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RamrodHare

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Posts posted by RamrodHare

  3. Posted

    That looks like a decent one.

    If you decide to go looking for Joysticks, keep in mind that the new ones are all junk. It's best to get working vintage ones. You can also buy new parts to refurbish the old ones. Best Electronics is a site you really need to check out. The website is "odd" but Brad is an awesome guy to deal with and he has almost anything you could need.

  4. Posted

    OK, first, don't let someone rip you off. I really wish you hadn't mentioned how much you were willing to spend. You can buy a refurbished Vader for less than you mentioned...

     

    If it's a Vader, you don't want a cheap mod board, you want the UAV. A cheap mod board won't give you the best picture quality. The UAV is only $25, if I remember correctly and a guy here on the forums sells them.

     

    You are probably going to want to replace the capacitors and the voltage regulator, possibly the power jack. Some people don't change all those parts, but those are the ones that usually go bad, so it won't hurt to replace them all at once. You can get a complete refurb kit with all the components you need for $10 or $15.

    So, are you using the old switch box or are you using one of the barrel type RCA to Coax adapters? You may not need a mod board if you get one of the adapters instead of using the switch box. Another thing that will help the RF signal is to get a ferrite core that clips on the cable. This will help remove interference.

    Also, are you using a modern TV or an older CRT?

     

    It's not that hard to do the soldering yourself. It sounds like you have the basic idea of how it works. The best advice I can give you is to use very thin solder, the smaller the diameter of the solder, the faster it will melt, meaning less chance of burning something up. The biggest risk is accidently lifting a trace off the board, but that can happen to anyone. If you have any type of junk electronics, you can practice on them until you feel comfortable working on the Atari.

     

    If you think you'd rather pay someone else to do the work, I understand. Just be sure it's someone trustworthy.

    • Like 2

  5. Posted

    Without some soldering, there isn't much you can do. The power switch probably just needs the contacts cleaned, as mentioned above.

    When it comes to picture quality, it will help to know how you are connecting it to the TV (using the original switchbox or a RCA to coax adapter). The old switchboxes are usually the issue with poor picture quality, but you have to remember, these consoles came out before Flat Screen HDTVs, so for the best picture quality, you are going to want to connect it to a CRT TV.

     

    The UAV mod board is your best bet for really nice picture quality, but again, you need to do some soldering.

     

    Also, shipping cost isn't cheap and while there are very reliable people here on the forums who can/will work on it for you, finding someone may prove to be harder than you think. Time is money and there's quite a bit of time involved in doing a nice refurb and adding a mod board. That means the cost involved, after shipping, may be more than you want to invest. Knowing what type of 2600 it is would help though. There are a few different variations, so if you don't know what you have, a few photos will help us to help you.

     

    Most of the people here are happy to answer questions or walk you through the process of troubleshooting and repair, so feel free to ask questions. :)

  6. Posted · Edited by RamrodHare

    Great work on the photos. That's the first time I've seen a CX10 disassembled and laid out to show the differences. There's a board member who's making brass discs for these too (EDIT: Just saw you posted in that thread already.). I'd love to get a set sometime, but I can't afford it right now. Keep us updated if you find replacement "domes" for them. I know it wouldn't be original, but if the domes turn out to be hard to find, you might be able to get some really small micro switches instead. Thanks again for sharing the photos! :thumbsup: ;-)

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    I agree that you can't go wrong with the Harmony Encore. I have played the Supercharger games on it. It does the job perfectly. :thumbsup:

     

    As for the Mateos, I've heard great things about it and have wanted one for some time now. I just haven't been able to afford it. When it comes to 7800 games, the Mateos is the best thing out right now and the price is comparable to a couple of the rare 7800 carts, so that's something to think about if you are interested in playing some of the better 7800 games but can't pull the trigger on a $50 game.

     

    Having the Harmony Encore hasn't been what stopped me from buying homebrew carts. My income is what keeps me from buying the games I want. If I had the money, I'd be buying almost every homebrew that came out! :grin:

  10. Posted

    Thanks. For more reference just visited a larger game shop downtown. Jr is $99, Vader $145 and heavy sixer Sunnydale $269.

    Carts between $10 and $35. Picked up megamania for $10 just cuz it's Christmas ;)

    Those prices are crazy. I don't know how much difference there is between dollars in Canada and the USA, but those prices still sound WAY too high. A working Jr. is around $40-50 here and a Vader or woody can be bought for $30-50. The heavy sixers are more, but not $269! The only way a game should be worth $10+ is if it's rare or boxed.

