New one from Barcelona with lynx I screen "problems"

[ogutierr]

Hi everybody,

I've just discovered yout forum :)

This is Carlos, from Barcelona, Spain.

I own a Lynx I since 1991, bought toghether with viking child.

In the following years I bought Scrapyard dog, California Games and finally Batman returns (I hate it...it's impossible to finish the second stage...

Here in spain there were less game than other countries and I only had that 4 games.

Now I've been buying some games and my intention is to buy Bernd's flashcard to develop it.

But I've a little problem.... well...two problems

first one is easy... my cousin brokes the connector where you plug the Dc cable. so, I suppose I need to change it inside...

the second one is harder I can see that my screen has a lot of light. I remember more contrast when I was young and now I can see more light than before. and one thing more... I inserted viking child yesterday and I saw a strage line from top to bottom about 1 cm or more. This line is more clear than the other area of the screen and it's always on the viking child character. when I move it, it moves with the vicking.

do you know something about it?

regards and thanks.

[7800fan]

Broken connector unfortunately happens easily. I don't know of a source in your country but replacement connector can be bought for a few USD. If you're no good with soldering iron, you can find someone who will do the repair for you. A quick suggestion: little bit of hot glue on both sides of the connector will prevent the new one from breaking loose in the future.

 

LCD do go bad over time. Replacement LCD is most likely the only solution. You could check for another Lynx that has great LCD to swap with or buy LCD by itself from people who modded their Lynx. Or if you're willing to spend over $100, you could get a new LCD that replaced the old one and is thousand times better plus optional VGA out. Send message to McWill http://atariage.com/forums/user/38984-mcwill/if you're interested. And yes there are people who will install the new LCD for a fee.

 

check out one of the video

[ogutierr]

thanks for your answer.

So, whereca can I bought the connector? I can see it in ebay.

can you give me a link? if you know....

about to change the entire lcd... I think is so expensive 100 $ for me. well... it's so expensive for my wife :D the change is incredible very very good.

I will try first with the connector if someone can gove me a link to buy it.

does exist any guide to replace it?

[7800fan]

I don't know which one on eBay is the right one, I got my replacement from http://console5.com/store/atari-lynx-dc-power-jack.html. You could ask if he will ship to you and for how much. A first class mail with no tracking would probably be a few dollars.

 

Taking apart Lynx 1 is quite easy compared to later Lynx 2, you just need to get to the mainboard, desolder and remove the old connector, solder in the new one, verify it works, then add hot glue before putting the Lynx back together. I'd still suggest letting someone who knows how to use soldering iron and desoldering do the work.

[Stun Runner 87]

You say that Batman returns sucked because you can't get past level 2? LoL

Me personally, I think Batman is one of the top 3 games for the system. Graphically impressive and I like the challenge. Great game in my opinion and very underrated. Just takes practice. The trick is to keep moving fast, and not try to shoot everything in sight. Also reserve as many batboomerangs as possible for final bosses.

I get through the first 3 levels with ease.

Kicking Catwomans ass in level 2 is my favorite part, LoL.....The hardest part of level 2 is the police with shotguns. The buckshot is brutal.

The penguins with missiles in level 3 is very hard, but I eventually with patience figured out how to get past that level also.

 

 

Sorry for my ranting, LoL.

These arnt the droids your looking for.

Move along......move along. ?

Edited April 25, 2016 by Stun Runner 87

[ogutierr]

Here yo've 2 picts from my lynx. it's hard to see the other lines. I can see only the big one.

My problem isn't several color lines o broken pixels....

Mine is that some areas of the screen have "lines" with more or less light as you can see.

 

 

[ogutierr]

"Stun runner 87" Don't worry I know that it's a good game. It was my last game. As I said before, it was very difficult to buy lynx games

I bought (my parents bought to me) the lynx in 1991 when I was 13 years old. I wanted the new gameboy but then the seller in the store shown us a new portable console with "16 bit" , stereo, COLOR screen!!!!! and we got it. then.....we saw the evidence that there wasn't games to buy so I had only viking child (I love it)

I found scrapyard dog 1 year later, and then california games and finally batman returns.

