56 replies to this topic

[shadow460]

He's right, Shawn.  Danno's method really is a 30 second fix.  Five screws, pop the top off, and slice the sleeve.  You don't have to remove the motherboard or the RF shield at all.  Once you're done, reinstall five screws or tape the thing if you broke the posts.
Actually, you don't even have to open the 7800 up.  Slip a box knife down into the sleeve right below the cart port, and slice upward.  That should let the sleeve expand far enough to accomodate most any game (except maybe Tigervision).

I went a little more in depth--I actually removed the sleeve from the board and cut out the bottom corners.  On my 7800, you wouldn't notice that the sleeve has been cut at all unless you looked, and if you did see it, you'd think it was manufactured that way.  If I'd had a Tigervision cart at the time, I'd have cut out for those as well.

Remember, I sliced a mint 7800 shortly after I got it.

Your pass through cart would be ideal for heavy sixer owners, though.  If it fits one of those, you might have a market for them in the 2600 forum.

As for the 7800, though, the pass through cart is just a stop gap measure for backwards compatibility.  Soon you're going to want the TV Type switch for games that use it as further difficulty setting, and you're going to want to pull the timing circuit (if it has one).  You may also want A/V jacks, which will require three holes (chroma, luma, and audio) to be mad ein the case, or four holes if you want stereo output from the TIA or a dual POKEY XBoarD setup.
Finally you'll want a new power jack when the brick you have dies.  Actually, that'll probably be the first thing you change, since those wires on the brick aren't getting any newer.

I really wish you guys could look at my 7800.  Pictures don't do it justice.  The only other system I have that's so pristine is my box PS2, and I've modded that a little bit, too.  I've got no problems adding stuff to either one, as long as it's done immaculately.

Edited by shadow460, Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:09 PM.

[Dusk2600]

Danno, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:50 PM, said:

$45 for something that takes all of 30 seconds to fix for free.


Amazing.  

Personally i dont see why you have to instigate this, no 1 said your way did not work, it is each to his own, this as stated above could be used for other ataris that have difficulty fitting certian carts.

[supercat]

shadow460, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:08 PM, said:

He's right, Shawn.  Danno's method really is a 30 second fix.

What's the best way to fix the pegs that are supposed to unlock 2600 carts?  I tried to repair mine, but they both broke again in fairly short order.

[Shawn Sr.]

shadow460, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:08 PM, said:

He's right, Shawn.  Danno's method really is a 30 second fix.  

Not if you don't want to screw around like that, 30 seconds or not. And as far as the $45 bucks thing, that was stated just cause I didn't want people asking me to make any. I don't want to market it at all.

supercat, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:33 PM, said:

What's the best way to fix the pegs that are supposed to unlock 2600 carts?  I tried to repair mine, but they both broke again in fairly short order.

Gorilla glue will work perfect.

Edited by Shawn Sr., Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:43 PM.

[shadow460]

supercat, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:33 PM, said:

shadow460, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:08 PM, said:

He's right, Shawn.  Danno's method really is a 30 second fix.

What's the best way to fix the pegs that are supposed to unlock 2600 carts?  I tried to repair mine, but they both broke again in fairly short order.

I'd say super glue, but that's probably how you did it.  Actually wait...I favor cyanoacrylate--that stuff in Krazy Glue that sticks your fingers together.  The trick is to use a clamp with it.  You'd have to pull the entire sleeve, then re glue the pegs the way they were originally fitted, and let the whole sleeve set up in an F clamp.  Krazy glue is kinda unreliable at best, but if you clamp it solid overnight, it'll be almost unbreakable the next day.
Perhaps you could use a small threaded stud in place of the pins.

If none of that works, I'd get in touch with Ben Heckendorn.  He modded a 2600 by putting both 2600 andPlayStation 2 guts inside.  The original 2600 cart connector would not fit, so he built one and he made some pegs to go with it.
After looking at one of Ben's VCS portables, I'm convinced that you could drill a very small stud down into the plastic on the sides of the cart port.  You might even heat up a straight pin and just push it in there.  Those will easily open the dust door on my 01 combat cartridge.
Ben's site, if you need it, is at www.benheck.com

[Danno]

Shawn Sr., on Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:06 PM, said:

Danno, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:50 PM, said:

$45 for something that takes all of 30 seconds to fix for free.


Amazing.  

So you think you can make this "fix cart" as you put it in 30 seconds? Go gett'em tiger. And yes I know you where talking about the connector on the inside of the console but as each person has clearly stated they don't want to alter the 7800 console, your statment is ill founded.

I wouldn't try to rip off the 7800 community with some bullshit piece of extension hardware taht's unnecessary.

It's amazing how many vultures there are in the Retro gaming scene.

[Shawn Sr.]

Danno, on Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:45 AM, said:

Shawn Sr., on Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:06 PM, said:

Danno, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:50 PM, said:

$45 for something that takes all of 30 seconds to fix for free.


Amazing.  

So you think you can make this "fix cart" as you put it in 30 seconds? Go gett'em tiger. And yes I know you where talking about the connector on the inside of the console but as each person has clearly stated they don't want to alter the 7800 console, your statment is ill founded.

I wouldn't try to rip off the 7800 community with some bullshit piece of extension hardware taht's unnecessary.

It's amazing how many vultures there are in the Retro gaming scene.

Obviously you can't read. I made the one for dusk for FREE and the only reason I said $45 was to keep anyone from asking me to make them one. I even said that straight out. Your such a bitch Danno, go play somewhere else.

[Danno]

Shawn Sr., on Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:56 AM, said:

Danno, on Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:45 AM, said:

Shawn Sr., on Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:06 PM, said:

Danno, on Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:50 PM, said:

$45 for something that takes all of 30 seconds to fix for free.


