Really ugly use of Atari stuff..

[+wood_jl]

Well, I like RF mods done in the least-destructive (most OEM-looking) way, so I suppose that's a different opinion than Rich. But I don't think it's worth leaving over; it's never cool when Atari enthusiasts leave AtariAge.

 

So relax. As long as nobody tries to mod someone's console who doesn't want it, and as long as nobody tries to prohibit someone else from modding their own console when they want it (extreme far-fetched hypothetical), how can this be an issue? To each (anti-modder or modder) his own (stock console or modded console). Seems simple enough. Who cares if someone has a different opinon? Their approval ain't required.

[Keatah]

this thread needs to be shut down.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Keatah

[+RichG1972]

I understand where you all are going and I guess you all have your reasons for doing what you do, let me try a different approach, I restore systems right? This basically has them performing the exact and precise way they did new from the box with zero defects in parts and workmanship (with the exception of them being "antiquated" if you will), I put a lot of time and effort and sometimes my own pocket money into bringing these systems back to what they were when they were first pulled out of their original box and bubble wrap or those plastic bags with the red painted writing depending on which Atari you got.

 

If someone modifies that its like "whats wrong wasn't what I did good enough? Did I do something wrong? Does my work suck that badly that someone didn't bother to try the system out by first running the auto program of the TV to pick up the signal's full strength before they did what they did and took apart what I paid out of my own pocket to restore so someone would have a perfectly running pristine system? Should I just put away my tools, abandon all I ever believed in so strongly and join the ever expanding league of Atari modders out there that want to bring these old, antiquated systems into the 21st century?"

 

I guess each of us in our own way has our own interpretation on what fixing a system is, I feel that my way is fixing a system because I am utilizing what is already present in the console and bringing it back to the way it came off the assembly line and out of the plant, and there are those of you that feel that by adding parts that were not present before, that that is your way fixing a system and I guess it is in a sense but to me it is also a form of jury rigging doing what Scotty did to the enterprise by bypassing critical systems to trick the ship into doing something that wasn't part of its original design specifications.

 

Modding in your own way is I guess correcting what a lot of you perceive as a flaw in the system itself, but you see that's always been my point, the system isn't flawed but there are other ways to do what you want the system to do without adding to the INSIDE of the system, and if those of you would indulge me I am sure I could show you and maybe even present the ideas in the way my stepfather presented them to me, helped me get my Atari systems to do things by building components that I alone hold the prototypes for that have been used on my Atari short rainbow, hell back in the day I built for the Atari Junior a self-charging battery pack for it that utilized a mono plug so on road trips I could play my Junior in the car on a 5 inch battery powered portable TV because long road trips got boring and handheld games back then lacked color and in my eyes back then I was a genius.

 

So if you all would like me to release my design schematics, pull out my prototypes and build additional units why don't you all keep an open mind about what I've just said? If any of you wish to discuss my prototypes let me know as I can safely say that my prototypes built back in the summer of 1988 in many ways meet and exceed the 2600s technical criteria.

 

I also built a special device which took a lot of help from my stepfather which gave my Atari the ability to split the signals of certain games so that you felt like you were IN the game instead of in front of it by giving a given sound effect its own seperate channel, flight for one channel, lasers for another channel, bullets/artillery for another channel, warp effect if present for another channel, background music if any its own channel etc.

Edited July 3, 2011 by RichG1972

[Itchy Koala]

tldr.

[Schizophretard]

I understand where you all are going and I guess you all have your reasons for doing what you do, let me try a different approach, I restore systems right? This basically has them performing the exact and precise way they did new from the box with zero defects in parts and workmanship (with the exception of them being "antiquated" if you will), I put a lot of time and effort and sometimes my own pocket money into bringing these systems back to what they were when they were first pulled out of their original box and bubble wrap or those plastic bags with the red painted writing depending on which Atari you got.

