TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I Picked up a boxed 5200 today from my local Salvation Army, It's in beautiful shape, but when I got it home and hooked it up, all I got was a garbled mess. Hoping someone can point me in the right direction, as I would really like to get this guy working. I have cleaned the pins on the console as well as my games with rubbing alcohol. I have it hooked up via one of these things, and am using the Atari brand power adapter that came with it. I have tried every possible combination of channels/switch positions too. Here's what I usually get when I try to play some Pac-Man: And here's what I get once in a blue moon if I wiggle the cartridge just right: Any ideas what might be wrong here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Nice find, hope somebody can help. I always thought the 2 port was more stable. Zylon fixed my 4 port and since then no issies except once in a blue moon. Today I knocked the 4 port box slightly while playing jungle hunt just now and it went dead. It would not turn back on. I was so scared. Then I unplugged the box and all the connections and ac and reseated everything until I heard the click and it turned back on. What a relief. Not sure if the box has a fuse or what happened. I've done it once before but it always comes back on after a reset of the connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Looks like a possible RAM chip failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 thanks for the insight guys. I cracked the console open today and tried a different video cable. no dice. I pried the heat shield off, but now I have no idea what I am looking at. is there a replacement chip kit i can buy and just replace everything, or should I start looking for a parts console? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FABombjoy Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 The loss of horizontal sync / weird colors makes it look like the modulator is out of alignment. No advice to give as I've never adjusted the modulator on the 5200. The service manual has a "Warped Ragged Picture Troubleshooting" section. It might be worth going through those tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 It seems those tests require an oscilloscope which I don't have access to. However, I noticed these two wires soldered to A15 and A27 on the board. I haven't seen anything like this online, is this a mod or repair, or something from the factory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Definitely weird. I hope somebody can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 It seems those tests require an oscilloscope which I don't have access to. However, I noticed these two wires soldered to A15 and A27 on the board. I haven't seen anything like this online, is this a mod or repair, or something from the factory? Not sure of the wire, but some systems had improvements or cost cutting measures taken. The row of 8 IC's right above that wire are where I'd look first. Those are the RAM and it looks like some have been changed out before. 2nd place I'd check would be the 4 largest IC's on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 Should I just try swapping out each RAM chip one by one? I'm thinking of picking up a few of these which I found in another thread to try. Are those the correct replacements? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Should I just try swapping out each RAM chip one by one? I'm thinking of picking up a few of these which I found in another thread to try. Are those the correct replacements? Not sure... The 5200 RAM is listed under custom IC's at Best Electronics so it may be different than the normal computers of the day. I'd have to go and look through my spare parts to see. Best lists them at $1.50 each currently. A couple ways of quick testing them is to feel if any get hot while running. A shorted IC will get very hot. (any that have MT as the brand should be replaced ASAP) What I do is replace them one by one to find which ones are bad. I toss the bad ones and replace all 8 anyway. The leftover good ones I save for spares. BTW: you may have more than one bad IC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 (edited) awesome, thanks for the help. Going to test them out and order some replacements today. By MT do you mean Mostek? all 8 of my chips are made by them, guess I'll just order 8 of those IC's. Does Best Electronics have an order form somewhere, or do you have to e-mail them to place an order? Edit: so I fired the console up with the case open and checked all of the RAM chips. none of them seemed to heat up at all, but the two largest IC's right below the cartridge slot got pretty warm. is this normal? Edited November 11, 2014 by TheDreadGazeebo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 It's not letting me edit my post anymore for whatever reason, but I realized after posting that Best Electronics only takes orders by email. I sent them an email describing the problem, hopefully they can provide some insight. I'll report back here when they reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Also download this. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CEUQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atariguide.com%2Fpdfs%2FAtari_5200_Field_Service_Manual.pdf&ei=tptiVMKWJYOlNtaTgegI&usg=AFQjCNEW6xyOti9lCyQQPTbXdR38sy0Y7w&sig2=lY0zZ2wR1h_Ikde736m1hw&bvm=bv.79189006,d.eXY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 awesome, thanks for the help. Going to test them out and order some replacements today. By MT do you mean Mostek? all 8 of my chips are made by them, guess I'll just order 8 of those IC's. Does Best Electronics have an order form somewhere, or do you have to e-mail them to place an order? Edit: so I fired the console up with the case open and checked all of the RAM chips. none of them seemed to heat up at all, but the two largest IC's right below the cartridge slot got pretty warm. is this normal? None should get more than just warm. Another common culprit for graphic issues is the GTIA, which is lower right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDreadGazeebo Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 None of the chips seemed to get excessively hot after 15 mins or so of the console being turned on, just warm as i would expect. I got a reply from Best Electronics, tried running a channel scan on two different tv's at their suggestion, and got nowhere. now I am convinced that I have a bad RF modulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Any progress?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneehighspy Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) is this a C021374 or C021376? i am refurbing a 5200 now and its a 21376, first i have ran into. is pin 11 of C014805-22 lifted? all you need is an rf to composite adaptor to hook up the 2 port, the 4 port has the powered switchbox. Edited November 18, 2014 by kneehighspy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Any luck fixing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Any progress. Or is this dead now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FABombjoy Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I had a chance to eyeball the 5200 modulator recently and there is a single adjustment on the side. I'd be curious if turning it clears up the OPs problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataridave Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Well, Combat Commando, now I know what's wrong with my 5200. Except, in my case, the 5200 freezes after a minute or so of game play. I don't have any kind of electrical or soldering skills at all, so I'll give it to my older brother, who will give it to a place that recycles electronics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari-dna Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Probably just needed to tune the RF modulator. Can be done with a hex key 5/64. Preferably plastic, but you can use metal it is just harder to fine tune as it conducts and creates interference. Patience can get it done though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckodb Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 On 12/26/2014 at 12:45 PM, ataridave said: Well, Combat Commando, now I know what's wrong with my 5200. Except, in my case, the 5200 freezes after a minute or so of game play. I don't have any kind of electrical or soldering skills at all, so I'll give it to my older brother, who will give it to a place that recycles electronics. What was wrong with it? Mines doing the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 9 minutes ago, duckodb said: What was wrong with it? Mines doing the same thing. @ataridave hasn't been here since 2019, and his post dates from 2014. Not saying this to be a jerk, but the chances of hearing back from him are pretty small. What are the symptoms when yours locks up? Any hot ICs? We can probably figure this out, but your problem may not be exactly the same as his (whatever that was). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckodb Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 It may play for ten minutes or 1 minute that varies each time. It usually slightly distorts the picture but you can still see the game, and plays the last sound it made while still playing normally solid, like an indefinite beep I guess you’d say. I took it apart and cleaned where the cartridge goes in and had the silver inside cover off and didn’t feel anything inside it getting hot, I pushed down on all the chips like somebody had said in one of these old threads and it’s still the same. The inside looks totally clean and I don’t see anything that’s looks burnt. I hope it’s just that 4 port RF switch box. This 5200 came from an estate sell with 8 boxed games and 2 controllers and it all looks practically new like it didn’t get used much but there was no power supply and no RF switch so I got both off eBay from separate people, they just said tested but as far as that goes I can turn the thing on and play it a minute and turn it off and say I tested it. Maybe they didn’t test that RF switch long enough to make it fail, idk. Both the controllers a fully functional too if that might make a difference but I can’t see where it would on the video part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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