RamrodHare

As Carlsson said, the RCA connections on your TV are not RF. They are composite. The coax connection is the only RF connection. The easiest way to connect your Atari, is with a RCA to Coax barrel adapter. They are cheap and can easily be found online or possibly at a local electronics store. The other option is to AV mod the Atari. There are different ways to do it, but all require soldering. It's also important to note that some consoles can get decent results with the cheap AV mods, while others require better and more costly mods. The best mod, as far as price and quality is the UAV.

I actually just found this thread. These are a step up from the customs I made from old NES controllers. I really like it.

I agree, that font is horrible. Every time I try to read something he posts, I feel like I'm going to get a headache. Luckily, I don't miss anything by skipping over his posts.

Being a seller and a buyer on eBay, I've had to deal with some annoying things. If you are a buyer, you usually have everything in your favor when it comes to a dispute. It may be very frustrating and take some time, but the buyer will usually win the dispute. For that reason, eBay can be a good place to buy things. That's also what makes it suck to be a seller. I've learned over the years to be very careful listing items, because people have become very picky. The sellers have started getting sneaky too. Some sellers play dumb, as if they don't even know what they are selling and some buyers won't ask any questions until after they win the auction. Of course the fees to sell on eBay are ridiculous. Back on the topic of those manuals.. Would I want a refund because they had high scores in them? No. It really doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Should it have been stated in the auction? Yes, knowing now that it was apparently an issue. Now here's where it gets interesting. If I had been the seller, would I have thought to mention the high scores written in them? No. It wouldn't have ever crossed my mind that this would be a big deal. My vehicle owners manual has the oil changes listed in the back of it, does that annoy me, no. This goes back to buyers being too picky, especially with older items. If you're selling, take plenty of photos, give as detailed of description as possible and in bold print, make it clear that any questions are to be asked before buying or placing a bid. When it comes to something like instruction manuals, I'd make it clear that they are being included "for free" with the purchase of the games. That way if the buyer complains, they have no leg to stand on, since they cant get a refund on something they didn't pay for.

I wish you luck on selling these. I had about 100 carts priced at $1 plus shipping and barely managed to sell 30 or so.

I've never had either of them, so I don't know that I would notice the difference. I meant to look at some photos of the two side by side to see if that difference was enough for me to want one or the other more. I just haven't gotten around to it. I think having all 6 switches on the front is really what I'm missing when I look at my Vader.

You're the first person I've ever seen post the opinion that a modded FB2 was superior to a sixer.

I've tried my hand at doing some graphic hacks, using Stella. Some games are easier to hack than others, so your game choice is going to be important. There are a lot of tutorials on the forums explaining how to do simple hacks with Stella. Doing it yourself would be the way to go, since hiring a good programmer would be cost prohibitive. I don't know if you could do the hack, but "Fast Food" may be a good game to start out with, since it's an eating game. I know there are already a few different hacks of it, so it's possible it might not be too hard to work with. I wish I could be more help, but that's really about all I can tell you.

Well, my plans to get a sixer may have just been ruined. I was on my way home from my father's house tonight and my headlights went out and so did my heater. I checked online and it turns out that Ford, it their infinite wisdom, linked the climate control module to the automatic headlights. In the process of doing so, they introduced a bug into the system that causes different electronics to just shut down. It can be the power windows, the headlights, the heater/ac, the radio, the advanced traction system, or any number of other important things. That means I HAVE to get it fixed. I can buy a working used unit for around $50, but there's no guarantee on it. I can send mine off to have it rebuilt (meaning I have no vehicle for a couple of weeks) but I get a 90 day warranty for $150, or I can order a new module for around $400 that may be a permanent fix or it may fail after 90 days, just like the rebuild. So I'll definitely be selling stuff now.

I guess he expects us to be able to read his mind..

