THE ATARI FALCON 30 Computer

[Sean39]

HI Everyone

 

I owne the Atari 800 computer and saw the specs on the Falcon. I also saw that you could install a 486SX

CPU board in to the falcon computer. Now the only problem I was have was finding a Falcon for sale and software to

go with it. Is this a hard computer to get now????? I also saw that the Falcon could have a hard drive installed,so

can the Falcon get on to the internet also with an external modem????? Well Can someone fill me in on about this

computer the Atari Falcon030 computer.

 

Thanks sean39

[Gunstar]

Well, there are others who know far more about the Falcon than I, but I can tell you some basics. Now, I haven't heard of a 486SX upgrade before, but there are a bunch of cool upgrades for it, so I'm sure it probably does exist. But there are far better upgrades than just turning the Falcon into a lame 486 PC. There are upgrades to upgrade with 68040, 060 and such that will increase it's speed a LOT, IIRC, close too, if not over 100Mhz with some upgrades. Yes, it can connect to the internet with an external modem, but I think it can even connect via ethernet too, for high-speed access, and with such upgrades the Falcon can run circles around 486 PC's(even without upgrades a Falcon can run circles around a 486 PC in many ways). So don't settle for a 486 upgrade. There are high quality browsers available for the Falcon and even TOS upgrades as well as other OS's that are even more modern. The Falcon, IIRC, comes with an internal HD already, but this can be upgraded with newer, bigger HD's too.

 

Now, the Falcon IS a rare computer, so it's harder to find and more expensive than any other Atari computer, but not impossible, and generally you can get one for a few hundred dollars, you just have to be patient. There are Dealers that sell software for it, some really good software, but there isn't a huge list since it wasn't out for long before Atari abandoned it for the Jaguar console and then went completely out of business. Still, it worth it.

For starters on spoftware options, '16/32 Systems' has a lot of great software for it: http://www.1632-sales.zenwebhosting.com/ac...ne_Shop_40.html

 

here's a direct link to a Falcon software page at 16/32 Systems: http://www.1632-sales.zenwebhosting.com/ac...n_Games_13.html

 

This is just a bit of info to get started with until someone who can help you and explain to you better than I comes along.

Edited February 11, 2008 by Gunstar

[Sean39]

WOW

 

That sounds like a great computer,and I would really like to get my hands on one. I like to get one with the hard drive

built into it. Now can you put a CD Rom Drive in it too????? Now I have seen that it can be upgraded to 14 meg of Ram

but I have seen there a way to even get more memory than that. How much memory can the Falcon have access too???

It sure sound like the computer for me. Please keep in touch with me..

 

email: seanradios@yahoo.com

 

 

Thanks

Sean

[danwinslow]

Yes, you can use a CD rom with. There's no room in the case to put anything much 'in' it. Here's what I have with my Falc :

 

1. Internal memory 14MB ( thats maximum ).

2. 40GB 3.5 in hard drive (with HDDriver software)

3. External Sony CD r/w drive ( with Extendos Gold CD suite )

4. 17 in. hdtv monitor ( VGA adaptor )

5. External pc-style mouse and keyboard ( Eiffel adaptor )

6. External 10Mbit Ethernet ( EtherNec card )

7. Internally installed ( barely! ) CT63 68060 processor upgrade at ~95mhz with 512MB of SDRAM.

 

You can still purchase everything above except for 7. Best bet for finding a Falc is to watch Ebay like a...well, like a hawk, or you can buy from B&C computervision and I think Best Electronics, but they are around 1000$-ish. The ones that pop up on Ebay are usually around 500-700.

[Sean39]

Yes, you can use a CD rom with. There's no room in the case to put anything much 'in' it. Here's what I have with my Falc :

 

1. Internal memory 14MB ( thats maximum ).

2. 40GB 3.5 in hard drive (with HDDriver software)

3. External Sony CD r/w drive ( with Extendos Gold CD suite )

4. 17 in. hdtv monitor ( VGA adaptor )

5. External pc-style mouse and keyboard ( Eiffel adaptor )

6. External 10Mbit Ethernet ( EtherNec card )

7. Internally installed ( barely! ) CT63 68060 processor upgrade at ~95mhz with 512MB of SDRAM.

 

You can still purchase everything above except for 7. Best bet for finding a Falc is to watch Ebay like a...well, like a hawk, or you can buy from B&C computervision and I think Best Electronics, but they are around 1000$-ish. The ones that pop up on Ebay are usually around 500-700.

 

 

 

ok WOW that not a cheap computer. sean39

[atarifan49]

You would have a better chance to find one in Europe than here in the States. Just not enough to go around. The Falcon is the pinnacle of the ST line of computers - a lot of lessons learned came together for the Falcon. But I do believe most people wish that Atari packaged the Falcon more like a Mega.

 

Glenn

[Sean39]

If I get a Falcon computer. you were saying getting a chip upgrade for it would be real hard???? I know they came with the 68030 chip,but it would be

hard to get a hold of a 68040 chip. Now I know people spoke of a 486DX chip up grade kit for the falcon computers. Now if it can run a 486DX chip.

