 VA (1.7 A) Atari#CO14319 transformer:
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL
9 V AC 18 VA (2.0 A) Atari#CA014748/CA016804 transformer:
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810
9 V AC 31 VA (3.4 A) Atari#CO17945 transformer:
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810,1020,1050,XF551
9 V AC 50 VA (5.6 A) Atari#CA017964 transformer:
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810,1020,1050,XF551
9.5 V AC 40 VA (4.2 A) Atari#CO61636 transformer:
1027,1090XL
20 V AC 6.6 VA (330 mA) Atari#CO60479/CA060535 transformer:
835
24 V AC 3.6 VA (150 mA) Atari#CA016751 transformer:
830

5 V DC 1.0 A (5.0 W) Atari#CO70042 adapter:
600XL,65XE,XE Game System
5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) Atari#CO61982/CA024814 adapter:
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,XE Game System
6 V DC 300 mA (1.8 W) Atari#??????? adapter:
"410P" (vaporware)
9 V DC 200 mA (1.8 W) adapter:
MPP1000C (the modem from MPP, interfaces via a joystick port)
9 V DC 500 mA (4.5 W) Atari#CO16353/CA014034/CO10472/CX261 adapter:
XEP80,SX212,2600 (center positive)
9.3 V DC 1.93 A (18 W) Atari#CO18187 adapter:
Indus GT,5200
11.5 V DC 1.95 A (22 W) Atari#CA019141 adapter:
Indus GT,5200
5 V / 12 V DC 1.1 A (5.5 W / 13.2 W) Atari#CO62297/DV1450 adapter:
1400XL,1450XLD

E U R O P E (and elsewhere?) INPUT = 220 V AC, 50 Hz, 26 VA
=============================
5 V DC 1,8 A, #CO61763-107: 800XL
5 V DC 1,5 A (7,5 W) #CO61763-34 : 800XL (U.K., 240 V AC in)
5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) #CO61763-11 : 65XE,800XL,800XE (Germany)
two ones with the same part number, but different cases and different
input Values :#1, 65XE (Poland, made in Taiwan), Input 22 VA
#2, 800XL, Input 26 VA
9 V AC 27 VA (3.0 A) CO60592-34/TM 7498 : 1050 (UK)
9V AC 0,5 A, CO#61516/34 : 1010 (UK)
9,3V AC, 1,66 A CO# (not printed), FW 6799: 800

These draw their power from the SIO +5 V:
XM301 (60 mA),XC11,XC12,ICD/FTe P:R:Connection,Wizztronics MidiMax,RVerter

Draws power from the 600XL PBI:
1064

These have built-in power supplies (plug directly into the wall):
410,815,820,825,1025,1029,XMM801,XDM121

OTHER:
The ICD/FTe Multi I/O (MIO), all versions, can use both AC and DC supplies.
But stick to voltages of at least 6.2-7.2 V.

------------------------------

Subject: 7.1) What versions of the Atari Operating System (OS) are there?

Most of this section by permission from:
http://www.student.kun.nl/f.offenga/atari.htm

Atari 8-bit Operating Systems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Version 3.3, 6/27/1999.
By Freddy Offenga (mailto:[email protected])

400/800 10kB OS roms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rev. TV Date CRC-32 Part Nr(s)
~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A NTSC (?) (?) (?)
A PAL (?) 0x72b3fed4 CO15199, CO15299, CO12399B
B NTSC (?) 0x0e86d61d CO12499B, CO14599B, 12399B
B PAL (?) (?) (?)

XL/XE 16kB OS roms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rev. System Date CRC-32 Part Nr(s)
~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 1200XL 10/26/1982 0xc5c11546 CO60616A, CO60617A
11 1200XL 12/23/1982 (?) CO60616B, CO60617B
1 600XL 03/11/1983 0x643bcc98 CO62024
2 XL/XE 05/10/1983 0x1f9cd270 CO61598B
3 800XE 03/01/1985 0x29f133f7 C300717
4 XEGS 05/07/1987 0x1eaf4002 C101687

(?) This information is missing. If someone can supply this info,
please write me an e-mail.

NOTES:
The 400/800 O.S's consist of three ROMs (two 4kB and one 2kB).
The 1200XL contains two ROMs for the OS (8k each), XL/XE's use a single
16k ROM and the 16k XEGS OS is stored in a 32k ROM (together with 8k
BASIC and 8k for Missile Command).

Origins of ROM information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
400/800 rev.A NTSC Could exist, since the PAL version exists and
rev.A is mentioned in the rev.B source code.
400/800 rev.A PAL All info found in two Atari 400's and Atari 800
ROM module CX801.P
400/800 rev.B NTSC Information from a ROM dump and the rev.B source
listing. The part numbers were listed in the
catalog from 'Best Electronics'. According to
'Mapping the Atari' rev.B ROMs have a 'B' at the
end of the part number, therefore I figure these
part numbers are from rev.B.
400/800 rev.B PAL Could exist, since the NTSC version exists and
there's some conditional PAL/NTSC assembly in
the rev.B source code
1200XL rev.10 PAL/NTSC All info found in an Atari 1200XL. The XL/XE
rev.2 source code refers to it as rev.10.
'Best Electronics' calls it rev.A.
1200XL rev.11 PAL/NTSC Refered to rev.11 by the XL/XE source code.
'Best Electronics' calls it rev.B.
XL/XE rev.1 All info found in an Atari 600XL
XL/XE rev.2 All info found in an Atari 800XL
XL/XE rev.3 All info found in an 800XE
XL/XE rev.4 All info found in an Atari XE Game System

O.S. Authors and dates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following info is from the Atari XL/XE rev.2 source code.

Revision A (400/800)
D.Crane / A.Miller / L.Kaplan / R.Whitehead

Revision B (400/800)
Fix several problems.
M.Mahar / R.S.Scheiman

Revision 10 (1200XL)
Support 1200XL, add new features.
H.Stewart / L.Winner / R.S.Scheiman /
Y.M.Chen / M.W.Colburn 10/26/82

Revision 11 (1200XL)
Fix several problems.
R.S.Scheiman 12/23/82

Revision 1 (600XL/800XL)
Support PBI and on-board BASIC.
R.S.Scheiman / R.K.Nordin / Y.M.Chen 03/11/83

Revision 2 (600XL/800XL)
Fix several problems.
R.S.Scheiman 05/10/83
Bring closer to coding standard (object unchanged)
R.K.Nordin 11/01/83

Vapour-ware
~~~~~~~~~~~
The following OS roms originate from rare Atari 8-bit systems.
Since I don't own any of these (unfortunately), I don't have much
information about these roms. Who can help me?

I've got two 16K rom dumps from the 1450XLD. Both ID's are rev.3.
The first dated 3/23/1984 comes from the 'Pooldisk Too' CD-ROM
(filename: 1540os3.v0) and the second dated 6/21/1984 was send to
me by Nir Dary (filename: os1450.128). Main differences between
these two are in the first 3K ($C000 - $CBFF).

The XL/XE OS rev.3B is from an Atari from Arabia. It's probably based
on rev.3. There are changes in the fonts (Arab characters) and several
patches in the code. More info at:
http://www.savetz.com/vintagecomputers/arabic65xe/

Rev. Found in Size CRC-32 Date
~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
3 1450XLD 16kB 0x0d477aa1 3/23/1984
3 1450XLD 16kB 0xd425a9cf 6/21/1984
3B 65XE 16kB 0xf0a236d3 7/21/1984

References
~~~~~~~~~~
- The modified september Atari 400/800 computer operating system
listing, revision B, (c)1982 Atari.
- The Atari O.S. source code rev.2, (c)1984 Atari.
- Atari XL addendum Atari home computer system operating system
manual: supplement to Atari 400/800 technical reference notes.
- Best Electronics, catalog of Atari 8-bit parts.
- Mapping the Atari, revised edition, Ian Chadwick, Compute! books
publication, 1985.

