Atari XC12
| Atari XC12 Program Recorder | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Atari XC12 Program Recorder | |
| Manufacturer | Atari Corp.; built by Phonemark, Taiwan[1] |
| Type | Cassette data recorder |
| Release date | Mid-1986 (United Kingdom)[2] |
| Discontinued | 31 December 1991[1] |
| Interface | Atari SIO, built-in cable only[2][3] |
| Compatible | Atari 400, Atari 800, XL and XE computers except an unmodified Atari 1200XL[2] |
| Dimensions | 197 × 54 × 157 mm[1] |
| Weight | 700 g[1] |
| Predecessor | Atari XC11; Atari 1010 where the XC11 was not sold[2] |
| Power | +5 V from SIO pin 10[2] |
| Media | Compact cassette, Type I (ferric) tape[2] |
The Atari XC12 Program Recorder is the cassette data recorder Atari Corp. sold with its XE computers from mid-1986. It replaced the Atari XC11, or the Atari 1010 in markets that never had the XC11, and was sold widely outside the United States but never introduced there.[2] The XC12 has no power adaptor: it takes +5 V from the computer through its built-in SIO cable. It has no SIO socket of its own, so it must be the last device on the SIO chain.[2][3]
History
[edit | edit source]The XC12 was built for Atari by Phonemark in Taiwan. The FAQ describes it as based on Phonemark's PM-4401A, with a circuit board marked "PM4401-4".[2] The Atari Computermuseum says it is identical, apart from the plug, to Phonemark's PM-4401C for the Commodore Plus/4, that it was usually sold bundled with an XL or XE computer, and that production ended on 31 December 1991.[1] In the United Kingdom it was part of the 130XE Starter Pack with a CX40 joystick and a compilation tape, and in France it was included in the XE 2012 XE Game System kit.[2]
Phonemark went on to build derivatives for other sellers. The XL12 (sold in Chile and Eastern Europe) and the XCA12 for California Access (sold mainly in Poland) used parts supplied by Atari after Atari discontinued the XC12. The later CA-12 was made independently of Atari, and its board is marked "P.M. 4401-5 REVB".[2] Phonemark also sold the design under its own name as the PM-4401A.[2]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Data rate | 600 bit/s, written in fixed-length blocks by the operating system[2] |
| Capacity | About 100 KiB per 60-minute cassette[2] |
| Tape format | Quarter-track stereo: audio on the left track, data on the right[2] |
| Data tones | Mark 5327 Hz, space 3995 Hz[2] |
| Tape speed | 1.875 inches per second[2] |
| Keys | RECORD, PLAY, REWIND, F.FWD, STOP/EJECT, PAUSE[3] |
| Indicators | Three-digit counter with reset button; SAVE light[3] |
| Connection | Built-in SIO cable; no second SIO socket[3][2] |
| Power | +5 V from SIO pin 10 of the computer[2] |
The XC12 has no power light. The light on the top panel, marked SAVE, comes on while the recorder is writing.[4][3] The computer starts and stops the motor through the SIO motor control line, and only one program recorder can be used on the SIO bus.[2]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The recorder is a cassette mechanism with a drive belt and a separate belt for the tape counter, above a single circuit board.[5] The data circuit on the board is built round an LM324 quad op-amp.[6] Pecher's Turbo 2000 conversion guide names these parts by the designators printed on the board:[6]
- R6 10 kΩ, R24 68 kΩ and R38 56 kΩ
- D3 and D4, 1N4148
- C4 4.7 nF and C13 50 pF
- C12, an electrolytic of 4.7 µF 50 V
- C30 1 nF and C31 10 nF, fitted only on rev. B boards
Connecting and using
[edit | edit source]Plug the XC12's cable into the PERIPHERAL socket of the computer, or into the free SIO socket of the last device on the chain.[3] Load a program with CLOAD, press RETURN at the beep, press PLAY on the recorder and press RETURN again; the computer then starts the tape. Save with CSAVE in the same way: at the two beeps press RECORD, then press RETURN again.[3] Break off the tabs on the back edge of a cassette to protect it from being recorded over.[3]
The XC12 needs +5 V on SIO pin 10. The Atari 1200XL has only a Ready signal on that pin, so the XC12 does not work with an unmodified 1200XL. The FAQ's fix is to replace the 100 Ω resistor R63 in the 1200XL with a 0 to 1 Ω resistor or a wire link.[2][4] The Atari 600XL and Atari 800XL restored +5 V on pin 10.[2]
Use Type I (ferric, normal bias) cassettes. Atari's recorders are not used with Type II (chrome) or Type IV (metal) tape.[2]
Opening the XC12
[edit | edit source].jpg)
- Turn the recorder upside down and remove the four screws holding the bottom cover.
