RamrodHare

Man, I need to get more sleep. I was posting to correct what I thought was an error in my first post, which I couldn't edit, only to realize I didn't make an error. So, I'm now editing this post to fix what I fixed, that didn't need fixing.. I hope that makes sense. I guess I could have just wrote, "Ignore this post."

I'm no expert by any means, but I've had a few people ask me if any of the carts I was selling were red label, so I think some collectors are interested in them. You could check the Rarity guide here on AtariAge. If the carts and the labels are in good condition, I wouldn't think $4 is that high. Most carts on eBay will run you that much or a little more when you figure in the shipping cost.

I can't say for sure, but it seems like I remember some of the price increases being due to a certain Youtube personality. I don't know if that's really true, but I have noticed similar price increases on games for other systems that he "reviewed", so it may be the reason. As far as the foam goes, I'd never seen it either, but it is a neat idea. I would be worried about it getting in the port and blocking the contacts though. Even new foam could easily be ripped and mashed into the cartridge slot.

I'm going to throw in my opinion here too. As far as the 2600 is concerned, most of the games are really cheap. There are only a few that I consider to be too expensive. "IF" I were a collector, I'd want original carts, not repros. Since I'm a player and don't feel the need to have every cart, the Harmony Encore works perfectly for me. The only games I'd consider buying on carts would be some of the good Homebrew games, just to show my support. I don't know why the prices are so high in Australia, but here carts are extremely cheap. I would say there's more of a need for new cartridge shells for homebrews, than for reproduction games. I think the system that NEEDS cheap repro games is the 7800. There are a few games that demand absurd prices, like Midnight Mutants, Commando, and Alien Brigade. Someday there may be a fully functioning Harmony type cart for the 7800, but until there is, I'd be willing to buy repro games for the 7800, if they were produced at a reasonable price. Right now, the best option for 7800 games is the Mateos Multi Cart.

I'm bumping this, because I'd like to know the answer as well.

I'm a fan of the show, have been as long as I can remember. Tom Baker was "THE" Doctor, at least to me. I grew up watching Tom Baker. I watched the Doctor Who movie in 1996 that many fans hated and I liked it. When the show came back in 2005, I watched every episode. Each Dr. brought their own style to the part. Quite a few times I remember being upset when I learned a new Dr. was replacing the one I had just really started to like. Once I was a few episodes in to each, I was fine with the new Doctor, as if they really were the same person. I'm hoping the next one will be the same way, even though the Dr. will be a woman. Honestly, I feel like it isn't the best idea, but I can't fault them for trying something new. I really don't feel like a lot of fans will be very accepting of the change, but only time will tell. I'm not at all familiar with the actress who will be replacing Peter Capaldi. That may be a good thing, since I won't be associating her with any other character she may have played. I will tell you what really gets under my skin. It's the length of the seasons. It seems like it's over as soon as it begins. Most of the shows I follow have at LEAST 20 episodes per season, sometimes 24 or more! When it comes to Doctor Who, as soon as I get really into it, the season is over and then I'm stuck waiting for the Christmas Special, then it's back to waiting again. I didn't notice it so much when there were spin offs, like Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures (I miss Elisabeth Sladen). I really wish they would do more spin offs to keep me occupied until the Doctor was back.

Thanks!

I'm guessing you are talking about the the Jr, correct? If so, that's what I was hoping to hear.

I've played games on different systems over the years. All the systems had different controllers. After a while, I'd get used to using each one. Of course switching between systems was annoying, as I'd have to train my hands to use a different controller while playing. When I got back into playing Atari, I tried out some different joysticks and even modded some gamepads. I didn't have the money to buy a nice Arcade stick or even one of the Competition Pro joysticks, so I upgraded two old CX-40s with new inner handles, rubber boots, fire buttons, fire button springs and Best Electronics Gold Lifetime PCBs. Now, I don't even want to use any of my other joysticks. Are the CX-40s perfect? No. They are however, the best I own and I'm happy with them. Eventually, I'll build a nice arcade stick, just to try out. I never played arcade games much growing up, so I never got used to the feel of them. I'm not sure I'd be able to play any better than I can with a CX-40. I'm also going to keep looking for one or two other recommended joysticks to try out, but I have a feeling that I'll be doing most of my gaming with the upgraded CX-40s unless I find some magical controller that cures arthritis and enhances my reflexes. It would also have to have an internal mechanism that could counter the shake my hands have developed lately.

