Slashdot Log In
Atari 800XL Used For Heart Diagnostics
Posted by
Hemos
on Sun Dec 17, 2000 09:06 AM
from the interesting-application dept.
from the interesting-application dept.
fuxoft writes: "Even today, 8-bit Atari can save your life! This article (with photographs) reports that Atari 800XL is still used in one of the biggest Czech hospitals, for diagnostics of children with heart problems. Even here, in the Czech Republic, where the technology is not always 100% up-to-date, this is very weird indeed."
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Atari 800XL Used For heart Diagnostics
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 121 comments
(Spill at 50!) | Index Only
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
|
2
(1)
|
2
Who volunteers to port this to Linux? (Score:4)
I understand and sympathize with the view towards old hardware of "don't fix what's not broken." We all get more than a little sentimental for the hardware we used in the "old days," however long ago that may be.
However, the author was contacted because the equipment was malfunctioning. Since Intel hardware is so inexpensive, running this application on a P90 with Linux makes much more sense than using such an "exotic" piece of hardware.
The Free Software/Open Source community should step up to the plate and port this application - it would be hard to conceive of a more valliant effort for our talents. I'd certainly be willing to do it.
What happens when it breaks? (Score:3)
The concern I have is what they do as these machines start to fail? Do they have a fallback plan? It seems that someone should be porting this key chunk of software to (say) a 386
So often, people wait until it's too late to do that port.
I once worked in a company that used a BASIC program on 8088-based PC's to do a key realtime control operation in one of their products. When 8088's became unobtainable, they simply moved the code onto a 286 and discovered to their horror that it didn't work. Because this software had been written many years ago - and had never needed to be updated, they didn't even have a software engineer in that part of the organization (I worked in another division). They struggled on for a while buying up old 8088's second-hand and refurbishing them - but in the end, they called me in to rewrite the code.
It turned out that the code had done all it's timing using empty 'FOR' loops (Ick!) - which of course ran faster on the 286's. That was a hard problem to fix because by the time they had me on board, they'd sold the very last 8088 they could lay their hands on and I had no way to figure out the lengths of those delays loops. In the end, I had to chuck out the entire program and develop a new one from scratch in C (using hardware timers
and not empty 'for' loops of course).
So what does this indicate? (Score:3)
2) Instead of better processors, we simply need better algorithms.
3) Instead of insisting that schools have the absolute latest computers, maybe we should make children try to do more with the systems they have.
4) Maybe I should just shut up.
Oops! (Score:3)
If it works... (Score:3)
Seriously, when was the last time you ever heard of unrepeatable bizarre crashes on the old 8-bit machines like this?
I would be a lot happier with mission-critical stuff run on a ZX Spectrum than on any new PC.
It's not weird (Score:5)
The 800XL is a powerful computer. Not by today's standards, perhaps, but basic data-processing needs haven't advanced so much in the last fifteen years that the an atari, a ti99-4a or even the noble spectrum can't handle them. I'd have my doubts about a vic 20, but I've had those doubts for decades now.
Personally, I'm delighted that these things are still being used, rather than stuck on a landfill leeching lead and PCBs into the ground.
in case of /.-ing (Score:5)
Atari in hospital
I was contacted some time ago by some person asking me if I can help with repair or replacement of Atari 800XL for hospital. I was very curious about that, because it's known that Czech hospitals are in bad financial situation but I just wondered how they could use it at the end of the nineties. The person was kind enough to send me some details about setup and also sent me few pictures.
Description
It's used in child cardiocenter in Faculty Hospital Motol for the heart diagnosis. They are looking for uninvited leaks between two parts of heart. Principle is in injecting isotope in blood and screening its movement in vascular system of pacient.
Usage
1) Computer is started, program is loaded from cassette.
2) Entering the data of patient (name, birthdate, height, weight).
3) Entering the date & time of checkup.
4) Entering the age of the isotope.
5) Program computes the optimal amount of isotope.
6) The probes are pointed to certain places of patient's body.
7) Injection of isotope.
8) For 5 minutes the program records the data from the probes.
9) Saving the data to cassette.
10) Disconnecting the gamma interface, connecting the teletype interface.
11) Priting of the protocol to teletype.
The checkup could be done by usage of other gamma camera, but it takes about 1 hour and the amount of isotope needs to be higher.
Setup
4 gamma probes
plotter
Atari 800 XL
Atari XC 12 datasette with Turbo2000
teletype T100
interface Atari gamma probes (two joystick connectors)
interface Atari teletype (one joystick connector)
monitor
Pictures
(70 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Detail of setup. Black box at the left behind is power supply for interface.
(74 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Overall look to gamma probes and plotter.
(67 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Detail of setup.
(66 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Overall look. At the left is teletype machine.
(65 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Overall look.
(62 KB JPG) [slashdot.org]
Detail of sticker on the computer. I wonder where did they got it.
Atari pages accessed xxx times.Last modified: Wed Dec 6 13:33:40 2000
(c) 2000 Jindroush [mailto]
Why Atari? (Score:5)
--
hold on a sec (Score:3)
________
Healthcare is always overstretched (Score:3)
If an Atari does the job then use an Atari. They're cheap. I wonder how many more patients in the UK or US could be treated if people didn't upgrade their computers/stethescopes/coffee machines etc. because they want something new and shiny, rather than because there's a good reason for it.
Plus, it's probably pretty well debugged by now...
Old Computers Never Die (Score:3)
Computer manufacturers are pushing the limits of technology, and the shortened life span of a computer and the development cycle is necessary to keep the tremendous growth that these companies now expect. (nee and so does wall street) This is great for us gadget people that always like the latest and greatest. It's not so good for companies that are forced to retire a substantial investment in hardware because it won't run the lastest MS WORD 2K sp1rev5.
The affect these diminished "time to market" approaches has on quality of hardware and software is also readily apparent. (10 years ago how often did you need to flash the BIOS?)
Isn't that one of the great things about Linux? Many people are running firewalls from an old 486 with mimimal RAM. Sure is much cheaper and "enviromentally friendly" (*groan* hate that phrase) than buying a new NT machine that you can bring to it's knees with check point.
In the end if the equipment works for you, and if it's reliable then use it. The old atari's never crash, is it any wonder that it's in a mission critical application? Necessity is the mother of invention. Because that invention is old does not make the solution any less valid.