MrBeefy Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Just picked up an atari system, games, joysticks, for dirt cheap with some other stuff. I go to test it out and pop in Galaxian which looks fine. However I then pop in Kung Fu Master...and the background is pink...I was like huh. So I pop in Boxing and the background is blue...and I then pop in river raid and find that the ground is blue and the river pink??? It looks like blue is pink. green and red are possibly blue. Is this a sign that the system is probably about to go? And is this something that is easily fixable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Probably you bought PAL carts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 It looks like blue is pink. green and red are possibly blue. Is this a sign that the system is probably about to go? And is this something that is easily fixable? There's a color adjustment pot on the board. On some versions of the 2600, it can be easily accessed from the bottom of the console. If you can't find it, open the console. I forget exactly where it is (shame on me), but all you need to do is twiddle it a bit. It's the only pot on the board. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Probably you bought PAL carts. Ah... is this what happens when a PAL cart is played on an NTSC system? I have never actually seen a PAL cart in person. I have seen misadjusted 2600's though. And when you replace the TIA chip, you have to readjust the color pot. Where do you live, Mr. Beefy? -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 I don't think they are pal games, these are ones that I've had and play normally on my Jr system and 7800. For some reason its just this one I picked up. Missouri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I don't think they are pal games, these are ones that I've had and play normally on my Jr system and 7800. For some reason its just this one I picked up. Missouri. Ah. Yeah, I'd twiddle the color pot and see how it looks. I've seen some pretty misadjusted Ataris before. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 I don't think they are pal games, these are ones that I've had and play normally on my Jr system and 7800. For some reason its just this one I picked up. Missouri. Ah. Yeah, I'd twiddle the color pot and see how it looks. I've seen some pretty misadjusted Ataris before. -Ian How hard is it to adjust the color pot and how much do I risk breaking the system...I'm not the most electronically inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 How hard is it to adjust the color pot and how much do I risk breaking the system...I'm not the most electronically inclined. It's extremely easy. And unless you adjust it with a hammer, you should be OK. Which model 2600 is it? -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 How hard is it to adjust the color pot and how much do I risk breaking the system...I'm not the most electronically inclined. It's extremely easy. And unless you adjust it with a hammer, you should be OK. Which model 2600 is it? -Ian I think its a 2nd revision. looks like a vader but has the 'woodgrain' on it. The one that I believe the FB2 was based off of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I think its a 2nd revision. looks like a vader but has the 'woodgrain' on it. The one that I believe the FB2 was based off of. Flip the console over so you are looking at the bottom. If you have it oriented so that the joystick ports face away from you, there should be a hole in bottom, near the middle, but off to the right. Look carefully in it, and see if you can see a control. Adjust it with a tiny flat blade screwdriver. You need to do it with the console on, and a game on the screen. I _think_ most of them should have access from the bottom. I don't think I've ever tried to adjust one with the covers on, however... The easier way (IMHO) is to just take it apart: Remove the philips head screws from the bottom of the console and lift off the top. On the circuit board, near the bottom, to the left of the metal box will be a potentiometer. Fiddle with it while a game is playing on the screen, and adjust it until the colors look good. Try several different games. When you're happy with it, put the cover back on. Don't be afraid of the inside of an Atari. There is nothing in there that can hurt you, and they're really hard to break. Besides, all the logic chips are inside that metal box in the middle of the board. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Just picked up an atari system, games, joysticks, for dirt cheap with some other stuff. I go to test it out and pop in Galaxian which looks fine. However I then pop in Kung Fu Master...and the background is pink...I was like huh. So I pop in Boxing and the background is blue...and I then pop in river raid and find that the ground is blue and the river pink??? It looks like blue is pink. green and red are possibly blue. Is this a sign that the system is probably about to go? And is this something that is easily fixable? From your description, it seems that the console is PAL and that you have a multistandard TV set which accept PAL through RF. Look at these screenshots: NTSC Galaxian on PAL console (this one looks very similar than on NTSC console): NTSC kung-Fu Master on PAL console: NTSC Boxing on PAL console: NTSC River Raid on PAL console: You should open the console and post picture of the board to be sure about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 From your description, it seems that the console is PAL and that you have a multistandard TV set which accept PAL through RF.Look at these screenshots: Wow. I had no idea that playing NTSC carts on a PAL Atari would do that. I've never seen a PAL Atari or PAL carts before though. My previous experience with PAL video is that you get a black and white picture that rolls. He may very well have stumbled on a PAL console though. If he did, I wonder how a PAL Atari got to Missouri. Also, TV sets that display PAL are pretty rare around the states. I have an old broadcast