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Rewritten against Atari's C100417 schematic and Antic Aug 1988: two 64K x 4 DRAMs not eight 4464s; keyboard connector is a standard DB15, not a proprietary ribbon; power is a 7-pin DIN J7 not a centre-positive barrel jack; 100,000 units is the Christmas 1987 US launch-season figure, now cited; removed unsourced $149.95/$79.95 prices and 'Active active connector' text; added XG-1 light-pen register behaviour and the duplicate-designator warning
 
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{{Infobox computer
{{Infobox computer
| name        = Atari XE Game System
| name        = Atari XE Game System
| image        = [[File:Atari XEGS with keyboard.jpg|300px]]
| image        = [[File:Atari XE Game System (photo).jpg|300px]]
| caption      = Atari XEGS with detachable keyboard
| caption      = Atari XE Game System
| manufacturer = Atari Corporation
| manufacturer = Atari Corporation
| type        = Home Video Game Console / Home Computer
| type        = Home video game console / home computer
| release date = Late 1987
| release date = Late 1987
| discontinued = December 1991
| discontinued = December 1991
| price        = US$149.95 (deluxe set); US$79.95 (basic set)
| cpu          = MOS Technology 6502C @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC) / 1.77 MHz (PAL)
| cpu          = MOS Technology 6502C (SALLY) @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC) / 1.77 MHz (PAL)
| memory      = 64 KB RAM (two 64K x 4 DRAMs); operating system ROM with built-in Missile Command
| memory      = 64 KB RAM, 24 KB ROM (OS, BASIC, Missile Command)
| storage      = ROM cartridge; SIO peripherals (disk, cassette) with the keyboard attached
| storage      = ROM cartridge; SIO peripherals (disk, cassette) with keyboard
| display      = 40 x 24 text, up to 320 x 192 pixels
| display      = 320×192 pixels max, 16 colours from 256-colour palette (ANTIC/GTIA)
| sound        = POKEY: four audio channels
| sound        = POKEY: 4 voices, 8-bit
| os          = Atari XE Operating System; Atari BASIC Rev. C
| os          = Atari OS (Rev. 4), Atari BASIC Rev. C (in keyboard ROM)
| predecessor  = Atari 7800
| predecessor  = [[Atari 7800]]
| model        = XEGS (board C100417)
| successor    = [[Atari Jaguar]] (Atari Panther, cancelled)
| model        = XEGS (C100417)
}}
}}


The '''Atari XE Game System''' (commonly referred to as the '''XEGS''') is a home video game console and computer hybrid released by [[Atari Corporation]] in late 1987. It is essentially a repackaged '''Atari 65XE''' home computer housed in a console-style enclosure with a detachable keyboard, positioning it as both a gaming console and a fully functional 8-bit computer. The XEGS was the final hardware release in the [[Atari 8-bit computer]] family.
The '''Atari XE Game System''' (XEGS) is an [[Atari 65XE]] in a console case with a detachable
keyboard, released in late 1987 and the last hardware in the Atari 8-bit line. Without the
keyboard it behaves as a games console and starts its built-in ''Missile Command''; with the
keyboard attached it boots to Atari BASIC exactly like an XE computer.<ref name="ratcliff">Matthew Ratcliff, "First Look Inside the XE Game System", ''Antic'' Vol. 7 No. 4 (August 1988), reproduced at [https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n4/firstlook.php atarimagazines.com]. Source for the DB15 keyboard connector, the two 64K x 4 DRAMs and 17-chip count, the built-in Missile Command bank-switching and the XG-1 light-pen register behaviour.</ref>


== History and Market Context ==
Atari's field service manual for the XE line carries the XEGS schematic and silkscreen as
'''"XE-System Assembly C100417"''', and is the source for the hardware detail below.<ref name="fsm130">Atari, ''130XE Personal Computer Field Service Manual''. Section 1 (theory of operation, chip pin assignments, external power supply schematic and rating, connector pinouts), Section 2 (schematics and silkscreens for all seven XE board assemblies), Section 3 (self test and production-test diagnostic error codes). Despite its title it covers the 65XE, the 800XE and the XE Game System as well. Hosted on this wiki: [[:File:Atari 130XE Field Service Manual.pdf]].</ref>


By 1987, Atari Corporation was competing in the console market with its [[Atari 7800]] against Nintendo's NES and Sega's Master System. Atari conceived the XEGS as a way to leverage its mature 8-bit computer platform—with a library of thousands of existing software titles—while presenting it as a contemporary game console to mass-market retailers.
== History ==


