Getting into the 2600

[Satoshi Matrix]

Hello everyone here. I'm a big retro gaming fan looking to get into the Atari 2600 for the first time. I collect many classic gaming consoles, working or not. I recently purchased two dead 80s computers and after some soldering and cap replacing, I now have a working ADAM computer and Commodore 64! After experiencing gaming on these relics, I now want to check out the system I unfortunately missed the glory days: The 2600.

 

I apologize for being a bothersome newbie, but I would like to ask for some help of the community here sorting out the Atari 2600 ins and outs.

 

First of all, what are the things everyone should know when thinking of getting a 2600?

 

Are all models of the 2600 RF only? Are simple PCB pin hacks possible for AV mods like with the original model Famicom?

 

Where are the best places to buy an Atari 2600 online? I've checked local kijiji and creigslist but I don't see anything that seem to be priced that reasonably. Speaking of which, how much should one expect to pay for a 2600?

 

What are the killer apps for the 2600 I should seek immediately? I know there have been homebrew games that have been made in the recent years. What are the best of those?

 

I know that the Atari 2600 used DB-9 controller ports. Will Commodore 64 joysticks work with the 2600? What about Sega Master System and Genesis? Famicom and Famiclone?

 

What are "Wicos"?

 

What are the "best" controllers for the 2600? I assume the stock iconic sticks, but I ask in case I'm wrong.

 

If I buy a 2600 without a power supply, what are the ratings I need? Does polarity matter to the 2600? Can I use a psu from other consoles such as the NES?

 

 

Thanks for any help.

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

Hi and welcome aboard. I'm fairly new here too, but this is the best place to be if you want to learn more about Atari.

 

To answer a few of your questions, that I'm capable of answering:

 

If you're considering getting a 2600, you may want to think about which version you'd like to get. Or possibly you may even consider getting a 7800 since it plays 2600 games as well as dedicated 7800 games. If you want a 2600 for total nostalgia, you may prefer to stick with one of the older models with the woodgrain panel on the front. Check the main AtariAge front page menu to see all the different models that were avaiable.

 

A few of the best and most reputable Atari sellers online are Best Electronics and B & C/MyAtari. Not sure of their exact url's off hand but try Googling them. Then there's also the AtariAge store right here for many new homebrew games and hardware accessories.

 

A few of my favorite 2600 homebrews and hacks are Thrust Platinum, Lady Bug, Juno First, Berzerk Voice Enhanced, to name a few off the top of my head.

 

Wico made the best arcade quality joysticks for home systems. They are actually the company that made the controls in many arcades throughout the '80s, and the home versions were built the same way.

 

IMHO, the Wico Command Control joysticks are the best that money can buy. The standard Atari sticks are fine too when they are working like they're supposed to.

 

That's pretty much all I think I know. Hope that helps.

[accousticguitar]

All models were RF only.

 

I like the stock CX-40 joysticks.

 

As for killer apps I like all the original arcade ports, like Asteroids, Missile Command, Space Invaders, etc.

 

Actually, today's killer app would be a Harmony cart.

[tetrode kink]

Welcome, Satoshi-Matrix, newbies are welcome here! I've not been a member a year yet (lurked a while before that), and I've found this to be the best forum on the interwebbz! Lots of help, you only need ask to receive. And unless you really ask for it, you're unlikely to get flamed here. Be warned, this is such a great place, you may never want to leave!

 

I think I can handle a few of your questions:

 

What kind of Atari 2600? Like REX said, it depends. You can't really go wrong with any model, especially the original Atari VCSs (original name for the 2600) and the Sears models. They'll all play all the games, no compatibility issues. I like the original Heavy Sixer, the mothership of the VCS. I also like the all-black four-switcher, AKA the "Vader" model. I have those two models, and I like them for different reasons. BTW, despite being named "6-switcher" and "4-switcher," they all have six switches; on the "4-switch" models they just moved the left-player and right-player difficulty switches behind the top bezel so they aren't plainly visible from the front.

 

As to where to get one, there's lots of places. Start with wherever you got your other classic consoles; eBay, craigslist, yard/garage sales, flea markets, etc. From reading on the forums the Atari is becoming more scarce at Goodwill and other second-hand stores. Also, due to the recent super-rare Atari game sales on eBay, there's been a lot of inflation in console prices lately. People thinking that just because a super-rare game sold for over $3,000 they should be able to sell their old common stuff for hundreds or thousands. I wouldn't pay more than $40 for a nice, clean console, maybe a little more if it comes with games & accessories. Also, a Heavy-Sixer will be harder to find at that price. People here will debate my figures, but I don't think I'm too far off either way. You can spend whatever you want; patience will net you the lowest price. Another place to watch is the Marketplace forum here. A higher percentage of people here will sell you a nice console for a reasonable price. You might even post in the Wanted forum.