Credits
~~~~~~~
Special thanks to Nir Dary for the rev.2 source code, rom dumps and
the 1200XL. It's in good hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More info on what is maybe either the 1985 or 1987 XL/XE OS versions listed
above. From ST*ZMAGAZINE #36, Sept. 1, 1989 (as reprinted in PSAN Nov 89):
by Mark Elliot, Innovative Concepts
The following changes have been incorporated in the 130XE computer.

The O.S. has minor changes like:
A) The MEMORY TEST (from SELF TESTS) tests the extra 64K now! (in 4 squares)
B) Also, the MEMORY TEST checks the first 48K over TWICE as fast as before!
C) The KEYBOARD TEST has the F1-F4 keys missing on top. (function keys),
although the code that interprets them is probably there (like XEGS).
D) Also, it types out "COPYRIGHT 1985 ATARI" at the keyboard test, when all
tests are done. (compared to COPYRIGHT 1983 ATARI, before)
E) And, the O.S. chip itself, is on a 27256 EPROM, but only half of it is
used! (comprared to the original, which was on a 16K x 8 ROM, 27128 comp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
james adds (3/8/01):
Your faq, regarding OS Rev A, states:
Origins of ROM information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
400/800 rev.A NTSC Could exist, since the PAL version exists and
rev.A is mentioned in the rev.B source code.

Did exist! My parents bought me an Atari 400 w/ 410 back in 1981 for
entertainment when I was badly injured in a motorcycle accident. A
year or so later I paid good money ($40 USD or so?) to have the OS A
upgraded to OS B.

------------------------------

Subject: 7.2) What versions of Atari BASIC are there?

There were three versions of Atari BASIC produced: A, B, and C.

At the READY prompt, enter "? PEEK(43234)"

If the result is: You have Revision:
162 A
96 B
234 C

Freddy Offenga adds:
You can also take a look at the part numbers on the IC's
inside your Atari and compare them with the numbers from
the following table:

Part# Version
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
CO12402 + CO14502 A
CO60302A B
CO24947A C

On versions A, B, and C, Greg Miller writes:

"Rev A had a number of bugs, not just the commonly
described crash bug. Rev B fixed most (maybe all, I don't remember) of
these, but in the process, they added a new bug. You see, the crashes
were caused by a bug in one of OSS's memory move routines. When the bug
was fixed, the fix mistakenly applied to a routine that actually worked
in Rev A, causing the new lockup problem.

Rev C differs in only a few bytes. AFAIK, the only change was to remove
the alteration made to the routine that was broken by Rev B.

You can get more details from the annotated source listing published by
Compute! books. Bill Wilkinson described many of the problems in detail.
He also talked about it in his column in Compute! magazine."

Wally Lang adds:

--- Warner's Atari issued Rev B in two formats:
(1) As a built-in Basic on 600XL and 800XL computers.
(2) As a special request order item for 400/800 and 1200XL computers.

--- Tramiel's Atari issued Rev C in both formats for XE series computers and
ALL previous Atari 8-Bit Computers.

------------------------------

Subject: 7.3) What are Atari DOS I, DOS II v2.0S, DOS III, DOS 2.5, and DOS XE?

Here are short descriptions of the various Disk Operating Systems (DOS)
versions produced by Atari for use with their 8-bit computers.

The original Atari DOS shipped with all 810 disk drives from 1979-1981. It
consists of a single file, DOS.SYS, which is loaded into memory from disk on
startup.
At the top of the menu screen it reads:
DISK OPERATING SYSTEM 9/24/79
COPYRIGHT 1979 ATARI
Unless you are a collector, you probably have no reason to work with DOS I.
The DOS I disk is labeled: Atari 810 Master Diskette (CX8101).

DOS II Version 2.0S was shipped with all 810 disk drives, and early 1050 disk
drives, from 1981-1983. It consists of two files:
DOS.SYS is loaded into memory from disk on startup
DUP.SYS, which contains the DOS menu, is loaded only when needed.
MEM.SAV can be employed to preserve the contents of memory to disk when
DUP.SYS is loaded, so that the data can be restored to memory when exiting
from the DOS menu. DOS 2.0S supports Atari's proprietary single-sided, single
density 90K 5.25" floppy disk format only. DOS 2.0S represents the lowest
common denominator of Atari DOS versions--you can be assured than any Atari
disk drive for the 8-bit Atari can work with disks formatted with DOS 2.0S.
The DOS 2.0S disk is labeled: Atari 810 Master Diskette II (CX8104).

DOS II Version 2.0D was shipped with the rare Atari 815 Dual Disk Drive.
This is the double density version of DOS 2.0S.
The DOS 2.0D disk is labeled: Atari 815 Master Diskette (CX8201).

DOS III shipped with 1050 disk drives from 1983-1985. It was created in part
to take advantage of the 1050's Dual-Density capability, by employing a
single-sided, enhanced-density 128K 5.25" floppy disk drive format. Atari
called this format "dual-density," but the Atari community quickly came to
refer to this format as "enhanced-density" to better differentiate it from
widely available 3rd-party truly double density disk drives and supporting
versions of DOS. DOS III uses a disk format incompatible with DOS 2.0S. It
included a utility to convert files from DOS 2.0S to DOS III, but not back
again. It used disk space less efficiently than DOS 2.0S. For these reasons
and others, DOS III was not widely accepted by the Atari community, and like
DOS I is not generally used except for curiosity's sake.

DOS 2.5 shipped with 1050 disk drives and early XF551 disk drives from 1985-
1988. DOS 2.5 represented Atari's relenting to the masses, returning to DOS
2.0S compatability. DOS 2.5 very closely resembles DOS 2.0S, with just a
few features added. It supports both DOS 2.0S single-density 90K formats, as
well as an enhanced density 128K format for use with the 1050 disk drive.
DOS 2.5 also includes a RAMdisk utility for use with the 128K 130XE computer,
a utility to convert files from DOS III disks back to DOS 2.5, and other disk
utilities. DOS 2.5 is just about as universal among Atari users as DOS 2.0S.

DOS XE shipped with XF551 disk drives from 1988-1991. Like DOS III, DOS XE
introduced a whole new format for Atari floppy disks; but unlike DOS III, DOS
XE also preserved general compatability with DOS 2.0S/2.5. DOS XE supports
the full capabilities of the double-sided, double density 360K per 5.25"
floppy disk XF551 disk drive, including that drive's high-speed burst mode.
DOS XE also fully supports the 90K SS/SD capability of the 810 disk drive, the
128K SS/ED capability of the 1050 disk drive, the 180K SS/DD capability of
most 3rd-party disk drives for the Atari, and a RAMdisk for use with the
130XE. Date-stamping of files is supported. DOS XE requires an XL or XE
computer; it is not compatable with the 400/800 computer models. Even though
DOS XE was critically well-received, and represented a substantial jump in
capabilities over DOS 2.5, its arrival came so late in the crouded realm of
Atari and 3rd-party DOS versions that it never achieved much acceptance among
real users, and is now relegated to the same status as DOS I and DOS 3 before
it. Before its release, DOS XE was widely known as "ADOS."

------------------------------

Subject: 7.4) What's the best DOS for the Atari?

This is a matter of opinion, but general consensus is that all 8-bit Atari
users should treat themselves to either MYDOS or SpartaDOS to appreciate the
power of the system.

Either MYDOS or SpartaDOS will work with almost any disk drive, up to 8
drives or hard disk partitions, and ramdisk.

MYDOS is modelled after Atari DOS 2.0S/2.5, but provides subdirectory and
hard-drive support. MYDOS 4.53 is freeware from Wordmark Systems (Charles
Marslett and Bob Puff). There are two versions of MYDOS 4.53, one uses 3 digit
sector numbers where possible, known as 4.53/3; the other, known as 4.53/4,
uses 4 digits minimum. Complete documentation about the disk formats and
commands, as well as the source code, is available. MyDOS 4.53/3 was released
by David R. Eichel on 12/31/89.

SpartaDOS is a completely different command-line DOS modelled after MS-DOS,
though it is perfectly capable of reading all Atari DOS and MYDOS disks.
SpartaDOS 3.2g and 3.2gx are disk-based; SpartaDOS X 4.22 is cartridge-based
and includes many additional features. SpartaDOS 3.3a and 3.3b were rewritten
by Stephen J. Carden for use with BBS Express PRO!. SpartaDOS 3.3c is
produced on a 16K ROM cartridge from Video 61.

It is recommended that all 8-bit Atari users own at least DOS 2.5 for complete
compatibility with existing software, and then choose either SpartaDOS or MYDOS
as they see fit. DOS 2.5, MYDOS and SpartaDOS are all available on the
archives.
filenames: Os/dos25.arc (DOS 2.5)
Fte/fte32g.arc (SpartaDOS 3.2g)
Os/mydos453.dcm (MYDOS - latest version)
Os/mydos45m.arc (MYDOS - latest complete doc's)

Another popular, powerful DOS is BW-DOS, freeware by Jiri Bernasek.
(it is pronounced "Bay Vay Dos")

Carolyn Hoglin adds:
I didn't see TOP-DOS mentioned anywhere. This superior DOS was written
by R. K. Bennett of Eclipse Software in Sunnyvale, CA. It was based on
Atari DOS, but with many, many more features. It fully supports my
double-density, double-sided Astra drives, automatically sensing the
proper density and sidedness of both drives 1 and 2. (MYDOS only seemed
to do that on drive 1.) Also supported are large ramdisks for Axlon,
Mosaic, etc. The latest version was TOP-DOS 1.5+, which came with an
excellent manual explaining how to use its powerful capabilities.

Any other versions of DOS all 8-bit Atari users should be aware of??
- SuperDOS 5.1
- BiboDOS 5.x

------------------------------

Subject: 7.5) How do I modify Atari DOS to support more than two drives?

Russ Gilbert writes:

DOS 2 type DOSes default to two drives.
Boot DOS and BASIC.
? PEEK(1802)
if it is 3 then you only recognize two drives.
To get the 3rd drive, poke 1802,7. Then go to dup.sys (type DOS)
and write system files. Next time you boot that DOS, you'll recognize
3 drives.
If you want four drives, poke 1802,15.

------------------------------

Subject: 7.6) Are there Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for the Atari?

this text to expand!

1) Diamond DOS (cartridge). Try to find version 3.

2) Screen Aided Management (SAM). Available from DGS,
http://www.dgs.clara.net/

3) BOSS, by Mirko Sobe. http://www.atarixle.de/

------------------------------

Subject: 8.1) What are the best terminal emulators available?

Here are some of the more popular PD/freeware/shareware terminal
programs available.

Ice-T XE v2.72 (128K XL/XE) or Ice-T 800 v1.1 (48K)
shareware by Itay Chamiel
Emulates: VT100
Text: 80 column via a fast-scrolling graphics 8 screen
File Xfer: X/Y/ZMODEM download
Autodial: Yes (2.72) or No (1.1)
Backscroll buffer: Yes--8 screens (2.72) or One screen (1.1)
Capture-to-disk: Yes--up to 16K (2.72) or No (1.1)
Summary: Outstanding flicker-free high-speed VT100 emulation.Recommended!
