Voltman3

Hey guys !! Ranger G, CPUWIZ, VGA and all !!!!!!! Well, I'm still around - kinda. I had a computer problem ALL summer, HD was/is still dying ! Being out of work and not a computer expert I couldnt fix it. She seems to be working now, for how long I dont know But everything is backed up to a new HD, whew ! Still need to finish installing it - later. I still dont have permanent residence either, so I'll be floating till then. I am also taking a road trip tomorrow [12/1] from AZ to FL. Gonna stop in Tx, Ms & Ga on the way. So I'll look in on things here, as I get a chance to hit the web. Most everything I have, has been in storage for the last 3-4 mos. I had to go get a few necessities: like my 5200 I couldnt take it any longer !!! and this clunker PC. Now I'm glad I did as I see there has been some interesting progress made on [5200] Donkey Kong ! I remember talking about that very thing- last year sometime ! Yah hoo.... Well, I ramble....... Anyway, thanks for the concern, it's nice to know I have friends that think about me on occassion. I'll also PM, as I need to update my email. Later dudes- Charles

Fortunately, I found 1 on the net for $35.00, 2 or 3 yrs ago. I haven't seen another out there. I don't know what they're worth but they seem to be pretty scarce in the wild ! I don't want to part with mine either, but you guys will be the first to know if I do. Good luck on your search, hope you find 1. Later V3

Digital only ?! This works too. IMO http://personal.riverusers.com/~clghog/52h...digitaldiag.jpg But you can't use the 2600/7800 JS unless you modify them. Using an 8-way self-centering JS with both N.O. & N.C. contacts will do the job much better tho'. Later -

My heres my .02cents- I have a 4port PS (11.5VDC) running my 2port with no problem. There are 2 differtent ratings on 5200 PSs and either will run both machines. I agree with Phil.. as I recall from a long time ago..... (theory has it) any elecrical circuit will only draw the amount of power it needs. So hooking up a higher amp PS should NOT hurt anything. If it is a fusable PS, maybe put in a 1 - 2 amp fuse (but, not of the slowblow variety) we still can't guar they'll blow fast enough! As far as voltage rating I would stay right @ 12VDC and no higher. Some of these items are not as finicky as we might imagine. Ex: The PS I use on my 2port is rated 11.5VDC, but it actually puts out 15VDC according to my DMMeter. If you keep your voltage 9VDC-12VDC & you should be ok. But Phil, it isnt very tough to get a 5200 PS, so go ahead & get 1 if your unit does work... I might suggest to anyone using a (wall wart) replacement PS for anything- be sure & note the output, many PS have an AC volt output- and it may work, but you are going to have a much lower DC output and most likely damage your unit with prolonged use. Vice versa applies as well- it may or maynot work, but sensitive components ca be damaged using the wrong type PS. (polarity + & - should be considered too) I say this because the other day- I almost used a DC PS (wallwart) when I need an AC output........ duh ! Luckily I noticed ! Lastly, some PS have caps in them to provide a smoother DC output. This is needed for some circuits, others dont care. It depends on the app. If I am off base on any of this go ahead & correct me, but that is what I can recall after brushing out a few cobwebs Later

Joey & Bob The CX52 pots are 500k most will read upto 600k, but it is designated as a 500k. If you could find some that would be cool. The most difficult thing I picture [in my mind] is having enough room for the springs ??? If the cx52 was a tad bigger inside it would be a lot easier to adapt something for self-centering. Good luck, I hope you find em'. Later-

Dougy 76- As far as I know everyone likes Jr Pac-man. It's a great game IMO. If you want 1- email or PM. I have Seans MC too and it is a great item MegaManFan- Hmmm.. I dont know of any broken links on my site- but I have a piss poor server, so it is very possible to encounter trouble I have a problem with '404 not found' many times when I visit a fav- Twin Galaxies site. Most times I have to backup and try again and then the links will work, but I have to do it alot to nav their site. Is that is what you got on my site ?? Heck, my site ain't that big- is it ? Uh, Maybe somebody is just being a smart-el-eck I get really lost here on AA...... heh heh CPUWIZ - I know you got my back- thanks brother..... (that's funny as hell tho') Later, Studs !!

