markjd

Small polystyrene caps like that are not polarized. The red band *may* indicate which lead connects to the outermost foil leaf in the capacitor. In some circuits it may reduce noise/interference if this lead is connected to the lowest impedance end of the circuit.

Thanks for the 5V regulator advice. That was one of the first things I checked since the unit had the early 78M05 regulator, but the output was ~4.95VDC so I didn't worry about that yet. I've ordered a 7805A and some replacement electrolytic caps to keep the unit happy for a few more years. And I replaced the 0.22uF film cap at the input of the 5V regulator, which I read may also be problematic.

Quadrunner- Thanks for indicating that it was likely a chip problem. I swapped chip one-by-one with a parts unit, and it turned out to be the TIA chip that was the culprit.

Hello all- I'm working on a light sixer 2600 in which the on-screen moveable objects are either misaligned diagonally or heavily distorted diagonally. Sound is fine. A screenshot example from Centipede is shown, Space Invaders and Asteriods is much worse. Adventure is almost normal, but player movement is jerky. Would anyone have pointers on what I should be looking at to fix this problem? New video TIA chip or something else? Any help appreciated. Thanks- Mark