Atari executives reportedly found that major toy store chains preferred to stock a "fancy new game system" at US$150 rather than the 65XE home computer at US$80. The XEGS was therefore marketed primarily as a gaming device, with computer functionality available via the optional detachable keyboard.
''Antic'' recorded the pitch that produced the machine: Atari executives asked the heads of
several major toy store chains which product they would rather sell, "the powerful 65XE home
computer for about $80, or a fancy new game system for about $150", and were told to keep the
computer.<ref name="ratcliff" />


The system was released alongside new game titles including ''Barnyard Blaster'' and ''Bug Hunt'' (both designed for the XG-1 light gun), as well as cartridge ports of older 8-bit titles. '''Missile Command''' was built into the console's ROM and could be played without a cartridge inserted.
Atari sold '''100,000 XE Game Systems in the United States over the 1987 Christmas season -
every unit it manufactured that year'''.<ref name="antic88">Nat Friedland, "Editorial: Ever-Changing Atari Marketplace", ''Antic'' Vol. 7 No. 1 (May 1988), reproduced at [https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n1/marketplace.html atarimagazines.com].</ref> That figure is for the launch season in one
market; no verified total-production or lifetime-sales figure for the XEGS could be found, and
none is given here. A ''Flight Simulator II'' cartridge was included with the keyboard
component.<ref name="antic88" />


Atari discontinued the XEGS along with the rest of its 8-bit product line in December 1991. Approximately 100,000 units were sold.
Atari discontinued the XEGS with the rest of the 8-bit line in December 1991.


== Technical Specifications ==
== Hardware ==


The XEGS is internally identical to the Atari 65XE computer and shares the same custom chipset used across all Atari XE-series machines.
The XEGS is the 65XE design rearranged for a console case. Matthew Ratcliff, writing in ''Antic''
in 1988 after opening one, counted '''a total of only 17 chips''' on the board.<ref name="ratcliff" />


=== Processor ===
=== Memory ===


The XEGS uses the '''MOS Technology 6502C''' (SALLY) microprocessor, a modified version of the 6502 with additional bus control features required by the Atari architecture. It runs at:
There are '''two RAM chips''', not eight: '''64K x 4''' devices giving the full 64 KB. Atari's
* '''1.79 MHz''' (NTSC systems)
schematic for C100417 shows them at U2 and U3 as '''uPD41464C-12''';<ref name="fsm130" /> Ratcliff's machine
* '''1.77 MHz''' (PAL systems)
had Texas Instruments TM54464-12 parts in the same positions.<ref name="ratcliff" /> The XL and XE computers
use eight 64K x 1 devices instead; the smaller count improves reliability and reduces cost.<ref name="ratcliff" />


The SALLY variant includes a HALT input that allows the ANTIC chip to steal bus cycles for direct memory access (DMA) during display generation.
Using higher-density ROMs left the updated XE operating system with '''8 KB of spare ROM''',
which Atari filled with ''Missile Command''. The game is bank-switched in and out in the same way
Atari BASIC is.<ref name="ratcliff" />


=== Custom Chipset ===
{{Warning|Atari's own C100417 schematic sheet '''duplicates reference designators'''. U2 appears
on both a 74LS138 and a DRAM, U7 on both ANTIC and the operating-system ROM, and U1 on an LM358,
a 4051 and an NE555. U-numbers taken from that sheet cannot be used on their own to identify a
device - check the part marking on the chip.<ref name="fsm130" />}}
 
