Atari lives!

I got one of my two Atari 800’s out and fired it up today. My 30-year-old computer is still kicking!

My 1982 Atari still works!

My wife and/or kids started typing on my old computer, and their opinion is apparent! 🙂

The old programming cartridges (Action!, assembler, and BASIC) still work, but I currently have no way to store any programs I write. (I didn’t even bother to test the old cassette tape drive, because I’m almost certain that the drive belt has disintegrated.) So my first project to resurrect this box will have to be some hardware and software for serial communication. The “software” will have to be burned onto an 8k EPROM for the right cartridge slot. Fortunately, Make Magazine just published a [circuit board for Atari 8-bit computers][1] in their most recent issue.

I’m enough of a geek that I’m actually looking forward to this!

[1]: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/02/diy-homebrew-video-game-cartridges.html

About Jim Vanderveen

I'm a bit of a Renaissance man, with far too many hobbies for my free time! But more important than any hobby is my family. My proudest accomplishment has been raising some great kids! And somehow convincing my wife to put up with me since 1988. ;)
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