Atari XE Game System General Maintenance
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The Atari XE Game System (XEGS) is an Atari 8-bit computer in a console case with a detachable keyboard. It runs from an external 5 V adaptor and has no regulator of its own for the logic supply, so most routine care concerns the adaptor, the connectors and the keyboard. Fault-finding is on the Atari XE Game System Troubleshooting Guide, and capacitor values are on the Atari XE Game System Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Atari's care instructions
[edit | edit source]Atari's owner's manual asks for the following:[1]
- Set the system up on a sturdy, level surface away from dust, grease, extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, moisture and high humidity.
- Keep liquids away from it.
- After switching the console off, wait at least ten seconds before switching it on again.
- Switch the console off before inserting or removing a cartridge.
- Switch off before cleaning, and clean only the outside, with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Do not use cleansers, abrasives or solvents.
Atari also suggests running the built-in self test (hold OPTION and press POWER) every few months while the system is working normally.[1]
Power supply
[edit | edit source]Atari specifies the power supply as 1 A at 5 V DC. It plugs into the round power socket on the back of the console.[1] Current's Atari 8-bit FAQ lists Atari's 5 V 1 A adaptor C070042 as the one shipped with most XE Game Systems, and the 5 V 1.5 A adaptor C061982 as also used with it.[2]
| Pin | Signal |
|---|---|
| 1, 4, 6 | +5 V |
| 3, 5, 7 | Ground |
| 2 | Shield |
There is no regulator between the socket and the logic. In the redrawn schematic of the board, the +5 V input runs from socket J7 through the power switch SW1 and choke L3 to the 1000 µF filter capacitor C13, and on to the chips.[3] Whatever the adaptor delivers reaches ANTIC, GTIA, POKEY and the RAM. Measure an adaptor's output at its plug before connecting it, and do not use a replacement whose voltage you have not checked.
- Inspect the plug and socket for bent or corroded pins, and clean them with isopropyl alcohol.
- Check the cable at both strain reliefs for cracked insulation.
Keyboard
[edit | edit source]The keyboard plugs into the console through a DB15 connector, and two brackets at the top of its case lock under the front of the console. Inside is a small board with two CD4051 multiplexers that pass key codes to POKEY in the console.[4]
- Clean the DB15 pins with isopropyl alcohol, and check them for bent pins.
- Check the cable where it leaves the keyboard case.
- With the keyboard unplugged the console starts Missile Command; with it plugged in, the console starts Atari BASIC. If it starts Missile Command with the keyboard plugged in and SELECT not held, check the keyboard connector and cable.[4]
Cartridge slot
[edit | edit source]Clean cartridge edge contacts with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud, and inspect the slot's contacts with a torch for bent or dirty fingers. Switch the console off before inserting or removing a cartridge.[1]
Controller and SIO ports
[edit | edit source]Atari's pinouts put +5 V on pin 7 of each controller port and on pin 10 of the SIO port, so a short in a controller, a cable or an SIO peripheral loads the console's only supply rail. SIO pin 12 is not connected.[1][2]
| Pin | Signal | Pin | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forward | 6 | Trigger |
| 2 | Back | 7 | +5 V |
| 3 | Left | 8 | Ground |
| 4 | Right | 9 | Paddle A |
| 5 | Paddle B |
Clean the pins with compressed air and a little contact cleaner, and check the solder joints on the board side if a port is intermittent.
The XG-1 light gun plugs into a controller port. Its readings can be checked from BASIC at memory locations 564 (horizontal) and 565 (vertical); see Atari XE Game System#XG-1 light gun. Atari warns against exposing the gun's lens to intense light.[1][4]
Capacitors
[edit | edit source]The board has ten electrolytic capacitors; values and positions are on the Atari XE Game System Capacitor Replacement Guide. See also Capacitor Failure Symptoms.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Atari XE Game System
- Atari XE Game System Troubleshooting Guide
- Atari XE Game System Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Atari 65XE General Maintenance
- Capacitor Failure Symptoms
- Recommended Tools
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Atari Corporation, Atari XE System Owner's Manual, C100608-001 Rev. A, 1987. P. 6, power connection; pp. 15–16, system diagnostics and the suggestion to run them every few months; p. 19, care; p. 21, specifications (power supply 1 A at 5 V DC); pp. 22–23, controller, cartridge, SIO and power connector pinouts. Hosted as File:Atari XE Game System Owner's Manual C100608-001.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michael D. Current, Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions, last modified 29 November 2009, http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/ (retrieved 2026-10-01): external power supplies (C070042 5 V 1 A; C061982 5 V 1.5 A) and the SIO pinout.
- ↑ JER/Eightbitter, 130XE Personal Computer Field Service Manual, a 2016 reconstruction, not an Atari publication; figure 2-13, "XE-System Assembly C100417", schematic redrawn by jer/eightbitter (PDF p. 32). Hosted as Atari 130XE Field Service Manual (PDF).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Matthew Ratcliff, "First Look Inside the XE Game System", Antic vol. 7 no. 4, August 1988, https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n4/firstlook.php (retrieved 2026-10-01).