Could it not run then 80586 chip same as the pentium 1 chip with the 586 ROM chip that supports that CPU. That would mean a computer running at

133mhz or even 166 Mhz speed. Now I know it would loose it ability to run Atari software with that chip set in it. That why I would like to stick with the 68030

or 68040 chip. I know where to get a falcon computer but I would need help with the upgrade to it. I would even need to start saving up for it right now.

Believe me they are high price little computers now would it be worth my investment into this computer???? If I get this computer I would like to set it up as my main computer and could I use it well on the internet if I do the upgrades?????/

 

 

sean39

[danwinslow]

You can stick a 486 chip in as a kind of adapter, but you won't be able to run anything except like maybe IBM DOS 3.2 or similar. The hardware just isn't there. You cannot actually replace the 68030 chip with an intel chip. You can put the later versions of the 680x0 in, but you won't get a particularly huge speedup, because :

1. The entire bus system is slaved to a particular speed ( 16mhz? I think ) and just because the processor *could* run at a faster speed it would be so limited by the memory bandwidth it wouldn't make much of a difference.

2. Hardly any software can make any use of the newer instructions that may be available on later 680x0 revs.

 

The CT63 actually is much more than just a processor, its a little mini-motherboard on its own and replaces many functions of the original motherboard. There are some other speed upgrades, but if I recall correctly none of them were particularly fantastic and they are extremely hard to find nowadays.

 

Yes, if you have connectivity ( a ethernet card or a serial/ethernet interface ) you can get on the internet.

[Sean39]

Hi again

 

Well I just found out my source for the Atari Falcon looked and said he did not have one. He said that he thought he still had one,but when he looked he was out .Now he did said he would keep me in mind when he get another one in. So till then I will still be using my Atari 800. I really don't want to get another 8 bit computer such as the Atari 130XE because it really not that much of an up grade you are still stuck with the 6502C chip, and not

a 68000 series chip. You know I am really suprise the did not ever come out with a program that let Mac users run Atari programs and Atari users run MAC

programs since they had the same CPU. All you would have to do is change the instruction set up in the computers to be compatible with each other.

Sorry I have not been around had to go to the hospital they thought I had an heart Atack. Thank the Lord I did not just my chest acting up.

I was in a bad Car wreck last year that killed my wife and the rest of my family except my nine eight year old daughter she nine now. Well

it boke all my ribs and collapsed my lungs. Well they found out I have an infection in there right now so they are fighting it with Antibiotics,but

that beats having a heart attack. Anyways that why I have not been around to respond to this.

 

 

Sean39

[Gunstar]

Hi again

 

You know I am really suprise the did not ever come out with a program that let Mac users run Atari programs and Atari users run MAC

 

Sean39

 

They did make a product for Atari ST/STE/TT computers to run the Macintosh OS and Mac programs, and on the TT it was actually faster than the Macintiosh counterpart). The original for the classic Mac compatibility was the Magic Sac; a cartridge (with MAC OS ROMS in it) and software. A later, much more powerful and more compatible version, called Spectre GCR came out with the newer 256K (or was it 512K?) ROMS for later Mac models. Basically it turned your Atari into a Macintosh. I owned the Spectre GCR for a while and with it I could tell absolutely no difference between it and a real Mac I used in college (Mac at day, Atari at night)

I have no idea if the Spectre GCR would work with a Falcon or not.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Gunstar

[ilaskey]

I owne the Atari 800 computer and saw the specs on the Falcon. I also saw that you could install a 486SX

CPU board in to the falcon computer.

I had a machine with a 486SX board but I thought (memory going..) it was a Mega STe not the Falcon. The Falcon was pretty tight in side so I'd be surprised but anything's possible. The board (whatever machine it was in) worked OK but was nothing very useful unless you wanted to run DOS program in B&W. The only thing I used it for was to write a Dbase III program for a collage course.

[mcp]

Actually a new batch of CT63's is probably in the works, see:

 

http://www.atari-users.net/index.php?name=...le&sid=1443

 

Anyone wanting one should contact the maker ASAP.

[JamesWD]

I have no idea if the Spectre GCR would work with a Falcon or not.

 

No it doesn't work on a Falcon, bombs out after the spectre splash screen comes up.

 

Works on a TT although no SCSI drive can be used.

[rustynutt]

Falcon Speed, a card that fits on the processor direct "port", has a 286sx processor. It will run Windoez 3.1 decently, and is nice to run DOS on. A while back (hehe, years ago) there were PC socket adapters for the 286 fitted with a 486sx processor, but don't remember anyone ever reporting that it worked with the Falcon Speed.

 

I have an "Afterburner" 68040 card which is very compatible with existing Falcon software. There are a couple of other older upgrades out there as well. The latest, the CT "series" utilizes the 060 MOT processors, and as stated earlier is almost a completely new computer that can be fitted to the Falcon. If you want speed and state of the art on the Falcon, that's the upgrade to look for, but you will sacrafice some compatibility with legacy TOS applications such as Apex Media and Rainbow Multimedia as well as ATI NOVA graphics adapters (unless that's been resolved since last I've looked).

 

There were some 486 boards, but think they were developed for the ST(e) line of machines.