http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~itayc

FlickerTerm 80 v.0.51, freeware by LonerSoft (Clay Halliwell)
Emulates: VT100, IBM ANSI
Text: 80 column via a special Graphics 0 screen (no hardware req'd)
File Xfer: None
Autodial: No
Backscroll buffer: No
Capture-to-disk: No
Summary: Fastest and most complete VT100 emulation; readability a minus

BobTerm 1.22, shareware by Bob Puff
(There's also a 1.23 that's specific to PC XFormer)
Emulates: VT52
Text: 40 columns in gr.0; 80 col. w/ XEP80
File Xfer: XMODEM, YMODEM, FMODEM
Autodial: Yes
Backscroll buffer: No
Capture-to-disk: Yes
Summary: Feature-filled; best for BBSing
filename: Telecomm/bterm12.arc

Kermit-65 3.7, PD by John R. Dunning
Emulates: VT100
Text: 40 columns in gr.0; 80 col. in gr.8; 80 col. w/ XEP80 (sort of)
File Xfer: Kermit
Autodial: No
Backscroll buffer: No
Capture-to-disk: No
Summary: Excellent VT100 emulation; rock-solid Kermit Xfers
filenames: Telecomm/k65v37.arc - latest version
Telecomm/k65doc.arc - documentation
Telecomm/k65src.arc - source code

OmniCom by CDY Consulting
Emulates: VT100
Text: 80 columns in gr.8
File Xfer: XMODEM, Kermit
Autodial: No
Backscroll buffer: No
Capture-to-disk: No
Summary: Only option combining VT100, XMODEM, Kermit; buggy at file Xfers
filename: Telecomm/omnicom.arc

VT850 B1, shareware by Curtis Laser
Emulates: VT100/VT102 (plus complete VT220 keymap)
Text: 40 columns in gr.0; 80 col. w/ XEP80
File Xfer: None
Autodial: No
Backscroll buffer: No
Capture-to-disk: Yes
Summary: Only option for VT100 emulation on the XEP80; 1200bps top speed
filename: Telecomm/vt850b1.arc

------------------------------

Subject: 8.2) What BBS software can be used on the Atari?

This section mostly by Winston Smith.
Credit for AMIS to MACE by Steven Sturza.

o A.M.I.S. BBS -- The A.C.E. Message Information Service.
The AMIS BBS was written in BASIC by people from the
Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts. It included designs for a ring-detector.
You needed a sector editor and had to allocate message space by hand, hex byte
by hex byte.

Steven Sturza adds:
The AMIS BBS was written by people from the Michigan Atari Computer
Enthusiasts.

o FoReM BBS -- Friends of Rickey Moose BBS.
At the time, there were a lot of BBSes around
called things such as "FORUM-80" and "BULLET-80", ergo the name. FoReM BBS
was the first truly RBBS-like BBS for the ATARI 8-bit. It was programmed
in BASIC and was somewhat crashy. I think that this is the
great-grandparent of the FOREM-XE BBSes that survive today.

Matt Singer writes:
FoReM BBS derived from an early AMIS. When multiple message areas were
added the name was extended to FoReM 26M. Then, When OSS released BASIC
XL the program was rehacked and called FoReM XL... Bill Dorsey wrote most
of the Assembler routines (where is he now?).

o ABBCS -- The ANTIC Bulletin Board Construction Set.
The user design of the ABBCS was very good. It sported
features such as intra-line editors. Unfortunately, the coding of the
ABBCS was really poor. You could practically blow on your keyboard and
crash this BBS. The BBS would sometimes crash several times a day.

o NITE-LITE BBS -- Paul Swanson's BBS with RAM disk.
Paul Swanson was a programmer from the Boston,
Massachusetts, USA, area. I'm not sure whether his BBS for the
Atari 8-bit has been placed into the public domain or not. This BBS was
the first to support a RAMdisk, which Paul Swanson called a "V:" device
for "virtual disk". This BBS was written in Atari BASIC and required a
joystick hardware "dongle" device. This was notable as being one of the
first Atari 8-BIT BBSes that could actually go for a week without having
to be rebooted. Pointers to the message base were kept in an Atari "very
long string" (for which Atari BASIC is famous). The BBS would only have
problems (for the most part) if this string became corrupted.

o ATKEEP -- An Atari 8-bit version of CITADEL BBS.
I believe that AT-KEEP, like FOREM-XE, requires the use of
the commercial BASIC XE cartridge to run. This BBS program was very
popular around Louisiana, USA, from what I understand.

o Benton's SMART BBS -- BBS written in BASIC by Marco Benton.
This program is written entirely in BASIC. It
expects to be running under a SpartaDOS environment. This was a problem
until very recently, when the disk-based version of SpartaDOS was
re-released as shareware. This BBS program uses a "modem clock string"
rather than an R-Time 8 cartridge in order to retrieve the current time.
It also comes with an Atari BASIC game door called "Sabotage".

o FOREM-XE -- FOREM using BASIC XE.
This version of FOREM BBS requires the commercial BASIC XE
cartridge in order to run. It is in the public domain and can import and
export messages from the Atari PRO! BBS EXPRESS-NET (7-bit text only,
control ATASCII graphics are reserved for message data-structure bytes).
FOREM-XE BBS is still currently in use as we speak, and may be reached via
the PRO! EXPRESS-NET as long as the cross-networking "transnet" is still in
effect.

o The BBS Express -- PRO! BBS demo program.
This is the public domain version of EXPRESS!-BBS,
which is the Keith Ledbetter companion project of the EXPRESS!-TERM
terminal program of days gone by. I am not familiar with this program. I
think that it is written in Action! and only supports XMODEM Checksum
transfers. I have never called or seen this program demonstrated.

o OASIS JUNIOR III -- OASIS BBS demo program.
OASIS JUNIOR III is the --ALL MACHINE LANGUAGE--
demo version of the OASIS BBS program. OASIS is very crash-resistant and
comes with a "dial out" screen so that the Sysop can use the BBS as a
terminal program to call and fetch files without having to bring the BBS
down and reload a terminal program. OASIS supports "Door programs" which
it refers to as "OASIS PAL modules". This OASIS demo module comes with an
excellent message system. The OASIS file system is one of the most
complicated that I have ever seen. It consists of "file libraries" with
suites of "file types". There is quite a bit of overhead involved in
performing a download (which may be a good thing, as it discourages file
hogs). There is a commercial version of OASIS called "OASIS IV" that
performs networking. There was an OASIS network between Boston,
Massachusets, USA and Murfreesboro(SP?), Tennessee, USA. Occasionally word
of the OASIS IV developers reaches the network from New Zealand or Canada.

o Frank Walters BBS -- I know nothing about this BBS except that Frank
Walters wrote it.

o Carina BBS -- a shareware product of Shadow Software.

o BBS Express! Professional -- a product of Video 61, www.atarisales.com

o OASIS IV -- a product of ???

o Forem-XE Pro -- by Len Spencer. http://members.aol.com/lenspencer/

------------------------------

Subject: 8.3) What programming languages are available for the Atari?

This section also kept at http://www.student.kun.nl/f.offenga/atari.htm

Revision : 1.3
Date.... : 4/19/1999

==============================================================
!!!! This section is under construction - HELP WANTED !!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------
The goal is to give information about all available languages
for the Atari 8-bit computer. This information will include:
title, last version, author, date and a short description.
It would also be nice to know how to get it and where to get
more information (like reference cards, reviews and such).

Freddy Offenga, mailto: [email protected]
==============================================================

There are quite a lot! To get some structure in this section it's
divided into the following categories;

a) ASSEMBLER
b) BASIC
c) C
d) PASCAL
e) LISP
f) FORTH
g) PILOT
h) LOGO
i) All the rest

The following format is used:

- Language titel (medium)
version, year : version, year
author/company : author/company
available..... : where/how to get it
package....... : programs, documentation
features...... : main features
Description.

The question marks (?) indicate that more information is
required about that topic.

Definitions:
umich University of Michigan Atari archive

Some resources:
- The Multi-lingual Atari, Analog magazine 45, August 1986
- A bunch of manuals
- Some copy-pasted lines from the Atari 8-bit newsgroup

a) ASSEMBLER

- 130XE+ Makro Assembler (disk)
version, year : 2.2, 1992
author/company : Torsten Karwoth
available..... : freeware, ?
package....... : assembler, editor, menu, monitor,
batch enhancement, linker/packer
features...... : macros
Two pass 6502 assembler with integrated menu, editor
and monitor shell. Needs extra RAM banks. Source
format is derived from Atmas Makroassembler.

- A65 (disk)
version, year : ?, 1989
author/company : Charles Marslett, WORDMARK Systems
available..... : freeware, ?
package....... : assembler, manual
features...... : source include
Two pass 6502 assembler. Source format is based on the
Atari Macro Assembler. Assembler source included.

- Alfasm, Turbo-Assembler/16 (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1990
author/company : Jeff Williams, DataQue Software
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, docs
features...... : source include
Two pass 6502/65816 assembler.

- Atari Assembler/Editor (cart)
version, year : ?, 1981
author/company : Atari
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor, manual
features...... : -
Two pass 6502 assembler with integrated editor/monitor

- Atari Macro Assembler (disk)
version, year : 1.0C, 1981
author/company : Atari, APX
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, debugger, manual
features...... : macros, source include
Two pass 6502 assembler.

- Atmas Makroassembler (disk)
version, year : 2, 1985
author/company : Peter Finzel, Hofacker
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor, manual
features...... : macros
Two pass 6502 assembler with integrated editor/monitor.

- Bibo Assembler (disk)
version, year : ?, 1986
author/company : Compy-shop
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor
features...... : source include, data include
Two pass 6502/65c02 assembler with integrated editor/
monitor.

- Datasm/65 assembler (disk)
version, year : 2.0, 1981
author/company : DataSoft Inc.
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, menu, manual
features...... : -
Two pass 6502 assembler.

- EASMD (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1981
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor
features...... : ?
Two pass 6502 assembler with integrated editor/monitor.

- Fast Assembler (disk)
version, year : 1.5, 1995
author/company : MMMG Soft
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, disassembler
features...... : ?

- Kasm65 (disk)
version, year : 2.41, 1994
author/company : Ken Siders
available..... : shareware, umich
package....... : assembler, editor, linker, docs
features...... : macros, relocation, source include,
conditional assembly
Two pass 6502 assembler. Relocatable object files are
compatible with ra65. Source format is derived from
the Atari Macro Assembler.

