Rhomaios Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Now that Yurkie has stopped, does anyone here still do the AV mod for the 7800? I have a bit o' cash, and would like to get mine done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SabertoothRetro Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 http://electronicsentimentalities.com He does a very nice install of the LHE mod. I have one on my main 7800. Do a search and you will find rave reviews. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Seconded! I love mine. Note this part from the site: http://electronicsentimentalities.com/InstallationServices.html For the Atari 7800 you may request a manual TIA 9 switch installation at no additional charge. A TIA 9 switch will reduce interference from the TIA chip when running a 7800 game. The TIA 9 switch will be installed in place of the channel 2/3 switch. If your 2600 game is in black and white it means that you need to switch the TIA 9 on. I like that part. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 Thanks! For some reason, I thought I had confused this site with BestElectronics, and spent too much time trying to figure out how much they charge for modding it. Now that I have the right site, it all makes sense now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 atariLBC, I just found your old thread. Quick question to those who have it: s-video or composite only? I've heard the s-video was worse, would like to take opinions on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SabertoothRetro Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 The mod includes both composite and s-video output. I run mine though s-video and it's perfect. Make sure you have the Tia switch installed to remove interference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 To bad he does not do A8s as well.. could send the both and save on shipping.. As will cost me over easily over 100.00 with shipping.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Marked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 http://electronicsentimentalities.com Do a search and you will find rave reviews. Indeed http://atariage.com/forums/topic/222526-electronicsentimentalities/ http://atariage.com/forums/topic/222753-7800-av-mod-shout-out/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Joe does great work. S-Video looks great on CRT and through my DVDO into my LCD TV. 7800 *and* 2600 games via S-Video? What are you waiting for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoquickcapri Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 If anyone needs someone to do a video mod I can do it. I've done both the LHE mod and simple Composite mod. I also know how to get even sound out of the Commando game with the LHE mod and know how to convert controllers to work on the 7800 with two button games. I'm not looking to make a business out of this but if someone really needs someone else to do the mod for them I'm here to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indestructible Hulk Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I just recently picked up a Best modded 7800 and also installed a Longhorn Engineer (Electronic Sent.) board in another. I didn't have much electronics experience but did know how to solder, and I found it pretty easy to do. If you have a good soldering iron and a solder sucker I'd say give it a shot yourself, otherwise just pay to have someone do it for you. I noticed the Best 7800 gives me a slightly better picture on a LCD TV but the Longhorn looks better on a CRT. Anyone else experience this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I noticed the Best 7800 gives me a slightly better picture on a LCD TV but the Longhorn looks better on a CRT. Anyone else experience this? Best only provides Composite Out. The Longhorn mod via Electronics Sentimentalities provides S-Video and Composite Out. My experience has been on an LCD, Plasma, and LED, certainly S-Video but Composite Out as well is better from the Longhorn Mod performed by Electronic Sentimentalities. In all fairness, as mentioned in previous postings, I believe the overall quality of the console build may impact the output results as well. My pristine AT84 serial has the Longhorn Mod by Electronic Sentimentalities. Regardless, it should be noted the Best 7800 is Composite Out only, and on a modern flat panel, the S-Video provided via Longhorn, in most (all?) cases should be superior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indestructible Hulk Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Thanks, Trebor. I should probably clarify that I am not using the S Video as my TVs do not have the inputs for it, so I am doing a strictly composite to composite comparison between the Best and Longhorn Engineer mods. The S Video could very well provide superior picture, but I haven't been able to test it. Also, Best did the mods for me while I installed the Longhorn board myself which could definitely be another factor. The picture of the Longhorn mod on the LCD tv isn't bad, but the colors seem to be pretty "off" from what