7800 Finally! Now, about that cartridge slot...

[+Ransom]

I finally received my el cheapo 7800 in the mail last night. It was just the console and the power supply. I happened to still have a Best 7800 stick in my big box o' controllers down in the basement. And I'd recently bought a dozen or so games from O'Shea's. So I sat down to play, and...

 

...remembered one of the things that bugged me about the 7800 'way back when I originally had one: the cartridge slot is so darned tight!

 

So I took it all apart, and it looks like it should be OK to cut the sides off the cartridge guide (that is, the thing that's attached to the motherboard).

 

Is that the best way to handle this? What do most people do?

[Mirage]

I can't answer your question, but I got out my 7800 for the first time in awhile on Tuesday and noticed the same thing... carts fit really tight. I'm not going to modify my system (my only 7800), but I can understand the desire to do so!

[Underball]

I finally received my el cheapo 7800 in the mail last night. It was just the console and the power supply. I happened to still have a Best 7800 stick in my big box o' controllers down in the basement. And I'd recently bought a dozen or so games from O'Shea's. So I sat down to play, and...

 

...remembered one of the things that bugged me about the 7800 'way back when I originally had one: the cartridge slot is so darned tight!

 

So I took it all apart, and it looks like it should be OK to cut the sides off the cartridge guide (that is, the thing that's attached to the motherboard).

 

Is that the best way to handle this? What do most people do?

 

you don't have the cut it all off.

 

Just cut into it from the top down on either of the short sides.

 

That will loosen it up enough to fit pretty much every cart.

 

You can cut it all off if you like. but then it can get pretty dusty in there.

[shadow460]

I'd take it apart and cut the bottom corners out, then use a drill to knock out the screw posts. Leave the tabs to open your old style 2600 carts. Cutting the corners out makes Activision and Imagic carts fit well, knocking out the screw posts allows TigerVision carts to fit. If you do it right, the tabs on any third party cart will be visible though the holes that the screw posts left behind.

When you put it back together, the sleeve will move around some, but the port itself and the top half of the case will hold the sleeve down. You can leave a cart just sitting there, pushed down or not, to keep dust out. I use a Ms Pac Man cart that does not have a board it in--it just sits there as an anti dust device.

 

BTW, to get the sleeve off, you have to remove the RF shielding, cut away the masking tape visible on the bottom of the board, and remove the the two screws that are next to where the port is. Chuck 'em, 'cause after the TigerVision mod they won't be going back in.

[coliver80]

I just bought a 7800 for my wife and its really tight.. feel like im going to break the poor thing trying to pull cart back out. Does anyone have a pic of a modified slot I can use for refrence...

[Lynxpro]

I just bought a 7800 for my wife and its really tight.. feel like im going to break the poor thing trying to pull cart back out. Does anyone have a pic of a modified slot I can use for refrence...

 

Curt was selling excess cartridge slot replacements from his website.

[sn8k]

I too have had this problem. The imagine games never fit. Nor do those funky tron carts. Normal 2600 carts all fit. Thank God for the ability to have games made on request. Someone here will be hearing from me soon about making a few games in standard cart form to fit in my 7800

[CPUWIZ]

 

Curt was selling excess cartridge slot replacements from his website.

 

You should quit promoting his website, it is dead. The last couple of people who ordered something, never heard anything back and now I think you can't even order anything.

[Dauber]

I too have had this problem. The imagine games never fit. Nor do those funky tron carts. Normal 2600 carts all fit. Thank God for the ability to have games made on request. Someone here will be hearing from me soon about making a few games in standard cart form to fit in my 7800

Don't waste your time and money -- just open the 7800 and cut out the plastic lip that surrounds the cart port. Problem solved. (It might even be removable without cutting.)

[Jinks]

Ram No Escape in and listen for the pop. Now your slot will accept all cocr uh cartridges.

[Osgeld]

I took mine apart and cut that fker off done deal, it didnt take a whole 10 seconds to make that decision when my favorite game in house didnt fit

Edited December 14, 2015 by Osgeld