I always loved Combat. My problem was finding someone to play it with, come to think of it, that's still my problem. What I always wanted was a one player version. I found a rom a while back that had the beginnings of an AI opponent, but it was unfinished. I'd love to see someone finish it and make a fully functioning version, since there are a lot of us who don't have access to a second player all the time.

I just wanted to bump this thread. The guys who make homebrews for the community really do deserve a "Thank You". They put a lot of time and work into something and don't really get the kind of praise they deserve. Almost everyone of my favorite games on the 2600, is a homebrew! There are actually a lot of people who deserve more recognition than they get. Take Albert for example. How many of us have ever thanked him for all the work he does? If it weren't for him and this site, I wouldn't have found all the homebrews I love. I wouldn't have met some of the friends I now have. Everyone in this community who contributes something, deserves a "Thank You". So, I'd like to say, Thank You. Thank You to everyone who has contributed to this community in some way. There are so many great people here that I can't even begin to list them all, but I want them all to know, I do appreciate their work. I urge all the members here, who play homebrews or use this site, remember to thank the people who make it all possible.

In my experience, the colors vary on each Atari and on each TV. What may be dark blue on my 2600, may be purple on my 7800. It might even be a different blue or purple on my 2600 Jr. I've also had some insane color differences on my TVs, even TVs made by the same company. Some were so varied that no amount of adjustments made them look the same as on the other. it's just something you have to live with. I have ran into a few games that had what I would call bad color choices. If the player is dark blue, having a dark blue background doesn't make sense, but it happens. Ine homebrew I tried out recently, looked as if it was meant to be night time, but the player was also a dark color, as were walls. It made the game unplayable, since everything was just a dark screen with some barely visible walls, if your turned the brightness up all the way.. (I'm not mentioning the game, since I feel that should be discussed in the game's thread.)

As long as they are the correct value, it shouldn't matter.

Based on my photo, it does look that way, but it was actually just the lighting. I was using a desk lamp instead of a decent light source. The board is much cleaner than it appears. The board on my 2600 however... It exhibited the EXACT thing you described and cleaning it was one of the first things I did when I got it. I used rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush for sensitive gums. Most of the flux residue was on the underside of the board, so it wasn't hard to clean off. Cleaning the board is always good advice, so I'm glad you posted about it.

I recommend cleaning the paddles also. I have three sets and none of them worked right when I bought them, but a quick clean and they were all as good as new. I've heard from a couple of people that contact cleaner, sprayed into the pots on the paddles will get them working without having to take the pots apart, but I went ahead and did it the hard way, just to make sure I got all the gunk out. If you buy ANYTHING from BestElectronics, you won't go wrong. Get the Best GOLD Lifetime Joysticks. The price may seem high, but you really can't beat fully refurbed and upgraded joysticks. I rebuilt a set of mine, using the Gold Lifetime PCBs and went ahead and bought the other parts (boots, inner handles, fire buttons and springs) from eBay. It saved me a little cash doing it that way, but I already had the joysticks to rebuild. I use these joysticks all the time now and I couldn't be happier with them. There's a nice tactile "click" in every direction and the fire buttons work great. These are a more responsive than the factory sticks ever were.

I agree with that. If it's rolling, that's the first thing I would check.

