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Atari Coin-op disks


Allan

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Not to be out down by @cx2k /John, (all in good fun) I am posting these disk images I came across in an eBay auction a while ago. I have not fully explored them but it looks like something Atari coin-op was using to track information. Let us know if you find anything interesting. The names of the disk images was the words on the disk labels.

Atari_Coin_2.atr Atari_Coin_disk_3.atr Atari_Coin_Field_Test_8_12_83.atr Atari_Coin.atr

 

 

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Nice find, and thanks for posting these!  They're an awesome artifact from inside Atari at the time.

 

Couple of notes for anyone else looking into these:

  1. Make a second (i.e., backup) copy of each image, and keep those copies separate from the ones you'll be working with
  2. Atari_Coin.atr is bootable with BASIC enabled
  3. It hangs after booting at a screen where (from looking at the BASIC listing) it appears to be trying to read from a real-time clock

It's too late for me to bang on this right now, but it's likely possible to edit out the date & time check by just skipping those subroutines and feeding in static values for whatever's being set at that particular moment.

 

Files appear to be stored in a format specific to the software, but looking at UPDAT.DAT on the Atari_Coin_Field_Test_8_12_83.atr image, some game names (including non-Atari ones) can be seen.

 

Spoiler

BOSCONIAN SECTION A
1R?%%0
POPOSITIONSECTION A
MOONPATROLSECTION B
1R?%%0
ZAXXON    SECTION B
1R?%%0
ROBOTRON  SECTION B
1R?%%0
CENTIPEDE SECTION B
TIME PILOTSECTION B
1R?%%0
JOUST     SECTION B
1R?%%0
MILLEPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
CENTIPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
WACKO     SECTION B
WACKO     SECTION B
MS PAC-MANSECTION B
ZOO KEEPERSECTION B
1R?%%0
ZOO KEEPERSECTION B
1R?%%0
ZOO KEEPERSECTION B
1R?%%0
STAR WARS SECTION B
1R?%%0
STAR WARS SECTION B
1R?%%0
MILLEPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
MILLEPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
ROBOTRON  SECTION B
1R?%%0
ROBOTRON  SECTION B
1R?%%0
CENTIPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
CENTIPEDE SECTION B
1R?%%0
TIME PILOTSECTION B
1R?%%0
TIME PILOTSECTION B
1R?%%0
JOUST     SECTION B
1R?%%0
JOUST     SECTION B
1R?%%0
STAR TREK SECTION B
1R?%%0
STAR TREK SECTION B
GALAGA    SECTION C
1R?%%0
TUTANKHAM ISLAND 7  
1R?%%0
TUTANKHAM ISLAND 8  
1R?%%0
BABYPACMANWEST WALL
MONDO BOFFSECTION A
MILLEPEDE SECTION B
CENTIPEDE SECTION B
ROBOTRON  SECTION B
JOUST     SECTION B
OMEGA RACESECTION A
BURGERTIMESECTION A
JOUST     SECTION B
ROBOTRON  SECTION A
BOSCONIAN SECTION B
GALAGA    SECTION C
STARGATE  SECTION C
TRON      SECTION B

I'd like to know what was being tested under the name, "MONDO BOFF", which is presumably shorthand for, "Mondo Boffo".  Doubt it had anything to do with the group, though.

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1 minute ago, cx2k said:

Sounds like a possible layout for an arcade, maybe Atari Adventure?

Possibly, but it's more likely that it was a test location that Atari used regularly (Golfland in Milpitas was one such place) and they had divided the floorplan up into sections.  And, speculating even further, the sections may have something to do with how favourable they are to foot traffic - i.e., certain sections may be more visible from the main entrance or a restaurant than from elsewhere on the floor.

 

Like I said: total speculation on my behalf, but it would make sense.

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26 minutes ago, hunmanik said:

Appears to me to be the software for the Atari Coin Executive (ACE).

http://www.atarimania.com/documents/atari-coin-executive.pdf

Yup, they are.  Should have mentioned that earlier.

 

I wonder if there were ever any technical manuals written for the system; the ACE Data Recorder appears to possibly work inductively.

 

Interestingly, the device marked 'ACE Data Recorder' looks different in both the brochure that @hunmanik posted as well as the one found at http://www.atarimania.com/documents/atari-coin-collection-accounting.pdf - when docked in the workstation it looks like it's in an 835 or 850 case, but is also shown as being a handheld device.  Then again, there's no guarantee that it's not all vapourware.

 

Would really like to know if any of these ever went into production and/or into customers' hands.

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Program has a missing line -

1508 IF YY$="$" THEN POP :GOTO 1035

 

1035 does not exist. Either change 1035 to 1036 or create line

1035 REM

 

Runs in Altirra 400/800 OS-B and Basic Rev C cart.

Edited by Triads
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2 hours ago, Triads said:

Program has a missing line -

1508 IF YY$="$" THEN POP :GOTO 1035

 

1035 does not exist. Either change 1035 to 1036 or create line

1035 REM

 

Runs in Altirra 400/800 OS-B and Basic Rev C cart.

Thanks for those.  I added the lines in, but without the RTC that it seems to be looking for, it just continues to hang at the date / time display.

 

What did you do to get past that?

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the date i used was 05/19/83 and time was 10:00 AM

 

It appears the 1035 was an oversight and didnt need to be fixed if the date was what it wanted. Using that date works. Well it does for me. No clock hardware installed.

Edited by Triads
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1 hour ago, Triads said:

the date i used was 05/19/83 and time was 10:00 AM

 

It appears the 1035 was an oversight and didnt need to be fixed if the date was what it wanted. Using that date works. Well it does for me. No clock hardware installed.

Weird - it won't let me enter a date or time, either on real hardware or in Atari800MacX.  Both stop at the grey date / time screen while making a really obnoxious sound and the keyboard doesn't respond.

 

Just to double-check: boot with BASIC enabled, let it autorun, screen goes grey, and I should be able to enter the date and time.  Is that correct?

 

Unfortunately I'm not in a Windows environment, so can't test in Altirra without a lot of effort.

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I had issues running on XL/XE hardware, but 400/800 OSB worked. Would be nice if docunentation were to come out.. I'd say this wasn't cheap back hen. Keeping track of all your arcade machines at different locations.

Edited by Triads
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