Ian Primus

You can also modify the Atari to output composite video and audio. There are several different mods floating around on the 'net, ranging from crudely tieing a bunch of signals together (not good) to a very nice circuit with a CD4050. Check the FAQ for more information. Also, there are several running threads here on AtariAge. Ian Primus [email protected]

Well, with Redcurrie's Atari, it was a blown TIA. Take the Atari apart, and measure voltages at the regulator and at the cart slot. (read my earlier instructions in this post http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36558). If they check out, then it's probably the TIA. You can swap with a working Atari to verify that it is indeed the problem. Ian Primus [email protected]

It's Rob Mitchell. http://www.atariage.com/forums/profile.php...wprofile&u=1638 Ian Primus [email protected]

Yeah, I have a couple of those older joysticks you describe. The earlier model CX40 joysticks were like that, and had the slightly taller fire button. They were made more solidly, and the switch mechanisms were slightly different IIRC. Great find. Ian Primus [email protected]

If I understand what you are doing, you've got the TV cable and the Atari both plugged into one side of the splitter (the 'outputs'), and the television set connected to the other (the 'input'). That won't work well, because you have basically shorted the TV cable signal and the Atari signal together. As such, the TV signal with scramble the Atari signal on channel 3, and vice versa. What you need it a _switch_. A switch will swap wether the TV cable or the Atari is plugged into the television. Ian Primus [email protected]

It looks like one of those plastic covers for flourescent light fixtures. Ian Primus [email protected]

Hmm, I didn't know that. I guess since the 7800 wasn't as widespread and didn't last as long as the 2600, and therefore there weren't nearly as many games, they managed to get ganes released in both formats. The fact that nearly all of them were made by Atari helps too. You learn something new every day... *slinks back to the 2600 forum* Ian Primus [email protected]

OK, I was thinking you were talking about converting a game from PAL to NTSC that was only released in PAL... Ian Primus [email protected]

But, aren't we missing something here? Just copying the cart onto an EPROM cart won't magically convert it to NTSC. There is also a lot of code modification that needs to be done... Ian Primus [email protected]

I always just cleaned boards with water. Take it outside, hose it down, shake it to remove excess water, then dry with a hair dryer, or let it air dry. I've cleaned a couple board this way, but not Atari related. Mostly XT clone motherboards, Apple II motherboards, and related computer boards. I know some people that just run them through a dishwasher. Water doesn't hurt computer parts, provided that the water and the power are never in the device at the same time <grin>. You want to make sure they are REALLY dry before powering them up, and make sure to blow out any water from under chips, connectors, etc. I know this probably isn't the _best_ method, but it works for me. Ian Primus [email protected]

When did he shut his website down, anyway? Why did he shut down? I was away from the Atari community for about a year or two, and back before then, Hozer Video was just always there. Now it's gone... Kinda weird how things change. Ian Primus [email protected]

I have several sets of paddles, and I'm sure that most people here on AtariAge have lots of paddles as well. They're essential for playing Kaboom!. The problem is that most people probably have jittery paddles. A good cleaning should solve that. I would definitely enjoy seeing more games take advantage of the paddles - they give much more precice control than anything else IMHO. There are plenty of paddles out there, and if worse comes to worse, you could always build paddles. They're just a pot and a button in a box... Ian Primus [email protected]

Glad to hear you got it working. To help reduce the snow and static, just skip the switchbox and go for the RCA to F connector adapter. AtariAge sells them here at the store, but you can also get them at Rat Shack. This little adapter converts between the RCA conector at the end of the RF cable to a screw type connector to plug into the back of the TV set. It will give a sharper picture, since you'll get less interference. Those RF switchboxes leak RFI like a sieve. Ian Primus [email protected]

I was never into the 5200 at first. I happened to find one in a box with ten games and a controller (and that wacky switch box) at a thrift store about a year and a half ago. I never used it until last week, since I didn't have the power supply, and I never had a lot of time to build one. Last week though, I decided it was time to try the 5200, so I rigged up a power supply and connected it to a TV. I was definitely impressed by the quality of the games. Pac-Man is great, although it is very hard to play with the 5200 controlller. On top of that, the only controller I have squeaks and sticks as you move it around, and no matter what I do, I can't get the paddle to go all the way to the right in Super Breakout. I've tried cleaning and lubricating the plastic sliders of the joystick mechanism, but it doesn't help. Other than the controller, I love the system. I made an A/V mod for it, and I now get a MUCH nicer picture. (Is it just me, or is the 5200 RF particularly bad?). The 5200 hardware has so much potential, but you have to see past the controller first. Ian Primus [email protected]