- MAC/65 Macro Assembler (disk|cart)
version, year : 2.00, 1982
author/company : Stephen D. Lawrow, OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor, manual
features...... : macros, source include
Two pass 6502 assembler with integrated editor/monitor.
Mac/65 is a direct descendant of the Atari Assembler/
Editor (via EASMD).

- MAE (disk)
version, year : .96, 1996
author/company : John Harris
available..... : umich
package....... : assembler, menu, editor, monitor, docs
features...... : macros, source include, data include,
conditional assembly
Two pass 6502/65816 assembler with integrated editor/
monitor. Extra RAM supported.

- NASM65 (disk)
version, year : ?, 1992
author/company : Nat!
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, linker, librarian
features...... : macros, relocation, source include
One pass 6502 portable cross assembler (initially for
the ST). Highly compatible with MAC/65.

- PC-65 (disk)
version, year : 1.0 beta, 1996
author/company : Jan Feenstra & Freddy Offenga
available..... : mailto: [email protected]
package....... : assembler
features...... : macros, source include, data include,
boundary directive
Two pass 6502 cross assembler for the PC. The source
format is highly compatible with the ST-65 assembler.

- Quick Assembler (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1990?
author/company : JBW, Avalon?
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, menu, debugger
features...... : source include
Two pass 6502 cross assembler with integrated editor.
Very user friendly menu environment.

- Ra65 (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1989
author/company : John R. Dunning
available..... : public domain, umich
package....... : assembler, linker, librarian
part of cc65 (c-compiler)
features...... : ?

- Synassembler (disk|cart)
version, year : ?, 1982
author/company : Steve Hales, Synapse Soft
available..... : ?
package....... : assembler, editor, monitor, manual
features...... : source include
Two pass 6502 assembler.

- ST-65 (disk)
version, year : ?, 1991
author/company : A. Stauffenberg, F. Offenga
available..... : mailto: [email protected]
package....... : assembler, menu shell, manual
features...... : macros, conditional assembly,
source include, data include,
boundary directive
Two pass 6502/65c02 cross assembler for the Atari ST
written in 68000 assembly. As far as I know this is
the first assembler with the boundary directive.

b) BASIC

- A BASIC Compiler (?)
version, year : 1.03, ?
author/company : Monarch Data Systems
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC compiler
features...... : ?

- Advan BASIC (disk)
version, year : ?, ?
author/company : Advan Language Designs
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC compiler
features...... : ?

- Atari 800 Basic (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1981
author/company : Microsoft
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- Atari BASIC (cart)
version, year : Rev.C, 1983
author/company : Atari
available..... : standard ROM in Atari XL/XE
package....... : BASIC interpreter, manual
features...... : pretty plain BASIC implementation

- Atari Microsoft BASIC II (cart)
version, year : ?, 1991
author/company : Atari
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC interpreter
features...... : ?

- BASIC A+ (disk)
version, year : 3.05, 1981
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC interpreter
features...... : ?

- BASIC XL (cart)
version, year : ?, ?
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC interpreter
features...... : ?

- BASIC XE (cart)
version, year : ?, 1985
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC interpreter
features...... : ?

- Turbo Basic XL (disk)
version, year : 1.5, 1985
author/company : Frank Ostrowski, Happy Computer
available..... : ?
package....... : BASIC interpreter, compiler (V1.1)
features...... : ?
Published in the German magazine "Happy Computer".

c) C

- ACE C (disk)
version, year : ?
author/company : John Palevich & Ralph Walden
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?
This is a newer version of 'Deep Blue C'.

- C/65 (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?
Probably derived from Dr.Dobbs "Small C". Compiles to 6502
code which emulates the 8080 instruction set.

- C65 (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : Keith Ledbetter
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : good macro assembler
This compiler does not support structs.

- CC65 (disk)
version, year : 1989
author/company : John R. Dunning
available..... : www.cc65.org
package....... : compiler, linker, assembler, librarian
features...... : ?
Public domain compiler. Also used as cross compiler.
Relocatable object linkage files, and the most thorough
K&R C for the 8-bit. Comes with an relocatable assembler.

- CC8 (disk)
version, year : 2.3
author/company : John Palevich & Steve Kennedy
available..... : ?
package....... : Compiler
features...... : ?
ACE C with more "real" C support (e.g. arrays of pointers
to structs). Requires ACE C runtime libs and linker.

- Deep Blue C (disk)
version, year : 1.2, 1982
author/company : John Palevich, APX
available..... : ?
package....... : Compiler, Linker
features...... : ?
Deep Blue C was originally an independent product, but it
then became available from APX. It converts C to pseudo-
code and then interprets the pseudo code (8080 instruction
set emulation).
Drawn from Ron Cain's public domain C-compiler (Small-C).

- DVC C (disk)
version, year : 1.05, 1985
author/company : Ralph E. Walden
available..... : ?
package....... : Editor, Compiler, Optimizer, Linker
features...... : Quite user friendly program
The compiler generates special object files (.CCC)
which can be optimized and linked. The package uses a
special DOS called DVC DOS which contains runtime stuff.

- LightSpeed C (disk)
version, year : 1.08, 1986
author/company : Clearstar Softechnology
available..... : ?
package....... : Compiler, Optimizer, Linker
features...... : ?
Runs under CLI DOS's and MENU DOS's.

- Tiny-C
version, year : ?
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?
First sold C compiler by OSS. This compiler was used to
compile itself! First true language "bootstrap" on any
8-bit machine (it was also available for Apple and CP/M
machines). Derived from Dr.Dobbs "Small C". Compiles to
6502 code which emulates the 8080 instruction set.

d) PASCAL

- Atari Pascal (disk)
version, year : 1.0, 1982
author/company : APX
available..... : APX-20102
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- Draper Pascal (disk)
version, year : 2.1, 1989
author/company : Norm Draper
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- Kyan Pascal (disk)
version, year : 1986
author/company : Kyan Software, APX
available..... : ?
package....... : editor, compiler, linker, macro-assembler
and manual
features...... : ?
Kyan Pascal would run off a single floppy. The Atari (APX)
version needs two drives. A version which runs entirely in
128k should be available too.

e) LISP

- INTER-LISP/65 (disk)
version, year : 2.1, 1981
author/company : Special Software Systems, DataSoft
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

f) FORTH

- ValForth (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : Valpar International
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- Extended fig-Forth (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : APX
available..... : APX-20029
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- fig-Forth (disk)
version, year : 1.4s
author/company : ?
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- fun-Forth (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : APX
available..... : APX-20146
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- Grafik-FORTH
version, year : ?
author/company : ?
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

- QS Forth (?)
version, year : ?
author/company : Quality Software
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

g) PILOT

- Atari PILOT (cart)
version, year : 1980
author/company : Atari
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

h) LOGO

- Atari LOGO (cart)
version, year : 1983
author/company : LCSI, Atari
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?

i) All the rest

- Action! (cart)
version, year : 1983
author/company : OSS
available..... : ?
package....... : compiler, editor, monitor and library
features...... : fast compiler which generates good code
Needs cartridge for runtime procedures. A PD runtime
library is also available.
All variables are static, so recursive routine calls
are not possible. No floating point type (though a
PD library should make this possible). No arrays of
objects (arrays of POINTERS to objects are possible).

- Quick (disk)
version, year : 2.0, 1990
author/company : Raindorf Soft
available..... : ?
package....... : ?
features...... : ?
This is the "poor man's Action!". Same restrictions as
Action! apply also to Quick. Further restrictions are:
only simple assignment expressions, no records and no
pointers.

- Test Computer Language (disk)
version, year : 2.2, 1985-1990
author/company : D.Firth
available..... : public domain, ?
package....... : compiler and editor
features...... : ?

------------------------------

Subject: 8.4) What cartridges were released for the Right Slot of the 800?

Gene posted this list on 22 Jan 2001:

Austin Franklin Austin 80 Console Software
Eastern House KISS
Eastern House Monkey Wrench
Eastern House Monkey Wrench II
Geminisoft/Sar-An Magic Dump
Geminisoft Magic Dump II
Radical Systems Cartridge Maker (eprom burner)

Then Larry White added on 26 Jan 2001:

And the first commercially released right cartridge, the "Block" -- which was
also the first cartridge "backup" program hardware device.

------------------------------

Subject: 8.5) What games support 4 or more simultaneous players?

contributors to this section:
Jeff M Lodoen, Vidar \"Hawk\" Olavesen, Pat Mulvey,
Steven E. Posey (Party Quiz controllers description), Andreas Magenheimer

The following games support 4 player head-to-head play. Remember, only the
400 and 800 computer models sport 4 controller ports.

Asteroids, Basketball, Dandy, M.U.L.E., Maze War, Silicon Warrior, Survivor,
Thorn EMI Soccer, Major League Hockey

The following support 8 players on the 400/800 or 4 on the other computer
models, using the 2 controllers-per-port CX30 Paddle controllers:

Super Breakout, Worms?

The following supports 4 players on all machines, using special 4-button keypad
controllers linked together with RJ-11 jacks (standard phone jacks) to a box
with 2 joystick port connectors.

Party Quiz by Suncom

Andreas Magenheimer contributes the following:

- Networking 1-8 players/computers games:
Dataque once (1989-1992) developed a Network game+cable which lets you
connect 1-8 A8 computers together. The cable (octagon or so) could be
selfmade or bought. The game avaiable was Maze of Agdagon (shareware
from the Agda Group/Dataque). Maze of Agdagon worked on all 8Bit Ataris
