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Atari2008

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Posts posted by Atari2008

  1. 20 minutes ago, save2600 said:

    Yes, assuming you have good working ones, the power supplies are compatible. Here's a nice little write up:

     

    https://dfarq.homeip.net/atari-2600-power-supply-specs/

    Great, thank you. Yeah the power supply is still working, I used it on my 4 Switch Woody after the Heavy Sixer's colors got messed up. Good write up. The power supply I have is the one from the picture in the article which they say dates to 1981. Still working well though. I can't recall exactly but I got it new from Atari Sales I think a few years back. Also nice write up on the Heavy Sixer on that page too.

  2. It's been a really long time since I've bought a homebrew and there looks to be many great ones to choose from. Which ones do folks really like and highly recommend almost like must haves? Been playing my 2600 a lot lately, and would like to get it something brand new. :)

  3. 18 minutes ago, save2600 said:

    Electrolytic capacitors and possibly the voltage regulator need to be changed. Lots of info about this stuff here and take a look at www.console5.com for restoration kits.

    Also random question, but just wanna rule out that I screwed anything up, it can use the same power supply as a 4 switch 2600 right? 

  4. Now my Heavy Sixer has developed issues with the colors in games. The colors are all off and kinda flicker. I've attached photos. Any ideas what could've caused this? The system was working fine until now. I've had it for about 3 weeks.

    20191011_002101.jpg

    20191011_002129.jpg

    20191011_002203.jpg

    20191011_002219.jpg

  5. 12 hours ago, bluejay said:

    The later red labeled carts don't seem to like the heavy sixer, and the Coleco carts(Donkey Kong, Zaxxon, Venture, etc.) isn't as bad, but it is a tight fit also.

    I thought I was noticing a pattern with the red labeled carts, thank you for verifying. Yeah I have Smurfs and while it fits okay it is also tight. Definitely getting a Harmony soon as I don't want to damage the system or the carts. Also I noticed another difference between the Heavy Sixer and my 4 Switch Woody hadn't before, the Heavy seems to have 2 circular vents on it. Was that because initially Atari was going to put speakers on there? 

  6. I just got an O2 again after having first owned one a few years back. I do appreciate the simplicity of its games, I find it fun to play a few of them at night as a way of winding down. I got an AV modded unit with a cool LED light so those elements also make it more fun for me. And I've started getting in on the homebrew action, I just ordered Dungeon of Eternity and Happy Bird so I'm looking forward to seeing what homebrewers are doing with the system these days. Overall I like the O2 and it's hooked up currently since I got it not that long ago and it still has that new wow factor. :)

    • Like 2
  7. I have a question about hooking up the Atari 2600 to a modern TV. Or rather I have it hooked up to a new TV via the coaxial connection, and I have to admit the image quality isn't great. I've been forgiving since it's an old console obviously but I started wondering if there are other set ups that would help improve the image? My TV picks up on the 2600 signal fine after I do a channel scan but a lot of the games look "snowy" for lack of a better term like there's a lot of interference. I definitely don't get a crisp clean image. I have it connected using one of those coax adapters the ones that look like a lil bullet so there's no switchbox introducing interference. Would something like connecting the 2600 to the coax on the VCR and VCR to the TV through AV help? If not it's cool, I'm honestly glad it works with the TV, but couldn't hurt if I could improve the image a bit. 

  8. 1 hour ago, chuckwalla said:

    Beautiful console.

    I've had one for about 30 years and it one of the crown jewels of my (now slim-downed) collection.

    A classic is a classic.

    IMG_7693.JPG

    30 years, NICE! Funny I plan to slim down my collection a bit too. Nice Heavy Sixer and that Videoplexer is so cool! I actually didn't know what it was and just looked it up, really neat! Didn't know such a thing was released back in the day. The 2600 is full of welcome surprises. And I agree the 2600 is truly a classic. 

  9. I'm just curious, are there specific types of carts that don't fit well in a Heavy Sixer? I'm just trying to see if there's a pattern I should look out for, although I will be getting a Harmony cart, the Encore one, and I'm pretty psyched about that. :) But with the carts, I've noticed the ones Atari released later on in the 80s like the red label B&W image ones seem to fit super tightly. Earlier released carts and 3rd party ones like Activision and Parker Bros. work fine. Also it gives a very nice image on my TV, I'm always impressed with how durable Atari's are. The Heavy Sixer has definitely rekindled my interest in the 2600 which I'm had to say had been dormant the last few years. :D

  10. I'm really digging the Heavy Sixer. I don't have a Colecovision, so I'll go with the Harmony cartridge. I'm excited about that as it'll mean I can still play the games that fit too tightly on the Heavy Sixer. I'm just trying to figure out which version of the Harmony cartridge will work out the best for me.

    Quote

     

     

  11. 2 hours ago, delmero said:

    The Atari cartridges do fit tight on heavy sixers, I recommend you to get the Harmony cart to protect your games, the labels and the cartridge itself can be damaged with the puting and pulling frequently.

    Enjoy!!!

