indiegames
December 30th, 2009, 03:20
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/2009/12/custom_1262138826423_091229-atari-4.jpgThe Atari Museum is reconstructing several of the original company's proprietary chips - including those from the 2600/VCS, 5200, and the 8-bit personal computer line - using data recovered from the reel-to-reel tapes used in their original manufacture.
The Museum's Curt Vendel says the project has a practical application beyond the living history factor. "What is the potential of this?" he said to Atari Age. "Doing the chips in smaller SMT packaging, and potentially bringing back to life some of the later CMOS designs of combo chips which could lead to a SoC - System on a Chip.
"The future just got a little brighter in terms of preserving and continuing the legacy of Atari's custom IC chips," he added.
The more technically inclined can follow a deeper discussion here (http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/154479-new-gtia-chips/). The project involves the TIA, used in the Atari 2600 (http://kotaku.com/tag/atari2600/); the GTIA, used in the 5200 and the 8-bit line (the Atari 400 and 800) and the MARIA (used in the Atari 7800).
Atari Chips Reconstructed (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gamesetwatch/~3/-tML5O9uY7o/atari_chips_reconstructed.php) [GameSetWatch]
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The Museum's Curt Vendel says the project has a practical application beyond the living history factor. "What is the potential of this?" he said to Atari Age. "Doing the chips in smaller SMT packaging, and potentially bringing back to life some of the later CMOS designs of combo chips which could lead to a SoC - System on a Chip.
"The future just got a little brighter in terms of preserving and continuing the legacy of Atari's custom IC chips," he added.
The more technically inclined can follow a deeper discussion here (http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/154479-new-gtia-chips/). The project involves the TIA, used in the Atari 2600 (http://kotaku.com/tag/atari2600/); the GTIA, used in the 5200 and the 8-bit line (the Atari 400 and 800) and the MARIA (used in the Atari 7800).
Atari Chips Reconstructed (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gamesetwatch/~3/-tML5O9uY7o/atari_chips_reconstructed.php) [GameSetWatch]
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