eggplant_casserole

Quite probably, and plentiful. Unfortunately, I was unable to find title deeds going back even 15 years, so I haven't been able to determine the original land value. I should imagine even JTS did OK from the sale of the buildings. Somehow, the value of 1265 dropped from $15 million in 2010 to $6 million in 2011, but pretty much rose $3 million each year after that. 1196, on the other hand, was only valued at $4 million in 2010 and remained steady until a sharp jump to $25 million in 2017. Very odd! Perhaps Google paid well over the odds?

Yeah. I guess the original isn't the prettiest building, but it still had a certain charm. I quite like 1196, though. It makes sense to build higher... it's funny how Atari built low-level across a wide area. You'd think it would have been more cost-effective to do several floors.

I'm not sure whether anyone else has noticed, but Google have been buying a lot of property in Sunnyvale with some rather disappointing consequences for those who want to make a pilgrimage there. Firstly, there was Moffett Place, a 55 acre tech campus approved in December 2013 and built on the land south of 1265 Borregas Ave. Thus we lost the former Consumer Engineering, Consumer Sub Assembly, Consumer Final Assembly, Coin-Op Printed Circuit and 400/800/Pinball Manufacturing buildings at 1173, 1195 and 1215 Borregas Ave, 155 Moffett Park Drive and 1180 Bordeaux Drive. This was mostly leased to Google by Jay Paul after they already took all of the 26.5 acre Tech Corners just down the road and at least part of the 52 acre Moffett Towers next door as well as Moffett Gateway. Just last year, they signed leases on the units in Moffett Place and Moffett Gateway that they didn't already occupy. In 2017, Google started buying property in the area, particularly around the old WeirdStuff Warehouse. This included: 1190 Borregas Ave 1196 Borregas Ave (second Sunnyvale HQ / Computer Operations / ASRL) 1265 Borregas Ave (first Sunnyvale HQ / Coin-Op Engineering) 1272 Borregas Ave (Consumer Engineering / Microelectronics / Coin-Op Engineering) 1212 Bordeaux Drive 1330-46 Bordeaux Drive (including Consumer Chip Programming, Coin-Op Customer Service and Consumer Customer Service) 1360-68 Bordeaux Drive (including Maintenance Department and Board Games Division) 1323 Borregas Ave 1383 Borregas Ave (Consumer Warehouse? marked 1385 on the Atari map) 1393-95 Borregas Ave (Consumer Warehouse) 160 Gibraltar Court 165 Gibraltar Court (the latest acquisition, formerly TI) 140-146 West Caribbean Drive 360-394 West Caribbean Drive (including Consumer Warehouse - Components, Consumer/Coin-Op Warehouse and Consumer Warehouse - Finished Goods) ...as well as more property on First Avenue, Java Drive, Bordeaux Drive and North Mathilda Ave, bought from Verizon, and 16 acres from NetApp (about where the Atari logo is on the map). In fact, they've spent a staggering $1.4 billion on property in Sunnyvale in the past four years - 50 buildings, apparently... although I think it's more than that. This is what their acquisitions looked like in 2017 - there are more since: There are two further planning applications of particular interest: 1. Google Caribbean Campus (Project 2017-8042) In June 2018, Study Session 18-0536 proposed "to allow the redevelopment of a 40.5-acre site for two new 5-story R&D office buildings totaling 1,041,890 s.f. including a 4-level parking structure resulting in 59% FAR. The existing 679,225 s.f. of office & manufacturing buildings will be demolished." This was followed by Study Session 19-1153 in October 2019, Report to Board 20-0263 in February 2020, Report to Council 20-0356 in March and Report to Council 20-0433 in May, when the project was approved. More details are on the project page as well as the sites of designers Michelle Kaufmann Studio and BIM Designs. The decision is here. 2. 1265 Borregas (Project 2019-7507) In January 2020, Study Session 20-0160 proposed "the demolition of existing buildings and the redevelopment of four (4) parcels, including the construction of a new 5-story, 182,500 sq. ft. building (1265 Borregas Avenue), a lot line adjustment between 1265 Borregas Avenue and 160 Gibraltar Court, and construction of open space and surface parking (1190 and 1196 Borregas Avenue) serving 1265 Borregas Avenue. Phase 2 will include the demolition of the building at 160 Gibraltar Court and the construction of sports fields." It seems there is audio of the meeting. There was also Report to Board 20-0516, which appears to have been approved in May. The decision is here. Yes, they're demolishing the original HQ building. It would seem there's not enough car parking provision, so I believe they want to demolish the second HQ building and 1190 to use as the car park. A bit of a sad end to both buildings, really... but particularly one becoming the other's car park! Anyway, you can see the previous refurb plans and have a look at how the building appears today. This will leave the map of Atari buildings rather depleted: However, it's not all bad news. As you can see, they're introducing some greenery and the Moffett Park Special Plan is for an eco-friendly Smart City and a presentation was given in June on the Green Link and Manila Avenue Bikeway Project. So it would seem Google are thinking about sustainability. It is, of course, a shame that nobody bought one of the HQ buildings to use as a museum... but that's understandable, considering they paid $24 million for 1265 and $25 million for 1196! Perhaps an Atari super fan could contact the developers and ask to keep a piece of Atari history when they knock it down? What would you go for? The reception desk? The doors? The street number? I had a search and couldn't see anything about this on the forums. Sorry if this is the wrong section, but I don't see a general Atari chat - mods feel free to move it somewhere more appropriate.

