In article <3@ultb.UUCP> ajy2@ultb.UUCP (A.J. Yarusso (713ICS)) writes:

    I've seen a fair bit of stuph about it scatterred around in _Mapping the
Atari_ from Compute! Books (The older editions have nothing on it).  I only
have an old-style 800 (considerably modified), so I haven't been able to
verify any of it.
    It think the XL ROM's are supposed to look at the port for some ROM, and,
if it is there, it is banked switched onto the place where the floating-
point library usually is, and executed.  You can make it install a new device
driver that way.  Very convenient (compared to AUTORUN.SYS files).
    I don't remember any of its other capabilities.  This is all from memory,
so don't quote me on it.

                                 Ron Harding.

There was a series of articles in Antic about the XL parallel bus
interface.  Here are the notes that I made at the time:

The Parallel Bus Revealed
        Earl Rice
        Antic, January 1985, 45-47, 75  (generic device handler)
        Antic, February 1985, 68-71     (hardware interface)
        Antic, March 1985, 69-72, 76    (design of serial I/O board)
        Antic, April 1985, 49-52, 78    (ditto, plus software driver)

        Specifications for the parallel bus interface and Generic Parallel
        Device Handler provided in XL-series machines.  Example project
        is hardware (USART) and software (MAC/65) for a serial interface.
        All articles are full of obvious typos, esp. the diagrams.

I think Earl Rice had been associated with Atari engineering.  As I
recall, the articles were not exactly lucid but started making sense after
several readings.  I don't know if or how back issues of Antic are
available.

Ed Satterthwaite
e@src.DEC.COM or {...}!decwrl!ehs

/ hpclkms:comp.sys.atari.8bit / ajy2@ultb.UUCP (A.J. Yarusso ) / 12:33 pm  Jan 30, 1989 /

A few years back either Analog or Antic published a four part series on
interfacing to the parallel port on the XL.  It doesn't mention the XE
parallel port, but it does present a full details for building an RS-232
port that runs over the parallel port, including hardware, and software
drivers.  I don't remember the issues, but if you need to know, I have them
at home and can look it up for you.

Ken "Parallel ports do it 8 at a time" Sumrall
ken%hpcl@hplabs.hp.com
...!hplabs!hpclove!ken

P.S.  My failing memory thinks that it was Antic magazine in the Jan. thru
Apr. issues of 1985, but I could be mistaken.

in article <1270@hpclkms.HP.COM>, k@hpclkms.HP.COM (Kenneth Sumrall) says:

        The articles did *not* describe the parallel expansion bus on
the XL.  They described the bus in the 1090 expansion box which has
several differences (buffers, power, a couple of new signals).  You can
use the information to figure out what is actually on the expansion bus
just don't expect it to be a 100% match.  The software driver information
applies to both the expansion bus and to the 1090 bus.

        I don't think Atari ever "officially" released any info on the
expansion bus.  There was a very nice manual written up on the XL (OS,
hardware, etc) but it died about the time Jack bought Atari.

                                Dan Moore
                                AT&T Bell Labs
                                Denver
                                d@druhi.ATT.COM
                                d@druwy.ATT.COM

        In article <3@druhi.ATT.COM>, d@druhi.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) writes:

[Info regarding articles from ANTIC or ANALOG about XL parallel port deleted]

        Both MAPPING THE ATARI (Revised Edition -- which I refer to as MTA+)
and the articles themselves (ANTIC) portrayed the diagrams/information as
pertaining to the XL bus (known as the Parallel Bus Interface - PBI).  No
where in the articles is the 1090 even mentioned.  BTW, MTA+ says the
information is from the ANTIC articles.  ANALOG also had an article on
adding 2K (of static RAM) to a 600XL.  I did discover a difference between
the pin-outs in the ANTIC article(s) and the ANALOG article.  (I suspect that,
in fact, the pin-out from the ANTIC article WAS the 1090 pin-out, and the
pin-out in the ANALOG article was from the PBI, itself.  Can anyone confirm/
disprove this?)  If anyone needs them, I can supply months and pages from both
magazines.  (The mags are in my apt. and I'm at work, so they're not currently
accessible.  I just looked through the ANTIC articles last night.  I wish I
had written that stuff down...20/20 hindsight, as usual.)
        I have heard of several people claiming to have the XL Addendum to
the Technical Reference Notes, or some such thing.  I would be very interested
to know where one could pick these up.  On the other hand, the manual that
comes with the XE (at least the 130XE; I can't speak for the 65XE or the XEGS)
included pin-outs for ALL the ports on the computer...nice touch.

                                                        Mike

__________________________________________________________________________
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From article <1@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu>, by DAV@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Michael T. Davis):

The XEGS doesn't come with any technical information and of course it doesn't
even have the XL bus (Parallel Bus Interface - PBI) coming out the back.

