NickelPlate

I guess I'm one of the few people who actually likes the stock controllers. I've gotten used to centering them using hand movements. Replacing the rubber boots helps with that too. NP

Here goes, got in a game earlier this evening. 37230 NP

I just think it's pretty cool that a 14 year old has such an interest in a classic system as a 2600 amidst the uber graphics and sound capabilities of xboxes and playstations. Keep up the good work. P.S. Oops wrong thread, this was meant for the kid doing the Vong game. Doh!!

I remember this specifically. I was in 6th grade and a friend invited me over to play it after school. I remember thinking how different it looked from the arcade, also I didn't understand why the characters were flickering. I didn't really expect it to be a faithful arcade repro, but I at least expected the maze to be similiar, if not the same and it was totally different. My hopes of being able to practice for the arcade version were dashed. In spite of that, I enjoyed playing it at least for awhile. At the time, playing Pac-Man in your home as many times as you wanted without quarters was almost magical, even if it was different. But when I got my 5200 and Pac-Man cart not long after that I never looked back. Still play it today. NP

Thanks Steve, I'll give that a try. Now off to find the ROMs! NP

Damn skippy, and proud of it!! NP

Hi All, I'm looking for a way to get Atari 5200 music tracks on my PC. Specifically for Pitfall 2, I want to make a ringtone out of it . I can't think of an easy way to do it on my system since I don't have the AV mod, and using a microphone recorded from my little TV speaker will be poor quality. Any ideas? Thanks. edit: Hmm, possibly use an emulator? I'll have to try this. NP

Does your switchbox click when you press the 5200 power button? Does the LED on the 5200 light up? Use a meter to check the output from the power supply and the switchbox power jack. Best Electronics has 4 port switch boxes listed on their site for $19. If that's the problem, I would just get one of those and be done with it. Good luck, NP

Just Missile Command and Centipede. I tried Defender as it's listed as a supported game on the box, but Defender sucks with a trak-ball . NP

Thanks for the tip. I think it's an electronics problem because it does it even if I take the ball out and rotate the rollers by hand. I downloaded a copy of the 5200 service manual and read the section on troubleshooting the trak-ball. Most of the troubleshooting flowcharts end up telling you to replace one of the five logic ICs on the PCB. I went ahead and ordered replacement chips and am going to try that first, (I know, that's a shotgun approach) but the chips are pennies. It could still be something on the 5200 side I suppose I just don't know what since my joysticks work okay. He said he tested it before he sent it out but honestly it looked like it was never removed from box. NP

Hey Everyone, I have a 5200 trak-ball that is somewhat non-responsive and jitters around at slow speeds. It seems okay if I spin the ball fast. It's a brand new unit from Best Electronics (new old stock, still in the shrink wrap). I emailed them and they said the roller bearings sometimes need breaking in. I opened up the unit and the rollers are spinning just fine (no slip). It makes precision control pretty much impossible and I'm not too happy with it for the price paid. I don't have any jittering or issues with my analog joysticks. Could it be something else? Any suggestions? Regards, NP

Another thing to try is to clean the channel selector switch on the console if you have one. I just got my system (5200) out this past weekend after over 20 years of storage and had the same problem. The switch was very dirty and oxidized I'm sure. I squirted some Deoxit (just a little) into the switch and flicked it back and forth a bunch of times, works great now. I also removed the motherboard and removed and reseated all the socketed chips. You may not need to do that, but is probably a good idea if you still get intermittent problems. http://www.radioshack.com/sm-deoxit-progol...pi-2104746.html BTW, the Deoxit stuff works great on cartridge contacts too and just about everything else that's electro mechanical. Best of luck. NP

PM sent.

Hi All, So glad to find this board of other retro game enthusiasts. I recently restored my 5200 system and nearly 40 carts to working condition (ugh the joysticks needed ALOT of work). I could strangle myself for throwing away all the game manuals recently that I had kept all these years. I was cleaning out my basement and just pitched them not thinking I'd ever want them again, DOH!!! Anyway, I'd like to eventually rebuild my collection of authentic manuals (and boxes) and if anyone has any extras they be willing to part with please PM me with what you have available. In the meantime I'd like to reprint them on my color printer (in book form) and was wondering if anyone else has done this and what is the best method to use to get good results (size, paper etc). I also ordered Adventure 2, really looking forward to it. How were the manuals printed for this? Thanks. NP