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 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 moreDump Your Atari Computer Screen to Printer or Disk (10-15 mins)
Task: Dump Your Atari Computer Screen to Printer or Disk Needed: Screen dump utility like Magic Dump II Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I loved computer graphics back in the day. I used to write BASIC programs to draw interesting graphics on the screen. I also
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 moreEdit ATR Disk Images (10-15 mins)
Task: Edit ATR Disk Images Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I have previously posted about backing up floppy disks to ATR files on your PC using the Atarimax ProSystem software. This process can also be reversed allowing you to write ATR files from your
Read morePlay Atari 2600 Christmas Music (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Atari 2600 Christmas Music Needed: Atari 2600 or Stella emulator, A Very 2600 Christmas binary file Time: 10-15 mins Introduction The Atari 2600 had a 6502 series processor like the Atari 8-bit computer line but lacked additional hardware to make it a powerful game
Read moreCelebrate Christmas with Seasonal Demos (10-15 mins)
Task: Celebrate Christmas with Seasonal Demos Needed: Demo software Time: 10-15 mins Introduction If you celebrate Christmas then you are in luck. There are several nice seasonal demos that you can download and run in Altirra. Even better, load these up on your favorite Atari
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 moreBackup Floppy Disks to ATR Images on Your PC (15-30 mins)
Task: Backup Floppy Disks to ATR Images on Your PC Needed: Floppy disks, disk drive, Atarimax ProSystem software, SIO2PC Time: 15-30 mins Introduction I have at least 200 floppy disks and, amazingly, about 95% of them are still good. However, these don’t last forever and
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 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 Cartridge, 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 morePrepare New Floppy Disks for Saving Files (15-30 mins)
Task: Prepare New Floppy Disks for Saving Files 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
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