     

    Something else you should consider about the deal, is that everything in it will need some work probably. The carts may only need a cleaning, but the console needs work, as you know, but those paddles will need the pots disassembled and cleaned or they will need the pots replaced. The joysticks also need new boots and possibly new PCBs. You also won't know if the power supplies are working unless you test them with a working system or a meter before buying them. In my opinion, it's a big gamble, but if you can afford it, that's cool. I just want you to know what all might be involved in that deal. Worst case scenario, everything may need parts and work, other than the carts. Best case, everything will just need cleaning and a few parts for the joysticks and console..

  13. Posted

    Without having it in hand to mess with, my theory is that the power supply just doesn't agree with the Gemini. Also, the 7800 has a different port than the 2600, unless someone has changed it on yours. The 7800 power supply has a two prong port with a two hole connector on the power supply. I know that the 2600 can be very picky about the type of power supply used, so it's possible the Gemini has the same issue. I'd try to find an original power supply in order to rule that out before replacing components on the board.

  15. Posted

    Ok, First plug the power supply in and use the meter to check the tip on the power supply to make sure you are getting power there. Also use it to find out where positive and negative are on the tip, since I'm not familiar with the Gemini, I can't tell you which part of the tip should be positive. You might try looking up a schematic for the Gemini board on Google.. If the tip has power, the next step is to plug the power supply into the port on your board and find the solder points for the port and check to make sure you have power going through the port to the board. If so go on to the next step.

     

    See the big round capacitor (the thing that looks like a can)? Right beside it is the voltage regulator. It's the black square thing with three pins. It has 3 pins, one is power going in, one is ground and the other is power coming out, which should be 5 volts. Search google for 7805 pinout and you should be able to find a photo showing which pin is which (I can't recall at the moment). If you have power at the voltage regulator, then maybe check the on/off switch to see if it's working correctly, that's about as much help as I can be, since I don't have a Gemini here to mess with.

  18. Posted

    The power supply is pretty important. I'm not familiar with the Gemini, but it's possible that the tip you are using isn't the right one. It's important to know where positive and ground are on the tip and if that matches the port. There are people on the forums who would probably work on it for you, they just have to see this thread and reply. If you want to try and troubleshoot it on your own, then posting plenty of pics will make it easier for us to help you along. I know there are a couple of members here who have worked on Geminis before, I just can't recall who they are... The good news is, with a voltmeter, you can track down a power issue really quick.

  19. Posted

    The RETRO2600 sticks are pure garbage. They are extremely flimsy and have been known to break the first time you use them. If you don't want to spend the money on the Best Gold Joysticks (which I highly recommend), then get some used originals in working condition ($20-25 a set). If you really want to go cheap and don't care about the shape, buy a couple of generic Genesis controllers ($5 each) and use them. There's also the Flashback joysticks ($20 a set). They work and are much better than the RETRO2600 ones. If you are dead set on buying the RETRO2600 ones, at least shop around. They shouldn't cost more than $6 each, which is $6 more than they are worth.

     

    I know the Best Gold joysticks are expensive, but if you upgrade an old set of joysticks with the GOLD PCBs, you can save some money. I rebuilt a set of originals from the ground up, replaced everything but the housings. I haven't used any of my other joysticks since then.

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    I have a meter, but is this even worth my time? Or should I just put them in the dumpster?

    In my opinion, it's always worth my time to repair something, as long as the cost of parts doesn't exceed the value of the item. I've repaired a lot of joysticks and controllers. Even though I rarely use most of them, I'm still glad I got them working again. There's also the option of salvaging parts from them to repair others. If you don't want to fix them, you should post some pics and see if anyone here might take them off your hands before you throw them away.

  22. Posted

    I've never been one to buy into something without knowing what it is and what it does. So far, I've seen nothing that makes me even remotely interested. Financially, I can't afford it, even if it were something I wanted. "IF" it turns out to be a video game system of some kind, it won't be very high on my list of things to purchase. The way things are going right now, I'm probably going to have to sell my Vader and my 7800 just to make it through this month. Naturally, I choose Tacos.

  23. Posted

    Well, there's a lot of weird ideas when it comes to putting reproduction labels on carts. My advice is to do whatever you want. I'm all for replacing worn or damaged labels. As long as you aren't trying to pass it off as an original label and sell the cart, it's not an issue. "Collectors" will no doubt swarm this thread and have a stroke. :P

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