=== Custom chips ===


<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:85%;"
|+'''XEGS Custom Chipset'''
|+ '''XEGS custom chipset'''
! Chip !! Function !! Package !! Key Features
! Chip !! Function
|-
|-
| '''ANTIC''' (C021697) || Display controller || 40-pin DIP || Generates display list DMA, handles playfield graphics modes 2–15, horizontal/vertical scrolling, display list interrupts (DLI)
| '''ANTIC''' || Display processor: display-list DMA, playfield modes, scrolling, display list interrupts; also controls bus access and RAM refresh
|-
|-
| '''GTIA''' (C014805) || Graphics/colour processor || 40-pin DIP || Player/missile (sprite) graphics, colour processing, 16 colours from 256-colour palette, console key inputs (Start/Select/Option)
| '''GTIA''' || Generates colour and luminance from ANTIC's bit stream; player/missile graphics; console key inputs
|-
|-
| '''POKEY''' (C012294) || Sound and I/O || 40-pin DIP || 4-channel audio, keyboard scanning, serial I/O (SIO bus), timer/IRQ generation, paddle input, random number generator
| '''POKEY''' || Four audio channels, keyboard scanning, SIO serial port, timers and interrupts, paddle inputs
|-
|-
| '''FREDDIE''' (C061991) || Memory controller || 28-pin DIP || DRAM multiplexing and refresh, address bus control, replaces discrete multiplexers used in earlier XL models
| '''PIA''' (6520) || Controller port I/O and peripheral control lines
|-
|-
| '''PIA''' (6520) || Peripheral interface || 40-pin DIP || Joystick port I/O, peripheral control lines
| '''FREDDIE''' || Memory controller; also generates the CPU clock
|-
|-
| '''MMU''' (C061618) || Memory management || 20-pin DIP || Address decoding, bank select, ROM/RAM mapping
| '''MMU''' || Address decoding and bank selection
|}
|}


=== Memory ===
Source: Atari's C100417 schematic.<ref name="fsm130" />
 
* '''64 KB DRAM''' — Eight 4464 (64K×4) DRAM chips (unlike the 65XE's eight 4164 chips, the XEGS board uses 4464s in some revisions)
* '''24 KB ROM''' — Operating system (Rev. 4), Atari BASIC Rev. C, and built-in Missile Command game
* ROM is active when the keyboard is attached; without keyboard, only the OS and Missile Command ROMs are mapped
 
=== Video Output ===
 
* '''Composite video''' via RCA jack
* '''RF modulated output''' via RCA jack (channel 2/3 switchable)
* Resolution: up to 320×192 pixels (Graphics 8), 384×240 with overscan
* Text: 40 columns × 24 rows
* 16 simultaneous colours from a palette of 256 (128 hues × 8 luminances on NTSC)
* Hardware scrolling, player/missile graphics (sprites)
 
=== Audio ===
 
* '''POKEY''' chip provides 4 independent audio channels
* 8-bit resolution per channel
* Frequency range approximately 30 Hz to 56 kHz (audible range)
* Noise generation, high-pass filter capability
* Two channels can be combined for 16-bit resolution
 
== Physical Design and Ports ==
 
The XEGS features a wedge-shaped grey console case distinct from the 65XE's computer-style housing. The top panel includes five pastel-coloured membrane buttons: '''Power''', '''Start''', '''Select''', '''Option''', and '''Reset'''.


=== Rear Ports ===
== Ports ==


* '''Power input''' — Standard Atari XE/XL power connector (centre-positive 5 V DC)
* '''Power input''' - '''7-pin DIN''', J7, the same connector and wiring as the XE computers:
* '''SIO (Serial I/O) port''' — 13-pin proprietary connector for disk drives, cassette, printers, and modems
  pins 1, 4 and 6 are +5 V, pins 3, 5 and 7 ground, pin 2 the shield.<ref name="fsm130" />
* '''Composite video output''' — RCA jack
* '''SIO port''' - 13-pin, for disk drives, cassette, printers and modems. Pin 10 is ready,
* '''RF output''' — RCA jack
  pin 12 unused; there is no supply rail on this connector.<ref name="fsm130" />
* '''Channel select switch''' — Channel 2/3 for RF output
* '''Composite video''' and '''RF''' outputs with a channel 2/3 switch
* '''Monitor audio output''' — RCA jack
* '''Two 9-pin controller jacks''' - pin 7 +5 V, pin 8 ground<ref name="fsm130" />
* '''Cartridge slot''' - 30-pin, top-loading
* '''Enhanced Cartridge Interface''' - 14-pin edge connector behind the cartridge slot<ref name="fsm130" />
* '''Keyboard connector''' - a '''standard DB15 female''', not a proprietary ribbon socket. Two
  brackets at the top of the keyboard case lock under the front of the console.<ref name="ratcliff" />


=== Front/Side Ports ===
Inside the detachable keyboard is a small circuit board carrying resistors, capacitors and
'''two CD4051 multiplexers''', which decode key presses and send an internal key code back to
POKEY in the console; the scanning itself is done by POKEY.<ref name="ratcliff" />


* '''Two DE-9 joystick ports''' — Compatible with Atari-standard digital joysticks, paddles, and the XG-1 light gun
== Power ==
* '''Cartridge slot''' — Top-loading, accepts all standard Atari 8-bit cartridges
* '''ECI (Enhanced Cartridge Interface)''' — Active active connector for enhanced peripherals


