this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
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A neighbour gifted me this Atari Portfolio! (feddit.de)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Portfolio to USB adapter stack:

  1. Portfolio Serial Module
  2. Gender Changer
  3. Null Modem adapter
  4. RS232 to USB adapter

I can send and receive files on the Portfolio via xterm2, on my modern PC I use TeraTerm to communicate with xterm2 over serial using the XModem protocol.

I also wrote an image converter to convert jpg to pgf (portfolio graphics file). I haven't yet implemented the compression to write pgc (portfolio graphics compressed) files directly. I use pgcompress on the atari to convert pgf to pgc. Pgc files can be viewed on the Atari using pgshow.

I got all software for the portfolio from here: Portfolio Library

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[–] navydevildoc 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Time to go hack an ATM!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Damn that is some advanced Atari $#@%! You been busy going retro. I did not get much past pong with my first set and they are not even showing it here https://www.idealine.info/portfolio/library/pages/tx-games.html. Maybe the Chess is worth the battle.

Seems all setup to do 300 baud talking with CompuServe..think you can find it all there. And yes had RS232 memorized and could solder a 4k or 16k (going big here) on a motherboard for you without issue if you needed some hardware interventions on top of things.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This was my very first computer... Still have it though but ribbon which connects display to motherboard needs to be replaced. There are some glitches on display when I use it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Glitches like what? Sometimes all it takes is to run a warm soldering iron along the ribbon where it's soldered to the board. Or anyway it works on old gameboys and calculators.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Missing lines at the bottom of the display... Just few lines. Maybe all it takes is just open that miracle and move the ribbon a bit. Getting old sucks, hands shake and you don't trust your senses anymore...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The portfolio was my first Palmtop computer (of many -- the latest is a GPD Pocket 1). Unfortunately it died a long time ago. I miss the thing. It was fun to own.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What do you do with the GPD?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If you can believe it -- software development. It's not exactly a powerhouse but it can run Visual Studio.

However, I don't use very much anymore.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I… cannot believe it lol. Maybe with an external keyboard … I could. Please share a pic of your dev setup!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

An external keyboard would defeat the purpose! The benefit of the GPD Pocket is that you can throw it in your pocket and pull it out the compute. Admittedly the keyboard sucks -- the size and weird layout aren't the biggest problems; it's actually not that great at registering all keypresses. However, I can get used to it while coding. I think the Pocket 2 would be a lot better machine for coding.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

.... and I see you have the same keyboard like me :-). Hope you're enjoying it as much as I do. The only thing which I don't like is that there is no tenting solution for it directly from the vendor. Ah well, we can't have all great things in the world, can we ? :-).

I'm scared to death to open my #portfolio and fix that freaking ribbon. It's not like it's causing a lot of distraction on the screen, it's my OCD kicking off :-).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

and I see you have the same keyboard like me :-)

No shit, this keyboard was the reason I picked up coding again. Writing without shoulder pain was a game changer.

I'm scared to death to open my #portfolio and fix that freaking ribbon.

It won't get better by leaving it like this. What do you think is difficult about the repair?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Is the keeb an ergodox? I got the moon lander. ZSA gang!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ooh, that looks amazing!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Very cyberdeck vibes. I wonder how the keyboard feels!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Let's say: It's really tiny, as is the whole device.

But well spaced keys, just still suitable for some kind of touch-typing even with my rather large hands.

The keys feel somewhat similar to the high-end calculator I also owned at the time. (HP G48)

Source: Used one during university. Really great to document lab results with its build-in spreadsheet app. Cut down the required time by half or so.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I can see how the spreadsheet app would be killer on this with that screen shape!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Xmodem! I haven’t heard that name since… a few… months ago! (Updating Cisco machines w/o being able to tftp)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is amazing

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

OH DAMN, I wanted one of these SO BAD when I was a kid. That's awesome!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Seeing this, I really have to go look for my own one that is still in a box on the attic. I wonder if it still works after not being used for 20 years or so... Power shouldn't be a problem, if I remember correctly... Standard issue AA cells or something like that.