Amazing.  

So you think you can make this "fix cart" as you put it in 30 seconds? Go gett'em tiger. And yes I know you where talking about the connector on the inside of the console but as each person has clearly stated they don't want to alter the 7800 console, your statment is ill founded.

I wouldn't try to rip off the 7800 community with some bullshit piece of extension hardware taht's unnecessary.

It's amazing how many vultures there are in the Retro gaming scene.

Obviously you can't read. I made the one for dusk for FREE and the only reason I said $45 was to keep anyone from asking me to make them one. I even said that straight out. Your such a bitch Danno, go play somewhere else.

I come here to help people. Lot's of people come here to rip people off. If you said that to dissuade people from asking you to make them, fine, I understand. But there ARE a lot of Vultures in this scene.

Personally, I would have just said "I can't make anymore."

[Danno]

Also - I don't consider my "fix" to be an alteration at all. Atari made a MISTAKE in their manufacturing of the later models of the 7800, that didn't allow some 2600 carts to fit properly.

My suggestion fixes that mistake. It's not adding or changing anything. It's a correction to Atari's shoddy manufacturing habits.

The fact that it costs absolutely nothing, and takes no time or technical ability at all is merely a plus.

[Propane13]

Is Gorilla Glue tested on actual gorillas?
If not, I don't know if I really want to use that product.

-John

[Shawn Sr.]

Propane13, on Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:02 PM, said:

Is Gorilla Glue tested on actual gorillas?
If not, I don't know if I really want to use that product.

-John

Only on Sundays so it's not *too* bad.

[shadow460]

Atari made quite a few mistakes in the 7800 IMHO.  Lack of the TV type switch, weak connection point on the power supply, cart sleeve, timing circuit, etc.
That's how I justify moddding my own console, especially when its internal.  It'll be getting an XBoarD soon, which is another example.  that puts the sound chip on the inside, where it needs to be.

[Shawn Sr.]

shadow460, on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:01 AM, said:

  that puts the sound chip on the inside, where it needs to be.

I agree with you 100 percent on that Kyle, the sound by design should have been inside the machine. I just can't wait till you get your game going as that will be my ONLY reason why I get the xboard. No pressure, lol...

[shadow460]

Kyle?  Who's Kyle...?

And yeah, I do have to spend some time with the hardware.  I'm not sure I'd do a strict XBoarD release, but I don't have any problems making it where its designed to work primarily with the XBoarD, and use of a pass through POKEY or a cart based POKEY would allow it to sorta run.  Kinda like doing it exactly backwards to what's going with the POKEY games now...some will work on the XBoarD, but they tend to support cart POKEY a bit better.
lol, maybe I should star by hacking Ballblazer so that it'll use the XBoarD since you guys keep tearing them up...

Hey, I know!  There was talk about a POKEY pass through cart...now that's something useful!  If the Pokey could be added in to your design, or any add on hardware, for that matter, could be added in, that would rock!  Such a cart might be able to pass right through for 2600 games.

Edited by shadow460, Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:45 PM.

[supercat]

shadow460, on Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:01 PM, said:

It'll be getting an XBoarD soon, which is another example.  that puts the sound chip on the inside, where it needs to be.

I wonder how the cost of a POKEY (including the necessary board space) would have compared with the cost of one of the little sound chips found in the TI 99/4a, Colecovision, etc.?  While such a sound chip by itself would be rather feeble compared with a POKEY, I would think that in combination with the TIA it should work extremely well.

[Dusk2600]

I am kyle, i think he mistaken the poster of that message

[Shawn Sr.]

Dusk2600, on Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:20 PM, said:

I am kyle, i think he mistaken the poster of that message

Bingo. My Bad

[Shawn Sr.]

supercat, on Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:25 PM, said:

I wonder how the cost of a POKEY (including the necessary board space) would have compared with the cost of one of the little sound chips found in the TI 99/4a, Colecovision, etc.?  While such a sound chip by itself would be rather feeble compared with a POKEY, I would think that in combination with the TIA it should work extremely well.

Pokey chips run about 3 bucks new or used.

[shadow460]

Don't forget the XBoarD's RAM, too.

someone mentioned Commando.  What's special about that board?  I thought it was a 32K ROM with a Pokey just like Ballblazer...but evidently not.
What's on it?

[Shawn Sr.]

shadow460, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:31 AM, said:

Don't forget the XBoarD's RAM, too.

someone mentioned Commando.  What's special about that board?  I thought it was a 32K ROM with a Pokey just like Ballblazer...but evidently not.
What's on it?

Commando is 128k

[shadow460]

Hmmm, that's good to hear.  Perhaps I could either grab a photo of the board, or buy one to gently open up and check out, just to see what makes it tick.  I'd do that to my own, but...I just can't...even though I'm able to remove and replace the labels without any trouble at all.
Hmmm, looks like Bruce beat me to it...

Edited by shadow460, Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:11 PM.

[Shawn Sr.]

shadow460, on Sun Jan 14, 2007 4:03 PM, said:

Hmmm, that's good to hear.  Perhaps I could either grab a photo of the board, or buy one to gently open up and check out, just to see what makes it tick.  I'd do that to my own, but...I just can't...even though I'm able to remove and replace the labels without any trouble at all.
Hmmm, looks like Bruce beat me to it...

Just go to Dan Boris' 7800 tech page, he's got the read outs for all 7800 boards.

[shadow460]

Been there, musta missed it.

[Shawn Sr.]

[shadow460]

What's that? Looks like what would be the guts of your pass through cart.
Leave it to Shawn to make cart construction look easy.