Atari XL Laptop runs "unplugged" by M.E.C.

[TheInformalstyle]

This is awesome I used to have an Atari 800XL, it was my first computer. I had no idea they even made laptops!

[ThePhoneUpdate]

@TheInformalstyle They didn't, this guy made it! :)

[craigsmithx]

This is absolutely amazing! What a tremendous amount of hard work this had to have been & it paid off!

[TimSDobson]

RIP

[edutorox]

cool

[Simba0000007]

Ahh.. I remember my old 800XL back in '85. Back then, I had a single 1050 and a 1010.

Too bad the systems were so darn underutilized back then. Of course, memory and hard drives were freakin' expensive back then.

[aikighost]

Whats the point exactly?

[Snipball]

no wonder the laptop is that HUGE! do they really need a big laptop screen?

[SirFoggy2Doped]

I WANT ONE!!!

Who do I pay and how much?

[baksi61]

We need change!

[Jeffbaynard]

That is sick.

[btcguy08]

Do you know when that computer was available? Looks like it ran like a dream, and fast too. Until now, I never knew Atari had laptops.

[fdsman]

nice cast

[delfmeek]

I'm really impressed witih this! Kudos!

[tonsui]

what happen your left hand?

[InflatableDragon]

Whoa, that's an awesome little toy ya got there! That song's pretty catchy too, boy do I adore chiptunes.

[digidev]

very sexy, great job sir

[AY3EIGHTYNINE10]

Duuuuude...does that thing got dual POKEYs?

[xBeetle]

Yes, indeed. Double Pokey, 576k, internal CF card drive, 4x OS, internal SIO2PC interface :-D

[rootbrian]

It sounds like it's got one old hard drive... Whats the size? 4MB???

[rootbrian]

Also, the speed? I'm making a guess of 1-4MHz.

[xBeetle]

What you hear during load is the sound any 8-Bit Atari makes when loading in High-Speed. My Laptop doesn't feature a harddrive, but a CF card reader. All software is stored on CF (compactflash) memory cards. I use a 512 MB one :-)

[rootbrian]

Cool, is the CF reader embedded on board, or connected to a Serial or Parallel port?

[xBeetle]

Its connected to the serial peripheral port of the Atari, called SIO port. This way i don't need a modified OS to run software of CF card. The CF interface looks like an ordinary Diskdrive to the Atari.

[rootbrian]

Thats nice to know. The sound of a 10MB hard disk the laptop makes when it goes in high speed is very neat. MFM hard disks can be imitated by almost anybody or anything. MFM technology is STILL used today, in floppy drives and CD/DVD drives also. Old is still new to me.

[Neon360]

So you like, sit in starbucks and drink coffee whipping this bad boy out and fire up some Yoomp! right? ;-) I can only imagine the looks... or better yet, finding someone who would walk by and appreciate it.

[xBeetle]

I fear it will always be a unique model :-)

[StaxX28]

I ask the same question...

I want one!  :)

[twilitezoner]

Thanks Beetle. When does that laptop go into production?

:)