Atari ABC computers
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| Atari ABC 286, model ABC 16 with a 60 MB hard disk (photo: Michael Vogt, atari-computermuseum.de) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari Corporation; ABC 286 built by Atari Taiwan Manufacturing Corp.; later models bought in from other makers |
| Type | IBM PC/AT compatible desktop computers and one notebook |
| Released | 1989 (ABC 286)[1] |
| Discontinued | 1992[2] |
| CPU | AMD 80286 (ABC 286); Intel 386SX or AMD 386DX (ABC 386 models)[1][3] |
| Memory | 640 KB or 1 MB as supplied, depending on model and market[4][1] |
| Storage | — |
| Display | — |
| Sound | — |
| OS / Firmware | MS-DOS[1][3] |
| Predecessor | Atari PC4, Atari PC5 |
The Atari ABC computers are the IBM PC compatibles that Atari sold under the name Atari Business Computer from 1989 to 1992, after its numbered PC range.[4][2] The first, the ABC 286, is the Atari PC4 in a new case. The ABC 386 that followed it is a relabelled Atari PC5, and the last models, the ABC 386 II desktops and the ABC N386SX notebook, were bought complete from other manufacturers and carry Atari's name only on the front panel and the type plate.[1][5] Curt Vendel's Atari Museum expands ABC as "Atari Basic Computer"; Atari's own 1989 backgrounder calls the ABC286/30 "the Atari Business Computer".[6][4]
Atari showed the Atari Business Computers for the first time at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago in June 1989.[1] Atari decided in mid-1992 to stop making and selling all its PC compatibles except the Atari Portfolio.[2][5]
Models
[edit | edit source]| Model | First shown | Processor | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC 286 (ABC 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20) | June 1989, Summer CES, Chicago | AMD 80286, 8 to 20 MHz | Atari Taiwan Manufacturing Corp. |
| ABC 386SX/40 | March 1990, CeBIT, Hannover | Intel 386SX | Atari Taiwan Manufacturing Corp., AMI main board |
| ABC 386SX II | August 1991, Atari Messe, Düsseldorf | Intel 386SX, 20 MHz | Auto Computer, Taiwan |
| ABC 386DX II | August 1991, Atari Messe, Düsseldorf | AMD Am386DX, 40 MHz | Bought in |
| ABC N386SX (notebook) | October 1991, Fall COMDEX, Las Vegas | Intel 386SX, 20 MHz | Sotec, Japan (Sotec J1) |
ABC 286
[edit | edit source]The ABC 286 is the PC4 main board in a new steel case with a plastic front panel. The cut-down boards, known internally as PC4LC (low cost), went into the ABC 8, ABC 10 and ABC 12; the full PC4X board went into the ABC 16 and ABC 20. The number after "ABC" is the clock speed in MHz, and the number after the slash in the sales name is the factory hard disk in MB: ABC286 (no hard disk), ABC286/30 and ABC286/60. It was the last IBM compatible that Atari both designed and built itself.[1]
| Feature | PC4LC (ABC 8, 10, 12) | PC4X (ABC 16, 20) |
|---|---|---|
| Expansion | Three 16-bit ISA slots | Four 16-bit ISA slots and one 8-bit XT slot; the case gives the XT slot no opening |
| Memory | Four 30-pin SIPP sockets, up to 4 MB | Eight 30-pin SIPP sockets, up to 8 MB |
| Graphics | CGA/EGA, digital output only | Paradise PVGA1A-JK with Inmos IMSG171P DAC: MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA and VGA; digital and analogue outputs |
| External floppy | None | 14-pin DIN socket for Atari SF and PCF drives |
Both boards are larger than the AT standard at 350 × 330 mm and use the Chips & Technologies NEAT chipset CS8221 (P82C206, P82C211, P82C212 and P82C215), so most settings are made in the BIOS. The processor is a low-power AMD N80286 in a PLCC package, with a DIL socket for an 80287 beside it. There is no memory on the board itself; all of it is on SIPP modules, which atari-computermuseum.de warns are more fragile than SIMMs. The floppy controller is an Intel P82072; a hard disk needs a controller card, and machines sold with a hard disk have a Data Tech Corporation controller with a Seagate ST-238R (30 MB) or ST-277R (60 MB) RLL drive.[1]
