Atari 1400XL
 | |
| A surviving Atari 1400XL prototype | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. |
| Type | Home computer (announced, not released) |
| Released | Announced June 1983; cancelled January 1984 |
| CPU | Atari 6502 (as the 600XL and 800XL) |
| Memory | 64 KB RAM |
| Storage | Cassette and floppy drives on the SIO bus; Parallel Bus Interface |
| Display | ANTIC and GTIA, as the 800XL |
| Sound | POKEY, plus a Votrax SC-01 speech synthesiser |
| Dimensions | 15 × 12.5 × 2.75 in (Atari specification) |
| Weight | 6 lb 2 oz (Atari specification) |
| OS / Firmware | Atari XL operating system |
| Predecessor | Atari 1200XL |
| Model no. | 1400XL |
The Atari 1400XL is an XL-series computer that Atari, Inc. announced in June 1983 and cancelled in January 1984 without shipping it. Atari's product specification calls it "an enhanced version of the ATARI 600XL", differing from the Atari 800XL in its larger case, a 5-pin DIN monitor socket, and a speech synthesiser and a direct-connect modem on the main board.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]Atari introduced the 1400XL at the Summer CES in Chicago in June 1983, with the Atari 600XL, the 800XL and the Atari 1450XLD.[2] Its product specification says it had also been called the A1201, the 1200XLD and the 1200XLT.[1] The Atari Museum describes it as the intended replacement for the Atari 1200XL; because the extra features raised its cost, Atari made the cheaper 800XL the 1200XL's successor at US$299.[3]
In October and November 1983 Atari said the 1400XL and 1450XLD would not ship until late December, and then only in limited quantities.[2] At the Winter CES in January 1984 Atari confirmed that the 1400XL had been cancelled.[2]
Design
[edit | edit source]Atari's product specification, C061907 revision 1A of 7 June 1983, is the main surviving description of the machine.[1]
- All functions except the keyboard are on a single main board. The architecture is the same as the 600XL and 800XL, and the SIO, Parallel Bus Interface, keyboard, controller, cartridge, power and television interfaces are the 600XL's.
- The speech synthesiser is a Votrax SC-01 on the main board, and the modem is a direct-connect modem on the main board. Both are defined in separate Atari specifications (C062061 and C062062).
- The custom FREDDIE chip was to replace some of the discrete logic; until it was available, discrete TTL chips did the same job.
- The keyboard connects through a 24-conductor ribbon cable.
- The case is 2¾ inches high, 15 inches wide and 12½ inches deep, and the machine weighs 6 lb 2 oz.
The Atari Museum adds that FREDDIE would have let ANTIC fetch display data from memory separate from the CPU's 64 KB, that the modem ran at 300 baud, and that the operating system gained a V: device handler for the speech synthesiser. A bundled cartridge, the 1400XL Telecommunicator, used the speech chip to announce terminal settings such as baud rate, line feed and wrap.[3] It reused the 1200XL style of case and keyboard.[3]
Early 1400XL boards are marked 1400. Atari later made a combined 1400/1450 main board with a power connector and a daughter-card connector for the 1450XLD's disk controller, so that one board could serve both machines.[3]
Power supply
[edit | edit source]The specification refers to a separate 1400XL power supply specification, C062039, which is not among the documents the Atari Museum hosts.[1][3]
 | Do not connect a standard Atari XL or XE power supply to a 1400XL. The Atari Museum, which holds surviving machines and their documents, states that doing so damages the speech chip and the GTIA, and suggests building a cable to a PC power supply instead.[3] |
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Atari 1400XL Product Specification: Atari's product specification C061907, revision 1A, 7 June 1983 (20-page scan).
The Atari Museum also hosts the speech handler external reference specification, the Telecommunicator and modem documentation, the PAL chip equations, an eight-sheet schematic set, the stand-alone test ROM and the Telecommunicator ROM.[3]
Because the 1400XL never went into production there is no field service manual or parts list for it, and no retail price.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Atari, Inc., ATARI 1400XL Home Computer Product Specification, C061907, revision 1A, 7 June 1983 ("Engineering released", confidential): sections 1.0 (other names), 2.2 (controlled documents, including the power supply specification C062039), 3.1–3.2 (comparison with the 800XL, speech synthesiser and modem), 5.1.1 (dimensions and weight), 5.2 (CPU board, keyboard cable, interfaces, FREDDIE). Scanned by the Atari Museum; File:Atari 1400XL Product Specification C061907 Rev 1A.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michael Current (ed.), Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions, last modified 29 November 2009, 1983 and 1984 timeline entries (Summer CES June 1983; Wall Street Journal reports of 24 October and 2 November 1983; Winter CES January 1984). Text at faqs.org. Community reference.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "The Atari 1400XL Computer Systems", Atari Museum (Curt Vendel). Secondary source, with scans of Atari's own 1400XL documents; used for the machine's intended role, FREDDIE's purpose, the modem speed, the V: handler and Telecommunicator cartridge, the board markings, the power supply warning and the list of surviving documents.