ATM

ATM is a family of ZX Spectrum-compatible home computers developed in Moscow in the early 1990s by the firms MicroArt and ATM. The name is associated with the Russian phrase “Association of Creative Youth,” rather than with an apparel, financial-services, or banking brand. The computer was based on the Pentagon, a widely used Soviet and Russian ZX Spectrum clone, but was designed to provide substantially expanded hardware capabilities while retaining compatibility with the Spectrum software environment. The first ATM model appeared in 1991. Its principal processor was a Zilog Z80 that could operate at the original Spectrum-compatible 3.5 MHz speed or at a 7 MHz turbo speed. Depending on the configuration, the system provided between 128 and 512 kilobytes of RAM and up to 128 kilobytes of ROM, far beyond the memory configuration of the original 48K Spectrum. It supported standard Spectrum graphics as well as additional 320-by-200 and 640-by-200 modes. The machine could display 16 colors selected from a 64-color palette, and it included interfaces and peripherals unusual for a conventional Spectrum-compatible computer, including disk support, printer connectivity, a modem in early configurations, audio expansion, and a mechanical keyboard. ATM’s design evolved quickly. The ATM Turbo 2 generation added a more flexible memory-management system, an 80-by-25 text mode with selectable foreground and background colors, hardware scrolling, an improved floppy-disk controller, and an IDE interface capable of connecting hard disks and CD-ROM drives. Later ATM Turbo 2+ systems supported up to 1 megabyte of RAM, RS-232 connectivity, expanded keyboard compatibility, virtual floppy support, and additional firmware. These capabilities positioned the platform as a technically ambitious Russian home-computer and hobbyist system rather than merely a straightforward Spectrum replica. Production by ATM and MicroArt continued until approximately 1994, after which the two firms separated and production ended. In 2004, the Moscow-based NedoPC group resumed development and production. The revived line included ATM Turbo 2+ and the more advanced ZX Evolution. ZX Evolution moved beyond the earlier hardware design through an FPGA-based architecture, up to 4 megabytes of RAM, turbo operation reaching 14 MHz, VGA output, SD-card support, expansion slots using the ZXBUS standard, a real-time clock, mouse support, and compatibility with additional ZX-oriented peripherals and firmware. The ATM family occupies a specialist position in the history of post-Soviet home computing. Its significance lies in combining compatibility with the extensive ZX Spectrum software ecosystem and a broad set of enhancements aimed at programmers, demoscene users, game developers, and technically oriented hobbyists. Software environments associated with the platform included Sinclair BASIC, TR-DOS, CP/M, iS-DOS, TASiS, DNA OS, and other Spectrum-compatible or ATM-specific systems. Several games and demonstrations used the enhanced graphics modes, including conversions or adaptations such as Prince of Persia, Goblins, Time Gal, and Ball Quest. ATM hardware can also be emulated in Unreal Speccy from version 0.27 onward. Because the available reference material does not establish a current commercial operating company, present-day corporate status and production continuity remain uncertain.

ATM was developed in Moscow in 1991 by MicroArt and a firm identified as ATM. Its design drew on the Pentagon, a Russian ZX Spectrum clone, while adding faster processing, substantially more memory, richer graphics, enhanced sound, and a broader collection of expansion interfaces. The original ATM Turbo 1 could operate with a Z80 processor at either 3.5 MHz or 7 MHz, included up to 512 kilobytes of RAM depending on configuration, and supported both the ordinary 256-by-192 Spectrum display and two enhanced graphics modes: 320-by-200 with 16-color pixel graphics and 640-by-200 high resolution. A 64-color palette was available, with 16 colors usable at once. The first generation supported cassette and disk storage, Spectrum-compatible BASIC environments, TR-DOS, CP/M 2.2, AY-series sound, Covox audio, printer connectivity, and optional modem hardware. It could be supplied with a 40-key Spectrum-style mechanical keyboard or an extended 64-key arrangement. A SECAM encoder allowed connection to a color television in the original design. An upgraded ATM Turbo 2 appeared in the early 1990s. Its principal changes included a more flexible memory manager able to map RAM or ROM pages into any of the four address-space quarters, an 80-by-25 text mode, hardware vertical scrolling, an improved floppy controller, IDE support for hard disks and CD-ROM devices, and an eight-channel DAC. The model also added support for XT keyboards and removed the earlier SECAM encoder. Reference material dates this model to 1993, while the broader development history identifies an upgraded version as having appeared in 1992. The ATM Turbo 2+ expanded memory capacity to between 128 kilobytes and 1 megabyte and added RS-232 connectivity, an improved keyboard interface supporting both XT and AT keyboards, virtual-floppy support in xBIOS, and a ROM implementation of Mr Gluk Reset Service. The modem was removed in this generation. Models before version 6.00 are generally described as ATM 1, while later boards are associated with ATM 2, ATM Turbo 2, or ATM Turbo 2+ naming. IDE support is identified as available from version 6.00, with later hardware revisions reaching at least version 7.18 in the cited material. Production by ATM and MicroArt continued until approximately 1994. The firms later separated, and production ended. In 2004, the Moscow group NedoPC resumed work on the platform and introduced new ATM Turbo 2+ and ZX Evolution versions. ZX Evolution represented a substantial architectural step: it used an FPGA-based design, provided up to 4 megabytes of RAM, offered software- or menu-selectable turbo operation up to 14 MHz, included two ZXBUS expansion slots, added VGA output, and supported an SD card with transparent BIOS functionality. It also incorporated a non-volatile clock, an IDE interface, Kempston-compatible mouse support, and video behavior designed to preserve border and multicolor effects important to Spectrum software. The system supported a wide range of operating environments, including 48K and 128K Sinclair BASIC, TR-DOS, CP/M, iS-DOS, TASiS, DNA OS, and Mr Gluk Reset Service. Its enhanced video modes enabled software adaptations and original programs that could not have run within the graphical limits of a standard Spectrum. Examples cited for the platform include conversions of Prince of Persia, Goblins, and Time Gal, as well as Ball Quest. ATM can be emulated by Unreal Speccy version 0.27 and later. The available sources document the hardware lineage and enthusiast ecosystem but do not establish a current corporate owner, formal retail business, or continuing mass-market production.

