7800 repair help

[Tailgunner]

Hi there all,

 

I just dug up an old 7800 console thats in really nice shape. It came complete with the cables and power supply but when I powered it up with a 7800 cartridge installed, the Power LED came up, but the image was either a black screen with two vertical green lines or a moving diagonal mess of gray stripes moving rather rapidly.

 

I tried several carts - 7800 and 2600 ones. I even followed some advice and cleaned the contacts on the cartridges and I opened up the console and air cleaned it. Still no success.

Any advice on what I may be doing wrong would be greatly appreciated or if worse comes to worse, any ideas on where I may be able to have the console repaired?

 

Thanks

[Prodos8]

Try cleaning the contacts on the carts & console connector (toothbrush is good on this) w/90% alcohol.

[Tailgunner]

Try cleaning the contacts on the carts & console connector (toothbrush is good on this) w/90% alcohol.

 

 

Thanks Bud, will do.

 

I let you guys know how it works out

[Rik]

Hi there all,

 

I just dug up an old 7800 console thats in really nice shape. It came complete with the cables and power supply but when I powered it up with a 7800 cartridge installed, the Power LED came up, but the image was either a black screen with two vertical green lines or a moving diagonal mess of gray stripes moving rather rapidly.

 

I tried several carts - 7800 and 2600 ones. I even followed some advice and cleaned the contacts on the cartridges and I opened up the console and air cleaned it. Still no success.

Any advice on what I may be doing wrong would be greatly appreciated or if worse comes to worse, any ideas on where I may be able to have the console repaired?

 

Thanks

Wow,it must of been caked with dirt.Yes,kind of hard to get a 7800 working,especially ones that are dug up from the ground. :DSeriousy though,its kind of rare for the atari consoles to not work,id give the contacts on console a real good cleaning,maybe 3-4 times if needed.With a good contact cleaner,or the purest alcohol you can get,the less water the better.Dont know about other areas around the world,but here ,you can get %99.9 alcohol at the pharmacy,instead of the usual 70% isopropyl.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Rik

[Tailgunner]

Hi there all,

 

I just dug up an old 7800 console thats in really nice shape. It came complete with the cables and power supply but when I powered it up with a 7800 cartridge installed, the Power LED came up, but the image was either a black screen with two vertical green lines or a moving diagonal mess of gray stripes moving rather rapidly.

 

I tried several carts - 7800 and 2600 ones. I even followed some advice and cleaned the contacts on the cartridges and I opened up the console and air cleaned it. Still no success.

Any advice on what I may be doing wrong would be greatly appreciated or if worse comes to worse, any ideas on where I may be able to have the console repaired?

 

Thanks

Wow,it must of been caked with dirt.Yes,kind of hard to get a 7800 working,especially ones that are dug up from the ground. :DSeriousy though,its kind of rare for the atari consoles to not work,id give the contacts on console a real good cleaning,maybe 3-4 times if needed.With a good contact cleaner,or the purest alcohol you can get,the less water the better.Dont know about other areas around the world,but here ,you can get %99.9 alcohol at the pharmacy,instead of the usual 70% isopropyl.

 

Good news! All your advice got it working! Ah.. the joy and the memories!

 

Thanks so much!

[atarifan49]

Saving Atari's...one console at a time! Good job guys!

[BILLYonaire]

I have a 2600 and a 7800 console which have seen better days. My 2600 was left on the floor one day and at least one of our cats sprayed it. It does work, but the picture is very snowy. My 7800 was bought on ebay a few months ago and I thought it was in good shape, so I didn't bother testing it. I needed the box today, so I took the console out and noticed a lot of jingling I didn't hear before. I am now certain it was damaged during shipping. Can someone recommend a good place in Canada where I can get these fixed?

[AtariLeaf]

I have a 2600 and a 7800 console which have seen better days. My 2600 was left on the floor one day and at least one of our cats sprayed it. It does work, but the picture is very snowy. My 7800 was bought on ebay a few months ago and I thought it was in good shape, so I didn't bother testing it. I needed the box today, so I took the console out and noticed a lot of jingling I didn't hear before. I am now certain it was damaged during shipping. Can someone recommend a good place in Canada where I can get these fixed?

 

Where in Canada?

[BILLYonaire]

Anywhere in Ontario.

[AtariLeaf]

There's a place in Windsor I've used to fix issues with a coleco gemini and a tandy coco 3.

[BILLYonaire]

Thanks. Do you know of any in the GTA?

[AtariLeaf]

Nope, sorry. I would think there would have to be some. Try any of the game stores that carry retro. Sometimes there will be someone who knows how to fix some of these. You could try posting on cgcc.ca as well. Lots of guys on that forum in the Toronto area that may have some insights for you. Good luck

[AtariChris]

http://electronicsentimentalities.com/InstallationServices.html

[BILLYonaire]

Thanks, Leaf and Chris. Shipping can be costly, so I'll see if I can find an affordable local shop which does repairs first.