Ian Primus

We have a 43 inch projection set, I have hooked many a game machine up to that one, as well as computers, including the Atari, Apple IIe, Commodore 64, and other such things, but I think the most fun was hooking an old Radio Shack "TV Scoreboard" Pong unit to it. That and my Sears "Pinball/Breakaway" console. I would love to play Atari on one of those huge projection units though. Also, interesting side note - I went to a party tonight (just got back) to which I took my Playstation 2 and an Atari 2600. We didn't use the Playstation to play games at all... just as a DVD player. Ian Primus [email protected]

Get a nice picture of the Atari logo, print it out onto a transparency film, and borrow an overhead projector. Project the logo onto the side of the cab, and trace it. I have used this technique for many things (not game cabinets, but mostly school junk), and it works really well. As for making the thing only paddle compatible, I'd say go ahead and put in a joystick! You'll feel really silly when a friend comes over and wants to play some game that uses joysticks, and you have to resort to a TV set... Ian Primus [email protected]

OK, I got the .mp3 finished, it sounds pretty good, a little bit of record static, but that's hard to get rid of. I was going to put it on my FTP server, but it conked out yesterday (the hard disk that held Linux and the server software died). Anyway, I can email it to anyone that wants it, but be forewarned, it's about 3 meg. Ian Primus [email protected]

Who needs sleep? Mountain Dew - the official soft drink of the late night Atari sessions. Ian Primus [email protected]

I tried sending you email but it bounced. I finished the cart programmer and need some help with it... Ian Primus [email protected]

I think that was Bologna Blasters. You had to protect your sandwich by killing the theives. If I remember correctly, this was not released due to the Bologna Rights Movement, and they didn't want to release a game wherein a bologna sandwich was put in so much danger. But seriously, it looks like Area 51. Ian Primus [email protected]

I've been experimenting with Atari carts, mainly attempting to build a RAM cartridge system. I was in desparate need of junk carts to disassemble, and I posted something to a newsgroup. One guy mailed me a carton of carts, all of them Asteroids, Space Invaders and Pac-Man carts in bad condition. I have been using these as my donor carts. I'm sure that there are plenty of junk carts out there for the asking, as many collectors probably have enough of them to build a small house out of. Ian Primus [email protected]

I am in the process of building an EPROM burner to start creating my own carts. The schematics I have will handle a 2732, but I can't find them. I do, however, have a lot of other chips, 27128, 27256 and 27512. Is it possible to use these in the creation of Atari carts? Like, only burning the first 4k of them? I also want to make some 8k games. What about using them for that? Another idea that comes to mind is Multi-carts. How is an EPROM burned for those? Thanks! Ian Primus [email protected]

I have that song on an actual 45 RPM record in good condition. I'll get it copied into MP3 as soon as I can, and post a link to it here. Ian Primus [email protected]

On the 2600, the power lead used a headphone style connector, instead of a typical power connector. What this causes, is an easy way for the power supply to get shorted out, because both the positive and negative are exposed and close together. On a typical power connector, the inside will be either positive or negative, and the outside will be the other. It's harder to short out that way. But on the 2600, when you plug it into the console, for a brief moment, both the positive and negative are connected together. This causes the little spark. It's perfectly harmless, and it shouldn't hurt the 2600. As far as leaving the console on, it shouldn't hurt it, it doesn't really heat up that much, but to be on the safe side, I'd double-check the switch after playing. Actually, an interesting side note, since the power supply circuits in the 2600 use a 7805 voltage regulator, the 2600 can run on as little as 7 volts, or as much as 35 volts. (If I remember correctly). So by slapping a headphone jack on a similar amperage/similar voltage power pack, (tip positive) you can power the 2600. It will even run for a while (like 1.5 hours) off a 9 volt radio battery. To be on the safe side, try to give it between about 8 - 15 volts, and between 400mA and 700mA. Seeming as though 9 volt plug packs are common, there should be no problem finding them. Ian Primus [email protected]

Without a description of the smell, I can't be sure what it is. My guess would be that it smells kinda like that "hot electronic" smell. That's common with TV sets, especially if they have been sitting for a while, unused, or if they have been sitting in a garage. This is normally caused by the high voltage parts heating up the dust and dirt that has settled on them. Normally it isn't a strong smell, but if it is, (i.e. you can smell it from a comfortable watching distance) I'd be somewhat worried. It should go away once the parts burn off all the dust, but as long as you have the thing open, get a can of compressed air and blow the dust out of it, especially off of the flyback. If the smell is more like the smell an exploded capacitor gives off, that burning electrolyte smell, then be worried. As for the interference, you DID use shielded cable, right? And you DID sheild the 2600 system board, right? Ian Primus [email protected]

Just think, we may have to change the name of this site to "www.verypopular70sgameconsoleage.com", and somehow creatively change all our Atari information to not use the logo. I really don't see why Infogrames/Atari is trying to kill the Atari legacy, I mean, you'd think it would be good publicity to have people running around, wearing T-shirts with your logo on it? I personally am planning on using that iron-on transfer stuff to make a "Have you played Atari today?" T-shirt. Can't a company see that it has fans, or at least, it does for now. I bought SplashDown for the PS2 because it was an Atari game, and it is very very very well written, and I certainly hope the Atari legacy will live on as such. Until Infogrames/Atari says otherwise, LONG LIVE ATARI! (Gets off of soapbox) Ian Primus [email protected]

I doubt Atari would really care, seeming as though they're NEVER in a million years going to sell Polo again. Besides, it's only 50 carts, it's not like you're selling thousands of them and making a fortune. As long as you sell them to break even or make a small profit (say $1 per cart) nobody is going to care. Ian Primus [email protected]

