website/content/museum/atari-65-130-xe.md

---
title: Atari 65 / 130 XE
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- MOS 6502C
params:
  name: 65 / 130 XE
  company: /companies/atari
  company_name: Atari
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: 65 / 130 XE
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Atari
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1985'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Atari Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      Full-stroke keyboard, 57 keys, 5 function keys (Help, Start, Select, Option, Reset)\
      ESC, TAB, CONTROL, SHIFT (x2), DELETE, BREAK, RETURN, CAPS, GRAPH MODE
  - label: CPU
    value: MOS 6502C
  - label: SPEED
    value: 1.79 MHz
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: GTIA (video), POKEY (Sound, I/O), ANTIC (Video), FREDDY (memory)
  - label: RAM
    value: |-
      130-XE : 128 kb\
      65-XE : 64 kb
  - label: ROM
    value: 24 kb
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 'Five text modes, maximum : 40 x 24'
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: '11 graphic modes, maximum : 320 x 192'
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 colors with 15 intensity level each
  - label: SOUND
    value: 4 channels, 3.5 octaves
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Composite video output, Cardridge port, Expansion port, SIO peripheral port (tape, disk, printer, modem), 2 x joystick connectors
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply unit (1A, 5v cc)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - hardware
  - connectors
  - emulators
  - links
  - docs
  - videos
  photos:
  - title: 65 XE MODEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'The 65-XE is compatible with old peripherals of the Atari 600/800 XL machines: Atari 1010 Program Recorder and Atari 1050 5.25" floppy drive for example...'
    image: null
  - title: '65 XE #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: THE 65 XE GAME CONSOLE
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'It has exactly the same characteristics as the 65-XE. A few peripherals were available: a light gun, tape recorder, floppy disk drive and keyboard.'
    image: null
  - title: INSIDE THE 130 XE EXPLAINED
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **The art of doing better and cheaper**

      The 130XE design reflects Jack Tramiel's basic concepts : reduce the manufacturing costs, offer powerful computers to the largest audience, and compete with the best established home computers brands like Commodore and Apple. The 130XE was the first Atari system to be manufactured in an entirely automated factory.

      **(1)** The ROM cartridge connector allows the 130XE to take advantage of the most significant games collection which has made the world-wide reputation of Atari.\
      **(2)** This serial interface (SIO) allows to connect in chain a large part of the Atari peripherals : printers, cassette recorder and disk drive units.\
      **(3)** Two joystick connectors using the Atari standard, of course.\
      **(4)** PIA 6520 chipset in charge of inputs/outputs management (keyboard, interfaces, peripherals).\
      **(5)** Sound circuit called POKEY, responsible for the good sound features of the 130XE.\
      **(6)** As in every 8 bit Atari computers, the cpu is a 6502 microprocessor, here in a C-MOS low power consumption version.\
      **(7)** The two graphic chpset, called ANTIC and GTIA.\
      **(8)** The only new specialized chipset of 130XE, called FREDDY is in charge of memory management and 64 Kb blocks switching.\
      **(9)** 128 Kb. RAM hold in 16 chips.\
      **(10)** RF modulator (american standard). An additional external adaptor is necessary for european standards.\
      **(11)** The length of the expansion connector is shorter compared to the previous Atari systems, there again for production cost reasons.
    image: null
  - title: 'BOX #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'BOX #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: Special offer with Tape recorder and Joystick
    image: null
  adverts:
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (JULY 1985)
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      "128k=2000f\
      Better know it before buying a 64k"
    image: null
  - title: NEW-ZEALAND ADVERT (OCT. 1985)
    subtitle: ''
    text: from Bits & Bytes magazine
    image: null
  - title: GERMAN ADVERT (AUGUST 1986)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  hardware:
  - title: INDUS GT
    subtitle: 5''/14 disk-drive
    text: The Indus GT Double Density Drive is considered by many the best floppy drive available for the 8-bit Atari's with its digital readouts and smoke plexi cover.
    image: null
  - title: ASTRA 2001 FD UNIT
    subtitle: Dual 5.25
    text: Dual 5.25" FDD unit using single side, single or double density floppy drives
    image: null
  - title: PERCOM DISC DRIVE
    subtitle: Advert
    text: |-
      March 1983 Advert said:

      The Percom Data AT-88 offers 88 Kbytes (formatted) in single-density, with plug-in ease of attachment to your Atari. The AT-88 has integral power supply, "no-patch" to Atari DOS and critical constant speed regulation.\
      Take advantage of this low introductory price of $488...
    image: null
  - title: CORVUS SYSTEMS HARD-DRIVE
    subtitle: 10Mb hard-drive
    text: |-
      This is a 10Mb hard-drive. With up to 8 multiplexers with 8 ports each it's possible to connect up to 64 Atari 800's up to a single 10 or even 20 megabyte Atari system. Still in use Today at the Fordham Prepatory School in the Bronx, NY is a 64 Atari 800 computer network hooked up to a single Corvus Hard drive system !

