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Atari Computer Exhibit at Vintage Computer Festival East


Albert

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Oh, my dream machine....I want one so much yet I have failed to win the lottery :)

This was my dream machine as well BITD. But now days, not so much. Reason being, the built-in floppy was not really any good from an actual execution point of view, and having an internal 300 baud modem was slow even for back then. So what's left? A voice chip and PBI. I guess from a collectors perspective it would be super cool, and of course it would be worth a lot of $$$, but other then that I think I'd rather have another 800XL or 1200XL. And because of it's rarity, you really wouldn't want to mod it, and without mods it's usability compared to what's possible now days, is severely limited. Too bad it wasn't based on something more like the XF551 tech, only in a parallel configuration :) .

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I am no expert too, but I looked around online. It looks like the New Jersey Coast Line runs from NY Penn Station (in midtown Manhattan ;-)) to Belmar Station (as noted by BNE Jeff above). One transfer is needed at Long Branch Station where you take the train toward Bay Head. It takes about 2 hours one way and costs $16.75.

 

The bummer is getting from Belmar Station to InfoAge. It's a 2 mile walk along roads with no sidewalks. :mad:

Man, 2 hours, $16.75, and a potentially treacherous 2 mile walk each way. I'm going to have to think about this. Much appreciate the information atarian1 .

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This was my dream machine as well BITD. But now days, not so much. Reason being, the built-in floppy was not really any good from an actual execution point of view, and having an internal 300 baud modem was slow even for back then. So what's left? A voice chip and PBI. I guess from a collectors perspective it would be super cool, and of course it would be worth a lot of $$$, but other then that I think I'd rather have another 800XL or 1200XL. And because of it's rarity, you really wouldn't want to mod it, and without mods it's usability compared to what's possible now days, is severely limited. Too bad it wasn't based on something more like the XF551 tech, only in a parallel configuration :) .

 

Yeah, the reality is hard to take if you look at it....I just remember it being the last 8 bit I really wantedto own after seeing the advance blurb from Atari while at Maplin.....It just looked drop dead great but as you say, it was a bit of a mish mash of components. What we would call a BITSA machine, ie made with bitsa this and bitsa that...

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Yeah, the reality is hard to take if you look at it....I just remember it being the last 8 bit I really wantedto own after seeing the advance blurb from Atari while at Maplin.....It just looked drop dead great but as you say, it was a bit of a mish mash of components. What we would call a BITSA machine, ie made with bitsa this and bitsa that...

 

And we all know that the 1400XL should have been released in place of the 1200XL, since it was essentially a 1200 with a PBI which would have been consistent with the 600/800XL that followed. It also had the superior 4-layer PCB, which as I've discovered with the 1088 series machines, makes for a very quiet bus. The only reason I can think of for Atari releasing the 1200XL instead, probably had to do with the extra cost of 4-layer boards BITD, because surely adding the card edge connected PBI couldn't have added much if any extra cost. I know this has all probably been talked about before, but it just seems so weird that Atari didn't release the already created 1400XL, and instead had to design an entirely new 1200XL PCB and re-tool the case to get rid of the PBI option.

 

But yes I agree that the 1450XLD looked soooooo Frickin Awesome :) . Be nice to see one at the show :thumbsup:

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Yes, there are several working 1450XLD's, I had two, just sent one over to Europe. I'm not sure of the XL display will have one there. I'm running the 400/800 display and I've already got a very large amount of stuff coming already.

Will there be a working 1450 XLD there? Is there such a thing?

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And we all know that the 1400XL should have been released in place of the 1200XL, since it was essentially a 1200 with a PBI which would have been consistent with the 600/800XL that followed. It also had the superior 4-layer PCB, which as I've discovered with the 1088 series machines, makes for a very quiet bus. The only reason I can think of for Atari releasing the 1200XL instead, probably had to do with the extra cost of 4-layer boards BITD, because surely adding the card edge connected PBI couldn't have added much if any extra cost. I know this has all probably been talked about before, but it just seems so weird that Atari didn't release the already created 1400XL, and instead had to design an entirely new 1200XL PCB and re-tool the case to get rid of the PBI option.

 

But yes I agree that the 1450XLD looked soooooo Frickin Awesome :) . Be nice to see one at the show :thumbsup:

Tough to say, it appears that BOTH the 1200 and 1201XL (the 1400XL less the modem/voice) were both in the works because Rev X8A the PBI version and Rev X10A are both within less than 2 weeks of each other and the X10A is what becomes the released 1200XL and it is VERY different from the Rev X8A version.

 

Rev X8A was double sided, not 4 layer and also the PBI appears to be a right angle header, but an edge connector as the last 600/800/1400/1450 XL's are.

 

Retooling the Case was only a matter of closing the PBI opening... I have done some further research and what I thought to be an early 1200XL design is in fact the 1201XL/1200XLS/1400XL proposed early design.

 

I've been doing a lot of updating on the 1200XL section later, much more to follow with more images and info the various stages of design, the schematics and mechanicals. Also I'm scanning in more documentation on the Z800 as it was called early on. Another interesting note: The 1200 (Z800) and the Collette (single board 800) were both submitted to the FCC as the same time, so it seems Atari mightve still be planning to continue the 800 at one point.

