atari2atari

COMBAT actually always sounds from the same side of the speakers that the PLAYER represents - - PLAYER 1 on the left, PLAYER 2 on the right. Even if PLAYER 1 is on the right side of the screen, the shot still comes from the left! Cool mod though, eh? PITFALL II is fun to play on a modded system - - the melody comes out of one speaker, and the beat out of the other! I just modded several units with stereo sound (see signature), and put switches on them, too, so I can turn it on and off as needed. It's definitely a nice mod! The "Console Game Hacking" book is what I used (I attached the relevant pages), but what they DON'T tell you is exactly what pin is LEFT and what pin is RIGHT! PIN 12 on the TIA is the RIGHT channel PIN 13 is the TIA is the LEFT channel Have fun - - post some pictures of your "work log" and finished mod, if you don't mind! It's always nice to see other's work! -a2a Stereo 2600 section from Chapter 8 - Game Console Hacking - Having Fun While Voiding Your Warranty.pdf

I'm on vacation, but it always happens - - "Oh, you like ATARI? hey, I've got this box of stuff in this closet . . . " I found a few treasures in there for me, but I don't need extra power supplies or the printer interface, although it is cool. This is a short sale - - no interest, and I drop it all off (along with the SEGA GENESIS sports games!) at the Salvation Army here on Long Island on my way to do MORE wedding-planning stuff tomorrow. Hit me up today or this evening at the latest! $25 + at-cost shipping wins you this deluxe box-of-stuff! All or nothing - - no splits or bits and pieces! THE STUFF: - ATARI 400 Power Supply (CO17945), untested ("Worked last time we used it!," says my friend "I see," says I . . . ) - another ATARI 400 Power Supply (CO17945), untested - ATARI 600 Power Supply (CO61982), untested - TWO ATARI-brand automatic RF Switches for computers - APE-FACE Printer Interface, untested, cable sheathing has shifted on drive cable, exposing wires, but there is no apparent damage to wires ("Yeah, we used that a lot to print out homework!") The "APE-FACE" is exactly like this one - - eBay Auction -- Item Number: 370574327310 - - minus the instructions, box, and goodies! Like I said, it's a short sale, in between all the wedding/vacation stuff, I'm just putting this out there for my ATARI age folks, who might appreciate it more than the Long island Salvation Army! -a2a

No problem, but like I said, I'm travelling, and I won't be back to the Batcave for another week! Look for it next Monday . . . -a2a

The buffer is a standard off the shelf part. Any electronics hobby shop should have it. The cpu and riot and tia can be purchased from best electronics. http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/ So, the deal with the static strips - - yes, you can use aluminum tape. The trick, however, is getting the spacing right. I use a set of authentic ATARI foil strips, make photocopies of them, and then cut those out and use them as a template. I tape that template to the aluminum tape, which is easily bought at HOME DEPOT, and then use an X-ACTO knife and a straightedge to cut out the aluminum tape. I have a ready-made template sheet that I can upload for your use BUT I am travelling, so it will be a week before I can do so. The template I have is nice - - it's about 6 or so sets (a set is two strips) on piece of paper. As Syntax noted, BEST ELECTRONICS is, well, the best place to get integrated circuits from! You can buy the official static strips from them, too, but they are too expensive, really, so you are better off getting a set and photocopying them. Hope that all helps! -a2a

Hello, Mack - - I like your style, welcome to AtariAge. Seen you around at Assembler, glad to see you over here, too. Did you install the Coolrunner mod(s) yourself, or just come into these and are moving them on? Looks like good, clean work. If you've done the mods yourself, I might be interested in some commission work....? The IcedCube mod, is, of course, awesome, too - - best, absolute GAMECUBE case ever! Great GAMECUBE upgrade, hope someone snap that up! -a2a

Probably has a wife/girlfriend freaking out on him to make some space, or he needs the money for . . . CORN! Yeah, with a price like that, I wouldn't be surprised if it has already gone . . . but who knows! -a2a

