doctorclu Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Come along as we explore a heavily modded Atari 400 found in a Retro Madness store in Arlington, Texas. First thing noticed is that it is AV modded and other strange cords. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamm Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 My first computer was a 400 also, and there's something about the colors on that flat keyboard that I find very appealing and welcoming. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 It is very functional for a membrane keyboard. Atari did a fine job with it. So how long did you use your 400 and what mods were done to it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamm Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) I had it maybe about six months before I upgraded to a 600XL (for the keyboard). This is back when I was about 13, so no modding! Come to think of it, I don't remember what happened to the 400. I'm definitely curious what that DB25 is doing on yours. Edited February 14, 2020 by jamm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 2 hours ago, jamm said: there's something about the colors on that flat keyboard this is what i like best about the 400 - very '70s indeed!! i even have an aftermarket 'proper' keyboard for mine but i can't bring myself to fit it for that very reason ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, xrbrevin said: this is what i like best about the 400 - very '70s indeed!! i even have an aftermarket 'proper' keyboard for mine but i can't bring myself to fit it for that very reason ? I took off a b-key and fitted an NOS membrane keyboard to one of my 400s. I hope that one day we can have an incognito type mod for the 400. It's my favourite A8. As for the video mod @doctorclu it's probably the "little brother" mod 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusto Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Technology Connections just put a good video on YouTube all about brown and orange although it doesn't really explain why we all like the combo... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamm Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Rusto said: Technology Connections just put a good video on YouTube all about brown and orange although it doesn't really explain why we all like the combo... Don't you mean "orange and darker orange"? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusto Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Yes I do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 10 hours ago, mimo said: I took off a b-key and fitted an NOS membrane keyboard to one of my 400s. I hope that one day we can have an incognito type mod for the 400. It's my favourite A8. As for the video mod @doctorclu it's probably the "little brother" mod I will have to look into the little brother mod. I was just happy as hell to find a Atari 400 w/ AV. So, what do you make of the serial cable. And I am trying to remember the poke command in basic to determine if my computer has over 16K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roydea6 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 PRINT FRE(0) should give a number and the calculate the amount of memory .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 9 minutes ago, Roydea6 said: PRINT FRE(0) should give a number and the calculate the amount of memory .. Thanks! For that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, doctorclu said: Thanks! For that... Well, that's > 16kB. A 48kB machine will return 37902 (I will never forget that number). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 That's what you'll see with a 32K machine and BASIC inserted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam242 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 15 hours ago, mimo said: I took off a b-key and fitted an NOS membrane keyboard to one of my 400s. ? Did the same with my first 400. The B-key doesn't quite ruin the style of the 400, but it just doesn't look right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 2 hours ago, adam242 said: ? Did the same with my first 400. The B-key doesn't quite ruin the style of the 400, but it just doesn't look right. What is the B-Key? And here we have the number from a stock 16K Atari 400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam242 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 The B-key was a third party full-stroke keyboard for the 400. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClausB Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 9 hours ago, doctorclu said: So, what do you make of the serial cable. A screwdriver will answer that question. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 5 hours ago, ClausB said: A screwdriver will answer that question. Indeed. And I’m not 100% sure it’s an actual serial (RS232) cable. Weren’t there some external keyboard mods that used a cable like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrbrevin Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 anyone know why its called "the B-key"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 https://www.atariarchives.org/creativeatari/Standard_Keyboard_for_the_Atari_400.php Some interesting photos at the bottom of this page 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ZuluGula Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 For me, the most interesting idea is placing power supply transformer inside computer case. There's a lot of room inside 400/800 so space shouldn't be an issue, but what about electromagnetic interface from high voltage AC being so close to the motherboard? I know that 400/800 are very well shielded, but still it makes me think about video and audio interfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.