6.1) What is the Atari 850 Interface Module?

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

While the Atari's SIO and controller ports did not conform to established
industry standards, Atari produced the 850 Interface Module to address this
issue. The 850 connects to the SIO port on the Atari, and provides:

- four 9-pin serial EIA RS232C ports
- One 15-pin 8-bit parallel Centronics-type port

Many "industry standard" (of the time) printers, modems, and various other
devices can be used with the Atari computer in combination with an 850
Interface Module.

Early 850's are in an all metal (black) case, but most are in a plastic beige
case matching the 400/800 computers. Other features:
- 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).

(please see attachment for ascii-art pinouts in a readable txt file)

PINOUTS

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

Because the 850 was relatively expensive, provided more capabilities than the
average user was looking for, and was at times unavailable from Atari despite
high demand, there were many 3rd-party interfaces designed to provide some
compatible subset of the 850's features. Perhaps the most prominent example
of such a product is the P:R: Connection from ICD.

6.2) What is the Atari XEP80 Interface Module?

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

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

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
CX42 Remote Control Wireless Joysticks
CX50 Keyboard Controller Pair
CX70 Light Pen (beige; the original Atari light pen)
CX75 Light Pen (+ Atarigraphics cartridge)
CX77 Touch Tablet ( + AtariArtist cartridge)
CX78 Joypad (shipped with the 7800 in Europe)
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 (Personal Financial Management, Home Filing Manager
-or- Family Finances, The Home Filing Manager)
CX419 The Bookkeeper Kit/Atari Accountant (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.)
????? The Arcade Champ (Pac-Man, Qix, 2 joysticks, cartridge storage case)
????? The BASIC Tutor I (Inside Atari BASIC bk,Invitation to Programming 2&3)
CX852 8K RAM Memory Module (for 800 computer)
CX853 16K RAM Memory Module (for 800 computer)
XG-1 Light Gun (+ Bug Hunt cart.)

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

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

Atari was a HUGE company, dominating Silicon Valley, and included a massive
research and development department which famously designed many, many
products that never saw the light of day. Here is a brief listing of many
Atari hardware model designations known to have existed internally to the
company, but which were never sold and are extremely rare (if they ever
existed at all). 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,incl disk drive controller&FREDDIE
800XLCR Cost Reduced, with CGIA chip ("Keri"), which is a combined GTIA&ANTIC
900XLF early name for 65XE
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)
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, 80col 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 (Goldstar)
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

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

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
========================
AC supplies (external transformers)
9 V AC 5.4 VA (600 mA) Atari#CO62195/CO17539
1030

9 V AC 4.5 VA (500 mA) Atari#CO61516
1010

9 V AC 15.3 VA (1.7 A) Atari#CO14319
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL

9 V AC 18 VA (2.0 A) Atari#CA014748/CA016804
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810

9 V AC 31 VA (3.4 A) Atari#CO17945
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810,1020,1050,XF551

9 V AC 50 VA (5.6 A) Atari#CA017964
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810,1020,1050,XF551

9.5 V AC 40 VA (4.2 A) Atari#CO61636
1027,1090XL

20 V AC 6.6 VA (330 mA) Atari#CO60479/CA060535
835

20 VAC 8 VA (400 mA) Novation#901017
830

24 V AC 3.6 VA (150 mA) Atari#CA016751
830

DC supplies (external adapters)
5 V DC 1.0 A (5.0 W) Atari#CO70042
600XL,65XE,XE Game System

5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) Atari#CO61982/CA024814
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,XE Game System
4 varieties, detailed by Ben Poehland in Current Notes v10n9 Nov 1990:
Type I: The Beauty Queen, 1983-84, made in Hong Kong
matches XL hardware, repairs easy
Type II: The Ugly Clunker, 1984-85, made in Taiwan
all black, external RF interference supression box,
entirely permanently sealed, unrepairable
Type III: The Black Beauty, 1985, made in Taiwan, uncommon
like Type I but all black, simplest design/easiest repairs
Type IV: The Peanut, 1985-?, made in Taiwan
black with silver plate, difficult/tedious repairs

6 V DC 300 mA (1.8 W) Atari#???????
"410P"

9 V DC 500 mA (4.5 W) Atari#CO16353/CA014034/CO10472/CX261
XEP80,SX212,2600 (center positive)

9.3 V DC 1.93 A (18 W) Atari#CO18187
Indus GT,5200

11.5 V DC 1.95 A (22 W) Atari#CA019141
Indus GT,5200

5 V / 12 V DC 1.1 A (5.5 W / 13.2 W) Atari#CO62297/DV1450
1400XL,1450XLD

E U R O P E (and elsewhere?) INPUT = 220/240 V AC, 50 Hz
=============================
AC supplies (external transformers)
9 V AC 4.5 VA (0.5 A) Atari#CO61516/34 (UK)
1010

