Task: Play Star Raiders Needed: Start Raiders cartridge, disk, or ROM Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Star Raiders was released in 1979 along with the Atari 400 and 800 computers. It was a huge success and the demos in the stores drove numerous 400s and 800s
Read moreRead the Book “Atari BASIC” (1-2 hours)
Task: Read the Book “Atari BASIC” Needed: Atari Basic by Albrecht et al. (1979) Time: 1-2 Hours Introduction My first two books were Your Atari Computer and Atari BASIC. They are still a great way to get familiar with the Atari 400 and 800 if
Read moreTips for Managing the Size of Your Collection (10-15 mins)
Task: Tips for Managing the Size of Your Collection Needed: strategy and willpower Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I amassed a pretty big Atari collection back in the early 2000s when hardware and software was easy to come by in flea markets and thrift stores. Looking
Read moreMake Floppy Disks Double-Sided (5-10 mins)
Task: Make Floppy Disks Double-Sided Needed: floppy disks, notcher Time: 5-10 minutes Introduction When floppy disks first came on the scene they were single-sided and had a single notch or hole on the right side that you could cover with tape to write-protect the disk.
Read moreListen to the Floppy Days Podcast (1-4 hours)
Task: Listen to the Floppy Days Podcast Needed: Web browser Time: 1-4 hours Introduction The Floppy Days podcast was founded by Randall Kindig in 2013 and has been going strong every year for the last six years. Randy’s goal is to cover as many vintage
Read moreExplore Disk Operating System (DOS) Versions (30-60 mins)
Task: Explore Disk Operating System (DOS) Versions Needed: DOS ATR files Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I remember vividly the excitement of getting my first Atari 810 disk drive and the magic of the disk operating system (DOS). Since we got our 800 and 810 around
Read moreExplore Floppy Disk Collections (30-60 mins)
Task: Explore Floppy Disk Collections Needed: Floppy disks Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction One of my favorite things to do with my Atari home computers is explore the contents of my floppy disk collections. I still have my floppies from back in the day and have
Read moreRead Atari News from the 1970s and 1980s (30-60 mins)
Task: Read Atari News from the 1970s and 1980s Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction A number of good books have been written about the history of Atari (e.g. Racing the Beam and Breakout). It is a fascinating story of innovation, success, and failure.
Read morePurchase an Atarimax SD Multi-Cart for Atari 5200 (10-15 mins)
Task: Purchase an Atarimax SD Multi-Cart for Atari 5200 Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction My previous post covers purchasing an Atari 5200 console if you don’t already have one. As with all Ataris, the cartridges can be quite expensive with prices of $20
Read morePurchase an Atari 5200 (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase an Atari 5200 Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction Atari released the 5200 in 1982 as a sequel to the successful 2600 console. It competed with the Intellivision and ColecoVision but was never very popular due to its poor design and lack
Read moreExplore Atari User Group Newsletters (10-15 mins)
Task: Explore Atari User Group Newsletters Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I grew up Atari in a small Midwest town and didn’t have access to some of the enriching activities such as calling local Bulletin Board Services (BBS) or participating in local Atari
Read morePlay Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer (15-30 mins)
Task: Play Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Sea Dragon disk or ATR file Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction My all time favorite game on the Atari 8-bit computers was and still is Sea Dragon. I still have my original 16K cassette version of
Read morePurchase an SDrive-Max Floppy Emulator (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase an SDrive-Max Floppy Emulator Needed: SDrive-Max Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The ability to boot software from SD card devices makes using Atari computers a breeze. These devices allow you to load up lots of executables and ATR files on an SD card and
Read moreAttend a Vintage Computer Festival (1-3 Days)
Task: Attend a Vintage Computer Festival Needed: Time and travel Time: 1-3 Days Introduction Vintage Computer Festivals (VCF) are annual events held across the United States and beyond to educate the public about vintage computers and to celebrate the robust vintage computer community. It is
Read moreExplore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine (15-30 mins)
Task: Explore KSquiggle’s Atari 8-bit Programming Shrine Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Bill Lange pointed me to this awesome Atari 8-bit programming resource developed and maintained by Kevin Chase (aka KSquiggle). I had seen this before but it was great to get it on
Read moreListen to the Into the Vertical Blank Podcast (30-120 mins)
Task: Listen to the Into the Vertical Blank Podcast Needed: Web browser or podcast app Time: 30-120 minutes Introduction I started listening to the “Into the Vertical Blank” podcast recently and have been really enjoying it. The hosts, Jeff and Steve Fulton, are twins that
Read morePurchase an Atari 850 Interface Module (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase an Atari 850 Interface Module Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The Atari Serial Input/Ouput System or SIO was designed to allow the computer to communicate with peripherals such as the 810 or 1050 disk drive. An advantage of the SIO is
Read moreTips for Finding Local Atari Hardware and Software (15-30 mins)
Task: Tips for Finding Local Atari Hardware and Software Needed: Persistence! Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The easiest place to find Atari hardware and software is on eBay. However, even the most common Atari goodness is way overpriced. There is also the problem of shipping that
Read moreListen to the Inverse ATASCII Podcast (15-60 mins)
Task: Listen to the Inverse ATASCII Podcast Needed: Web browser or podcast app Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction One of my favorite things to do while driving is to listen to retrocomputing podcasts. I have previously posted about the ANTIC Atari podcast and the Retro Computing
Read moreFun With The Atari Touch Tablet (15-30 mins)
Task: Fun With The Atari Touch Tablet Needed: Atari Touch Tablet Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I got an Atari Touch Tablet along with the Atariartist cartridge for Christmas back in the early 1980s. This was one of my favorite Atari gifts ever. I had so
Read moreTry Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC (30-60 mins)
Task: Try Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction Player-missile (PM) graphics helped make the Atari the premier arcade and graphics machine in its day. A key feature of PM graphics is the ability to draw players and missiles on the screen
Read moreLoad Cassette Games on Your Atari 2600 (10-15 mins)
Task: Load Cassette Games on Your Atari 2600 Needed: Arcadia / Starpath Supercharger, compatible cassette game Time: 10-15 mins Introduction One of the many limitations of the Atari 2600 video console system (VCS) was that it only had 128 bytes of RAM. This and the
Read moreConnect Your Atari Computer to an LED Screen (30-60 mins)
Task: Connect Your Atari Computer to an LED Screen Needed: LED screen, connectors Time: 30-60 mins Introduction I previously posted some details on how to connect your Atari computer to an LCD screen using composite video or composite converted to S-video. What if you want
Read moreReplace the Ribbon and Paper in an Atari 1025 Printer (10-15 mins)
Task: Replace the Ribbon and Paper in an Atari 1025 Printer Needed: 1025 printer, ribbon, paper Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I never had an Atari printer back in the day. We had an Epson MX-80 dot matrix that worked quite well. So, I have been
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