Atari PC1
 | |
| The Atari PC in its low case derived from the Mega ST | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari Corporation (Atari Taiwan Manufacturing) |
| Type | IBM PC compatible (XT class) |
| Released | Shown 8 January 1987 (Winter CES) as the Atari PC; on sale from 3 September 1987[1] |
| Discontinued | 1989[1] |
| Intro price | US$499 planned without EGA, US$699 with EGA (January 1987)[1] |
| CPU | Intel 8088-2 at 4.77 MHz, 8 MHz in turbo mode |
| Memory | 512 KB, 640 KB with four extra DRAMs; 32 KB ROM[2] |
| Storage | One internal 5.25-inch 360 KB drive; two external drives |
| Display | — |
| Sound | PC speaker |
| Graphics | NSI Logic EVC315-S: EGA 640 × 350 (16 of 64 colours), CGA, MDA and Hercules |
| FPU / coprocessor | Socket for an Intel 8087, 8087-2 or 8087-1 |
| Ports / interface | Keyboard (5-pin DIN), Atari mouse (9-pin D), serial (25-pin D), parallel (25-pin D), digital monitor (9-pin D), external floppy (14-pin DIN), IEC C14 mains inlet |
| Expansion | Two 50-pin internal headers; an adapter takes one XT card |
| Power | Internal supply; 95 W maximum[2] |
| Dimensions | 70 × 343 × 405 mm (H × W × D)[2] |
| Weight | 4.3 kg[2] |
| OS / Firmware | MS-DOS 3.2 with GW-BASIC and GEM Desktop, Write and Paint; Award BIOS 3.06 |
| Successor | Atari PC2 |
The Atari PC1 is Atari Corporation's first IBM PC compatible. It was shown at the Winter CES on 8 January 1987 simply as the Atari PC, and acquired the "1" once later models appeared. It went on sale from 3 September 1987 and was built until 1989.[1] Atari's owner's manual calls it the Atari PC throughout.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]Atari announced its PC range at the Winter CES press conference in January 1987, with 80286 and 80386 models promised for later. The first machine was to sell for US$499, with an EGA version at US$699; the model without EGA was dropped before release. The PC1 was not sold everywhere: Atari decided in March 1988, when the PC2 was launched in the United Kingdom, not to sell the PC1 there, and in May 1988 its US launch was cancelled.[1]
Its case is derived from the Atari Mega ST and is small for a PC of the period.[1]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | 8088; 4.77 MHz standard, 8.0 MHz turbo mode |
| Memory | 512 KB standard; 640 KB with four extra 64K × 4 DRAMs (41xx-15 or equivalent); 32 KB ROM |
| Power | Internal supply; 95 W maximum consumption |
| Internal disk drive | 5.25-inch, 40 tracks, 512-byte sectors, 360 KB, 300 rpm, 250 kbit/s; controller supports two further external drives |
| Video | EGA 640 × 350 in 16 of 64 colours; CGA 640 × 200 monochrome or 320 × 200 in 4 colours; MDA 80 × 25 text; Hercules 720 × 348 |
| Keyboard | IBM PC AT layout, PC XT protocol; 84 keys |
| Interfaces | Keyboard, external floppy, parallel printer, serial, monitor, mouse |
| Dimensions and weight | 7 cm high, 34.3 cm wide, 40.5 cm deep; 4.3 kg. Keyboard 3.8 × 45 × 19.5 cm, 1.6 kg |
| Operating system | MS-DOS 3.2 |
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The board is Atari's own design and is about the size of the Mega ST's.[1] ataripc.net records it as Atari C100360 revision B.[4]
| Function | Device |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel P8088-2 |
| Graphics | NSI Logic EVC315-S, the only surface-mount chip on the board |
| Floppy controller | Intel P8272 (a 765-type controller) |
| Serial port | Western Digital WD8250 UART |
| Interrupts, timer, DMA | Intel P8259, P8253 and P8237 |
| Glue logic | Atari C101683 |
| BIOS | Award 3.06, adapted for the Atari PC |
Memory and coprocessor
[edit | edit source]The extra memory and the coprocessor go in sockets under a hatch in the metal shield over the board. The hatch holds four 64K × 4 DRAMs, which take the machine to 640 KB, and an 8087 (5 MHz), 8087-2 (8 MHz) or 8087-1 (10 MHz). With a coprocessor fitted, jumper W3, to the left of the 8087 socket, is moved so that it no longer links its two original pins. The speaker lead runs to the underside of the hatch cover.[5] atari-computermuseum.de gives the positions as pins 1–2 as delivered and 2–3 with an 8087.[1]
