TreZ Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 I'm new to this forum, and I was wondering whats the first thing I should do before attempting to plug in my atari that has been sitting in storage for about 15years. Will it work on todays televisions (cable ready)? Stuff like that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 It will work fine, but you may need to buy a new RF unit at Radio Shack, one that has the Coaxial end to plug right into your Cable-In port of your TV. Well okay, your controllers may not work if they've sat that long -- if you browse thru this entire 5200 forum, there are discussions and I think links (for info) on how to take the controller apart and clean the flex circuits with a pencil erasor, if necessary. That's what I did, and now my sticks work fine. What games do you have? What games are you really into for the 5200? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 16, 2002 Author Share Posted October 16, 2002 Thanks for the quick reply!! I'll have to go by Radio shack. I only have (2) games; pacman and poleposition. I read somewhere that there is some kind of adapter or something I can plug into my 5200 that allows me to use my playstation controllers. Are u familiar with this? Also is best-electronics a pretty good site to deal with when it comes to parts or games? I'm looking to purchase some classics, like centipede, joust, superpacman, dig dug to name a few. U see, my son (1 1/2 years old) will only know whats out now, I want to show him what I had back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 The Playstation controllers thing -- that is a very recent thing, isn't it? There's a thread about it here, lower on the forum. That'll give you answers until someone else replies. When I dug out my 5200 2 yrs ago, I bought lots of games from the Ebay. Got lots of cheap stuff. Others I picked up at flea markets and shows like the Philly Classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oesii Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Yeah, welcome aboard. Like Cafe said, the PSX-5200 controller is still in development, you can search down the board for the website. If you don't mind eBay, 5200 games are usually a great bargain on there. Commons go for $2-$3 and I see real cheap lots all the time, if you have the hardware already then the games aren't to hard to get at a good price. Another good vendor for cheap games is Michael over at : http://www.gooddealgames.com/ Check out his For Sale/Trade section, good selection and prices. And if you want to try some more modern games and unreleased prototypes for the 5200, Atari Age has its own store with cool games: http://www.atariage.com/store/Atari5200Games.html Oh, and I'm sure Cafeman can tell you about a cool new game coming out real soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Flea Markets are definitely the best way to go. I was able to score Bounty Bob Strikes Back (the rarest game on the 5200) at a Flea Market for $20. Look for large lots of more common games on Ebay. Individual games, especially the more common games will cost you as much to ship as it would to buy the game. If you're looking for a good place to do business with online, try www.4jays.com They have a lot of old 5200 games that cost a lot less than they usually go for on Ebay and some good accessories. You also might want to look into the multicart. It has every game in existence including prototypes with the exception of Super Pac-Man and Bounty Bob. It costs $125. Good luck with your system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 16, 2002 Author Share Posted October 16, 2002 Thanks again guys.... How do I know if i have a 4 port or 2 port? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Thanks again guys.... How do I know if i have a 4 port or 2 port? You check to see how many joysticks you can plug into the 5200. If you can plug in two joysticks, it's a 2 port. If you can plug in four joysticks, it's a 4 port. Mitch http://atari7800.atari.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 16, 2002 Author Share Posted October 16, 2002 Jeez I feel like a idiot.. Thanks again... 4 jays has alot of cool games and system packages I may be interested in... So its safe enough to say that I can plug my 15 year old or so atari into my fairly new tv and not worry about any electrical problems? Or should I use one of my older, cheaper, smaller tv's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 It doesn't matter what tv you use. Use the most modern tv you can find. The atari (and the tv for that matter) will work just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 So what do you have, a 4-port or 2-port? If you have a 4-port you'll have the funky switch box that you plug the power adapter cord into as well as the cord coming from the 5200. These switch boxes sometimes go bad so if you plug everything in and your 5200 doesn't work don't blame the 5200 to quickly. If you have a 2-port you have one less thing to go wrong because it uses a standard switch box that you can still buy at Radio Shack. (Just don't ask a clerk for help. ). Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Flea Markets are definitely the best way to go. I was able to score Bounty Bob Strikes Back (the rarest game on the 5200) at a Flea Market for $20. Look for large lots of more common games on Ebay. Individual games, especially the more common games will cost you as much to ship as it would to buy the game. I didn't catch this the first time I read it. You got Bounty Bob in a Connecticut Flea Market for $20? Just a minute. Doooouuuuuuuu!!!!!!!! Sorry. If you tell me where this garden of eden flea market is I'll tell you how to play 5200 Asteroids. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 16, 2002 Author Share Posted October 16, 2002 I have the 2 port; since I can plug in two joysticks i guess. Thanks for the information though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 The Flea Market is in a small mall in Port Chester, NY. The game I got had to be cleaned a few times to get it to work. I haven't seen any 5200 games there in a while, though. BTW the guy who sold me the game thought he was ripping me off as all the games he had, even pac-man was being sold for $20 a piece. I'm looking for the following games: Miner 2049er Mr. Do!'s Castle Meteorites Zaxxon Activision Decathlon Montezuma's Revenge K-Razy Shoot-Out Any on-line sources where I can get these games that aren't listed at Atarihq.com, atariage.com, ebay or Atari2600.com? I don't want to spend big bucks on them. I have them on Multicart, but it's just not the same as owning the originals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 Does anyone have a cat. # I can use to look up for a RF unit at Radio shack? I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm looking for before I go to the actual store.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Ech, Zaxxon. I looked long & hard for it, finally snagged it at the 2001 Philly Classic. For $20. The guy next to me saw me holding it and blurted out "awwwww... you got Zaxxon!". Although it looks and scrolls great, it's lacking the ascending missiles, it kills my thumb and index fingers because you have to continually squeeze the lower firebuttons, and in free space there is no altitude control. Busted! If only they had made the game 32K, it'd been much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oesii Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Does anyone have a cat. # I can use to look up for a RF unit at Radio shack? I'm trying to get an idea of what I'm looking for before I go to the actual store.. I'm don't know RS# but if you want to look at a picture of the coax adapter: http://www.atariage.com/store/Hardware.html So if you want you can order from here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I'm pretty sure the RF unit I use has both the two-pronged wires (like used in the old days, screwed onto the TV's antennae screws) and also a coax cable. I gotta look at it again tonight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 I haven't seen one of those switchboxes in years..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oesii Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 For your two port model, you don't need the switchbox, you just have the av cable from your 5200, put on one of those coax adapters and you're ready to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 I finally took my 5200 out of storage and looked it over. I have the main power plug, (2) non-working controllers (original), and the cable that runs to the switchbox. I have no games because apparently my sister lost them. Anyway, is there anyway before I start investing time and money that I can check if it even has life. For example if I buy the correct switchbox, if I plug in everything, even though I have no games, should I get some kind of signal or color screen. I'd like to know this first before I go out and purchase a game or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Your best bet is to buy the cheapest cartridge with the lowest shipping available that has been tested and workd on another system. Even if the power goes on, that does not mean everything's okay. Make sure you clean all parts thoroughly using rubbing alcohol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreZ Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 Thanks, by the way; being that i had it in storage I shouldn't take it apart and clean the actual unit itself should I. U say to use alcohol to clean the parts, which where u implying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 I cant think of any reason to use alcohol inside the 5200. I did use a bit of tuner cleaner on an old toothbrush to clean the cart slot though. Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Not inside, just the contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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