retrobits

Thanks for your help with this rustynutt! It works great. I desoldered and removed pin 16 (so I don't have to open my scart cables to snip the wire) and wired a switch to +5V and the pin 16 pad. The only tricky bit was that the circuit board pad for pin 16 has connections both on the bottom and top of the board. So I needed to carefully apply a little solder to the top of the board at pin 16 where the wire to the switch came thru. If done right, the pin 16 pad should have connectivity to the diode ZD1 (left side when looking at the back of the scart connector). My Jaguar is now back in action. A while back my Sony PVM monitor died, but this cheap HDMI scaler gives even better output and best of all on modern display hardware. So cool! The switch lets me connect my old Atari 800 through a A/V scart converter too and the hdmi scaler is actually really good even when using crusty old composite.

Thanks for clarifying your steps. I'm going to try it by installing a switch on my HDMI scaler box to supply the 5V to pin 16. That way I can still use composite sources, which scale nicely too. And flip the switch to force RGB, I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry for being such a noob, but I don't know what you mean by this step. Did you open the HDMI scaler box and wire 5V from its power supply directly to pin 16 on the female scart connector of the HDMI scaler? Or did you modify something in your Falcon cable? thanks

This is a fantastic thread. Nearly four and a half years worth of Atari love recorded here (both emulated and right on the bare metal). I got inspired today after reading through the posts and have retrieved my 810 drives from storage. I figure, why not right? Spin 'em if you got em. I can't believe how much I've missed the sound the 810 makes when it hits a copy protected bad sector.

I enjoy emulators a lot, but when I wanted to play 4 player MULE with my kids a few years ago, I had nothing but trouble getting the 4 USB sticks to work properly together. Even in Claim Jumper there was noticeable interference between player input. Maybe this is a PC OS problem or maybe the USB ports were bad? In any case it's too complicated (and kills the fun) to try to figure that out when trying to play a game with others. Then there are the paddles. I've never seen USB paddles that serve as a replacement for real paddles. But there's no way to really understand the paddle shortcomings unless you grew up logging endless hours into Kaboom. The tiny nuances of Kaboom are burned into my brain very deep LOL. For these reasons I keep a few real Ataris (800s) hooked up to TVs and ready to go at the house. For those I typically just use cartridge games or flash cart versions just to make it really easy to fire up and play. An 800 connected to 4 of the old wico sticks with big red handles will run for years. We have tons of fun with Atari at my house and I'm happy to be able to share with the kids.

I'm tempted to order from AtGames, but (at least today) on the paddles page http://www.atgames.us/ATARI-Paddle-Controllers-for-Atari-Flashback-5-ARC200.htm, I see that availability is "Back Ordered". I've had some bad "back order" experiences so it makes me hesitate.

Thanks BigO, I've only carefully disassembled the pot and used alcohol to polish the surfaces. It works for a little while. What has worked for you?

I'm trying to find some good paddles. I have a a few sets but I'm tired of cleaning and they really don't work that well even when fully cleaned. Isn't there anywhere to get them anymore? I see Best Electronics is sold out. Also the nice repros at www.atgames.us are sold out. What is everyone doing about paddles these days?

Yes, Alien Infestation the DS game.

Yes, I think its the best Alien game I've played on any platform.

Alien Infestation

My buddy and I used to walk over a mile to play Karate Champ (2 player) at a 7-11. We dumped a ton of quarters in that one. "FULL POINT!!" There was also a good arcade in town where I remember playing Joust and Punch Out and vector games like Star Wars and Black Widow. The arcade had a medieval theme and served a drink called "wizards grog" that was concocted by pumping some of each flavor of the soda fountain into your cup. (It was not self-serve so the guy behind the counter did it for you.)

Thanks Gunstar, I'll try that. It will take me a while to custom build, but I'll let you know what happens. But if you are correct, then this guy has the wrong diagram published http://members.optusnet.com.au/eviltim/gamescart/gamescart.htm#jaguar. Also, the molded cable I ordered from France is wired exactly the same. I don't understand why there would be so much misinformation. I wonder if there is a difference between Jaguars pinouts such as ntsc vs pal? Mine are ntsc.

Hi Curt, I just received your new book "Atari Inc, Business is Fun". 796 pages! Just an unbelievable volume of Atari history. I'm fascinated with this book and am just in awe as to the amount of work that you must have put into it. Also, just wanted to say thanks for the Classic Stick 2. Received it a few days ago, and I am very impressed with the quality of this controller. You really nailed it this time around. Congratulations on your achievements this year, and I hope for many more to come.

Since we are talking about displays now, I bought a Sony pvm 20L2 monitor and am using rgb Scart cables to connect gaming consoles. Genesis and snes look fantastic, but the jaguar video output rolls and slides all over as if there's no sync. I've verified with multimeter that the cable I bought correctly sends composite video output pin 11b to Scart sync pin 20, which is exactly how genesis and snes cables are wired. Not sure how to troubleshoot further.

Payment sent. Thank you very much for doing all the work to make this 2nd run possible.

I can confirm that the trigger switch in the paddle controllers is a compatible replacement for the 800 console switches. There are two types in the paddles that I found during my repair tonight. The power circuit board of the 800 will take both types (the two types use different solder points on the board). I tried to open the non-working switches without destroying them but was unable to figure out how. In any case, after replacing the faulty switches, I have a fully working Atari 800 again. Thanks kenjennings for the suggestion.

http://retrobits.net/atari/osshack.shtml

You may have already done this but I would go crazy with a multimeter connectivity tester and make sure there's no broken traces on the board. Also check connectivity thru the cart port pins.

Exactly as Larry said -- I'm also really interested in this but would like to understand what's included before preorder.

Algus, that controller sounds interesting. Is this the one you have? http://www.gamestop.com/accessories/retro-classic-controller/107011

I would like one board. Thanks Candle for all your work.

I would like to purchase incognito if another run of boards is done.

I dreamed about this cartridge many years ago and now I finally have it here in my hands. The production quality is just outstanding. Panos, Thank you so much for your work on this project.

If still available, I'd also like to order one. thanks santosp! PM sent...