    Thank you for that suggestion! There was one cart yesterday that I really had to pry loose and I noticed it marked up the cartridge a bit. I hadn't thought of the Harmony cart, after hearing about it on here for so many years, I'll finally get one. Thank you!

     

    And I have been, I'm loving playing the Heavy Sixer. ?

    • Thanks 1
  12. I just wanted to share that I've gotten my first Heavy Sixer and I love it! I've had a 4 switch woodgrain since I was a kid, and had a 2600 Jr. briefly, but this is my first time playing a Heavy Sixer. Wow it really lives up to its name, it's quite solid and has a good weight to it. I appreciate and like the subtle differences between this version and the 4 switch. I'm also learning that some carts like Defender II in this pic fit quite tightly. Anyways just wanted to share and if anyone has any suggestions or tips from owning one feel free to pass it along. :)

    20190927_223519.jpg

    • Like 4
  13. These suggestions sound awesome! I'm glad to see that the O2 has quite the library of games. I'll look for these. Also thank you for the suggestion on the Voice module, it's one thing I've never owned even when I've had one before but always thought it looked cool and was intrigued by the idea. Also looking to get some of the Odyssey Adventure magazines since I think they'll add a nice dimension of fun. 

  14. So I just got an Odyssey 2 again recently after having first owned one maybe 10 years ago. Back then I didn't explore the original library much with the exception of the KC games, the rest were mostly homebrews from Revival Studios like Mage. I didn't have an O2 when it was originally out, so I've never taken a deep dive into the system. I forgot how fun it was the first time I had one. Any suggestions on any must have titles or accessories? What would you recommend essentially for a newbie? ?

  15. Got two new games: Hangman and Alien Invasion. Both were untested, so it was quite a surprise to find they both work great! And both came with manuals. I skimmed the VES manual, and apparently there's no way to turn down the system volume? Both the games I just got are awfully loud. I want the noises, but why so loud?

    With Alien Invasion you can turn it down on the console by pressing 3. I agree though the system is really loud. I wish they had included a sound off/on switch like the RCA Studio II or at least a way to adjust the volume. I avoid playing it at night since it's so loud.

  16. A few years back I bought the RCA Studio II multi-cart which came with the AV mod for the RCA Studio II. I have no technical skills whatsoever, so I was wondering, if I were to buy a spare RCA Studio II console, would someone here be willing to install the mod for me? I would send the console and mod components to you, of course I would also pay for shipping both ways as well as parts and labor, just name your price. Let me know and I'll start hunting down a Studio II on eBay as I'd like to keep my current unit in original form.

  17.  

    sorry, missed the question here...

     

    Leaving the multicart in should be fine - in fact, given the age of the connector, it's probably best to pulg and unplug as little as possible. in addition, leaving a cart in protects the connector from dirt and what have getting in.

     

    FliP

    Thank you for this! Sorry for my super late reply. :)

  18. Oh I do have one more question. I have been turning off the console, unplugging the power supply and removing the multicart after I'm done. But I was wondering, would it be okay to just leave the multi-cart in the console? I don't have any original carts yet so I'm not going to be plugging in any other carts any time soon. But I wanted to check in and see if there is any potential to do damage by doing that given the age of the console. Thank you!

  19.  

    Just to make sure: the jumper is on the multicart - not inside the console... It has a yellow square on the attached photo. Just move the jumper so the left two pins are connected instead of the two pins on the right...

     

    FliP

    Connected the jumper to the two pins to the left and OMG it works so far!!!!!!!! Yayyyy!!! I'm so excited. I've been waiting for years to play games like Space Invaders on the RCA S2. Thank you everyone!!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

    • Like 1
  20.  

    Sorry - I was away for a few days and traveling all day today.

     

    Revision Ds have a low serial number, probably lower than 10,000, but I don't think the board revision should matter on an actual Studio II, though it doesn't hurt to try. Move J-2 to the 1-2 position and see whether this makes any difference...

     

    It's very odd that cleaning the slot would offer a temporary solution, let alone that some games seem to work. Every time I've seen such behaviour, i've traced it to one or more RAM chips behaving badly. You could try running the RAM test several times to see whether it trips up... Failing that, It might be a timing issue, whereby the oscillator that generates the clock is no longer tuned correctly. That *could* throw the TPA circuit on the cartridge off - but that a long shot, especially if you're getting a good image on the screen...

     

    FliP

    Thank you! And no worries, I decided it would only be fair that I bother everyone else on the thread and not just you. ;)

     

    Thank you for the tip on the serial number as I have no clue how to determine which board I have. Also what does the jumper look like? I'm just wondering if it's something that'll be obvious to me when I open it or if I need to poke around. I'll try the RAM test a few times, did it about twice and it passed each time, all the tests seemed fine. The image is great actually, even on an LCD, crystal clear. And it is odd that it's inconsistent. I can play Pac-Man fine, he moves in all directions, no glitches, yet Space Invaders without fail the ship just doesn't move, unless I wipe the contacts with alcohol or an air can on the cartridge port, then it moves a bit and locks up again. But it's odd that other games are fine. I'll open it up and see what I cna do with my limited skills.

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