18 Mar
2000
18 Mar
'00
9:12 a.m.
In today's thrift store trek, I came up with a Wico trackball for my
C128 and one of those cute little Apple //c mini monochrome composite
monitors which in the ultimate irony will go to the 121-colour Commodore
Plus/4, which has been sharing a Commodore 1902 with two 128s.
The other thing I found was an Atari XE GS with no power supply or
peripherals. Since it was only $2, I picked it up. Aside from being
dusty, it looks to be in good shape, so I'm going to try to clean it
up. Can anyone tell me about them? How unusual are they? What is the
pinout on the power supply (it's an 8-pin DIN)?
From the looks of it, it seems to be a 65XE in a case
with no keyboard
and just the regular Atari function keys (OPTION, etc.). I've
heard
of them but never actually seen one, and I don't know too much about
the Atari 8-bits to start with. I assume it takes 5200 and regular
Atari 400/800/1200/etc. cartridges and the usual Atari/Commodore joysticks.
I'm also interested to know how uncommon they are.
Thanks for any help!
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)ptloma.edu
-- In memory of Bruce Geller --------------------------------------------------
18 Mar
18 Mar
9:28 a.m.
On Sat, 18 Mar 2000, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
The other thing I found was an Atari XE GS with no
power supply or
peripherals. Since it was only $2, I picked it up. Aside from being
dusty, it looks to be in good shape, so I'm going to try to clean it
up. Can anyone tell me about them? How unusual are they? What is the
pinout on the power supply (it's an 8-pin DIN)?
7pin DIN, same as the 800XL ps:
7 6
3 1
5 4
2
1 +5V
2 Shield
3 Ground
4 +5V
5 Ground
6 +5V
7 Ground
10:27 a.m.
The other thing I found was an Atari XE GS with no
power supply or
peripherals. Since it was only $2, I picked it up. Aside from being
dusty, it looks to be in good shape, so I'm going to try to clean it
up. Can anyone tell me about them? How unusual are they? What is the
pinout on the power supply (it's an 8-pin DIN)?
The only thing I can tell you about 8-bit Atari's is that seem to *never*
have the PowerSupply. Well, that and at least around here they're rare as
hens teeth.
Just what is it about Atari's and their PS's? Did the PS's suck royally
and normally get tossed (and usually the computer get tossed at the same
time) or what?
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |
10:56 a.m.
On Sat, 18 Mar 2000, Zane H. Healy wrote:
Just what is it about Atari's and their PS's?
Did the PS's suck royally
and normally get tossed (and usually the computer get tossed at the same
time) or what?
PS's are like socks in the dryer; there is some kind of unexplained
phenomena that seperates them from their computers...
Some of the XL PS's (noc specifics, sorry) were under-rated and burned up,
but I never had one die, even with 512k ram upgrade installed in my 130XE.
3:58 p.m.
Hi,
....found was an Atari XE GS with no power supply or
peripherals....
....Can anyone tell me about them? How unusual are they?
What is the pinout on the power supply (it's an 8-pin
DIN)?
The GS is, as you guessed, merely a 65XE in a different case. They're not
particularly common here in the UK, but at the same time they're not exactly
rare either. I've seen about the same number of GS' at rallies as I have
XL/XE machines.
The power supply pinout is, AFAIK, exactly the same as that of the regular
XL & XE series machines.
....I assume it takes 5200 and regular Atari
400/800/1200/etc.
cartridges and the usual Atari/Commodore joysticks.
The only console which takes 5200 carts is a 5200 (anyone in the UK got a
5200 they don't mind losing?). The XE-GS plays all regular Atari 8-bit
carts - well the ones which work on XL/XE machines anyway (which is the vast
majority).
And, yes it uses standard Atari compatible joysticks.
TTFN - Pete.
--
Hardware & Software Engineer. Sound Engineer.
Collector of Arcade Machines, Games Consoles & Obsolete Computers (esp DEC)
peter.pachla(a)wintermute.org.uk | www.wintermute.org.uk
--
19 Mar
19 Mar
10:24 a.m.
The XEGS is a 64k Atari-XE machine with Built-in Missile Command, Basic,
and another game I think. The main differences are the Detachable keyboard
(First and last for Atari 8 bits), and the absence of any expansion buss
though I am sure you could graft one on. The only thing missing is the
connector. It would be a hairy job to add it. I did to my 1200xl after
grafting 800xl roms and internal basic into it. It is now a true 800xl
but the PBI mod did not work. Never was sure why. You would think after
nearly 100 solder connections and about 58 wires that SOMETHING would
happen when I plugged the Black Box into it, but nothing did either
positive or negative.
Don't recall which supply it used but I believe it is a 7pin din
connector. If so then it takes straight 5volt dc and I can give you the
pinout. If it is one of those 'barrel +bayonet' style connectors it
probably used one of those ubiquitous 9vac adapters nearly every thing
Atari made ran on.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey S. Worley
Technical Services
Bits & Bytes Computer Services Inc.