Very sad news. He was a great person. I remember many years ago, he was happy to offer me advice, even giving technical information in a clear manner. RIP Curt, thanks for such an outstanding contribution to video gaming history and an interest shared by so many.

Whilst the 7805 would have been available when the Lynx was designed, the problem with it is that it requires at least 7 volts to operate. In theory, that would mean a shorter operating time on batteries. That's helpful, thanks. The diagram I have (same as the one on the site) is not correct for the board I have... at least, not the first one I attempted. I've yet to check it against the later revision. It was quite frustrating working with a diagram that wasn't the same as the circuit! Unfortunately, my bench supply is in need of repair itself, or I would have tried it on 5 volts direct. I might just knock one up with a spare PSU and a 7805 just for this purpose, though. I'm not that hopeful that it'll work straight away, but it's worth a try! I do indeed fear that Suzy or Mikey might be damaged. If any other IC is gone, I wouldn't mind! I'll certainly give interrogating the CPU a go, though. Thanks for the info and suggestions! I'll report how it goes!

What's regulating the power, though? It's fixable - anything made by man can be fixed by man. Whether it's worth the time, effort and cost is another matter, though! It's worth a try, anyway. Was there a service manual for the Lynx?

Firstly, I have to say that I've checked the forum for threads that might help, and yes I've read the threads on shorting the grounds to diagnose a faulty switch, and it's not that! I have two model II Lynx units, both with similar issues. The first would not turn on without using the ground short method. The power pin has snapped off, so I'm only able to use batteries at present. Upon shorting the grounds, the machine comes on, but only with a blank white screen. Shorting the cart pins does not result in the insert cartridge screen, and none of the buttons or controls (including brightness) do anything. 5V points are reading around 8 or 9 volts. This unit has a Rev. A [1] board. The second unit doesn't require the ground short, but still displays a white screen. The on/off buttons work, but the brightness control does not. Again, the pin short does nothing and 5V points read around 8 or 9 volts. This unit has a different board - Rev. 2 [6], which didn't have any shielding. Some components differed, too. Unfortunately, the only circuit diagrams I've been able to obtain haven't been very useful for fault-finding, with components having different numbers or being in completely different places. All components I've tested so far appear OK. I've seen people mention that a higher voltage suggests that some chips have been fried. Could anyone elaborate on what is the cause of this higher voltage? I don't see any regulator in the circuit, and 9V is obviously the voltage the batteries would be giving out, so it would seem that something isn't doing its job of regulating the voltage down to 5V... but what? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I don't care whether you can buy it new or not, it is still someone's copyright. Therefore, yes, it IS illegal. Why not count second hand sellers? That's where you can get it. You get a better sense of achievement if you have to hunt down the game. There are some games that took me years to find, and I am glad I did. Downloading them would not have felt the same, plus you don't get the nice artwork, packaging etc.

Sure, they have a right to ask a high amount for it - it is unlikely they'll get any bids, though! Well, I found another copy go for nearly £30 after many bids, so I guess it holds some rarity. I guess there aren't many ST collectors on here, then. That's your choice... personally I'd rather have the original than an illegal download. And you lose the thrill of collecting, too... it isn't all just about gameplay!

I was having a sort-out, and found a box of Atari ST games. Amongst them was this: I noticed that the only copy on eBay stated it was very rare (which, of course, means nothing usually!) and they wanted a ridiculous price (£75). I'm sure that must be a tad optimistic! How rare is this game really, and what sort of value does it hold? Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Oh wow, boxed! Very nice! Thanks for the info, guys! It has been most helpful.

Umm, not as far as I'm aware - unless anyone knows differently! The label has a picture of a fireman tackling a fire. And wasn't it called Towering Inferno in the US? I wonder what kinda films you've been watching for a picture of a fireman squirting his hose to be considered X-rated..... Certainly not the original Towering Inferno!!!

Yes! I remember having a few carts in, really common stuff though like Pac-Man. What was in the box was all pretty common, too. I have no idea where this came from, as I never saw it before! Thanks for the replies - nice to know I grabbed a bargain! heh.

Someone came into work today, and asked if we had any 2600 games. I had a dig around, but couldn't see any left. The boss asked what I was looking for, I told him and he pointed to a box hidden up on a shelf. I got it down, and let the customer look. As he was doing so, I saw something and nearly screamed - I knew that it was less common than the other tat in there, and I WANTED IT! Fortunately, the guy chose Asteroids, Missile Command and something else, leaving me to buy this..... I see there has been a little discussion on it before. Still, what would you say its rarity is? How often does it turn up for sale, and what does it fetch? I saw that there are no pics in the database (I'd say rarity guide but it only seems to turn up by manufacturer!). If you want one, I'll try and get around to digging out the light tent and taking a good one!

Hehehe. I did actually post a pic of the brochure, for those who would doubt it. However, my typing sucked and I can't edit my post! here it is again: http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyerdb&...id=3303&image=1 Noone got any info on how many were produced, or when? There seems to be no info on the net at all on them, even KLOV has none (doesn't surprise me - hideously innaccurate sometimes!!)