I wamt to fix my atari 2600!

[GeneralMurdock]

Ok, I've saw this before on some topic but can't remember where and I don't know if the problem is similar.

 

My atari works for 1 second them it's a black screen with a lot of noise in the image.

 

So I tried to remove the existing 7805 voltage chip for a newer one but it gives me the same problem.

 

My solder skills are below mediocre but I've uploaded a picture of the work so far.

 

 

 

so what you guys think ? what should I try next ?

[A.J. Franzman]

Those are what is known as "cold solder" joints. The way to solder properly is to use the iron to heat the parts until they're hot enough to melt the solder, then apply the solder to the parts (not to the iron). Also, the iron needs to be powerful enough for the job, and fully warmed up if it's a low-power iron like a Radio Shack 30 watt pencil (takes at least five minutes). You need to find a scrap circuit board to practice your soldering on before trying to redo that mess. There are lots of soldering tutorials on the web, go find one and get better at it before you damage the board and make it harder to fix.

 

Also, there are many other problems that can cause the symptom you described, from a bad DC adapter to a short circuit on the board to a fried IC (with an internal short circuit) and others. So getting the connections to the voltage regulator soldered properly may not be enough to get your unit working.

Edited January 10, 2011 by A.J. Franzman

[nathanallan]

Asice from that solder job (great points, Franz), you may want to go ahead and replace that capacitor, too. A lot of things have been happening to my equipment and it was all because of capacitors.

 

Plus, double check your power supply, if it goes to junk after it starts up then it might be malfunctioning after a load is applied.

[R.O.T.S]

You need to make sure the solder also runs onto the boards tracks attached to the component legs otherwise it just builds up into a blob,so after desoldering the voltage regulator it might be worth scraping some of the green foil away first on the conections before soldering the VR back in place,the `Axial` Electrolytic Capacitors are worth changing as they can become inefficient over time,obviously it helps if its the same type `Axial` and must be same capacitance as the one you are replacing whatever that should be (in Farads eg 2200mF or 220mF) should be easy to find a replacement capacitor from a Electronic store like Maplins or whoever.

If its not easy to find then a same rated axial capacitor in Farads but with a Higher working voltage can also be used but it may be bigger in physical size.

[GeneralMurdock]

Thanks for all the replies =)

 

Ok, I took the game to a guy that fix old tvs and is a lot better them me soldering.

 

He looked at the capacitor and said it's fine. And the vr, even bad soldered, it's working.

 

My DC adapter is that one you can buy for 5 dollars and you can change voltage and polarity, + -, - +, and from 3v to 12v. So I guess this is not the problem.

And yes, I'm setting it to + - 9V, just like Atari original dc adapter.

 

So, maybe now the problem is the IC, the guy said he can replace it for me but I don't know which one of the tree I should replace.

 

Here is a pic and you will be able to see the number of each one wrote. I'm not able to find those in my country, at least, not with those names, so.. any one can link me to a place selling those ?

 

[atari2atari]

Thanks for all the replies =)

 

Ok, I took the game to a guy that fix old tvs and is a lot better them me soldering.

 

He looked at the capacitor and said it's fine. And the vr, even bad soldered, it's working.

 

My DC adapter is that one you can buy for 5 dollars and you can change voltage and polarity, + -, - +, and from 3v to 12v. So I guess this is not the problem.

And yes, I'm setting it to + - 9V, just like Atari original dc adapter.

 

So, maybe now the problem is the IC, the guy said he can replace it for me but I don't know which one of the tree I should replace.

 

Here is a pic and you will be able to see the number of each one wrote. I'm not able to find those in my country, at least, not with those names, so.. any one can link me to a place selling those ?

 

 

 

Your problem SOUNDS like the RIOT, the top-most IC in your picture.

 

 

I recommend purchasing from Bradley Koda at BEST ELECTRONICS. His website can be intimidating to some, but here is a link to a parts list there:

 

http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/2600_Tech_Tips.htm#based

 

Scroll down and look for "Atari I/O Chip CO10750 $8.00"

 

 

He's a solid guy to buy from - - look around and grab some more goodies while you are there!

 

 

 

Alternately, you can buy an entirely NEW board to swap into your case from him for $35, the "Atari 2600A NTSC/US Populated Motherboard CA015911 $35.00"

 

Cheers!