with a minimum of 48k RAM. In 1999/2000 Bewesoft discovered this and
developed the game Multidash which is network-compatible to the previous
game, i.e. it can use the same network cable. But, because of its
interlaced grapic mode Multidash will only run on XL/XE computers.
Therfore Jiri included a good Gr. 8 picture how to built an easy network
cable for 2 players/computers (using a SIO cable as a nullmodem cable!)
and an -not so easy - network cable for 2-8 players/computers. The game
and its text+picture was released as freeware; it can be found on the
internet or the abbuc magazine...

in short: networking games with 1-8 players: a) Maze of Agdagon
b) Multidash

- multi-joystick games:
In 1999/2000 L.Sterba (or so) developped some hardware to connect 8
joysticks to one XL/XE joystickport (or 16 Joysticks to both ports). He
also developed a game for this, named ... (tricky czech name!), which is
a sort of multi-player TRON game... Screenshots are avaiable at Mr.
Sterba's Homepage (URL?) and maybe soon at ABBUC magazine... (it has
been tested at the ABBUC JHV!)

------------------------------

Subject: 8.6) What programs run only on the 400 and 800 models, and why?

The following are reported as incompatable with models other than the original
Atari 400/800. Most probably do work on XL/XE's if you use a translator to
run the original 400/800 OS on your XL/XE.

Apple Panic Broderbund
Aquatron Sierra On-Line
Astro Chase First Star Software / Parker
Atlantis Imagic
Attack at EP-CYG-4 (by Bram) Romox
Bandits
BearJam Chalkboard Inc.
Boulders And Bombs CBS
Chicken Synapse
Demon Attack Imagic
Disk 50
Dreadnaught Factor, The Activision
Drelbs Synapse
Forbidden Forest Cosmi
Fort Apocalypse Synapse
Galahad And The Holy Grail APX
Go Hayden
Gorf Roklan
Jawbreaker II
Jet Boot Jack English
Juggler IDSI
K-Razy Antiks K-Byte
K-razy Kritters CBS Software
K-razy Kritters K-Byte
Kangaroo Atari prototype
KoalaPainter Koala
Leo's 'Lectric Paintbrush Chalkboard Inc.
Leo's Links Chalkboard Inc.
LogicMaster Chalkboard Inc.
Lunar Leeper
Mario Bros. ('83) Atari
Maze Epyx
MicroMaestro Chalkboard Inc.
Monkey Wrench
Monster Maze Epyx
Ms. Pac-Man Atari [some problems
M.U.L.E.(early release only)Electronic Arts
Nautilus Synapse
Pac-Man Jr. Atari prototype
Picnic Paranoia Synapse
Pool 1.5 IDSI
Pool 400 IDSI
Protector II Synapse
Rack 'Em Up Rocklan
Shamus Synapse
Slime Synapse
Snapper Silicon Valley Systems
Space Dungeon Atari
Squish 'Em Sirius
Super Pac-Man Atari prototype

Konrad M.Kokoszkiewicz writes:

XL/XE software won't work on 400/800 if:

1) it uses shadow RAM at $C000-$CFFF and $D800-$FFFF
2) it uses RAM expansions at $4000-$7FFF controlled by PORTB $D301
3) it uses specific XL OS functions (like JNEWDEVC)
4) it uses illegal XL OS addresses.
5) it uses European Charset :)

------------------------------

Subject: 8.7) What programs make use of the Light Gun or a light pen?

Bertrand M. (LEXX) writes:

Bug Hunt, Barnyard Blaster, Crossbow, Crimebuster, Operation Blood, Operation
Blood II - Special Forces (not completely sure about that one), Light Gun
Blaster (PD), Gangsterville (Italian game written in BASIC), maybe a couple
more...

James Bradford mentions:
"On the 400, the light gun /pen will only work in joystick port 4." This
renders much light gun and light pen software unusable on the 400.

Andreas Magenheimer adds:
all Lightgun games can be used with a lightpen (which is not as accurate as a
Lightgun however). And: all lightpen games can be used with lightgun. thus
add:
- Atari Graphics (Atari) Lightpen graphic software
- 5 Matrix or Matrix 5, a PD game...
- Alien Invaders (DGS) a Space Invaders clone from the brits...
- Bembelwo (Thorsten Butschke) a sort of golf/minesweeper game, written
in Quick and PD!
- Sharp Shooter (Mat*Rat) a PD game from Analog, also avaiable on cart
from Video 61/Lance Ringquist
- Lightgun Shooter (ABBUC mag.) a simple shooter game, at least PD!
- Flyshot (or Flyshoot) a Turbo Basic game (PD) from ZONG, the KE Soft mag.

More:
Geisterschloss by KE Soft, 1992

------------------------------

Subject: 8.8) What programs have a track ball mode or support a mouse?

Andreas Magenheimer writes:

Title Keystroke Required
-------------- ---------------------
Missile Command (Atari) CTRL-T
Slime (Synapse) [T]
Shanghai (Activision) choose controller type: ST mouse !
(plug it into port 2; if you do not
have one, you have to reboot!!)
Bombdown (Roemer of Uno) choose between Joystick, Amiga
mouse, ST mouse or CX85 numeric
keypad (use port 2 for any mice)
Minesweeper (PPP/PD-World Versand) use an ST mouse in port 2
The Brundles (KE-Soft/Kaisersoft) use an ST mouse in port 2
The Brundles Editor (KE-Soft, PD) use an ST mouse in port 2
Geisterschloss/Ghost Castle (KE-Soft, PD) choose Lightgun (port 1) or ST
mouse (port 2)
10-12 games from ZONG magazine ST mouse games !! (they use port 2
(KE SOFT, now PD) and a driver
called KEMAUS.COM)
Multi-Mouse manager (PD/shareware) drivers for mice, TB, etc.
Unriagh I (german PD adventure) has drivers for ST mouse+Joystick
(stick=port 1, mouse=port2)
Unriagh II (german PD adventure) has drivers for ST mouse+joystick
(stick=port 1, mouse=port 2)
little Calculator (AMC-Verlag, PD) uses mouse only (port 2)
big UPN calculator (PD) uses ST mouse, TB, Touch tab. and
joystick; (there are different COM
files, rename the one you wish to
use to *.EXE; all drivers use port
1 - if I remember correctly)
Operation Blood (ANG/Mirage) press mouse fire or Select to start
in ST mouse mode (port 2)
Operation Blood 2 / Special Forces press mouse fire or Select to start
(ANG/Mirage) in ST mouse mode
Sprint XL (ABBUC Jahresgabe 1992) uses an ST mouse in port 2
M.O.S. (ABBUC magazine) uses an ST mouse in port 2
Multi-(Tasking-)Operating-System,
Diamond GOS (Reeve software) Version 1.0 (disk), 2.0 & 3.0
(cart.)
support an ST mouse in port 2
S.A.M. (Power per Post) german GUI, supports an ST mouse in
port 2
G.O.E. (TCS) supports an ST mouse in port 1

RE: Missile Command, Andreas writes:
there are many different versions avaible... I know the old Atari 800
cart version, which works correct with Joystick and Trakball, but not at
all with a mouse. The newer XL version works with Mouse, trackball and
Joystick, also the newest (built-in) XEGS version of MC. But, there is
also a tape version (and maybe a disk version) of MC avaiable. I am not
sure if this tape version behaves like the old 800 version or like the
newer XL and XE/XEGS versions...

And about mice, Andreas adds:
Maybe you did not know, there is a little difference between Trackball
and ST-mouse. Although MC works with both input devices does not mean,
they are the same. they are not !! Connect the TB to an ST computer and
you see: it does not work at all !! You have to do a small conversion to
convert the TB to an ST mouse. (Plans are avaiable from ABBUC, germany).
maybe somebody already did this with Harvey`s TB (and to make things
worse: the old Atari 800 version does not support a mouse; so if the TB
has been converted to a mouse this MC version will not work with it!).

------------------------------

Subject: 8.9) What programs have a paddle(s) or Koala Pad mode?

Andreas Magenheimer contributes:

- Super Breakout (Atari) breakout clone
- Live Wire (Analog) tempest clone
- Live wire 2 (Analog) tempest clone
- Planetary Defense (Analog)
- Pong (Antic) Pong clone
- Pong (Analog) Pong clone
- Super Ball (Compy Shop Magazin) Breakout clone
- Arkanoid (Taito/Imagic) Breakout clone
- Koala/Micro-Illustrator (Island graphics/Koala Ware) graphics program
- Chiseler (Antic or Analog) a breakout clone
- Slime (Synapse) a slimy shooter...
- Chicken (Synapse) catch the chicken eggs...
- many more dozens of Pong and Breakout clones
(forgot their names, maybe someone can help here!)
- many more programs (which I do not remember right now!)

------------------------------

Subject: 8.10) What programs have a CX85 mode?

Andreas Magenheimer writes:

- Multi mouse Management (PD)
- UPN calculator (PD)
- the Bookkeeper (published by ???)
- Bombdown (Roemer of Uno)
- many games from KE-Soft and Powersoft
(forgot their names, help needed!)

------------------------------

Subject 8.11) What programs have a Touch tablet mode?

Andreas Magenheimer writes:

- Atari Artist (Atari) graphics program
- Pixel Artist Deluxe 1.3 (PD) graphics program
- The Brundles (KE-Soft) Lemmings clone
- many more (which I do not remember right now!)

------------------------------

Subject: 9.1) What's this UUEncoding stuff (.uu, .uue files) all about?

UUEncode/UUdecode is a UNIX utility that will convert a binary file into
100% printable ASCII characters, so that the file may be posted or e-mailed
anywhere a text message can go. The 8-bit Atari is perfectly capable of
UUEncoding/UUdecoding as well. On the archives:

Uudecode 1.2a by John Sangster - very functional.
filenames: Archivers/uudecode.bas, Archivers/uudecode.doc

Yet Another UU-coder by John Dunning - both decoding/encoding.
filename: Archivers/yau.arc

Uudecode.com, Uuencode.com by ??? - "newer, cleaner, easier to use."
filename: Utilities/uue.arc

Dumas UU-coder by John Dunning
filename: Cc65/dumasuu.arc

------------------------------

Subject: 9.2) What is an .arc file?

A file with the extender .arc has been archived in a standard manner that
is common in the MS-DOS world. This is done to make the file shorter,
so it takes up less space on your disk and it takes less time to transfer
between computers. The archives contains several 8-bit Atari archivers
fully compatible with this standard, including:

Super Un-Arc 2.3, Super Arc 2.0 by Bob Puff - highly recommended.
filenames: Archivers/superarc.arc - both Super Un-Arc & Super Arc
Archivers/suprarc2.arc - Super Arc
Archivers/supunarc.com - Super Un-Arc
Archivers/supunarc.uue - Super Un-Arc

------------------------------

Subject: 9.3) What are the .DCM, .ATR, .XFD, .SCP, and .DI disk image formats?

These are all filename extensions used to name files containing entire 8-bit
Atari floppy disk images.

DCM - Image format invented by Bob Puff, for his Disk Communicator 3.2 utility.
Used when working with native Atari hardware.
DCM specs at: http://home.planet.nl/~ernest/diskcomm.zip

ATR - Image format invented by Nick Kennedy, for his SIO2PC project.
Used with most 8-bit Atari emulators running on other computer platforms.

XFD - Image format invented by Emulators Inc, for their ST Xformer emulator.
Identical to ATR except without the 16 byte header.
Used with ST Xformer and PC Xformer emulators.

PRO - Image format invented by Steven Tucker, for his APE ProSystem device.
Used with APE, the Atari Peripheral Emulator.

SCP - SpartaDOS SCOPY image file.

DI - Image format invented by Kolja Koischwitz & Christian Kruger for their
800XL DJ emulator for the Atari ST.

One tool for converting among all of these disk image formats is:
Acvt v1.06 by Jindrich Kubec
Latest version can be found at http://www.asw.cz/~kubecj

------------------------------

Subject: 9.4) What are the .XMO and .BIN file formats?

