Atari XE Computers
Peripherals

This page is graphics intensive.  It may take a few moments to load.

The XE systems were the last 8-bit computers released by Atari.  By this point, the Tramiels were putting all of their efforts behind the ST systems.  Here is a look at some of the devices that Atari released for use with the XE computers.

Atari XF-551 Floppy Drive - This was the floppy drive released with the XE line.  It was a double sided/double density 5 1/4 inch drive.  Atari shipped a new disk operating system (DOS XE) with this drive.

DOS XE was Atari's first DOS to support double sided drives, subdirectories, etc.  Previously, these features were only available in 3rd party DOS products, such as SpartaDOS, MyDos, etc. 

Technologically, this drive was a big improvement for Atari.  The older 810 and 1050 drives were known for making bizarre loud grinding noises.  This drive was whisper quiet.  It was also the first (and only) double sided and double density drive that Atari offered for the 8-bit line.

Here were a number of third party "hack" projects available for this unit, including a project to convert the drive into a 3.5 inch 720k drive.

Atari XC-12 Tape Drive - Tape drives had always been a cheap alternative to diskette drives.  The drive above was available mainly in Europe, where diskette drives were not affordable.  It was introduced in the US, but in limited quantities.

Like the previous 410 and 1010 recorders, this device will load/save data at roughly 600 baud, and store approximately 100k bytes on a standard 60 minute audio cassette.   The tape drive also had a three digit counter, and a four track record/playback head with a digital (data) channel, and an audio channel.  The audio channel allowed special tapes to play music while loading a program.

There were a number of "hacks" available for this tape drive.  The most popular hack increased the baud rate of the tape drive substantially.

Atari SX-212 Modem - This was a 1200 baud modem that could be used either by an Atari 8-bit computer, or any other computer with a standard serial port, such as an Atari ST, or a PC compatible.

The back of the unit had an Atari 8-bit SIO port, and a serial port.  This was a big step forward for the 8-bit line, as most prior modems (both Atari & 3rd party) required some kind of special interface unit.  Since the SX-212 had both an 8-bit SIO port & a standard serial port, it could be easily attached to just about any computer, including IBM, Commodore, etc.

It was compliant with the Bell Data Transmission 103 standard, and the Bell 212a standard.

Atari XM-301 Modem - This modem was only for the 8-bit line.  It was a 300 baud modem that would connect in the SIO chain.  It did not have a passthrough port, so it had to be at the end of the device chain.  It drew its power directly from the SIO bus, so an external power supply was not required.  It was packaged with Atari's "XE-Term" software.

It was compliant with the Bell Data Transmission 103 Standard.  It featured touch tone or pulse dialing, Xmodem protocol built into hardware, and would automatically install & configure an upload/download RAMdisk on 130XE systems.

Atari XEP-80 Module - Standard Atari 8-bit systems had always been 40 column devices.  Several 3rd party companies provided devices that would provide an 80 column display.  The most popular of which, was the Omniview upgrade, which replaced a chip in your XL or XE system, and would allow you to "hot-swap" between 40 & 80 column modes via a keyboard command.  I owned an Omniview upgrade, and it worked quite well in my 800XL.

When the XE systems hit the market, Atari attempted to provide their own device.  The XEP-80 was Atari's solution.  I never owned one, but I'm told that the display quality was good.  Atari released a few programs that took advantage of the display capabilities of this unit (AtariWriter 80, etc.).  The XEP-80 used the same case as the SX-212 modem shown above.

The main issue with this system was how it interfaced with the system.  Instead of using the XL or XE expansion bus (like it should have), it attached to the system via the JOYSTICK PORTS!!!  Why on earth did they decide to do that?  Atari always claimed that it was for "maximum compatibility" with the older 400/800 systems.

It also had a parallel port on the back of the unit.  It seems to have been added almost as an afterthought, and was completely useless with certain types of software.  Before the parallel port can be accessed, a special device handler must be loaded.  Most commercial word processor software would not allow this, although Atari's own AtariWriter 80 did address the problem.

Atari XDM-121 Printer - 80 column letter quality daisy-wheel printer for the 8-bit line.  This was also one of the first Atari printers that used a "cartridge" style ribbon instead of the "spool" type used in the Atari 825 and 1025 printers.

This printer was capable of underlining and subscript/superscript printing.  It had a bi-directional printhead that could be adjusted for different paper thickness.  In fact, this printer could print through carbon copy paper.  It could accept one original and up to three additional copies at once.

It connected to the 8-bit systems via the SIO port.  This unit did not require a special interface.

An additional cut sheet feed unit was available as an accessory to this printer.  This feeded had an input bin that would hold up to 200 sheets of paper at once.

Atari XMM-801 Printer - This was an 80-column dot matrix printer for the XE line.  It featured an 8-pin printhead, with an 8x9 character matrix.  The printhead was bi-directional, and could print approximately 80 characters per second.  This was also one of the first Atari printers that used a "cartridge" style ribbon instead of the "spool" type used in the Atari 825 and 1025 printers.

It would print on single sheet paper, or fanfold tractor-feed continuous paper.  The tractor feed mechanism was adjustable, and could handle paper up to 132 columns wide. 

It was capable of printing graphics as well.   It rated at approximately 60 dpi (dots per inch) in draft mode, and 120 dpi in enhanced mode.  It also had a small 80 byte buffer.

The XMM-801 connected directly to the 8-bit systems via the SIO port.  This unit did not require a special printer interface.