Tom_Explodes Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 (edited) My woody 2600 is just really really dusty and it seems to me it always has been. I managed to clean up a lot of the surface stuff just with a damp paper towel, but as I know too little about the electronics involved, I'm afraid to do much more to it. Any recommendations as to how I should go about cleaning it up? And while I'm at it, I know this is off topic, but what's the deal with having to click every single reply in a thread? Man, that's tedious. Edited September 7, 2007 by Tom_Explodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 (edited) I know this is off topic, but what's the deal with having to click every single reply in a thread? Man, that's tedious. Yeah, Outline mode sucks. See the Search Topic box? See the orange Options button below it? Click on that orange Options button and look below Display Modes and click on Switch to: Standard. Edited September 7, 2007 by Random Terrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Explodes Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Cool, thanks a lot. Back to my original question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian R. Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I could offer advice on how to clean your console. But your actual console... I don't know nuthin' 'bout that. Anywho... you got dirt and crud on there that water and a towel won't remove? I'd use a cloth towel, not a paper towel, btw. You could use glass cleaner, alcohol... I mean, unless you drown the thing, fluid isn't going to get in and short it out. What you could do is take the thing apart. Just undo the screws, lift off the top. The board inside just comes out. Set it aside. Clean the two case halves. Put the board back in, put it back together, you're done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Explodes Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 What you could do is take the thing apart. Just undo the screws, lift off the top. The board inside just comes out. Set it aside. Clean the two case halves. Put the board back in, put it back together, you're done. Heh, yeah, that's what I ended up doing. Sleep deprivation will do wonders. I was amused at the cobwebs and dead spider I found in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I wrote a "controversial" article about cleaning your Atari a few years back. It's up to you if you want to use the controversial stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 It's up to you if you want to use the controversial stuff... By any chance do you mean... Armor-All? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 For system cleaning (any system, in fact), I use good ol' Formula 409 and a toothbrush. Keep a rag nearby to wipe up excess fluid, but squirt a little on the brush and go to town. 409 doesn't damage plastic, which is why I use it. The toothbrush lets you get those hard to reach areas (especially on a system like the 2600 with all of those damn ridges). For cartridge cleaning, I use 409 and a Q-Tip with some 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (it has less water content, so less residue is left) for cleaning contacts. Works great for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 (edited) I take all my consoles apart to remove the motherboard,and other things you dont want under water,and let all plastic parts soak in warm water in sink or bucket for a good 15-20 minutes.This gets all the crap out of the nooks and crannies,saves alot of time,and aggravation.Then take all dust off motherboard and give it a good spray of CONTACT CLEANER,which is %99.99 alcohol,that you can get at any electronics shop,which is not really essential,but im fussy with my stuff.And this thing about not using armour all?ive been using it on ALL my consoles and all my collector cars since the 80's,and they still look like new,no cracks in my vinyl dashes,no sun damage in the interiors,etc, like the day i bought them.What damage do they claim it does? Edited September 8, 2007 by Rik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Explodes Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 (edited) Hey, I'm glad I asked this question. You guys have great input, I really appreciate it. Hehe, I did go after my console with a toothbrush awhile back, but I never really used anything so it didn't do much. I'll try out some of the stuff you've all suggested. The only other question I really have is, should I be worried about the label on the bottom of the Atari? It's already old, yellow and peeling horribly, but does it have any great importance I should know about before I soak or spray the crap out of it? EDIT: Oh, also. The port into which the power cord plugs is pretty loose. Is it a good or a bad idea to take a soldering iron to the other end (I can see where the original solder is) and then re-solder it? Edited September 8, 2007 by Tom_Explodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 I did go after my console with a toothbrush awhile back . . . I did the same thing, but I used my toothpaste out of habit and now my Atari smells like Cinnamon. Not really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Franzman Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 The port into which the power cord plugs is pretty loose. Is it a good or a bad idea to take a soldering iron to the other end (I can see where the original solder is) and then re-solder it? No, it's probably a good idea for anyone who knows how to wield a soldering iron and has a loose power jack to just resolder it. Check the condition of the jack while you're at it - if the clear window is loose or has fallen off, apply super glue sparingly along the edge to re-stick it. If it's completely missing, you can probably still use the jack but there's a spring inside that may fall out if it hasn't already, and the jack may need to be cleaned out occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolt Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 It's up to you if you want to use the controversial stuff... By any chance do you mean... Armor-All? OH BOY...my all-time favorite thread I've never before or since seen such a stupid, mean, hysterical for all the wrong reasons flame war as that one. I haven't thought about the Armor All thread in years...good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian R. Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 (edited) What you could do is take the thing apart. Just undo the screws, lift off the top. The board inside just comes out. Set it aside. Clean the two case halves. Put the board back in, put it back together, you're done. Heh, yeah, that's what I ended up doing. Sleep deprivation will do wonders. I was amused at the cobwebs and dead spider I found in there. I had a similar experience with the first 2600 I encountered since "back in the day." It was a light sixer pulled from a shed. It was full of dirt, dead bugs and cobwebs. Cleaned it out and it worked perfectly. Heck, it worked fine before cleaning it! Built like tanks, I tell ya. When I pulled a 5200 out of a car wash trash can... I opened that thing up, took out the board and cleaned it in my bath tub! It was that bad. But it cleaned up beautifully. Even what looked like paint specs on the case came off without much extra effort. Ridges on the consoles can be a pain to clean. And on the 2600, if you take it apart, the plate around the toggle switches can be popped out if you really want to be thorough. The only Atari things I wouldn't dare take apart are the JagCD and the Lynx. The rest of them are pretty easy, AFAIK. Right now, I have a 5200 and a 7800 sitting out. I used to keep them under dust covers, but not seeing them actually dissuaded me from using them. So I decided to take the covers off. But I dust them off almost daily. Yeah, a bit OCD, but what the hell, right? I like keepin' 'em clean. Edited September 11, 2007 by Brian R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wester Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Didn't I read about somebody cleaning the top section of their 2600's in the dishwasher with good results before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 As for the sticker on the bottom of the system, only worry about it if you're REALLY nitpicky about stuff being 100% complete. I personally don't really care about that sort of stuff (I pull stickers off of any controllers I have, as they tend to accumulate dirt and gunk). It's not like woodys are super valuable or hard to find, so I'd just pull it off if it were me. The toothbrush and 409 method has never failed me yet, especially for systems with lots of those stupid ridges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 (edited) Its IMPORTANT.. to open up any old console,and clean out thoroughly,especially those bought from the flea market or thrift store.These console can be INFESTED with COCKROACH'S and unhatched eggs,therefore infesting your house,which happened to people i know!I know of one console that came from a house where they found a dead person......3 weeks after death! ,NEVER kNOW WHERE those consoles come from!..yuuuuuuuuuuuk!By the way,most of the stuff that ends up in thrift stores come from the DECEASED! Edited September 16, 2007 by Rik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross PK Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 What you could do is take the thing apart. Just undo the screws, lift off the top. The board inside just comes out. Set it aside. Clean the two case halves. Put the board back in, put it back together, you're done. Heh, yeah, that's what I ended up doing. Sleep deprivation will do wonders. I was amused at the cobwebs and dead spider I found in there. PICS NOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Explodes Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 Er... I didn't think to take any.... sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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