I have always been interested in 'old' computers and operating systems even when they were not 'old'. Back in the 80s I was an arcade rat and a prolific gamer on my Sinclair Spectrum and later Atari 800XL, but when I visited WHSmith for my monthly copy of C&VG, Id always look at the 'proper' computer magazies and wonder at the software and hardware that was out of sight and out of reach of my paultry weekly wage.
I was amazed to recently discover that there is a thriving community out there that not only preserve these old operating systems, but actually work with them and even create software to run them on todays hardware and for free! I can afford that!
My tiny Raspberry Pi is light years ahead of a real PDP11 and its incredible to think that this tiny machine that I bought for about £50 runs rings around a minicomputer that cost millions (and still fetches a high price if you are lucky enough to find one for sale)
This is basically a documentation of my little network and the stupid things I do with it. Its not just limited to that as I am discovering more and more interesting stuff as I dive into this rabbit hole of hobby computing.
Im also building an Atari 8bit computer homelab around my 800xl. Im a huge gamer but Im getting more and more interested in programming so I am also collecting languages. Its a tall order because I cannot program more than 'Hello World' but one day with persistance, who knows? Im mostly using BASIC, but dabbling in Assembly, ACTION! and LOGO.
Update:30 Sept 26 LOGO and a surprise!
Im learning LOGO becuause I want to understand LISP. I had a .atr image but it felt a bit weird, I cant explain it, and its probably me but I like languages to be on official carts.
So I jumped on eBay and found a really nice CIB from a seller in America, and as luck turned out, not only a seller of fine second hand Atari stuff, but a fellow Atarian and all round nice person! I was amazed to find on arrival that not only did my parcel arrive well packed and safe, there was a surprise inside in the form of two Atari Force comics from 1984!
How cool is that? And how nice! I was so happy to receive them, they are going straight into the collection. Check out the picture below.
Update:28th Sept 26 600 and 800 back from Rude Dog!
HOPEFULLY FOR THE LAST TIME!
My Ataris were actually repaired and sent to me via 24 hour express delivery with Royal Mail last Wednesday, but as you know, Royal Mail is a shadow of its former self so a few days and some crushed cardboard corners is the best we can expect, but that doesnt matter as they are both here and both working perfectly, and I have made a promise NOT to muck about with hardware experiments ever again!
As always, Mark at Rude Dog did exceptional work, the prices were great and the craftmanship perfect. If you need any sort of repairs, have a chat with Mark, theres a link above in the menu
Update:21 September 26 Stupidity took the 600.
10 Days.
I had it 10 days then I killed it with stupidity. Let me explain
I thought it would be a great plan to have a CX40 joystick to go with my 600. A sort of period piece if you like, so one ebay later a nice one was delivered. Sadly the 'up' didnt work so after some investigation with a meter it looked like a broken wire. But that didnt matter because while using the probe on the meter, AND keeping the cx40 plugged in I had shorted 5v to the chip and blown it to hell and back. Go me.
SO its back to Mark at Rude Dog for a repair, a very costly one at that as the chip needed is hard to come by and yet again I am without an Atari computer becuause of stupidity.
Update:14 Sept 26 600 arrived!
Today my new Atari 600XL was safely delivered from Rude Dog Retros and its incredible!
I had Mark upgrade it for me to 64k, so its now an 800xl 'slim'. It works perfectly and hasnt missed a beat at all the nonsense I threw at it all weekend. Programming, games and BBS it was absolutely fine. The keyboard is incredible, honestly the feel? Perfection.
Update:9 Sept 26 600 is coming home! 800 is still sick...
Fantastic news! Spoke to Mark at Rude Dog Retros and my shiny new and fully upgraded 600xl is being posted right now! The bad news is, my poorly 800xl is still limping along but thankfully, like a terrier chasing a rat, Mark found the issue and has a plan. Looks like a new POKEY chip is needed so one has been ordered (out of an Arcade machine no less! I officially have a 90% cooler XL than most now) and hopefully that will fix the issues, fingers crossed.
Huge love and thanks to Mark for his dedication and focus on this fix, if you have any need for computer repair, I highly recommend giving him a call!
Update:9 Sept 26 More code added
Im trying to focus a bit, which is probably not happening, but I am trying. I am having fun with LOGO right now and have had some success creating something which is at least progress. Its not much but I know more LOGO than I did yesterday.
Click here and follow the linksUpdate:4 Sept 26 Added to textfiles, no news on the 800xl...