Well, this is kinda cool for someone, although I suspect it might already be gone - - something like this won't sit long! A SEGA Saturn store kiosk that needs a little work http://denver.craigslist.org/vgm/3047695537.html And, here is a screen grab for the historical record, too - - Hope that helps someone! -a2a

Radio Shack actually has the gold-plated W / R for audio as "loose" components, but the nice yellow-plastic composite jack came as a Radio Shack jack WITHIN a larger housing that I then removed it from. I will photograph the Radio Shack package later tonight for you. It was the most convenient and cost-effective way to get a nice yellow-plastic core jack to use for composite. If I had been doing an order from Jameco or somewhere at the time, I would have gotten them there, but as it was, I was working with "local" options. The S-video jack actually came from LittleJoe, who has them and will include it with the boards, if you ask, however I wanted to/should have used these, which I bought a while back from the console5.com webstore (great store, by the way!) - - http://console5.com/store/s-video-jack-gold.html I think those look classy, and I have been using them on other consoles I mod, too. Hope that helps! -a2a

Thanks, atariluvr77! That was incredibly informative, and I don't think it's a overdone topic at all, especially when it's neatly compiled in this manner! Great read, I'll be printing this to PDF and filing it! -a2a

Darn! I was hoping that you might have some insight on this tantalizing, but unfinished project of Longhorn and Benzman's! I detailed my questions on this type of project and others, here - - http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/196567-lets-improve-on-this-lightheavy-sixer-atari-2600-wbuilt-in-gamesrom/ There are still challenges to overcome, but it could be a VERY cool accomplishment if done right . . . -a2a

Oh, darn! Now I'm gonna have to tear the unit back open and do THIS mod, too! Seriously, though, if you wouldn't mind sharing how this is done, maybe with photographs, that would be GREAT! I assume that this is just the standard stero mod for an ATARI 2600, where you lift pins 12 and 13, attach the appropriate resistors and capacitors, and send it to the LEFT/RIGHT audio jacks? Here's some of those stereo mods I have done recently, one that I did directly near/on the TIA chip, and then one where I used a "sub-board" under my video mod board - - (Don't mind the leads on the resistors and caps, they don't touch, and are actually very far away from each other, but the perspective in these shots skew the appearance) (The stereo mod is the smaller per-board under the larger one, and is the same setup as the last photo, just on perf board) The details on the Ballblazer and Commando sounds issues and solutions would be most helpful . . . those are the two carts that use POKEY sound. It sounds like you take some leads from the correct trace on the cartridge slot where POKEY sounds comes from, and link those to the LEFT/RIGHT jacks as well? And, there might be some caps and resistors that would be needed for that mod, too? All in all, very cool to know - - it seems that ATARI 7800 programmers once again, like the 2600, HAD stereo programmed into their games, but the console did not have the right outputs to implement it! Fascinating! I wonder what other 7800 games take advantage of stereo sound? Thanks! -a2a

Thanks, Yurkie! I highly recommend LIttleJoe and this particular 7800 video mod. Some may prefer the scratch-built nature of the other video mod that is listed above, but having done quite a few resistor mods on other systems and seeing the results, I'll take a mod any day that uses a 4050 integrated circuit instead! He didn't "stack" the IC sockets like I was trying to do, although it does look that way in the pictures I provided. Normally, the mod kit itself comes with an IC socket that you have to place on the motherboard, and then you insert the video mod board, which has long pins coming off the bottom and another socket, into that socket. So, in a sense, it is already a "double" stack. What he did for mine was lengthen the pins to that come from that second socket, so that the whole board clears the other chip that is just next to the installation spot. Here you can see the socket I have on the motherboard, and then LittleJoe's board, which consists of elongated pins, and a socket with pins at the end of those pins - - I hope that's clear . . . it's hard to explain! Bottom line - - the proper installation does involve TWO sockets minimum, but the stacking I was doing MIGHT not have been the problem anyways, it is more likely there was a bad solder joint or trace somewhere . . . -a2a

