[AtariAge + Atari Q&A]

Atari arcade cabinet kit?  Big box of wires and screws and chips with a PCB?

 

Teach the kids soldering skills.

 

Fun.

 

[AtariAge + Atari Q&A]

Can we finally get the 7800 keyboard?

[AtariAge + Atari Q&A]

Get Howard (HSW) on the phone and get him to write Trebla's Revenge.

 

The merger with Atari could be like a family reunion.

[Funny / Stupid / Crazy / Lame Auction Listings]

An Alamogordo console.  To play Alamogordo cartridges. Sweet.

 

Maybe it was Saddam Hussein's Atari?

[What Do You Think Is The Worst Atari 2600 Game Is?]

2 hours ago, Billy2600 said:

... I knew the 2600 could do blue and black, why was the maze yellow and blue!?

Rules.  Frye, the man who walked on walls was following the rules.  According to him, Atari had a rule at the time that only Space games could have a black background.  So who is to say Pac-Man is not in space?

 

Could you just hear him defend it to management.  Manager: You know only space games can have a black background.  Frye: Pac-Man is in space.  Manager: How do you know?  Frye: The background is black.

 

 

 

[Funny / Stupid / Crazy / Lame Auction Listings]

Anybody familiar with this brand of resistors I seen on Ebay?  Just wonder if they are any good?

[What Do You Think Is The Worst Atari 2600 Game Is?]

I remember the build up there was prior to the release of Frye's Pac-Man.  People were sleeping in the street in front of the game store to get a chance to buy it.  Then when they finally got it, it was not much like the arcade game at all. 

 

I don't want to come off being mean to Frye.  I generally call it Frye's Pac-Man because I want to separate it from Pac-Man which is the best arcade game ever. 

 

I think Frye is very talented but from listening to his comments regarding Pac-Man it is clear he did not understand the game.  Since Atari apparently didn't find an actual Pac-Man fan and have them review it before release, there were a lot of broken hearts. 

 

Yes, I think that did dampen the appeal of Atari products even more than E.T. which didn't carry the same kind of expectations.  E.T. was not a game nor a game character.  We knew E.T. from the movie but, what would a game be like?  Really, just getting a box and cartridge with E.T. pictured on it was about all the expectation a lot of people had.

 

[600XL locks up on any GRAPHICS command]

 

Does your 800XL work?  Perhaps you could swap some chips from that for test purposes?

[The new Atari 2600+ w/HDMI out and 2600/7800 support]

So I don't know much about the flash carts like UNO or Harmony.  I guess they won't work with 2600+ because there is no interaction between the dumper and the processor on the flash cart.  So, no way to use a fancy menu.  But, could a cart be made that emulates an eprom cart?  Just a dumb little device that takes a rom from an SD card and puts it onto an nvram or something so that the Atari could pick it up like a standard cart?  There wouldn't be any fancy menu and you would have to load roms onto micro SD one at a time but, does that sound like something that could happen?

 

Could a dumb flash cart be made with 24c256 ?

 

[The new Atari 2600+ w/HDMI out and 2600/7800 support]

26 minutes ago, WaverBoy said:

It’s really not though. It’s another low-end romdumper. And unlike the R77, you can’t upgrade the firmware to a far superior community build and you can’t run ROMs from an SD card as a convenience and/or game compatibility workaround. 

 

It is though because, I think it is much better than a flashback and it supports 7800. 

 

I said 7800!  Did you see that! 

 

LOL

[The new Atari 2600+ w/HDMI out and 2600/7800 support]

The 2600+ is certainly interesting and a step in the right direction.  This is the kind of thing we hoped for years ago.  But will it work in today's market?  Will be interesting to see.

 

BTW ATARI, Thank you for the 7800 support.

 

 

[The new Atari 2600+ w/HDMI out and 2600/7800 support]

14 hours ago, slacker said:

...

I'm actually really interested in hearing about the quality of the new joysticks and paddles they're also releasing. They say they're compatible with the original system. If they're a nice quality it could be worth it for me to pick them up.

 

 

 

I am interested in the controller as well.  Does designed to original specifications mean rubber falls off, insert breaks and oil can switches?

[What are the chances of mylar failing during shipping? Receiving unworking unit from AtariAge member]

This is a little sidebar but, I seem to be plugging this show everywhere today so why not here?

 

It seems the 8 bits are getting some attention from folks who don't have any experience with them.  Great! 

