Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!

[Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!]

Hi there - the text on the bottom says:

 

MODEL CX-2600 P

P in this text sad, that it is PAL version of console. My suggestion is to change a TV-channel - Atari works at channel 2 and channel 3. Some time ago I have this problem too with my Atari 2600jr - changing channel eliminate this.

Other way is change RF cable - some times it is in a very bad state. You must open A2600 cover and find RF connector and try change it (for example use cable from Atari XL/XE).

Good Luck!!!

 

Hi, what do you mean by Channel 2 and Channel 3? Doesn't this depend on what country you are in??

[Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!]

The console is not the problem (at least it doesn't appear to be)...it's trying to display color. It seems to me that the cartridge program that is being loaded is using an odd number of scanlines...which AFAIK would cause a PAL television to lose the color. Many NTSC cartridges do this (Combat for example uses 263).

 

What cartridges have you tried?

 

I have tried a number of my 30-40 cartridges. But then something weird happened: I tried using the RF cable from my 7800 (as I thought maybe my 2600 cable was damaged) and 2 games displayed some kind of primitive/quasi color - these games were "text label" games: Combat and Space Invaders. Combat actually had "PAL" stamped on the front. None of my other games displayed any color after swapping the RF cable over. Weird.

[Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!]

If you are using a PAL console then the carts are NTSC,try toggling the on/off switch several times that usually changes black/white to color.

 

Hi there, ok I just tried your suggestion but no luck. Thanks anyway.

[Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!]

If you are using a PAL console then the carts are NTSC,try toggling the on/off switch several times that usually changes black/white to color.

I don't know where that idea comes from, but I doubt it.

 

Since flipping the color/B&W switch has an effect, the switch itself is ruled out as being the cause. Most likely the console is NTSC. Can you post a picture or the full text of the label on the bottom? If it's missing, the next best thing would be a photo of the motherboard.

 

 

Hi there - the text on the bottom says:

 

MANUFACTURED FOR ATARI INC.

BY DIMERCO ELECTRONICS IN TAIWAN

MODEL CX-2600 P

COVERED BY US PATENTS 3793483, 3900886, 3723652, 372480, RE 28507, RE 28598 & PATENT PENDING

SN 407369

[Help! My new Atari only plays in Black and White!]

I recently bought a used Atari 2600 6-switcher. The games play fine but only in black and white. I have obviously tried toggling the color/b&w switch, and the tones change, but still no color.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix the problem? I'll try anything!!

 

(p.s. I am living in New Zealand and I assume since I bought the console here that it is PAL).