Kirkland

Yup- 100% from the Atari 800 manual. Part of why I was so disappointed that Atari Corp cheaped out and went Black/Red & White... For what games were selling for, it shouldn't have been too much to ask for a color manual. And thanks again on your help with this- I needed some random items to push pages around to get as many manuals as possible to be spread across facing pages when printed. Your site helped with making that happen.

Thank-you so much! Glad you liked it

Thanks for the endorsement- it means a lot coming from you. As a reminder, the pdf versions on my website has two bonus walkthroughs- Scrapyard Dog and Trebor's Midnight Mutants walkthrough. I tried my best to get every scrap of usable Atari 7800 info wedged into the printed book, but pixel maps of those sizes unfortunately don't translate well to print.

I had hoped I could sneak by with standard color printing, but covers were completely washed out and maps were a muddy mess. Lulu hits me for $34.98 raw cost to print this many pages with their high resolution premium color, then charges 20% commission to distribute- so I make a whopping $8.01 each. Which will absolutely never cover what I spent on manuals, let alone the 200+ hours scanning/cleaning/formatting/editing for the final print. I'm putting all funds towards future manual projects. It allows me to pull the trigger on eBay on a couple manuals that I would normally pass up as being "a little too expensive to justify". I'm currently rebuilding the Atari 2600 Field Service manual.. it's not.. fun- but I will get it done because after 40 years the quality of the current pdfs on the internet infuriates me. For spiral bound, I waffled on this (and will use it for other projects), but there are a couple of across-the-gutter spreads that the spiral destroys. While it would be nice for this to lay flat, it just wasn't in the cards with the layouts.

Finally done with all the flowcharts. Will still tweak some positioning later, but that's minor. On to section 7.. (Progress attached) 2600FSM-Test8-4K.pdf

That was the piece I needed confirmed. It's what I was thinking, but didn't have the technical reasoning to back up. ...the rest was a fascinating read. thanks!

Continuing on trying to clarify things.. On sections 6-14 and 6-15 at the bottom we get the attached page. It says to Swap A201/A200/A202.. but then is has NO-> go to Signal Tracing Cartridge, or Yes-> go back to the beginning. After swapping, shouldn't there be another decision box saying "Does this fix [the problem]?" which would lead to sections D and A, and for this section how would I word that? Just as "Are gray bars now displayed correctly?" Seems simple, don't want to be incorrect.

I will plead a little bit of ignorance here, but to me that reads as if $F6=$16 to be the "same color". In section 3-9, the manual states: "R211 (R213 on the 2600A board) should be adjusted so the bars immediately above and below the reference line are within one shade of each other" so I read that as the color below the reference bar should actually match the top color line, with the line above the bar being the shade before ($F6 vs $16). I personally think it's worded a little goofy with the results of the "same color" not actually being the same color being expected ("within one shade"). But then in the example you posted, they *are* the same color on a TV screen. From here I reference this older post using an emulator on an LCD screen (I know, I know), but with colors seemingly accurately displayed as: $F6 "SAME COLOR" $06 "REFERENCE BAR" $16 "SAME COLOR" ...they aren't going to match, are they? But that's LCD digital vs CRT with tweakable luminance, where the representation of the signal is open to manipulation/correction. Or does adjusting R211/R213 only adjust the output of the lines below the reference bar? But if you're tweaking "video output" then all the color signals should be tweaked accordingly.

Thanks- these are perfect. Slotted them right into the oscilloscope and audio test pages. I'm still a little dicey on the gray bars/color bars test- I've attached what I currently am using- screen grabs slightly modified from this post.. Still need to figure out better replacements for this page: Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_098.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_096.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_047.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_048.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_049.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_050.tif Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_051.tif

If you are looking for an official Atari 2600 Field Service Manual, then this is one of the original 185 copies: https://www.ebay.com/itm/275948044537 I initially snagged the $39 copy from Best Electronics hoping that it was an official, high quality version- but instead it's the same as the scanned version on the internet. Complete with skewed pages and copies-of-copies with hole punches. I had hoped someone lurking on here might have one of those 185 originals, to see if the illustrations and diagrams were of noticeably better quality. Was trying to avoid plunking down $362 just to find out. Either way, I'm well on my way with a rebuild.

