Is Emulation Possible on an 8 Bit?

[dr. kwack]

Probably a dumb question, but here goes...

 

Is there any way a cart could be developed that could allow an Atari computer to read another systems disks? For example...

 

A disk for Adam played on an 800XL?

 

This thought came to me the other day while reading an old EG article about the "Adapter Wars" going on between Coleco and Atari back in the 80's. Intellivision had an Atari 2600 adapter, even the 5200 could play 2600 games. Would that be do-able?

 

[classics]

The old game system adapters were not emulators, they were complete working game systems in a different package.

 

They would plug into the cart or expansion port, draw power from the port and basically 'take over' the system by disabling the host computer cpu, then using the video and audio input lines to pump thier signal to the television.

 

Now the computer adapters like the Intellivison ECS or Adam system may have just added more ram and peripherals to the current hardware, but they could still only run software written for the same target cpu.

 

Steve

[Susuwatari]

The earlist emulator I know of would be the Pet Em for the C64. All it did was to sit in a small part of C64 memory and redirects POKE command from PET BASIC to proper memory location. Pet's memory location (video, sound, keyboard, etc) are different.

[TMR]

There is an simulator for the C64 that pretends to be a ZX Spectrum, although it can only simulate BASIC and can't (for obvious reasons) handle Z80a machine code... Drop the colour and that'd be portable to the A8?

[Nukey Shay]

The earlist emulator I know of would be the Pet Em for the C64.  All it did was to sit in a small part of C64 memory and redirects POKE command from PET BASIC to proper memory location.  Pet's memory location (video, sound, keyboard, etc) are different.

 

That would be an emulator in the same sense that the Translator for Atari XL/XE computers would be (i.e. emulating different configurations of essentually the same computer system)...but I don't think that's what he's got in mind.

 

BTW there was also a hardware "emulator" for the C64 called Mimic that would allow you to use AppleII hardware and software...but that was an emulator in name only (basically doing the same thing that hardware adapters did for the early game systems - cutting off all of the native components and using it's power and video output only).

[dr. kwack]

OK- after reading replies, I guess I need to change my wording...

 

Would it be possible to create an adapter of some kind (either hardware or software) that would allow a user to load/play ADAM disk software on an Atari 800XL?

 

As I said, this query originally had roots in the EG article, but I have also recently obtained a copy of Dragon's Lair for ADAM, and as of yet (yet!), don't own and ADAM system.

 

Just a wild curiosity I thought I would throw out there! :wink: [/i]

[kevin242]

there was a hardware "emulator"/adapter (that also doubled as a 850

interface and allowed you to use standard floppy drives) called the

ATR 8000 which could emulate CPM and with an extra add-on an IBM PC.

 

So the answer to your question, yes an adapter could have been made

for the atari 800/xl/xe machines to run coleco/2600/apple ii software but

it probably would have been too expensive (like the ATR which was priced

too high for most people).

 

 

 

 

 

kvn

[miker]

And what about making some adaptor to play 2600 games on XL/XE?

 

I think it's possible to do it. What's your opinion?

[kevin242]

And what about making some adaptor to play 2600 games on XL/XE?

 

I think it's possible to do it. What's your opinion?

 

Actually an adapter could be made to play any systems cartridges. All

the adapter is doing is drawing power from 8-bit and using the 8-bits

video out. The 2600 or whatever system you are "adapting" actually

resides in the adapter.

 

A later example of this type of thing is the "bridgeboard adapter" for the

Amiga which was basically a mini 386 motherboard that plugged into the

Amiga (using the Amiga for power and video out unless youadded a vga

card) basically the same concept but it cost just as much as a real 386

and sometimes even more, which tends to be the problem with these

devices.

 

 

 

 

 

kvn

[Susuwatari]

With a little work and motivation, you could make such adapter that lets you play Gamecube or XBox on the In telly or CV. Of course you'd need to upgrade the power supply first.

[mos6507]

As far as disks go, the Black Box Floppy Board allowed 8-bit users the ability to read and write to Atari ST/DOS disks up to 1.44mb disks. That's pretty cool.

[noteit]

Why don't you just go to www.ebay.com and see if there is an adam computer up for bid.

 

Theres one right now with a bid of $9 and another with a buy it now for $40.

[JayoK]

I know this is a little off the subject of what you were looking for, but out of point of note. I remember writing a Motorola 6800 emulator on the 8-bit back in 92. What was the point of that? Well I had to develop a 6802 system for a project and the cost of commercial emulators was outrageous. Based on DDT from Mac/65 this thing could step through the 6802 code and show the registers, memory locations, etc. Only thing was it only emulated 4k RAM and 4K ROM, but then that was all I needed! Worked fairly fast too.

 

Another point of note I won five awards for the project as a result - including best development system!

[Tickled_Pink]

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit of a doom sayer (I've just had an exam which didn't go well, so I have an excuse for being grumpy) but I think it's time to kill this question ...

 

Theoretically it is possible to get the 8-bit to run software for another system. However, unless the other system had a much slower clock speed, ran on a 6502 or a very inefficient processor, didn't rely on too many custom chips (preferably none), then it would be soooooo slow. Too slow to be usable, in fact.

 

It's a non starter for anything graphical ... although I suppose a ZX80 emulator might be possible at a push.

[Sikor]

All systems is very difficult, but... Something it is possible, for example was program colled Spectrus/Decoder, wchich convert ZX-Spectrum graphics to xl/xe graphics. Other? No problem: sid player (now under construction - read about it in atariarea.histeria.pl - polish atari forums) or - ATTENSION!!! - sap player!!! This is pokey sap emulator for... Atari xl/xe - only one way to play *.sap format module on real atari xl/xe!!!