Atari 2600 Eproms labeled "ABM" and "Shootout"?

[phaxda]

I picked up a bunch of eproms/chips from a seller who said they were from his brother-in-law who used to work at Atari. They came with 3 of those green things that are used to snap the chip into place. I tried them all out and not one of them works. One of green contraptions says "use with 32" and the others have nothing written on them. Most of the chips are labeled "16" or "32" along withe the game title, so I tried using them in the appropriate snap-in cartridge connector. (Does this thing have a real name?) I know most of these things are just pirated games and that ABM is probably just Missile Command" and "Shoot-out" is like Outlaw or something, but I can't tell because none of them will work on any of my systems. The "ABM" one is most curious because it is labeled "Eprom" and it's the reason I went ahead and scooped them up, probably for more money than they are worth. However, I am out of my depth on this one, I think.

 

Anyway, curious to see what is on these but I don't know if I am using the reader things wrong or what. Maybe I just need to find someone with an Eprom reader?

 

Pictures are attached. Input and suggestions welcome.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/335502...e196856.jpg?v=0

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/335584...4c5ea28.jpg?v=0

 

(edited; photo updated don't seem to be working today so these are on flickr.)

Edited March 15, 2009 by phaxda

[Wickeycolumbus]

I went to a flea market today and picked up a bunch of eproms from a seller who said they were from his brother-in-law who used to work at Atari. They came with 3 of those green things that are used to snap the chip into

 

Pictures please!

 

Edit:

Could Shootout be a working title for Outlaw?

Edited March 15, 2009 by Wickeycolumbus

[phaxda]

Sorry, I should not be allowed near a camera (or a web site for that matter). Full lot:

 

Edited March 15, 2009 by phaxda

[Wickeycolumbus]

Unfortunately they look like pirates

 

Did you put the chips in the socket right? the notch on the end of the chip should face towards the lever of the socket like this:

 

 

And the chip should be facing the back of the console.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Wickeycolumbus

[Vectorman0]

They all look like masked roms to me (except for the one labeled eprom), so they wouldn't be pirates.

 

They are noted 16 or 32 based on their kilobit size. I'm guessing the board at the very top is labeled for use with the 16 kbit roms? Even if it isn't, it is probably for use with the 16 kbit roms, as I can see a pin missing. I have no idea what's up with the board at the right of the picture.

 

I would guess the ABM EPROM isn't related and just ended up in this lot as it looked similar to the other chips. You should definitely have it looked at though.

[phaxda]

Thanks for the help; I did not know the specifics on how they should be inserted. They still don't work though. Frustrating.

[Ian Primus]

Thanks for the help; I did not know the specifics on how they should be inserted. They still don't work though. Frustrating.

 

Does the "use with 32" have an extra chip stuck to the back of it? If so, use that with the EPROMs. The mask ROMs won't need any additional hardware or rewiring, so use those in a carrier board with just a socket soldered to the board, and no wire swapping or extra chips.

 

You are plugging it into the Atari the right way, right? ROM chip goes towards the TV.

 

-Ian

[BigO]

The green contraption is a Zero Insertion Force or ZIF socket.

[Ian Primus]

The green contraption is a Zero Insertion Force or ZIF socket.

 

Oh - yeah - you are _closing_ the socket after inserting the chip, right?

 

-Ian

[phaxda]

Yes, I was closing the switch. I finally tested all of them this morning. I got three (Combat, Golf, and Night Driver) to work and one (Football) to work for a bit and then it freaked out. So at least I know the ZIF socket (Thanks BigO) is working, at least sometimes. These game all appear to be the release versions as far as I could tell.

 

Does it matter what position the chip is in there? There appears to be quite a bit of wiggle room--it can go close to the top or bottom. Some of the chip pins are a little bit degraded--these were all sitting on little foam pieces and some have the foam kind of melted around the pin points. I used Iso Alchohol to get it off as best I could. Could this be part of the problem? Any other tips for getting these to work?

 

Also, if anyone in the Bay Area can help me dump them for posterity that would be cool. I have a feeling there is nothing great here, but I picked them up in part because even though I am kind of a moron when it comes to this part of the hobby, at least I know I can find people who know what they are doing, and if there is something neat in these it won't be lost to the garbage bin.

 

My wife is going to kill me if I keep messing around with these, so that is all for now.

[Ian Primus]

Does it matter what position the chip is in there? There appears to be quite a bit of wiggle room--it can go close to the top or bottom. Some of the chip pins are a little bit degraded--these were all sitting on little foam pieces and some have the foam kind of melted around the pin points. I used Iso Alchohol to get it off as best I could. Could this be part of the problem? Any other tips for getting these to work?

 

Yeah, clean the legs of the chips with alcohol - but primarily you need to clean the _sides_ of the pins. That's where the ZIF socket makes contact. The "wiggle room" in the ZIF socket is normal - as long as you have the chip oriented properly with the pins in the proper holes, it doesn't matter what side it's pushed to. The socket itself might not be in the best condition, or could be worn. When you put a chip in, close the lever, then slide it side to side a bit. That'll help it scrape off any cruds that might have accumulated on the pins in the socket.

 

-Ian

[Wickeycolumbus]

Hey phaxda, remember this post you made 4 years ago?

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...st&p=981242

 

looks like this is not the first time you have come across "ABM"

[phaxda]

Yeah, that's why I edited the original post as quick as I could. I got a little mixed up about what came from where. It got quoted too fast though! I put these away a long time ago and remembered it only after running across another recent lot like it.

 

I got a few more to work, but not the interesting ones.

[Wickeycolumbus]

Yeah, that's why I edited the original post as quick as I could. I got a little mixed up about what came from where. It got quoted too fast though! I put these away a long time ago and remembered it only after running across another recent lot like it.

 

I got a few more to work, but not the interesting ones.

 

Did you buy that other lot like it?

 

EDIT: oh, I understand now. You found some a few weeks ago and you have all of them pictured.

Edited March 23, 2009 by Wickeycolumbus

[Cassidy Nolen]

I have a feeling that one weird wired board is for 2732 EPROMS, instead of the more common 2532's. The legs are a few different and that would explain why you have the setup that way.

 

For the EPROM one, what number is on the chip (like 27C32 or something like that)? That would tell you the size of the chip and also what leg configuration you need to make it work. Remember you need a hex inverter to make an EPROM work, not to make a ROM work so it could be that you just don't have all of what you need there.

 

Those appear to be batch pulls of masked, final roms. I have bought a few of them on ebay over the years, just pieces pulled out for testing I suppose. They are identical to the boarded, cartridged versions but back in the day they would have been exciting to bring home and share with the family I am sure.

 

CN

[Crazy Climber]

They are identical to the boarded, cartridged versions but back in the day they would have been exciting to bring home and share with the family I am sure.

 

CN

 

Especially when these games used to cost $30+ a piece