discotronic

The blonde jumped in the other guy's Porsche and drove off.

How much you asking?

English version http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARI-PC-1-NEW-OLD-STOCK-IBM-COMPATIBLE-VINTAGE-WORKING-PC-WITH-ATARI-DIN-KBD-/261636050710?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item3ceab94f16

I wish that were the problem. The power supply is good. I use it on another 5200 and it works without any problems. From the searches I've done someone mentioned replacing the IC that is just above the power switch. I did this with one that I know works and it didn't do any good.

I tried doing a search but didn't come up with anything. I've had two 4 port RF adapters go bad in less than a week and a entire 4 port system stopped powering on. The first RF adapter was in a lot that I purchased and it worked. I left it hooked up to the TV and then the next day my system would power on but no picture. Switched out the adapter and the system worked again. After this I found another 4 port which came with a RF adapter. Hooked everything up and it worked just fine. Unhooked it from the TV and the next day hooked everything back up and the system and RF adapter both stopped working. Switching to a known working RF did not work. The system will not power on. The RF is not working on another system that powers on just fine with another RF adapter. Something else strange happened to a Trak-Ball a few weeks ago. I was playing and everything was working great. Stepped away with the system still powered on for about 30 minutes and the sensor that controls horizontal movement stopped working. Replacing the main board fixed the problem. Any ideas here? At this point I'm ready to blame the TV. Maybe there is a power surge coming from the coax or something of that nature. Anything I can do to troubleshoot the 5200 unit?

I already have a 2600 light sixer that I will never give up. Guess the same can be said of my 5200 after all I went through with it.The 2600 adapter would actually work since my 5200 is an asterisk model. I ended up getting two of the gold controllers too and they are about as perfect as these controllers get. Not sure about how long they will stay this way. When it comes to these classic systems, to me, the 2600 can't be beat. Between the joysticks and paddles and a really great selection of games make this a must have system. I never really got into the 7800 games because of the sound. This could change with some of the great homebrews that are around the corner.

I love the 2600. Having grown up in that era it is hard not to love it. If you really want to love the 2600 I know the perfect way for you to find that love. This is a little bit of a long read but it really works. Here is how: Just pick up a 4 port 5200 from a seller that states they last played it 10 years ago before putting it into storage. You wonder why he didn't try to hook it up after taking out of said storage even though he had everything that is needed to test it out. This is the thought you had AFTER you already handed over the cash and walked away with it. With a smile on your face you walk away with the largest and slickest looking battleship of a game system every created. You got it in the original box with controllers and about 10 games. All for the low price of $40. It looks like it has been taken really good care of. Boy did you get off cheap or what! You take it home. Hook it up and nothing happens. The power supply works with an Atari floppy drive so that isn't a problem. Turns out it is the RF switch. The propritary RF switch that was only made by Atari and only works on the 4 port 5200. You buy a replacement for way too much money from some seller on eBay and pay way too much for shipping in the process. Finally get it in the mail after waiting for much longer than expected. You plug in the RF switch and plug the power supply in. Holy crap what was that big spark?! You look around behind the TV and don't see anything burning or smell anything burning. You look down and the system is powered on. Was that normal? Anyway......pick up the controller and get ready for some Berzerk and Space Invaders straight out of golden era of home gaming. Wait.....what the.....why is only one button for this controller working? Why are none of the buttons for this other controller working? Spend hours of research and work getting the controllers functional and figuring out why they work good on some game and not others. You finally get all the little bugs worked out. Well that was fun but now......On to playing games. Turns out the rubber boot on both controllers are just plain wore out. Playing Pac-Man is near impossible like this. Actually playing any game with bad rubber boots is near impossible. Now you go ahead and order new rubber boots from this dude with a website straight out of 1995. You are not in any way saying the website is bad but beauty and usability are overrated right? Email seems to be the only way or at least the easiest way to conduct business. The guy running it seems nice enough and has everything you need. In your several hours of searching his site you also find other items that you think you really need. Gold plated unobtainium that was sent to Earth by the Gaming Gods themselves. You figure the investment will help you retire one day so why not. The ordering process is quick and he ships everything to you quick. Back in business. While waiting for your order to arrive you buy the Atarimax Atari 5200 Ultimate SD Cartridge. With this you can play pretty much every 5200 game made and then some for only $130. Also you just HAD to get Tempest from the AA Store and then buy a Trak-Ball controller. Now, after all you have been through, you finally get to really play some games. Those days back in the 80's where you had only heard rumors about these rare Atari 5200s comes back to you. You feel like a part of your life has been found that you didn't even know you lost. You play some really great games and really enjoy the majority of the titles that you played. You turn off the system. You smile. To get to this point took you almost a month and over $300. Now you start thinking how the hell did this thing cost this much? You can't believe you spent that much time and money to play the games you were not able to during your younger years. You don't have any regrets. It was worth it. A few days later the RF switch goes bad for some reason. You buy another one. If you really want to love the 2600 then buy a 4 port 5200.

If the seller has all the parts for the system and says that it is untested I would steer clear. Something is most likely wrong with the system. If the seller states the joysticks don't work it is a good idea to have the seller check the joystick port pins to make sure they are all present. They break easy and are a pain to fix. It doesn't matter if the pins are broken or not. The joysticks probably don't work either way. Other things to consider: Check out the Atarimax Ultimate SD. It is a little expensive but well worth the cost. http://www.atarimax.com/5200sd/documentation/index.html Best Electronics has rebuild kits for the joysticks or you can buy a set that is ready to go. It is a little difficult to navigate the site but the inventory is pretty much up to date. I've dealt with Brad and he is a good guy. The most important advice I can give is get the Trak-Ball and then get Tempest from the AA Store

Sending you a PM .

Yep. It was the Spikes. Thanks for the responses.

I have a 5200 Trak-Ball that the sensor that controls horizontal movement has gone bad. Looking for someone to repair it or someone who has an extra board they are willing to sell. My soldering skills are nowhere near what is needed to replace the sensor. I would be willing to purchase a whole unit for the right price.

You might be on to something. I didn't think about the Spikes. It is possilble that is what is happening. I will try again this evening and see if that might be it. The problem is when it happens the tube has pretty much disappeared so there is no way to tell what hits me. It has been years since I have played any version of Tempest. Forgot how much fun it is and how hard it is.

Ordered Tempest from the AtariAge Store and got it in yesterday. This game shines with the Trak-Ball. A couple times between levels I either got shot or grabbed by one of the monsters. This happened as the level was phasing out. When it happens it is at the point where you can't see any of the enemies but you are still firing and can still move. I'm not sure if it happened on the same level each time. Hopefully that makes sense. Has anyone else seen this and is it normal or possibly a bug? I did a search of the forums but didn't see this mentioned anywhere.

Hello all, I have an Atari 800 with a bad keyboard. I think? The space bar doesn't work. I took it apart to see if I could locate any loose connections and no luck. An ideas? Anyone out there have an extra keyboard they would be willing to sell for cheap? Also, will the keyboard from an 800xl work with the 800.