=== Keyboard ===
The XEGS takes '''+5 V DC''' through the 7-pin DIN socket J7. On the board the rail runs from J7
through the power switch '''SW1''' and the choke '''L3''' to the '''1000 uF''' filter
'''C13'''.<ref name="fsm130" />


The XEGS detachable keyboard connects via a proprietary flat ribbon cable and connector on the right side of the console. When attached, the system boots to the Atari BASIC '''READY''' prompt (identical to the 65XE) and can run the full range of Atari 8-bit software including disk-based and cassette-based programs via SIO. Without the keyboard, the system boots directly into Missile Command or a cartridge game.
There is '''no rectifier and no regulator on the main board'''. The transformer, bridge
rectifier, '''LM78S05''' regulator, '''4700 uF''' reservoir and '''100 uF''' output capacitor are
all inside the external brick, which Atari rates at '''5 V +/-5%, 1.5 A maximum'''.<ref name="fsm130" />


== Included Accessories ==
== Boot behaviour and self test ==


The XEGS was sold in two configurations:
* '''No keyboard attached''' - the console starts ''Missile Command'' automatically.<ref name="ratcliff" />
* '''Keyboard attached, no cartridge''' - the console starts Atari BASIC Rev. C. Hold
  '''SELECT''' at power-on to get ''Missile Command'' instead.<ref name="ratcliff" />
* '''Self test''' - hold '''OPTION''' and press '''POWER'''.<ref name="xegsman">Atari Corporation, ''ATARI XE Game System Owner's Manual''. Available at the Internet Archive, item <code>atari-xegs</code>. Source for the boot behaviour, the self-test procedure and the power-connection description.</ref> From a BASIC ready prompt,
  typing '''BYE''' also reaches the self test, but BASIC is not switched off when you do, so the
  8 KB under BASIC is not tested and the memory screen shows 40 RAM squares instead of
  48.<ref name="ratcliff" /><ref name="xegsman" />
* From the self test, pressing '''RESET''' while holding '''SELECT''' goes to ''Missile
  Command''; pressing RESET while holding '''OPTION''' from within ''Missile Command'' returns to
  the self test; RESET on its own returns to BASIC.<ref name="ratcliff" />


* '''Basic set''' — Console and CX40 joystick (grey base variant)
== XG-1 light gun ==
* '''Deluxe set''' — Console, detachable keyboard, CX40 joystick, and XG-1 light gun


The '''XG-1 light gun''' was Atari's first light gun peripheral, also compatible with the [[Atari 7800]] and [[Atari 2600]]. Games supporting the light gun include ''Bug Hunt'' and ''Barnyard Blaster''.
The XG-1 supplied with the deluxe set is '''a specialised light pen''', using the light-pen
support built into the Atari 8-bit hardware. Its horizontal position can be read at memory
location '''564''' (LPENH) and its vertical position at '''565''' (LPENV), with values from 0 to
227.<ref name="ratcliff" />


== Software Compatibility ==
The readings are not screen coordinates. Pointing at the far left of the display gives about 88;
the value rises to 227 at around column 34, then wraps to 0 and rises again to about 30 by
column 39. The offset is the delay between a pixel being lit and the sensor reaching POKEY, which
latches an internal scan counter. Vertical readings are half the current scan line, varying from
about 17 to 115.<ref name="ratcliff" /> The gun will not return reliable readings if the display is too dim,
which is why light-gun games use unusually bright screens.<ref name="ratcliff" />


The XEGS is fully compatible with the Atari 8-bit software library:
== Sets ==
* All standard Atari 8-bit cartridges (400/800/XL/XE format)
* Disk-based software via SIO-connected drives (keyboard required for BASIC loading)
* Cassette-based software (keyboard required)


Some older titles designed for the Atari 400/800 may have minor compatibility issues due to the Rev. 4 OS, which can be resolved by using an older OS ROM.
* '''Basic set''' - console and a CX40 joystick with a grey base
* '''Deluxe set''' - console, detachable keyboard, CX40 joystick and XG-1 light gun


== PCB and Board Revisions ==
== Board ==


The XEGS mainboard is designated '''C100417''' and exists in at least one revision (Rev. A). The board layout is derived from the 65XE but is redesigned to fit the console-style enclosure and includes provisions for the detachable keyboard connector.
The mainboard is '''C100417'''. Atari's schematic for it is figure 2-13 of the XE field service
manual and the matching silkscreen is figure 2-14.<ref name="fsm130" />


