Technical Info

Video scan
- Dot clock @ 5 MHz
- FPS = 5 MHz / 320 dots per scanline / 256 scanlines = 61.03515625 Hz
Main CPU:
- Motorola 6809E @ 1.508625 MHz
- RAM: 2k main memory, plus 3 x 2k bank switched
- 256 nibbles of non-volatile memory
- Program ROM: 40k main program, plus 6 x 8k bank switched
Sound: 4 x POKEY @ 1.508625 MHz
Custom "Mondo Bondo" mathbox:
- 4 x AMD 2901 bit-slice processors
- RAM: 16k dedicated (lower 8k shared with CPU)
- Microcode: 1k x 54-bit
- Object ROM: 48k dedicated (shared with CPU as 6 x 8k banks)

Custom "Mondo Boffo" ICY video processor
- Custom IC: Atari part number 137410-101
- RAM: 2x 8k bank switched memory for display list, shared with mathbox and CPU
Bitmapped video RAM:
- 256 x 232 pixels, double buffered
- Pixels are 7 bit, 6 bits for color index, 1 bit for "half pixel" double res hack
- 64 color palette (6 bit palette index)
- 9 bit color RRGGBBIII
Alphanumeric overlay:
- 8x8 pixel characters
- 32 x 32 character resolution (32 x 29 visible)
- 2 palettes of 4 colors

Atari Manuals

These are the official Atari manuals related to I, Robot.

TM-251 I, Robot Operatiors Manual with Illustrated Parts List

SP-251 I, Robot Schematic Package Supplement

CO-251-02 Supplement to I, Robot Operators Manual and Schematic Package

TM-210 Disco 19" Color Raster Video Display Service Manual

TM-261 Switching Power Supply A038074-07 and -17 Service Manual

Atari Patents

Atari was granted three patents on the technology developed for I, Robot.

Patent 4,425,559 Method and Apparatus for Generating Line Segments and Polygonal Areas on a Raster Type Display

Patent 4,459,578 Finger Control Joystick Utilizing Hall Effect

Patent 4,467,412 Slave Processor with Clock Controller by Internal ROM & Master Processor

Board Images

CPU board

Video board

Specialized ICs

Custom ICY video processor "Mondo Boffo"

