Atari 800 Computer

The Atari 800 Personal Computer

Introduction and History:

The 8-bit Atari computers brought a great deal of innovation to the personal computer industry. They were the first home computers to be designed with custom graphics chips. This innovation gave them, "the most powerful graphics system" of any 8-bit machine at the time of their release[1].

Introduced by Atari in 1979, the Atari 400 and 800 computers were the first of a long and successful line of 8-bit computers. These were followed by the poorly-received 1200XL in late 1982, and then the 600XL and 800XL in late 1983. The final computers in the Atari 8-bit line were the 65XE and 130XE which were released in late 1985 and produced through 1991. Eastern Europe also saw the 800XE which was a 130XE with only 64 KB of RAM.

At the time this article was written (2008), many models of Atari computers have decent availability. The 130XE is probably the rarest model, selling for about $50 in working form. Some of the Atari peripherals may be a bit difficult to find, but if you are patient, you will be able to find the essentials. Prices for Atari computers and peripherals are still cheap due to the relatively large number that were produced. You are better off buying a complete system with a floppy drive, software, and cartridges (especially the BASIC cartridge). More exotic custom hardware, including hard drives, 80-column adapters, and more are sometimes available although are quite rare.

Star Raiders

Star Raiders by Atari

Why Buy a Vintage Atari for My Home:

  • I owned one when I was younger, and I'd like to revel in nostalgia.
  • I would like to own a piece of computing history.
  • I would like to play some of the best graphical games of the era.
  • I can't believe it's possible to write useful software on a computer more than ten thousand times slower than a modern PC and with ten thousand times less memory as well.
  • I'm curious to try my hand at programming one of these old machines.

Pre-Purchase Checklist:

When you're ready to add a vintage Atari to your home, a little bit of planning will go a long way towards making your experience a positive one. You will need to decide which model to purchase, and insure that you have all of the necessary software, cartridges, and peripherals to make effective use of it. The following list will assist you in the planning process:

  • If you're considering an Atari 400 or Atari 800, make sure it has a full complement of memory (48K)
  • Make sure at least one, and preferably two floppy disk drives are included. Atari manufactured a number of 5.25-inch floppy drives, including the original 810 model (single sided, single density, 90KB), the 1050 (single sided, double density, 180KB), and the XF551 (double sided, double density, 360KB). These drives coincided with computers released in 1979, 1983, and 1985 respectively.
  • An Atari BASIC cartridge. A lot of public domain and some commercial software makes use of this cartridge. In addition, if you want to try your hand at programming your Atari, this will be a good place to start.
  • You have a compatible display[2]
  • Sufficient 5.25-inch floppies for your needs. 20-30 is a good minimum number to work with.

Optional Items to Consider:

  • SIO2PC universal interface. This will allow you to connect your Atari computer directly to your PC with either a serial port, or a USB port. With the right software for your PC[3], your PC can simulate a disk drive, modem, printer, and more. This will free you from having to mess around with old floppy disk drives and potentially unreliable floppies.
  • XEP80 80-column module. Gives your Atari the ability to display 80 columns of text on a suitable monitor. Plugs into the joystick port. Not compatible with graphics modes.
  • Hard Drive Adapter. If you have a 600XL or 800XL, the MIO (Multi I/O) by ICD (no longer in business) allows you to connect a SCSI-compatible hard drive to your computers parallel expansion port. If you have a 600XL, 800XL, or 130XE, the Black Box by CSS also provides compatibility with a SCSI-compatible hard drive. These adapters work by partitioning the hard drive into a number of virtual floppy drives whose size is generally limited only by the version of DOS you are using.
  • Allows your Atari to keep track of the time and date. Requires a compatible version of DOS like SpartaDOS.

Jawbreaker

Jawbreaker by On-line Systems

Atari Software:

An important consideration when making any vintage computer purchase is the availability of software for the computer. If you're lucky enough to purchase a system with a healthy assortment of software to begin with, you will be well on your way towards enjoyment. On the other hand, if you are buying a system without much in the way of software, or you are looking for specific types of software, you'll need to factor this into your purchase decisions.

There are a number of sites containing repositories of 8-bit Atari software on the internet today. These include both public domain software as well as software which was at one time commercial. Refer to the Atari Software Sources section below for current links to some of these sites. If you are lucky enough to have an SIO2PC adapter, you will easily be able to make use of the software you download to your present home computer. If not, you will need a way to transfer any software you download to your Atari computer.

With a suitable RS-232 adapter like the Atari 850, you may use a terminal emulator to download programs to your Atari using a null modem cable to connect to your PC. However, there are some much simpler alternatives you may wish to look at. Atarimax[3] manufactures a number of special cartridges for 8-bit Atari computers allowing IDE devices (including both flash drives and IDE hard drives) to be connected to your Atari and subsequently booted. Note that you will need access to a SIO2PC card or a floppy drive in order to load a compatible version of DOS into the computer which will then be written to the IDE cartridge interface.

In Summary:

There remains a wealth of information on the old 8-bit Atari computers available on the internet today. The purpose of this article is to assist you in making an intelligent decision regarding the purchase of one of these computers and to provide you with some resources to further your interest. The sites mentioned below are by no means comprehensive, but should get you started down the path of enjoyment!

General 8-bit Atari-Related Information:


8-bit Atari Software Sources:


8-bit Atari Periodicals (PDF format):

 

Footnotes:

[1] SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Newsletter, May 1998, "3D Graphics Hardware", Section "The Atari 800"

[2] Atari computers were designed to be connected to home televisions for display via an external monitor. However, if you are able to obtain or make your own cable, the units have S-video output via a (non-standard) 5-pin DIN plug. Many more modern displays are capable of displaying S-video outputs.

[3] The Atari Peripheral Emulator software for Windows allows your modern PC to emulate a disk drive, modem, printer, and more to your vintage Atari Computer. You will need a suitable adapter cable or adapter interface (in the case of USB). The software is classified as shareware.