Wanted to take a stab at how I would need to convert Bounty Bob Strikes Back from poster to 8.5"x11" pages (while retaining look/feel/intent) before I committed. I think it turned out ok, so I will proceed... I'll reach out when I'm off work tomorrow. Work sucks, btw. Luckily there is a very decent (though pixelated) scan available. Not the 1200dpi archiving I do, but enough to convert. https://atariage.com/manual_page.php?SystemID=5200&SoftwareLabelID=718&ItemTypeID=&currentPage=0&maxPages=1 Bounty Bob Strikes Back (USA).pdf

I'm passively working on the Atari 2600 Manual Compendium. Biggest issue is I get porked on pricing for premium color.. and it really does deserve the premium color. I'm working on some test prints to see if there is a way to game Lulu.com's "standard color prints" to turn out better- it's very dark. That, and there is a bajillion pages. Not sure there would be interest in buying three $35 volumes (Atari corp, major 3rd parties, one-shots). Also haven't quite figured out how to do the poster spreads for the ones like Joust and Mario Bros. It's very difficult to work across the gutter margins and I'm not sure how legible it will be if I scrunch it down to an 8.5x11" page. Oh, in my free time. I only have 47 of the 69 Atari 5200 manuals. If a collector would let me borrow the missing ones, I'd knock that version out in under a month. 62 of 74 on Lynx.. but that's a niche market. Only have like 15 Jaguar manuals. Too spendy for a system I don't collect (have to have $$ for other projects). Would love to colorize them, though.....

Dan, thanks for the input. Always helps to have a knowledgeable 2nd set of eyes. My big fear was bothering to rebuild 172 pages and then have people shrug their shoulders and say, "It's like Jerzy Soboda's stuff- looks good but there are obvious mistakes, so don't use it" Latest progress attached (made it through the flowcharts of Section 4) 🤯 2600FSM-Test5-4K.pdf

Continuing to track down oddities. In section 4-26 (Defective I/O Lines) in the middle of the page it says: Shouldn't that be "and the J202/J203."?

More progress, more questions.. From section 4-18: I'll take a wild stab and say "Check for and repair opens between RF module pin 1 and J101 pins 6 and 10 (ground)." And then I'm scratching my head a bit at Section 4-21: At first look, the question on CR200 is asked identically twice in a row. Now is the 2nd one simply a typo and should just be CR201? (Which is what I think is correct) OR, (and I'll show my ignorance to subject material here) After replacing the defective CR200, should it be re-checked, and it there is still a signal, the CR201 is then defective. but I feel that the lower left "open or shorted trace to diodes" would catch that. And an extra step like the above should have been mapped appropriately, which is why I lean towards just typo.

More progress, more questions.. From section 4-18: I'll take a wild stab and say "Check for and repair opens between RF module pin 1 and J101 pins 6 and 10 (ground)." And then I'm scratching my head a bit at Section 4-21: At first look, the question on CR200 is asked identically twice in a row. Now is the 2nd one simply a typo and should just be CR201? (Which is what I think is correct) OR, (and I'll show my ignorance to subject material here) After replacing the defective CR200, should it be re-checked, and it there is still a signal, the CR201 is then defective. but I feel that the lower left "open or shorted trace to diodes" would catch that. And an extra step like the above should have been mapped appropriately, which is why I lean towards just typo.

(Cross posted from here.) Ok, some questions for the experts while I'm muddling through all these flowcharts: 1) On section 6-26 of the Atari 2600 FSM, is the 2nd box supposed to be: "Is there -5v at one end" or "Is there +5v at one end"? Even with my better scan I'm not entirely sure if it's -5v or +5v. 2) Which is the most correct way to label the Φ0 and Φ2? I assume #1, but my last electrical engineering work was 30 years ago. 3) Next questions refer to next/attached image from section 4-7: 3a) Ok, same sorta deal with 0v.. Any complaints about my slashed zero volt in yellow on the right side? 3b) middle box: "Is there an open between J201".. should that be "Is there an open trace between J201"? Unless something else would make it open?? The resolution is to "Repair open trace" so that seems more fitting. 3c) Can anyone explain the reference for "I" in the middle? No other flowchart references it as far as I can tell. Section 4-8 is "H", section 4-9 is "J". Should the "G" in the lower left corner actually be an "I"? Or should that step truly take you back to identifying bad switchboard/motherboard instead of where "I" is? And if "I" is really a starting point, it wouldn't need a page number- which is why I'm confused. 3d) Similarly, is it proper/OK to have two arrows pointing to "A" like I have in blue on the lower right? Typically, the arrows will run to an existing connection (like the original on the left side) with only one terminating at a symbol. And if it is OK to have two results hit the same symbol, should I tighten up the arrows to the box for "Swapout A200-A202" I'm thinking no, but I'm asking for clarification. 3e) Yeah, I know referring to other sections should be using the "home plate" symbol instead of a circle. I'm just trying to maintain some look & feel of the original. ** Anyone with an oscilloscope willing to take some pictures of their screens to match what is shown on sections 4-44 and 4-46? Thanks in advance for assisting.

