Atari 1400XL
 | |
| An Atari 1200XL. The 1400XL re-used the 1200XL case. | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. |
| Type | Home computer (announced, never released) |
| Released | Announced June 1983; never released |
| CPU | MOS Technology 6502C @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC) |
| Memory | 64 KB RAM |
| Storage | External cassette or floppy disk drive over SIO |
| Display | Up to 320 x 192 pixels (ANTIC / GTIA) |
| Sound | POKEY, plus a Votrax SC-01 speech synthesiser |
| OS / Firmware | Atari XL Operating System |
| Predecessor | Atari 1200XL |
| Model no. | 1400XL |
The Atari 1400XL was an Atari, Inc. XL-series computer that was announced but never released. It was an Atari 800XL-class machine with a built-in 300-baud modem and a Votrax SC-01 speech synthesiser, in the Atari 1200XL case.
Announcement and naming
Atari announced the 600XL and 800XL in June 1983 and followed them at the same show with two further machines. These had been developed under the designations 1201XL and 1250XL and were renamed the 1400XL and the 1450XLD.[1] The 1400XL was intended as the direct replacement for the 1200XL; because it carried extra features and therefore extra cost, Atari positioned the cheaper 800XL as the 1200XL's real successor at US$299 instead.[1]
Atari's own confidential 1400XL product specification, the speech-handler and modem engineering specifications, the PAL chip equations, the full eight-sheet schematic set and the machine's stand-alone test ROM all survive and are hosted by the Atari Museum.[1]
What it was
- FREDDIE - the new custom memory controller, replacing the discrete TTL of the 600XL and
800XL. It allowed ANTIC to fetch display data from memory separate from the CPU's 64 KB, so that screen memory no longer had to come out of the program's space.[1]
- Votrax SC-01 speech synthesiser, with operating-system changes adding a V: handler
for voice. A bundled cartridge, the 1400XL Telecommunicator, used the speech chip to announce terminal settings such as baud rate, line feed and wrap.[1]
- Built-in 300-baud modem, Bell 103 compatible.[1]
- The 1200XL case and keyboard, with the XL function keys.[1]
Early 1400XL boards are marked 1400. Atari later moved to a combined 1400/1450 motherboard carrying a power connector and a PBI daughter-card connector, so that the same board could serve both machines - which is why some surviving "1400XL" units are found with 1450XLD boards and no disk-controller daughter card.[1][2]
Power supply
 | Never connect a standard Atari XL or XE power supply to a 1400XL. The Atari
Museum, which holds the machine's documentation and surviving hardware, states plainly that doing so will destroy the speech synthesiser chip and the GTIA. These machines do not take the +5 V-only supply that the 600XL, 800XL, 65XE and 130XE use.[1][2] |
Cancellation
All of Atari's XL systems were cancelled following the sale of the company on 2 July 1984, and were replaced by cost-reduced designs based on the 800XLF, internally called 900XLF, which reached the market in 1985 as the 65XE and 130XE.[2]
Specifications that are not verified here
The 1400XL never went into production, so there is no field service manual, no parts list and no production data for it. Weight, dimensions, retail price and production quantities are not given on this page because no primary source for them could be found. The specification above is limited to what Atari's own surviving design documents and the machines held by collectors support.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "The Atari 1400XL Computer Systems", Atari Museum (Curt Vendel). Secondary source, but it hosts Atari's own confidential 1400XL product specification, PAL equations, schematics and ROM images.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Atari 1450XLD Computer Systems", Atari Museum (Curt Vendel). Secondary source, but it hosts Atari's own 1450XL product specification, engineering notes, the "Barbara" and "Carmen" gate-array documents, the TONG test plan and both sets of schematics.