CV Gus

Testing the POKEY itself doesn't seem necessary to me yet. Q: Have you verified that the POKEY inputs match expectations? It doesn't match the logic flow in my head to condemn the POKEY when you can get player movement by touching the inputs. A: I have tried that trick. Even direct contact does not achieve much of anything horizontally, and nothing vertically. Even if the pins of the 5200 controller port are touched together. Besides, when nothing is plugged in, it is always supposed to be as if the controller is jammed down and right- this does not happen. This is with all ports. In any case, I don't know what the expectations should be- this is what I'm trying to find out. I have nothing to go by yet. Q: Have you verified that you can see the varying resistance from the pots in the controller if you probe the controller connector with an ohmmeter? A: The problem is absolutely not with the controllers, be they 5200 or my two custom-made ones. Q: Does pin 9 at the controller port have a voltage on it? A: I do not know. I would assume there should be a voltage if you touch Pin 9 and 10 or 11. But again, this is a problem common to all the ports. I'll try it. Q: Do you know what that voltage should be? I think that cluster of transistors is a voltage (and/or current) regulator of some sort. A: No. I would need repair schematics for that, and if I had them, I could test the POKEY chip. Q: If you measure the voltage across the caps where pins 10 & 11 of the controllers connect to the POKEY, do you see anything happening there?The voltage at the POKEY input pins or across the caps should show up on a meter and should change somehow with rotation of the controller pots (assuming a working game is running at the time). I couldn't pretend to know the "correct" voltage you'd see, but some activity would give an indication that the POKEY inputs are possibly correct. A: This would be caused by the controllers (high resistance brings down voltage). If the problem is with the POKEY chip, then it is not properly reacting to the input. The fact that it does not act as if a controller is jammed down and right when nothing is plugged in would seem to imply this- something is not reacting to input as it should.

I guess what I actually want is information on how to TEST these chips- especially POKEY, as well as the others. That way, I can zero in on the problem. Anyone have anyhting on how to do this? I really do want to get this 5200 up and running again.

I've printed that out, thanks- but it is not a schematic. A schematic would illustrate the logic gates (AND, NAND, OR, etc.), if any, on a chip. You know, looking it all over again, I'm not so sure it is the POKEY chip. All four ports appear to be out, so this implies a common problem. With my CV Roller Controller, it was only the horizontal, so it was a part of the chip in question. But they were separate functions; the vertical was fine. Here, NOTHING involving the potentiometers (my 5200 has 4 Ports X 2 Potentiometers, so 8 total) is working. The schematic shows a large potentiometer for centering all of the joysticks, and several transistors, both PNP and NPN, going through a diode, with several grounds, capacitors, and resistors, too. These all lead to the GTIA chip, pin # 14. The large potentiometer does NOTHING. This in of itself should be a clue, but at this time I'm not sure what it means. It seems more likely that the problem is somewhere here than the POKEY chip, although testing is the only way to be sure. Quite frankly, since the Atari systems here have the overwhelmingly good aspect of plug-in chips, it would make sense to get replacement chips and simply try them out to see if anything changes. If not, the problem is with one of the lesser components. Still, if someone can tell me how to TEST them, that would be best, especially since I now have a nifty digital multitester. Ah, garage sales. Note: Again, everything else- including keypad and fire buttons- work just fine. It is only the directional controls that do not work.

Can anyone direct me to a schematic for the POKEY chip itself, so I can test it?

So far, I've narrowed it down. It's most likely the POKEY chip, although there is a possiblity it's in the transistor cluster at the lower right, or the diode in the line. Can one get a replacement POKEY chip?

My 5200 doesn't work. Well, it does...except for the directional controls. When you move the joystick or paddle, nothing happens, although jiggling the port while something is plugged in makes (whatever) move, although in a chaotic fashion. This appears to be the case with all of the ports, and I tested the contacts withing the port itself. If nothing is plugged in, this is not the case, and at times the cursor in Missile Command is NOT down and right, which is what normally happens if the joystick is unplugged. If you lightly brush the pins 9, 10, and 11 with the tip of your finger, the object will move smoothly horizontally- the cursor in Missile Command, that is. There is almost no activity for vertical. All other funtions work correctly, including fire and keypad. I just copied the schematics for a 5200, and will look into it tonight. But I will also need the schematics for those partcular chips*, so I can test them, and my time is up here for the weekend, so that won't be for a few days. If anyone here can give me some help on what to look for, that'd be great. * This is how I was able to repair my CV Roller Controller- actually, the exact info was there on the schematic itself, but the same idea.

Could you be a bit more specific about what happens? What do you mean by "drifting?" What happens if you turn on the CV without the controllers? The Intellivision- it's highly unusual for a systen to not work AND THEN work in any way. Normally, it's the other way around, usually because of a defective resistor or such warming up and having its value change. If your Intellivision works in any way after a time, it could be a bad solder point or break in the circuitry that expands as the unit heats up, thus making proper contact. As for the rest, again, could you be specific? Note- I have written directions about replacing those chips in the CV. I can send you a copy if you'd like.

It is a good game. It's also tough as anything. I've only managed to get about 2/3 of the way through the fourth time.

