Tilt cartridge, power up. Tilt a bit more..power up - Ahh, it works!

[ckrtech]

Hey all -

 

Haven't been inside my Atari 2600 in a while. I've never really done any modding of my system - it was the first system I ever owned. It was a used gift from my uncle in the early 80s (4 switch woodgrain). I am happy that I have it and that it still works....kinda.

 

Whenever I power up, I have to find the sweet spot for the cartridge. Power up - jaggy colored lines. Hmm. Power down, move cart a bit, power up, blackness. Power down, move cart, power up - static. Power down, move cart, power up - AHH! There it is.

 

This is typical of any cart that I put in there. I haven't been through all my carts yet, but IIRC they all power up once you find the right angle. Sometimes you might even get it on the first try.

 

Any suggestions? Perhaps I need to resolder the cart port connectors to the motherboard? Perhaps something else is going bad and needs to be replaced? I figured the fastest way to start diagnosing the problem is to talk to you guys. I could always get another Atari....but this is *my* Atari we're talking about here.

 

Thanks,

CK

[A.J. Franzman]

It's possible that the cart port connector may need to be resoldered, but more likely it just needs cleaned. Clean your cartridges too.