DrVenkman, Thanks for the answers. That cleared up most of the things I was wondering about. Now I have a good enough understanding of the differences to help me make a better decision. It sound like the hardware improvements on the Light Sixer might be enough to push me toward getting it instead of a heavy. As far as looks go, I'm not sure I would really notice enough difference in the shell of a Light and a Heavy. I'm still on the fence between the Sears and the Atari. That Sears woodgrain is just SO much better looking. I just don't know how I feel about the silver around the switches though.. In a perfect world, I'd throw together a Sears Heavy, with an Atari switchplate and light sixer guts. I think I need to just look at more pictures of the consoles and try to decide between the Sears and Atari. I'm not interested in how rare it is, since I will be buying it to play, not to sell. So I'm not really concerned if it's a Sunnyvale or not. Darryl, Thanks for the reply. It's looking like a Light Sixer is the way I'll go. As far as soldering, I'm good enough to to replace the capacitors and stuff. Desoldering things like joystick ports is where my skills need more work. I figure it's due to a lack of proper desoldering equipment. With help from members here, I could do the necessary troubleshooting and repairs, but I'd feel better just buying a working/refurbished console. Since I'm almost 100% sure I'm going to go with a light sixer, I'm not as concerned with not being able to afford it. I'm sure my Vader and 7800 will bring enough money to pay for a nice console. I already have the carts, joysticks and paddles. Now I just need to decide, Sears or Atari and get to work selling stuff.

I didn't have the money to get anyone anything this year. No one bought me anything anyway, so I guess that was fair. It still sucks though, I didn't even get socks!

SECAM colors were very limited, so I'm sure Pal and NTSC games will look different. No emulator ever feels "right", unless you have a good joystick. I love Stella, but I play on real hardware because none of the PC controllers/joysticks have the right feel. Most of the flight simulator joysticks probably don't have a short throw, so they won't be as responsive as they need to be. The original joysticks had switches, the one you have might be analog. If so, that's your problem. Someone else may be able to give you advice on what type of joystick they use with Stella.

It's possible that something got fried during the mod or a component was somehow damaged. This could be one of those cases where something unrelated decided to kick the bucket at the same time you were doing the mod. If that's the case, it could be anything. When you were modding it, there could have been a static discharge that messed up the TIA chip. Static can ruin electronics. If you have another mod board, you could try swapping it, in case there's a problem there. Did you mess up any of the RF components when you removed them? If not, I'd try reconnecting them and see if it works right. If it does, at least you know it's an issue with the mod and not the 2600.

Performance wise, it's gonna be a tie. There are different classes of cards with different read/write speeds, but even the slowest card will have no problem keeping up with the demands of the 2600. I had a 1080p video camera that recommended at least a class 6 micro SD card, but I never noticed any difference in the picture quality or the number of frames per second with a class 4 card. So I'm sure a class 4 or better would be fine for the Harmony Encore...... I just checked, I have a class 6 in my Encore right now, so I can verify that a class 6 work perfectly. If I recall correctly, the Harmony pulls the bin files from the card and loads them into the RAM on the cart. I know that's how my EZ Flash 4 cart works on my GBA. If that's the case on the Encore, then card speed doesn't even factor in. (If I'm wrong about that someone feel free to correct me please.)

Ok, I have a Vader, a Jr. and a 7800. I use the Jr. 99% of the time and I'm really happy with the performance of it. I find the picture quality to be better on the Jr. than on the Vader. I'm considering selling the Vader and the 7800 and putting the money toward a decent sixer. Don't get me wrong, I really like the 7800, but don't play it very often. I only have 4 games for it and I just can't afford some of the games I'd be interested in having for it. I figure there's someone out there who could give it a better home and actually get some enjoyment out of it. I've always like the look of the sixers, but when it comes to the difference between the light and the heavy, is it purely cosmetic or are there differences in the the actual electronics? Is the Sears version any different/better than the Atari version or is it just a matter of looks? I can tell you I like the look of the wood grain on the Sears more than the Atari, but I'm on the fence about the silver around the switches, so it's 50/50 for me. I wouldn't mind hearing how many people prefer the look of the Sears and how many like the look of the Atari version and why. I'm interested in hearing opinions on how people feel about the price difference between the light and the heavy. For someone on a tight budget, is it worth it to try and get a heavy or just be satisfied with the light sixer? I know the ones made in Sunnyvale are higher priced, for someone who just wants a nice looking sixer to play, is it worth the difference in price? Some of you know, I'm on a fixed income. So price plays a big factor in everything. The way I figure it, all I can spend is what I make from selling my Vader and 7800 and possibly some other stuff. I don't know if it will be enough to get a decent Heavy sixer or not, but that's my goal. I guess what I'm looking for is some reassurances that a light sixer is just as good, in case I can't raise enough money for a heavy. However, if you convince me that only a heavy sixer will do, then it might force me to dig up more stuff to sell, so I can get one. (I've got another stone lodged in my kidney, so if my post is a little "weird", it's because I'm on some serious pain medications right now.)

