Help identify this port/upgrade on an 800...

[CannibalCat]

Hello,

 

Was wondering what this extra port on the right side of this 800 could be for... any thoughts?

 

(see attached photo)

 

Thanks

 

[Roydea6]

Without seeing the inside wiring my guess would be a Printer port.

[Magic Knight]

its a parallel d type socket, likely to be there specifically to interface with a peripheral that commonly uses this connector.

 

i agree with rdea6 - that its likely a printer port,

Edited May 17, 2013 by Magic Knight

[candle]

i would call it vandalism

[+slx]

Once came across a machine that used a port like that for an external keyboard.

[Magic Knight]

Once came across a machine that used a port like that for an external keyboard.

 

would be pointless where the 800 has probably the best keyboard of the A8,

 

also - i agree with Sebastian, i also think it would have have least been better if a bolt on port is at the back of the unit as its less of an eyesore,

[+slx]

BTW, any idea what this beauty might hide beneath its skin? Although it was almost next door compared to most stuff on EBay it was outside what I'd spend on another 800. Couldn't ask the buyer about his discoveries as I can't see his full EBay name.

 

I actually have an 800XL with a similar installation (with similar aesthetic appeal) which just doesn't matter too much as it has rather roughly made "cursor keys" right of the cart slot but I never dared to look inside to find what it actually does. The seller didn't know either, so I guess I'll have to take it apart to see where the cabling leads.

 

I do agree with the 800 not needing an external keyboard but maybe someone used it as a keyboard for an inferior machine Some mods devised 30 years ago just aren't intuitive even with hindsight....

[+Larry]

Yes, there was an extension keyboard sold for the 400/800 that allowed sitting across the room and still keyboarding to the Atari. The port was user installed and connected with a ribbon cable. One that I saw was on the left side, but could be either. A goodly amount of searching has yielded no info on the name of this. Does anyone recall? My recollection is that it was sold in the ~1982/1983 period. (?) My Atari friend who had this sat back in a comfortable chair and used his Atari with his (then) awesome 40" Zenith projection TV. Playing Star Raiders on that setup was also quite an experience.

 

-Larry

[CannibalCat]

Thanks guys... this particular one is on the way to me, more info when I get it and look inside I guess.

[+David_P]

I suspect it's a parallel printer hack using PORTB, and possibly one of the interrupt lines from the SIO port.

[fibrewire]

the last 800 i snagged had a 9 pin d-sub wired direct to the SIO port. pretty lame upgrade if you ask me, maybe this is the same to bring all pins for the SIO somewhere else over a long centronics printer cable or something similar.

[BillC]

Once came across a machine that used a port like that for an external keyboard.

I did similar to connect a 1200XL keyboard to a 400 in the late 80s, but I put the DB25 connector hidden underneath.

[doctorclu]

I'll put one other idea out there that no one has talked about.

 

I have the same mod, only on my Atari 800 it was placed in the back.

 

I got with More Than Games in Austin, TX and Rick modified a Atari 800 and numeric keypad to work directly with each other. The final result was the parallel looking port in the back of the Atari 800 and a similar port on the numeric keypad. Plug those two up, and now you have a numeric keypad to use in any application without having to install the keypad drivers.

 

Edited May 18, 2013 by doctorclu

[sup8pdct]

one other susgestion itcould be (at least here in aus) is a port for an eprom burner. either a small program or a built in monintor type program (called John Nichalls monintor) that could use hardware made from a magazine artical described in the early 80s

it was slow but worked well. plug shown was wired directly to joystick ports.

 

james

[ClausB]

In the day I modded my 800 with both extenders but not via "vandalism." I cut only thin slots in the gap between upper and lower case halves and passed ribbon cable through them.

 

The parallel port extender has all PORTA and PORTB signals, plus some trigger and pot inputs, on a DIP connector. I homebrewed an EPROM programmer for it which used 3 9V batteries with a zener regulator and a transistor switch for Vpp.

 

The keyboard extender has a D connector for a long ribbon cable to a 1200XL remote keyboard.

[MEtalGuy66]

Could be a Bob Wooley Paralell 1050 interface.

[doctorclu]

Could you imagine an Atari 800 with all the modifications and upgrades that came out over the years? With all the ports and switches the thing would look like a multiport switch box.