 

Yes, unfortunately all VCSs are RF-out-only. But there are several A/V and S-Video mod options, whether you want to do it yourself from schematics, buy just a bare mod board, buy a full parts kit, buy a fully-assembled board and install it yourself, or have the whole mod job done for you.

 

I never advise on what games to buy, but you can't go wrong with the Golden Oldies accousticguitar mentioned. But there were so many good original games, it would be hard to mention just a few.

 

The homebrews are simply amazing. Since the programming tools available today are so much better than what Atari programmers had in the day, and because much new ground has been gained in just how far you can push the old hardware, most (all?) the homebrew games are terrific. If you didn't see them plugged in to a VCS, you'd swear they were running on a more powerful machine. My faves right now are Juno First and Man Goes Down. That last one isn't officially available on a cartridge yet, but Albert (the AtariAge site runner) has introduced a service where he will burn you any game ROM (available here and elsewhere) onto a cart. Beware of Man Goes Down, it's video game crack: You may just wear out your reset switch!

 

The great thing about Atari games is that you can try before you buy: There is almost no game that you can't get a ROM for, some here, some there. And you have a choice of many emulators: I'd say the top two are Stella and Z-26. Stella is open-source; I don't have a link offhand but you can get it at Sourceforge.

 

Another way to try games is with the Harmony Cartridge. It's a homebrew multi-game cart developed by a few members here that takes games off an SD card and lets you choose them from an on-screen menu on your VCS. Practically the whole world of Atari games can now be played on the Original Hardware, even if you don't have an original cartridge. It's still good to support homebrew programmers by buying carts of their finished games, but many of them make their ROMs freely available in the Homebrew Discussion forum. There, many homebrew programmers post works-in-progress for public testing and ideas. Juno First was one such game, and I think that the fact that it was developed with input from the public only contributed to its greatness.

 

Controllers - Yes, C=64 sticks will work with the Atari 2600. As will Sega Master System and Genesis pads. All four directions work, and one button on the pads will work as the fire button.

 

I don't know about Famicom/NES controllers, I imagine they can be made to work but at the very least you'd have to wire a different plug onto them.

 

Power supply - the stock 2600 AC adapter was 9V, 500mA. If you can't find an original, any supply with the same specs will do fine. I wouldn't go below 9V, but 10-12V is OK. Don't go much below 500mA (you could probably get away with 400mA), but it can be as high as is practical for the physical size of the supply you'll tolerate; even if it says it can output 10A, it will work fine because the supply will only deliver as much current as the Atari asks for.

 

Long post, much? Trust me, I've only scratched the surface. Just stick around, read a little something here every day, ask if you can't find something and eventually you'll be an old pro.

 

Have fun!

 

-tet

Edited August 14, 2010 by tetrode kink

[Satoshi Matrix]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the warm welcome. Today I won a 4 button woodgrain model (I'm assuming it isn't actual wood, just a woodgrain textured plastic frame?) and upon hearing of the Harmony cart, bought one as well.

 

Is there an incompatibility list for the Harmony cart? I'd like to know what wont work on it so I can make sure I look for those specific games first to build up my library.

 

Are the PCB and case size/shape the same between the 4 button woodgrain and the the vader model that says "2600"? I have the opportunity to buy a vader as well that's in poor cosmetic shape but its PCB is in excellent condition. I was thinking of transferring the PCB from the vader to the woodgrain model. Can this be done?

[SlowCoder]

Are the PCB and case size/shape the same between the 4 button woodgrain and the the vader model that says "2600"? I have the opportunity to buy a vader as well that's in poor cosmetic shape but its PCB is in excellent condition. I was thinking of transferring the PCB from the vader to the woodgrain model. Can this be done?

 

Hi Matrix! I'm also relatively new here, and have found this forum an EXCELLENT source for information.

 

You can get great deals on equipment because it's in "bad cosmetic shape", but with all the purchases where the machine was in "bad cosmetic shape", a good cleaning inside and out, has done great deals to bring out the real shine in the consoles! Other than very minor surface scrapes and some missing paint around the console switches, they have all been cosmetically beautiful! I have all the woody models now, all beautiful and functioning.

 

Also, I'm learning that you can find really good deals in nonworking models. The seller hasn't done anything to fix them. And all I've had to do it open 'em up, swap a couple chips, and they're working again! I've procured 5 consoles already, 4 of which were "nonworking" and filthy. All but one are working now.

 

I would gander that the 4-switch woody and the Vader models are the same internally. I don't have a Vader yet, but the chassis looks the same to me.

[Benzman66]

 

I would gander that the 4-switch woody and the Vader models are the same internally.