| Jumper | Function | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| JP1 to JP3 | Reserved | Open |
| JP4, JP5 | Reserved for CPU/bus controller | Open |
| JP6 | Serial port 1 (IRQ4) | Open: on; closed: off |
| JP7 | Floppy controller | Open: on; closed: off |
| JP8 | Serial port 2 (IRQ3) | Open: on; closed: off |
| JP9 | Parallel port (IRQ7) | Open: on; closed: off |
| JP10 | VGA fitted | Open: VGA fitted; closed: no VGA |
| JP11 | Video clock | 1-2: frequency generator; 2-3: 36 MHz VGA clock (800 × 600 mode) |
| JP12 | Monitor type | 1-2: EGA monitor; 2-3: colour or monochrome monitor |
A five-way DIP switch on the main board sets the monitor type.[1] The rear panel has a 5-pin DIN keyboard socket, a 9-pin mouse port for the Atari mouse, an IEC mains inlet, a 9-pin serial port, a 25-pin parallel port, a 9-pin digital monitor socket and, on the PC4X boards only, the 15-pin VGA socket and the 14-pin floppy socket.[1]
The ABC 286 shipped with MS-DOS 4.01 according to atari-computermuseum.de, which gives 1 MB of memory as standard and an on-sale date of 16 October 1989 for the ABC286/30; in September 1989 the ABC286 was priced at £599.99 and the ABC286/30 with a monochrome monitor at £899.99.[1] Atari's November 1989 backgrounder for the American launch describes the ABC286/30 with 640 KB (expandable to 4 MB), a 1.44 MB 3.5-inch drive, a 30 MB hard disk, an 80286 at 8 MHz, three AT slots, MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA graphics on the board, and MS-DOS 3.3 with Windows/286, available in the first quarter of 1990.[4]
Repair information for the main board is on the Atari PC4 page.
ABC 386
[edit | edit source]The ABC386SX/40 was shown at CeBIT in Hannover on 21 March 1990 and went on sale in the United Kingdom in June 1990 at £1,499. It is a relabelled and slightly changed PC5 in the ABC 286 case, with 1 MB of memory, a 3.5-inch high-density floppy drive and a 40 MB hard disk; atari-computermuseum.de lists an Intel 386SX processor and an AMI main board, assembled by Atari Taiwan Manufacturing. Production ended in 1991.[7] Its rear panel has a 6-pin mini-DIN keyboard socket, an IEC mains inlet, two 9-pin serial ports (modem and mouse), a 25-pin parallel port and a 15-pin VGA socket.[7]
ABC 386 II
[edit | edit source].jpg)
The ABC 386SX II and ABC 386DX II were presented in August 1991 at the Atari Messe in Düsseldorf and were in the shops early in 1992. Both were bought-in designs.[5]
| Item | ABC 386SX II | ABC 386DX II |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel 80386SX, 20 MHz; 80387SX socket | AMD Am386DX-40, 40 MHz; 64 KB cache (to 256 KB); 80387 socket |
| Memory | 1 MB, up to 8 MB on the main board | 2 MB, up to 64 MB on the main board |
| BIOS | Phoenix | AMI |
| Expansion | Two 8-bit and four 16-bit slots | Eight 16-bit slots and one RAM card slot |
| Video | Super VGA | Super VGA |
| Drives | 40 MB hard disk (19 ms); 3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy | Hard disk (19 ms); 3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy |
| Drive bays | One 3.5-inch (floppy), three 5.25-inch free | One 3.5-inch (floppy), three 5.25-inch free |
| Ports | One parallel, two serial, two joystick | One parallel, two serial, two joystick |
| Software | MS-DOS 5.0 | MS-DOS 5.0 |
Curt Vendel's Atari Museum page on the "ABC 386 SX/DX" gives the same processor speeds, BIOSes and memory figures, and adds an 80 MB hard disk on the DX, a game port, and MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.0 in the box.[6]
atari-computermuseum.de adds that the ABC 386SX II was made by Auto Computer of Taiwan from summer 1991 to mid-1992. Its main board has four 16-bit ISA and two 8-bit XT slots, a chipset compatible with the Suntac ST62C/251/303, and an Intel 386SX that runs at 10 MHz normally and 20 MHz in turbo mode. Memory takes 256 KB or 1 MB modules of 100 ns or faster in four 30-pin SIPP and four SIMM sockets. The ISA graphics card handles MDA, Hercules, CGA, EGA and VGA, up to 800 × 600 in 16 colours, with 256 KB of video memory and a DIP switch for the monitor type. The site gives the hard disk as a 40 MB 3.5-inch IDE drive with a 17 ms access time, and says both AMI and Phoenix BIOSes were fitted.[5]