XMO stands for XMODEM. The idea was that the file was not plain text,
but was a binary file. As a binary file, it had to be downloaded using a
file transfer protocol such as XMODEM. The use of ".xmo" as a filename
extender was popular once, but has been discouraged for years.

BIN - another filename extension sometimes used to designate binary-load
files. Like .xmo, use of .bin is discouraged.

------------------------------

Subject: 9.5) How can I make my commercial boot disk (tape, cart) into a load
file or disk image?

Russ Gilbert writes:

The disk image part is a matter of taking a copyable boot
disk and making an atr, xfd, dcm or other disk image type
file out of it, usually for use with an emulator. Before
emulators, the Bob Puff .dcm format was used to
store/archive/retrieve boot disk images.

Almost all commercial software for the A8 is/was copy
protected. For boot disks, this usually involved a large
number of special formatting that couldn't be copied using
ordinary sector copiers. Usually the boot process involved
checking to see if a certain sector error occurred, then
proceeding. If the error did not occur, the disk was a copy
and would not work.

For carts, usually the method of protection was to write to
the cart area of memory and see if the value changed. If the
value changed, the cart program was in RAM, not ROM and
would fail to operate.

For tapes, again a fair number of schemes were used. Some
varied the speed at which the tape loaded. I'm not familiar
with tape protection schemes.

With all software media (cart, tape, disk), there may be
program encryption, which must be decrypted before the
program can run. This to make more difficult disassembly of
the program.

There were/are a number of products to defeat copy
protection/allow copying of protected software for the A8.
The most common way to defeat copy protection was to
disassemble the software and revise sections of code so that
the copy protection was defeated. A software with defeated
copy protection is called a 'cracked' software. The basic
procedure is to understand how cart/tape/disk software
initializes, loads and runs. Usually make a file out of the
software and 'follow the code', starting with loading of
the program, to decryption to the actual running of the
program. Today, it is unnecessary to copy original
commercial A8 software because it has already been defeated
and may be found at a few ftp sites. (Note umich archive has
no commercial/non-shareware software.)

Besides 'cracking' software, there were/are hardware devices
to copy commercial protected software. The Happy 1050 and
the Archiver, and probably other modifications to the 810,
or 1050 allowed 'bit image' copying and reproduction of the
special formatting that copy protected disks had. Using
these archiving disk drives, a copy of the original disk,
including all special formatting and the original code is
copied, thus making a copy protected copy, not cracked, just
like the original.

For carts, copying could involve cracking or again there
were/are products to reproduce the cart and simulate a ROM.
Or the cart might be copied and burned on the correct type
of eprom, to make a plug in cart. 'The Impersonator', the
'Pill' are two cart copy schemes copy the cart to a file,
then don't change the code, but use a 'dummy cart' to fool
the software into thinking there is a ROM present.

Basic tools for copying, then cracking, carts and disks are
a sector editor and disassembler. Carts are usually most
easily dumped using a special OS, like Omnimon, to interrupt
the cart and dump memory to disk. There are a few pd cart
copiers that have the user plug the cart in when the program
is running, I don't believe these pd cart copiers are very
good or very wise to use.

So, the basic answer to 'how do I make a copy of my copy
protected commercial software' is don't bother. Find it on
the net.

There is one exception, in that this 'solution' involves a
minimum of effort and is relatively safe. I refer to
'Chipmunk' and 'Black Patch' software to make cracked boot
disk copy of commercial disks. HOWEVER, even if you use
these two commercial archival tools, be sure you write
protect your originals, and be careful not to accidentally
write to the original disk.

Finally, I'll mention a very modern (I mean 1997) product.
The APE Pro system, by Steven Tucker, in the registered
version of this shareware allows making disk images called
'Pro' images. APE (Atari Peripheral Emulator) requires a
cable, called the SIO2PC cable, that connects the A8 13 pin
serial port to a serial port on the IBM PC clone. To make
'Pro' images, a special adapter cable is needed, not just
the 'standard' SIO2PC cable. The 'Pro' image can 'capture'
the copy protection of an original commercial disk. The
'Pro' image can then be loaded into an A8 using the APE
registered version software, thus backing up your original
disk software. Note the 'Pro' image will only be of use to
person(s) owning registered APE software and 'Pro' adapter
cable.

------------------------------

Subject: 9.6) How can I convert my commercial boot tape into a cassette
image file?

Ernest R. Schreurs writes:

For those of you that like ALL classic Atari software, there is now a
way to store all software that has been recorded on cassette tapes on
the hard disk of your PC. I have written a program that is similar to
the SIO2PC utility written by Nick Kennedy. But this one is intended
for use with cassette software. You will need the following items:

Any PC equipped with a sound card and about 50 to 100 Megs of free
disk space to work with. The sound card should be able to sample sound
at a sample rate of 44.100 Hz mono. The sample must be recorded into
a .wav file.
You need the wav2cas program to convert the .wav file to a .cas file.
The .cas file is a digital cassette image file that only contains the
data that is on the cassette tape. Once you have that, you can throw
away the .wav file. The .cas files are typically 16 to 64K, so they
are relatively small.

To load cassette files into your Atari (i.e. boot a digital cassette
image) you do not need a sound card. You do need a SIO2PC cable or
similar device. You also need the cas2sio program.

The wav2cas and cas2sio programs should be available from the archives
of Umich by now. They have been put together in one zip file
wav2cas.zip, along with the documentation and the 'C' source code.
You can download it through the web interface at the URL
http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/8bit/Emulators/Peripherals/wav2cas.zip
Note the capital in Emulators and in Peripherals.
Thanks to William Kendrick for helping me get it uploaded there!
You can also try the gopher stuff:
gopher://gopher.archive.umich.edu:7055/11/atari/8bit/Emulators/Peripherals/

Steven Tucker, the author of APE, has added support for this file
format as of version 1.15 of APE. It looks real neat, so try that out
too! Thanks to Steven for adding a nice user interface for these
cassette images. He did a nice job. I am hoping other using are
willing to write some programs to get more enjoyment out of this
underrated storage medium.

My stuff is available totally free for personal use, so I hope you
enjoy it. Read the docs about the conditions.

------------------------------

Subject: 11.2) Can I read/write 8-bit Atari disks on an IBM-PC?

There are several programs that allow an MS-DOS system to work with an
Atari-format diskette. The following require a DOS and disk drive on the
Atari end capable of the SS/DD 180K format:

ATARIO by Dave Brandman w/ Kevin White - Reads SS/DD 180K Atari disks.
filename: Diskutils/atario21.arc

SpartaRead by Oscar Fowler - Reads SS/DD 180K SpartaDOS disks.
filename: Diskutils/sr.arc

UTIL by Charles Marslett - Reads/Writes SS/DD 180K Atari disks. Use MyUTIL!
filename: Diskutils/dskutil.arc
(Older versions are contained in pcxfer.arc, util.arc, and ataridsk.arc)

MyUTIL by Charles Marslett with Mark Vallevand, and
SpartaDOS disk utility by Mark Vallevand
filename: Diskutils/myutil.zip
includes best version of UTIL for read/write of SS/DD 180K Atari disks,
plus Mark's SpartaDOS disk utility v0.1e to access 180K SpartaDOS disks

Ataridsk V1.2 (c) 95-12-09 by HiassofT (Matthias Reichl)
http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/

MyUTIL and the XF551 - tips from JTKIRK:

]MyUtil works fine with the XF551. The XF551's speed is 300 rpm (sometimes even
]up to 303 rpm). I've got two XF551s and can read/write disks written on a PC
]with MyUtil on both with no problems. MyUtil even can write to a DS/DD disk,
]for a total of 360 K, BUT: the ATARI disks not only have the bits inverted,
]the second side is also read BACKWARDS respect to PC disks. That is, when
]MyUtil on the PC writes to what it thinks is sector 721, it really is writing
]to sector 1440! Worse, if you take an ATARI disk with a file whose sectors
]get past sector 720, MyUtil will attempt to read the sector 2161-n instead of
]'n', and you'll get a 'truncated record' error. The solution is simply to
]rewrite the code to take into account this (if sec>720 then sec=2161-sec).
]Let me know if you modify this. You don't know how frustrating it is to have
]to use only 180 K of a 360 K disk! I'm going to analyze the source code, but
]I don't know if I will be able to modify it properly. If someone does it
]before, please email me and send me an uuencoded copy or tell me where to get
]it.

Here's some advice on using the above utilities from Hans Breitenlohner:

There are two technical obstacles to interchanging disks between
DD Atari drives and PC drives.

1. The Atari drive spins slightly slower (288 rpm instead of 300 rpm).
If you format a disk on the Atari, then write sectors on the PC, it is
possible that the header of the next physical sector will be overwritten,
making that sector unreadable. (The next physical sector is usually
the current logical sector+2). The solution to this is to format all
disks on the PC.
(Aside: Does anybody know how this problem is handled on the
XF551? Is it also slowed down?)
Konrad Kokoszkiewicz answers:
"The XF551 disk drive is not slowed down - these drives are spinning
300 rotations per minute. To prevent troubles with read/write disks
formatted and written on normal Atari drives (288 rot/min), the main
crystal frequency for the floppy disk controller is 8.333 MHz
(not 8 MHz, as in 1050, for example)."

2. If the PC drive is a 1.2M drive there is the additional problem of the
track width. The following is generally true in the PC world:
- disks written on 360k drives can be read on either drive
- blank disk formatted and written on 1.2M drives can be read on
either kind
- disks written on a 360k drive, and overwritten on a 1.2M drive,
can be read reliably only on a 1.2M drive.
- disks previously formatted on a 360k drive, or formatted as 1.2MB,
and then reformatted on a 1.2M drive to 360k, can be read reliably
only on a 1.2M drive.
(all this assumes you are using DD media, not HD).

Solution: Use a 360k drive if you can. If not, format disks on the
