Atari 8-bit computersThe Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bitMOS Technology 6502CPU and three custom coprocessors which provide support for sprites, smooth multidirectional scrolling, four channels of audio, and other features.
Atari 2600Home video game consoleThe Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released c. September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F in 1976. The VCS was bundled with two joystickcontrollers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a game cartridge—initially Combat and later Pac-Man.
Video game consoleA video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to a television or other display devices and controlled with a separate game controller, or handheld consoles, which include their own display unit and controller functions built into the unit and which can be played anywhere.
Atari 1050The Atari 1050 is a floppy disk drive for Atari 8-bit computers released in June 1983. It is compatible with the 90 kB single-density mode of the original Atari 810 it replaced, and added a new "enhanced" or "dual density" mode that allows 130 kB on a disk. Based on a half-height Tandon mechanism, it is smaller than the 810 and matches the styling of 1200XL, 600XL, and 800XL machines.
Atari 8-bit computer peripheralsAtari 8-bit computer peripherals include floppy drives, printers, modems, and video game controllers for Atari 8-bit computers, which includes the 400/800, XL, XE, and XEGS. Some peripherals require separate software, which was usually bundled on cartridge or floppy disk. Because the Atari 400/800 8-bit computers were bundled with an RF modulator, stringent FCC regulations limiting radio emissions applied.
Atari 810The Atari 810 is the official floppy disk drive for the Atari 400 and 800, the first two models of Atari 8-bit computers. It was released by Atari, Inc. in 1980. The single-density drive provides 90 kB of storage. The 810 has a data transfer rate of 6 kbps in most cases and a number of reliability issues. Third-party enhancements such as the Happy 810 address these problems, as do replacement drives like the Indus GT with more storage and other features.
MicroprocessorA microprocessor is a computer processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry required to perform the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU). The microprocessor is capable of interpreting and executing machine code and performing arithmetic operations.
MOS TechnologyMOS Technology, Inc. ("MOS" being short for Metal Oxide Semiconductor), later known as CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group) and GMT Microelectronics, was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Audubon, Pennsylvania. It is most famous for its 6502microprocessor and various designs for Commodore International's range of home computers.
MOS Technology 6502The MOS Technology 6502 ("sixty-five-oh-two") is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by a small team led by Chuck Peddle at MOS Technology and was launched in September 1975. The design team had formerly worked at Motorola on the Motorola 6800 project; the 6502 is essentially a simplified, less expensive and faster version of that design using depletion-load NMOS technology that made using the microchip in computers much cheaper.
KilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The International System of Units (SI) defines the prefix kilo as a multiplication factor of 1000 (103); therefore, one kilobyte is 1000 bytes. The internationally recommended unit symbol for the kilobyte is kB. In some areas of information technology, particularly in reference to random-access memory capacity, kilobyte instead often refers to 1024 (210) bytes.
Bus (computing)In computer architecture, a bus (historically also called a data highway or databus) is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer or, more rarely, between computers. It encompasses both hardware (e.g., wires, optical fiber, bus slots) and software, including communication protocols. At its core, a bus is a shared physical pathway, typically composed of wires or traces on a circuit board, that allows multiple devices to communicate.
Dual in-line packageIn microelectronics, a dual in-line package (DIP or DIL) is an electronic component package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) or inserted in a socket.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.