1979B Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-684-8953 - voice 0900-1700 five days
828-687-9284 - 24hr fax
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Technoid(a)Cheta.net
-----------------------------------------------------------
2:25 p.m.
::The XEGS is a 64k Atari-XE machine with Built-in Missile Command, Basic,
::and another game I think. The main differences are the Detachable keyboard
::(First and last for Atari 8 bits), and the absence of any expansion buss
::though I am sure you could graft one on. The only thing missing is the
::connector.
Built-in games? How do you access them, assuming I get it running?
::Don't recall which supply it used but I believe it is a 7pin din
::connector. If so then it takes straight 5volt dc and I can give you the
::pinout.
Yes, it's seven (too used to Commodore 8-pin DIN monitor cables and
miscounted :-). Aaron Christopher gave me the pinout. I haven't looked,
but does R**** S**** sell them?
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)ptloma.edu
-- Military justice is to justice what military music is to music. -- G. Marx -
2:53 p.m.
On the Atari 8-bit you have several standard startup keystrokes you can
use to customize your environment. The most known of these is holding
down OPTION while powering the machine. This disables internal BASIC on
all atari XL/XE machines but yours. On the XEGS it ENABLES internal BASIC
which is a welcome change for most 8-bitters.
Another is holding the START key while powering which causes the machine
to BEEP indicating that you should cue the cassette drive for a boot from
cassette. START and OPTION can be combined to produce a binary bootstrap
without internal basic except with your XEGS which would produce a binary
boot with BASIC enabled....
The other three keys are unused in this way and thus were used to select
the additional game roms built in to the XEGS which was a full Atari 8-bit
billed as a game machine in 88'?
The three function keys are not regular keys and are controlled by a
different IC. They can be compined to produce 16 combinations of codes. I
think the other game beside Missile Command was Asteroids but I can't be
sure not having an XEGS (got almost all the others though ;-).
If you want any support or software for your new machine, contact me via
e-mail and I will help you get going. I have MEGS and MEGS of software
and games, languages, terminal software, you name it, I got it. Too bad
you didn't get the keyboard with it though. You can get one from B&C
Computervisions in San Jose CA or from San Jose Computers in the same
town.
It is a surprisingly solid, full-stroke XE keyboard that is as useable as
any xe keyboard. The Xe machines' keyboards had a rep for a 'spongy' feel
but I have used one for 15 years and call it 'light touch'. Very little
pressure is required to produce a character.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey S. Worley
Technical Services
Bits & Bytes Computer Services Inc.
1979B Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-684-8953 - voice 0900-1700 five days
828-687-9284 - 24hr fax
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Technoid(a)Cheta.net
-----------------------------------------------------------
3:05 p.m.
Ooops. You can infer what to do from my last message but try holding
SELECT while powering on. I think START+SELECT got you the other game.
Good luck and remember if you need any help to drop me a note.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey S. Worley
Technical Services
Bits & Bytes Computer Services Inc.
1979B Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-684-8953 - voice 0900-1700 five days
828-687-9284 - 24hr fax
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Technoid(a)Cheta.net
-----------------------------------------------------------
3:41 p.m.
Yes, it's seven (too used to Commodore 8-pin DIN
monitor cables and
miscounted :-). Aaron Christopher gave me the pinout. I haven't looked,
but does R**** S**** sell them?
B & C Computer (San Jose) has them, and I
believe Best Electronics has
them cheap too...but let me look in my garage tonight, I may have an
extra.
Aaron
4:19 p.m.
The pinout for the connector is:
Looking at the connector (female) on the computer:
7 6
3 1
5 4
2
Sorry I am not practiced at making 'round' ascii... This is the pin
sequence.
1. +5vdc
2. Shield
3. GRND (earth)
4. +5vdc
5. GRND
6. +5vdc
7. GRND
Ignore the shields, wire the grounds to a ground wire on a clone power
supply and wire the 5 volt from the clone supply to the three 5volt
inputs. The computer may or may not power on but if not it is easily
fixable. A lot of clone supplies require a fair load before they will
actually power on and deliver any significant current - the 130xe alone,
even mine with 576k and three os roms does not pull enough. The solution
is then to run your hard disks on the clone supply you are trying to power
the computer from. This is very convenient! I have been running my XL/XE
machines on clone supplies for so many years the supplies are rusty and
look ugly. Another cool thing is that the power requirements of a killer
Atari 8-bit machine are generally very low compared to the potential
output of a clone switching power supply. This means you can use supplies
which have failed due to FAN Failure. In other words, just use the good
supply with the bad fan. Demand is low so the heat dissipates by
convection and there is no need for the fan.
The above diagram came from the Atari 130xe's Owner's manual.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey S. Worley
Technical Services
Bits & Bytes Computer Services Inc.
1979B Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-684-8953 - voice 0900-1700 five days
828-687-9284 - 24hr fax
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Technoid(a)Cheta.net
-----------------------------------------------------------
8897
days inactive
8898
days old
10 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
af-list＠wfi-inc.com -
ckaiser＠oa.ptloma.edu -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
peter.pachla＠wintermute.org.uk -
Technoid＠cheta.net