9.3 V AC 15.44 VA (1,66 A) (Atari# not printed)/FW 6799
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL

9 V AC 27 VA (3.0 A) Atari#CO60592-34 (UK)
400,800,822,850,1010,1200XL,810,1020,1050,XF551

DC supplies (external adapters)
5 V DC 1.8 A (9.0 W) Atari#CO61763-107
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,800XE,XE Game System

5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) Atari#CO61763-34 (UK)
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,800XE,XE Game System

5 V DC 1.5 A (7.5 W) Atari#CO61763-11
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,800XE,XE Game System
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

8.5 V DC Atari#CO61605
600XL,800XL,65XE,130XE,800XE,XE Game System

M O R E I N F O
================
These draw their power from the SIO +5 V:
XM301 (60 mA),XC11,XC12,ICD P:R: Connection,Wizztronics MidiMax,R-Verter

Draws power from the 600XL PBI:
1064

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

OTHER:
The ICD 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.
On 2003.09.01 James Bradford wrote: "Doesn't matter what polarity the
centre is, the MIO has a fullwave bridge rectifer in it.
AC would be better because the diodes would be used half the time."
Indus GT: see Atari#CO18187 or CA019141 above. What happens if power
supplies for the Atari 1050 and Indus GT are mixed? Paul Alhart writes
(20 Jan 2004): "The Indus requires DC, the 1050 uses AC. Plug an Indus
supply into a 1050 and it will usually blow the rectifier diodes in the
1050. Plug an Atari supply into an Indus and it will blow the fuse in
the supply. It can damage the mother board as well."
Rana 1000: 9 VAC 3.4 AMPS
MPP1000C modem: 9 V DC 200 mA (1.8 W)

6.6) What graphic tablets were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.6) What graphic tablets were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Atari Touch Tablet by Atari (came with Atari Artist cart., Micro
Illustrator compatible),
- Koala Pad by Koala Industries (came with Koala/Micro Illustrator
cart.);
- Powerpad by Chalkboard Inc. (came without software!); the following
carts were available separately for the Powerpad: Micro Illustrator,
Leo's Lectric, Micro Maestro, The Programmers Kit, Logic Games, Bear
Jam (as refered to Antic, September 1984);
- Animation Station by Suncom (came with Micro-Illustrator cart.);

6.7) What lightpens were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.7) What lightpens were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Atari Lightpen (came with Atari Graphics cart.; it produces pictures
with 127 sectors in length, thus not Micro-Painter, nor Micro-
Illustrator compatible; however appropriate converter programs can be
found in the public domain, e.g. the Rapid Graphics Converter);
- Edumate Lightpen (came with a disk with 6 Basic programs; a program
called Peripheral Vision was available separately from Future House);
- Tech-Sketch-Lightpen (came in two versions: a) the cheaper version
which included a disk with Basic programs only and b) the more expensive
version which included the disk with Basic programs and the Micro-
Illustrator cartridge);
- MC-Pen-Lightpen (came with a disk with 4 Basic programs);
- Reston Lightpen (came with ???);

Note: these infos were taken from Antic, September 1984; I am not sure,
if all these items were really available as listed...

6.8) What lightguns were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.8) What lightguns were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Atari LG-1 Lightgun (came in two versions: a) complete with XEGS,
keyboard, joystick, power supply, tv-cable, Lightgun, FS II cart and
Bug Hunt cart all in one package and b) in a separate package,
containing the Lightgun and the Bug Hunt cartridge); thats's why Bug
Hunt does not have its own package, it was always included with the
Lightgun package and/or the complete XEGS package...
- BEST Lightgun by Best Electronics (a sort of selfmade (?) Lightgun);
- Sega-Lightgun (normally not Atari compatible; but can be converted
into an Atari compatible lightgun easily);
- other lightguns (most of these have to be converted)...

Note: After having 3-4 Atari and at least one (converted) Sega lightgun,
it is my personal impression, that the Atari lightgun merely works ok
on/with TV-sets (and not at all with a monitor), whereas the Sega lightgun
works alright on TV's and (most) monitors. Since I never had a Best
lightgun I cannot comment on this one... (Andreas Magenheimer);

6.9) What paddles were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.9) What paddles were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Atari Paddles (usually a pair of Paddles);
- Telegames Paddles (available as a) a single paddle and b) a pair
of paddles);
- Reston Paddles (available as a) a single paddle and b) a pair
of paddles);
- and many others...

