Game won't play

[VideoGameFreek]

Hi Everyone,

I've been really wanting to play Bump'N'Jump for a long time now. Everytime the power is on, the screen is black. I even cleaned it, same thing.

Can these games wear out from playing them too much?

This is the only game I cannot play on the 2600.

 

David

[tillenterprises]

I have the same problem with Omega Race. I cleaned the contacts with rubbing alcohol, which usually fixes everything, but nothing.

[AtariLeaf]

Yep, I have a Grand Prix with the same problem. Its just dead.

[Happy_Dude]

If your 100% sure its dead, open it up and you might

find it's on a Eprom. I had a pitfall with the same problem

and sure enough, EPROM.

[IceCold]

My Stampede doesn't work :(

[AtariLeaf]

If your 100% sure its dead, open it up and you might  

find it's on a Eprom. I had a pitfall with the same problem

and sure enough, EPROM.

Ok, this is going to sound like a really dumb question but whats an EPROM? Is this the chip itself? And if so, what makes it different from other Atari games and more susceptible to dying?

[Rob Mitchell]

whats an EPROM? Is this the chip itself? And if so, what makes it different from other Atari games and more susceptible to dying?

 

You know what a ROM is? Read Only Memory .. This is a permanently programmed chip.

 

An EPROM chip is Erasable/ Programmable ROM .. which is what protos are programmed into .. and all the homebrew games are burned into EPROMs. They have a life of about 10-20 years before bitrot degradation occurs .. at which time they need to be reprogrammed.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[AtariLeaf]

whats an EPROM? Is this the chip itself? And if so, what makes it different from other Atari games and more susceptible to dying?

 

You know what a ROM is? Read Only Memory .. This is a permanently programmed chip.

 

An EPROM chip is Erasable/ Programmable ROM .. which is what protos are programmed into .. and all the homebrew games are burned into EPROMs. They have a life of about 10-20 years before bitrot degradation occurs .. at which time they need to be reprogrammed.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

So does this mean our entire Atari collections are on the verge of destruction since most games are coming to that 20 year mark and many have passed such as the games from the 70's.

[IceCold]

whats an EPROM? Is this the chip itself? And if so, what makes it different from other Atari games and more susceptible to dying?

 

You know what a ROM is? Read Only Memory .. This is a permanently programmed chip.

 

An EPROM chip is Erasable/ Programmable ROM .. which is what protos are programmed into .. and all the homebrew games are burned into EPROMs. They have a life of about 10-20 years before bitrot degradation occurs .. at which time they need to be reprogrammed.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

So does this mean our entire Atari collections are on the verge of destruction since most games are coming to that 20 year mark and many have passed such as the games from the 70's.

 

I think I can answer this. The collections shouldn't be on the verge of destruction because most games aren't on eproms, they're on regular roms, so they wont' get bitrot. At least this is what I've been lead to believe.

[AtariDude]

I think only EPROMS lose their contents since they were used to program games in development. Games that were finished I think are more permanent and not subject to bit rot.

[AtariLeaf]

So then I guess my next question is which games ARE on Eproms?

[AtariLeaf]

Here's my dead Grand Prix. If it is an EPROM and finished games DON'T go on EPROMS then how did this happen and what other companies might have done this to their finished games?

[Happy_Dude]

Nope thats a ROM.

Eprom's have a clear window on top of the chip.

or a sticker covering it.

 

Hmmm. don't know what could be wrong with that.

 

Maby you just need to resolder the pins on the underside

of the board.

 

Any suggestions people???

[Happy_Dude]

So then I guess my next question is which games ARE on Eproms?

Thats a bit of a complex one ... see you can't tell short of opening

the cart.

 

O.k

 

Atari would have test carts of a finished game made up (on EPROMs)

and sent out for play testing.

When they decided to produce and sell the game they slapped

some labels on the test carts and sold them too.

 

No sense wasting money.

[tillenterprises]

all this talk just makes me glad I got a Cuttle Cart and the games on CDs, besides carts

[VideoGameFreek]

Hi guys,

I opened up the game and took a pic.

David