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Frotz

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Posts posted by Frotz

  1. Posted

    You could always try this: http://www.gaminggenerations.com/store/pro...roducts_id=1026. It looks like they're out of stock at the moment, but my friend Evan (who owns the store) can order them in a jiffy...

    I ordered one a few days ago from somewhere else. Meanwhile, I discovered a hardware hack that involves replacing the analogue stick with one from a Playstation controller. A microcontroller is used to translate resistance into chopper wheel output. See http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3574.0.

  3. Posted

    I recently got on an N64 kick after stumbling across one in my storage unit. Then I remembered the problems many people had with the analogue sticks. I've heard stories of a third party controller that has a metal analog stick. What was its name? If I swap out the analogue stick from a stock controller and lube the new one with white lithium grease, how long will that last? Any other suggestions?

  4. Posted

    Does anyone create the overlays for the screen. It doesn't seem to hard to do.

     

    AX

     

    There's a serious effort underway on rec.games.vectrex about doing so. I think I started it by asking if anyone makes replica overlays.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    Double same.

     

    Anyone else here taking their order to Longhorn?

     

    Since the schematic is publicly-known and (I think) the board files, you can take the latter to the batchpcb.com for fabbing. If not, it's an easy enough schematic to design your own using something like gEDA. I did a board design of Longhorn's mod for fun a while ago. Maybe I should dig it out and post it.

  6. Posted

    I strongly suspect that those problems are a big reason why Longhorn Engineer made his modboards.

     

    And why Chris and I are doing another one. Ask around if you want any anecdotes about ordering from me (Cyberpunks) back in the day. I don't think you'll find any complaints.

     

    Another one? What's different in this new one versus Longhorn's?

  11. Posted

    I think I might have fried one or more chips in my 2600 sixer while trying to get the Longhorn mod working. After futzing around with where the power is going, I noticed that the voltage regulator was outputting around 1 volt and the 2200uF capacitor on the switchboard was shorted. I had fresh spares of those onhand, so went in and replaced them. I popped out the chips, which I probably should have done earlier. After some more poking and checking for solder bridges and so on, I concluded that power was getting where it needed to go. I attatched the mod only to pins 11 and 12 on the TIA (the audio outputs). My thinking was that I pop in "Empire Strikes Back" and I'd have instant feedback as to whether things are working or not. Now that the power distribution is good, I can't get the TIA to output any audio. I haven't yet checked video.

     

    Based on the absense of audio output at this stage, can I conclude that one or more chips in this console were fried? Aside from getting another console to mess with, how can I be sure just what went wrong?

  12. Posted

    Did you assemble the mod board yourself or did you buy it pre-built. I would check to see if something isn't soldered in backwards... mainly the diode (which should have its cathode (striped) end facing the 4050 chip) or the Electrolytic Capacitors which are polarized and sometimes get put in backwards.... and always... cold solder joints (dull, non-shiny round solder blobs....)!!

     

    All those polarized parts are installed the right way round. Since I bought two kits, I built up the second. This time I attached only the audio outputs. I'll gradually go from there. Right now I'm waiting for the TV to be vacated so I can check things out.

  13. Posted · Edited by Frotz

    I installed this mod into a light sixer today. There was some initial trouble with the audio connections not being solid (I tried soldering to a socket instead of directly to the TIA chip. I decided to solder directly to the chip as Longhorn suggests. The other initial problem is the color randomly going in and out. I think I have this tracked down to a dodgy connection on the modboard. Then I noticed another problem. After about fifteen minutes of fiddling with the system, it quit working. I checked the power supply and found that it was outputting 14 volts instead of 9. Did I just now ruin my light-sixer?

    14V is normal for the AC adapter when it isn't plugged into the Atari. Try measuring the 7805 regulator voltages with the console turned on. Center pin is ground. The input pin should read somewhere above +8V. It varies from console to console and by what you have plugged into the ports. The output should read very close to +5V when the deck is turned on no matter what. It might be easier to measure at the TIA chip. Pin 1 is ground and pin 20 is +5V.

     

    This test checks out okay. Still, I have no picture and no sound. Any ideas? I just noticed that the FMS6400 is so hot it blistered my finger. Hmmm....

