RamrodHare

There should be a metal clip in the Knob (Lid, as it's being called.) If that clip is missing, that's your issue and tape is probably your best bet.

If you find carts in good shape, but with bad labels, you can always order reproduction ones from a couple of members here. If you have a decent printer, there's even a website that helps you create new labels. The other option is to find a local print shop and take them the label files on a flashdrive and let them print you up some. The downside with some of those options is cost. I really don't like the idea of buying a game for $1 and then having to pay $5+ for a new label. The print shop I go to is extremely cheap for small runs of sticker paper. Of course you have to cut them out yourself, just like if you had printed them at home, but the print shop has better printers and paper. If I ever get around to doing a run of labels, I'm going to use the weather resistant stickers like I had printed for my vintage Star Wars droids and vehicles.

Did you add the resistor to those two TIA pins? I'm half asleep, so I can't remember which two pins it bridges or what size it is. I just know it improves the color. Other than that, I just mess with the TV settings. If I recall correctly, I actually had to turn the brightness down some on mine.

I understand if some of you don't like Pacman, but you should still show some respect for the work that Tod Frye did. Most people only think of this one game and completely forget that Tod did much more. I know, this iss the internet and talking sh*t is apparently a requirement. I've been guilty of it myself. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion and that's fine. I just don't think there's any reason to be so rude. Overall, this community is pretty friendly and laid back, so some of the comments I've read in this thread really disappointed me.

I can't afford the cart, so that won't be happening. I do play on real hardware though. I use a Harmony Encore. I'd probably attempt to find the easter egg if there were a rom availible to use on my Harmony cart. Maybe someday it will get released and I'll play it then.

List has been updated and I'm now looking to trade!

The "sticker" is a metal plate and there is a forum member making reproductions from brass that look really nice. I think he's selling them for $2.50 each, if I'm not mistaken. Do a quick forum search and you will probably find the thread pretty easily.

I'm actually getting interested in this game because of all the discussion about it. Unfortunately, I don't have/can't afford the game and the rom doesn't seem to be availible.

Honestly, I hadn't even heard of this game until this thread. If the rom were availible, I'd probably play it, but if that never happens, I'm OK with it. I figure if there are a few copies floating around out there, eventually, the rom will probably show up. It may be 20 years from now, so I may never get to play it, but that's fine.

I tend to research almost everything before I buy it. I think the main reason is that I don't have much, if any, disposable income. When I decide I might be interested in buying something, I watch videos reviews repeatedly and read about any possible QC issues, etc. Recently, anything over $20 has been out of my price range, so I haven't bought anything over that. Most of the time, when it comes to hobbies and collectables, I find that after watching video reviews over and over, sometimes I get over the urge of wanting a certain item.

Don't quote me on this, but I think it's due to a rip in the space-time continuum. It seems that those four pins are part of the structure that holds our reality together. Hitting them in this manner destabilized the quantum vortices that balance our universe. It's very possible that repeatedly hitting those four pins in this way could cause a permanent tear that could result in a super black hole, which could suck our universe into a parallel dimension where Raccoons with oversized testicles rule the Earth. No one wants that.

PM replied! List has been updated, so everything is current.

I like Pac-Man. I have nothing against it at all.

Well, I can't help you with the FB2 and all that other stuff, but I can tell you, if you tighten up the two rear screws on the Vader, it holds the board in very securely, with or without the shielding.

I can't recall the year I first played a 2600. I know it was after the NES had came out. My friend had a 2600 in his basement, hooked up to an old B&W TV. We played Combat and I was hooked on it. Of course I didn't know where to find one and didn't have the money for one, so eventually, I got over it... Or so I thought! Fast forward many years later, after playing on every system from the NES to PS3, I was introduced to the Atari Flashback 3. YAY! I could play Combat again, plus, I had now discovered a lot more games I liked. I got a job working at a local Collectables/Comic shop where I was paid in store credit. There I found 2 2600s, around 80 games, 60 instruction manuals, a boxed 7800 and a huge lot of assorted joysticks. I also got a few hundred dollars worth of Star Wars figures, but that's another story. Anyway, when my health and lack of actual pay caused me to quit working there, I started spending most of my free time on these forums and playing 2600 games. I'm not sure that's the kind of answer people wanted to see, but that's what I wanted to write!