 

If someone modifies that its like "whats wrong wasn't what I did good enough? Did I do something wrong? Does my work suck that badly that someone didn't bother to try the system out by first running the auto program of the TV to pick up the signal's full strength before they did what they did and took apart what I paid out of my own pocket to restore so someone would have a perfectly running pristine system? Should I just put away my tools, abandon all I ever believed in so strongly and join the ever expanding league of Atari modders out there that want to bring these old, antiquated systems into the 21st century?"

 

I guess each of us in our own way has our own interpretation on what fixing a system is, I feel that my way is fixing a system because I am utilizing what is already present in the console and bringing it back to the way it came off the assembly line and out of the plant, and there are those of you that feel that by adding parts that were not present before, that that is your way fixing a system and I guess it is in a sense but to me it is also a form of jury rigging doing what Scotty did to the enterprise by bypassing critical systems to trick the ship into doing something that wasn't part of its original design specifications.

 

Modding in your own way is I guess correcting what a lot of you perceive as a flaw in the system itself, but you see that's always been my point, the system isn't flawed but there are other ways to do what you want the system to do without adding to the INSIDE of the system, and if those of you would indulge me I am sure I could show you and maybe even present the ideas in the way my stepfather presented them to me, helped me get my Atari systems to do things by building components that I alone hold the prototypes for that have been used on my Atari short rainbow, hell back in the day I built for the Atari Junior a self-charging battery pack for it that utilized a mono plug so on road trips I could play my Junior in the car on a 5 inch battery powered portable TV because long road trips got boring and handheld games back then lacked color and in my eyes back then I was a genius.

 

So if you all would like me to release my design schematics, pull out my prototypes and build additional units why don't you all keep an open mind about what I've just said? If any of you wish to discuss my prototypes let me know as I can safely say that my prototypes built back in the summer of 1988 in many ways meet and exceed the 2600s technical criteria.

 

I also built a special device which took a lot of help from my stepfather which gave my Atari the ability to split the signals of certain games so that you felt like you were IN the game instead of in front of it by giving a given sound effect its own seperate channel, flight for one channel, lasers for another channel, bullets/artillery for another channel, warp effect if present for another channel, background music if any its own channel etc.

 

I appreciate that you explained that calmly and clearly. I understand what you're saying.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Schizophretard

[Keatah]

This is my favorite one!

Almost every TGI Friday's restaraunt has an Atari 2600 and two joysticks brutally nailed to the wall along with other memorabilia of the 70's and 80's. Most of them have a stake-nail stabbed right through the center, undoubtedly piercing the RIOT chip, the RF shield, PC board, outer and inner case. Imagine the fear at the nameless immigrant worker working for less than minimum wage lined up the nails and delivered the force via hammer that would forever shred and immobilize the console.

 

It's a sacrificial crucifixion to a bastard console that did something inappropriate to a former owner. That I'm certain of. Forever more, it will hang there till the wrecking ball comes to crush it out of it's misery. It can no-longer ever draw pixels or breath excitement into a child's evening. Punished and left to hang forgotten, other than a cursory glance. It has been degraded from a state-of-the-art gaming system (1970's) to a mere pawn to help create an environment for a rich investment group.

 

Putting power to it would only cause it more pain, as it cries on wall, as the electronics squeal in agony as they wind around twisted pathways, leaking out and dripping like christ's blood from the cross. People laugh at the stupidity and primitiveness of what was a good game years ago.

 

Never again will the TIA smile and paint lovely pictures. The console will never know the love of a Harmony cart, or a fresh prototype. Or an avid gamer beating the sticks in glee!!

 

It's there for you to see, go gawk at one, if you can..

 

 

 

Anybody can do anything with anything they like. If it upsets you, then you have one of two choices. Turn around and look the other way or go do something about it.

 

There are Atari units destined for the scrap heap.

There are Atari units made into pull-toys with furniture casters. (I made one for my sister, a heavy sixer too.

There are Atari consoles in pristine collections.

There are games that are worn and played.

There are 2600's that are in generally good condition and meant to be modded and played with and experimented on.