Note: Both single and duo (pair) paddles are compatible to each other,
using only one port-connector (only one joystick port). Thus, with a pair
of paddles you can connect up to 4 paddles (2 pairs) to the XL/XE models
and up to 8 paddles (4 pairs) to the Atari 400/800 models.

6.14) What graphics enhancements are there for the Atari?

Subject: 6.14) What graphics enhancements are there for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- some 80 column interfaces made by Atari and third parties. Allthough
these interfaces are there to provide a better text display with 80
chars. per line, they can somehow be used as a simple graphic
enhancement; think I have seen a graphic demo for the XEP-80 device
somewhere, that used a higher graphic resolution in Gr. 0 or Gr. 8
and also provided some animation (not only text, but also graphics),
alas I don`t remember the name of that demo...;
- the ultra-rare 1090XL box and probably graphic cards for it (who-ever
owns this item, doesn't use it, who-ever would like to have + use it,
doesn't own it or cannot afford it!);
- more seriously: Antic and GTIA upgrade by Chuck Steinman. Afaik, an
article about that topic appeared in Atari Classic, since I do not own
it, I can merely speculate that it adds a second Antic and GTIA for
higher resolution and/or more colours...;
- many selfmade upgrades, using graphic chips or graphic cards from other
computers...

6.10) What voice/sound synthesis hardware was produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.10) What voice/sound synthesis hardware was produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Voice-Box II by The Alien Group (a software and hardware package);
- 1400XL/1450XLD Voice Synthesizer (built-in chip inside the extreme rare
Atari 1400XL/1450XLD models);
- Talk is Cheap by Ed Stewart, Antic Volume 2 Number 4, July 1983,
pages 64-66; hardware schematics only (a test/demo program is
mentioned in the text, but not printed in the magazine!);
- Cheap-Talk by Lee Brilliant, Analog Computing, issue 29, April 1985,
pages 59-67; hardware schematics and software demos, for example
"First Words");
- many other voice synthesizers (mostly selfmade and based on a chip by
National Semi Conductor);

6.11) What sound-digitizers/samplers were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.11) What sound-digitizers/samplers were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

- Parrot (2-Bit) by Alpha Systems, Anthony Ramos;
- Parrot-2 (2-Bit or 4-Bit?) by Alpha Systems, Anthony Ramos;
- 2-Bit Replay (2-Bit) by 2Bit-Systems Ltd.
- Sound N'Sampler (2-Bit) by Ralf David;
- Sound Digitiser (2-Bit) by Ralf David;
- Sound-Meister (2-Bit) by Irata;
- Sound-Digitizer (2-Bit) by Irata;
- Digitales Mikrofon (2-Bit) by Compyshop;
- Voice-Master (2-Bit) by Covox Inc.;
- Analog-Sample-Processor (2-Bit) by Steven Lashower (Analog Magazine);
- Atari-Sound-Sampler (2-Bit) by Andreas Binner and Harald Schoenfeld
(german Atari magazin 1/1989, pages 44-49, complete with schematics,
documentation, sample-program and assembler-source);
- Alphasys-Sound-Sampler cart. (4-Bit) by ANG/Mirage (released as a mono
version; a stereo (two Pokeys!) version was promised/planned, but afaik
never released);
- ARGS-XE-Sampler (8-Bit) by ABBUC regional group ARGS (only one or
two prototypes exist, alas the hardware was never released due to lack
of (sampling/digitizing) software; maybe a good idea for the hardware
and software experts out there!);
- and many others ...

6.12) What sound-enhancement upgrades were produced for the Atari?

Subject: 6.12) What sound-enhancement upgrades were produced for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

a) enhancements for stereo-sound:

- POPS, polyphonic-pokey-sound by Lee Brilliant (stereo-support with one
Pokey!); refer to Analog Computing, issue 66, november 1988, pages
54-60; only 1-2 programs exist for this mod., see: 8.14 stereo-software
for the Atari;

- stereo with two Ataris (and thus 2 Pokey chips); use computer/pokey 1
for the left channel and computer/pokey 2 for the right; no special
hardware required for this trick (but specially programmed software!);
see also: 8.14 stereo-software for the Atari;

- stereo with 2 Pokey chips (in one Atari!); refer to an article written
by Chuck Steinman (which probably appeared in Atari classic?) on how
to upgrade your Atari internally with a second Pokey chip; or ask
Freddy Offenga for a deluxe-stereo-version, that uses a PCB instead of
the piggy-back method. For a list of software that supports this mod.
see also: 8.14 stereo-software for the Atari;

