Ian Primus

Didn't these used to be like $2 each? I seem to remember buying some from them in the early 2000's... -Ian

Hmm. That's odd. It should have worked. There isn't much else in that circuit. The only other thing I can think of is that the cap is shorted (again, unlikely, there's no voltage on it, and it's a ceramic cap), or possibly that the 4050 has developed some kind of internal resistance to ground - a potential failure mode. The only other part in that circuit is a 10k pullup resistor. It could have opened, but again, it's pretty unlikely, I've never seen one fail on the controller port. Easy enough to check though. Check with a meter between the now-shorted pins 9 and 10 on the 4050 and ground, and see what you get for resistance. Check between pin 6 on the controller port and +5v, and see what the resistance is (should be around 10k). Remove the TIA and slightly bend out pin 36, then reinsert it. It shouldn't fire continuously, but of course the fire button won't work either. At least that would rule out the TIA. Another thing to try, would be to desolder pins 9 and 10 of the 4050, and carefully bend them up and out of the board (this is possible... Just remove the solder from the two pins so they're free, then using a tiny screwdriver or paperclip or something, pull them up and out of the board.). Then connect the pads where pins 9 and 10 used to be. That takes the 4050 out of the equation entirely, in case it has some kind of internal resistance/short to ground. I've not had this particular problem with a six switch before - so I'm going on the schematic, and the knowledge that I did check it against my six-switch Sears Telegames Atari, and it matched. For reference, the Atari joystick is simply five switches - when they're pressed, they connect one pin to ground. Pins 1-4 are up, down, left and right, respectively. Pin 6 is the fire button, pin 8 is ground. Internally, the directional switches go to inputs on the RIOT chip, and the fire buttons go the the TIA. The fire button is wired differently though. The RIOT, an I/O chip, already has the necessary "stuff" inside it to prevent the input lines from "floating" - floating is a condition where you have an input that's not connected to anything. Any stray signal can influence this - such as a long joystick cable getting an induced current. To prevent this from having a weird effect on logic, pullup resistors are used - this ties the line high (off) all the time, through a high value resistor. The line can still be drivin low by proper input, however. So, the RIOT already handles all this by itself, so all the directional switches just go directly to input pins on the RIOT. The TIA does not - so there is an external pullup resistor on the button input, a "deglitching" cap to ground, and in the six switch, a buffer chip (4050). Hopefully some of this makes sense. It's hard to troubleshoot things by "remote control" -Ian

Hehe. Yeah, I wouldn't expect every cart individually bagged, but that would be pretty funny to see the look on someones face getting a box with sixty carts, all individually "sealed for freshness" The important thing is just to make sure that your packing material doesn't get into the items. With that many carts, I'm not sure how I would do it, but if you were to arrange "rows" of ten in plastic grocery bags, you can then wrap the bag around the carts and wrap packing tape around the bundle to hold it all together securely. That way, the carts aren't loose to rattle around in the box, they're sealed in plastic to avoid foam crumbs and water, and you won't get any tape on the carts. You can then wrap the bundles in bubble wrap or whatever. I doubt you would need to worry about the games rubbing against each other, especially if you've got them securely wrapped, but if you're paranoid, cut some blank paper into quarters and put one between each cart in a row. Again, I don't forsee this being a problem. I recently bought two somewhat uncommon carts on ebay for like four bucks each. The seller laid them next to each other, wrapped it in small-cell bubble wrap and taped it into a bundle, and put it in a padded mailer. Games got here in perfect condition, and it only cost $1.83 to ship (and he only charged me $2.50). When packing anything, you need to just ensure that the item is secure in the package and won't move around, that there is ample cushioning to withstand the package being manhandled, and that the items are protected from the packing material and each other. Pack things to withstand being dropped off a truck onto the pavement - because it's pretty likely to happen. -Ian

IC's follow a standard numbering convention for the pins. Looking at the chip with the notch facing up, Pin 1 is on the upper left. Numbering continues down along the left side of the chip, then over to the right when it gets to the bottom, then back up the right side. Like this: +---+--+---+ -|1 +--+ 16|- -|2 15|- -|3 14|- -|4 13|- -|5 12|- -|6 11|- -|7 10|- -|8 9|- +----------+ -Ian

