Task: Watch Atari 8-Bit Computer TV Commercials Needed: Web Browser Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I honestly don’t recall seeing Atari computer commercials on TV as a kid. I must have seen a few over the years. These are really fun to watch now and there are
Read moreRead the Book “De Re Atari” (3-6 hours)
Task: Read the Book “De Re Atari” Needed: De Re Atari Time: 3-6 hours Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 computers were released in 1979 they were a closed system. That is, only Atari personnel knew the details of the hardware that were necessary
Read moreWatch “The Fate of Atari” Documentary (2 hours)
Task: Watch “The Fate of Atari” Documentary Needed: Web browser Time: 2 hours Introduction The history of Atari is a fascinating story of innovation, business success, and business failure. There must be case studies on Atari that have been used over the years to teach
Read moreInstall the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator (10-15 mins)
Task: Install the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator Needed: Stella Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 was released in 1977 and took the world by storm. It is hard to believe that Atari sold the 2600 in its different forms
Read moreConnect Your Atari Joystick to a PC (10-15 mins)
Task: Connect Your Atari Joystick to a PC Needed: Atari Joystick and a USB adapter Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Atari 400 and 800 were by far the best gaming computers when they hit the market. This was largely due to the awesome ANTIC graphics chip
Read moreCelebrate Halloween with Atari BASIC (10-15 mins)
Task: Celebrate Halloween with Atari BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction When Halloween was approaching I went on to the web to see if there were some fun BASIC programs designed specifically for the haunted day. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any. There are a
Read moreTry BASIC Programs from a Micro Adventure Book (1-2 hours)
Task: Try BASIC Programs from a Micro Adventure Book Needed: BASIC, Micro Adventure Book #2 Time: 1-2 hours Introduction When I was a kid I loved the ‘choose your own adventure books‘. It was really fun to participate in how the story took shape. I didn’t
Read moreCreate a Custom Display List in BASIC (30-60 mins)
Task: Create a Custom Display List in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 were released in 1979 they were far ahead of their competitors in terms of computer graphics and sound. The advanced graphics were the result of
Read moreSave an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC (10-15 mins)
Task: Save an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When I first started using the Altirra 8-bit emulator I decided I wanted make ATR floppy disk images that I could then save to my hard disk for
Read morePurchase an Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge (30-60 min)
Task: Purchase an Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge Needed: Atarimax Maxflash Catridge, USB Cartridge Programmer, A to A USB Cable, and Maxflash Studio Software Time: 30-60 mins Introduction I love the ease of use of cartridges compared to cassette or disk. Fortunately, there are some easy modern
Read moreTry GTIA Graphics Modes in BASIC (30-60 mins)
Task: Try GTIA Graphics Modes in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When the Atari 400 and 800 first shipped they included the Color Television Interface Adaptor or CTIA chip that creates the signal that goes to the television for display. The CTIA is
Read morePurchase a Harmony Cartridge for the Atari 2600 (10-15 mins)
Task: Purchase a Harmony Cartridge for the Atari 2600 Needed: Harmony Cartridge With SD or microSD Card Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When I was programming my Atari 2600 game “Gene Medic” I wanted to be able to test it on original hardware since there are
Read moreWatch Atari Episodes of “Computer Chronicles” TV Show (1-2 hours)
Task: Watch Atari Episodes of “Computer Chronicles” TV Show Needed: Web Browser Time: 1-2 hours Introduction The “Computer Chronicles” TV show launched in 1983 at a local PBS station in California and quickly took off as word spread across the USA and people called up
Read moreConnect Your Atari Computer to the Internet (15-30 mins)
Task: Connect Your Atari Computer to the Internet Needed: SIO2PC Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction Although the internet was invented before Atari 8-bit computers were released in 1979 it was not available to most of us until years later. I don’t recall using the internet until
Read moreConnect Your Atari Computer to a PC (15-30 mins)
Task: Connect Your Atari Computer to a PC Needed: SIO2PC Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction Cartridges and floppy disks are great but sooner or later you will want to tap into the huge archive of software that is available on the internet. You can certainly boot
Read moreMake a Playfield in BASIC Using Character Sets (30-60 mins)
Task: Make a Playfield in BASIC Using Character Sets Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I programmed a game called Gene Medic in assembly language for the Atari 2600 in 2017 and am interested in porting it to the Atari 800. I am starting this
Read moreInstall the Happy Board for the 1050 Disk Drive (45-60 mins)
Task: Install the Happy Board for the 1050 Disk Drive Needed: 1050 Disk Drive & Happy Enhancement Time: 45-60 minutes Introduction The Atari 810 disk drive could read and write single-density disks with about 90k of data. Atari’s followup drive was the 1050 that was
Read moreRead the Atari 8-bit FAQ (15-60 mins)
Task: Read the Atari 8-bit FAQ Needed: Web Browser Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction If you were “online” in the 1980s you probably accessed Usenet newsgroups for posting on discussion threads about various topics including Atari. There was (is) a comp.sys.atari.8bit newsgroup that was quite active
Read moreMad Magazine BASIC Program (10-15 mins)
Task: Load and Run a BASIC Program from Mad Magazine (1985) Needed: BASIC, ATR File, Altirra Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I remember reading Mad Magazine as a kid as many did during that time. What I didn’t know until recently is that there was a
Read moreRead the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours)
Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was
Read moreSound Effects in BASIC (30-60 mins)
Task: Program Sound Effects in BASIC Needed: BASIC Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction The Atari 8-bit computers had a pretty decent sound chip called the POKEY. POKEY is an acronym for Pot Keyboard Integrated Circuit. The POKEY generated four-voice sound and had some other functions such
Read moreMake New Floppy Disks (15-30 mins)
Task: Make New Floppy Disks Needed: Atari computer, disk drive, floppy disks, and DOS Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I am a big fan of cartridges but understand and accept that the floppy disk is important and useful. I still have all of my floppies from
Read moreRepair an Atari 1020 Printer (30-60 mins)
Task: Repair an Atari 1020 Printer Needed: 1020 printer, 3D printed gears Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I had an Epson dot matrix printer with my Atari 800 back in the day. It served me well but wasn’t that great with graphics and was only black
Read moreRead the Book “Terrible Nerd” by Kevin Savetz (3-6 hours)
Task: Read the Book ‘Terrible Nerd’ by Kevin Savetz Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction Many of us grew up with Atari home computers in the 1980s. I certainly did with my Atari 400 and then 800. Those were great times and many of
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