NoahsMyBro

ooops. NOT a CGE release, huh? Well, then, I don't know after all. Oh well, I guess I need more hints. I'm just going to sit down and shut up now. Sorry about the ruckus...

Oh DAMN!!! I just figured it out! SniderMan ! Please post so I can guess again! I was too stupid. Of course it's not Venture II. You already gave one of those away. Shoot! Darn! Rats! That's the end.....

I'll be stunned if this is it, but you wouldn't be giving away a copy of Venture II, would you?

Obviously I'm in a very small minority (of one, perhaps?), but I've always thought the 5200 looked very cool. It was sleek and futuristic looking. I always thought the Intellivision & Colecovision were terribly ugly. Note I'm specifically discussing the physical consoles/controllers. Admittedly my favorite system was the 5200, but I'm not talking about the games here. I thought the actual CV & Intv consoles themselves were ugly, especially the CV. Yes, the 5200 is inconveniently HUGE, but I think it looks really cool anyway. And, I thought hidden controller storage was a terrific idea, along with the built-in storage reel on the bottom for the signal cable. The only missing piece was some way to attractively store the power cable, as I had a 2-port. We always had cables running all over the place with my VCS, and the 5200 went a long way toward helping with that problem. SO, any mods to the case, IMO, would need to pay close attention to maintaining attractive aesthetics. Steve

I've been trying, on and off, for 5 years to get my wife (33 years old) to enjoy videogames. So far, no dice. I even went so far as to buy Kao the Kangaroo (Dreamcast)! It looked cute, like a potential hit for me. Turns out, it is/was the worst game I've ever tried out. In league with E.T., for crying out loud. Many Odyssey 2 games were superior to that hunk-a-junk. So, if anybody here has any good tips on converting the vidoegame-ambivalent-females in our midst, share, share!

One is a Ford Mustang. The other is a Chevy Corvette.

Is it possible the listing had a typo, & it should be 'plot', not 'pilot'?

Is it possible the listing had a typo, & it should be 'plot', not 'pilot'?

Another ignorant question: I found the 5200 schematics here on Atari Age. Now, I'm not an expert on reading schematics and I could be completely wrong, but it looks to me like the various schematics don't cover the circuits that handle the power system. IE, where does the DC voltage go after it is delivered to the motherboard from the RF cable? Am I simply ignorant, and the available schematics do detail that? If so, where should I look for it/which schematic? If not, does anybody know where I could find the appropriate schematic online? Thanks, Steve

Never mind - just found them... D'oH!

I am trying to revive an old, dead 5200 4-port. Last week I found some schematics online, I think here at AA. Now I can't find them anywhere. Any of you guys know where I could find these? Thanks, Steve

Previous alternate controller solutions often had issues with games that utilized the 'full analogness' of the original controllers. For example, in Missile Command you might only get one speed of cursor control, rather than having slow & fast movement, based on how far the stick is pushed. I assume the Mastercontrol doesn't have this limitation, but just to be sure: -- Using the Mastercontrol interface, would the player have the exact same capabilities as with the original Atari joysticks? Steve

Allan - How did you get the screenshot?

I've never heard of Thowcker. What is/was it?

Speaking of saturating the market, consider me a case-study for the market. I am currently saddled with a couple of balance-carrying-credit cards. I got my first credit card in 1987 or '88, and until this summer I'd never carried a balance before on any cards (aside from the occasional forgetting to pay a statement). I've already sent in payment for Thrust+ SE and QB:SE, and am waiting for them to arrive. I intend to send off a $25 check this weekend for the DP 7th Edition. I also just emailed Randy to reserve copies of Space Treat & Marble Craze ($55), and very much want to get HH3D & Super PacMan for the 5200. I don't even know the price for them. About an hour ago I sent off a reservation/order request for Mental Kombat ($49 + shipping). And I can't think of them off the top of my head, but I know I've passed up many homebrews this year and last. I want them all, but I'm already a little out of control and I simply can't afford everything. Hell, I don't even have time to play most of the games. I figure once I retire I'm set as far as electronic entertainment goes. I wanted Castle Blast, but had to pass it by; ditto for the Cuttle Cart, Intellicart, Ms. Space Fury, Tsunami, BattleSphere Gold, etc... I'm actually hoping Koffi & Adventure II don't come out for a long time. I very much want to get both, but just can't afford to yet.