When shipping anything with those &*%#$ syrofoam peanuts, be sure to wrap it in a plastic bag and tape it shut first. They get crushed in shipping, and bits of foam get wedged into the openings in carts, consoles, and anything else. I collect old computers, and nothing is more annoying than having to take a terminal all the way apart just to clean out those bits of foam that worked their way into the vents. -Ian

OK. The plot thickens. I was looking at the schematic I had close at hand - the schematic for the 4 switch model. The six switch is oh so slightly different. There is an additional chip - a CD4050. This is used to buffer the signals from the joystick buttons (among other things), and was omitted in the four switch model. It's more than likely your culprit here. I even went so far as to unhook the Atari from my TV and take it apart and trace the thing - this chip is definitely present in production six switchers, and is connected between the joystick buttons and the TIA. You can replace the chip, or, simply bypass it. For the left player's fire button, bridge pins 9 and 10 on the 4050, for the right player, bridge pins 6 and 7. Obviously, replacing the chip is the best repair, but it's not really needed - Atari themselves took it right out for the 4 switch models - and briding these pins with a blob of solder would simply change the circuit to be almost identical to the 4 switch. The only other difference is they changed the value of the cap to ground from the fire button inputs - 220pf on the 6 switch, 470pf on the 4 switch. These cap values shouldn't affect anything, I wouldn't bother changing them. They're just there to reduce noise in the circuit. -Ian

Sucks that they broke into your car - but I'm glad the Lynx is safe! Nobody's ever broken into my car, but then again, I don't think a 20 year old Japanese sedan is much of a target. And nobody steals cassette decks or cassettes. My friend's wife, however, had her car broken into last year. It was a 1989 Buick Skylark. I was suprised they went to all the trouble of prying out the little corner window in the rear - they could have probably just reached in through one of the rust holes in the door to unlock it. Seriously, this car was half rust, most of the trim was missing, the bumper was held up with a coat hanger, and most of the rear quarter panels were gone from the rust. And they broke into it. They rummaged through the whole car, and stole... nothing. It was pretty obvious looking at the car, and the contents of the front seats that there wouldn't be anything of value. The $20 portable CD player with the tape-on-a-wire and CD's were untouched. So, my friend simply covered up the hole where the triangular corner window was with many layers of clear packaging tape. He included a little computer printed sign in it that said "The last people to break into this car found nothing of value. You won't either". -Ian

As nice as the D-pad style controls are, they're hard to use (and tiring) for games like Pac-Man. But they are nice. Somewhere around here I have an old NES pad I modified to work on the Atari. While I rather like the standard Atari joystick, I typically use a homemade joystick I made years ago. It's a standard Radio Shack project box with the joystick and one button from a junked Donkey Kong arcade machine control panel. It looks uncomfortable, but it actually works quite well, it's held just like a standard joystick, the box is thicker than a regular controller, but no so much that it's uncomfortable to use. It's only a 4-way controller, which is fine for most games. As for paddles, the standard paddles are all I've ever used. They are quite good, and as long as you have a pair with clean pots, they're perfect. -Ian

Hehe. I think I spoke too soon. I just pulled up the schematic of the console. It's the TIA. I forgot - the directional control is handled by the RIOT, fire buttons to the TIA. Try this. Pull out the TIA (C010444) and bend pin 36 out just enough so it won't go into the socket, then put the chip back. If it still fires constantly, then you've got a bad TIA. Only other possible cause would be a short, or if that 470pf cap off the pin of the control port shorted (really, really unlikely). -Ian

Bad RIOT chip. You can get them from Best Electronics, or from a junked 2600. They're socketed, and easy to change. There are only three chips in that console - they're all inside that metal box in the center of the board. -Ian

Don't worry about getting a new TV. Hit the flea markets and thrifts and pick up a few 80's era 19" sets. Most of them still work fine - and even if they don't, they're not too hard to fix. -Ian

