Archive-name: atari-8-bit/faq
Posting-Frequency: 60 days
Last-modified: February 15, 2009

               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                          1200XL
             
Additions/suggestions/comments/corrections are needed!  Please send to:

                  Michael Current, michael@mcurrent.name

Copyright (c) 1992-2009 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 document is in a constant state of development and comes with no
guarantees.  If you see any problems, I need to hear from you!

The latest version of this document is posted to the following Usenet
newsgroups every 60 days:
   comp.sys.atari.8bit, , 

Known mirrors of the the latest version of this document:
   ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq
   http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/atari-8-bit/faq.html
   http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/
   http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/preamble.html (Multipart ed.)

You may also request my latest working version at: michael@mcurrent.name

    **********************************************************************
    *  For other 8-bit Atari related FAQs please see the "Welcome FAQ":  *
    *    ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/atari-8-bit/welcome                 *
    *    http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/atari-8-bit/welcome.html            *
    *    http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/welcome/                   *
    **********************************************************************

UPDATES SINCE PREVIOUS POSTING:
2009.02.15 remove refs to "Euro" 1025 printer
2009.02.14 1.2-1.10 boot options re-done again. XEgs booting especially fixed
2009.02.14 1.8, 2.1 SECAM 130XE has no TV jack
2009.02.14 1.11 FREDDY or FREDDIE?
2009.02.14 renumber 2.3 to 1.12, renumber 1.12-1.15 to 1.13-1.16
2009.02.11 1.6, 2.1 SECAM 800XL has no TV switch box jack
2009.02.08 11.1 mention 1st & last issues of I/O mag by Atari UK
2009.02.07 11.1 added original Sears catalog Atari 400 listing details
2009.02.07 1.2-1.9 revised startup possibility descriptions
2009.02.07 1.14 determining NTSC vs. PAL/SECAM
2009.02.05 1.4 added 1200XL function key effects and LED meanings
2009.02.05 1.11 1200XL uses the earlier NTSC ANTIC
2009.02.05 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 re-wrote 1200XL description to get the count of LEDs
           right, and made related tweaks to 600XL/800XL notes, thanks Laurent
2009.02.04 8.1 various languages updates by mc, see section for details
2009.02.01 11.1 Timeline enhancements from France, thanks Laurent
2009.01.28 1.14 Extensive upgrade to this section for SECAM, thanks Laurent
2009.01.26 many small tweaks based on great photos found at
           http://www.atariport.com/list_of_collections.htm
2009.01.26 2.3 new section, where are ANTIC modes 0 or 1? thanks Laurent
2009.01.25 2.1 revised for PAL 400/800 having channel switch
2009.01.25 6.7 UK/Euro 9vac power supplies
2009.01.25 6.8, 6.10 CX77 shipped with DOS 2.0 disk, see http://technologizer.com/2009/01/19/ataris-1984-touch-tablet-a-retro-unboxing/
2009.01.20 1.15 Atari France Peritel cable pinout added, thanks Laurent
2009.01.19 7.1 updated to Version 3.5, 2009-01-18 By Freddy Offenga
2009.01.19 7.2 added link to http://www.akk.org/~flo/ATASCII.pdf
2009.01.15 2.1 revamped discussion of TV channels used
2009.01.15 6.8 Atari#'s KX7099 & KX7102 added
2009.01.14 8.1 Microsoft BASIC, Microsoft BASIC II info fixed, thanks Laurent
2009.01.14 6.8 added KX7400, thanks Laurent
2009.01.13 6.11, 6.12, 8.5 light pens & light guns info revamp
2009.01.13 6.8 CX10, CX11, CX12 added
2009.01.13 6.8 CX22 and CX80 stylings
2009.01.12 8.6, 6.8 mouse/trackball info revamp
2009.01.11 11.1 XE cartridge release dates sorted out, via Antic mags
2009.01.11 8.7 programs using paddles section revamp
2009.01.10 8.7 Livewire was by Tom Hudson, thanks RussG
2009.01.10 1.15 SECAM Monitor Port Pinout fixed/upgraded, thanks Laurent
2009.01.09 6.10, 8.9 touch tablet info revamp 
2009.01.09 5.2, 7.8, 10.2 Len Spencer URL updates
2009.01.08 1.11, 1.12 FGTIA mainstreamed, thanks Laurent
2009.01.07 1.7 Arabic 65XE mainstreamed, thanks Laurent
2009.01.07 1.6 SECAM 800XL maintstreamed, thanks Laurent
2009.01.07 1.1 added FGTIA variation on GTIA Mode 1. Added GTIA Mode column
2009.01.07 MANY, MANY typos and consistency issues fixed, thanks Laurent
2009.01.07 6.11 several additions, & removed Reston Light Pen (exists?)
2009.01.07 4.2 cassette included with 1020
2009.01.06 6.16 added missing URL, thanks Laurent
2009.01.06 3.4, 3.5 defined "flippy" disks, thanks Laurent
2009.01.04 9.2 added .SD and .DD (thanks Ben Smith for alerting me to the
           issue), and clarified existing language
2008.12.30 7.8 PRC.SYS and R-Verter handler filenames added

