Atari 410

Atari 410 Program Recorder
A later Atari 410, without the carrying handle
Manufacturer	Atari, Inc.; mechanisms by Bigston, then Transtek or Chelco
Type	Cassette data recorder
Release date	Introduced January 1979, with the Atari 400 and 800
Price	US$85.00 (Sears catalogue, late 1979)
Interface	Atari SIO, captive data cord
Compatible	Atari 400, Atari 800 and later Atari 8-bit computers
Successor	Atari 1010
Power	Built-in mains supply on most versions; external 6 V DC adaptor on the 410 P
Media	Compact cassette; data on one track, audio on the other

The Atari 410 Program Recorder is the cassette data recorder that Atari introduced with the Atari 400 and Atari 800 at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1979. It stores programs and data at 600 bit/s on ordinary audio cassettes. One track carries the data and the other an audio track, which a program can play through the television while it runs. The Atari 1010 replaced it in the XL range.

Versions

Atari sold several 410s under the same number.

410 versions

Version	How to recognise it	Source
Original (Bigston mechanism)	Large case with a metal carrying handle that slides out of the front; a modified Sears 799.21672500 recorder
Revised (Transtek or Chelco, Hong Kong)	Smaller, more rounded case, no handle, PAUSE key; the most common version
410a	Taiwan-built version
410 P	Rare; powered by an external 6 V DC, 300 mA, centre-positive adaptor instead of a mains cord

Atari's field service manual describes the Transtek-built recorder; its parts list is headed "Final Assy (Transtek)". A tech tip from February 1983 lists component values that Chelco-built units should be checked for and says the Transtek units already have them.

The revised 410 has a more powerful playback amplifier than the original. Atari's tech tip of November 1982 says it raised background noise on early Atari tapes to the point of causing load errors, and that Atari remastered all its cassette software and replaced its stock from 1 March 1982.

Specifications

• Data rate: 600 bit/s.
• Capacity: about 100,000 bytes per 60-minute cassette.
• Tracks: four-track, two-channel; digital data on one channel, audio on the other.
• Keys: REC, PLAY, REWIND, ADVANCE, STOP/EJ and PAUSE on the revised model, with a counter reset button. The 1979 operator's manual notes that only some machines have PAUSE and that on some STOP and EJECT are separate keys.
• Connection: a data cord fixed to the recorder. The 410 has no second I/O connector, so it must be the last device on the SIO chain.

Hardware

The data and motor circuits are on one board. Figures are from Atari's manual for the Transtek version.

• Playback: the read head feeds a high-gain limiting amplifier (A100D). Two active filters (A100A and A100B) separate the 5327 Hz and 3995 Hz tones, and their rectified outputs drive a comparator (A100C). Q100 then drives the data line to the computer. A100 is an LM324 quad op-amp.
• Head preamplifier and audio: an LM3086N transistor array (A101) amplifies the head signal and the audio track. Its output at A101D pin 11 is Atari's head-alignment test point.
• Motor control: SIO pin 8 comes from Q102 in the 400 or Q107 in the 800. It switches Q102 and Q101 in the recorder. S102 closes when PLAY is pressed; S101 runs the motor for REWIND and ADVANCE.
• Power: the mains transformer feeds a full-wave rectifier (CR104, CR105, type MR501) and a 2200 µF reservoir, C127. The motor runs through Q101 and a filter of L101 (100 µH) and C126 (220 µF). The manual notes that the 410 receives its motor control power (+5 V) from the computer, and the schematic marks the motor control wire as the recorder's +5 V source.

410 I/O cable (FD100004 figure 7-1)

SIO pin	Wire colour	Signal
3	White	Data out to computer
4	Black	Ground
5	Brown	Data in from computer
8	Orange	Motor control
11	Red	Audio

Electrolytic capacitors

The parts list for the Transtek board gives eight aluminium electrolytics.

410 electrolytic capacitors (FD100004 p. 6-1)

Ref	Value	Rating	Atari P/N
C127	2200 µF	16 V	C014373
C126	220 µF	16 V	FC100018
C120	47 µF	16 V	C015505
C102, C104, C121, C122, C125	4.7 µF	35 V	C014369

Four 820 pF polystyrene capacitors (C108 to C111, Atari C010821) set the tone filters. Atari's head-alignment checklist names them as a cause of bad signals at the LM324.

Known faults

• Belts: Atari's manual says the counter belt fails most often. Owners replacing all the belts in a Hong Kong 410 describe the rewind belt as the hardest to reach.
• Dirty or worn head, dirty capstan and pinch roller, broken head wires and cold solder joints.
• Head azimuth out of adjustment, giving errors 138, 140 and 143.
• Dirty contacts in the RECORD/PLAY switch S100.
• Loading errors that are not faults: a long tape leader, a recorder connected through a peripheral that does not pass the signal, or a PAL operating system.

The Atari 410 Maintenance Guide covers cleaning, belts and alignment, and the Atari 410 Troubleshooting page covers Atari's tests and test-point voltages.

Documentation

• Atari 410 Documentation: the field service manual, both owner's manuals and the schematic.
• 410 Program Cassette Recorder Field Service Manual, FD100004 (May 1982), with two later tech tips bound in.
• The Atari 410 Program Recorder Owner's Guide, C060088 Rev. 1 (1981).
• Atari 410 Program Recorder operator's manual, C014810 Rev. 2 (1979).

Gallery

• 
  The original Bigston 410 with the cassette door open
• 
  Schematic of the Transtek 410 (FD100004 figure 7-1)

Related pages

• Atari 410 Maintenance Guide
• Atari 410 Troubleshooting
• Atari 410 Documentation
• Atari 1010
• Atari 400
• Atari 800