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==


<gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Atari XEGS with keyboard.jpg|Atari XEGS with keyboard attached
File:Atari XE Game System (photo).jpg|Atari XE Game System
File:Atari XEGS with keyboard.jpg|XEGS with the keyboard attached
</gallery>
</gallery>


== See Also ==
== Related pages ==


* [[Atari XE Game System General Maintenance]]
* [[Atari XE Game System General Maintenance]]
Line 144: Line 161:
* [[Atari 65XE]]
* [[Atari 65XE]]
* [[Atari 130XE]]
* [[Atari 130XE]]
* [[Atari 7800]]
* [[Atari 130XE Field Service Manual]]
 
== References ==
 
<references />


{{Navbox-AtariVintageComputers}}
{{Navbox-AtariVintageComputers}}


[[Category:Atari]]
[[Category:Atari Systems]]
[[Category:Atari 8-bit]]
[[Category:Game Consoles]]
[[Category:Home Computers]]
[[Category:Vintage Computing]]

Latest revision as of 04:11, 23 September 2026

Atari XE Game System
Atari XE Game System
Specifications
ManufacturerAtari Corporation
TypeHome video game console / home computer
ReleasedLate 1987
DiscontinuedDecember 1991
CPUMOS Technology 6502C @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC) / 1.77 MHz (PAL)
Memory64 KB RAM (two 64K x 4 DRAMs); operating system ROM with built-in Missile Command
StorageROM cartridge; SIO peripherals (disk, cassette) with the keyboard attached
Display40 x 24 text, up to 320 x 192 pixels
SoundPOKEY: four audio channels
OS / FirmwareAtari XE Operating System; Atari BASIC Rev. C
PredecessorAtari 7800
Model no.XEGS (board C100417)

The Atari XE Game System (XEGS) is an Atari 65XE in a console case with a detachable keyboard, released in late 1987 and the last hardware in the Atari 8-bit line. Without the keyboard it behaves as a games console and starts its built-in Missile Command; with the keyboard attached it boots to Atari BASIC exactly like an XE computer.[1]

Atari's field service manual for the XE line carries the XEGS schematic and silkscreen as "XE-System Assembly C100417", and is the source for the hardware detail below.[2]

History

[edit | edit source]

Antic recorded the pitch that produced the machine: Atari executives asked the heads of several major toy store chains which product they would rather sell, "the powerful 65XE home computer for about $80, or a fancy new game system for about $150", and were told to keep the computer.[1]

Atari sold 100,000 XE Game Systems in the United States over the 1987 Christmas season - every unit it manufactured that year.[3] That figure is for the launch season in one market; no verified total-production or lifetime-sales figure for the XEGS could be found, and none is given here. A Flight Simulator II cartridge was included with the keyboard component.[3]

Atari discontinued the XEGS with the rest of the 8-bit line in December 1991.

Hardware

[edit | edit source]

The XEGS is the 65XE design rearranged for a console case. Matthew Ratcliff, writing in Antic in 1988 after opening one, counted a total of only 17 chips on the board.[1]

Memory

[edit | edit source]

There are two RAM chips, not eight: 64K x 4 devices giving the full 64 KB. Atari's schematic for C100417 shows them at U2 and U3 as uPD41464C-12;[2] Ratcliff's machine had Texas Instruments TM54464-12 parts in the same positions.[1] The XL and XE computers use eight 64K x 1 devices instead; the smaller count improves reliability and reduces cost.[1]

Using higher-density ROMs left the updated XE operating system with 8 KB of spare ROM, which Atari filled with Missile Command. The game is bank-switched in and out in the same way Atari BASIC is.[1]

Custom chips

[edit | edit source]
XEGS custom chipset
Chip Function
ANTIC Display processor: display-list DMA, playfield modes, scrolling, display list interrupts; also controls bus access and RAM refresh
GTIA Generates colour and luminance from ANTIC's bit stream; player/missile graphics; console key inputs
POKEY Four audio channels, keyboard scanning, SIO serial port, timers and interrupts, paddle inputs
PIA (6520) Controller port I/O and peripheral control lines
FREDDIE Memory controller; also generates the CPU clock
MMU Address decoding and bank selection

Source: Atari's C100417 schematic.[2]