      The Corvus hard disk system also sported a unique and innovative back-up system called "The Corvus Mirror" which was a VCR interface system that allowed you to plug a standard Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) up to the Corvus Hard Drive System to save back-ups of the hard disk onto actual Video Tapes!!!
    image: null
  - title: TOUCH TABLET
    subtitle: ''
    text: The touch tablet was the best tool for drawing and painting. It shipped with the AtariArtist cartridge.
    image: null
  connectors:
  - title: CARTRIDGE PORT
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - S4\
      **2** - A3\
      **3** - A2\
      **4** - A1\
      **5** - A0\
      **6** - D4\
      **7** - D5\
      **8** - D2\
      **9** - D1\
      **10** - D0\
      **11** - D6\
      **12** - S5\
      **13** - +5v\
      **14** - RD5\
      **15** - CCTL

      **A** - RD4\
      **B** - GND\
      **C** - A4\
      **D** - A5\
      **E** - A6\
      **F** - A7\
      **H** - A8\
      **J** - A9\
      **K** - A12\
      **L** - D3\
      **M** - D7\
      **N** - A11\
      **P** - A10\
      **R** - R/W\
      **S** - B02
    image: null
  - title: JOYSTICK CONNECTOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - Up\
      **2** - Down\
      **3** - Left\
      **4** - Right\
      **5** - Pot AY\
      **6** - Button A\
      **7** - +5v\
      **8** - Ground\
      **9** - Pot AX
    image: null
  - title: POWER CONNECTOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - +5v\
      **2** - Shield\
      **3** - Ground\
      **4** - +5v\
      **5** - Ground\
      **6** - +5v\
      **7** - Ground
    image: null
  - title: EXPANSION PORT
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - S4\
      **2** - A3\
      **3** - A2\
      **4** - A1\
      **5** - A0\
      **6** - D4\
      **7** - D5\
      **8** - D2\
      **9** - D1\
      **10** - D0\
      **11** - D6\
      **12** - S5\
      **13** - +5v\
      **14** - RD5\
      **15** - CCTL