- Remove the two screws that hold the circuit board.
- To move the board further out of the way, unsolder the two black wires to the motor switch on the mechanism, and note where they go.[6]
Reassemble in reverse order: refit the board, resolder the two wires and refit the cover with its four screws.[6]
Known faults and checks
[edit | edit source]- Error 138 or 143 at the start of a tape. Atari's manual blames a long tape leader: the computer tries to read data before the recording starts. Rewind, advance the tape to about 010 on the counter and load again.[3]
- Poor loading or uneven tape motion. A UK spares supplier gives a slack drive belt, or more often one that has taken a permanent kink after years of standing round the pulley, as the usual cause, and sells replacement drive and counter belts for the XC12.[5]
- Recorder dead on a 1200XL but working on other machines: this is the missing +5 V on SIO pin 10, not a fault in the recorder.[2]
- Only one program recorder works on the SIO bus at a time, and the XC12 must be at the end of the chain.[2]
The Atari 1010 Maintenance Guide describes Atari's cleaning and head alignment procedure for the 1010, whose Sanyo and Chelco mechanisms differ from the XC12's.[2]
Turbo modifications
[edit | edit source]In markets where the cassette was the main storage medium, owners rebuilt XC12s for faster turbo systems. The Czechoslovak Turbo 2000 system raised the data rate of an XC12 to 2270 bit/s.[4] Pecher's conversion replaces R6, R24 and R38, removes D3, D4, C4, C13 and C12 (and C30 and C31 on rev. B boards), fits a 100 nF capacitor in place of C12, adds an NPN transistor output stage driven from the LM324, and swaps two contacts in the SIO plug with a 22 nF capacitor between them.[6] In the former East Germany a separate 6000 baud interface was built into the XC12 for the "Chaos" turbo system.[7]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Atari XC11 and XC12 Documentation: the owner's manuals of both recorders.
- Atari XC12 Program Recorder Owner's Manual, C070347/A Rev. B (1986). It covers connection and use only and has no service information.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Atari Computermuseum, "XE-Peripherie: Atari XC12 Program Recorder", atari-computermuseum.de (retrieved 2026-10-06), in German. Maker, equivalence to the Phonemark PM4401-C, sale from summer 1986, end of production, dimensions and weight.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 Michael D. Current (ed.), Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions, last modified 2 August 2026, mcurrent.name (retrieved 2026-10-06). Section 1.4 (1200XL SIO pin 10 and resistor R63), 1.6 (600XL/800XL pin 10), 1.15 (SIO pinout), 3.1.1 (specifications common to Atari program recorders; XC12 entry) and 3.1.2 (Phonemark PM-4401A and derivatives). Community reference.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Atari Corp., Atari XC12 Program Recorder Owner's Manual, C070347/A Rev. B, 1986. Pp. 2–3, keys and connectors; p. 4, connecting; pp. 5–6, loading, with the note on errors 138 and 143 (p. 5); pp. 7–8, saving and safety tabs. Hosted as File:Atari XC12 Program Recorder Owner's Manual C070347 Rev B.pdf.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wikipedia, "Atari Program Recorder", sections "Common features", "XC12 and third party models" and "Performance", revision of 9 September 2026, en.wikipedia.org. Used for the SAVE light, the 1200XL incompatibility and the Turbo 2000 data rate.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 DataServe Retro, "Atari XC12 Cassette Drive & Tape Counter Belt Set" (product AXC12CTCBS), dataserve-retro.co.uk (retrieved 2026-10-06). Supplier's description: a drive belt and a counter belt, and slack or kinked drive belts as a cause of poor loading.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Jiří Pecher, Turbo 2000: Upgrading Atari XC12 Data Recorder, English translation and updates by Michael Kalouš (BAKTRA Software), draft version 0.2, 12 November 2016, turgen.sourceforge.io. "Preparation" (opening the case), "Modification of the original circuitry" (part designators and values), LM324 and "Finalization".
- ↑ "Atari Datasette XC12 Turbo 6000 Baud Interface", ftp.pigwa.net, stuff/collections/SIO2SD_DVD/Extension/Atari Datasette XC12 Turbo 6000 Baud Interface/turb6000.htm (retrieved 2026-10-06). Parts list, schematic and software for the interface.