I have a 2-port open at the moment- Checked it with a VOM & Mitch is right, R53 = 56 ohms Later

Hey guys I had trouble with 1 of my Wicos too. It wouldnt going down if I recall correctly. Anyway I found as Mitch says the pot was wearing out on one end. It didnt have enough resitance on the high side. All I had to do was add a 50k resistor to the end of the affected pot and it worked like a charm. I can't be sure this is your Wico's problem without looking at it myself, but if it is- thats the easy fix. If your Wico willnot center- it sounds as if the pot is registering less than 250k ohms. Approx 250k is needed to make it center. If your problem pot reads (less than 250k) you'll not benefit from my suggestion above. If the pot only reads 0-200k ohms, it (ship etc..) will never reach center......... you'll need another pot. In any case, WICO pots should register approx. (5k - 500k) ohms to have full analog directional control. I think mine was close to 500k but still wouldnt work right ! The additional 50k resistance did it tho. Hope this might help- Later

Wow, what a bunch of cool guys- Ranger G, Ben, Bob, Geo, Cafeman & Angus I too can go on about the many good Atarians I've met, here on the forums and in person ! And I hope to meet many more of you in person at CGE Thanks for the kind words, guys. IMO- The best part of our hobby, is that it brings people together to- "Just Have Fun" !! As long as it stays that way - I'll be a part of it. Later- Charles V3 PLAY ON !!!! All you Atari PSYCHOS & Stay COOL !

Look here- http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/index.html Read 4.14 - Later-

A MAX - Of all the 2 ports I've ever opened, they all have the same RCA Phono plug on both ends of the cable. Either replace the smashed end or buy a replacement cable, open the 5200 and slide it on- no prob ! Later-

Currently here are my favorites (in order): Joust - #1 Defender Pole Position Rescue on Fractalus (Crossbow, you are right about this 1) Awesome ! Zaxxon Gremlins - fun as hell ! Last Starfighter Frogger II Millipede Battlezone Track N Field - way better than Decathlon, IMO !!! Vanguard Gyruss - fun game, if you have a good cont'. Asteroids Games I never warmed up to- (not in order) Any of the RS titles Congo Bongo Countermeasure - Combat II was needed to fill this void ! Gorf James Bond 007 Choplifter - could have been alot better. Galaxian - Needed rapid fire. SW DSB - they could have atleast tried ! Megamania - boring Kangaroo ?? Kaboom - Insanely hard. Blue Print ?? Xevious - I was disappointed. Q for Roo - Lame Popeye - again boring Lastly, Space Dungeon, Robotron, Star Raiders might be ok games- but are overrated IMO- but that may be, because I suck at all 3 ! Maybe 1 day I will see what the fuss is about ? Later, V3

I got 1 of those suckers too - they are HUGE tho' !! Bought it from this guy: http://www.art-fool.com/atari5200.htm for $35.00 about 2 years ago, it's in great shape, but the 2 latches in front have some rust on them. Guess I could remove 'em and get them redipped, someday? If you see one out there you better grab it up fast. They only come by once in a great while. Later-

KA As far as simple Emu's go IMO. DL- VSS [EMU] and Reagle Beagle [FrontEnd]. Put the the EMU, FE, and the Roms all in the same folder. Open RB and D-click the rom and your playing ! It doesnt get any easier than that, I dont think. Later- have fun.

You see that ? Look at the time stamp ! Mitch sniped me on this post ! There was no reply yet, when I started mine. HA HA OK dude- It's on NOW Later

Yep- it's been done by many people. Here's my idea of a 5200 Paddle- http://personal.riverusers.com/~clghog/VOL...OLTMAN3pg3.html Later-

Although I have both systems, again, I like the 5200 better. I'm not gonna go into processors etc... surely that has been debated. Controllers for both are a sensitive subject !! I really hated the Coleco Conts' and still do. To this day I prefer the CX52 Cont. Even tho the 5200 is bigger (who woulda thought Black and Pink would work) the Coleco's styling doesn't do anything for me either. IMO- Colecovision- has a more diverse library of games. 5200- seems to have smoother graphics & is more fun to play. I always wished that Atari had released Donkey Kong and Lady Bug for 5200 ! I played those 2 for hours & hours on my Colecovision back in the day. Of Course Defender & Pacman occupied the rest of my time on the 5200. I wouldn't give up either one, but to me- the 5200 has the overall edge. Later-

My 4port is hooked up to a small 12" TV and it starts in B&W. If I change the channel on the TV it gives me color. Try going up or down 1 or 2 channels, maybe it'll work for you too ? Later-

