This morning after some discussions with Fellow Sysop John Polka of the Basement BBS, I went on the hunt for the Express! Terminal Program Cart. This is a rare cart and the dump seems to be nowhere.. Well, I located in some obscure part of my preservation server the cart BIN and a program written by Stephen Carden and Keith Ledbetter which makes it possible for anytime on the Atari 8bit to hit option and load the cart. These means you can keep the the A8 working elsewhere and hit Option to load up the cart. Also works on Altirra and Atari800MacX this way which is pretty cool.
The Idea now is to create an ATR file as this is a pretty decent term program but more importantly burn some roms, print some 3D cart cases and have this rare cartridge preserved even if its a reproduction..
This one you need to download from the BBS. southernamis.ddns,net port 23
From BBS Guru's: John Pola Link: Express
On this day, February 6th, in 1989, Orion Micro Systems announces the Express! cartridge in the 14-Feb-1989 #144 issue of Z*Magazine. The Express! cartridge is a brand new terminal program written by Keith Ledbetter for Atari 8 bit computers. The cartridge sports 64K of banked memory and is written in 100% assembler language. It will also work with any modem that has a corresponding "R:" handler. This includes, any Hayes-compatible modem connected to an Atari 850, ICD P:R: Connection, or ICD MIO interface, an Atari 1030 modem, an Atari XM301 modem, an Atari SX212 modem, and a Supra 300AT (or MPP 1000C/E) modem. The cartridge will support the XEP-80 80 column cartridge. Express! has a planned release date of June 1, 1989 and will retail for $69.95. Customers who preordered the cartridge received a $10.00 discount.
Hey all, yes still trying or wanting to get this to run on my 800 and I am frustrated as it seems to be the only machine I cannot get this to run on.
So quickly - Is the cart we have now, just a new production run of the old ROMs in a new cart design... but same in all other respects? I am asking because this is from the manual
"requires 48K and a hayes compatible modem"
later it also says.
System Requirements You'll need the following equipment in order to use the Express! terminal cartridge: o Atari 800, 800XL, 130XE or XE game system with keyboard
There does not seem to be a reason the original cart would not have worked. It also says
2) The Express! cartridge will run without a disk drive or without DOS being loaded in the computer. It is possible to run Express! on an XE game machine without disk drives, making it a very inexpensive communications setup
Yet mine locks up saying its trying to load the configuration file. That computer is running any other cartridge I can throw at it. Sparta with an internal HD, IO to real drives, SIO to a PC, or to my S-Drive Max and runs FN bobterm no issues.
SO has there been real changes to the original CART!?
Maybe Amis can post some pics I sent him. I no longer have them. I had to file some parts of my Express cart case to get it to fit properly in my 800XL. I haven't tried the 800.
The pic James posted looks like a revised version of the shell. The logo is flipped so it's not upside down on the vertical machines. Maybe Amis incorporated the other changes where I filed it as well, but if it doesn't quite fit, then maybe not yet.
Is everyone getting it working fine in the case on their machines? On almost all my machines I have to remove the case to get it in the slot. I assume the balance fore/aft is not correct. Just wondered if its my case? or the case STL is not correct?
Got it safe and sound. ANyone know will this cart fit in the old 400/800 slot?
Good looking Express! Cart making its way to the Vintnerd with some love to Southern Amis
I was on the list on AA for one of these.. I would love one if I could!
Is anyone using this in a machine that also has a U1MB in it? Just curious if it works....