So, my Gemini Rapid Fire came today. It's really pretty nice. It works great for cheating at Joust and Flappy. All you have to do is hold down the fire button and adjust the knob to go up or down. There's also a Missile Command clone that doesn't limit your shots, this thing really works for that! You can just light up the sky, wave after wave. I tried it on asteroids, but I suck at that game. I kept facing the wrong direction and getting hit. I can see how this thing could be amazing if it were built into a joystick, so that you could "tune" the fire rate on certain games while playing. As it is, it's not very easy to move the joystick, while holding down the fire button and turning the knob on the Rapid Fire. For what I spent, I'm really happy with it. I may not use it very much, but I can see it being useful on at least a few games. The one thing that surprised me, was the size. Based on the photos, I thought it was rather tiny, but this is a hefty bit of kit to have stuck in the controller port. I'll be getting an extension cable for it ASAP. It's not that heavy, but still, it puts more strain on the port than just a cable would. I've worked on a couple of 2600s that needed the ports replaced and it's not something I want to do again. If I were to run into someone else who was wondering about getting some type of auto-fire unit, I would tell them it's a fun item, that works on a few games, but isn't something to spend much on or to worry about buying. I'd also say that it needs to have a knob to adjust the fire rate or it will be almost useless. Do I think it's worth $5? YES. More than $5? No One of these days, I may take it apart and see if I can copy the circuit and add an adjustable "fire knob" to a Joystick. "Yes, Yes, Fire Knob and Joystick, in the same sentence"..

The game is working great on the Harmony cart. I really like it without flicker, but even with the flicker, it was good. I think you've done a great job on this. My only suggestion would be to add move validation, since I find myself trying to cheat way too often! Of course that's not the game's fault, that's all me..

I got my Gemini Rapid Fire today and decided to try it out on a some games. I learned I can now cheat my way to higher scores on Joust, Flappy, and a Missile Command clone (I can't remember the name of it right now). Joust and Flappy require you to constantly adjust the knob on the Rapid Fire, but the Missile Command clone lets you just turn it all the way up and light up the sky! Of course if the shots were limited, this wouldn't have worked. When it comes to actually playing, for fun, I'm still enjoying Go Fish. There are other Homebrews that I play ALMOST as much. Any games that let me use the Savekey to keep my high scores, gets played more often than the others.

The two clear and silver, 820pf polystyrene capacitors are more than likely to blame for the lack of audio. order a refurb kit from Console5 and replace those with the new ones and you should have audio again. Here's a link to the 2600 kit- https://console5.com/store/atari-2600-total-refresh-kit-new-capacitors.html I also agree that if you are going to mod your system, use Bryan's UAV. I've heard nothing but good things about it. To pick up audio , even with the mod, I think you'll need to replace the two polystyrene capacitors. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. Either way, it won't hurt to replace the old caps and voltage regulator with new ones while you have the system apart.

Nowadays there's cream for everything! Still, I don't believe there will ever be anything that will take the memory of being hit with a hickory switch out of my mind. Today that would be called child abuse, back then it was called discipline. I can't say being whipped ever kept me out of trouble. I just made sure when I got into trouble it was well worth it.

All this talk of switches makes my butt hurt.

You can buy the burner with the Multicart. It's not that expensive and it will work for any of the multicarts that Mateos makes. All together, the burner, the 7800 multicart, and shipping is around $80 if I remember correctly. So, around the same price as a rare 7800 cart, like Commando and 2 or 3 common carts, like Dig Dug or Joust. Until we get a 7800 version of the Harmony, this is the best option there is.

This one was from back in the day too. This was made specifically for transporting your 2600, joysticks, paddles and games to your friends house to play! The one your are referring to was more of a "Dust cover". It just kept your system organized and clean, but it wasn't useful for taking your system on a trip. I really like the old turntable organizers though, they just look awesome. What this case lacks in style, it makes up for in portability.

Thanks for posting the pics. There are some members here from Australia, so there's a chance someone here would be interested. I'm no expert on prices, but I have been shopping around for Atari items for a while now, everything you have there is pretty easy to find on eBay, except that case. I honestly couldn't tell you what it's worth, since it really comes down to who wants it and what they are willing to pay. I was looking for one a little while back, but my limited funds mean it's WAY out of my price range, just for the shipping. I ended up buying a 2600 Jr. since it's smaller and easier to transport than my other 2600. Hopefully you'll find a good home for this .