Hi guys- Thanks for the comments. Sorry for the crappy Cont' pics, but my Dig cam isn't working right now ?! VD- All in-house testing is done. I think I've done all I can on this joystick. I have 1 of each unit sold, and both will be sent out Monday. So I should have some player FB in a week or so.... I tested the unit yesterday after assembly & played a game of "Joust" on EXPERT & finished with a single player score of 1.4 million (made it thru all 99 waves). I think that shows some of the potential this Cont has Or maybe I just had a GOOD day ? but, My previous best on Expert was about 300k tho'. Defender, all the Pac-man games, and many, many others, play like a dream ! (like they should) Even Q-bert ! Yeah, Whatever - blah, blah - Blah ! ALBERT - This is a 3rd Gen of the Modified 2600 CX40 you displayed Sunday @ CGE, remember that ? I'm going to send 1 to you guys to pass around, I still have the address you gave me. But, instead of sending 2 seperate units I will put the KPad & Cont' in 1 (Larger Black) unit with L & R Hand FBs so everyone can play/test it. I'll try putting that together in the next week or 2, and send it to you. I was looking at a WICO KPad and wanted 1, but they were selling for $90 to over $100 ! One day I noticed 1 of those old phones laying around. At first- I thought NO friggin' way..... it can't be that easy. But I opened it up anyway, and after a bit of tinkering, found that they would really work. Is that unbelieveable or what ? !!!! As luck would have it they are a dime a dozen Yep- KPad tones work ! If you put in RS Basketball. he he I got a WICO KPad recently and took it apart, they are nice, but they aren't made near as well as I thought they'd be. I was a tad disappointed in the construction & quality. My KPads are alot more rugged & durable, by far. IMO, that is. BTW- if I can make it to CGE 2003, I'll have a 5200 setup like no-one has Ever seen before ! :wink: Later dudes-

Is the above FEnd the same as this 1 ? http://www.atarihq.com/5200/index.html I like "Reagle Beagle 2000" for "VSS" - it's very easy to use too. Later,

Hi Sometime ago I posted (see post - Asteroids Controller) the proper way to control Asteroids. After playing on & off for months & months, and not giving up- I discovered the following: Step 1 - push UP (Thrust), until the Ship barely moves. Step 2 - pull DOWN (Shield) until the Shield appears, you will no longer thrust out of control. Step 3 - turn Left or Right (doesn't matter which way you go - real quick) Step 4 - then back the opposite way R or L, your Ship will then stay centered. It only takes those 4 quick motions to make Asteroids playable. Do them as fast as you can- it works ! I have tried other combinations and this is the only 1 that works- that I've found. NOTE: You only need to do each motion long enough for it to take effect. - ie.... Thrust: as soon as ship moves - go to next step. It will take a little practice to get it right, but once you figure it out Asteroids is fun ! It's definitely a playable proto ! So far, I have hit 70,000 using this method. Later,

Voiddweller Yep, I have taken a couple apart. I like the Wico CC, but not as well as my own controller. lol The first one I got had a bad pot, (wouldnt go down - I think?) Found out it just needed a little more resitance to make it go in that direction. After that, I got to like these conts very well. The only drawback to me- is the big FB isn't very easy to press (fast). I swapped wires and now the smaller FB is much more sensitive as a Main FB ! Here is what I'd do - Use a self-tapping screw, slow and easy should do it. Then, you can always take it out if needed. Hey, Chaz- I think I remember that auction, and wondered if that was a possibility ? Glad you got a good deal with an easy fix ! Score! Later-

KJ1 A last minute thought. Put in Defender, it uses all 6 of those KP functions. If you can change the play difficulty via 1,2 or 3 Pin 4 is the culprit If it doesnt work, well then you know ! lol

NMB Hey call Brad @ Best Electronics a new Main Console on/off sw is $1.00 .50c for the spring. KJ1 Sorry the 4&7 didnt work. I'd open her up and look for a loose solder joint at the db15 connector on the MB, if they're good follow out the traces on both pins you might have an open somewhere ? Since you have eliminated the CX52 cable as a poss prob. I would think you would be having probs with a group of buttons other than just the Start. Are you having trouble with any other KP functions? Pin 4 > is common to S,P&R Pin 7 > is common to 1,2,3&S If you are having trouble with other functions in either group of buttons look at that specific pin/trace. Later

TEMPEST- I don't know that I've ever come across 1 But, if you do- you should collect 5,000 points for each Command Ship ! KO-DAN Attack Bases = 1,000 points. Destroyers = 500 points. Fly Fighters = 100 points. Additional Info- BONUS POINTS- Level 1 - 2,000 points per City saved. Level 2 - 4,000 points per City saved. Level 3 - 8,000 points per City saved.