| Jumper | Function | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| JP1 | Keyboard lock and power LED connector | |
| JP3 | CPU pipeline | Open: non-pipelined; closed: pipelined |
| JP7 | BIOS EPROM type | Open: 27256; closed: 27512 |
| JP8 | BIOS EPROM type | 1-2: 27256; 2-3: 27512 |
| JP10 | Monitor type | Open: monochrome; closed: colour |
| JP11 | 8042 keyboard controller pinout | 1-2: pin 30 for AMIBIOS; 2-3: pin 23 for Phoenix |
| JP12 | CMOS | 1-2: normal; 2-3: clear CMOS memory |
| JP13 | CMOS battery | Open: external battery; closed: internal battery |
| JP14 | External battery connector |
ABC N386SX
[edit | edit source]The ABC N386SX notebook is the Sotec J1, model NABC-11. It was shown as the Atari N386 at the Fall COMDEX in Las Vegas on 21 October 1991, with a planned price of US$2,895, went on sale in the first quarter of 1992 and was discontinued in June 1992.[8]
It has a 20 MHz Intel 386SX with a socket for an i387SX, 1 MB of memory expandable through a 1 MB or 4 MB plug-in card, a backlit 8.6-inch monochrome LCD, a 30 MB 2.5-inch IDE hard disk (replaceable with drives up to 512 MB) and a slimline 3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy drive. An external VGA monitor is detected automatically and switches the internal display off. Ports include a PS/2 mouse socket, a 9-pin serial port, a 25-pin port shared by the printer and an external floppy drive, a 15-pin VGA socket, a 100-pin docking connector and a fax modem connector under a cover above the keyboard. It runs from a mains adapter or a 7.2 V 1,700 mAh NiCd pack that lasts at most an hour and a half. It measures 29.8 × 4.8 × 20.8 cm and weighs 2.7 kg, and shipped with MS-DOS 5.0, with Windows 3.0 as an option.[8] Rebuilding a NiCd pack is covered in Battery Refurbishment.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Michael Vogt, "Der Atari ABC286", atari-computermuseum.de, last edited 25 July 2024: history, construction, PC4LC and PC4X boards, jumpers, chipset, graphics, memory, slots, drives, ports and technical data. atari-computermuseum.de. Collector's reference, in German.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michael Vogt, "Geschäftig: Die Atari Business Computer" (the ABC series), atari-computermuseum.de, last edited 22 July 2024. atari-computermuseum.de. Collector's reference, in German.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Atari (Italy), La nuova linea di PC MS-DOS Atari, brochure for the ABC 386SX II and ABC 386DX II with preliminary specifications, about 1991. Hosted as File:Atari ABC 386SX II and 386DX II Italian brochure (1991).pdf.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Atari Corporation, Product Line Backgrounder: Atari Computer Systems Provide Range of Features, Options, Las Vegas, November 1989, pp. 4-5 (MS-DOS systems: ABC286/30 and PC4-X). Press release from the Ahl Collection, Internet Archive item 19891100AtariProvidesRangeOfFeatures.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Michael Vogt, "Atari ABC386SX II / DX II", atari-computermuseum.de: history, makers, main boards, jumpers, memory, graphics card, drives and BIOS. atari-computermuseum.de. Collector's reference, in German.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Curt Vendel, "The Atari ABC 386 SX/DX Computers", Atari Museum. atarimuseum.ctrl-alt-rees.com.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Michael Vogt, "Der Atari ABC386SX/40", atari-computermuseum.de, last edited 13 August 2024. atari-computermuseum.de. Collector's reference, in German.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Michael Vogt, "Atari ABC N386SX", atari-computermuseum.de, last edited 25 August 2024. atari-computermuseum.de. Collector's reference, in German.