It would have needed more than just RAM to make much of a difference. The other components would have held it back. Basically what everyone else has said. The thing is, it's limitations and the way programmers have stretched it's capabilities, is one of the things that makes the 2600 so amazing, IMO.

The carts are exactly the same, other than the card slot. As far as SD vs Micro SD, there's no real difference other than size. Both do the same thing and cost around the same price now. I chose the Micro SD version, because I had quite a few of the micro cards already. I also have the little USB reader/writers that the Micro card slides into, so it can double as a thumb drive. That makes it much easier to add roms to the card, instead of having to use one of the older bulky card readers. Some laptops have an SD card slot though, so it really comes down to personal preference. One thing some people might not think about, is taking the card out and putting it back in. The bigger SD card would be easier to deal with because it's not tiny and hard to maneuver into the slot. The entire library of 2600 games can fit on a 32Mb card, with room to spare. Yeah, 32 "Mb" not Gb. I have over 750 games on my card. That's around 7Mb. Most of your modern cards are going to be 1Gb or larger, so space will never be an issue and you can find the cards for just a couple of dollars. There's even a chance that someone on the forums may have one they would just give to you. A Micro SD card could be sent in a plain envelope for just the cost of a stamp. Heck, if you need one, PM me and I'll see if I have an extra I could send you. I know I probably over explained that. I've got in a habit of doing that lately, but I guess it's better than not giving enough info.

My guess is the idea behind the plastic being thin, was to keep from damaging the PCB and domes by flexing. As far as replacement inner handles, you can find them on Amazon and eBay. That's where I get mine. The replacements are made the same as the old ones, so if you get rough with them, they will break too. The 3d printed ones are considered by many to be very sturdy. You'll ruin the PCB and domes before you break one of those. There are a lot of people with 3d printers now. It may take some searching, but I'm sure there's someone who will print them for you. There's also Shapeways. I don't know how much it would cost for them to make some for you, but it might be worth looking into if you haven't already. I repaired a black inner handle from a Cirka A77 joystick with some thin plastic and a lot of "titanium" epoxy. People said it wouldn't hold, but I've put some serious pressure on this thing and it has no signs of coming apart. The white ones are a different story. They are made of an odd plastic that doesn't seem to like glue or epoxy.

Just read Osgeld's post. I think he answers your question better than I did.

I'm glad they work! Sometimes it takes some scrubbing, just don't scrub too much.

Out of 100 + carts, I've only had one bad one. For you to have 4 out of 6 be bad, well, that just seems odd to me. Common carts are cheap, you could buy a few from someone here who has verified that they work. If you get them and they don't work, then it's very possible that it's your console killing them.

I'd be interested in that one, but my understanding was this was a one of a kind. The builder talked about making more of them, but I don't think he ever got around to it. I'm sure it would have been out of my price range too, but it's one I would have seriously thought about.

I hope the Ferrite makes a difference for you. As far as the PCBs, that's all there is to it, unless you need new inner handles and fire buttons. The old white inner handles are really thin where they press the domes on the PCB. Over the years, they may have become brittle or been stressed due to hard use. The fire buttons are sturdy, but if someone was smashing that button for years, the little nub on the ned can become worn. That's two things I always check when I take a joystick apart. There are decent replacements for both parts and they are fairly cheap, so it's not a big deal to replace them, if you need to. Don't be afraid to pick up some aftermarket controllers, just do some research on them before you buy one. A lot of people love the Wico, Epyx, Competition Pro, Tac-2, and Starfighter joysticks. Those are pretty well made and work well, but they cost more than the average stick. Some companies made some amazing joysticks, some companies made junk. I've read about and experienced, some amazing results from the "junk" ones. Gemstiks are fairly cheap, but quite a few people use them. There are little tweaks you can make to some of the worst joysticks to get them working great, if you don't mind the work. Depending on your DIY abilities, you can even build your own controls using actual Arcade sticks and buttons, or modify an NES control pad. The options are only limited by your abilities and imagination. Some people just use Sega Genesis controllers and they work just fine. There's a ton of information on the forums about all this stuff, so just do some searches on things you are wondering about and you are sure to find plenty of info on almost anything. When I got started, I did nothing but search the forums and read. When I couldn't find an answer, I asked other members for help and they were happy to share their knowledge.