 

-a2a

[A.J. Franzman]

If you've got a good power adapter and a good regulator (properly installed), you're probably going to waste time and money trying to fix it with a guessing or "shotgun" approach. You'd be better off either just buying another console or having someone who knows what they're doing fix it for you. Black screen or snowy screen can be caused by failure of any of the ICs, or one or more of several other parts.

Edited January 11, 2011 by A.J. Franzman

[GeneralMurdock]

The only problem buying from that guy is that I live in Brazil.

 

I've tryied today to replace the crystal and the problem remain the same.

 

Today I bought from a guy 2 IC, 6532 6507, this will be my last attempt to fix this system.

I`ll take this a guy that knows how to solder a lot better them me, I`ll keep you guys posted and thanks a lot for the tips.

 

When I fix this beast I`ll buy an harmony cartridge! I'm really hopping to fix it soon.

[yllawwally]

Do you have a multimeter? It still sounds like a power problem to me. Take the meter, and set it to DC, for 10 volts. With the Atari powered on, place the black lead, to the middle leg of the 7805. Then place the red leg to each of the legs. One leg should measure 9-10volts. The other leg, must measure 5v. If you have less than 5v on one leg, and less than 7 on the other it's your power supply. The 2600 uses a lot of current, 500ma. There should be a list of voltages and currents listed on the power supply. You can check there, many of the multi voltage supplies I've seen only have 300ma at 9v.

[nathanallan]

Brazil? Have you thought of looking on Mercado Libre?

 

http://lista.mercadolivre.com.br/atari

[A.J. Franzman]

I thought Brazil is a PAL-M country, but that looks like an NTSC motherboard (I could be mistaken though, since you didn't show the whole thing). Do you have a multi-standard TV?

Edited January 12, 2011 by A.J. Franzman

[GeneralMurdock]

Brazil used to be PAL-M, now everything is NTSC.

 

My tv does not support PAL, but PAL-M and NTSC is fine.

 

I believe NTSC and PAL-M is almost the same.

 

And the power supply it says: 70output (I believe this is the brand's name)

A.C.-D.C. Adaptor

input: 110/220v

AC60/50Hz

Power: 18W

Output: 1.5-3-4.5-6 7.5-9-12 V

Current: 1000mA MAX

 

I think it's time for me to buy a multimeter, I'll do that tomorrow and do that test.

And Ataris are very expensive here in Brazil so I'm avoiding the price of a new one, mercado livre is terrible, I bought mine in a flea market *that is very rare in Brazil sadly* for R$10, in mercado livre it cost R$100.

 

I'm waiting for a seller to decide on the price of a 7800! This console is very rare and uncommon in BR, so this might be my chance!

[A.J. Franzman]

NTSC and PAL-M cartridges for the VCS are the same, but consoles differ (PAL color encoding and NTSC color encoding are very different).

 

Here, NTSC is dying and most TV broadcasts are switching to ATSC (digital). Equipment interconnects are going to either component (RGB) video or HDMI (digital). Composite, S-video and even RF (whether NTSC or ATSC) are going away.

Edited January 12, 2011 by A.J. Franzman

[nathanallan]

Brazil used to be PAL-M, now everything is NTSC.

 

My tv does not support PAL, but PAL-M and NTSC is fine.

 

I believe NTSC and PAL-M is almost the same.

 

And the power supply it says: 70output (I believe this is the brand's name)

A.C.-D.C. Adaptor

input: 110/220v

AC60/50Hz

Power: 18W

Output: 1.5-3-4.5-6 7.5-9-12 V

Current: 1000mA MAX

 

I think it's time for me to buy a multimeter, I'll do that tomorrow and do that test.

And Ataris are very expensive here in Brazil so I'm avoiding the price of a new one, mercado livre is terrible, I bought mine in a flea market *that is very rare in Brazil sadly* for R$10, in mercado livre it cost R$100.

 

I'm waiting for a seller to decide on the price of a 7800! This console is very rare and uncommon in BR, so this might be my chance!

I have heard that flea markets are pretty rare in Brazil, not really sure why that is, there's plenty of old tech (as well as everything else) to be had to sell and buy. I found several that were less than R$100, though my Portuguese is really rusty (think under the sea for 500 years rusty) and I might have missed some things Good luck on that 7800!