Atari for Atari to PC transfers, format truly blank disks on the PC
for PC to Atari transfers.

Jon D. Melbo sums it up this way:
So a basic rule of themb when sharing 360KB floppies among 360KB &
1.2MB drives is: Never do any writes with a 1.2MB drive to a disk that
has been previously written to in a 360KB drive....UNLESS... you only
plan on ever using that disk in the 1.2Mb drive from then on out. Of
course a disk can be reformated in a particular drive any time for use
in that drive. As long as you follow that rule, you can utilize the
backwards compatible 360KB modes that most 1.2MB drives offer.

While the above work with SS/DD 180K Atari-format disks, the following
combination of utilities can be used to work with SS/SD 90K Atari-format
disks, and is currently the best bet for reading SS/ED 128K Atari-format
disks.

AnaDisk 2.07, shareware by Sydex - Reads/Writes "any" 5.25" diskette
filenames: Xf2/anad207.zip, Xf2/anadisk.txt
Apparently 2.07 is buggy.
Anadisk 2.06 is available at: http://ch.twi.tudelft.nl/~sidney/atari/

Deana by Nate Monson - converts AnaDisk dump files from Atari format
filenames: Xf2/deana.com, Xf2/deana.txt

Explanation --> According to Preston Crow:
"As best as I can figure it out, if your PC drive happens to read
FM disks (I'm not sure what the criteria for that is), then you
can read single density disks on your PC by dumping the contents
to a file with AnaDisk, and then using Deana.com to convert the
dump file into a usable format.
For enhanced density disks, Anadisk generally only reads the first
portion of each sector, but it demonstrates that it is possible for
a PC drive to read enhanced density disks."

------------------------------

Subject: 11.3) How do I transfer files using a null modem cable?

This section by Russ Gilbert.

Q: How do I connect two cmputers using a null modem cable?

A: You need a term program and RS 232 ports on both
computers. The RS 232 ports need to be connected
together using a 'null modem cable'.

For up to 4800 baud, no flow control lines need be
connected. Just cross the transmit and receive lines
and join the grounds together. Transmit is pin #2,
receive is pin #3 and ground is pin #7 on the 25 pin
port. 25 pin #2 goes to Atari #4 (XMT to RCV), 25 pin
#3 goes to #3 on Atari (RCV to XMT) and #5 of 850 goes
to #7 of 25 pin (GND to GND).

The right hand pin on the 'long' side of a female 'D'
connector is #1. There are 13 holes on this 'long'
side, 12 holes on the 'short' side. The numbers go
to the left 1 to 13 then #14 is under #1 and left again
so that #25 is under #13.

Most term programs allow a null connection, without a
carrier detect. Notably, 'Express 850' does not. I have
only used 'Procomm 2.4.3' (the last shareware version of
Procomm) on the PC and Bob Term on the Atari, but other
term programs may work.

To check your null modem connection, start both PC and
Atari term programs, set baud to 2400 or 4800 on both
computers. No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit on the PC.
Be sure to use the correct COM port on the PC. Go to
'terminal' mode and you should now be able to type on
either computer and see it on the other screen. To
accomplish a file transfer, use Y-modem probably from
Bob Term, rather than X-modem. X-modem will often append
bytes to a file transfer, an undesirable event. There is
also a very nice Z-modem recieve program for the Atari,
called AtarZmodem by Larry Black for the Atari.

A convenient way to make a null modem cable, up to about
30 feet long, is to use two female DB25 connectors
(Radio Shack) some three or more conductor cable. Using
the two DB25 female connectors allows unplugging your
modems and plugging in the null modem cable into the two
modem cables. This also avoids the confusion of
variations in the computer ports. Most computers connect
into the modem end via a standard RS232 DB25 connection.
With this both ends 25 pin cable, you would cross pins 2
and 3 and connect the #7s together to make a null modem
cable.

The SIO port on the Atari cannot be used directly. An
850, P:R: connection, MIO, Black Box or similar device
that provides an RS232 port must be used.

Following are pin assignments for a DB25 pin RS 232 C
port.
1. Protective Ground 12. Select Alternate Rate
2. Transmit Data 15. Transmit Clock (sync)
3. Receive Data 17. Receive clock (sync)
4. RTS (Request to Send) 20. Data Terminal Ready
5. CTS (Clear to Send) 22. Ring indicator
6. Data Set Ready 23. Select Alternate Rate
7. Signal Ground 24. Transmit Clock
8. Carrier Detect

For higher speed connections, above 4800 or 9600, you
need the flow control lines and Atari term software that
has flow control built in. You also need an MIO or Black
Box, which uses the PBI (parallel bus). A high speed
cable would need not only XMT, RCV, and GND, but also
flow control lines. I suggest a commercial null modem
from computer store to ensure correct lines. A null
modem is a small adapter with the correct lines already
crossed. I don't know how to correctly connect the CTS,
RTS, DTR, DSR, CRX lines for a high speed null modem.
With a null modem, you just plug it into the 25 pin
connectors of the two modem cables you might already
have connected to your Atari and PC or Mac. You may need
a straight thru 25 pin gender changer also.

Following is in this FAQ elsewhere, but I summarize here:
(Figure out or look for pin numbers on the ports.) Note
that these are pin assignments, and NOT null modem
connections with the XMT, RCV crossed and GND straight
thru.

Atari 8-bit PC AT 25 PC AT 9 pin
-------------------------------------
1. DTR 20 4*
2. CRX 8 1*
3. XMT 2 3
4. RCV 3 2*
5. GND 7 5
6. DSR 6 6
7. RTS 4 7
8. CTS 5 8
9. No connect? shield RI
22 RI

Note: * above indicates the difference between an AT 9 pin
and a Atari 8-bit 9 pin cable connector. eg. If you check
continuity from pin 3 of 25 pin end and it goes to pin
4 of nine pin end, you have an Atari serial cable. If pin
3 of 25 pin goes to pin 2 of 9 pin end, you have a PC
serial cable.
(updated 3/1/99)
(DTE = Data Terminal Equipment ie. your computer.
DCE = Data Communications Equipment ie. your modem.)

------------------------------

Subject: 11.4) What is SIO2PC?

From the SIO2PC home page, written by Nick Kennedy:

SIO2PC is a hardware & software package interfacing the 8-bit Atari to PC
compatible computers.

The original idea was to have the PC emulate Atari disk drives so Atari
programs could be stored on the PC's hard (or floppy) drives. It turned out to
be quite successful. About 95% of my work was in the software, but a hardware
device to convert logic levels was also necessary. This device is now commonly
referred to as an SIO2PC cable.

Features:

Emulates 1 to 4 Atari disk drives

Store your Atari files on PC hard or floppy drives

Boot from the PC, real drive not needed to start-up

No software or drivers required for the Atari;
no conflicts: use your favorite DOS

Twice as fast as an Atari 810 drive and more reliable

Co-exists with real drives in the Atari daisy chain

Compatible down to the hardware level: use sector copiers, etc.

Print-Thru captures Atari print-out and routes to PC's printer

Convert Atari files to PC files and vice versa

1050-2-PC version connects PC directly to Atari disk drive

Nick Kennedy
http://www.cswnet.com/~nkennedy/

Another source for building SIO2PC cables is Clarence Dyson's page at
http://www.redshift.com/~cdyson/atari.html

------------------------------

Subject: 11.5) What is the Atari Peripheral Emulator (APE)?

David A. Paterson writes:

"Steven J. Tucker took SIO2PC one better and wrote new software. The
Atari Peripheral Emulator (APE for short) lets your PC act as high-speed
drives. It lets you print to your PC printer. And it lets you use your
PC modem on the 8-bit."

The APE ProSystem goes even further. The ProSystem has two components:

- The program PROSYS.EXE is used to create the protected and unprotected
disk images which are then used by APE.

- The ProSystem hardware is a device designed to allow direct connection
of a stock 1050 disk drive directly to a PC for use by the PROSYS.EXE
software.

APE home page: http://www.nacs.net/~classics/

------------------------------

Subject: 13.19) What's the difference between ASCII and ATASCII?

David Moeser produced this nice translation table.

ASCII TRANSLATION TABLE -- IBM & ATARI 8-BIT (ATASCII)
======================================================

SECTION ONE: CONTROL CHARACTERS
===============================

DECIMAL ATARI IBM <----> ATARI ASCII
-HEX NAME KEY GRAPHICS CHARACTER FUNCTION
======= ==== === ====================== ========
0 00 NUL ^, none heart Null
1 01 SOH ^A smiley |- Start of header
2 02 STX ^B [smiley] right | Start of text
3 03 ETX ^C heart (9:00) End of last text
4 04 EOT ^D diamond -| End of transmission
5 05 ENQ ^E club (8:30) Enquiry
6 06 ACK ^F spade / Acknowledge (handshake)
7 07 BEL ^G rain dot \ Bell
8 08 BS ^H doorbell L triangle Backspace
9 09 HT ^I o low-R-sq. Horizontal tab
10 0A LF ^J [doorbell] R triangle Line feed
11 0B VT ^K Mars hi-R-sq. Vertical tab
12 0C FF ^L Venus hi-L-sq. Form feed
13 0D CR ^M note high bar Carriage return
14 0E SO ^N 2 notes low bar Shift out
15 0F SI ^O sun low-L-sq. Shift in
16 10 DLE ^P R pennant club Data link escape (break)
17 11 DC1 ^Q L pennant (3:30) Device #1 (P:)
18 12 DC2 ^R V arrows -- Device #2
19 13 DC3 ^S !! cross Device #3 (deselects P:)
20 14 DC4 ^T paragraph cloudy Device #4 (stop)
21 15 NAK ^U section low block Negative acknowl. (error)
22 16 SYN ^V short - left | Synchronous idle
23 17 ETB ^W base-V-arrs.low T End of block
24 18 CAN ^X up arrow hi perp. Cancel memory (in buffer)
25 19 EM ^Y DN arrow left half End medium (tape drive)
26 1A SUB ^Z R arrow (3:00) Substitute
27 1B ESC EE L arrow escape Escape
28 1C FS E^- (3:00) up arrow File separator
29 1D GS E^= ice needles DN arrow Group separator
30 1E RS E^+ up triangle L arrow Record separator
31 1F US E^* DN triangle R arrow Unit separator
32 20 SPC bar space space Space

SECTION TWO: SPECIAL CHARACTERS
===============================
127 7F DEL ETB home plate R pennant Deleted
155 9B EOL RETURN box, etc. Atascii end of line
(only at end of paragraphs or last column for data)
13,10 EOL ENTER ^M^J IBM end of line
(at end of every 80-column screen line)
13 EOL ENTER ^M (or ^M and null) Unix end of line

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS:
====================
^ = control key L = left hi = upper
S = shift key R = right low = lower
E = escape key UP = points up [ ] = inverse
BS = backspace DN = points down V = vertical
TB = tab key sq = square perp = perpendicular
(time) = position of hands on a clockface

Where possible, descriptions of graphics characters are taken
from standard symbols used in mathematics, weather, astronomy, etc.
Note: Different computer platforms, operating systems, programs,
printers, etc. will produce different graphics characters.

SECTION THREE: KEYBOARD CHARACTERS
==================================

DECIMAL IBM ATARI DECIMAL IBM ATARI
