🎄💾🗓️ Day 14: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Atari 400/800🎄💾🗓️ - ThreadSky

adafruit.com • 79 days ago

🎄💾🗓️ Day 14: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Atari 400/800🎄💾🗓️

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rebeccabluestone.bsky.social•79 days ago

my first computer. i got it in 1986, I was in the 4th grade. it was a hand me down from my uncle who had purchased a new mac. I played a lot of Ultima4 and learned BASIC on it.

adafruit.com•79 days ago

The Atari 8-bit computer line was launched in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. Both were advanced for home computers at the time. Both were driven by a 1.79 MHz MOS Technology 6502 CPU,

adafruit.com•79 days ago

with ANTIC and CTIA/GTIA custom chips for advanced graphics and the POKEY chip handling sound and input/output duties. The Atari 800 was the premium model, featuring a full mechanical keyboard, user-expandable to 48 KB of memory, more metal shielding, and more durability.

adafruit.com•79 days ago

The Atari 400 was a lower-cost alternative with a membrane keyboard, limited to 16 KB of RAM, and a simplified construction.

adafruit.com•79 days ago

With hardware-accelerated scrolling, Player/Missile graphics, and rich sound, the Atari 8-bit systems were known for gaming and creative applications. They were a versatile platform with cartridge-based software, cassette, and floppy disk storage.

adafruit.com•79 days ago

Atari's proprietary SIO (Serial Input/Output) port allowed daisy-chaining peripherals such as printers, modems, and disk drives, making connecting them easier than with other systems.

adafruit.com•79 days ago

Newer models were more compact, combined memory expansion to as much as 128KB, and compatibility with developing software and peripherals improved.

handle.invalid•78 days ago

The Atari SIO was kind of the forerunner to USB. Joe Decuir is credited with a significant role in both. SIO had plug n play. SIO had daisy chaining. SIO read the drivers it needed for the hardware attached from the peripheral itself. Before its time.

drmattyg.com•79 days ago

THAT MODEM 🔥🔥🔥🔥

boringattorney.bsky.social•77 days ago

I can't describe how much I wanted an Atari 400 when I was a kid. I remember seeing it at a local department store, and I just couldn't stop looking at it and touching it.

I realize now that the membrane keyboard would not have been very practical, but it just looked so futuristic.

wetstapler.bsky.social•79 days ago

I think my mom grew up with an Atari 400!

wetstapler.bsky.social•79 days ago

Just checked and I'm wrong it was an ST 1040

khaibitgfx.bsky.social•78 days ago

Fortunately I have both computers.

chuckmac1984.bsky.social•78 days ago

The 400 was my first computer. Back in the you could add a ‘real’ keyboard, which I did along with upgrading the memory card to 48k. Found memories.

mikeholczer.bsky.social•79 days ago

We had a 800XL. Learned to type and program BASIC copying examples out of the manual. I remember writing hotel management software for my sister to play hotel with.

handle.invalid•78 days ago

There is a video on YouTube somewhere highlighting just how much thought was put into the 800. The models that came after got cheaper, marginally better in workings, but cut some of the corners in the process. e.g. open the cartridge port door on the 800 and it cut power, on the XL/XE this was gone.

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