I get using a RF cable, but the same console installed on a Sony Trinitron CRT gives an incredibly sharp picture with bright, perfect colors. The Best console hooked up to the Trinitron gives me a really good picture, much better than RF, but definitely a step below what I get from the Longhorn console and the colors don't seem as bright and there is also noticable ghosting. I haven't done anything with the TIA switch so maybe that is necessary to get the most from it. Both are a big improvement from RF though. It could very well be that the Best console is just in better condition as you said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Having performed the Longhorn mod yourself, to hopefully improve the video picture, make sure your resistors don't match what's printed on the board, rather what's shown here if you are using the latest (2.1) revision of the video mod: Hope that's helpful, if not already applied I do also own a 'Yurkie mod' 7800 which also uses the same Longhorn mod, but I do notice a slight difference in picture quality (Again, it's a newer revision console and not as in 'pristine' condition as my AT84 modified by ElectronicSent). Evidently, millage may vary for a few reasons. Although, as I made clear in other threads, none of them are a 'slouch' - and all of them have the same great accurate colors (Relative to display type). The difference I notice is in the issue of clarity/ghosting/sharpness. Electronic Sentimentalities looks so good under Composite you can almost mistaken it for S-Video. Still, anyone of the three being mentioned here are worlds above RF. Also, Best Electronics I have to hand it to in providing a console that looks as good as new cosmetically. I was highly impressed with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoquickcapri Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I have five TVs in my house (CRT, HD CRT, 768p LCD, 1080p LCD, and 1080p LED) they're all Sony but the LED, which is a Sharp. They all have different quality pictures with my LHE modded 7800.The picture quality on the CRTs are great, the 768p LCD is good, the LED is ok (Composite only) and the 1080p LCD is on the poor side. The LHE Composite video on the HD CRT is ok but the simple Composite mod picture quality is better and for me the simple Composite mod picture quality is better then LHE mod over the different TV I've tested them with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Something that may need to be considered too is how well the television handles the 7800 signal - considering it is not 'standard' NTSC, and the colors on any giving unit will automatically change their phase shift anywhere from a couple to several degrees in addition to factoring initial color calibration/pot adjustment differences. Currently I have a Panasonic Plasma, Panasonic LCD, LG LED, Insignia LED, Commodore 1702 CRT, and had a Sony Trinitron, RCA CRT and Panasonic CRT. The Best Electronics (with simple mod) has been seen across all mentioned displays. The Yurkie Mod (with Longhorn Eng board) was seen across everything except LG LED and Insignia LED The Electronic Sent (with Longhorn End board) was seen across everything except Sony Trinitron, RCA CRT, and Panasonic CRT. Universally across all units and displays the Longhorn Engineer board has the best picture for clarity and sharpness. Colors of course are always best on the CRTs and have consistent results for all units (I have personally tested and color calibrated all of the seven consoles I own (Well, six now as I fried one...lol) with the CPS 7800 Diagnostic Cart 1.0. I also have a cart that contains the complete chart display of palette colors for the system. The 7800 palette can really suffer on a modern display though for some games (Especially anything utilized in the Hue 1x range) and would require a modest to strong adjustment of the tint/hue (leaning more 'red') to somewhat compensate for the difference. It's not unique to the 7800 though, other Atari consoles, like the 2600, suffer as well. My preferred method of system playing is via Composite on a CRT as you retain NTSC artifacts - Essential for a few places in Jinks, many graphics - especially the towers - in Tower Toppler, glistening sand particles in Desert Falcon, and one or two other games/areas that escape me at the moment. IMHO, composite is the most ideal way to view how these games were meant to be seen. The NES is no stranger to utilizing NTSC artifacts too. Seeing the simulated examples of what happens once utilizing higher than composite (S-Video / RGB), can make someone realize how much they're 'missing'. Anything 16-bit (Even the Sega Genesis used NTSC artifacts to its advantage; for example, in some lighting in the Streets of Rage (2?) game), and older is all composite via CRT for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Been busy, but now that I had a moment, I went ahead and bought it. Oddly enough, I cannot access the website through my home internet connection. It works just fine on my Sprint service, at work, etc., but not at home. I wonder if TimeWarner blocked them