SlowCoder

After the last 25 years my ADAM has been in storage, it is now unmothballed, cleaned internally, and functioning. Quite a feat considering it was stored in an attic with wildly changing temps. It's in great cosmetic condition with barely a scratch, and even the covers are not dryrotted! Whats even more surprising is that the original ribbon still works. The bad side of this story is that it appears that over time all of my tapes, cartridges and controllers have been misplaced and as reported with 99% certainty by my father, were trashed many years ago. Now I need to figure out what to do with the system. I don't want to get rid of it. I'd like to recover some functionality to it. I have some questions: - How easy is it to recover some of my old tape programs like BASIC? I also had tape based games called Buck Rogers and Mach 3. Are these programs out of copyright and can they be copied for my use? - I remember the tapes the system uses are proprietary tapes. Can a regular cassette be modified for use? - If I began collecting carts for it, are all CV carts compatible? - Is there a different power supply available so that I can bypass the printer? Any help is appreciated.

It seems odd, though, that they used a fancy chrome switch for color/bw while putting the more-useful difficulty switches on the back. I'd have thought that it would make more sense to change the design of the power switch, and then have four chrome switches for diff1/diff2/select/reset. My thoughts exactly. Their selection of switches to move does seem a little illogical.

Not chrome. Turned (or machined) aluminum. (Or aluminium if you prefer.) Only certain 4-switch units have polished chrome switch levers. (Promotional and factory reconditioned units.) Both of my H6's have the slightly larger, smoother switches. Very nice compared to the switches that accompanied the L6 and later systems. Ain't no complaints here!

I'm in the midst of cleaning up my ADAM that's been in storage for 25 years. I haven't even plugged it in to see if it works. I'll let it be a surprise. The system is nowhere near as prevalent on the internet for sale as others systems of the same era. I attribute that, at least in part, to its short production life. I have no plans to sell it, but I am curious as to its value, should it work. Unfortunately at some point the controllers and games (carts and tapes) have all gone, so what will hopefully be left is the printer, CPU and keyboard with tape drive. Anyone want to toss a bone on its rarity and approximate value?

I'd be willing to bet those are pirated/repackaged Circus Atari and Video Chess. Circus Atari, by the way ... very fun game!

You kidding??? Most kids these days are so absorbed in themselves they don't even know what's going on in their own towns. You also missed out on the 80s gen movies, big hair bands and the excirement of watching space shuttle Challenger fly into the air, only to have the excitement replaced with remorse as you watch the shuttle explode, raining sadness on the world. I was in elementary school, watching it on TV in the classroom when it happened. President Ronald Raegan was shot. The wall fell. These are things that happened in the 80s. Wait 20 years and ask a kid growing up today to tell what they remember about their childhood. Most likely it will be their cell phone, video games (no offense) and drugs. How much of the world will they remember? Hopefully I can be proved wrong.

Oh, and regular maintenance is also key. If your Atari lives in a dusty area keep it covered when not in use. Humidity will speed oxidation, so the drier the better. But ... the BEST preventative maintenance is to play! Your contacts will remain relatively clean due to constant use. Excellent excuse, right?

We all know the original versions had 6 nice chrome switches on the front. Then Atari decided, for some reason, to move the difficulty switches to the much less accessible rear of the unit. I suppose this was to update and streamline the looks. They kept with the wood grain for another edition, but eventually went to black, futher decreasing the characteristic differences from competitive systems. In my opinion the older models had a lot more glamor and appeal. What are your opinions?

nice!

* watches this thread with interest * Is there such a thing as a Sunnyvale 4 switcher? I thought by the time 4 switch models came out they were all manufactured overseas. You sure the chassis wasn't changed out at some point? I'm relatively new here, so input from those in the know will be interesting, indeed.

Uh... his name wouldn't happen to be Setzer, would it? I've got a friend on PS3 network, but I've lost contact with him due to my PS3 corrupting, and no other way to be in touch. We played Burnout almost every night. I'd LOVE to get in touch with him again.