Last night I tried the "free games" bug. Unless I am just unlucky and kept hitting the 25% part, the 64 free games bug does not occur here, nor does the upside-down screen or no-boundaries screen. The glitch that is supposed to occur on screen 140 or so does occur here, however. Note: My version does allow one to skip screens. However, I actually played through screen 137 once I got there. It also has that odd dot-color feature. What's really strange about it is that simply pushing the RESET button has no effect on the colors; only by switching the CV on and off will do it. Is there anyone else here who has a version that does that- the dots can be light blue/cyan; yellow; or white. Again, whichever one it starts with affects the dot colors in all four mazes in Ms. Pac-Man. This has got to be the best version of these games among systems before the 32-bit consoles. And it can hold up against those, even.

Last night, I read through an old videogame magazine, and came across an old trick to "play forever." In Ms. Pac-Man, when you reach screen 137 (oh, is that all?), the characters and dots are as they should be, but the maze is upside-down. If you finish the screen anyway, there was a 75% chance you'd get 64 free games, and the next screen was a maze with no boundaries.

If you start the Ms. Pac-Man game right away, sometimes the first maze is blue. So it is in the arcade version, too. Talk about accuracy! Is there anyone else with a version that has the dots being a different color as you flip the on/off switch? I can get cyan, white, and gold; possibly light blue as well. In the case of Ms. Pac-Man, this affects the dot colors in all four mazes.

I did now- nothing about such things. Do you know of anyone else?

I've asked this before, but I lost track of it. Since my time on these computers is very limited, can anyone here direct me to a company that sells those 15-pin plugs used on the Atari 5200 consoles? I need several to repair my 5200 (it only has one port, so Space Dungeon and Robotron: 2084 cannot be played fully), and to help finish my 9-pin controller to 5200 console module. Once that's built, almost ANY 9-pin controller can be used on a 5200, as well as the 2600 paddle controllers! Thanks.

Pretty much that. It was so nice, seeing which arcade games from that era would make it home- Cosmic Avenger, Q*Bert, Bump `N Jump, Burgertime, Frenzy, Mr. Do!'s Castle, Turbo, Spy Hunter, Tapper, Ladybug, Pepper 2, etc. Guess I just liked the whole scene better back then.

Last week I managed a "perfect" game. Wasn't hit even once. This game is an achievement, really. It actually approaches fourth-generation quality.

Actually, I've been aware of it for a while now- I even asked which version is better over at the Digital Press, but yours is the best video of the 7800 version I've seen so far, so thanks! I guess I'll ask the same here. I would assume a slight improvement in visuals with the 7800, but much better sound with the 5200. Still, to see this delightful game- my favorite of the original four- on the 7800 is something else. If Atari had realized that any potential market for the 7800 was with "first generation" gamers, then they would've scooped up classics for the 7800, and it might have had a firm place with those of us not into the more (for then) games. But part of my leaning towards the 5200 version is that- what some at the 5200 section cannot comprehend- is that the 5200 is only behind the CV in my collection, which is why it's hooked up. Just push the button, and you can play the 5200 like that. But right now, I cannot get any such games. It's been a tough year.

The full review is over at the Digital Press. Sorry it didn't work here, newcoleco.

Ah, heck. Since the pictures didn't make it, let's just say that this game is to the CV in 2009 what Smurf Rescue was in 1982- an amazing piece of work. The scrolling, which is multi-plane, has to be seen to be believed.

Well, there is an MSX version of that game- which means it could be done on a CV, and newcoleco's Ghostblaster proves it could be done better than that version. So it can be done on a CV. The 7800 has Scrapyard Dog, which is a Super Mario Bros.-style game. So why couldn't it be done, and done well, on a 7800? Unless adding the extra needed memory would be a problem? But would a 7800 Super Mario Bros. actually sell? That would be the biggest obstacle of all.

Having owned all three systems for years, I would definitely recommend the 5200, in spite of the crummy controllers. I myself have started 5200 vs. 7800 threads in the past. The only thing everyone agrees on is that the 7800 usually has the better graphics, but the 5200 has superior sound. As for the titles, well, obviously that's strictly subjective. If you like Berzerk and Qix, for example, then go for the 5200. To me, the overall look of the 5200 games are just "brighter" than those of the 7800, which just somehow seem- although technically better- duller. The 5200 also had a superior collection for its time, although that probably does not matter so much in late 2009. Still, the 5200 library is better than the 7800's, at least to me. Here are some good ones to look out for: Pengo. Space Dungeon. Defender. Super Pac-Man. Ms. Pac-Man. Actually, the 7800 version does not look THAT much better at all, although the mazes are more accurate than the 5200's. As far as I know, the only version that has perfectly accurate mazes and gameplay in the 8-Bit arena is Opcode's CV version. Blueprint. Robotron: 2084 (has more impact than the 7800 version). Gyruss. Mountain King. Be warned, it's insanely frustrating. Berzerk. Yes, it does talk. Qix. One of the most unique games ever made. Star Raiders. Centipede. Especially if you can get the trak-ball. Millipede. Wizard of Wor. Graphics aren't great, but the gameplay is 100%. Just be warned that, unlike the 7800, which uses standard 9-pin controllers, the 5200 uses an unusual 15-pin analog control scheme, so unless you can build your own, don't expect to find 5200 controllers easily.

True, so true! The only way to play such games is with a paddle controller. The difference between Super Breakout with the joystick and a paddle controller just cannot be described. I was able to finish games with a paddle controller! But to make one for a CV is more difficult than making a digital controller for a 5200.

Pulsar for the CV. Unless the 5200 can better handle the sound effects.