I think I remember Atari70s, I can remember headaches from reading his posts. I just don't see what's so hard about typing so that people can understand you. Ian Primus [email protected]

I think it is 1 Megaohm. Anyone confirm this? Ian Primus [email protected]

How exactly does one make a multicart? Where can I find schematics for one? What EPROMs do you use? How should you burn the games on the EPROM? Thanks! Ian Primus [email protected]

OK, first, before we can help you, you need to explain yourself. This can involve learning to type with proper spelling, word completion and punctuation. What leads you to believe it isn't working? Did it work before you cleaned it? Is it hooked up correctly. Describe how to have it hooked up and what you hooked it up to. Are you using a known good cartridge? Have you checked the power supply? They sometimes fail due to shorts or breaks somewhere in those miles of wire they had. Try checking it with a multimeter. It should be 9 volts, give or take a fuzz. What model of the Atari is it? There were many models made, the Junior model which looks like a black wedge and is cheaply made, the "Heavy Sixer" model is heavy, with six switches and made of thick plastic, with heavy battle armor like sheilding around the boards, and is probably the best version of the Atari in existance. The "Light Sixer" is a lot like the heavy sixer, only it is made of thinner plastic and weighs less due to lack of the tank-like RF shielding, although it is still thick. The four switch models look the same as a light sixer, only they have the difficulty switches in the back, leaving only four on the front. The "Darth Vader" model is just a black four switch. Don't worry, the Atari is VERY hard to break. I have heard a story about a man finding an Atari that was sitting in the California sun, half buried in mud for 3 years, and after cleaning it up, it still worked fine. The carts are similarly hard to break, I have about 200 and only one doesn't work. Explain your problem here and we should be able to get it running for you. Ian Primus [email protected]

Fixing these paddles is easy. For one, DO NOT us WD-40, it seems to work but it adds to the problem. Although tuner cleaner works, the best solution involves isopropyl alcohol. To fix paddles, you need: Jittery paddles (duh) Isopropyl Alcohol Needle-nose pliers Small flat-head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver (#1 or #2) Q-tips The alcohol is sold with the medical supplies at stores lik Target and Wal-Mart. You can get it for like 75 cents for a big bottle that is enough to clean thousands of paddles. To start, pull the knob off the paddle. You should see the potentiometer, it is held on by a little nut. Now unscrew the paddle and take it apart, there are two phillips head screws on the back. Undo the little nut with the pliers, so you can get the potentiometer out. The potentiometer is held together with 4 little metal tabs. Pry these up with the little screwdriver and bend them straight with the pliers. Take the pot apart, and you should see a little circuit board with wires soldered to it, and in the other half of the pot, a ring of a brass/copper colored metal. Clean this with a q-tip dipped in the alcohol. It may take two to get it clean. Now use a q-tip dipped in alcohol to clean the black ring on the circuit board off. Put the pot and the paddle back together the reverse of how tou took it apart. Plug it in and enjoy a brand new feeling paddle controller. Ian Primus [email protected]

Also, something tells me that Atari probably didn't really care that much if a programmer brought a little of his work home with him and well, left it there, seeming as though these people weren't stealing piles of parts, making up carts and selling them. Atari probably bought EPROMs by the 1000's for like 40 cents each. They made millions of cart shells, and PCB's, so they probably cost about a nickel apiece. The programmers probably pilfered a lot of games, just think - there are probably some ex-Atari employees with boxes of pilfered carts, and we're just waiting for them to have a garage sale... Ian Primus [email protected]

It could be that some programmer or other employee at Atari used the parts they had on hand for lab loaner carts, and constructed a lot of games for himeslf instead of buying them. This would make sense if all the games were the full, released version. This could have been the game collection of an Atari employee just saving a lot of money and taking advantage of the fact he had access to the parts to make game cartridges. Just my theory. Ian Primus [email protected]

I'm still for the E.T. Collectible Shovel, not only can you dig your own pits to fall into, but you could also got out to that landfill and hunt for more E.T. carts. Ian Primus [email protected]

I modified my 7800 by adding a phono jack like on the 2600, and the 2600's power supply will power it just fine. Ian Primus [email protected]

I remember using the wonderful DirectPad Pro software to use an Atari joystick on my PC through the parallel port. I can't use it anymore, seeming as though I upgraded from 9x to Windows XP, and DirectPad Pro doesn't work on it. I still have my interface, and I would have built more of them (DirectPad Pro let you hook darn near everything up to the PC, and allowed you to use it as a DirectX compatible joystick.) Does anyone out there in Atariland have the programming skills to rewrite this wonderful software to run on modern operating systems? Or perhaps write something else, a simple "wedge" program that would patch the input from the joystick through the parallel port and convert it to keypresses. I can provide people with the old DirectPad Pro software and schematics to the interface if anyone is interested (it's hard to find these days). Thanks! Ian Primus [email protected]

After I finish my RAM cart project, my next project will probably be to build an EPROM programmer. Does anyone here know of a good one to build to make Atari carts? Does anyone have schematics of carts with various sorts of EPROMs? I have a small box full of eproms salvaged from old computer equipment, and I was wondering what ones of these I can convert into Atari carts. Fortunately I have a carton full of junk Atari carts. (Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac-Man carts with ripped up labels, writing, missing end labels, etc.) Ian Primus [email protected]

Someone tried to do the same thing with silver. It did drive up the price, but I don't think they made any money on it. Anyone remember this that could post more details? Ian Primus [email protected]