- Stereo-Blaster and Stereo-Phaser by Portronic/AMC-Verlag, these were
hardware add-ons that connected via the monitor jack to the Atari and
gave you "another" monitor jack and 2 cinch connectors to connect to
the monitor and/or the hifi-system; various small paddles (4-10,
depending on the model you have) make it possible to change amplitudes,
frequencies, etc. and thus generate a "pseudo-stereo" sound. These
add-ons also amplified the sound and thus made quality recordings of
Atari sounds much easier. Alas, these hardware add-ons were quite
expensive and thus not many (less than 100) were sold. Therefore no
special software is required, every A8 sound can be changed or
enhanced to "simulated-stereo"...

- Stereo-Blaster-Pro, a hardware add-on by Portronic/AMC-Verlag similar
to Stereo-Blaster and Stereo-Phaser, but programmable! This add-on had
only 1 small paddle, to amplify the sound-volume; the stereo-sound
could be generated via two simple Poke-Statements, a demo-disk therefore
was included. Alas, not many items were sold and afaik no-one else
programmed stereo-software for it. See also: 8.14 stereo-software for
the Atari...

b) other sound enhancements:

- Covox-Sound-Enhancement, originally developed in Poland; with some
electronic parts and pieces you can upgrade your Pokey's abilities, to
playback any digitised/sampled sound with 8-Bit resolution, instead of
its usual 4-Bit digi/sample playback resolution (see also 8.14).

- SID-upgrade, the SID is the standard sound-chip in the C64 computers.
Some polish freaks/nerds have found a way to include it into an A8,
but allthough I have seen quite a lot of pictures (for example at
atariarea.nostalgia.pl) with this mod. and already found 1 or 2
programs that detect it (for example System Info 2.x by Draco), I
have not yet found any schematics for this upgrade. Anyway, it exists,
and with some programming skills it would surely be possible to write
programs then, that playback SID sounds on those Ataris which have this
upgrade installed...

- Amie/Amy sound-chip, the Amie sound-chip was originally produced by
Atari and installed into the 65XEM computer. Alas, it was never
available to the public and only very few prototypes of this 65XEM
(maybe less than 10?) do exist. Besides of that RUMOURS say, that
Atari had quite some problems with this soundchip and never finished
it completely/successfully. If the rumours are true, then this
soundchip provided many more sound channels, more octaves and even
more and better sound power than two Pokeys together (for more infos
take a look at this URL: )

- guess there are dozens of other sound enhancements, for example sound
cards (like Adlib, etc.), sound-chips, midi-interfaces, etc. that could
be attached or converted to the A8; I won't name them all here...(A.M.)

6.13) What MIDI enhancements are there for the Atari?

Subject: 6.13) What MIDI enhancements are there for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer and Mathy van Nisselroy.

Midi is standard on the Atari ST computers, because it is built-in into
these computers. Nevertheless, Midi was long before the arrival of the
ST computers on the market and thus, it is no surprise that there are
even midi-interfaces and enhancements for the classic 8Bit Ataris. The
following "types" do exist:

- "Midi-Mate" and "Midi-Track" by Hybrid Arts (USA), comes with hardware
+ software, see reviews & tests in Antic, Analog and other magazines.
MidiTrack requires 48k RAM, MidiTrack II 64k RAM and MidiTrack III
128k RAM (XE compatible, not Axlon compatible). MidiMate features
MIDI IN+OUT and SYNC IN+OUT ports, but lacks a second SIO plug.
MMS (MIDI Music System) is a MIDI version of AMS, also sold by Hybrid
Arts and comes with AMS to MMS converter software...

- "MIDI Master" by 2-Bit Software (UK), comes with hardware+software.
Features MIDI IN+OUT ports, an extra SIO plug, but no SYNC ports.
See also reviews and ads in (New) Atari User...

- "MIDI interface" by DIGICOMM (UK), comes with hardware + 'example
programs'. Features MIDI IN, THRU and OUT ports. There`s no word
about a second SIO plug or any SYNC ports. See also reviews and ads
in (New) Atari User...

- "MIDIMAX" by Wizztronics (UK), comes with hardware and software.
Features MIDI IN+OUT ports and a second SIO plug. The MMS software
that comes with MidiMax requires 48k RAM and is fully compatible to
the Hybrid Arts hardware+software. This means, one can use the
software with both Midi-interfaces or use the interfaces with the
software of both vendors...

