Well, I see an intact belt but it's very loose. That red wire is basically no longer connected for some reason, so I'll correct that.

Unsurprisingly, the first tape I tried did not work. The cassette player seemed to advance the tape, but who knows if its the right speed.
Tellingly, I couldn't rewind at all. It seems the box did not magically make the belts immune to age.

It does indeed seem to be totally pristine with not a single scuff or scratch on it. Both of my Atari computers are "XL" models so the color doesn't totally match, but it still looks cool as hell.
Big chunky boy!

Ive been hunting a cheap tape recorder for the #atari800 and I picked up this 410 "new old stock" despite that usually just meaning someone put it in a box.
The box is pretty neat and the pictures made the tape recorder look less discolored than any other listings id seen.
Lets see if I can get this thing working.

Does anyone know what mod this might be I found in this #atari800 XL?
It looks pretty intricate. I'm brand new to 8 bit Atari computers, but I know an old timey mod when I see one.
The only chips I see added are these three multiplexors/demultiplexors.
Amusingly, they "sewed" the PCB onto a piece of cardboard to insulate the back side and hold it in place.
Thats alot of soldering and wiring routing for a mod.
#atari800XL #retrocomputing

This is a "candy glowstick".

If you snap it like a glowstick and put it on your tounge it tastes like candy!

Questionable decision have been made

This is what fdisk -l brings up on my computer.