Vyncynt

Hello everyone! I also recently purchased the VCS as a Black Friday special direct from Atari, but am stuck in the dreaded update loop! I went through the same troubleshooting steps others have, but stopped just short of updating the firmware because it was from a Google drive link and I was a bit skeptical about it being official. Submitted a support ticket with details. I have a feeling they will tell me to do the same thing they told @grayskull to do. Will keep everyone posted!

Please add me to the list: 1 for Atari 800XL NTSC with the longer cable. I am in the USA

I have no idea which pins to check on the chips.

Yep, verified. Used my Raspberry Pi breadboard kit to test. Put a 220 ohm resistor inline and tested with a dummy LED, then tested the keyboard LEDs. Both are ok.

Checked both LEDs. They are good.

Possibly. I checked both. Here's what I found. Machine A appears to be older. No revision number or date on the board. RF shielding was screwed down. Chips are NOT socketed. Machine B appears to be newer. Revision A2 (1983). RF shielding was crimped down. Chips ARE socketed (yay!). Found a detachable red lead running from the board at 13 to the cartridge bay dust cover/doors. Just to be sure, I tested the both keyboard LEDs by running 3.3V and a 220 ohm resistor. Both work normally. On both systems, I tested the lower leads from the power switch. They show 0 ohms when off, and machine A shows 1 ohm, machine B shows 0.8 ohms when on. I don't know what to check after that.

I didn't realize the need to test this, but already trashed the old ingot.

I had a couple of regular hard drives connected also and they powered up normally.

I appreciate the information. That's what I was afraid of. I matched the 5V and GND connections correctly. Yes, 5V is very stable at the splice and the DIN pinout. I read some older topics where people said Best Electronics sells a fully populated 800XL motherboard. I'm considering just buying one ($69) along with the repairable power supply ($27) so I don't have to deal with the hassle. Curious if http://www.best-electronics-ca.com is the correct address. The web page looks pretty dated. Wondering if anyone else has bought either of those items and if the boards are soldered or socketed.

What I have I have two 800XL's (NTSC) which were both in storage for 10+ years. I only had one Atari power supply, which I learned was the "ingot". Both worked prior to insertion in storage. I also have two 1050 drives, each with their own PSU. Both of those power up just fine. I did not have them connected when I tested the 800XLs. Problem Neither will power up. Power LEDs do not illuminate. Nothing on the screen. What I tried 1. Initially tried connecting the PSU to the computer, but no power LED and nothing on the screen. No smoke, sparks, or explosions either. Had it connected about 10 seconds to each. 2. Tested a 5V ATX PSU (correctly jumpered and tested with a hard drive). Butchered the ingot PSU's DIN cable and wired it into a molex connector (black wire to red, black wire w/white stripe to black). Connected to the computer. Tested across the leads and read 5V DC. No power. Also tested with my Amiga's Bigfoot PSU w/molex connectors, but no luck either. Same results. 3. Connected to TV with RF and then to a monitor with monitor cable, nothing on the screen. 4. I wore a nerd bracelet and disassembled both. Caps are not visibly leaking. Chips are NOT socketed to the board. Need Help Does anyone know of a troubleshooting guide or tips to try to make them work? I have minimal electronics experience, but do have a pretty good voltmeter and am comfortable soldering. I realize I might need to replace components or the system outright (if I can find a working one for a reasonable price). Thanks!