Ports

[edit | edit source]
  • Power input - 7-pin DIN, J7, the same connector and wiring as the XE computers:
 pins 1, 4 and 6 are +5 V, pins 3, 5 and 7 ground, pin 2 the shield.[2]
  • SIO port - 13-pin, for disk drives, cassette, printers and modems. Pin 10 is ready,
 pin 12 unused; there is no supply rail on this connector.[2]
  • Composite video and RF outputs with a channel 2/3 switch
  • Two 9-pin controller jacks - pin 7 +5 V, pin 8 ground[2]
  • Cartridge slot - 30-pin, top-loading
  • Enhanced Cartridge Interface - 14-pin edge connector behind the cartridge slot[2]
  • Keyboard connector - a standard DB15 female, not a proprietary ribbon socket. Two
 brackets at the top of the keyboard case lock under the front of the console.[1]

Inside the detachable keyboard is a small circuit board carrying resistors, capacitors and two CD4051 multiplexers, which decode key presses and send an internal key code back to POKEY in the console; the scanning itself is done by POKEY.[1]

Power

[edit | edit source]

The XEGS takes +5 V DC through the 7-pin DIN socket J7. On the board the rail runs from J7 through the power switch SW1 and the choke L3 to the 1000 uF filter C13.[2]

There is no rectifier and no regulator on the main board. The transformer, bridge rectifier, LM78S05 regulator, 4700 uF reservoir and 100 uF output capacitor are all inside the external brick, which Atari rates at 5 V +/-5%, 1.5 A maximum.[2]

Boot behaviour and self test

[edit | edit source]
  • No keyboard attached - the console starts Missile Command automatically.[1]
  • Keyboard attached, no cartridge - the console starts Atari BASIC Rev. C. Hold
 SELECT at power-on to get Missile Command instead.[1]
  • Self test - hold OPTION and press POWER.[4] From a BASIC ready prompt,
 typing BYE also reaches the self test, but BASIC is not switched off when you do, so the
 8 KB under BASIC is not tested and the memory screen shows 40 RAM squares instead of
 48.[1][4]
  • From the self test, pressing RESET while holding SELECT goes to Missile
 Command; pressing RESET while holding OPTION from within Missile Command returns to
 the self test; RESET on its own returns to BASIC.[1]

XG-1 light gun

[edit | edit source]

The XG-1 supplied with the deluxe set is a specialised light pen, using the light-pen support built into the Atari 8-bit hardware. Its horizontal position can be read at memory location 564 (LPENH) and its vertical position at 565 (LPENV), with values from 0 to 227.[1]

The readings are not screen coordinates. Pointing at the far left of the display gives about 88; the value rises to 227 at around column 34, then wraps to 0 and rises again to about 30 by column 39. The offset is the delay between a pixel being lit and the sensor reaching POKEY, which latches an internal scan counter. Vertical readings are half the current scan line, varying from about 17 to 115.[1] The gun will not return reliable readings if the display is too dim, which is why light-gun games use unusually bright screens.[1]

Sets

[edit | edit source]
  • Basic set - console and a CX40 joystick with a grey base
  • Deluxe set - console, detachable keyboard, CX40 joystick and XG-1 light gun

Board

[edit | edit source]

The mainboard is C100417. Atari's schematic for it is figure 2-13 of the XE field service manual and the matching silkscreen is figure 2-14.[2]

[edit | edit source]
  • Atari XE Game System
    Atari XE Game System
  • XEGS with the keyboard attached
    XEGS with the keyboard attached
[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ 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 1.14 Matthew Ratcliff, "First Look Inside the XE Game System", Antic Vol. 7 No. 4 (August 1988), reproduced at atarimagazines.com. Source for the DB15 keyboard connector, the two 64K x 4 DRAMs and 17-chip count, the built-in Missile Command bank-switching and the XG-1 light-pen register behaviour.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Atari, 130XE Personal Computer Field Service Manual. Section 1 (theory of operation, chip pin assignments, external power supply schematic and rating, connector pinouts), Section 2 (schematics and silkscreens for all seven XE board assemblies), Section 3 (self test and production-test diagnostic error codes). Despite its title it covers the 65XE, the 800XE and the XE Game System as well. Hosted on this wiki: File:Atari 130XE Field Service Manual.pdf.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nat Friedland, "Editorial: Ever-Changing Atari Marketplace", Antic Vol. 7 No. 1 (May 1988), reproduced at atarimagazines.com.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Atari Corporation, ATARI XE Game System Owner's Manual. Available at the Internet Archive, item atari-xegs. Source for the boot behaviour, the self-test procedure and the power-connection description.


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