 

Now it's easy to buy second hand games in spain and the world but I've the problem of the screen. the contrast isn't good as before and I've recently buyed: european soccer, electrocop, dirty larry, paper boy, gauntlet, xenophobe and bill&ted

[ogutierr]

hello again.

I've decided to repair the lynx, but I don't know if MCWILL stills doing the mod. I've send a message and I'm waiting for replay.

if you know something...please...tell me

regards

[ogutierr]

I've just sent a new message. the other day I should had a problem with the phone and the message was not send

[ogutierr]

Marco contacted me yesterday

I will post more when I get my repaired lynx with my impressions.

 

[sirlynxalot]

I think it's very common for lynx screens to look like yours these days. I was concerned when I first got my lynx in 2013 and it looked like that, but after researching other people's forum posts on that issue of uneven lighting, it seems to be very common and some have said the screen has looked like that since back in the day. I think I heard the lynx lcd is actually composed of 3 different lcds next to each other, it could be that one of them is closer to the back light so has received more heat over the years resulting in the washed out stripe.

Edited February 23, 2018 by sirlynxalot

[+davidcalgary29]

"Stun runner 87" Don't worry I know that it's a good game. It was my last game. As I said before, it was very difficult to buy lynx games

I bought (my parents bought to me) the lynx in 1991 when I was 13 years old. I wanted the new gameboy but then the seller in the store shown us a new portable console with "16 bit" , stereo, COLOR screen!!!!! and we got it. then.....we saw the evidence that there wasn't games to buy so I had only viking child (I love it)

I found scrapyard dog 1 year later, and then california games and finally batman returns.

 

Now it's easy to buy second hand games in spain and the world but I've the problem of the screen. the contrast isn't good as before and I've recently buyed: european soccer, electrocop, dirty larry, paper boy, gauntlet, xenophobe and bill&ted

 

Please tell me that you're about to buy Klax. Life is simply incomplete without Klax for the Lynx.

[Turbo Laser Lynx]

I think it's very common for lynx screens to look like yours these days. I was concerned when I first got my lynx in 2013 and it looked like that, but after researching other people's forum posts on that issue of uneven lighting, it seems to be very common and some have said the screen has looked like that since back in the day. I think I heard the lynx lcd is actually composed of 3 different lcds next to each other, it could be that one of them is closer to the back light so has received more heat over the years resulting in the washed out stripe.

 

Every Lynx model 1 I've seen (not that many though) since the 2000s has had this issue, so I think you're right about the Lynx I screen being split or built into three compartments. Only once have I seen something similar on a model 2, and that screen was divided into two parts, it might have been a different issue though.

 

@ogutierr I think you will be very happy with the McWIll mod, it's fantastic, and if you want a more real simulation of a Lynx screen you can just turn on the lcd-stripe simulation by pressing the backlight button.

[Turbo Laser Lynx]

I just wanted to add that I saw at least one Lynx II on instagram the other day that had the three-screen-part divide issue, so it seems that it can affect both models. Maybe I didn't see it on Lynx two's so much because they're probably manufactured a bit later?

[Turbo Laser Lynx]

I wanted to reply back here again that my "computer club" friend switched the backlight on one of my Lynx 1's yesterday, and it did not help the screen compartmentalisation issue. I was quite sure beforehand that it wouldn't work, but it was worth a try since I got a backlight cheap on ebay. It feels like the light perhaps became a little bit more brisk though

Edited April 27, 2019 by Turbo Laser Lynx

[Igor]

If all these years later you're planning to develop for the Lynx, check this out too - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/289004-atari-lynx-programmer-pi-hat-preorders/

Edited April 28, 2019 by necrocia