jdrose

I visited the exhibit during the opening weekend. Here is a quick look at it: https://vimeo.com/39009061

OK, that's probably not a bad idea. Would you recommend de-soldering the SID chip in the C64 and replacing it with a ZIF socket or perhaps building something that would use the cartridge port instead?

Phoenix, Frogger, Quadrun and Missile Command.

That's interesting and a lot of fun. How are you generating the randomness? Interval between button pushes? Great idea! And, yes, I agree, the VCS platform is boundless and only limited by our own imaginations.

TOP853 is made in China. That's neither good or bad. However, I have heard that the TOP853 has flaky software and that the programming voltages are not always to spec. The G540 is made in China too. At $80 shipped, It is fairly affordable but I can't seem to find a comprehensive review of it on the net. What reviews I did find said that the programming voltages were erratic enough that it was unable to reliably erase some types of EEPROMS. That's not good. Perhaps it is best to save up our coin and get the Batronix? I've read nothing but stellar reviews about them.

There is one on eBay right now with a bunch of high quality external pictures of it. Has a minimum bid of $379. Is that a fair price? eBay Auction -- Item Number: 130638410131 Did anyone ever find the BINs for the various downloaded games that were offered?

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has a DIY circuit schematic that I could build around a ZIF socket to test SID 6581 chips. I don't have a Commodore computer but would like to test the chips I have for basic functionality. Thanks.

Very cool. Never seen one before. http://tinyurl.com/73koemz

I was wondering if anyone has managed to collect a complete set of factory manufactured cartridges? If so, which one would you say was the most difficult for you to find personally? (Besides the Monitor Cartridge and prototypes.) I recently bought a 7800 and impressed with the cartridges that were programmed specifically for the platform. Good games. 76 cartridges are listed in the database. That sounds doable. Would like to try. Probably start with the difficult ones first.

I believe the UMC made 6507 was used in the Atari 2600 Jr. console. 100% instruction compatible with the 6502. Made to access 8K of addressed memory. 28 Pins. 13 address lines. 8 bit accumulator.

That is the worst solder job I have ever seen. I can't believe the solder fell off the PC board and the pins! Ground yourself to keep static electricity from the board. Clean all the old flux off the area as gently as you can. Then use a good quality rosin core solder to resolder the pins to the traces on the board. Be as accurate and quick as you can. You don't want the RIOT to get overheated yet you want a good solder connection. When you are done make sure no solder has flowed to/touched traces and pins it shouldn't.

Air Raid seems to be the one you are looking for. The only known original with the box sold for more than $30,000 USD. Loose Air Raids can be had for $3000 to $4000 USD. I wouldn't call this the "Holy Grail" but Coca Cola's Pepsi invaders is real popular and relatively rare. Word is only 125 were produced.

Wow! Love it.

I suppose most people do sprites in graphics programs nowadays. I am old school and still do them by hand. This sheet has space for the bit map, the binary number representation and the $hex.

http://www.atariage....ossword-puzzle/

Does Stella count? Discovered it in December of 2011. My very first 2600 hardware is a 7800 console system I got in January of 2012. My girlfriend's family in 1980 had an Atari 2600 that I got to enjoy when I visited her house. Good memories.

The IMSAI 8080, Atari ST, TRS-80 Model III and Commodore Pet 2001 with the monitor are the coolest looking computers.

Cool concept. It's a little hard to play and a bit buggy too. At one point it locked up and just kept racking up points. Also, I would like to see the countdown go faster. I know, work in progress. Have fun with it.

Very enjoyable. Worthy of a cartridge.

Hello, I created a crossword puzzle of 6507 opcodes. Figured it would be a fun way for beginners to get themselves aquainted with the instruction set of the 6507 microprocessor. Hint: I used the UMC datasheet for my reference but the MOS and Rockwell datasheets use the exact same opcodes and instruction definitions. Also note that I left out from the puzzle the CLI, RTI, SEI* opcodes because I am not sure they have a practical application in the VCS 2600 environment. But mostly because it made everything fit together in the puzzle a little easier. I'll post the solution in my content next week. Enjoy. * It is a good idea to execute a SEI at the beginning of your 6507 code just to be sure.

Yes, I really enjoy Missile Command on the VCS. Very fun and replayable. A few other ports worth looking into are Frogger, Phoenix and Defender II. Impressive renditions of the originals.

Interesting thread. The 6507 and 6532 could probably be emulated with a programmable GAL or even a PIC microcontroller. Not so sure about the TIA. The ELF Pixie chip has been emulated in hardware so perhaps the TIA could be too? I suspect if the original components are kept cool, from static and overvoltage they will last a very long time. There are 1000s of NOS 6507 chips that were used in the Jr. around. Not as many 6532s but still available. The TIA will probably prove the most difficult chip to find in the future.

Seriously cool! First I have seen those comics. Wow.

I always thought the CR game was unjustly villified. If you take the time to play the game you will note that the indian maiden is actually receptive to Custard. The media and special interests back in the day totally misrepresented the game. http://www.ataritime...showarticle=364

"Do you all think that there may actually be a "market" for Atari cartridges, even if the games didn't work?" Absolutely. You really don't want to mail a C18 Zeppelin stamp but they are still very collectible. +++ "How long, at least in theory, will this stuff last (or should it)?" A factory made mask ROM is estimated to be viable from between 40 to 75 years.