studio monitor that accepts muliple standards, but I've never had a normal TV set that did. But, then again, I don't have much stuff in a PAL format... I was also under the impression that the channel frequencies in PAL countries are different - but I don't know for sure. Again, no experience. You should open the console and post picture of the board to be sure about that. Yeah, definitely, I'd like to see that. What's the difference between a PAL Atari and an NTSC one? I know that the PAL C64 runs at a different speed and has a different video chip - does a PAL Atari just have a different clock and a different TIA? -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempy Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I got the NTSC version of Spider Fighter for my PAL Atari, hoping the color wouldn't be an issue. Even though it's not that bad in Spider Fighter, I would still like to know if there's some way to get the right colors. Short of getting an NTSC Atari, or a PAL Spider Fighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Just picked up an atari system, games, joysticks, for dirt cheap with some other stuff. I go to test it out and pop in Galaxian which looks fine. However I then pop in Kung Fu Master...and the background is pink...I was like huh. So I pop in Boxing and the background is blue...and I then pop in river raid and find that the ground is blue and the river pink??? It looks like blue is pink. green and red are possibly blue. Is this a sign that the system is probably about to go? And is this something that is easily fixable? From your description, it seems that the console is PAL and that you have a multistandard TV set which accept PAL through RF. Look at these screenshots: NTSC Galaxian on PAL console (this one looks very similar than on NTSC console): NTSC kung-Fu Master on PAL console: NTSC Boxing on PAL console: NTSC River Raid on PAL console: You should open the console and post picture of the board to be sure about that. Yeah those look I think just like what I had going on with my games....When I get some time I'll open it up...what should I look for to see if its PAL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorsten Günther Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 what should I look for to see if its PAL? If PIN 12 and 13 of the TIA have a direct connection on the main PCB (a multimeter should read 0 Ohms betweens these two pins), you have an NTSC console. If they are not connected, it's a PAL console. Thorsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hmmm not happy with how the pics turned out but maybe you could tell...I really don't know what PIN 12, 13 or what the TIA is .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hmmm not happy with how the pics turned out but maybe you could tell...I really don't know what PIN 12, 13 or what the TIA is .... The TIA is inside the metal box in the middle of the board. To remove the metal, straighten the tabs out, and seperate the halves from the board. The TIA will be marked with Atari part number C010444. (At least, that's the part number in NTSC Ataris. Never seen a PAL console before.) Look at the chip with the notch to the top - the pin in the upper left is 1, and the pins numbered going down the left side of the chip - so count down to find pin 12 and 13. The color adjustment pot is that white dial looking thing at the lower left of the board. If that isn't a PAL console, then it's misadjusted. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Crap...I have no needle nose pliers or anything to safely twist the tabs... Would I be able to tell if I tested it on other TV's? I thought PAL would roll the screen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Okay...found pliers...got it off.....*sigh Okay....now my camera doesn't take great pics at least of this, can anyone tell from this pic or can they circle on paint what exactly I need to look at. Like which two pins it would be???? Please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzman66 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 See that white little turn knob next to the bottom chip on the left? That is your color adjustment. You need to put a game in and turn it on, then turn the white knob to the left or to the right to get the correct colors. Use a game that you know what it should look like. Try this BEFORE you dabble with the chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 See that white little turn knob next to the bottom chip on the left? That is your color adjustment. You need to put a game in and turn it on, then turn the white knob to the left or to the right to get the correct colors. Use a game that you know what it should look like. Try this BEFORE you dabble with the chips. Well someone is thinking that I may have a PAL system and was trying to figure out if it was or not. I'm still too stupid to figure out what they are talking about which things to look at exactly . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzman66 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I never saw the insides of a PAL, but I can tell you yours looks like mine inside, and mine is a standard NTSC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 It's NTSC. This is how a PAL 4-switch board looks like: Note that it has 2 oscillators (those circled in yellow in the picture), while NTSC only has one. I agree you should try to adjust the color pot as suggested by Benzman66. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Primus Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I agree you should try to adjust the color pot as suggested by Benzman66. I've been telling him to adjust that pot since Thursday <grin> :D -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 I agree you should try to adjust the color pot as suggested by Benzman66. I've been telling him to adjust that pot since Thursday <grin> :D -Ian Yeah yeah I know and I've adjusted it and its looking back to its normal self. Thanks for the help everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.