 

Anybody looking to learn about what is involved in caring for these old machines should check out Adrian's Digital Basement channel on you-tube.  It isn't specifically about how to use an 8 bit Atari.  It is about problems and repairs on many old machines like Atari, Apple and Commodore.  I think it would be a great idea for anybody looking to get into retro collecting to check out his show.

 

BTW, I am not associated with Adrian in any way.  Just a fan.

 

 

[600XL locks up on any GRAPHICS command]

If the case is still open, double check the IC at U2 is fully seated (C061618 the MMU).

 

[600XL locks up on any GRAPHICS command]

There are options for upgrading the BASIC:

 

However with the machine doing what you say, I don't think changing BASIC help.  

 

Does the machine run commercial games properly?

 

 

 

[Rebuild of Apple ][ dev system for Atari 2600 possible?]

The video is fantastic.  Enjoyed it very much.

[Current Atari 7800 game shell options for future project]

I have seen those too in some 7800 games.  I didn't know they were in some 2600 games also.  I assumed that Atari had tried those for the 7800 first then shifted to more common 7800 shell as a cost reduction since those springs in the one you picture look a bit pricey. 

 

The "butchering" as you say was an experiment.  I wanted to see if it could be done. 2600 shells were cheaper and more common and also did not have the holes on the face which allows the label to collect particles on the back and maybe get pushed into those holes.

 

Well, not "butchering" anymore anyhow.

 

[Current Atari 7800 game shell options for future project]

I have not tried Starwander's shells yet though, they look very nice and do tempt me from time to time. 

 

I currently use 3D printed shells but, my 3D printer is very old and slow.  In the past I had used recycled shells so, I know how that goes.  The cost of Starwander's shells is reasonable and I would think well worth the convenience.

 

Long ago, I did some experiments adapting 2600 shells to fit 7800 games.  I used a dremel to enlarge/widen the slot in the dust shield and glued the dust shield into a fixed position.  It did work and I use such a shell for my personal copy of Alpha Race but honestly, it is much more time to modify 2600 shells than it is worth.  

 

I would think you just want nice clean new 7800 carts.  Then the challenge is what colors?

 

[Block'Em Sock'Em 7800]

Now John Hancock is truly immortal.  Generations from now, Atari players will wonder what that furry thing is hanging from his chin.

Just joking around.  That is what I do. 

 

Seriously though,   

NICE WORK!  Darryl1970

 

 

[still trying for a small box]

Just one more option.  Glad you found something you liked. 

 

Remember to use a number 2 pencil or the answers won't count.

[still trying for a small box]

[_]   Wash the lawn

[_]   Mow the deck

 

Check buckets perhaps with brackets and underscore in the middle?

 

You could start shading in from the bottom and if you don't fully complete the task you can leave the bucket half full or half empty (your choice).

 

[Technical question about Apple II joysticks.]

So, here is what I came up with for a solution.  I purchased an adapter that allows Atari style joysticks to be connected to the Apple IIe.  It works great.  Joystick diagnostic ran on the IIe showed that the Atari stick with adapter maxed out at 255 and the low end reading was 3 (close enough to 0).  Makes playing maze games fun again.

 

[Tape based Word Processor for IIe?]

@Krebizfan - Thanks for that.  I found a source that lists that information: https://archive.org/details/Apple_Software_Directory_1978/page/n5/mode/2up

 

I could not find any other info regarding the Darrell's Appleware program. I see there is also another tape Word Processor listed as made by "Computer Components".  Try searching the internet for "Computer Components" sometime.

 

So I thought I might just be crazy and that nobody ever used a Word Processor with tape.  Then I found "Educational Software's Mini Word Processor" for use with a 32k Atari.  So someone tried it once anyhow.

 

I am wondering if Computes Speedscript allows save to tape but I have not tried it yet.  Most of the references I find for Speedscript are for Commodore.

 

Anyhow, thanks again.

 

[Atari VCS 2]

If they make another console, I think they should do like the big boys and make the name as confusing as possible like 2600 Flashback One XS all digital home arcade. Then nobody will be able to find it in an internet search or ebay listing and they will be forced to go directly to Atari and buy it off their website where they can sell you non fungible token properties and officially branded joystick lube.

 

How about a Speaker Hat 180 which has the hat mounted on a band with ball bearings that allow the hat to swivel 180 degrees so you can quickly change your style from up front to round back?

 

 

[Tape based Word Processor for IIe?]

Just wondering if anyone knows of a word processor for Apple IIe that runs, loads, saves from/to cassette?  And also prints of course.