Atari 800 XL ROSE User manual

Whether you want to set

up a domestic office or

host your own video

game tournament, the

versatile ATARI 800XL

Home Computer fits the

bill. The hefty 64K RAM

memory gives you the

power to perform a

myriad assortment of

useful tasks. Using just

the console and your

television, you can write

and edit on the screen,

create art and attractive

graphics, and program

with ATARI BASIC, a

built-in, all-purpose com-

puter language. The full-

stroke, low-profile key-

board is set up like a

typewriter, but with add-

ed practical features

such as special function

keys and a HELP key

when you need extra

information in a program.

Your computer gives

you access to the large

family of ATARI products,

including over 2,000 soft-

ware programs. A copy

of the latest ATARI

catalog is packed with

the console. With the

right peripherals and

programs, you can com-

pose music, communicate

with other ATARI owners,

balance your budget,

learn a foreign language,

or follow the stock'

market.

In the following pages

you'll learn how easy it is

to connect 'the computer

to your television, and

how simple it is to oper-

ate once it's turned on.

MEET THE ATARI 800XL HOME COMPUTER 3

HOOKING IT UP , , .. , , , , , " 5

CHECKING IT OUT. , ".. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 "

ADAPTING YOUR COMPUTER TO A JOB , , , " 9

HOW TO TELL YOUR COMPUTER WHAT TO DO , , .. , .. 10

AT YOUR COMMAND , , 11

ATARI ART AND GRAPHICS, , . , , , , , , , , , . ' , 13

A HOST OF CHARACTERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES , .. , , 14

EXPLORING ATARI BASIC , 15

BUILDING A SYSTEM , , , , , . , , , 17

A CLEAN, SAFE COMPUTER ENVIRONMENT , , 19

YOU ARE NOT ALONE 19

IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY, , , .. , , , , , , ,20

Plug-in

cartridges pro-

vide quick and easy pro-

gram loading

Expansion Connection

For plugging future

accessories or peri-

pherals into your com-

puter system

rial In12ut/Qut12utPo

Connects peripheral

equipment such as disk

drives, program record-

ers and printers to your

computer

.....•..

To plug in connecting

cable from Switch Box

ontroUe Ports

"'i f-

For connecting touch

tablets, key pads,

joysticks, and paddle

controllers

Monitor ack

4f-

Provides access to

a monitor's superior

resolution.

HOOKING

ITUP

All you need to set up

your ATARI 800XL Home

Computer is a television

and a screwdriver; Atan

provides the rest. Set-up

takes only a few-minutes.

Remove plastic covers

from around the key-

board when you unpack

the computer.

ristalUng

the

TV~c

Switen Box

Disconnect the VHF

antenna or cable TV line.

If the antenna has a flat,

twin-lead cable, connect

it to the 300-0HM screw

terminals on the side of

the TV Switch Box labeled

ANTENNA. If it has a

round cable, attach it to

the 75-0HM threaded

connector.

If the TV's VHF con-

nection has two screw

terminals, connect the

short, twin-lead cable on

the Switch Box to them.

If the VHF connection

is threaded, attach the

Switch Box cable to the

screw terminals on the

VHF adapter supplied

with your TV. Then screw

the adapter onto the set's

threaded terminal. if you

don't have an adapter,

you can buy one at a

video store.

Peel the cover from

the adhesive square on

the Switch Box and stick

the box securely on the

back of your TV.

If the antenna con-

nected to the Switch box

uses a flat, twin-lead

cable, go to step 5.

If your antenna uses

a round (75-0HM) cable

and you did not use a

VHF adapter, you may

adjust your TV set as

shown below.

If the back of your set

looks like this, push the

switch to the 300-0HM

(300

position.

~""

If it looks like this,

loosen the screws hold-

ing the U-shaped slider

and move the slider to

the position marked 300

OHM (or 30011).

If it looks like this, in-

sert the tiny wire into the

hole in the center of the

antenna terminal.

5. Plug the connecting

cable into the COM-

PUTER connection on the

TV Switch Box and into

the jack labeled SWITCH

BOX on your computer.

6. Move the switch on

the TV Switch Box to the

COMPUTER position.