---

Section Contents

• News Headers
• 0.1) Table of contents
• 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 video game system?
• 1.11) What are SALLY, ANTIC, CTIA/GTIA/FGTIA, POKEY, and FREDDIE?
• 1.12) Why do the ANTIC Modes start with "Mode 2", what about 0 or 1?
• 1.13) What is the internal layout of the 8-bit Atari?
• 1.14) Who designed the Atari 8-bit computers?
• 1.15) What issues surround NTSC vs. PAL vs. SECAM computer versions?
• 1.16) What are the pinouts for the various ports on the Atari?
• 2.1) What video display devices and speakers can I use with my Atari?
• 2.2) What is artifacting?
• 3.1) What are the Atari 410, 1010, XC11, and XC12 Program Recorders?
• 3.2) What other cassette recorders can I use with my Atari?
• 3.3) How do I run a program from cassette?
• 3.4) What are the Atari 810, 815, 1050, and XF551 Disk Drives?
• 3.5) What other floppy disk drives can I use with my Atari?
• 3.6) What kinds of 5.25" floppy disks can I use with my Atari drives?
• 3.7) What can I do to extend the life of my floppy disks?
• 3.8) What hard drives were designed for my Atari?
• 3.9) How can my Atari utilize my PC's or Mac's storage drives?
• 3.10) How can I use SD/MMC cards with my Atari?
• 3.11) How can I use a USB flash drive with my Atari?
• 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?
• 4.4) What other printers can I use with my Atari?
• 4.5) How can my Atari utilize my PC's printer?
• 5.1) What are the Atari 830, 835, 1030, XM301, and SX212 Modems?
• 5.2) What other modems can I use with my Atari?
• 5.3) How can my Atari utilize my PC's modem/network?
• 5.4) What networking hardware is there for the Atari?
• 5.5) How can I connect my Atari to a high-speed/Ethernet network?
• 6.1) What is the Atari 850 Interface Module?
• 6.2) What is the Atari XEP80 Interface Module?
• 6.3) How can I use a SCSI/SASI device with my Atari?
• 6.4) How can I use an IDE device with my Atari?
• 6.5) Can I attach an ISA card to my Atari?
• 6.6) How can I use a USB device with my Atari?
• 6.7) What are the power requirements for my Atari components?
• 6.8) What accessories did Atari produce for their 8-bit computers?
• 6.9) What preventative maintenance can I do on my Atari system?
• 6.10) What graphics tablets were produced for the Atari?
• 6.11) What light pens were produced for the Atari?
• 6.12) What light guns were produced for the Atari?
• 6.13) What paddles were produced for the Atari?
• 6.14) What voice/sound synthesis hardware was produced for the
• 6.15) What sound-digitizers/samplers were produced for the Atari?
• 6.16) What sound-enhancement upgrades were produced for the Atari?
• 6.17) What MIDI enhancements are there for the Atari?
• 6.18) What graphics enhancements are there for the Atari?
• 6.19) What types of memory upgrades are there for the Atari?
• 7.1) What versions of the Atari Operating System (OS) are there?
• 7.2) What is the ATASCII character set?
• 7.3) What is Atari BASIC?
• 7.4) What are Atari DOS I, DOS II, DOS 3, DOS 2.5, and DOS XE?
• 7.5) What are MyDOS, SpartaDOS, and other popular DOS versions?
• 7.6) How do I modify Atari DOS to support more than two drives?
• 7.7) Are there Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for the Atari?
• 7.8) What should I know about modem device handlers?
• 8.1) What programming languages are available for the Atari?
• 8.2) What cartridges were released for the Right Slot of the 800?
• 8.3) What games support 4 or more simultaneous players?
• 8.4) What programs run only on the 400 and 800 models, and why?
• 8.5) What programs use a light pen or a light gun?
• 8.6) What programs have a trackball mode or support a mouse?
• 8.7) What programs use paddle controllers?
• 8.8) What programs have a CX85 Numerical Keypad mode?
• 8.9) What programs use: Touch Tablet or KoalaPad/Animation Station?
• 8.10) What kinds of extra RAM and RAMdisks can be installed?
• 8.11) What programs support more than 64K RAM?
• 8.12) What programs require more than 64K RAM?
• 8.13) What voice/sound synthesis software is there for the Atari?
• 8.14) What programs support stereo and upgraded sound?
• 8.15) What games support online action via modem?
• 8.16) What programs support Atari computer networking?
• 9.1) How can I work with .arc files on my 8-bit Atari?
• 9.2) What file formats for entire disks/tapes/cartridges are there?
• 9.3) How can I copy my copy-protected Atari software?
• 10.1) What programs can log in to other computers via modem?
• 10.2) What programs can I use to host a BBS on the Atari?
• 10.3) How can I read/write 8-bit Atari disks on an MS-DOS PC?
• 10.4) How can I read/write MS-DOS PC disks on my Atari?
• 10.5) How do I transfer files using a null modem cable?
• 10.6) How can my PC utilize my Atari disk drive?
• 10.7) What about interoperating with the Apple Macintosh?
• 10.8) Are there 8-bit Atari tools for the Commodore Amiga?
• 11.1) What is the history of Atari's 8-bit computers platform?

Some parts © 2009 Advameg, Inc.