Atari 800

This article requires additional photographic illustration — all the other variants not depicted

Atari 800 is a family of computers from Atari. Atari 800 and 800XL computers shipped with variety of mechanical and membrane keyboards throughout the product range's lifetime.

Keyboards

800

Examples found to date:

• Hi-Tek High Profile (flat top)<ref>AtariAge Forums — ATARI 800 keyboard repair or "how I did my first root canal"</ref>
• Mitsumi, with Mitsumi KSD Type switches

600/800XL

This list is based on a topic at the AtariAge Forums, and is not exhaustive. At least one switch depicted is not recognisable from the angle presented.

• Alps, with Alps SKFL switches
• AWC, with closed-top bar mount Cherry M8 switches (M8xx-x6xx)
• AWC, with Futaba ML series switches
• Stackpole switch grid
• Hi-Tek High Profile (potentially (also) in Dovetail form)
• Stackpole membrane<ref name="YT-800XL-Stackpole-M">YouTube — Atari Keyboard Fix</ref>

Gallery

Atari 800 Mitsumi keyboard

This keyboard, tentatively Mitsumi KSD Type, is unusual in having two membrane sheets over a PCB, instead of the usual one or three. Additionally, the sliders are cruciform mount instead of the standard negative square Mitsumi mount. The PCB and outer membrane sheet are both marked with model KSD-A58AU.

The four keys on the right of the keyboard use switches attached to the power board. In the example below, these appear to be Stackpole discrete switches: the position of the locating peg and the terminals is correct. These four keys can also use a presently unrecognised switch type, found in a keyboard with a Stackpole keyboard assembly.<ref>Imgur — Atari 800 Teardown</ref>

The keyboard module is dated December 1982.

• 
  Atari 800 Rev A PAL with Mitsumi keyboard
• 
  Mitsumi keyboard
• 
  Rear view showing underside of PCB
• 
  PCB with two membrane layers
• 
  PCB removed, revealing the sliders
• 
  Slider plate
• 
  Switch components; note the external return springs and cruciform sliders
• 
  Base assembly; note the switches at the front right
• 
  Power board, top
• 
  Power board, bottom; note the terminal positions of the four switches

See also

The computers also came with Atari-standard Controller Jacks for connecting e.g. numeric keypads, joysticks and trackballs. The original Atari 800 had four ports while the 800XL had only two.

References

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External links

• AtariAge Forums — 600/800XL Keyboard variants