- "Atari-Midi-Interface" by Karlheinz Metscher (appeared in the german
magazine Computer Kontakt June/July 1986, pages 69-75, complete with
documentation, schematics and its first program "Midi-Receiver";
in Computer Kontakt October/November 1986 appeared the second program,
called "Midi-Disk" - a Midi Recorder and Player program);

- "Midi-Interface for Atari XL/XE" by Ireneusz Kuczek (appeared in the
german ABBUC magazine, issue 65, pages 3-6); the paper-mag. includes
a schematic for the midi-interface and some translated descriptions for
the software (translated from polish to german language), whereas the
disk-magazine contains the midi-programs "Midiplay Version 1.3" by I.
Kuczek, "Midi-Recorder Version 1.2" by I.Kuczek, "Rec to Mid" by I.
Kuczek (a converter program for the IBM-PC!), "Midi-Sequencer V.1.15"
by Maciej Sygit and "Midi-Pattern-Editor MPE V.2.3" by Radek Sterba.
These programs and many additional demo sounds are also available in
the ABBUC PD library (PD numbers 625-632).

- guess there are several other (selfmade) midi-interfaces for the Atari
8Bit available, alas they also require a keyboard or synthesizer and
self-created (or downloaded) midi-sounds can only be played back via
such a midi-interface and the affore mentioned keyboard/synthesizer.
As of yet, it seems there exists no midi-player program, that can
playback any midi-sound via the Atari Pokey chip, nor any converter
program, which can convert *.MID sounds into other Atari sound formats
(that could be played back on the Atari then)...

6.15) What types of memory upgrades are there for the Atari?

Subject: 6.15) What types of memory upgrades are there for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

Just a short overview here, for a more detailed description (table), see
also 8.10 kinds of atari ramdisks (and 8.11 + 8.12 for programs that
support or require a ramdisk). The following memory enhancements do exist:
- Atari 400/800: ramdisks on memory boards, that fit into the normal
Atari 800 memory slots (Axlon and Mosaic types);
- Atari XL/XE: a) internal memory enhancements:
- piggy-back versions,
- professionel PCB versions,
- SIMM-module versions;
b) external memory enhancements:
- via XL-Parallel-Bus,
- via XE-Cart.port+ECI,
- Flash-ROM cart. versions,
- other Cartridge versions,
- RAM-Card versions,
- SIO-cartridge versions,
- ...
Note that many of these XL/XE memory enhancements are just hobbyist or
selfmade-projects. Most versions which use newer PC technologies
(Flash-ROM cart., RAM-Card, SIO-cart., etc.) are still under development!

6.16) What networking hardware is there for the Atari?

Subject: 6.16) What networking hardware is there for the Atari?

This section by Andreas Magenheimer.

In the late 80`s and early 90`s an american "firm" called Dataque
developed some networking-computer-hardware to link two or more Ataris
together, so that multiplayer games are possible, where each user has
its own computer and tv/monitor screen. The hardware was/is computer
independant and will run fine on any Atari 8Bit computer (whereas most
software for it will only work on XL/XE computers). During a 3-4 year
period of development two different hardware add-ons were developed:

a) Gamelink-1: This hardware was developed in 1989/90. It links two
computers together via the joystick ports. It is limited to a maximum
of 2 computers and thus 2 or 6 players, meaning one free port per
XL/XE computer and 3 free ports per 400/800 computer. However, the
few existing games for this hardware merely support 2 players, no
matter, which computer you have...

b) Gamelink-2: This hardware was developed in 1991/92. It links 2 to 8
computers together via the SIO-port. One computer will then act as
the master and has to boot up the software (from tape, disk, harddisk,
etc.) first. Then all other "slave" computers connect to it and boot
off of this master computer (one after another of course). In Europe
we call this device "Multilink", mostly because of the games written
by Bewesoft (Jiri Bernasek) called Multi-Dash, Multi-Race, Multi-Worms.
A two-computer link-network can easily be done with one SIO cable, just
open the end of the SIO cable and exchange cables number 3 and 5. You
now have an easy two-computer (2-4 players) network-cable.

For some available software, that supports this networking-computer
hardware, see 8.16 which programs support networking computer hardware...

6.17) Can I attach an ISA card to the Atari?

Subject: 6.17) Can I attach an ISA card to the Atari?

Yes, RoBu (Roland Buhler) of the Stuttgart ABBUC Regional Group has produced
project plans for an ISA-Bus Interface for Atari 800XL/130XE Computer, ARGS.
http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~un55/Hardware/ISA-Interface/ReadME.html

Carsten Strotmann has released sourcecode showing how to access a Hercules
video card with the ISA-Bus Interface.
http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/PgmFardwDriverHerc

6.18) What preventative maintenance can I do on my Atari system?

Chapter is missing from original FAQ