david1@aluxe.UUCP (08/10/83)
I read that Atari will continue to make the interface module
until demand dries up. Their new line of computers will have it
built in. There are printers and modems on the market I presume that
don't need the interface. How do these compare to the Atari
peripherals? What is the general impression of the quality of
the Atari peripherals?
aluxe!david1cwc@mhuxd.UUCP (01/24/84)
Anyone considering the purchase of peripherals for their Ataris should read the article/review/plug (?) on a piece of gear called ATR8000 on page 329 of the December '83 issue of BYTE. The vanilla version of this thing is claimed to interface all sorts of devices INCLUDING DISK DRIVES. The article uses the example of the Tandon TM-100 for ~$200. In addition, there is a Centronics printer port and an RS232 serial port. Unless you're going to load up your system with gear, it's probably not worth the listed $348, BUT, all other versions of the ATR8000 are stand-alone micros in addition to Atari peripheral interfaces, either CP/M or MS/DOS, depending on your pocketbook. This sounds really interesting. If anyone has any additional info on the ATR8000 (not in the article), I'd like to hear it and, I expect, so would others. Chip