And plastic. Never tried nail polish remover on a cartridge, but I know it dissolves the plastic that computer cases are made of. I don't know what it is about Atari cartridges, it seems that the labels you want to stay on the cartridge keep falling off, and the labels you're trying to get off the cartridges won't come off. When I recycle common carts to make EPROM carts, it's a pain to get the label and all the goo off. And then I have a bunch of carts in my collection missing end labels, and probably half of my Parker Bros. carts are missing the entire label. Several years ago , I used cut-down mailing labels and a marker to make new end labels for a handfull of carts, and those are all falling off now. They're common carts (Surround, Adventure, Breakout, Frogger, etc.) - I just wanted to be able to tell what they were on the shelf. -Ian

Shouldn't be all that hard to adapt something like the electronics from one of those wireless Playstation controllers (the ones with the seperate receiver dongle that plugs into the console). The Atari joystick port provides 5v, so you can draw the power from it. Might need a microcontroller to convert the serial data to buttonpresses though. Also, wireless Atari 2600 joysticks do exist. They were made sometime in the 80's, and actually shouldn't be all that hard to find. A couple companies made them. The joystick is thicker than normal, but otherwise looks and feels like the Atari stick, and has a telescoping antenna. It takes a 9v transistor radio battery. The receiver box handles two joysticks, and has a passthrough for power - plug the Atari's power adapter into the receiver box, then the receiver box into the Atari's power socket. Then two cables plug into the Atari's joystick ports. The receiver box also has an antenna. It actually all works very well - plenty of range and response. -Ian

Wow. I had no idea that playing NTSC carts on a PAL Atari would do that. I've never seen a PAL Atari or PAL carts before though. My previous experience with PAL video is that you get a black and white picture that rolls. He may very well have stumbled on a PAL console though. If he did, I wonder how a PAL Atari got to Missouri. Also, TV sets that display PAL are pretty rare around the states. I have an old broadcast studio monitor that accepts muliple standards, but I've never had a normal TV set that did. But, then again, I don't have much stuff in a PAL format... I was also under the impression that the channel frequencies in PAL countries are different - but I don't know for sure. Again, no experience. Yeah, definitely, I'd like to see that. What's the difference between a PAL Atari and an NTSC one? I know that the PAL C64 runs at a different speed and has a different video chip - does a PAL Atari just have a different clock and a different TIA? -Ian

There is the possibility of fraud in any type of collectable like this. And I agree, there isn't goig to be much point in someone faking a sealed copy of Galaxian - it's just too common. It would be like counterfieting nickels. Of course, while sealed games are neat - you can't really play them if they're still in the package Hence why I collect loose cartridges... -Ian

Flip the console over so you are looking at the bottom. If you have it oriented so that the joystick ports face away from you, there should be a hole in bottom, near the middle, but off to the right. Look carefully in it, and see if you can see a control. Adjust it with a tiny flat blade screwdriver. You need to do it with the console on, and a game on the screen. I _think_ most of them should have access from the bottom. I don't think I've ever tried to adjust one with the covers on, however... The easier way (IMHO) is to just take it apart: Remove the philips head screws from the bottom of the console and lift off the top. On the circuit board, near the bottom, to the left of the metal box will be a potentiometer. Fiddle with it while a game is playing on the screen, and adjust it until the colors look good. Try several different games. When you're happy with it, put the cover back on. Don't be afraid of the inside of an Atari. There is nothing in there that can hurt you, and they're really hard to break. Besides, all the logic chips are inside that metal box in the middle of the board. -Ian

It's extremely easy. And unless you adjust it with a hammer, you should be OK. Which model 2600 is it? -Ian

Ah. Yeah, I'd twiddle the color pot and see how it looks. I've seen some pretty misadjusted Ataris before. -Ian

Ah... is this what happens when a PAL cart is played on an NTSC system? I have never actually seen a PAL cart in person. I have seen misadjusted 2600's though. And when you replace the TIA chip, you have to readjust the color pot. Where do you live, Mr. Beefy? -Ian

