Atari PC3
The Atari PC3 is the XT-class Atari PC with 640 KB fitted as standard and five expansion slots on the mainboard itself. It was shown at the Fall COMDEX on 2 November 1987, sold in Western Europe from the summer of 1988 and stayed in production until 1990. It is reckoned the best-selling of Atari's desktop PCs.[1]
 | |
| The best-selling Atari desktop PC, and the first with the case later used for the PC4 and PC5 | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari Corporation |
| Type | IBM PC compatible (XT class) |
| Released | Shown 2 November 1987 (Fall COMDEX '87); on sale in Western Europe from summer 1988 |
| Discontinued | 1990 |
| Intro price | PC3-DD with PCM124 GBP 649.99, PC3-HD with PCM124 GBP 949.99 (November 1988); GBP 599.99 / GBP 799.99 (May 1989) |
| CPU | Intel 8088-2, 4.77 MHz switchable to 8 MHz in software |
| Memory | 640 KB |
| Storage | PC3-DD one 5.25-inch 360 KB drive; PC3-HD the same plus a Seagate ST238R 30 MB RLL hard disk; up to two external drives |
| Display | — |
| Sound | PC speaker |
| Graphics | Onboard EGA, CGA and MDA/Hercules; 256 KB video RAM |
| FPU / coprocessor | Socket for an Intel 8087 |
| Ports / interface | Keyboard (5-pin DIN), mouse (9-pin D-sub male, Atari mouse), RS-232 (25-pin), Centronics (25-pin), monitor (9-pin digital), external floppy (14-pin DIN), IEC C14 mains inlet and an IEC C13 monitor outlet |
| Expansion | Five XT (8-bit ISA) slots directly on the mainboard |
| Dimensions | 380 x 150 x 410 mm |
| Weight | 10.5 kg |
| OS / Firmware | MS-DOS 3.21, GW-BASIC, GEM Desktop, GEM Write, GEM Paint |
| Predecessor | Atari PC2 |
| Successor | Atari PC4 |
Its case was new with this model and was reused for the PC4 and PC5, and for the developer version of the ATW800 transputer machine. Early units have a dark grey plinth, later ones a noticeably lighter one.[1]
What changed from the PC2
edit- Five XT slots directly on the board, instead of the PC2's single slot carrying a four-slot riser.[1]
- 640 KB fitted as standard, the maximum for a DOS machine of this class, instead of 512 KB expandable.[1]
- The clock switch between 4.77 and 8 MHz is made in software.[1]
- A hard disk was available from the factory, normally a Seagate ST238R 30 MB RLL unit.[1]
Otherwise it is the same XT machine with the same onboard EGA/CGA/Hercules graphics and the same Atari mouse port. Board revisions recorded by ataripc.net are C100812 Rev B and Rev B1 (1988) and C103272, undesignated revision and Rev B (1989); the later boards use an STMicroelectronics EGA device in place of the NSI Logic EVC315-S.[2]
Ports worth knowing about
editThe back panel carries both an IEC C14 mains inlet and an IEC C13 outlet for the monitor, so a PC3 found without its monitor lead is missing two cables, not one. The monitor connector is a 9-pin D-sub for digital CGA/EGA/MDA monitors — there is no analogue VGA output. The mouse port is a 9-pin male D-sub without screw locks and takes an Atari mouse, not a PC serial one.[1]
Servicing notes
editThe supply is mains-powered and stores charge after disconnection.
No capacitor list, schematic or service manual for any Atari PC model is known to be in public circulation. ataripc.net hosts PC3 owner's manuals in English and German and a jumper-setting page, but no service documentation; nothing was found on the Internet Archive, on bitsavers or in this wiki's own holdings.[2] Read values off the parts if you recap one.
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Atari PC3, atari-computermuseum.de, revised 14 July 2024. Secondary source, used here for the show appearance and release dates, the production end, the best-selling claim, the shared case and its plinth colours, the five on-board XT slots, the software clock switch, the 640 KB and 256 KB video RAM figures, the Seagate ST238R, the port list including the C13 monitor outlet, the dimensions, the weight and the UK prices. https://www.atari-computermuseum.de/pc3.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Atari PC3 8088 and the site's PC3 motherboard and documentation pages, ataripc.net. Secondary source, used here for the C100812 and C103272 board numbers and revisions, the later STMicroelectronics EGA device, the bundled software versions and for what documentation exists. https://www.ataripc.net/pc3-8088/