for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 IMHO, composite is the most ideal way to view how these games were meant to be seen.Complete with color bleeding and a side of blurriness I assume? Once you go to RGB you'll never want to turn back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Guys, I need your opinion on something. I'm currently in the market for an A7800. Some people in another thread suggested I buy a refurbished unit from Best Electronics. They have the refurbished A7800 with stock RF for $89.00 or I can get their composite AV mod console for $114.00. Although I'm technically capable of performing the mod myself, the kits cost $20 and the upcharge for buying the console pre-modded is $25. A $5 difference in total and piece of mind by having them install it is not bad IMO. My current 4-switch Atari 2600 is pure RF and I plan on keeping it that way. I've cleaned up the signal considerably by replacing the 5V regulator, "Chicklet" filter cap, swapping out the stock RCA cable for an internal 1 foot Coax with huge RF choke brick, and installing an "F" coupler in the back of the unit. The 2600 RF from my 4-switcher is super clean and probably better than stock, albeit with that characteristic half pixel of bleed that makes the CRT display look extra retro. I thought since I'm going to be getting a 7800, it would be nice to have a crisp display. ATM I'm not really don't really need S-Video because my TV don't support it and composite is good enough, although Svid helps if I want to direct capture video from my console. Basically my question for you guys, is the Best AV mod worth it? I really don't want to ship my console off again after I get it from Best or order a DIY mod kid from somewhere else. As I said earlier, $25 for the preinstalled AV mod is a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 For those who use CRT's and are not using S video because they don't have the inputs for it, get a RF modulator from Radio Shack and hook it up to your coax on your CRT. Then plug into the S video on the RF modulator. It is much better than composite video. I can't comment if it improves the image on an LCD because I simply refuse to use those for vintage game systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indestructible Hulk Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Guys, I need your opinion on something. I'm currently in the market for an A7800. Some people in another thread suggested I buy a refurbished unit from Best Electronics. They have the refurbished A7800 with stock RF for $89.00 or I can get their composite AV mod console for $114.00. Although I'm technically capable of performing the mod myself, the kits cost $20 and the upcharge for buying the console pre-modded is $25. A $5 difference in total and piece of mind by having them install it is not bad IMO. My current 4-switch Atari 2600 is pure RF and I plan on keeping it that way. I've cleaned up the signal considerably by replacing the 5V regulator, "Chicklet" filter cap, swapping out the stock RCA cable for an internal 1 foot Coax with huge RF choke brick, and installing an "F" coupler in the back of the unit. The 2600 RF from my 4-switcher is super clean and probably better than stock, albeit with that characteristic half pixel of bleed that makes the CRT display look extra retro. I thought since I'm going to be getting a 7800, it would be nice to have a crisp display. ATM I'm not really don't really need S-Video because my TV don't support it and composite is good enough, although Svid helps if I want to direct capture video from my console. Basically my question for you guys, is the Best AV mod worth it? I really don't want to ship my console off again after I get it from Best or order a DIY mod kid from somewhere else. As I said earlier, $25 for the preinstalled AV mod is a steal. In my experience, the Best modded console is worth it for peace of mind. That is, you know you will be getting a clean, perfectly working console from someone who has been in the business a very long time. However, it is certainly not cheap. Here's my story which may help you out: Basically, my old 7800 "died" a while back and I was in the maket for a replacement. This particular console was an ebay purchase a few years ago, and did work for a while but one day it started acting strangely and eventually would not even power on. I assumed it was dead, so I turned to Best as I have heard good things about them and did not want to risk another ebay purchase. I did get great service, fast shipping, and a very nice, clean console. I opted for the OS and AV mods. Now, after I ordered the Best console, I decided to try and fix my old 7800, which in retrospect I should have done before ordering a new one. It turns out all it needed was a new power switch, which was not a difficult fix. I pulled one from an old 7800 and it fixed the problem. I also ordered one of the Electronic Sentimentalities, or LHE boards from ebay, figuring it would be a fun project and thinking it was not risky as I thought the console was dead anyway, and I had a replacement already. I found the install to