-^CrossBow^-

Now..once you get the adapter apart...if you are able to fix it...what then? How do you put it back together? JB weld? What? hehe..I would opt for getting a cheap replacement myself. I thought places online sold 2600 adapter for like 4.99 and such?

well..since Atari didn't release a home version of Gauntlet for any of their platforms, I had to do the next best thing and get Gauntlet IV for the Genesis. I tell you one thing, Atari certianly knew how to program for the 68000 processor and they certainly figured out a thing or two on programming for the Z80. The gameplay is tight and accurate in the Genesis version and the music is still some of the best I have heard the Genny crank out. The RPG mode actually enhances the game without hampering it...highly recommended.

Whew!!! Glad you stepped in Chad! As I stated, I am not that proficient in electronics either. I basically know how to use a meter and can find components that are bad. But designing or working around what is already there I really do not know much about. Good to know info at least I was right that a voltage regulator would be needed of some sort.

Ranger: Which fire buttons aren't working? Left side or right side? If it is the right side..then they need cleaning..but if it is the left side then they also may need cleaning. But there is also the possibility that the traces for the left side fire buttons could be broken on the flex circuit underneath. That is the spot for some reason where the fire buttons flex area seems to get the most abuse. Try cleaning the contact areas on the flex ciruit first and see if that helps. WARNING!! Make sure you pop the plastic ring around the START,PAUSE,RESET buttons on the top before you pull the controller apart. Otherwise there is a really good chance that you will tear the flex underneath!

I am not really an electronics expert either... But I think that if you just use a single 9volt adapter with a 1amp or so rating that you should be okay. The 2600 actually doesn't use 9 volts either. It has a Voltage regulator in it to drop the 9volts down to 5 volts. So would it just be possible to just wire the CD Player right into the 2600 power switch after the voltage regulator and thereby only put 5 volts to your CD player and the 2600? I realize your CD player only needs 4.5 volts..but going to 5 shouldn't harm it I wouldn't think? Also using a power supply with more amps than the rate you need won't hurt since it only insures that your 9volt current into the 2600 will be a constant 9 volts. Besides, the 2600 really drops down that 9 volts quite a bit. Look into it and ask someone more technical on electronics than myself. But I really think this project is much easier than you might think.

also if you do actually hook it up via RF correctly and still get nothing then here are some things to check for: 1st define Nothing (IE Black screen...or still snow/white noise) 2nd if you get a black screen then that means the unit is at least seeing something. So then you go to the next step which is: 3rd if you have other 6 switch units that do work, then swap out the switch panel board by simply unplugging the ribbon cable from the main metal box where the cart connector etc are located. Then try the 2600 again. If you not have a working picture and all is well, then you can rest assured that the Main guts of the 2600 in the metal box are fine. So onward to this step: If you get a black screen and nothing else when you power on the system, then this usually indicates that the RF circuit is thankfully still working. The reason for the black screen is that the voltage isn't being supplied to the main logic in the metal box, in this case to the Stella chip..etc.. I have found 2 2600s in my time that both had the same problem. It turned out to be the cheap little +5 voltage regulator that costs all of about a $1.50 or so to replace. The +5 regulator is a 7805 type even though on the old 6 switch units Atari used their own PN and hence it isn't labeled this way..but it is a 7805. That regulator is usually located in the lower left of the switch board clipped onto a small heatsink. On the newer 4 switch units it is still in the lower left corner of the board and usually screwed onto a big metal square area on the mainboard. If you unfortunately still get nothing after doing this swap then the problem is must be in the Metal box. So any of the chips could be bad or loose as well as any of the coponents inside. Just a few things to check. Also for anyone who has picture but no sound, then either the RF circuit needs to be adjusted on the coil or...possibly the TIA chip has problems.

Actually Utmav: It was Tom Hanks who said that in the movie "A League of Their Own". However, we understood what you meant all the same.

Sorry about my Brother... You have to realize this takes place several years back. That war was sure nasty. BTW...for the record...the Jaggies didn't like Fractalus anymore than you Humans did. It didn't melt away our skin or anything...but it sure had that thick air effect. You know...I believe you guys would compare it to a really smoky bar? Anyway, at least in the end...we all learned how to get along...hehe...right?....uh...hmm... Umm..Tempest...why are you moving your finger towards the #3 key on that 5200 controller?...uh..Temp....Matt.... Dude? .... ZAAAPPP!!!!!.................................................................... ..........................(Static....)........................................... ................... ............... BTW: El Destructo...your welcome for the Screenshot...hehe [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: -^Cro§Bow^- ]

I have never gotten any complete systems from them. But I have had good experience with several Lynx games I bought from them in the past. Only this past purchase one of the boxes had the manual..but no game cart!! I contacted them about it..(Via Phone) and they stated that if they had another one they would send it. Otherwise something else would have to be worked out. That was almost a week ago and I don't haven't heard back from them yet. I trust them...but this little situation does have me a bit nervous.

Mitch let's not forget that none of the released roms here would actually work if burned to a chip and used in a 7800. All the roms for the 7800 so far have extra info added to them so that the emulator knows how to run it and how to display the data for it in the info screens. So you not only need the schemetatics showing you what components to add to what board...but you also need the raw dumped image without the added info in them.

