A Brand New Atari 2600 Clone Project

[keilbaca]

That's awesome that the pause project is back under way.

 

I believe I tried grounding out the RDY pin but it just reset the game... but you can try it, I was just poking at stuff to see if it worked.

 

I'm sure if you guys figure out how to pause the thing by the proper way, people would gladly buy pause kits for their Atari's.

[potatohead]

No takers then?

 

Ok, I'll go and order this stuff.

Edited December 2, 2009 by potatohead

[keilbaca]

No takers then?

 

Ok, I'll go and order this stuff.

 

I wouldn't know how to make a circuit to tell when the VBLANK is at low. If you're able to, by all means, go for it. XD

[potatohead]

I was focused on the side topic. That Propeller + 6502 board is highly likely to be able to run VCS code. If so, it's an inexpensive "new" VCS! (among other things) I've a solderless breadboard with a Propeller on it, sockets and such. Just need the 6502, Ram and other components to wire up a circuit to program on.

 

I'll hold the trade open a few more days, as that's how long it will take me to get to a place where I can order the goods online.

 

Pausing existing ones looks like an interesting and simple mod. Can't wait to see what people come up with.

[potatohead]

Ok, I'm closing off the trade deal. I've sourced two sets of everything but those SRAM chips. The proto will be on a solderless breadboard. If I see any success at all, I'll use the Proto Board to build up a soldered one that will work longer term, and that has the right video.

[Galaxian]

I hope somebody around here with skills will create an Atari 2600 clone with all new parts that takes cartridges and has modern hookups. No emulation, no Flashback 2 hacks, this would be a new Atari 2600 clone that works exactly like a real Atari 2600. If a cartridge works with an old Atari 2600, it will work with this Atari 2600 clone too (no exceptions).

 

I'd love this new Atari 2600 clone to have more controller jacks (at least 4). You could have two joysticks and two sets of paddles plugged in at the same time. It would probably have some kind of switch that users would flip to tell the Atari 2600 clone which jacks to use. No more plugging and unplugging controller cables! Just pop in a game, flip the controller switch to the correct setting, turn on the Atari 2600 clone and start playing.

 

I'd also like to have a portable Atari 2600 clone with an extra-large screen.

 

I might be able to help with the portable Atari 2600 idea... I am currently trying to find a screen, but once I find a working screen i'll start tinkering. I'd love to help and if you guys could tell me where to get a screen that would be great.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Galaxian

[maiki]

So this topic is about another VCS console being manufactured right? If so, please make sure you add RGB video output. But if this is just another emulator, don't waste your time. I can easily build a custom PC based machine with an arcade monitor hooked up.

[+Random Terrain]

So this topic is about another VCS console being manufactured right? If so, please make sure you add RGB video output. But if this is just another emulator, don't waste your time. I can easily build a custom PC based machine with an arcade monitor hooked up.

Could your custom PC use cartridges? I'd rather have a Stellacon than no new console. Many of us don't know how to make a custom, Stella-only PC where a million little things aren't running in the background and we certainly wouldn't know how to add a cartridge slot, so don't pee on our chance to buy something made for the rest of us who want a new console with cool features and modern hookups.

 

If someone wants to make a real Atari 2600 clone with features such as a pause button and having the joysticks and paddles plugged in at the same time, that would be nice, but if we can't have that, the Stellacon would be a great thing to have.

[barnieg]

Did some goggling and found this:

http://www.snega2usb.com/wordpress/

If someone could produce something similar for Atari Carts and Joystick connectors that may be appealing.

 

Regarding RGB output:

look at http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/ and the video links there are some details on creating a VGA to RGB cable

When I get the time I think I'll put together a custom Linux distro that runs just enough to get Stella going similar to advancemame

 

Barnie

 

 

 

 

Could your custom PC use cartridges? I'd rather have a Stellacon than no new console. Many of us don't know how to make a custom, Stella-only PC where a million little things aren't running in the background and we certainly wouldn't know how to add a cartridge slot, so don't pee on our chance to buy something made for the rest of us who want a new console with cool features and modern hookups.

 

If someone wants to make a real Atari 2600 clone with features such as a pause button and having the joysticks and paddles plugged in at the same time, that would be nice, but if we can't have that, the Stellacon would be a great thing to have.

[maiki]

Yes, Advance MAME and the associated utilities like ADVV can generate any video mode from 15 kHz up. You need the right VGA video card. I have found that Nvidia Riva 128, TNT, TNT2 works great under SVGALIB where you can really get low resolution modes, whreas on modern cards you have to double or triple the resolutions eating up CPU performace. You also need a CRT with RGB or VGA input (or hook it yourself if you know how). Actually I've been planning for years to build a custom made Linux thing running on Advance MAME software. I even have Wells Gardner D9500 CRT gaming monitor with VGA input for this purpose. I just don't have any Linux knowledge and hardly any time to play with that. Hope one day!

 

The real advantage of using this approach is, that you can make hundreds of custom video modes with optimized shifting and geometry. There is no restriction. On real hardware, many games have different picture parameters. The horizontal shift is often different. For instance if I center my Sega Mega Drive's Vectorman game, the others like Lotus Esprit Challenge are not centered on the screen... on Atari 2600 the situation is much worse... any game generates different picture meaning it's always sitting "somewhere else" on the screen

Edited February 11, 2010 by maiki

[mhanak]

Hello!

 

This is my first post in here.

I'm thinking about how to replicate TIA(PAL) and RIOT with some PIC microcontrollers, but I think low cost PICs can't do the work.

Have you ever tried to contact Rickard Gunée?

He made a pong and a tetris game with PIC16F84, and SX28. Probably can help.

If somebody could convert the ATARI 2600's ROMs "on the fly" to PIC's commands, I think a cheap board could run the games.

Sound generating is another problem, but not impossible to emulate.

 

Sorry for bad english .

 

Regards,

mhanak

[Dastari Creel]

This topic is interesting but I believe that when people start adding mods on top of mods it becomes to daunting. If anyone is really serious about this they should IMHO make it a modular project. Take one thing, like having a digital output, and just work on that until its good, then start making other modifications.

 

I totally agree with one of the early posters that said that a straight clone of a 2600 probably just isn't going to cut it. Its possible if someone creates a new source of TIA chips but I doubt that any company would take on the project just because its so easy for us all to get a used 2600. So this new 2600 has to offer something extra. Some of the modifications made here are suggestions that might add value and cause someone to buy the clone over a regular Atari. The other possibility that I am going to propose is a 100% clone portable. This adds a playability factor that the regular 2600 has. The intention would be to replace existing machines but to give someone a machine that they can take with them wherever they go. They would probably still have a 2600 at home to play the games at home and on their TV but they could have the portable when they're not there.

 

I know that you can also make a portable that plays on your TV but that won't be one of the primary goals of my project (I'm taking the modular approach). I may add it later but to me there are far more important things to concentrate on (like 2-player joystick AND 2-player paddle capability, I mean c'mon, Atari gaming is supposed to be a social experience) that I might add that after I get everything else to work and if I feel that I can cram more components in but I wouldn't concentrate on it right away.

 

For now the project is simply Codename:1300 until I can think of a better name but frankly the final name can wait. Right now its time to get my goals straight and then build the darn thing.