megarat

It sounds like I'm pretty lucky, as back in high school (class of '88), I was able to use my Atari 1200XL with a 1025 printer with no problems. I wrote many a report on that thing, and AtariWriter was a good friend of mine. One related memory comes to mind, which was in my Algebra II class, when we were learning matrix multiplication. We were given this hideous assignment to do something like 20 matrix multiplication problems, all by hand, and to show all of our work. As many of you probably know, the process of matrix multiplication is relatively simple, but it's tedious to do by hand -- basically mathematical gruntwork, with little multiplication problems repeated over and over again, where if you make one mistake, your result turns out wrong. So I asked my teacher if I could write a program to do it, and glory be, he said that as long as I turned in the source code with my answers, it would be fine. I gleefully spent that evening writing up a deeply for-looped BASIC program that performed matrix multiplication. This program then did my homework for me in about ten minutes, with almost all of that time required for entering and double-checking the matrices that were to be multiplied. I'm not sure if I saved any time overall, but it was a lot more fun than iteratively grunting through the operations by hand, and I was rewarded with the feeling of being ingenious and innovative. Fast forward to today, where I basically make a living doing the same thing: coding up mathematical (well, statistical and machine learning) methods for data analysis. So perhaps that was a formative learning experience for me.

I recently ordered a 1Mb flash cart off him, and the order was fulfilled in a timely fashion, arriving just last weekend. I don't want to speculate, I'm just adding a data point.

Outstanding, thanks for the info. I'll give it a try.

I'm not sure if this is a pre-order thread, or if people are just voicing their support, but in either case -- and assuming I'm not too late -- I'm definitely up for one.

Hey all, I'm sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but I would like to convert my archive to ROM/BIN files to CAR format, and I'm wondering if there is a database somewhere of which cartridges are of which cartridge type. For example, I drag-and-drop an "archon.bin" file on Electrotrains' (excellent) Java-based utility, and it offers over a half-dozen different 32k cartridge types, with one of them offered as a default. It would be convenient if there were a reference somewhere so I could know exactly which "CAR type" to select. It would certainly be more efficient than trial and error. Thank you, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking more about compatibility than anything else. I've encountered other projects like this that were a bit fickle about what kinds of cards they could use, so it made sense to ask. I ended up ordering a pair of 8GB Sandisk SDHC cards because, like your circumstances, they were the lowest-capacity cards I could find w/o spending even more money, and Sandisk cards seem to be pretty robust.

I got my carts just yesterday and I'm psyched to get to work on this. MacRorie, thanks so much for initiating this. Does anyone have recommendations for brands and sizes of SD cards to use?

Hey all, this is probably a long shot, but I'm an optimistic guy. I'm looking for an Atari 820 printer in working condition, ideally in excellent cosmetic condition. I understand that it's a seller's market for these things, and I'm prepared to pay fair market value. If you have an 820 that you want to part with, please PM me. I'd be interested in photos, proof of life, and your asking price. (And please forgive me if I don't respond right away, as I'll be traveling soon.) Thanks!

Mine (NTSC) follows the same format: the machine-printed label says "407147" with a stamped "442" above it. Below this label is a hand-written label that says "AW 359989 10-27". 27 October lies roughly at calendar week 44.

I'm glad I found this in time, I don't spend as much time on AA as I should. Count me in for two. I'll be submitting payment shortly. I presume that the Atari 800's cartridge compartment has enough overhead clearance to accommodate the protruding SD card?

Hey all, Retrobits mentioned that you might be interested in my setup, so here it is. I registered at Atarimax just to post this. (Please mind the mess, I just moved into a new house, and note that the photo is large.) Here is my 800XL, in its natural environment (my home theater, a.k.a. The Cave). It has Super Video 2.1a and a quad-boot ROM, connected via homebrew audio/svideo cable to my 5.1 receiver. The display is a 42" PDP, and while the computer's native audio output is mono, the receiver channels it through all five speakers (I don't believe the Atari's frequency range gives the subwoofer much to do). If I may say so, "Star Raiders" doesn't get much better than this. The Atari shares that cute little wood cabinet with a soft-modded Xbox, which is used only for game emulation and viewing nether-region DVDs. Inside the cabinet is an Atari 810 (Happy enhanced) and 410, plus my collection of carts, disks and controllers. The svideo/audio/power cables are long enough for me to roll the cabinet out for easy keyboard access. Predictably, this 800XL is used mostly for games. While I enjoyed hacking around with 6502 assembly in my past, alas, I don't have time for it anymore. Still, these old 8-bit games kick butt ... maybe it's nostalgia, but I haven't yet found a console worthy enough to vanquish the Atari8. My next step is to experiment with the Atarimax flash cart, to see if I can consolidate my aging cartridge collection into something more modern. When I assembled this kit, it was my goal to make it play as many Atari games as possible (hence the quad-boot ROM and the 410), although in practice 99% of its software comes from carts. Not shown is a gaming PC that doubles as my SIO2PC box, but you can see where it lives ... just look for the stray cables, on top of the black subwoofer. (I also have an XEGS in a small little AV hutch upstairs, connected to a 12" TV with a single speaker, but it's only installed there as an affectation. Why bother playing games on that thing when I can come down to The Cave and play them on this? ) I must applaud the creator of the SV2.1a hack; using my homemade DIN-to-svideo cable, the display on that 42" PDP is crystal clear. (Any granularity in the picture is caused by my camera.) This may sound like hyperbole, but the colors and contrast are crisper than what comes out of the Xbox: every pixel is solid, bold, and ... well, the size of your fist .