Well, it depends on the machine, but the chips _should_ be socketed. The "teeth" are the chips's pins, and they should be plugged into a socket. If they lead directly into the motherboard without going into a flat black block, then turn your system over to an experianced repairman. Those chips are _really_ hard to remove if they are soldered to the board (which they shouldn't be, but you never know). Before removing the chip, note the orientation of the notch, which indicates pin 1. To remove the chip, insert a thin, flat object such as a butter knife or a small flathead screwdriver between the chip and the socket at one end. Lever the chip up a tiny bit, and then repeat on the other side. Do this until the chip is free. To insert a chip, line the pins up with the holes in the socket, and gently press it until it starts to slide in, making sure that all the pins are going into the holes, and not bending out or in. Press firmly until the chip is seated. A couple of tips: Don't force the chips out of or into the sockets. You don't want to bend or break off pins. Don't use one of those "IC Extractor" tools that Rat Shack sells. It's not going to help, and often makes the problem worse, since the chip will suddenly pop loose at one end and not the other, almost always resulting in bent pins. Always remember the orientation of the chips. There will be a notch in the chip in the form of an indentation on the top, an indentation on one short side, or a large cutout on the top of the chip. You'll know it when you see it. If you're paranoid, mark the tops of the chips with a pencil. Careful of static electricity. You don't want to zap your any of the chips. Ground yourself by touching the screw on a lightswitch cover, or the metal case of your computer. To check voltages, get a multimeter, and test at the cart slot, and at the voltage regulator. Put the common lead of the multimeter on the place where you took the RF sheild off (that wide silver square, that's all ground). Then test the positive lead of the multimeter on cart slot and voltage regulator. Pin 23 on the cart slot is +5, and is the second from the upper left looking down into the slot from the front. I would suggest testing on the back of the board though, it's easier to get to. IIRC, on the voltage regulator, +5 should be the pin closest to you, looking at the board from the front. Or, the one on the right looking at the voltage regulator with the screw hole to the top. All voltages should be five volts, or very close to it. If your regulator is putting out the right juice, but the cart slot reads really low, then something is loading down the circuit. If the voltage regulator reads about nine volts and the cart slot measures five, then you measured the wrong pin on the voltage regulator... If you are confused, I can take pictures. Ian Primus [email protected]

The fact that a TV screen can be burned in by a video game machine is a long standing myth. While it _can_ be done, you would need to have the game on, and running with an unchangeing pattern for a _long_ time before a tube will burn in. Projection TV's are slightly more suceptable, since they use three high intensity CRT tubes to produce the image, and they can burn in more quickly than a regular TV tube, but it will still take a while. There was a thread on it a while back. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35398 Ian Primus [email protected]

Or, do what I did, and make a MAME cabinet. Even _more_ authentic. (You even have to put quarters in <grin>) Ian Primus [email protected]

Lately I have been hooked on Cave1k on the 2600. It's a great game, and I keep playing "just one more game" to try to get a little further. I've also been playing Space Invaders and Jawbreaker on the 2600, and Qix and Pac-Man on the 5200. Ian Primus [email protected]

If it constantly thinks a button is being held down, it's the RIOT chip going bad. I ran into the same thing a few days ago, it was always going to the right. On the 4 switchers, the RIOT is the one just under the cart slot. I don't remember offhand where it was on the heavy sixer though, It's been a while since I have had to fix one... Ian Primus [email protected]

He probably got them from Best Electronics. They have a lot of new old stock Atari parts. As for power supplies, they are actually pretty easy to get, all they are is nine volt adapters at 500mA, and the Atari can take (theoretically) up to 35 volts. (I'd stick to 9 to 12 though...), and it only draws about 300 mA, so you can get away with a lower rated adapter. All you have to do is find an adapter that puts out about the right voltage and at least 400 mA to be on the safe side, cut the conector off, and solder on an 1/8" mini phono plug. (tip positive). Those original power supplies weren't always exactly nine volts anyway, I have seen some swing as high as 16 volts with load. Ian Primus [email protected]

Now, when you say 2600 controllers, are you referring to just controllers specifically made and marketed for the 2600, or also controllers that were meant for other machines, and controllers that were intentionally generic? For example, Sega Genesis pads and Colecovision controllers work on the 2600, but they weren't intended for the 2600. Also, lots of third party companies (Epyx springs to mind, as does Wico) made rather generic controllers, that were meant to work on the 2600, Commodore and Atari computers, etc... There were a LOT of controllers that were made that just happened to have that nine pin connector on them, it was a pretty standard interface for a joystick for a long time. Ian Primus [email protected]

And don't forget the type of controller that lots of us have... The Broken Controller "This controller works fine, provided you aren't fond of 'left'..." Ian Primus [email protected]

IIRC, that was a problem with the memory bank controller on the earlier NES carts. They improved the design of the chip in some later cartridges, and for the Gameboy (It doesn't have a reset switch...) The problem had something to do with a power fluctuation when the deck was turned off, and it scrambled the SRAM. The redesigned MBC's had a powerdown circuit, that would effectively do the same thing, without the need to press the button. (details may be wrong, it's late... but you get the idea) Ian Primus [email protected]

I used to do a lot of programming on the TI-83+. I wrote a Space Invaders clone and a Kaboom! clone, as well as a couple of menu drivin adventure games. I don't know what ever happened to them, I backed them up onto my PC years ago (back when I still used Windows), and I think they are probably lurking on a Bernoulli cartridge somewhere. But check the 'net, I am sure that there have been many calculator ports of classic games. I know of at least one Pac-Man clone, and I know I have seen a clone of Activision Boxing. Ian Primus [email protected]

No... 8v is not OK. It sounds like you have a bad regulator as well... Fortunately, these are really common parts. I have bought them at Rat Shack before, and the do (or did) carry them. I also have several in my junk box, so if you really can't find one, let me know. Ian Primus [email protected]