7. Connect the two-

pronged plug on the

AC Power Adapter to

an electrical outlet. The

round plug goes in the

computer's POWER IN

jack.

8. Turn on your TV set

and tune it to Channel 2

or 3-whichever channel

is weaker in your area.

Set the Channel Select

Switch on the computer

to the same channel.

After you turn on your

computer, you may need

to adjust the TV's fine-

tuning knob to improve

reception.

10.

A few seconds after

you turn on the main

power switch on the com-

puter, the screen shows

the word READY from

the ATARI BASIC Pro-

gramming Language.

If you leave the com-

puter on one display long

enough, the colors on the

screen begin changing to

protect your TV set.

When you turn off the

computer, wait 3 to 5

seconds before turning it

back on.

When you turn on

your ATARI 800XL, it

automatically tests itself.

You also have the option

of double checking the

computer's memory,

sound and colors, and

keyboard.

Thereafter, run the

test only occasionally,

because the computer

tests its memory each

time it's turned on. If the

circuits fail the test, the

words MEMORY TEST

and red and green

squares and rectangles

appear on the screen.

The built-in ATARI BASIC

and any software that you

try to use will be ignored

by the computer.

This means that your

computer needs service.

Contact your ATARI

Home Computer retailer

or factory-authorized

ATARI SERVICEsM center.

II he Self Tests

Start the tests by holding

down

OPTION

while turn-

ing on the computer or

by typing BYE when

BASIC says READY. A

SELF-TEST menu will ap-

pear on the screen. Like

a restaurant menu, this

.. .. .. ..

offers a choice of selec-

tions: ALL TESTS, MEM-

ORY TEST, AUDIO-VISUAL

TEST, AND KEYBOARD

TEST. Press

SELECT

to choose a test, then

press

START.

Press

HELP

to return to the SELF-

TEST menu.

When you select ALL

TESTS, the computer

runs the tests for you.

They repeat until you

press

HELP.

Press

RESET

to stop the tests and

return to ATARI BASIC .

This test checks Read-

Only Memory (ROM) and

Random-Access Memory

(RAM). ROM is nonerase-

able memory containing

the computer's operating

system. RAM is for the

programs you use or

write yourself.

The memory test works

a little like a stoplight.

Two bars appear on the

screen when the ROM is

tested. If the bars turn

green, the ROM is okay

and you may proceed.

Red means STOP: The

ROM is out of order, and

you must contact your

ATARI retailer or Factory

Authorized Service Center.

During the RAM test,

48 squares-each repre-

senting a RAM section-

are tested. The remain-

ing 16KRAM is available

only with certain software

programs. If a square

turns white, then green,

the corresponding sec-

tion is good. If no square

turns red, the RAM is

okay.

The audio-visual test

checks the four program-

mable sound voices and

color and graphics capa-

bility. A musical staff and

treble clef appear on the

screen above the number

of the voice tested. Six

notes are played and dis-

played on your TV screen.

The six notes repeat once

for each of the four voices.

If a voice number ap-

pears but you don't hear

music, that voice is not

working properly. Make

sure the TV's sound is

turned up.

The colors displayed

should be consistent dur-

ing each test.

You work with two

keyboards when you

select this test, the one

under your fingertips and

a facsimile on the screen.

When you press a key,

a corresponding key on

the TV screen flashes in

reverse video (a blue

character on a white

background) and a note

sounds. The space bar

and special-function keys

are already in reverse

video, so pressing one of

them changes the match-

ing key on the screen to

normal video. If nothing

happens on the screen

when you press a key,

that key is not working.

The keys in the top row

of the screen keyboard

are located on the far

right side of your com-

puter keyboard. Disre-

gard keys numbered 1-4.

Reading from left to right,

the keys in the screen's

top row include:

RESET,

START, SELECT, OPTION,

four numbered keys,

HELP, REVERSE VIDEO

( ~ ), and BREAK. Other-

wise, the two keyboards

have the same arrange-

ment of keys.

SHIFT

and

CONTROL

flash only when pressed

simultaneously with

another key.

There are three keys

that do not flash or sound

and that terminate the

test when pressed.

HELP

returns you to the SELF-

TEST menu.

RESET

returns you to BASIC,'

and

BREAK

evokes no

response.

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