      **A** - RD4\
      **B** - GND\
      **C** - A4\
      **D** - A5\
      **E** - A6\
      **F** - A7\
      **H** - A8\
      **J** - A9\
      **K** - A12\
      **L** - D3\
      **M** - D7\
      **N** - A11\
      **P** - A10\
      **R** - R/W\
      **S** - B02
    image: null
  - title: MONITOR CONNECTOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - Lum.\
      **2** - Ground\
      **3** - Audio output\
      **4** - Video\
      **5** - Chrom.
    image: null
  - title: PERIPHERAL (SERIAL) PORT
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **1** - Click input\
      **2** - Clock output\
      **3** - Data input\
      **4** - Ground\
      **5** - Data output\
      **6** - Ground\
      **7** - Order\
      **8** - Remote control\
      **9** - Exec.\
      **10** - +5v / ready\
      **11** - Audio input\
      **12** - +12v\
      **13** - Interrupt.
    image: null
  emulators:
  - title: SIO2PC
    url: http://www.cswnet.com/~nkennedy/sio2pc.htm
    platform: MS DOS
    text: PC emulates Atari Disk
  - title: Altirra
    url: http://www.virtualdub.org/altirra.html
    platform: Windows
    text: Altirra, an 8-bit Atari computer emulator
  - title: Atari800Win
    url: http://www.concentric.net/~Twist/atari800win/
    platform: Windows
    text: ''
  - title: Atari800Win Plus
    url: http://a800win.atari-area.prv.pl/
    platform: Windows
    text: Atari 8 bit emulator for windows
  - title: WAHCE Home Page
    url: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Node/4391/
    platform: Windows
    text: ''
  - title: XFormer
    url: http://www.emulators.com/xformer.htm
    platform: Windows
    text: ''
  - title: Chris Lam's Website
    url: http://www.chrislam.co.uk/
    platform: Apple
    text: homepage for Horizon
  - title: The Atari 800 Emulator for the Mac
    url: http://www.serve.com/derekl/atari/atari_emu.html
    platform: Apple
    text: ''
  - title: WACKE
    url: http://www.ctaz.com/~jlfenton/Wacke.html
    platform: Apple
    text: ''
  - title: ACE
    url: http://www.csh.rit.edu/~shaggy/software.html
    platform: Unix / Linux
    text: ''
  - title: Atari++
    url: http://www.math.tu-berlin.de/~thor/atari++/
    platform: Unix / Linux
    text: Unix based emulator of the Atari eight bit computers, namely the Atari 400 and 800, the Atari 400XL, 800XL and 130XE, and the Atari 5200 game console
  - title: Atari800
    url: http://atari800.sourceforge.net/
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: Atari800 is an Atari 800, 800XL, 130XE and 5200 emulator for Unix, Amiga, MS-DOS, Atari TT/Falcon, SDL and WinCE
  links:
  - title: 8-bit ATARI Assembly Language
    url: http://oort.com/turbots/asm.htm
    text: ''
  - title: Antic - The Atari Resource
    url: http://www.atarimagazines.com/
    text: ''
  - title: APE - Atari Peripheral Emulator for DOS and Windows - Home Page
    url: http://www.nacs.net/~classics/
    text: ''
  - title: Atari 2600-7800 FAQ
    url: http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~dzubera/2600faq.html
    text: ''
  - title: Atari 65 XE Arabic version
    url: http://www.savetz.com/vintagecomputers/arabic65xe/
    text: ''
  - title: Atari 8-Bit Computers Frequently Asked Questions
    url: http://www.chez.com/cmpi/paleo/8bits/atari/faq_atar.htm
    text: ''
  - title: 'Atari 8-bit computers: 400/800/XL/XE'
    url: http://www.santellocco.com/ATARI/
    text: dedicated website in italian
  - title: Atari 8-bit New User, Emulator Help FAQ - v2.1
    url: http://www.sonic.net/~nbs/new_and_emu.html
    text: ''
  - title: Atari 8-bit SpartaDOS Project
    url: http://www.celebritybase.net/atari8/
    text: ''
  - title: Atari Gaming Headquarters Main Page
    url: http://www.atarihq.com/
    text: ''
  - title: Atari Magazines
    url: http://www.atarimagazines.com/
    text: Contains the full text of all issues of ANTIC magazine and moste of the STart ones !
  - title: Atari XL-XE Games And Demos Page
    url: http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/~sgl/atari/
    text: ''
  - title: ATARI.ORG
    url: http://www.atari.org/
    text: Looking for something on any Atari machine ? Follow the links !
  - title: ATARIARCHIVES.ORG
    url: http://www.atariarchives.org/
    text: Wow! This site is preserving and archiving information about & software for Atari and other classic computers. Everything here is available with the permission of the copyright holders.
  - title: Dead Hackers Society
    url: http://www.dhs.nu/
    text: Downloads, tools, news and more
  - title: Homepage Nyman Atari 8 bit
    url: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2741/8bit.html
    text: ''
  - title: Ken's Atari 8-bit Page
    url: http://home.columbus.rr.com/ksiders/atari.htm
    text: ''
  - title: Mac-Atari Fusion
    url: http://www2.bitstream.net/~marksim/atarimac/
    text: Atari 8bit Resources for Mac Users
  - title: MacFalkner's XL Homepage
    url: http://members.aol.com/MacFalkner/atariindex.htm
    text: ''
  - title: Personal Atari Web Page
    url: http://rjespino.tripod.com/atari.html
    text: jpeg viewer for the Atari 8-bit and some other tools
  - title: Polish Atari Wikipedia
    url: http://atariki.krap.pl
    text: A lot of info about Atari (in polish)
  - title: Reminiscing 8-Bit Atari Games
    url: http://www.qlam.com/atari/atari.html
    text: ''
  - title: Rhod's collection
    url: http://www.rhod.fr/pages/atari_65_arabic.html
    text: ATARI 65 with ARABIC Keyboard
  - title: Satantronic Atari Crew, Atari XL-XE and Falcon 030
    url: http://www.napri.sk/web/satantronic/
    text: ''
  - title: The Atari 800 XE Laptop
    url: http://www.benheck.com/Games/Atari_800/Atari_800_laptop_1.htm
    text: This guy explain how he made a laptop Atari 800 !
  - title: The Atari Historical Society
    url: http://www.atari-history.com/
    text: The complete history of Atari Arcade and Home games and computers. Complete site with pictures, commercials (streaming), and full text articles. Amazing site !
  - title: www.ataricave.com
    url: http://www.ataricave.com
    text: Atari 8-bit Games reviews, original manuals, music, maps and more!
  - title: XL Search - The Atari 8-bit File Archive Search Engine
    url: http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/xlsearch/
    text: ''
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: Programming on the Atari computers
  docs:
  - title: ATARI SYSTEM REFERENCE MANUAL
    url: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/atarixe/index.htm
    cover: null
    text: |-
      [**ATARI SYSTEM REFERENCE MANUAL**](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/atarixe/index.htm)written by Bob DuHamel (1987)

       compiled/archived by Ivo van Poorten\
       type of document : PDF\
       size : 160 KB\
       source : [Daves Old Computers](http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield)