 

One document I just posted clearly states (the 64K version of the S-16 is the only version being released. Though technically in the 1000/1000x documents, they refer to the 64K S-16 as the S-64 and the 16k was supposed to be the S-16...

 

Confused yet? ;-)

 

Read up more here on the 1200XL

 

http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8BITS/1200xl/1200xl.html

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Curt, any chance you could take a picture of your other 1450XLD, all I have seen are mockup's and the like, it would be like a mini dream to see a real one...

 

That is if its not packed away...

 

I hate to think what it would go for on ebay.....Even if I won the lottery I doubt I could justify the cost :( SIGH!

 

Just saw the real one on your site...Tis a thing of beauty....

Edited by Mclaneinc
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Hi All,

I would like to attend this event but I am undecided due to the expenses (tolls, gas, etc) and driving of 4+ hours. I also HAVE TO be back to DC area by 9 pm or 9:30pm on Saturday

And since there is nothing to lose by asking: Is someone in the DC area (or Baltimore) willing to share expenses and driving duties?

I would like to attend Saturday, so I would depart the day before, stay in a cheap ($) place and be ready in the morning for the festival. I would like to come back same Saturday, not that late.. maybe 5pm or earlier, .

Thanks.

Please send PM

Edited by manterola
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Looks like I'm going!!!!

 

I was think of printing out a picture of my avatar with the AA logo on it along with my first name in the corner.

Wear in on my tee shirt for the day, Anyone else think about doing the same? Not all of use photos of our face

for our avatars. Just a suggestion.

 

Sorry ivop, I think I'll keep the Falcon a bit longer... Anyone have a Goteck thats setup for plug and play for the Falcon

they would like to sell? I really want to use it more, I just need a easy way to move files from the net to it. Right now it just

has compact flash hard drive thing i got from Best.

 

Thanks Flecth.. I'll look for those Falcon upgraded titles.

 

I hope to meet some of you guys in person soon...

 

Is Albert going to be attending?

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I'm tempted to attend. About a 3 hour drive for me. So I'd probably stay overnight somewhere.

I still feel like i need more details about this show that the front page is not giving me.

Is this just a tech meetup or will a sell and swap be setup for Atari related stuff?

Gotta think this one over.

 

Do it! People attend from all over the world (seriously). Three hours is practically in our backyard.

 

The basic schedule is:

- Friday: repair classes

- Saturday/Sunday: exhibit halls (like an antique car show, but it's all up-and-running); consignment sale; vendors; workshops; museum tours

 

So it's not a tech meetup: it's a family-friendly celebration of computer history. That's why we call it the Vintage Computer "Festival" -- it's got something for everyone. Hundreds of people attend from all over. Talks, exhibits, consignment -- it's got something for everyone. But what the show is NOT is a flea/swap (we made a conscious decision not to do that) nor just a meetup.

 

Full details are at http://vcfed.org/vcfeast

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Thanks for the info Curt.

Is the consignment area both days? I have a couple Atari computers that don't get much use these days.

I have a Falcon,XEGS and Colecovision that I'm thinking of trading. Nothing solid yet. My wife keeps telling

me I'll regret it. :-0 Anyone have a 1040STE with a floppy emulator you'd like to trade for a Falcon?

 

The show is three days: May 3-4-5. Consignment is open May 4-5.

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The bummer is getting from Belmar Station to InfoAge. It's a 2 mile walk along roads with no sidewalks. :mad:

 

That's incorrect. I am a runner and I use those same roads between our facility and the train station all the time. Most of it does have sidewalks. There is a short stretch (about a half-mile, if I recall correctly) without sidewalks, but it is pretty safe. And there's always a taxi at the train station, or of course you can take Uber/Lyft.

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Man, 2 hours, $16.75, and a potentially treacherous 2 mile walk each way. I'm going to have to think about this. Much appreciate the information atarian1 .

 

I thought Manhattan people were supposed to bold and unfazed by a few bucks and a little walk. :grin:

 

The walk is not "treacherous"; mostly there ARE sidewalks and it's perfectly safe. I run there all the time. Or just use a ride-sharing app.

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I thought Manhattan people were supposed to bold and unfazed by a few bucks and a little walk. :grin:

 

The walk is not "treacherous"; mostly there ARE sidewalks and it's perfectly safe. I run there all the time. Or just use a ride-sharing app.

BNE Jeff said it was sketchy in the first post in this thread. I will be a strong maybe, I run about 30-40 miles a week all over NYC.

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BNE Jeff said it was sketchy in the first post in this thread. I will be a strong maybe, I run about 30-40 miles a week all over NYC.

 

If you get to the show, then come say hello to me -- ask for me at the front desk, as I'm the crazy dude in charge. I am running in the NJ Marathon (#3 for me) this Sunday, and then we start setting up the show on Tuesday. LOL brilliant huh? :)

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Starts tomorrow people!!!! Leaving for the "Festival" super early saturday morning. Doing the round trip in one day.

Unless I can find a hotel @ a decent price. I hope to scratch that old computer meetup itch. I miss the ol'days of

computer fairs and get together with like minded people.

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