Atari 810 User manual

THE ATARI®810™
DISKDRIYE
THE ATARI®800™COMPUTER SYSTEM
OWNER'S GUIDE
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AlARI@ A Warner Communications Company a

With the addition of the T RI
81O™Disk Drive to your T RI
Home Computer, you have
greatly increased the efficiency
of your system. Several
individual files can be stored on
a diskette and each file can be
accessed directly, by name.
The disk drive transfers data to
your computer much faster than
the T RI 41O™Program
Recorder.
Your T RI 810 Disk Drive is
simple to connect and easy to
use. Follow the step-by-step
instructions on the following
pages.

CONNECTING
YOUR ATARI 810
DISKDRIYE
1
Turn off the power to all
parts of your computer
system.
2
Plug the AC Power Adapter
into the wall socket. Plug
the smaller end into the hole
marked PWR on the back of the
disk drive.
3
Plug one end of the I/O Data
Cord into the jack on the
side of the computer console
marked PERIPHERAL. Plug the
other end into one of the jacks
marked I/O CONNECTORS on
the back of the disk drive. If you
have an ATARI410 Program Re-
corder, plug it into the remaining
I/O CONNECTOR jack.
Since your television creates a
strong magnetic field, your
ATARI810 Disk Drive should be
placed as far away from it as
possible. This will help protect
the magnetic head in the disk
drive from losing its sensitivity.
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4
Turn on the disk drive.
When the red BUSYlight
goes off, open the door to the
disk drive by pushing the rec-
tangular button to the left of the
ATARI810 label.
5
Insert the diskette you want
to use and close the disk
drive door.
6
Turn on the computer. If
you're using the ATARI
BASIC cartridge, your disk drive
is ready for use when the
READY prompt appears on the
screen. If you're using a car-
tridge or program other than
ATARIBASIC, read the instruc-
tions for that program to find out
how to use it with your disk
drive.

CONNECTING
MORE TH N ONE
DISKDRIYE
You can attach up to four ATARI
810 Disk Drives, as well as other
components, to your ATARIHome
Computer. Disk drives and
the Program Recorder are con-
nected to each other in a daisy
chain using the data cords sup-
plied with each component.
You may have noticed that there
are two I/O CONNECTOR jacks
on the back of each disk drive.
To install multiple drives, con-
nect a data cord from the I/O
CONNECTOR of the first disk
drive to the I/O CONNECTOR of
the computer console. Then con-
nect the next disk drive by run-
ning a data cord from it to the re-
maining I/O CONNECTOR on
the first.
If you have more than one ATARI
810 Disk Drive, you must set two
small switches on each disk
drive so that the computer knows
which drive you are referring to
in your programs or commands.
You must always have one disk
drive in the chain set as Drive 1.
1
Turn off the power to the
disk drive, then turn the disk
drive so that you are looking at
the back of it.
2
Using a pen or a screw-
driver, set the Drive Code
No. switches to match the Drive
Code number shown in the
diagrams. Set Disk Drive 2 to
match DRIVE No.2, etc.

TAKING CARE
OF YOUR
DISKETTES
The recording surface of a
diskette is similar to the record-
ing surface on a program cas-
sette. Each is coated with a
magnetic material that stores
your data. Careful handling and
storage of your diskettes ensures
longer life.
Diskettes are enclosed in a black
envelope. Most diskettes have a
small notch in the edge, called
the write-protect notch. By
covering this notch with the rec-
tangular tabs provided by the
manufacturer, you can prevent
any accidental computer opera-
tions that might destroy the data
on the diskette.
Do not use pencil erasers on diskette
labels. Eraser dust is abrasive and will
damage the diskette.
Do not write on your diskettes with a
pencil or a ball-pointpen. The sharp
point of a pencil or ball-point pen can
score the surface ofthe diskette. Use a
felt-tippen to mark the diskette label or
write on the label before you put it on
the diskette.
Do not store your diskettes in direct
sunlight. Keep them away from any
excessive heat.
Donot bend your diskettes; they must
turn freely in the protective envelope.
Handle them with care when loading or
unloading.
Because the diskette turns inside the
envelope, damage to the envelope can
result in damage to the diskette.
Store your diskettes away from your
television set. The strong magnetic fields
produced by the television can partially
erase the data stored. Keep your disk-
ettes away from electrical devices (as
well as the telephone).
Never wet or wash a diskette. Use a soft
brush or compressed air from a spray
can to remove any dust from the surface.
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Store each diskette in its paper sleeve
and store them standing on edge to pre-
vent damage to the magnetic surface.
Never touch the diskette where it is ex-
posed through the diskette envelope.
Fingerprints can damage the magnetic
medium.
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Donot attach paper clips to your
diskettes.