Quad-POKEY sound chip

ROM / PROM Information

Atari P/N Board Location Type SHA1

---------- ----- -------- ------- ----------------------------------------

136029-101 CPU 1H/J 27128-2 868BB3FE5657A4CE45C3DD04BA26A7FB5A5DED42

136029-102 CPU 1L/M 27128-2 787EC3E642E1DC3417477348AFA88C764E1F2A88

136029-103 CPU 1J/K 2764-2 C1F4041A58F395E24855254849604DFE3B8B0D71

136029-104 CPU 1K/L 2764-2 B9FD76EAE8CA24FA3ABC30C46BBF30D89943D97D

136029-405 CPU 1A 27128-4 5D71D8EC80C9BE4726189D48AD519B4638160D64

136029-206 CPU 1B 27128-4 BD94AD4D536F681EFA81153050A12098A31D79CF

136029-207 CPU 1C/D 27128-4 2E0C1E4C265E7D232CA86D5C8760E32FC49FE08D

136029-208 CPU 1D/E 2764-4 5B476DBEE8B171A96301B2204420161333D4CA97

136029-209 CPU 1E/F 27128-4 A88AE0CC9EE22AA5DD3DB0173F24313189F894F8

136029-210 CPU 1F/H 27128-4 DAA77293678B7E822D0672B90789C53098C5451E

136029-111 CPU 6N 82HS137 33DEE2382E1E3899FFBAEA859A67AF7334270B4A

136029-112 CPU 5P 82HS137 4E1EA039E7A3E341796097B0C6943A4805B89F56

136029-113 CPU 6M 82HS137 63A3818450A76D230A75F038B140C3934659313E

136029-114 CPU 7N 82HS137 34887DF0F1AC064B4CF4252A225406E8B30872C6

136029-115 CPU 8N 82HS137 46B4495002DDF80668A66A4F85CAB99432677B50

136029-116 CPU 6P 82HS137 E4CAAB90910B3AA16C314909F8C02EAF212449A1

136029-117 CPU 8M 82HS137 39532FC1B14714396764500A9B1C9E4FED97A970

136029-118 CPU 9N 82HS137 163E8E764B400D726C725B6A45901C311E62667E

136029-119 CPU 8P 82HS137 964A87C879C953563CA84F8E3C1201302C7B2B91

136029-120 CPU 9M 82HS137 35CA23D5BBDC2827AFB823A974864B96EB135797

136029-121 CPU 7M 82HS137 4628F8AF43D82E578833B1452EC747EEB822B4E4

136029-122 CPU 9P 82HS137 02398BA6E7C56D961BF92E2755E530DB1144219D

136029-123 CPU 7P 82HS137 85F338EEFF7D8ED58804611BF8446EBB697D196D

136029-124 Video 2P 82S185 743C6570C787BC9A2A14716ADC66B8E2FE57129F

136029-125 Video 4M 82S123 5B42CC065BFAC467028AE883844C8F94465C3666

136029-126 Video 7H 82S131 checksum = 1BE0

136029-131 Video 10C 82S129 checksum = A1F7

136029-132 Video 7C 82S123 checksum = 1CD5

136029-133 Video 7D 82S123 checksum = 0F73

Memory Map

Dip Switch 3J

Location 3J on CPU board

*** indicated recommended settings.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

----------------------------------------------- Bonus adder

OFF | OFF | OFF | | | | | free play

OFF | OFF | ON | | | | | no bonus

OFF | ON | OFF | | | | | 3 coin units for 1 bonus

OFF | ON | ON | | | | | 5 coin units for 1 bonus

ON | OFF | OFF | | | | | 4 coin units for 2 bonus

ON | OFF | ON | | | | | 4 coin units for 1 bonus

ON | ON | OFF | | | | | 2 coin units for 1 bonus

ON | ON | ON | | | | | No bonus ***

----------------------------------------------- Left coin mechanism

| | | OFF | | | | 1 coin for 2 coin units

| | | ON | | | | 1 coin for 1 coin unit ***

----------------------------------------------- Right coin mechanism

| | | | OFF | OFF | | 1 coin for 6 coin units

| | | | OFF | ON | | 1 coin for 5 coin units

| | | | ON | OFF | | 1 coin for 4 Coin units

| | | | ON | ON | | 1 coin for 1 coin unit ***

----------------------------------------------- Coins per credit

| | | | | | OFF | OFF 4 coin units for 1 credit

| | | | | | OFF | ON 3 coin units for 1 credit

| | | | | | ON | OFF 2 coin units for 1 credit

| | | | | | ON | ON 1 coin unit for 1 credit ***

-----------------------------------------------

Dip Switch 5E

Location 5E on CPU board

*** indicates recommended settings.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

----------------------------------------------- Demonstration mode:

OFF | | | | | | | on

ON | | | | | | | off ***

----------------------------------------------- Difficulty level:

| OFF | | | | | | easy

| ON | | | | | | medium***

----------------------------------------------- lives per coin:

| | OFF | OFF | | | | 4 lives

| | OFF | ON | | | | 5 lives

| | ON | OFF | | | | 2 lives

| | ON | ON | | | | 3 lives ***

----------------------------------------------- Bonus life intervals:

| | | | OFF | OFF | | 30,000

| | | | OFF | ON | | 50,000

| | | | ON | OFF | | none

| | | | ON | ON | | 20,000 ***

----------------------------------------------- minimum game time option:

| | | | | | OFF | 90 sec. minimum game time on level 1

| | | | | | ON | 3 lives (limited game time) ***

----------------------------------------------- Language

-----------------------------------------------

Pinouts

P20/J20 (CPU PCB) P18/J19 (video PCB)

----------------------------------- --------------------------

GND 1|A GND GND 1|A GND

+5V 2|B +5V +5V 2|B +5V

3|C V SYNC 3|C

SWITCHER RESET 4|D H SYNC 4|D

5|E +10.3V UNREG RED 5|E

LED 1 6|F LED 2 GREEN 6|F

COIN CTR L 7|H COIN CTR R BLUE 7|H VIDEO_GND

AUDIO 1 8|J JOYSTICK Y V_INT 8|J

AUDIO 2 9|K JOYSTICK X /COMPSYNC 9|K

COIN L 10|L COIN R 10|L

COIN AUX 11|M TEST 11|M

12|N 12|N

13|P 13|P

14|R 14|R +5V

15|S 15|S GND

16|T FIRE 1

START 1 17|U START 2 Analog Joystick (P52)

+10.3V UNREG 18|V RESET OUT -----------------------

19|W pin 1: X

20|X pin 2: +5V (from P20.Y)

+SENSE 21|Y +5V OUT (to joystick P52.2) pin 3: GND (from P20.Z)

-SENSE 22|Z GND OUT (to joystick P52.3) pin 4: Y