Nope, That's what I mentioned in the last post. There's no kiosk. These are really small Post offices out in the country. There's only one employee and no kind of automated self service stuff at all. I didn't even realize there were self service things at ANY Post office. I've lived here all my life and I don't travel, so the three Post offices within driving distance of my house are the only ones I've ever been inside. The main Post office in Greeneville is the biggest one and it only has 3 employees at most. That's one at the front counter and the two in back sorting the mail. Greeneville is the town tourists drive AROUND on their way to "literally" anywhere else.

Trust me, I always ask what the cheapest method is and the answer for anything in a box, no matter the size or weight, has been Priority. Being totally honest, I think the post office closest to me (Afton) has been ripping people off for years. Now it's only open on certain days of the week and even then, it's only open until noon. The next closest is Chuckey, which is where I go now. I don't think they are any better. There have been a few times I've mailed something from Chuckey, after checking the cost at Afton and found it was cheaper than what I was quoted. Afton also charges for tracking or insurance on anything other than Priority, that's still how they were doing it last week when my Father stopped there to ship a package for me.. I just found out today (at the Chuckey Post Office) that first class has free tracking. Today I mailed out some manuals in a bubble envelope and it was cheaper than what small boxes had been costing, so I can adjust what I charge for just manuals now. As far as kiosks, there's no such thing at either post office. The last time I was in the main post office on the other end of Greeneville, they didn't have a kiosk either. Since I'm on the upper end of town, that post office is too far for me to drive to ship something I only charged $10 for, since it would take most of that to put gas in my vehicle to get there.

I use my own boxes. I've asked about cheaper ways to ship and I'm always told the same thing, Priority mail is the cheapest method availible. Priority also has insurance and tracking. Both of those cost extra if you ship any other way, running the price of First class up higher than priority.. I don't have a printer or scales and I don't sell enough stuff to justify buying them, so I have no way of getting the discounted rates that are offered online. I'm just hoping to get these games and manuals all sent to good homes so I can stop dealing with USPS for a while.

I'm going to see what I can come up with tonight. Hopefully others will do the same.

I'll download the tool and see what I can come up with tonight.

I didn't download the tool, but I thought about it. The reason I didn't, was because I figured there were going to be a lot of other people doing it and that anything I came up with, wouldn't be good enough. Since other people aren't making the effort to help, I'll download the tool and do what I can tonight. I'm not interested in winning the contest, I just want to help.

The rom I have works fine on all of my consoles. More than likely, it's the same rom you already have, so I don't know that I can be of much help.

Thanks CVGA! Also, BUMP. I updated the list of items and added some info about how USPS is charging ridiculous prices on shipping.

I'm not sure if it would cause your specific issues, but if it's not providing the correct voltage to the board, it's possible it could be having an effect on the signal. My suggestion may be of no help, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. If you have a multimeter, check the output of the power supply and then check the output from the voltage regulator. You also didn't mention the main capacitor, again, may have nothing to do with it, but they do go bad too. If that stuff is all good, my only other idea would be that one of the chips is going out. I'm thinking I read a thread a while back where a guy had an issue with the video being "weird", kinda like you described. If I remember correctly, it turned out to be the TIA chip. I'm just trying to be as helpful as I can, until someone else jumps in with more technical knowledge.

I'm not sure my answer will be much help, but the one thing you didn't mention was replacing the voltage regulator. I'm guessing yours is a 4 switch "woody". I've never seen a revision 8 board, my oldest one is a revision 12, so I don't know what components it has that may need replacing. I'm sure someone with more information will post a reply soon.