Maybe buyer doesn't want/can't afford the price of a new one? I am also interested, but cannot currently afford it.

Good for a temp fix, but just spraying into the pot only moves the debris around without actually removing it. If you're willing to go through a little extra work of opening the pot and wiping the contacts with whatever cleaner you want, the outcome will be much better. And as far as cleaning NES carts, give 'em another 10 years of oxidation and you'll be doing more than just blowing them.

Seconded. 90+ % recommended. It can take multiple times to properly clean the contacts and return proper operation.

Yeah. You're old, grandpa. But not much older than many of us. I play games almost daily, and to see physically older folks than myself playing gives hope to my future. My message to you, old man, is "GAME ON"!

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games. Yeah, that was, and still appears to be, standard practice. I never considered it rude, just the cost of playing the good games. As many quarters as I dropped into those machines, I'm sure I could have bought any new arcade machine of my choice. It's a pity. In my area arcades are a thing of the past. There is only one that I'm aware of in one of our local theaters. But it only has about 10 machines, and none of the classics. AND they charge at least 75c to play. I rarely see more than 1 or 2 players in there, and they are usually 8-12 years old, begging coins off their parents.

I am also 36. For a few short years I had a Sears 2600. It disappeared when we moved and I remind my parents of that mistake often. Their response ... 'I don't remember ever buying you one'. Funny, I remember them playing with me every now and then. That was the only console I owned as a kid. I had friends with NES and C64 systems, and for a short time I used an Adam before we got our new IBM XT computer. The ADAM went to storage until about a year ago, but that was given back to me recently. Unfortunately it lived in an attic for so many years, I doubt it will ever fire back up. Any way, I agree with others of my gehildtion who hold nostalgic value in playing on original equipment. Holding the original 2600 joystick in your hands vs. pressing keys on an emulator keyboard ... no comparison.

Not bad, especially for newcomers who don't have any previous experience working on the hardware. Specifically the diagram indicating chip ID and location is best. I could have used it a few months ago when I got started. IMO, a good find.

Alrighty folks, I think I may go with the SNES controllers of StoneAge's. They appear to be compact enough for my purposes, and I think the number of buttons available is acceptable. I appreciate everyone's input.

I've thought about doing the same. It is easy enough to obtain copies of the labels here by searching the cartridges. But I think the trick is to get the proper type of paper to print it on.

Going off-topic for just a sec ... Based on other posts I've read, I realize some of you don't find controllers an important part of a collection, presumably because of their lack of monetary value. While monetary value is of interest, I also find interest in difference in editions of hardware. For instance, I just got a Vader. Though not a particularly valuable console moneywise, I plan to keep the black controllers that came with the unit, as they are paired, in my opinion. And now, back on topic ... Also included with the H6 were the paddle controllers on the left of this image. On the right, the version I normally see. They are slightly different internally, and the sticker on the front is a mono color, rather than the dual-colored ones I've seen in the past. Can I assume they are also 1st versions?

I have one of these too. IMO they are great for storage. But the only way to access the games is to remove the Atari from the top. It does not have drawers.

Seems it's not the kitties who need to stop using the Goof Off.

Hmmm. Whatever that was there was gone when I got the console. What might have been there?

I have emulators for multipe game systems. I play them on a laptop, which I often take on trips. I would like to be able to use a controller that is both: compatible with the widest variety of console platforms (enough buttons to support all functions), and is small enough to pack in my laptop case. I have been using the PS3 controller with Bluetooth without problems, but it's a little bulkier than I'd like for travel. The rectangular NES controller is ideal size, has the Start and Select buttons, but only has 2 play buttons. The Sega Genesis controller has 3 (or 6) play buttons, and Start, but no Select. I guess I could configure one of the play buttons as Select for the platforms that require it. I've never seen one of these firsthand, so I don't know how bulky it actually is. I know I can purchase a USB conversion kit for an existing controller, or purchase a converted controller (e.g. RetroZone), or a 3rd party controller. However, but my real question for those of your who emulate is, what controller to do you prefer?