-HEX KEY CHAR. KEY CHAR. -HEX KEY CHAR. KEY CHAR.
======= === ==== === ==== ======= === ==== === ====
32 20 bar space bar space 80 50 P P P P
33 21 S1 ! S1 ! 81 51 Q Q Q Q
34 22 S' " S2 " 82 52 R R R R
35 23 S3 # S3 # 83 53 S S S S
36 24 S4 $ S4 $ 84 54 T T T T
37 25 S5 % S5 % 85 55 U U U U
38 26 S7 & S6 & 86 56 V V V V
39 27 ' ' S7 ' 87 57 W W W W
40 28 S9 ( S9 ( 88 58 X X X X
41 29 S0 ) S0 ) 89 59 Y Y Y Y
42 2A S8 * * * 90 5A Z Z Z Z
43 2B S= + + + 91 5B [ [ S, [
44 2C , , , , 92 5C \ \ S+ \
45 2D - - - - 93 5D ] ] S. ]
46 2E . . . . 94 5E S6 ^ S* ^
47 2F / / / / 95 5F S- _ S- _
48 30 0 0 0 0 96 60 ` ` ^. `
49 31 1 1 1 1 97 61 a a a a
50 32 2 2 2 2 98 62 b b b b
51 33 3 3 3 3 99 63 c c c c
52 34 4 4 4 4 100 64 d d d d
53 35 5 5 5 5 101 65 e e e e
54 36 6 6 6 6 102 66 f f f f
55 37 7 7 7 7 103 67 g g g g
56 38 8 8 8 8 104 68 h h h h
57 39 9 9 9 9 105 69 i i i i
58 3A S; : S; : 106 6A j j j j
59 3B ; ; ; ; 107 6B k k k k
60 3C S, < < < 108 6C l l l l
61 3D = = = = 109 6D m m m m
62 3E S. > > > 110 6E n n n n
63 3F S/ ? S/ ? 111 6F o o o o
64 40 S2 @ S8 @ 112 70 p p p p
65 41 A A A A 113 71 q q q q
66 42 B B B B 114 72 r r r r
67 43 C C C C 115 73 s s s s
68 44 D D D D 116 74 t t t t
69 45 E E E E 117 75 u u u u
70 46 F F F F 118 76 v v v v
71 47 G G G G 119 77 w w w w
72 48 H H H H 120 78 x x x x
73 49 I I I I 121 79 y y y y
74 4A J J J J 122 7A z z z z
75 4B K K K K 123 7B S[ { ^; spade
76 4C L L L L 124 7C S\ | S= |
77 4D M M M M 125 7D S] } E^< left-turn
78 4E N N N N 126 7E S` ~ EBS L pennant
79 4F O O O O 127 7F none house ETB R pennant

------------------------------

Subject: 15.1) How did Atari get it's name?

Graham Thornton types:

This article was published in "I/O - The Magazine of the Atari Home
Computer Club" in issue 3 - Summer 1983. The magazine was the official
mouthpiece of Atari UK. The article was not attributed to any one person.
The words are theirs, not mine.

How Atari Got It's Name
-----------------------

The name Atari actually comes from Japan. And yet the company is most
definitely American. Every wondered why? It's an interesting story and
one well worth telling.

In 1972 three friends decided to invent and market the first commercially
feasible video game. They were Nolan Bushnell, Ted Dabney and Larry Bryan.

To become a partner each man had to submit $100 to the project - a
remarkably small sum when you consider the company's success! The next
step was to find a name.

Drinking beer and thumbing through the dictionary one day, the three
friends came across an interesting entry under "S". The word was Syzygy,
or "the straight-line configuration between three celestial bodies". What
a perfect name they thought, for three such astronomically talented people!

Now they could get on with the business of inventing games. Their first,
Computer Space, was produced and all seemed to be going well.

But then things started to get a little shaky. Larry Bryan decided not to
ante up his $100 and pulled out, leaving Bushnell and Dabney to go it
alone.

The set up a shop in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated the
business. A little later they invented Pong(r).

Busnell and Dabney applied for the name Syzygy to the Office of the
California Secretary of State, which regulates Californian corporations,
but were told that they were too late. The name was already taken.

Following unsuccessful attempts to buy the rights to the name from the
first Syzygy corporation, which appeared to be inactive, the friends'
solicitor pressed them to think up an alternative.

This proved difficult. BD Inc and DB Inc were tested and then rejected in
turn: the first bore too close a resemblance to Black & Decker, the second
to Dunn and Bradstreet.

Inspiration occurred at last, once again in an informal atmosphere.
Bushnell and Dabney were both keen players of Go, a Japanese strategy game,
and their best brainstorming always occurred over a good game and a bottle
of beer.

This time, they decided to make a list of several Go words to see if one of
them would fly as the new corporate name.

First choice was "Sente", which means "the upper hand" - something that
greatly appealed. Second and third choices were "Atari", which has a
similar meaning to the English word "check", and "Hanne", an
acknowledgement of an over-taking move.

Busnell and Dabney submitted the list once again to the Office of the
Californian Secretary of State, which approved "Atari". The rest is
history.

When the company name changed, Bushnell and Dabney decided to update the
logo too. They incorporated the "S" from Syzygy and the "A" from Atari
into the new design.

It was not until later, as the company became increasingly successful, that
an advertising agency designed the slicker and now famous Atari logo - the
"fuji" or stylised "A" design.

------------------------------

Subject: 15.2) What is the History of Atari?

Here is a very condensed history of Atari, centered around their 8-bit
computers.

1972
Atari Inc. is formed by Nolan Bushnell, incorporated on Tuesday, June 27.
Atari created the first coin-operated arcade video game with the introduction
of Pong. The video game industry was launched and has shaped pop culture ever
since.

1976
Warner Communications acquires Atari Inc.

1977
Atari launches the Video Computer System (VCS), later known as the 2600, giving
birth to home video game systems.

1978
In December, Atari announces the Atari 400 and 800 personal computers, using
the 6502 microprocessor.

ATARI BASIC: (according to Atari BASIC Sourcebook)
Paul Laughton and Kathleen O'Brien - Most of Atari Basic
Paul Krasno - Helped with Trnscendental routines
Bill Wilkinson - Designed Floating Point Scheme
Bob Shepardson - Modified IMP-16 Assembler to accept special syntax tables
Paul invented
Mike Peters - Key punching and operating

1979
The Atari 400 and Atari 800 Home Computers debut at the Winter Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in early January.

Jerry Jessop writes:
"The first official small shipment of the 400/800 was on August 29th 1979.
These were hand built pilot run units to Sears that needed to be in stock by
Sept. 1 so they could be placed in the big fall catalog. The units were
placed in the Sears warehouse and then immediatly returned to Atari after
the "in stock" requirment had been meet.

The first "real" consumer units were shipped in Nov. of 79 and were 400's to
Sears followed very shortly by 800's."

This extremely long URL leads to Atari's patent for the 8-bit Atari computer:
(thanks Rick Cortese)
http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=2&u=/netaht
ml/search-bool.html&r=94&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=pall&s1=atari.ASNM.&OS=AN/atari&RS
=AN/atari

All Atari computers are tested at the factory by a master computer called the
Atari Sentinel System.

1981
November: 400/800's begin shipping with the new GTIA chip in place of CTIA,
increasing the palette of simultaneously displayable colors to 256 and adding
3 new graphics modes. CTIA is totally phased out by the end of the year.

Jerry Jessop adds:
"The very first proto systems did have the GTIA, but it had some
problems and was not released in the consumer version until 1981. The
GTIA was completed before the CTIA."

1982
The introduction of the 1200XL in late 1982 marks the single largest advance
in the 8-bit Atari system.

1983
In 1983 Atari replaced the 1200XL/800/400 line-up with the new 800XL and
600XL.

1984
Warner Communications sells Consumer Electronics and Home Computer
divisions of Atari Inc. to Tramiel Technologies on Monday, July 2.

Atari Corporation is formed by Tramiel Technologies and its products marketed
under the Atari brand.

(
Atari Games Corporation is also formed from the former coin-op
division and markets coin-op games under the Atari Games brand.

Atari Games was acquired by Midway on March 29, 1996.

January 2000: Atari Games Corp. is renamed Midway Games West.
The last coin-op game with the Atari Games logo: San Francisco Rush 2049,
released in 1999.

TODAY
Midway Games West Inc., the former Atari Games Corp., remains a unit of
Midway Games.
The following URL remains active: http://www.atarigames.com/
)

1985
The new Atari Corp. delivered on its promise to advance the 8-bit Atari system
by replacing the 800XL/600XL with the new 130XE and 65XE in 1985.

Eastern Europe sees the 800XE instead of the 130XE and 65XE, at least
initially.

1987
In a change of marketing strategy, Atari introduced the new XE Game System
in 1987. Despite its label, the XEGS is a true 8-bit Atari computer system.

1992
Atari officially dropped all remaining support of their 8-bit computer line on
January 1, 1992.

1996
On July 31, 1996, Atari Corp. became a JTS subsidiary. JTS Corp., with
headquarters in San Jose, Calif., was founded in 1994 to design, manufacture
and supply enhanced-capacity hard disk drives for the notebook and desktop
personal computer markets.

1998
On February 23, 1998, JTS sold its Atari Division to HIACXI Corp., a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Hasbro Interactive, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Hasbro,
Inc., for $5 million in cash.

(JTS filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection on December 11, 1998, and
then converted it to Chapter 7 on February 28, 1999)

Hasbro Interactive produced games for several platforms, including PCs
running MS-Windows. Some of Hasbro's games, including several re-makes of
classic Atari titles, were marketed under the Atari label. The Atari
Interactive brand was termed "a Hasbro Affiliate."

2001
On January 29, 2001 Infogrames Entertainment announced completion of its
acquisition of Hasbro Interactive from Hasbro. The purchase included the Atari
titles and intellectual properties.

TODAY
Atari is a label of Infogrames Entertainment.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in France, Infogrames Entertainment SA is a
global publisher and distributor of video games for consoles (Sony, Sega,
Nintendo, and Microsoft), personal computers and Macintosh systems, as well as
interactive digital television platforms, mobile smart devices (WAP, HDML) and
in-flight entertainment systems. The company's award-winning franchises
include Alone In The Dark, Driver, Deer Hunter, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Test
Drive, and Unreal. Infogrames' Humongous Entertainment division is a leader in
children's entertainment software and its Macintosh publishing label, Macsoft,
is the number one publisher of Macintosh entertainment software. With
Infogrames Entertainment SA's recent acquisition of Hasbro Interactive,
Infogrames now boasts a line of software based on well-known licenses such as
Monopoly, Jeopardy, Tonka, and Atari.
http://www.infogrames.com/ .

The Atari website: http://www.atari.com/

Atari currently (9/00) markets:
Atari Arcade Hits 1 & 2
Breakout
Centipede
Frogger
Glover
H.E.D.Z. - Head Extreme Destruction Zone
Missile Command
Nerf ArenaBlast
Pong
Q*Bert
The Next Tetris

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