15 replies to this topic

[SoundGammon]

I got a couple of Sears Light Sixers and in a couple of weeks I plan on putting a Flashback 2 into one. Need to find out info on wiring it onto the 2600 board and any diagrams  or other ideas that might help! Also, when I complete it, I'd like to find a label that I could put onto a "dummy" cartridge that can sit in the slot when I'm playing the built-in games. Wouldn't look right being on with no cartridge installed! Thanks!

[SlowCoder]

May I ask the impetus of this project?  What are looking to accomplish?

The games on the FB are remakes, not original code.  If you get a harmony, you can have the real games, and more of them.

[BigO]

 SlowCoder, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:14 PM, said:

May I ask the impetus of this project?  What are looking to accomplish?

The games on the FB are remakes, not original code.  If you get a harmony, you can have the real games, and more of them.

That's not accurate. The FB2 is not a fake. It's running real 2600 code and can have a cartridge port hooked up to play real 2600 cartridges.

[BigO]

 SoundGammon, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:47 PM, said:

I got a couple of Sears Light Sixers and in a couple of weeks I plan on putting a Flashback 2 into one. Need to find out info on wiring it onto the 2600 board and any diagrams  or other ideas that might help! Also, when I complete it, I'd like to find a label that I could put onto a "dummy" cartridge that can sit in the slot when I'm playing the built-in games. Wouldn't look right being on with no cartridge installed! Thanks!

Not quite sure what you mean by "wiring it onto the 2600 board". I'd expect you to be removing the original board and wiring the FB2 up to a cartridge port. There's plenty o' info on doing that mod to the Flashback 2 on the internet.

[SlowCoder]

 BigO, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:19 PM, said:

 SlowCoder, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:14 PM, said:

May I ask the impetus of this project?  What are looking to accomplish?

The games on the FB are remakes, not original code.  If you get a harmony, you can have the real games, and more of them.

That's not accurate. The FB2 is not a fake. It's running real 2600 code and can have a cartridge port hooked up to play real 2600 cartridges.

yes, I know the hardware is 2600.  But I believe the games themselves are remakes due to licensing.  As in, they didn't grab a ROM from the web and put it on the console.  That's what I've understood anyway.

My question still remains, though.  Why would you transfer a flashback board into a light sixer?

[nathanallan]

If I had a beater FB2 and a good looking yet non-working 6'r I'd transfer them over, too, that might be the case. No pun intended, lol.

[BigO]

 SlowCoder, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:44 PM, said:

[yes, I know the hardware is 2600.  But I believe the games themselves are remakes due to licensing.  As in, they didn't grab a ROM from the web and put it on the console.  That's what I've understood anyway.

My question still remains, though.  Why would you transfer a flashback board into a light sixer?

No, they didn't just grab a ROM from the web and illegally use it. But, the classic games included on the FB2 are the originals. There's actually quite a lot of discussion regarding the licensing and other FB2 related issues around here. Since much of that discussion is provided by the people who made the FB2, I have a tendency to believe it.

It might be that you're just confusing otherwise factual information between the first Flashback and the Flashback 2. The largely derided Flashback was Nintendo On A Chip (NOAC) and as such all of the games were by necessity ports of Atari games. I've never played a Flashback myself, but the consensus seems to be that the game were quite poorly done.

EDIT: Oh, and I share your curiosity as to the "why" aspect of this project. If the reason is "just because I can", then I can totally respect that.

Edited by BigO, Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:15 PM.

[SoundGammon]

...I think it would be better to have it in a real console and still be able to play other games through it. My question is why did people bother to "wire" a cartridge port to a FB2 when they could just put a cartridge into a real 2600?

[Master Phruby]

A mini 2600 with a cartridge port could be kind of cool to have.

[BigO]

 SoundGammon, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:23 PM, said:

...I think it would be better to have it in a real console and still be able to play other games through it. My question is why did people bother to "wire" a cartridge port to a FB2 when they could just put a cartridge into a real 2600?

Because they could?

[SlowCoder]

 BigO, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:13 PM, said:

It might be that you're just confusing otherwise factual information between the first Flashback and the Flashback 2. The largely derided Flashback was Nintendo On A Chip (NOAC) and as such all of the games were by necessity ports of Atari games. I've never played a Flashback myself, but the consensus seems to be that the game were quite poorly done.

Yes, that may be the case.  And yes, the games on the Flashback I have don't stand up well in comparison to the real originals.

I'm still looking to get my hands on a FB2 myself.

[SlowCoder]

 SoundGammon, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:23 PM, said:

...I think it would be better to have it in a real console and still be able to play other games through it. My question is why did people bother to "wire" a cartridge port to a FB2 when they could just put a cartridge into a real 2600?

What BigO said, "Because they could".  But also because people look for compact ways to transport a 2600.  The FB2 provides the size and compatibility.  All that really needs to be done is to add a cart port.  Some people have actually just installed a Harmony cart inside an FB2, rather than installing an actual cart port.  Makes for a nice, compact gaming system for travel.

[jdrose]

Sounds like an interesting project. I think your picture quality will be better using the FB2 board as your engine.

Who ever designed the Flashback 2 had some fun doing it because it was made to be modded. The pc board is fully labeled, including traces for a cartridge port! The pc board is small enough to be embedded into just about anything you can think of. People have made some cool portable 2600s based on the FB2.

Anyway, someone might be thinking of the original Flashback and Flashback 3 regarding emulation. I have a Flashback 2 and I am fairly certain it is a 2600 on a chip. The games look and run just like the original games. Most likely executing the original code.

[0078265317]

FB 3 was supposed to have the sd slot but never had it after all.  But never owned an fb any flavor so don't know if it is real or not.

[Bakasama]

I did consider doing something similar if I ever got my hands on a Flashback 2 because I got a busted 2600. The idea of showing my friends that flashback with a working cart slot would've been fun.

[nathanallan]

 jdrose, on Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:35 AM, said:

Sounds like an interesting project. I think your picture quality will be better using the FB2 board as your engine.

Who ever designed the Flashback 2 had some fun doing it because it was made to be modded. The pc board is fully labeled, including traces for a cartridge port! The pc board is small enough to be embedded into just about anything you can think of. People have made some cool portable 2600s based on the FB2.

Damn right, it sounds like a great project, something a person can really sink their teeth into.

The person who designed it is one Curt Vendel, and he did a great job making it modder friendly. I have an FB2 here destined to be made into something else; there are just too many possibilities so I haven't' gotten to it yet.