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
Read moreExplore Best Electronics Website (10-15 mins)
Task: Explore the Best Electronics Website Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Inevitably, you will need to purchase one of more pieces of hardware to support your Atari 8-bit computer hobby. eBay is of course a great source but can be expensive and you
Read moreRead the Book “Breakout” by Jamie Lendino (3-6 hours)
Task: Read the Book “Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation” by Jamie Lendino Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction Learning about Atari history and trivia on the web can be difficult since the information is fragmented across multiple different web pages and
Read moreListen to ANTIC – The Atari 8-Bit Podcast (1-2 hours)
Task: Listen to ANTIC – The Atari 8-Bit Podcast Needed: Web browser or podcast app Time: 1-2 hours Introduction There is so much to learn about Atari home computers. This is a lifetime hobby that never grows old. There is endless material in retro magazines,
Read moreInstall the Altirra Emulator (10-15 mins)
Task: Install the Altirra Emulator Needed: PC running Windows Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I very much enjoy running software on original Atari home computer hardware. However, it is also nice from time to time to be able to run something on my Windows-based PC. This
Read moreJoin Atari Age (5-10 mins)
Task: Join Atari Age Needed: Web browser Time: 5-10 mins Introduction As I have rediscovered my love for Atari home computers and video game systems I have found Atari Age to be a great place to participate in and learn from the community of enthusiasts
Read moreEnter a Retro Challenge (1 month)
Task: Participate in a retro challenge Needed: An Atari home computer and materials for the specific project Time: One month Introduction The Retro Challenge started in 2016 as an outlet for retrocomputing enthusiasts to enjoy their hobby. The goal is to start a project with
Read moreEaster Eggs (15-60 mins)
Task: Find easter eggs in several Atari home computer games Needed: Dig Dug and/or Donkey Kong cartridges Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction There are several Atari home computer games that have easter eggs left by the programmers. I have listed two of these here that I
Read morePurge Dangerous Power Supplies (15-60 mins)
Task: Identify and remove dangerous Atari power supply units and label the safe ones Needed: Labels and pen Time: 15-60 mins Introduction If you are like me and have a number of different Atari home computer models and peripherals then you also have a large
Read moreClean an 810/1050 Disk Drive Head (10-15 min)
Task: clean an Atari 810/1050 disk drive head Needed: Phillips-head screwdriver, Q-tip, alcohol Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction I started out back in the early 80s with an Atari 400 computer and a 410 cassette recorder for storing programs. Working with the 410 was tedious and
Read morePurchase an Atari 8-Bit Computer (1-2 hours)
Task: Purchase an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: $ Time: 1-2 hours (or longer) Introduction If you are reading this website it is very likely that you already have one or more Atari 8-bit computers. However, if you don’t own an Atari, and would like to,
Read more