Here’s the hand wired back of the keyboard matrix. The built-in flat joypads were done in a similar manner, but a little more raised over the surface than the keys. They were laser engraved in a raster fashion, allowing fine detail. Here’s a close-up of the keys in the finished unit. This hole allows the small tact switch to fit inside and make the keyboard, yes here comes the word again, thinner. Each key is a round piece with 2 layers, with a square hole in the second layer. The keys are all flat on the surface but unlike a membrane keyboard they actually push in and have a “click”.
Here’s the inside of the new style keyboard. The thickness remains the same, one and a half inches. While this looks similar to the original laptop it’s actually an all-new design. With the base electronics out of the way I started on the case. This is on the opposite side of the CompactFlash. I used, well, most of an IDE cable and wired it on the bottom of the motherboard. This time I stuck in a cartridge slot, though it was kind of a pain to do and made me realize why I didn’t the first time. Don’t drink too much caffeine when attempting soldering like this. Coincidently, this slot came off the TV I used for the last Atari laptop.īy using just the slot and not an adapter I made a much thinner card assembly. So I wired everything directly to a CompactFlash slot, as shown below. Thus, an “IDE to CompactFlash” adapter is pointless. Since then I have also learned more about CompactFlash cards, specifically that the wire up just like an IDE hard drive. “My soldering skills have doubled since last we met!” That’s the one good thing about getting older, you only get better at things.
Notice below how I kept things much flatter than before – it kind of pained me with the last laptop that in 2005 I was working with a lot of soldering I did in 2003, when I started the project. Check out his site! (opens in new window) CompactFlash works too since it’s pin compatible with IDE. It’s a custom OS ROM and some support circuitry that allows you to attach an IDE hard drive to an Atari computer and use it as a large, fast disk drive. Oh yes I guess I should explain what the MyIDE is. Atari’s MyIDE interface yet again (since it’s awesome) I wired up the motherboard. Who knows, maybe Nintendo will have better luck. Atari attempts to sell 1982-style game and systems in 1987 and fails. Yes, I know the NES/Master System weren’t exactly technological wonders but they easily beat the 800 for graphics, I’m sad to say.Īn ad I found online. Why exactly Atari thought a 1979 era computer, disgusted as a game system, could compete with the NES or the Master System is beyond me. Still, it’s the last model Atari 800 class computer and thus has the smallest motherboard. I also wanted to redo the keyboard design.Īs with the previous laptop I began with an Atari XEGS, the GS meaning “Game System”, or “Gone Soon” considering how they sold. With less woodgrain this time, and hopefully some new features. Anyway, earlier this year I had a request to build another Atari 800 laptop so I decided to have another whack at it. Well, I do, my custom pinball machine, but I digress. Then after I built it I had no more worlds to conquer, so to speak. For many years an Atari 800 laptop was my “dream portable”.
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