Yeah, those little plastic clips are a MENACE, I agree! A small screw-driver and some finesse are needed to make it happen. It's a pain, I won't disagree! You might be right, however, based on the observations you pointed out that others have made - - you might just have a regular Junior. Still an ATARI, though, and still fun! Enjoy it . . . -a2a

This is starting to sound more and more like a bad integrated circuit. The fact that it occurs on multiple different monitors helps to confirm that. Sounds like possibly the RIOT, or as Syntax proposed, a shorted trace. Unfortunately, the Junior has soldered-in integrated circuits, not socketed, so replacing circuits would be . . . painful. Not impossible, but very time-consumptive! I think you might just have a bunk system, brother, that is beyond the general desire of most people to fix . . . however, if you love it . . . it can be repaired! -a2a

Fascinating! Sure are a lot of these "weird graphics output" issues cropping up around here lately, it seems. What sort of television? Have you tried the unit on other TVs, and what happened? It sounds to me like the television you have it hooked up to is an LCD or Plasma, and is doing some sort of "auto-sensing" to determine where it should place the image. I'm TOTALLY speculating, but the ATARI is 1970/80s "tube-technology" and the modern TV is trying to interpret what it's receiving, and puts it in a "best-fit" location What it senses changes, however, when the "missile" graphic is created by pressing the fire button, and so the TV shifts the image . . . Like I said, total (somewhat educated) guess! Try another TV to help narrow down the issue and check back in . . . ? Nice to see a fellow Coloradan on here, by the way! Oh, and welcome to AtariAge! -atari2atari

My personal favorite, both when I was 10 and up until today, is the EPYX 500J - - The ergonomic shape and the microswitches inside both combine to make it my favorite. Those two reasons, however, are why some do NOT like it - - it's too "clicky" and they can't get used to holding it! I highly recommend it, though. Seconded only by a SEGA GENESIS controller, and then of course, an original NINTENDO controller to 7800-compatible conversion is nice, too (as sold by da' AX around these parts . . . ) -a2a

The bar isn't blue. There's a blue vertical "line" that goes down the screen. The line is not completely vertical. There's a clean break about 1/2 of the way down and the line shifts a bit to the left and then goes the rest of the way down. Please see the attached picture (apologies for poor quality but its the best we could get on my digital camera) http://i648.photobuc...ri/SAM_0142.jpg The menu screen is the picture this shows up on best. This line also exists when I'm playing the game but for some reason its impossible to see on the photos that we took. What you can see on the photos of me playing the game that you can't see on the menu is the "scrunching" that I mentioned. Please see this picture: http://i648.photobuc...ri/SAM_0143.jpg As you can see the picture almost goes to the right side of the TV, but there is a huge gap between the left edge of the picture and the left side of the TV. Is that normal? You'd think that it would be centered on the TV. Also there seems to be a lot of gap between the bottom of the image and the bottom of the TV. Again, is this normal? When Best shipped me this game it came with the original gamebox. The pictures on the back of the box show the game perfectly taking up the entire TV screen. Is it supposed to look that way or did they doctor the image to make it look "cleaner" on the box. You'd think it would be so difficult to center the image... As for other catridges, so far I don't have any. I wanted to confirm the Atari worked before purchasing any. Based on this information alone what do you think? Good news! What you are seeing is perfectly normal. For the record, I'll just insert those pictures here, in case some day the hosting is lost - - Thanks for providing those - - it really helps for troubleshooting! The "blue line" you see is the break-point where the programmer(s?) tried to hide the HMOVE line. The amount of "playable screen," well, that's indeed what you get with a good 'ole ATARI 2600! Interesting experiment - - take some time and download STELLA, the ATARI emulator. Install it, and try out some of these games like MOON PATROL - - note in crisp, vivid VGA color where those breaks are, and just how much "playfield" you actually have. It's kind of a good thing to see and know about! STELLA is a great resource . . . If you get a chance, pick up IAN BOGOST's "RACING THE BEAM" - - an amazing book that will teach you a lot about the limitations of the 2600 and how clever programmers worked with what they had! http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11696 Anyways, I think you are good to go for some classic ATARI times! -a2a