The machine starts in turbo mode unless a coprocessor is fitted, in which case it starts in 4.77 MHz PC mode. A 5 MHz 8087 cannot run in turbo mode; an 8087-2 or 8087-1 can.[6]
Monitor selection switches
[edit | edit source]Four DIP switches beside the monitor connector set the monitor type. Atari warns that they must be set before a monitor is connected and switched on, to avoid damaging it. On the switches, up is off and down is on.[7]
| Monitor | Switch 1 | Switch 2 | Switch 3 | Switch 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EGA (factory setting) | Off | On | Off | Off |
| Colour | On | Off | Off | On |
| Monochrome | On | Off | On | On |
Expansion
[edit | edit source]The PC1 has no conventional ISA slots. Inside the case are two 50-pin headers, which take either a purpose-made card or an adapter carrying one XT card, usually a hard disk controller; there is room in the case for a 3.5-inch hard disk. A removable cover at the rear lets the connectors of such a card out. An expansion box, for which the CES prototype had a bus connector on its right-hand side, was never produced.[1]
Faults and diagnostics
[edit | edit source]The start-up self-test reports faults with beeps and error codes.[8]
| Beeps | Problem area |
|---|---|
| One short beep | Normal |
| No beep, continuous beep, or short repeating beeps | Power supply |
| One long and two short beeps | Monitor cable, display or video circuit |
| One short beep, drive light stays on | Disk drive or floppy controller |
| Code | Area | Code | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 010–019 | Undetermined | 601–626 | Floppy drive |
| 020–030 | Power supply | 700–799 | Numeric coprocessor |
| 101–199 | System board | 901 | Parallel port |
| 201–203 | Memory | 1101 | Serial port |
| 301–304 | Keyboard | 1401, 1404 | Printer |
| 401–432 | Monochrome monitor | 1700 series | Hard disk |
| 501–548 | Colour monitor | 2400 series | EGA |
After fitting extra memory the machine should report "640 KB RAM GOOD" at a cold start; if it does not, reseat the chips.[5]
The supply is mains-powered through an IEC C14 inlet and has a fan. If a hard disk is fitted, the fan should be replaced with a more powerful one.[1]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Atari Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987): setting up, the monitor switches, system speeds, beep and error codes, fitting memory and the 8087, specifications and connector pinouts. It has no schematic or parts list.
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 "Atari PC1", atari-computermuseum.de, https://www.atari-computermuseum.de/pc1.htm. Secondary source for the history, dates and prices, the board and case, the chip list, the W3 positions, the expansion headers and the cancelled expansion box, and the supply fan.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987, appendix C, "Atari PC specifications", pp. 59–61. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.
- ↑ Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.
- ↑ "Atari PC1 8088" and its motherboard page, ataripc.net, https://www.ataripc.net/pc1-8088/. Secondary source for the board number.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987, appendix B, "Installing extra RAM and the numeric data processor", pp. 55–57. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.
- ↑ Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987, chapter 2, "Changing system speeds", pp. 26–27. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987, chapter 1, "Setting up", p. 6. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Atari Corporation, Atari PC Owner's Manual, 1987, appendix A, "System maintenance", pp. 51–53. Hosted as File:Atari PC Owner's Manual (1987).pdf.