Paladin... Your problem is two things of which both are in refrence to the cart connector on the main board. First the contacts are probably dirty or have some corrosion on them. What I use is a fairly stiff peice of thin card stock and wrap some flannel like or velvet like material around the card stock. Then I hose the material with some alcohol (No I am not buidling a Molotav Cocktail here...), and then proceed to insert this cleaning "card" in and out of the slots several times. When there is a bunch of black on the cloth...I swap it around to more cleaning. I do this until I have the cloth coming out clean. The other problem is more tricky to fix...but can be done. The other problem besides the corrosion...is that the contacts themselves are bent back too far from use. Activision carts are make of a thinner PCB for the cart than Atari games...so those carts are usually the first to start failing. Basically you need to somehow "Reform" the contacts back towards the center of the connector so that they make better contact with the edge connector of the cart you going to play. I use a small flat tip jewelers screwdriver and either carefull pry the contacts inside towards the center...or also push down carefully on the top of each contact which will usually cause the metal strip to bend outward towards the center of the connector. Do these two steps carefully and you should be able to get that Atari back to where it was when it came off the factory 20+ years ago. Let us know...

Meant to add that if you can only get one of those that you listed. I would get Gravitar as the other two should be easier to find boxed complete. BTW, I almost never find anything locally that is Boxed and complete. But when I do it is usually something very common like Pac-Man or Asteroids.

King Atari: Contact me with a list of wants. I can scrounge around town and find most commons for a buck or so. I can see what I can find.

Check your email! Thanks!

Heheh... Not yet guys...I don't any of you that well yet to be posting shots of my wife online. I will try and see if I can get her to put it on sometime. We need to get a shirt for my Son but I don't think they make Atari Ts in a 2T yet...hehehe...

Greg I am inclined to agree with you about the fact MESS only really does the 7800 well. It does do a pretty mean TI emulation also. I actually haven't tested anything else as I just use other emus more suited to the project.

BTW Greg, Rick Shroeder also had one of those Androbots or something similar that could be seen from time to time in the background around where the arcade machines were. There was not only a Tempest machine...but I am fairly certain there was an Asteroids and Centipede Cabs there as well. Of course this all has to be verified by actually watching some re-runs of the show. But who wants to do that? [ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: -^Cro§Bow^- ]

It most likely has one of the red catalogs with the Atari logo at the top. However, I seem to remember that my copy of Ms. Pac-Man I bought back in 82 came with the advantage poster since the 5200 was also big in the day. In other words it was that one poster where the 2600 stuff was on one side and then on the other was the 5200 listings. In fact the more I think about this...I am betting that is the catalog that is in that ET of his. Namely because ET wasn't listed in that red catalog as I recall... Look for something along the lines of a boxed defender or Pac-Man or even Asteroids.

I pretty much just use whatever I can get Audio RCA or Video RCA and use that...I have used Gold plated and heavy shielded and all types in between...and I have seen pretty much zero difference in clarity of the image. I find that what causes most of my interference and snow patterns it simply having the game unit too close to electrical adapters that are plugged in..etc. Get a decent length of Video RCA and it will suffice just fine.

hehe...for some reason NE you always get left out...

I know you probably don't want to do this...but look around on Ebay, Yahoo...etc. I see the Stargate logo Defender 2s all the time. In fact I got my Stargate cart with an 86 label I believe for 1.25 on Ebay...I was amazed that nobody even bid against me! Oh well...sweet game Stargate. I just hate having to use both controllers for full functions. Which speaking of ... I have it on good authority that one can actually just use the keypad controller from Star Raiders and the buttons will correspond to the various options like smart bombs, hyperspace...etc..

There are are couple of shops at the local malls that actually sell Fuji logo Atari shirts in various sizes here. You may have them also, the store is called "Journeys". They are kinda like Gadzooks or some other hip clothing store like that. I have 3 Atari shirts now and my wife has 1 of her own. Hers is the best as it is a spandex stretchy thing in the same color orange that Atari used to label the VCS Woodys with. The Atari Fuji and Words appear on the mid chest area in a bright sparkly 5200 blue...under that is the best line for any Atari shirt I have seen. It reads..."Wanna Play?" heheh...oh yeah...

I have an 86 copyrighted Countermeasure. Looks just like the standard label only the artwork and lettering is a little fuzzy as if it is all outta focus. Also the shiny silver color that is on the outer edge of the label art was changed to a much duller silver color that almost looks grey. I can scan it later tonight if interested... I might add that all the 86 label carts I have seen and I have seen several, are also missing the 3 digit manufacture code that is also imprinted into the labels in the upper left corners. So that was probably the first thing that I noticed was that missing from the 86 labels. Also, because of the time of release I think that most of the Lucasarts games are missing the 3 digit manufacture code as well. I know my Fractalus cart doesn't have the 3 digit date code, has the duller greyish outer edge on the label arework and has a copyright of 86 on it as well. I think the scan of it here at AtariAge is the same? Anyway, 86 labeled 5200 carts do indeed exist.

Those 7800 gamepads show up all the time on Ebay. 20 bucks is the flat rate they sell for online at some vendors as well on ebay. I haven't used them myself, but I can simulate it using my Genesis game pads. I still prefer an actual joystick as I feel like I have more control over precise movements that way. Let us know how you like them!

Dazzle: While your idea for putting a 7800 into an arcade cab is neat there are a few things that would make it impossible for it to bring in any actual money. I suppose you could rig the coin mech off the start button. But the problem is that most of the 7800 games will actually start by just pushing the fire button. I believe this may have even been a required spec from Atari during the 7800 development for games. So while you could attach a coin mech...there is nothing you can do to prevent the fire buttons from just starting the games right up. Unless someone knows how to isolate that...I am not sure it would actually bring in any money for you. If you did this purely for your own entertainment...then I could see it being a neat project but otherwise...no.