WHERETOGO
FROMHERE
The ATARIHome Computer
System is designed for modular
expansion. All ATARIperipheral
devices plug together quickly,
making it easy to get the new ad-
dition to your system on-line and
functioning. This means that
your system can grow as your
needs grow.
ATARI 810 DISK DRIVE
Now that you have purchased
one disk drive, why would you
need more? You'll find that ad-
ditional disk drives in your
system increase the amount of
data you can store and retrieve
quickly. A second disk drive
makes it much easier to make
backup files by directly
duplicating your Master Diskette
or file without first loading the file
into computer memory.
ATARI850™
INTERFACE MODULE
The ATARI830™Acoustic
Modem and the ATARI825™
80-Column Printer connect to
your ATARIHome Computer
through the ATARI850
Interface Module. The interface
module offers four program-
mable serial interface ports
(compatible with the industry
standard RS-232-C)and a
Centronics-type parallel port.
ATARI MEMORY MODULESTM
The memory of the ATARI800
Home Computer can be easily
expanded (up to 48K of RAM)
with the addition of ATARI
Memory Modules. These
modules are easily installed in
the slots behind your existing
10KROM Memory Module.
ATARI830™
ACOUSTIC MODEM
The acoustic modem gives you
access to local and national data
bases and data base networks
through your telephone. You can
even communicate with another
ATARIHome Computer user.
The ATARI850 Interface Module
is required to connect the
modem to your system.
ATARI410™
PROGRAM RECORDER
As with the disk drive, you can
store and retrieve data or pro-
grams on cassette tape using the
ATARI410 Program Recorder.
Because of the inexpensive cost,
many programs are sold on
cassette. The Program Recorder
also has an audio track that can
be used to record music or ver-
bal program instructions that are
played back while your program
is loading.

ATARI82?M
THERMAL PRINTER
This quiet and compact
40-column printer has a bidirec-
tional print head that allows it to
print in both directions. It prints
5 x 7 dot-matrix characters on
thermal paper. The ATARI822
Thermal Printer can be con-
nected directly to your computer
console.
ATARI825™
80-COLUMN PRINTER
The 80-column printer prints a
line up to eight inches in length
in four different character
modes. It is a dot-matrix impact
printer that can be programmed
by your computer to produce
half spacing, underlining, and
justified right (flush right)
margins. The printer uses roll
paper, fanfold (including three-
part forms), or single sheets. The
ATARI825 Printer also requires
the ATARI850 Interface Module.

Now that you have installed your
new ATARI810 Disk Drive, you'll
want to begin using it right away.
Although connecting the disk
drive is relatively simple, you'll
find that learning to use it takes a
bit longer.
Included with your disk drive is
a Master Diskette II. This disk-
ette contains a program
called the Disk Operating
System, or DOS. Although DOS is
not a complicated program, it
does take a bit of practice before
you will feel comfortable with it.
To help you get going as quickly
as possible, we have included
two books about DOS: one is an
introductory book; the other is a
detailed reference manual.
An Introduction to the isk
Operating System is for first-time
users. It explains what DOS is
and how to use its most important
features. Once you have read
this book and followed the
examples, you'll be able to use
many DOS functions such as
saving and loading programs,
making copies of programs,
deleting programs from a
diskette, and copying entire
diskettes.
The isk Operating System II
Reference Manual is a far more
detailed and extensive expla-
nation of DOS. It will be easier to
understand ifyou have read the
other book first. Not only does
the reference manual cover all of
the DOS functions, but it does so
in much greater detail. The ref-
erence manual also contains a
wealth of information of par-
ticular interest to serious pro-
grammers.

MANUAl CONTENTS ©1981 ATARI, INC. PfillNTED IN U.S.A. C060056 REV.
i
A Warner Communications Company G
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the product documentation in this manual. However, because ATARI, INC. is constantly improving
and updating the computer software and hardware, we are unable to guarantee the accuracy of the printed material, or accept responsibility for errors
or omissions after the date of publication.
No reproduction is allowed without the specific written permission of ATARIJNC., Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Nor can this document or the subject matter
thereof be reproduced without written agreement or written permission from the Corporation.