                                        Kit Kimes  
                                        AT&T--Bell Laboratories
                                        ...att!ihlpe!kimes

FACT: A cat has more muscles in its tail than you do in your head.

in article <1@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu>, DAV@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Michael T. Davis) says:
        The Antic articles were definitely about the 1090, they worked
on it.  Unfortunately they didn't state in the article that the
information was for the 1090 not the PBI.  All the information on the
software interface applies to both the 1090 and to the PBI.
        Synapse Software received one of the beta test 1090s with a 64K
RAM card and 80 column display card, they sent it and the docs to me
when I was working on SynFile release 2 (a special version for expanded
XLs and the 1450XLD).  The only real problems with the 1090 were the
size and the projected cost.  Unfortunately it died along with the 1400
and 1450 when Warner sold Atari.

        Warner Atari had re-written the Technical Reference Notes for
the XL series.  The draft copies I looked at were very nice, spiral
bound, with a lots of examples and a very well commented OS listing.
Another victim of the sale, they were never published.
        There were also some short (<50 pages) manuals on the XL
hardware and OS.  Some developers and software houses (Synapse, EA,
Broderbund, etc) got copies.  As far as I know those manuals are the
only "official" doc that was ever released.

                                Dan Moore
                                AT&T Bell Labs
                                Denver
                                d@druhi.ATT.COM
                                d@druwy.ATT.COM

From article <3@druwy.ATT.COM>, by d@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore):

|       The Antic articles were definitely about the 1090, they worked
| on it.  Unfortunately they didn't state in the article that the
| information was for the 1090 not the PBI.  All the information on the
| software interface applies to both the 1090 and to the PBI.
|       Synapse Software received one of the beta test 1090s with a 64K
| RAM card and 80 column display card, they sent it and the docs to me
| when I was working on SynFile release 2 (a special version for expanded
| XLs and the 1450XLD).  The only real problems with the 1090 were the
| size and the projected cost.  Unfortunately it died along with the 1400
| and 1450 when Warner sold Atari.
|
|>   I have heard of several people claiming to have the XL Addendum to
|> the Technical Reference Notes, or some such thing.  I would be very interested
|> to know where one could pick these up.
|       Warner Atari had re-written the Technical Reference Notes for
| the XL series.  The draft copies I looked at were very nice, spiral
| bound, with a lots of examples and a very well commented OS listing.
| Another victim of the sale, they were never published.
|       There were also some short (<50 pages) manuals on the XL
| hardware and OS.  Some developers and software houses (Synapse, EA,
| Broderbund, etc) got copies.  As far as I know those manuals are the
| only "official" doc that was ever released.
|
|
|
|                               Dan Moore

Dan,

Thanks for the background information.  I always enjoy reading some of
the Atari history, especially from an 'insider'.  You have been a real
credit to the Atari 8bit user community over the years and I appreciate
it.  I'm only sorry to see that third party software companies have
virtually abandoned the 8bit market.  I know that sales dictate the
direction a company takes, but from the users and User Groups that I am
involved with, I know that there is still a small but solid market if
anyone wants to take advantage of it.

                                        Kit Kimes  
                                        AT&T--Bell Laboratories
                                        ...att!ihlpe!kimes

/ hpclkms:comp.sys.atari.8bit / d@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) /  9:23 am  Feb  9, 1989 /

Thanks for a definative answer.  Now for the REAL question.  Where can I
get docs on the Parallel Bus in the XL (or the XE for that matter)?

I have a short addendum to the Tech Ref manuals that discusses the XL.
I believe I sent Atari $12.00, and they sent me a book with some
info on the new features of the XL OS.  I also think it was mostly oriented
towards the 1200XL.  However, I don't remember anything about the PBI.
(I don't think the 1200XL had the PBI, but I can't remember.)
I also don't know if the book is still available.  I got this a few years
ago.

Ken Sumrall
ken%hpcl@hplabs.hp.com
...!hplabs!hpclove!ken

Help!

We gave my brother a Macintosh for Xmas, and I promised him (without
understanding the details of how) that I would get his text files converted
from his Atari 800XL onto the Mac.  WELL... I discover this is not as easy as
one might believe ..

I have here two boxes of disks, his files, in ASCII format (some format that
Atari lets you put files into ...).  I have not yet bitten off the job of
building a serial line interface from the atari onto some other system.

Here it is.  If you can help me, lets work out a deal.  I can deal with this
text on IBM-PC, Mac (final destination) or Unix tar tape.  If you can get it
from Atari 5 1/4 disk into one of these other forms, I will pay some bucks, and
be most grateful, all at the same time.  

Please drop a note or call.

John Bartlett           UUCP:  {necntc,talcott,bu-cs,decvax}!encore!bartlett
Encore Computer Corp.   Internet:       bartl@multimax.ARPA
257 Ceder Hill Street
Marlboro, Mass.  01752  N.E.Telephone    (508) 460-0500

Opinions are not necessarily those of Encore Computer Corp.