  14. Posted

    I installed this mod into a light sixer today. There was some initial trouble with the audio connections not being solid (I tried soldering to a socket instead of directly to the TIA chip. I decided to solder directly to the chip as Longhorn suggests. The other initial problem is the color randomly going in and out. I think I have this tracked down to a dodgy connection on the modboard. Then I noticed another problem. After about fifteen minutes of fiddling with the system, it quit working. I checked the power supply and found that it was outputting 14 volts instead of 9. Did I just now ruin my light-sixer?

  15. Posted

    Every 2600 I've seen on the inside has its capacitors mounted rather haphazardly; typically with lots of space between the body of the part and the board. Usually one or more is cracked. Is there any advantage to desoldering these and replacing them with more compact modern caps?

  16. Posted

    Holy cow :P

     

    http://blogs.laweekly.com/style_council/te...est-at-e3-comp/

     

    I used to see these people after Metallica and Iron Maiden shows in the 80's.

     

    D&D is also considered satan's work. I think they mentioned Gene Simmons was the devil too.

     

    Hmm....Im wondering if thats why all the crosses were removed from some Castlevania games.

     

    Nah. Nintendo of America had a weird hangup over religious icons during the 80s and the first part of the 90s. It happened with non-Castlevania games too.

  17. Posted

    I used to see Sprint 2 everywhere, but all the others mentioned I hadn't seen in many places.

    I think I saw Zarzon once at a drive-in theatre. It seemed drive-in theatres often had really hard-to-find games.

    Peter Pack-Rat and Road Runner were kind of rare.

    Irem's Red Alert was super-rare.

    I'm working on more and more YouTube videos of rare arcade games. I'm not usually one to self-promote but I thought some people might get a kick out of some of these rarities.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyclimber80

     

    A friend of mine was an intern or something at Atari during the 80s. One day he was wandering down a hall whistling randomly. Someone ran out of an office, grabbed my friend's shoulders saying "THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!". That random whistle became the Peter Pack-Rat music.

  18. Posted

    I dug out my Vectrex from storage (clean basement, packed away in a tub) where it has been for the past several years, and was all ready for some vector gaming goodness. I fired it up, heard that old familiar startup tune, but no display. :( I just get the dreaded "white dot" in the center of the screen. Jacked with the brightness, even took apart the case to look for loose connections or obvious problems, but no luck. This really is a bummer. It worked great when I packed it away. I have over a dozen games for it, many with overlays.

     

    The games play fine (can hear them, and control them), just can't see them. I've spent quite a bit of time looking over different forums for ideas. It doesn't sound good.

     

    Does anybody have any ideas what the problem may be, and what a possible remedy is?

     

    If you look in the Vectrex FAQ you will find this:

     

    7.4) My Vectrex just shows a white dot when I turn it on. I can hear the

    game playing but there is no picture. Can I fix it?

    There is 1 common problem that will cause this symptom. Inside the unit

    there is a 4-wire power connector connecting the side board to the

    bottom board. Often units with no picture have bad solder joints on

    this connector. Try resoldering the pins and see if that helps.

     

    Hoping the above might help...

     

    regards

    VectrexMad!

    http://www.vectrex.co.uk

     

    Which cap kit is the right one? I just acquired a Vectrex that has wobbly graphics near the bottom of the screen.

  22. Posted

    The most I've found is 25 cents in a console. I've seen lots of coins in systems, but never any money in a cartridge. I had a friend find $300 in silver certificates (old paper dollars) from the 1930s in a library book he bought for $2 at a local library donation sale. He tried to spend a $10 at a taco place and they called the cops on him saying the money was counterfeit.

     

    That was dumb. Those old silver notes are worth quite a bit more than their face value. Once in a while I hear about a store that refuses $2 notes because they think they're fake.

  24. Posted

    This case just worse. So I go the paypal claim route on the item, and send the item back. Today I get the credit 5.50 for the item, $4 for the shipping (after sending the item back). The dude files a fraud case against me on ic3.gov saying that I didn't return the manual, and that the game is broken!?

     

    So now this other guy calls me up saying he is a detective, telling me I've commited a crime and I'll have police at my house and a court date with a judge. He claims to be with the IC3. Has anyone even ever heard of this?

     

    My best friend says I should give the dude his $9.50 to make him go away. That would be wrong in my book, but he is WASTING MY TIME.

     

    AX

     

    All he's done is a telltale that he's really not a cop. Keep all the communications and you might have around $10 worth of fun sticking him with LEO impersonation charges. If he IS a LEO and sends cops to your house, imagine the fun that could be had when it's revealed that it's all over $10.

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