• 2006

  Ball Quest release cited

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  Ball Quest was identified as an example of software using an enhanced ATM graphics mode, with a release date given as August 2006.

• 2004

  NedoPC resumed development and production

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  NedoPC of Moscow resumed the platform and introduced ATM Turbo 2+ and ZX Evolution versions.

• 1994

  Original production period ended

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  Production by ATM and MicroArt ended after the firms separated, according to the cited history.

• 1993

  ATM Turbo 2 specification expansion

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  The ATM Turbo 2 generation added flexible memory mapping, text mode, hardware scrolling, IDE storage support, and other enhancements.

• 1992

  ATM Turbo 2 introduced

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  An upgraded generation was introduced with expanded capabilities over the original ATM design.

• 1991

  Initial ATM development

  [1]ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org

  MicroArt and ATM developed the ATM computer in Moscow as an enhanced ZX Spectrum-compatible system based on the Pentagon design.

An enhanced, technically ambitious ZX Spectrum-compatible platform for Russian home-computer users, programmers, demoscene participants, and hardware enthusiasts.

• ZX Spectrum-compatible home computer · 1991

  ATM Turbo 1

  The first ATM generation, developed in 1991, used a Z80 processor at 3.5 MHz or 7 MHz and offered 128 to 512 kilobytes of RAM depending on configuration. It retained the standard Spectrum display while adding 320-by-200 and 640-by-200 graphics modes, a 64-color palette, disk support, expanded sound options, printer connectivity, and optional modem functionality. It could run Sinclair BASIC, TR-DOS, and CP/M 2.2.

• ZX Spectrum-compatible home computer · 1992

  ATM Turbo 2

  ATM Turbo 2 added a more capable memory manager, an 80-by-25 text display, hardware vertical scrolling, an improved floppy controller, and an IDE interface for hard disks and CD-ROM drives. It also introduced an eight-channel DAC and XT keyboard support. The model retained compatibility with the Spectrum environment while broadening the machine’s usefulness for storage-intensive and technically sophisticated applications.

• ZX Spectrum-compatible home computer

  ATM Turbo 2+

  The Turbo 2+ generation increased available memory to as much as 1 megabyte and added RS-232 connectivity, support for both XT and AT keyboards, virtual floppy functionality, and xBIOS enhancements. It included a ROM version of Mr Gluk Reset Service. The model represented the mature form of the original ATM architecture before the more extensive FPGA-based ZX Evolution design.

• FPGA-based ZX Spectrum-compatible computer · 2004

  ZX Evolution

  ZX Evolution was the later NedoPC-associated development of the ATM line. Its FPGA-based architecture supported up to 4 megabytes of RAM and turbo operation up to 14 MHz. It added two ZXBUS expansion slots, VGA output, SD-card support, a non-volatile clock, IDE storage, and Kempston-compatible mouse support. Its video implementation was designed to retain compatibility with Spectrum border and multicolor effects.

• 2004

  NedoPC revival of the ATM platformStrategy

  Background

  Original production by ATM and MicroArt had ended after the firms separated.

  Action taken

  NedoPC resumed development and production and extended the family with ATM Turbo 2+ and ZX Evolution.

  Aftermath

  The platform continued in the specialist enthusiast community with more memory, FPGA-based architecture, modern storage options, video output, and expansion support.

  Source

• 1992

  Development of ATM Turbo 2Generation change

  Background

  The original ATM design provided enhanced Spectrum compatibility but had limited memory-management, text-display, and storage capabilities.

  Action taken

  The developers introduced ATM Turbo 2 with flexible page mapping, 80-by-25 text mode, hardware scrolling, improved floppy support, and IDE connectivity.

  Aftermath

  The platform became more suitable for advanced software, larger storage devices, and users seeking capabilities beyond a conventional Spectrum clone.

  Source

• 2021.05.18

  Reported2021.05.18

  ITIC and ATM partner to organize Middle East Tourism Investment Summit[2]ITIC与ATM合作举办中东旅游投资峰会eturbonews.com

  ITIC announced that it would organize the Middle East Tourism Investment Summit in partnership with ATM, with an in-person event planned in Dubai on May 19 and a virtual summit planned for May 27.

• 2020.10.17

  Reported2020.10.21

  Global Compute agrees to acquire ATM[3]Global Compute同意收购ATMen.antaranews.com

  Global Compute signed an agreement to acquire ATM S.A., a Polish data center and communications infrastructure business, from funds managed by MCI Capital and Mezzanine Management.

Read more

1. 1ATM (computer)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2ITIC与ATM合作举办中东旅游投资峰会eturbonews.com
3. 3Global Compute同意收购ATMen.antaranews.com