Task: Purchase a CRT Monitor Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction I started out on an Atari 400 and 410 cassette recorder connected to a color television in our family room in the early 1980s. We upgraded to an Atari 800 and 810 disk
Read morePurchase an Atari 7800 (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase an Atari 7800 Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The Atari 7800 ProSystem was everything the Atari 5200 should have been. Released in 1986, the 7800 was smaller than the 2600 and backward compatible with the 2600 cartridges and joysticks. This should
Read morePurchase New Power Supplies (5-10 mins)
Task: Purchase New Power Supplies Needed: Web browser Time: 5-10 minutes Introduction I have previously posted about the need to go through your collection and purge dangerous power supplies that can fail and take your Atari out. Further, you may not trust the ones that
Read moreReplace Rubber Feet (5-10 mins)
Task: Replace Rubber Feet Needed: New Rubber Feet Time: 5-10 minutes Introduction I have had several problems with the little rubber feet on the bottom of Atari hardware. First, some of the feet degrade over time and the chemicals damage the finish on my desk
Read moreConduct Experiments with AtariLab (30-60 mins)
Task: Conduct Experiments with AtariLab Needed: AtariLab Starter Set Time: 30-60 mins Introduction One of the coolest peripherals for the Atari computers was the AtariLab that was developed by Atari in collaboration with Dr. Priscilla Laws who was a professor at Dickinson College. I never
Read moreWatch Joe Decuir on YouTube (1-2 hours)
Task: Watch Joe Decuir on YouTube Needed: Web browser Time: 1-2 hours Introduction Joe Decuir was hired by Atari to debug the prototype for the Atari 2600 and then went on to help design and build the Atari 400 and 800 computers. He has had
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 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 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 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 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 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
Read morePurchase an Indus GT Disk Drive (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase an Indus GT Disk Drive Needed: Web browser Time: 15-30 mins Introduction My favorite disk drive is the Atari 810. It was my fist and I love the aesthetics. However, the 810 could only read and write about 90k of data and was
Read moreMake Custom Atari 2600 Cartridges (30-60 mins)
Task: Make Custom Atari 2600 Cartridges Needed: Binary, label art Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When I finished my Atari 2600 homebrew game Gene Medic I couldn’t wait to make it ‘real’ by having an actual cartridge made. Fortunately, the folks down at Atari Age make
Read moreTips for Storing Atari Computers and Consoles (10-15 mins)
Task: Tips for Storing Atari Computers and Consoles Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I got most of my Atari collection in the early 2000s when it was cheap and somewhat plentiful. I could tell as I acquired and cleaned each item that many
Read moreTest the RAM of an Atari 400 or 800 (10-15 mins)
Task: Test the RAM of an Atari 400 or 800 Needed: Atarimax MaxFlash or similar Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I remember being really interested in the diagnostic tests that were included in my friend’s new Atari 1200XL. These allowed you to test the RAM and other
Read moreBackup Cartridges to Floppy Disk Using “The Pill” (15-30 minutes)
Task: Backup Cartridges to Floppy Disk Using “The Pill” Needed: Floppy disks, disk drive, The Pill, The Pill software Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Software pirating was rampant back in the early 1980s and there were plenty of software and hardware tools that made this easy.
Read moreReplace the Ribbon and Paper in an Atari 820 Printer (15-30 minutes)
Task: Replace the Ribbon and Paper in an Atari 820 Printer Needed: Atari 820 printer with replacement ribbon and paper roll Time: 15-30 mins Introduction I never had an Atari 820 printer back in the day but have always wanted one because it beautifully matches
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 more