daves@brspyr1.BRS.Com (Dave Schubmehl) (08/13/87)
I own a 48K Atari 800 system with an 850 interface, 810 single density
disk drive, and about 50 disks worth of programs. (Also a Gemini printer
and modem, but they're attached to my Zenith Z-150 right now...)
The 800 was damaged when I was travelling. It exhibits the following
symptoms; the bottom row of keys on the left-hand side of the keyboard
(Z,X,C,V) give no response when pressed, and pressing either shift key
causes the cursor to do a "carriage return -- linefeed" sequence.
I have taken the machine apart, reseated everything I could, and
cleaned the contacts on the keyboard's pc board, but to no avail. As
it is now, the 800 is useless for anything except bootable games that
use the joystick.
As I see it, I have several options;
1) Try to get it repaired. I've seen ads in Antic for a company that
will repair (or replace) an Atari 800 for 39.95 inclusive. Has
anyone dealt with this company? (They also sell replacement chips
boards, and repair manuals.)
2) Scrap the current 800 and buy a used 800. Around here (Albany, New
York area), complete systems are going for $200-500 depending on
what's included. I don't really need a complete system (even
though another disk drive or two would be nice...), and $200 is
stretching my intended budget for this.
3) Scrap the current 800 and buy a compatible machine such as an
800XL, 65XE, or 130XE. Are all of these compatible with the 800?
Will they work with my existing hardware peripherals? Will my
software work on these machines? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each machine? I understand that the extra memory
in the 130XE can be used as a ram disk. Is this true? I've seen
prices in Antic ranging from $79-139 depending on the machine.
I was also told that Atari was/is running some kind of promotion
where they will send you a NEW 800XL if you send them $35.00 and
and your broken 800 or 400. Does anyone know if this is still true,
and if so, is an 800XL what I want? (I already bought a used 400 with
32K so that my daughter can play some games, but a lot of the software
that I want to use is 48K only, and therefore useless on the 400).
In summary, I would appreciate any information that you have about my
problem and the potential solutions that I've outlined.
Thanks in advance......
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