be very easy to do. They both work well, but the picture quality varies greatly depending on which TV I hook the conoles up to. In my experience, even with just composite hookups and not using S Video, the LHE modded console gives a superior picture to the Best console when hooked up to a Trinitron CRT TV, but the Best console seems to work over a more broad range of TV types. I was honestly disappointed with the picture of the LHE console on my LCD TV as it looked almost worse than RF in some ways. However, the Best console works well on my LCD TV and plasma, and looks better than RF on the Trinitron, but also has some ghosting issues on that TV and the colors are not as bright as what I get from the LHE. Since I got a large CRT downstairs in my game room, I have been playing the LHE console exclusively and the Best has been sitting, but before when I had only a LCD TV down there, the Best was my go-to console. One thing I don't like about the Best console is the length of the wires. They are only about six feet, which when plugged into the back of the TV doesn't leave much free room, and they are not replaceable. With the LHE console I can plug in any length cables I want. I also probably wouldn't shell out money again for the OS mods from Best. It is kind of neat to have the built in Asteroids game, but I already have a copy on cart so it's not that big of a deal. Plus the intro screen bypass is not really worth it as that screen only lasts about two seconds anyway. It is supposed to have more compatability with PAL games but I haven't really seen much use for that yet. So, if I had to do this all over again knowing what I do now, I would probably just buy a known and tested, working console from ebay and order the Electronic Sentimentalities board and install it myself. That would almost certainly be cheaper than going with the Best route, but that is just my opinion. It is nice to have the peace of mind knowing your console will work (and even coming with a warranty), but the picture quality is definitely considerably better with the LHE board on a CRT TV and you can probably save a considerable amount of money to apply to more games instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 They are only about six feet, which when plugged into the back of the TV doesn't leave much free room, and they are not replaceable. $3.87 shipped, you just gained another 6 feet. $4.99 shipped, you can add another 12 feet. $0.64 plus shipping, add a coupler, and then add-on whatever cable length you desire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 @Indestructable: hey man thanks for the tip. I'm still on the fence atm, but if I go the best route, I'm definitely not getting the OS mod. They do offer the 7800 with AV by itself without the OS install, but it's 124.95, not 114.95 like I originally thought. While I'm at Best, I might as well order some replacement switches for my 4-switcher because despite having cleaning them with contact cleaner, I'm still getting sparkles when I operate the Reset and Select switches, and occasionally the Select switch will bounce, which is annoying if I'm flicking through dozens of game variations and it skips the one I want. The games they sell seem a little pricey, especially since I'm not interested in sealed games when I can collect loose carts for ~$2 a pop. More about my home setup; I have an LCD TV in the living room which I rarely use. My main CRT in my bedroom has a composite jack, but atm I've misplaced the remote and cannot select the Aux input without it, forcing me to use the RF. My 2600 is RF, and all my 8- and 16-bit consoles have both composite and RF. I do have an old RCA brand RF modulator laying around with S-vid and composite inputs. My N64 and Game Cube I use a 1st party N64 modulator with, and My PS3, Wii-U, and Ouya plug into an HDMI switch connected to a low-latency monitor. Because I share the house with my mom, I'm forced to keep all my games in my bedroom so space is really tight. I have 10 plastic storage crates that I keep my analog systems and accessories in, pulling out one crate at a time and putting them away when I'm done. It probably wouldn't hurt either to get dust covers for all my old consoles as well so they don't get scuffed up in the crates. Best has me covered for the Ataris. As far as the 7800, I can get one off Amazon for ~$50 sight unseen, but without messaging the sellers I have no idea if they are complete or what the condition is. BIN on eBay, on the other hand, would cost me just as much as Best. I swear everything game related on eBay is overpriced nowadays. So really it's a toss up between Best electronics or post a wtb thread in the AA marketplace. I've got time to think about it though as I'm going to wait until I get an invoice for the PacmanPlus homebrew multicart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosystemsearch Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Atari should have made a 7800 II that had AV out built in in 1988 or 1989. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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