mojoatomic

Do you have any Activision carts? If you do, see what it does.

Hell yeah it worked :-)

Yes, remove it - the resistance had been doubled on the board as it already has the resistor from the factory.

Always start at the beginning. Power and filtering. Straighten out the caps and VR, then move to RF - check pin 3 on the modulator and see what's going on. If you create a good foundation to work with, the repair will come easily :-)

I hold them upside down myself - Basically, completely straighten out one side, leave other side curved. Put the switch together upside down, and the while it's upside down hook it on the base, turn right side up and using needle nose pliers, crimp closed. It takes a few to get it right, but then it's not really a big deal.

I'm not at all in favor of what this auction represents for intellectual property... but I will speak to the original question of "Is Retropie the end of real Atari gaming?" My answer is an emphatic "NO". I think there will always be a contingent that want to play on real hardware, just as there is a contingent that likes records and jukeboxes. We've had 8 track tapes, audio cassettes, CD's, MP3's and all manner of digital media since the record was invented - but there are still folks who simply prefer records and will continue to collect, buy & play them. I myself am a jukebox FREAK. I currently have jukeboxes, I've restored & repaired countless, and stocked most of them with records after I restored them. But I also own & subscribe to various forms digital media as well. It's hard to have a 45 spinning in your car :-) I think also that there are quite a few Millennials who have NEVER seen a 2600 in the flesh, much less gamed on one - in many ways, emulation brings people to the table, so to speak. They get a taste and want the real thing. We see this phenomenon everyday on this forum - younger folks wanting in on the real thing, but don't quite know where to start. But they experienced it first through emulation in many, many cases.

No grease required :-)

Que Atari gaming training montage :-) Da da daa, da da duh - da da da dada da... Da da da da duh duh duh - daa daaaa couldn't resist :-)

So sorry for your loss. it's a great picture & a wonderful find! Wonder how many times this scene played out, and how many pictures exist of similar moments across the world between 78-82??

It's doubtful in this case, but new parts can be bad. Besides, it's so easy to check, so why not? I clean all of the switches as a general rule - and it's saved me a lot of heartache. They REALLY get gummed up, especially if around pets or smoking, carpet, anything else you can think of over the past 40 years. They almost always look waxy and dull, but a good cleaning spruces them right up. The reset switch is real nasty one for sticking between settings if things are gummed up - watch that spring, I've shot more than my fair share across the shop.

With those symptoms, yeah a few come to mind. Check your voltage on the VR, it needs to be very close to 5v - I would do this when the issue is presenting. Make sure C201 is installed in the correct direction as it's the reset line. Clean the reset switch contacts. Crush a q-tip with a pair of pliers to pancake it out, soak it in alcohol and give the female cart connector a good cleaning.

I clean them with alcohol and a brass brush - never used dialectic grease on these types of contacts, & I wouldn't. Atari switches are hot switched and arc. Dialectic grease is silicon based and will convert to silicone carbide which is abrasive if used in switches that arc.

That's the one, closest to the female cart connector

Sorry for the slow response on this, not sure how I missed it :-) That's correct, there will NOT be a C201 on ver 16+ units. Glad to hear it straightened out your Vader! No need to live with funky RF, it's just to easy to fix.

Replace RIOT

Wood 4 switch version 8 board - passed sears Tele games light 6 passed

Do you have an oscilloscope handy?

I'd try RIOT, then CPU in that order, testing between each if it were on my bench -

Also make sure the crystal isn't pushed over and grounded on something -

Have a look at the voltage on the pins of the Voltage regulator, what's the readout from that point?

Well, the notches line up with the notches in the chip sockets. I've got 2 on the bench, but none in front of me at the moment :-( but I believe that if your looking at the board and the female cart connector is away from you, then the notch on the RIOT points to the right side, the CPU & TIA point to the left. The TIA MAY have a large square notch, instead of a hemispherical oval cutout, but it will still point to the left.

Also, look at how all of the stickers are fresh and white

I wouldn't waste my time laboring under the assumption that he doesn't know that what he's doing is dishonest :-)

I'll check and PM, but just whatever cost is.

How much is he quoting you for shipping? I've got to make another order from Best this week - I have no problem ordering an extra connector for you and sending it at cost.