      **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
  videos:
  - title: Atari Home Computer laser disc - Introduction
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54mvCo1uq5A
    text: 'Length: 5 min 20 s'
  - title: Atari Home Computer laser disc - Conclusion
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDQWvwZ-2w
    text: 'Length: 1 min 30 s'
  comments:
  - author: 130xe
    date: Sunday 26th November 2017
    text: The different colors are the result of a bad video connection to you monitor. Try changing out the interface that connects to your monitor
  - author: joseph (New-Brunswick Canada)
    date: Saturday 27th February 2016
    text: |-
      I am a owner of a 130XE since new in 1985, it was in the box for over 20years when decided to see if it still works.\
      I was surprise to see it did but after a hour I had it running as I was doing the self test, the video started to show and different colors...and still even after I turn it on and off...\
      Anyone has any idea what is happening?
  - author: zozo (france)
    date: Thursday 30th October 2014
    text: i have one in 1988 but i do anything with it
  - author: Joe (USA)
    date: Thursday 16th January 2014
    text: The 800XE was actually a 130XE with half the RAM, and not a modified 65XE. The 130XE and 800XE both used the same motherboard with the ECI port next to the cartridge slot. The 65XE did not have this expansion port so it is not the same machine as the 800XE.
  - author: Kelly R. (Kenai, Alaska USA)
    date: Tuesday 27th March 2012
    text: |-
      A cousin owned one of these, with the Amy chip, and I have to agree that this chip did sound better, but not by too much.

      Also, there were ROM and other hardware differences which made it incompatible with some games and other software on diskette, necessitating the use of a special DOS patch.