The textfiles that Im creating are a mish mash of stuff in the same vein as the textfiles of the 80s and 90s. Stuff that I find and stuff that crops up in my ongoing 8 bit lab build. I am actually looking for ideas for an obscure games list
I have played most of the top 10 Atari 8 bit games to death, and although I still love them Im looking for some new stuff. I was reading A.N.A.L.O.G and found an ad for Drelbs, a puzzle game that I have never heared of, and its a really interesting game. Same with Jawbreaker, I am reading 'Hackers' by Steven Levy (go read it!) and have got to the bit where Atari are getting mad at the home programmers stealing their ips, so the pixel perfect pacman that was being developed by On-Line, had to change to Jawbreaker, and Im glad it did, its an excellent game.
...No news on the 800xl, I got to be patient but holy cow... It will be worth it as I have a TON of stuff to do. Im hoping a 600xl is coming home too.
Update:21 Aug 26 Perfect 410 ebay find!
I managed to find the cleanest, most pristine 410 I have ever seen!
Update:19 Aug 26 Got Life! Working in Atari Basic
I made a start a week ago and now have a working program in BASIC! I'm kind of proud!
Update:18 Aug 26 New hardware purchase
Just bought an Atari 410 data cassette on ebay. Listed as 'partially working' (gulp) it was £50 buy it now so I took a punt. I am spending a bit too much lately but to be honest? Ill worry about the credit card later! This is far too exciting to worry about bits of paper.
The listing stated that it doesnt play or fast forward, only rewind. Im assuming this is either a belt (bought new ones incase) or its not been hooked up to a computer (it needs a prod from the 800 to get it to play. We will see in a week or so.
If its totally broken, I have a cool paperweight.
Update: 17 Aug 26 Coding without a computer
My 800xl is still with Rude Dog, all the information I have is that its been received, so thats something.
I have parked Python. Its very cool but very hidden and right now I want to get down and dirty with the silicon, so I am looking at low level languages like C and Assembly, but I wanted to see if I could make something using a language I know a tiny bit of and can actually do it from memory (a bit anyway) so I am writing Conways 'Life' in Atari basic, which is great but Im having to use an emulator, which is not ideal.
I always hated that basic was thought of as a 'toy' language, a language thats not really meant to be taken seriously because its called 'basic'. Basic is not basic at all its easier to read and to understand but it is also powerful enough to do some quite brilliant things with. Its teaching me a lot even now, and, despite the wrestling match Im having with the workflow have about a quarter of the code done.
Update: 13 Aug 26 Atari 800XL is back in for repairs...
I cannot tell you how gutted I am. Not even a week after returning from the repair shop its developed another fault. This time if you hit START the computer crashes. I think its something to do with the GTIA chip that was replaced either dying because its old or something shorting out something on the board.
Anyway its heading back to Rude Dog Retros for some remedial poking... My poor wallet...(its totally worth it...)
Update: 12 Aug 26 Learning 6502 Assembly
So I actually made a start to learn some machine code on my actual Atari hardware. It wasnt much, it wasnt that exciting to look at but it worked and more importantly, my workflow actually worked.
If I end up getting a real Atari Assembler cart, I'll do it all on there but for now, writing in VS Code and compiling it on the Chromebook works just fine. Have a peek at the CODE page to see what nonsense I have been up to...
Update: 8 Aug 26 ITS BACK!
After a LONG time at the repair shop my 800XL is back and its better than ever! Mark at Rude Dog Retros did a spectacular job tracking down the fault and repairing the issues. It had a full recap and a GTIA chip replaced, so now its as if I just got it out of the box. Its been on an extended test all weekend and hasnt missed a beat!
Now the real fun begins, I managed to use BOB Term to get on to the PDP but the text is all over the shop! I think its something to do with ASCII and VT100 but I need to do more digging...
Update: 800XL Terminal plan
I have a Raspberry Pi thats running SIMH and currently a PDP11/70 with RSTS/E V10 installed. My plan is to connect to the pi via BobTerm with my 800XL. Im hoping this will work easily but as always its doubtful! I have never done anything like this before so Im learning as I go. I bought a new monitor so hopefully the 80 col will look a bit clearer.
Update: 800XL is coming back from repair
My 800xl was doing some WEIRD stuff with sprites. When playing Ms Pacman she would split in two and her bow went one way, and her body the other! Not good.
So I sent it to Rude Dog Retros for a recap and a replacement GITA chip and hopefully all is well. Its been tested for hours and seems good. I bought it a new monitor as a welcome home gift!
Update: Booting RSTS/E on the PDP-11
Configured the SIMH emulator to load up RSTS/E V10 today. The terminal output is looking glorious. I am able to use the EDT, create new users and even send messages.
Im using TELNET to login. The end goal is to get the 800XL talking to it via Bob Term
Update: Atari 800XL Adventures
My poor Atari 800XL isnt feeling well so I had to send it off to Rude Dog Retros for some loving and replacement parts. Im like an expectant Father waiting for it to return!