Ok, some questions for the experts while I'm muddling through all these flowcharts: 1) On section 6-26 of the Atari 2600 FSM, is the 2nd box supposed to be: "Is there -5v at one end" or "Is there +5v at one end"? Even with my better scan I'm not entirely sure if it's -5v or +5v. 2) Which is the most correct way to label the Φ0 and Φ2? I assume #1, but my last electrical engineering work was 30 years ago. 3) Next questions refer to next/attached image from section 4-7: 3a) Ok, same sorta deal with 0v.. Any complaints about my slashed zero volt in yellow on the right side? 3b) middle box: "Is there an open between J201".. should that be "Is there an open trace between J201"? Unless something else would make it open?? The resolution is to "Repair open trace" so that seems more fitting. 3c) Can anyone explain the reference for "I" in the middle? No other flowchart references it as far as I can tell. Section 4-8 is "H", section 4-9 is "J". Should the "G" in the lower left corner actually be an "I"? Or should that step truly take you back to identifying bad switchboard/motherboard instead of where "I" is? And if "I" is really a starting point, it wouldn't need a page number- which is why I'm confused. 3d) Similarly, is it proper/OK to have two arrows pointing to "A" like I have in blue on the lower right? Typically, the arrows will run to an existing connection (like the original on the left side) with only one terminating at a symbol. And if it is OK to have two results hit the same symbol, should I tighten up the arrows to the box for "Swapout A200-A202" I'm thinking no, but I'm asking for clarification. 3e) Yeah, I know referring to other sections should be using the "home plate" symbol instead of a circle. I'm just trying to maintain some look & feel of the original. Thanks in advance for assisting.

Through much caffeine, anger, and brute force retyping while attempting to match font styles, spacing and kerning to remain true to the source material. Should probably be using InDesign, but I'm manually hacking away at in in Photoshop one page at a time. I am attempting to cheat, though, and use EDrawMax to modernize the flowcharts just a smidge. Looks promising. Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_054.tif

Minor update to show where I'm at / what I'm thinking. Here are the first 3 sections (haven't dived into flowcharts yet). Downsampled from 1200dpi to 4K resolution for testing. 2600FSM-Test3-4K.pdf

http://www.atensionspan.com/evil/A2600-US-Missing.html Haven't made much progress, because mostly heavy hitters left for Atari 2600. I got sidelined and noticed I have ~200 Atari 8 bit manuals (unfortunately, mostly commons). Then this Field Service Manual project popped up. Genesis and XBox are still on the backburner, and PSX are piling up. The good news is I should finally start to get some free time in a month to dig into my hobbies. Doing a re-route at work and offloading some responsibilities for once...

I might know a guy working on manuals...

So I bit the bullet and bought a 2600 Field Service manual from Best Electronics for $40, and it arrived shiny and new and shrinkwrapped. But instead of some overstock OEM reprint job from 1983, the last couple of pages contained a March 24, 2020 email exchange between Art @ Alta Roofing Inc. and Henry Nguyen @ Vietnam Printing in San Jose California (who is obviously doing the print job for Best Electronics). My intent was to clean up the blurry/botched scan jobs out there, but of course this is just more of the same. So my question is, does anyone have one of the authentic 2600 FSMs, and if so, are the drawings and schematics as bad as they are in the PDFs available on the internet (AtariMania, archive.org, Console5, etc, etc, etc.). My plan was to rebuild at 1200dpi and have a definitive copy that is clean / not page skewed / not speckled with toner dots. Any help or insight would be appreciated. Page 41 attached for reference- I would like to actually be able to read this. Atari 2600 Field Service Manual (USA)_041.tif

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jonathan-grimm/atari-7800-manual-compendium/paperback/product-m22dpgr.html Lulu has it up and running. The standard color wasn't good enough (bleh- washed out), so had to opt for the Premium Color print. Triple the price, but it makes it glossy with crisp pictures like a yearbook. Really makes it shine.

I've collected all the Atari 7800 manuals, colorized them, and combined them into a large PDF so everyone who just has cartridges can enjoy the games. http://www.atensionspan.com/KML/Atari7800/Atari_7800_Manual_Compendium-KML.pdf (for compressed- 94MB) http://www.atensionspan.com/KML/Atari7800/Atari_7800_Manual_Compendium-VGM.pdf (for lossless 4K- 253MB) Waiting to see how the 8.5"x11" print version turns out from Lulu.com (but that's 2 weeks out).. Funny exchange on Reddit: "Do people not realize that atariage.com has always had these?" If you'd actually flip through it, you would notice it also includes maps for Commando, Crossbow, Dark Chambers, Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Impossible Mission (Possible Mission hack), Jinx, Super Skateboardin', Tank Command, Tower Toppler, Water Ski, and Xevious.. as well as Trebor's excellent Midnight Mutants walkthrough and a Scrapyard Dog walkthrough, hints for 9 games, level/password codes for three games... and then the main point of this: every cover has been replaced with color box art and every instance of a screenshot and items/weapons/characters artwork has been 100% accurately replaced with in-game graphics- down to the exact scores/lives/levels/enemy locations to make it faithful to the originals. But yes, all of this is on AtariAge. (In original black, red and white, and individually, of course).