The ATARI XL Computer
Systems
(600XL / 800XL / 1400XL
/ 1450XLD)
The Atari 600XL and 800XL computers were Atari's 3rd version of its original
400/800 design. These systems contained either 16K or 64K and
both had PBI bus connectors to allow them to have a high speed (100Kbps)
external bus for such devices as the Atari 1090XL expansion chasis with
5 slots in it (unreleased) or items like the MIO expander or the Black
Box expander which had SCSI, parallel and serial ports on them.
However, many Atari users were eagerly awaiting the Atari 1400XL and 1450XLD,
these 2 computers although announced would never be officially released.
In fact Atari had already cancelled the 1400XL and simply had its engineers
complete the project for future research and study. The 1450XLD
which being co-developed by Atari and Tandon was an ill-fated machine with
too many problems in both its electronics design and in its case design,
it too was already destined within Atari, Inc to be cancelled and replaced
by two new systems: The 800XLD and the 1650XLD.