There's a color adjustment pot on the board. On some versions of the 2600, it can be easily accessed from the bottom of the console. If you can't find it, open the console. I forget exactly where it is (shame on me), but all you need to do is twiddle it a bit. It's the only pot on the board. -Ian

I think one of my favorite memories of playing the 2600 was about four years ago. You see, it was winter, and we had this wicked storm - and it knocked out the power. We wound up being without power for three or four days. And at the time, I wasn't working, so I had really nothing to do. So, what better way to spend a blackout than to play Atari? What's that you say? You nead power to play Atari? Not always... You see, I know that the Atari uses a 7805 voltage regulator to regulate the 9vDC from the wall wart down to five volts to run the console. The 7805 will accept a huge variety of input voltage - anywhere from 8 volts to 35 volts. So, I went down to my workshop and grabbed an 1/8" headphone plug, some telephone wire, and some duct tape. I duct taped 7 D cells end to end, and connected wire to each end. I attached the telephone wire to the headphone plug the best I could (no soldering iron - no power). I hooked the Atari up to my little black and white portable TV set (runs on C cells), and viola! Video games! I spent most of the next couple days, wrapped in a blanket (only heat was the fireplace, thank goodness we have a gas fireplace!), playing Atari and eating junk food. Occasionally talking on the phone to friends - phones still work with no power. But, I got a LOT of gaming in, and I really had fun. Almost disappointing when the power came back on. -Ian

I have a four port that I modified for composite video and a Sega Genesis power supply. I don't use it much anymore, because I only have one controller, and it needs some repairing. One of these days, I'll adapt a better controller to it... -Ian

Video formats are fun. I have Betamax, VHS, Laserdisc and even a CED player. And I also have (drumroll please) U-Matic. Yes, I have a working U-Matic tape deck. You have to be a real geek to keep a U-Matic around. It weighs more than most TV sets and takes tapes bigger than hardback books. The tape itself is 3/4" wide, and each cartridge is only an hour long (or shorter). But, if anything, the deck looks really cool. -Ian

Use a CRT monitor - LCD games in arcade machines just look weird. Most arcade monitors were 19", but some larger cabinets had 25" monitors. Since this is a four player cabinet, it probably originally had a 25" monitor in it. A friend of mine used a 21" computer monitor in his, and it came out fine, but he doesn't have a huge cabinet. I think the most authentic looking display you're going to get is from a 25 or 27" TV set, since they don't make computer monitors that large. If you find a 25" set with S-Video inputs, you can find the frame from a junked arcade monitor, strip the TV, and mount the tube in the arcade monitor frame, and the board to where the arcade moinitor's chassis went... You can also use an arcade monitor, and a modified video card bios or software hack, but finding a good, working 25" arcade monitor is kinda hard. -Ian

This is a very interesting cartridge, but definitely homemade. I somehow doubt that the original mask ROM is in there. I'm willing to wager that he's got two 6116 SRAM chips in there (2k each), wired up to be one 4k bank. The shield's presense doesn't say much, those are on all the production cartridges, and very easy to remove and reinstall. I generally put them back when I make up EPROM carts, as it helps reduce the RF noise in the picture. Get those batteries out of there, and clean up the corrosion. Perhaps the most interesting thing is speculating when this was made, and how it was used. Building a device to read Atari catridges into a computer is pretty trivial, and would have been pretty easy for a hardware hacker in the 80's on most home micros (think Apple II). Similarly, writing to an SRAM cart like this wouldn't have been that difficult either. So, you've basically got two scenarios that I can think of: Whoever made this was a programmer, trying to code for the Atari. This would have predated emulators, so the only way to really test anything would be to put it on a cart and plug it into the Atari. EPROMS get old fast if you're trying to develop some code. or... Whoever made this was a hardware hacker that had friends he could borrow Atari games from. Plug it into the computer, download the data, store it on disk. Then, when you want to play, plug in the RAM cart and write the data. Much cheaper than buying stacks of games - you'd only have to buy the bankswitched ones, or the ones with extra RAM inside. But, interesting find nonetheless. Where did you find it? Does it have a label of any kind? -Ian