Reader Comment

Sound advice

Since you only deal with Atari computers, maybe you could help me out with a little problem.

I also subscribe to another electronic magazine, which recently showed consumers how to hook their Commodore VIC-20 up to their stereo system.

Could you, in a future issue, show us how to hook up our stereo systems to an Atari?

Thank you very much.
Bill Fasser
El Paso, TX

If your Atari computer is an 800, 800XL or a 1200XL, then it is very easy to add sound that can be heard through your stereo to the system.

What you need is a 5-pin DIN connector (which may be purchased from any Radio Shack store) that plugs into the side or back of your computer. A shielded audio cable with an RCA-type phono connector on one end should be wired to the DIN connector by soldering the shield to pin 2 and the center conductor to pin 3. Then just plug everything together and enjoy.

Unfortunately, if you have a 400 or 600XL, this cannot be done. It would mean adding extra wiring and components to your computer and voiding the warranty. While this might not bother some, we feel that giving out such information (which we don't have on hand, anyway!) would lead to the possible destruction of several home computers by those not familiar with electronics.
--CB

---

Boot cramp

I have found a solution for all of those Atari owners who have a 600XL or 800XL and are struggling to load boot cassettes.

For XL owners who aren't used to holding down the OPTION key during power-up, BASIC will return at the end of the load. With your disk drive turned off, type DOS, and your program should come to life. This simple solution will prevent you from having to re-load the entire program all over again. Just make sure that your disk drive is off.

When you type DOS, the computer gives control to the disk operating system. If DOS does not exist in memory, then it gives control to the program that was just loaded in. I have had much success using this procedure; hope others do, too.

Mark Larson
Bakersfield, CA

If, after loading the boot tape, your computer has a black screen instead of the READY prompt, press RESET. The READY prompt will appear, and you can continue with the DOS operation.
--TH

---

400 Memory expansion

I am new to computing and I'm interested in increasing the memory of my Atari 400.

I am also a recent subscriber and would like to know if there have been previous articles regarding memory expansion. If there are no such articles, would it be possible to run one in the future regarding the actual installment of the memory boards and use of the computer with these installed? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
David Raudenbush
Pine Grove, PA

There are several companies that make expansion memory for the 400 computer, in either 32K or 48K sizes. They, however, require that the present 16K memory board in the computer be replaced with the new board. 32K boards required a simple board change, while 48Ks also need a small amount of soldering to be done.

These boards are made by such companies as Mosaic, Axlon, Intec, etc., and their ads can usually be found in our magazine, in either this issue or back issues.

As to an article possibly appearing in a future issue, I know that we are planning a 600XL memory expansion article, but -- unfortunately -- have no word for one on the model 400.
--CB

---

I would like to thank Raymond Berube for his fair review of our MPP MicroRam 64K memory board for the Atari 600XL, which appeared in issue 19 of ANALOG. The review contained several criticisms of this product to which I would like to respond.

Apparently Mr. Berube had one of the very early pre-production models of the memory board. The circuit board in these early units (there were less than 100 released, mostly as samples to distributors, dealers, etc.) did not have the card edge connector on the back side for continuation of the expansion bus. Further, until the circuit board could be modified for the case, these early units had to be glued together. Neither of these less-than-satisfactory features are to be found on the regular production units.

Regarding price, the suggested retail price of this unit has been reduced to $119.95.

Jon North, Sales Manager
Microbits Peripheral Products
Albany, OR

---

Promotion or probity?

I feel I must comment on the editorial entitled Darkness at Noon, published in issue 19. This is the second time you have published an editorial in a similar vein, the first being Whither Atari in issue 9, and I feel that you are doing the Atari community a real disservice.

The function of ANALOG, as I see it, is to promote Atari computers. Any other goal would be counter-productive to the magazine's survival. This does not mean that you should not mention faults and/or criticisms, but that the criticism should be presented in a constructive manner. There is nothing in this recent editorial that would give one any reasonable hope that Atari will continue as a force in the microcomputer field.

Atari makes a fine machine, the equal or superior to many, more expensive machines currently on the market. I have owned mine for several years now, and, in spite of many modifications, it has never required service. Most of the people I know who own Ataris have had the same good fortune. Compare that to the 20-30% return rate on Commodores or the 50%+ rate on the Adam. The computing power is comparable to the Apple. It has a vast software base, including seven or eight languages. So why does it seem that so many Atarians downgrade, or are apologetic about their machines? Do we have some sort of a death wish?

This problem is compounded by magazines which seem to delight in finding fault with the very machines they claim to support. (Why is it that I never see editorials like this in Commodore, Apple or IBM magazines?) When I was shopping for a computer, I made a point of buying several machine-specific magazines to determine what the users thought of their machines. If I had read an editorial such as yours, I never would have bought an Atari. Furthermore, present Atari owners might be discouraged to the point of selling their machines. This serves only to weaken not only your reader base, but the Atari community in general.

In closing, I am disappointed in what I considered to be the best Atari-specific magazine now available. I hope you will re-think your position and institute an editorial policy that better serves the interests of your readership.

Yours truly,
C.A. Castravelli
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

We are an Atari-exclusive magazine because we consider the equipment the finest available in its price range. However, rather than promotion, we feel that our job is to inform our readers on both positive and negative aspects of Atari and its associated products.
--Ed.

---

Keypad nightmares

Hear! Hear! ANALOG readers, the nightmare is over. We have just found a solution to allow you to use the SYSTEM RESET button while using the Atari numerical keypad.

The format:

POKE 580,0:A=USR(1536)

Add this line to your BASIC program or use it in immediate mode.

Also, as a note of reference, the keypad handler is stored in page six of memory.

JTM Software

---

I am writing to you for some help or advice. Your magazine, to which I subscribe, seems most likely to be able to answer my cri de coeur.

The problem is as follows: I own an Atari 800 with interface and an Epson MX80FT III and would very much like to access the bit-image capability. This, according to the Epson manual, involves passing hex numbers to the printer -- something I have been unable to do. Do you know where I can get a subroutine that will solve the difficulty and allow me to dump the screen to the printer?

Yours sincerely,
Andrew W Kerr
Lincoln, U.K.

You can expect a review of screen dumping programs in an upcoming issue of ANALOG, but, for now, try the subroutine that follows. It is designed to print a GRAPHICS 8 or 24 screen to an Epson printer and is put into operation with this simple GOSUB statement. Feel free to renumber the subroutine, as there are no line number references within it.
--TH