I didn't know any of the games failed on the 4-port. I have tried Super Pac-Man (from Sean Kelly's multicart ) out on my 2-port, and it will not run. *From my imperfect memory: The moment you try to load it, the bottom half of the screen fills with garbage, and the machine locks up.

I'm definitely interested, but $120 is the high end of what I could afford to spend on this. That's not to say I wouldn't spend the $120, but I'd have to think about it, and I couldn't go higher. Having said that, I didn't get a Cuttle Cart and would like to get one of these, as it sounds like it would support that functionality, and then some. Wireless is a non-issue for me. I can run ethernet anywhere I need/want to, I currently have no wireless hardware, and I don't have any current intentions of getting wireless. It's very cool, but not secure enough/mature enough yet for me. Just my two cents, Steve

Another helpful internetizen (just made up that word! It's not very catchy, though.) on rec.games.video.atari also suggested I check the voltage regulator. He explained that it is the black component attached to the large black heatsink, with 3 legs. He also described which leg is the +5v. May I test that with my multimeter, by attaching the negative probe to a ground (the RF Shielding, perhaps?), and the positive probe to the +5v leg? I assume the AC Adapter would be plugged in & connected to the switchbox for this, and the RF/AC cable on the system attached to the switchbox? If I do this and the output isn't +5v (I'm assuming it will be nothing/0/nada/kaput), is it likely I could replace the voltage regulator and be playing games on the system ? ---------- As always, I accept full responsibility for any damage or harm I cause doing this, and I won't sue you or anybody else for anything related to this. SO, all you lawyers, SHOO! ----------

Last weekend I recieved a dead 4-port 5200 in trade. It does not power up. It's likely it had an Atari 800 power supply connected to it at some point in the past. Upon opening the unit up, I noticed 3 components, labelled C30, C32, & C33. These components look like discs, mostly olive green, with shiny black coloring at the tops. A) I'm guessing these are capacitors - am I right? B) Are they supposed to be all green, and is the black on the top indicative that they've fried? C) Is it reasonable to conclude that the wrong power supply was hooked up, and it fried these capacitors? If so, could I probably get the system working by replacing these capacitors? Thanks for any help, Steve

Any new status on Thrust + ? Have they shipped out yet, for those of us unable to make it to CGE?

Uuummmm, Uncle Duke ?..... Not to try and cast any aspersions, and I am not at all trying to suggest you may be making less than truthful assertions, but, um, er, well, uh.... Supre Breakout doesn't roll over, if memory serves. As I remember things, after clearing the second board, the game just ends. But maybe you have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this apparent attempt to mislead the fine AA citizenry?

I'm definitely interested in discussing this with you. I can't devote the appropriate attention to the details right now, but please email me if you're still interested as I have 2 2-ports and no 4-ports. Thanks, Steve [email protected]

I don't know what to tell you about your problem, but I've been after a 4-port forever. As a matter of fact, when my 5200 was *new*, I wanted a 4-port even then. SO, if you get yours working, and you still know somebody that can sell one cheap, AND you're somewhere nearby (I'm in northern NJ) so that shipping isn't a deal-killer, please, please let me know. Thanks, NoahsMyBro

Sniderman: Well, I guess I'm a doofus, but what on earth was your 'clue'??

That's a tempting offer, but I only have one Saturn and hate to give it up... Anything else you're looking for? What area are you in? US? What region? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...........looking for an inexpensive car? Check out mine: http://64.81.193.244 , then follow the link at the top of the page..... Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------