      Still, this was an interesting and fun system to program and use.
  - author: James
    date: Monday 28th July 2008
    text: I spent my youth on atari & commodore. Started on Atari 2600, had commodore 64 for a while and when that died I had an 800xl which I soon upgraded to a 130XE which I still have. Now I've been using Atari computers for 20 years straight and have a decent collection now. I still have the same 130XE and it's still used alongside its 600XL and 800 brothers. And I'd like to say Hello to any members of TAF (Toronto Atari Federation) who happen to visit this page.
  - author: Stormtrooper of Death (Europe)
    date: Thursday 21st June 2007
    text: The 65XEM machine did have the AMY chip, but nobody at Atari knew how to program the Amy soundchip, so the machine was abandoned before it was released. The specs of the chip were indeed very interesting. It was very powerfull, with several polyphonic channels and also the ability to play samples, without slowing down the main 6502C CPU.
  - author: Thomsonicus (Poland)
    date: Tuesday 7th November 2006
    text: yeah, and people still modify it too! Even today on allegro.pl (Polish ebay :) you can find a 65XE with 4 MB of RAM, dual pokeys (stereo), a \~1GB HDD, and an RGB output.
  - author: Stormtrooper of Death (Europe)
    date: Sunday 5th November 2006
    text: My first Atari was an 600XL with 1064 ram extension, later i got an 800XL and finally an 130XE. I made several demos and games for this machine in assembly language with Atmas II. After all a very good and reliable machine, that always worked (not unlike MS Windows machines...). Even today, some people make games for this machines, like Jurasic Park II and Robocop.
  - author: Kiril (Plovdiv, Bulgaria)
    date: Tuesday 26th September 2006
    text: |-
      Like Thomsonicus, my first home computer was Atari 130 XE with XC12 tape recorder. I had nothing else so I started to make a useful OS, cyrillic driver, cyrillic fonts and some functions of graphic user interface. Was a great time!\
      Then the PCs ate everithing...\
      By the way I keep my system yet and some times I enjoy to play with it :)
  - author: Thomsonicus (Poland)
    date: Tuesday 8th August 2006
    text: |-
      65XE was my first computer as well. I had a XC12 casette recorder too and, just like Kamil XXL, I also had the Turbo2000R installed. It featured a cartridge and a modification to the XC12 thanks to which it could run both the turbo and the normal version cassettes. Once I've read that the Turbo2000R cassette player was able to read data at the speed of 5 kbods (whatever that meant, maybe 5kbps?).\
      I also had a memory upgrade to 128kb RAM and in tests the computer was recognised as a 130XE system! Great stuff, still 100% working in 2006 :D\
      @Ashley: sure I remember! Joust was the first trackball game (woman made)
  - author: Salvo (Potenza (PZ) [ITALY])
    date: Saturday 22nd July 2006
    text: |-
      Hi, I'm looking for a power connector for ATARI 130XE.\
      Somebody can help me to find it?\
      Thank you...I'm sorryu for my language....
  - author: Ashley Powell (Guelph, ON, Canada)
    date: Thursday 20th July 2006
    text: 'I had an Atari 600 XL and for some reason we upgraded to the 130XE. It was superior to the 600XL and 800XL in all aspects until the ST came out. Ran some great games until it fried one day playing Summer Games. Anyone remember: Spelunker, Murder on the Zinderneuf, Spy vs Spy, Infiltrator, SWAT, Mule, Decathalon, Ghostbusters, Gauntlet, Karate, Karateka, Boulderdash, and all the other usual ones like Joust, Frogger. I''ve been looking to buy a replacement off of ebay but they are rare now.'
  - author: Kamiil XXL (Poland)
    date: Friday 14th April 2006
    text: My first computer ;-) I got it also with two joysticks "Quickjoy", cassette recorder CA-12, cartridge called Turbo 2000 which sped up and made easier operations on tapes and also had a build-in BASIC interpreter and cable to connect computer to TV. Great stuff... I still have this machine and it still works... But off course I'm using PC now...
  - author: James Cronin (UK)
    date: Saturday 3rd December 2005
    text: I had an Atari 64 XE which I believe was the european version of the 65 XE. I dont have much to add apart from the fact it NEVER went wrong, and I had a small device that allowed it to connect to a standard centronics parallel port. The bable had the tape drive plug one one end and a centronitcs plug on the other with a chip and a set of dip switches inside. I also had a number of cartridges for it icluding Atari Writer which was a word processor wor it and allowed you to save your work to tape. However trying to find stuff again in the middle of a tape was always interesting.
  - author: Blake Patterson (Alexanadria, VA)
    date: Saturday 8th November 2003
    text: I have both an Atari 800XL and a 130XE - the video output on the 800XL is much superior than that of the 130XE. The fidelity of the image is far more presentable. An interesting thing to note.
  related:
  - /museum/atari-1200-xl
  - /museum/atari-1400-xl
  - /museum/atari-1450-xld
  - /museum/atari-400
  - /museum/atari-600-800-xl
  - /museum/atari-65xep-65xem
  - /museum/atari-800
  - /museum/atari-800xe
  oc_id: 21
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230530140631/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=21
    date: '2023-05-30'
---

The Atari 130-XE was first shown at the Winter Las Vegas Consumer Electronic Show in 1985 (with the [Atari 130 ST](/museum/atari-520-st-st-stm/)), it has the same characteristics as the [Atari 800 XL](/museum/atari-600-800-xl/) except its added memory (128 KB instead of 64 KB for the 800 XL).\
The extended memory can be used as a RAM disk, or can be accessed by bank switching routines.

It was an attempt to extend the life of the old XL series, but Atari abandoned it pretty quickly to concentrate on promoting the ST series, which uses the same case style.

Several XE machines were also produced :\
\- the Atari 65-XE (which is exactly like the 800 XL, except for the rear parallel connector, which it doesn't have),\
\- the Atari XE Game Console (1987) which is a 65-XE with an optional detachable keyboard. It was Atari Corp.'s attempt to do what they felt the 5200 should have been.\
\- the [65-XEM](/museum/atari-65xep-65xem/) (a computer with a special custom sound chip called "Amy"). Reports stated that the Amy chip sounded better than the [Commodore 64](/museum/commodore-c64/)'s SID chip (!). This machine would never be released,\
\- the [65-XEP](/museum/atari-65xep-65xem/) (Atari's answer to the Commodore SX-64, it would never be released either),\
\- and a modified 65XE was sold in Europe as the 800XE.

The Atari 65-XE and 130-XE will have a very short life due to the 16 bit home computer competition.

---

**Jesse** comments:\
The XEGS differed from the 65XE in another way: It had the game Missile Command built in. If you held Select key down (maybe it was Start or Option) when turning on the machine, Missile Command would start.