 

Correct! Some of the Vader boards had a resistor added to enhance the color of the playfield screen, but other than that, all else the same.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Is there an incompatibility list for the Harmony cart? I'd like to know what wont work on it so I can make sure I look for those specific games first to build up my library.

All games you can find in the wild work at the Harmony cart as well.

[Buzbard]

Is there an incompatibility list for the Harmony cart? I'd like to know what wont work on it so I can make sure I look for those specific games first to build up my library.

All games you can find in the wild work at the Harmony cart as well.

 

And if you happen to find some that don't work, just post them to the Harmony forum here, and I'm sure Batari will have them working in no time.

 

BTW: Welcom to AtariAge, you can check out but you can never leave!

[Satoshi Matrix]

thank you everyone. While I wait for the 2600 to arrive, I want to clarify what I need to hook it up to a modern tv. I have a fairly old CRT tv I intend to use, but not so old it has the clips to screw in for the RF box. I've heard that you can use a simple through adapter.

 

I went to The Source today to see what I could find. The guy there wasn't very helpful as he insisted what I wanted to do couldn't be done. I asked about the return policy and he assured me that if it didn't work I could always return anything I bought, so I looked around anyway.

 

I didn't see anything that said RCA to RF, but I did see something I think will work:

 

Gold plated Phono Plug to male "F" adapter.

 

It's got the source number 2780276.

 

It says on it only one thing which is "connects phono plug to coaxial jack".

 

Before I open it, is this what I need or was the salesman correct that this will not work?

 

Thanks.

[Benzman66]

Should work ok if it looks like this picture.

You can also find these adapters on Ebay as well as at Radio Shack.

 

And it doesn't matter if it is silver or gold colored. Either does the job!

Edited August 17, 2010 by Benzman66

[mamejay]

The Harmony cart is the bomb and makes it so easy to get to play a lot of the cool home brews on actual hardware.

[Christophero Sly]

Some of the Vader boards had a resistor added to enhance the color of the playfield screen, but other than that, all else the same.

Can you point me towards some additional information on this subject?

[Cliff Friedel]

 

Actually, today's killer app would be a Harmony cart.

I totally agree. The Harmony cart makes life so much easier, whether you are homebrewing or just want to save your carts from a little abuse. If you do buy one, go with the deluxe package. It has a lot of nice little extras and it isn't much more money. BTW, welcome to the 2600!

 

Cliff

[Benzman66]

Some of the Vader boards had a resistor added to enhance the color of the playfield screen, but other than that, all else the same.

Can you point me towards some additional information on this subject?

 

There has been some discussion in the past on these forums, just do a search, but some boards have a resistor soldered on points 6 and 9 of the TIA chip. I believe it is a 620k . A.J. Franzman can probably go into details further on this if you can't find the previous thread.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Benzman66

[HollowPoint123]

I would gander that the 4-switch woody and the Vader models are the same internally.

 

Correct! Some of the Vader boards had a resistor added to enhance the color of the playfield screen, but other than that, all else the same.

 

 

Yep! but some of the later 4 switch and vader units had extra shielding around the switches due to static probs.

 

I would also recommend using an emulator to try out games before you go hunting for them at fairs etc. and spending cash on something you won't enjoy (Airlock!). As for the NES famicom controllers - I thought the famicom controllers were fixed to the unit - the NES controller would need rewired as the connector is completely different. That's not to say someone hasn't already fitted a 9 pin d-connector to one and tried it.

[Christophero Sly]

Some of the Vader boards had a resistor added to enhance the color of the playfield screen, but other than that, all else the same.

Can you point me towards some additional information on this subject?

 

There has been some discussion in the past on these forums, just do a search, but some boards have a resistor soldered on points 6 and 9 of the TIA chip. I believe it is a 620k . A.J. Franzman can probably go into details further on this if you can't find the previous thread.

OK. Thanks. I'm wondering whether this change is something that would explain some of the hyper-sensitivity to television brightness I've observed with most Vaders.

[Benzman66]

Well, I took an old board once without a resistor, and then soldered the 620k resistor to those points and it definitely makes a difference. Much more vibrant color than the usual woody four switchers.

Edited August 17, 2010 by Benzman66

[A.J. Franzman]

It's 820 ohms. See the .pdf Field Service Manual page 153 (Tech Tips section).

[Benzman66]

It's 820 ohms. See the .pdf Field Service Manual page 153 (Tech Tips section).

 

Thanks A.J. for the correction. My old brain isn't like it use to be!

[Satoshi Matrix]

Can anyone give a definitive answer if the phono to coax adapter I bought will work on the 2600? Thanks.

[MitchSchaft]

I can. Phono is just another name for RCA. And the one I got said "phono" on it, too.

 

You are good to go.