Atari 800

From Deskthority wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Template icon--Illustration.png This article requires additional photographic illustration — all the other variants not depicted
Atari 800
Atari 800 - angle view.jpg
Branding Atari
Years of production 1979-1983[1]
Precedes Atari 800XL
Atari 800XL
Atari 800XL - angle view.jpg
Branding Atari
Years of production 1983-1985[1]
Supersedes Atari 800

Atari 800 is a family of computers from Atari. Atari 800 and 800XL computers shipped with a variety of mechanical and membrane keyboards throughout the product range's lifetime.

Keyboards

800

Examples found to date:

600/800XL

This list is based on a topic at the AtariAge Forums, and is not exhaustive. At least one switch depicted is not recognisable from the angle presented.

Gallery

Atari 800 Mitsumi keyboard

This keyboard, tentatively Mitsumi KSD Type, is unusual in having two membrane sheets over a PCB, instead of the usual one or three. Additionally, the sliders are cruciform mount instead of the standard negative square Mitsumi mount. The PCB and outer membrane sheet are both marked with model KSD-A58AU.

The four keys on the right of the keyboard use switches attached to the power board. In the example below, these appear to be Stackpole discrete switches: the position of the locating peg and the terminals is correct. These four keys can also use a presently unrecognised switch type, found in a keyboard with a Stackpole keyboard assembly.[5]

The keyboard module is dated December 1982.

  • Atari 800 Rev A PAL with Mitsumi keyboard

  • Mitsumi keyboard

  • Rear view showing underside of PCB

  • PCB with two membrane layers

  • PCB removed, revealing the sliders

  • Slider plate

  • Switch components; note the external return springs and cruciform sliders

  • Base assembly; note the switches at the front right

  • Power board, top

  • Power board, bottom; note the terminal positions of the four switches

Atari 800 Stackpole switch grid keyboard

Pictures of a NTSC 800 with Stackpole switch grid switches.

  • Top view

  • Back label

  • Switches and keycaps underside

  • All keycaps removed

  • Closer look

See also

The computers also came with Atari-standard controller jacks for connecting e.g. numeric keypads, joysticks and trackballs. The original Atari 800 had four ports while the 800XL had only two.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Atari Mania — 11.1) What is the history of Atari's 8-bit computers platform? (FAQ) Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  2. ↑ AtariAge Forums — ATARI 800 keyboard repair or "how I did my first root canal" Posted 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  3. ↑ AtariAge Forums — 600/800XL Keyboard variants (some pictures gone) Thread started 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  4. ↑ YouTube — Atari Keyboard Fix by The Crazy Old Coot. Dated 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  5. ↑ Imgur — Atari 800 Teardown by callmelightning. Dated 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2024-05-06.

External links

Retrieved from ‘https://deskthority.net/wiki/index.php?title=Atari_800&oldid=58053’