Ah, well, THIS is a nice read for the weekend - - an(other) ATARI retrospective! Published by ENGADGET, the magazine is called "Distro" and this is Issue 39, published May 4th, 2012. The feature article is called "ATARI Icon - Tracing the Cultural Impact of a Gaming Heavyweight" by James Trew I've cropped out the pages from the issue that I liked (there was a LOT of non-ATARI fluff!) and attached it in PDF format, but you can also grab the FULL issue in PDF format (which has some camera reviews and other gadgety things in it), or it is also available in a variety of formats for your e-device, reader, what-have-you, at this link - - http://www.engadget....years-of-atari/ You can get a higher resolution version there, too - - I had to downsample this quite a bit to get it to attach! May_04_2012_DISTRO_Magazine_ATARI_pages_medium_quality.pdf Some snapshots from the issue and the article - - Enjoy! -atari2atari

How's this going, Dastari? First off, I just wanted to put in a quick word for Bradley at BEST ELECTRONICS - - he IS a decent guy, but as Syntax points out, he CAN be a bit prickly. I think nearly 30 years of dealing with ATARI fans has made him that way, though - - I mean, look at how some of the discussion threads around here flame up and end! That said, I think he will treat you fairly, IF you come at him in the right way! I wouldn't "accuse" him, to start with, rather enquire, or ask for assistance in a friendly manner . . . if you get his defenses up, he may never come back down! 'Nuff said. Back to the business at hand. As Synatax pointed out, the HMOVE "cover-up" bar on the left - - that's normal, and was a trick to make the games look cleaner. Pop in SPACE INVADERS, and you'll see a "comb" on the left instead, where a full "cover-up" bar was not implemented. Now, a "blue" bar - - I'm not certain I know what you mean. Maybe that black bar looks like a dark blue on your modern television? Not all TVs do a good job of showing true, deep blacks. A picture, or a few dozen pictures, are worth a thousand posts, however. PLEASE take some shot of MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE games, and show us what you have going on! I am hard pressed to think of any situation where a composite video mod has "forced" the picture into a corner of the screen. And, based on your last post and the example you gave with MOON PATROL, that sort of positioning of the playfield is normal. ATARI games vary from game to game with their appearance, and how/where the different parts of the game are positioned. What I HAVE run into is certain televisions and LCD screens have not liked the synchronization of the image, and so have "rolled" the screen when I tried to input a composite video modded 2600. OR I have also run into certain modern televisions that upscale the image to fit the screen and washed out the colors or image. I could imagine that the right (or wrong) settings on a modern television could "preserve" the size of the input image, too, and put it in one corner of a giant screen! Haven't seen it personally, but all things are possible . . . Anyways, just trying to help, and I am mildly curious - - I do a lot of video mods, and am always wanting to know more. Pictures, pictures, pictures! And, try a bunch of games and let us know how it goes . . . -a2a

Great stuff, a pleasure just to look at some of the rarities! Definitely worth the "jump", thanks for posting! -a2a

Ugh, that sucks! I had wondered what happened - - I saw it was relatively high last night, and then plummeted this morning. I figured it was some sort of skullduggery on the part of a worthless bidder. Sorry that happened to you! -a2a

Congrats! Hmm, with a 90000 FreeMcBoot might not work . . . I think compatibility stops around 90002, though, so maybe it's under the wire. Moot point, though, really - - I hope the buyer enjoys it, great looking case! -a2a