There are NIB 2600 consoles.

There are 2600 units that have broken down and are awaiting parts.

Some busted units made it half-way through a major repair and the owner gave up on it and now they sit 1/2 taken apart.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Keatah

[+RichG1972]

This is my favorite one!

Almost every TGI Friday's restaraunt has an Atari 2600 and two joysticks brutally nailed to the wall along with other memorabilia of the 70's and 80's. Most of them have a stake-nail stabbed right through the center, undoubtedly piercing the RIOT chip, the RF shield, PC board, outer and inner case. Imagine the fear at the nameless immigrant worker working for less than minimum wage lined up the nails and delivered the force via hammer that would forever shred and immobilize the console.

 

It's a sacrificial crucifixion to a bastard console that did something inappropriate to a former owner. That I'm certain of. Forever more, it will hang there till the wrecking ball comes to crush it out of it's misery. It can no-longer ever draw pixels or breath excitement into a child's evening. Punished and left to hang forgotten, other than a cursory glance. It has been degraded from a state-of-the-art gaming system (1970's) to a mere pawn to help create an environment for a rich investment group.

 

Putting power to it would only cause it more pain, as it cries on wall, as the electronics squeal in agony as they wind around twisted pathways, leaking out and dripping like christ's blood from the cross. People laugh at the stupidity and primitiveness of what was a good game years ago.

 

Never again will the TIA smile and paint lovely pictures. The console will never know the love of a Harmony cart, or a fresh prototype. Or an avid gamer beating the sticks in glee!!

 

It's there for you to see, go gawk at one, if you can..

 

 

 

Anybody can do anything with anything they like. If it upsets you, then you have one of two choices. Turn around and look the other way or go do something about it.

 

There are Atari units destined for the scrap heap.

There are Atari units made into pull-toys with furniture casters. (I made one for my sister, a heavy sixer too.

There are Atari consoles in pristine collections.

There are games that are worn and played.

There are 2600's that are in generally good condition and meant to be modded and played with and experimented on.

There are NIB 2600 consoles.

There are 2600 units that have broken down and are awaiting parts.

Some busted units made it half-way through a major repair and the owner gave up on it and now they sit 1/2 taken apart.

 

Anyone remember when McDonald's gave away scratch tickets that if you matched left and right halves of an Atari system you won the complete system? The halves were hidden under asteroid icons that you scratched off but you had to scratch off only the 2 halves, if you scratched any more than that you invalidated the ticket. Commercials for it are on youtube.

 

Oh and as an afterthought, someone once thought I had hollowed out the switches of my 6 switch Atari once and added LED's to the tips, here is an idea, put a few tiny pinholes into the tips of a more common 6 switch and do just that, add LED's to the tips but not just any LEDs, the kind that color shift, that way when someone plays the Atari as it is turned on the color shift would mess with their minds <evil grin> MUAHAHAHAHA! But make sure what you do is rig the LED's so that all 6 (or 4 if you do a 4 switch) come on all at one time, but they would be different color shifts and very bright. If anyone can pull this off I'll back off my stance on the modding issue and offer any help I can within reason provided it stays within guidelines I set

Edited July 3, 2011 by RichG1972

[SlowCoder]

Yeah well I just solved the problem for everybody, I PMed Albert and told him that I want any and all images I posted here sent back to my email account because I do not have them on this computer anymore, and secondly told him to delete all my postings and erase my account I have better things to than get caught up in DRAMA, I had dram in Chambersburg Pennsylvania so I left, and there is drama HERE so that is why I decided to have Albert delete my account on here for good, so you see I CAN accomodate all of you in one fell swoop and give you what you want so keep the pedal to the metal and your gown down that's a big 10-4 and I'm gone!

 

Oh and one further thing I CAN accept that people will do what they want to do with their own consoles I just specifically request that if it is one I have restored to mint condition which in turn makes it more VALUABLE than a modified one that has modern day technology in it, if it is one I restored to mint condition, don't come to me to fix it if something goes wrong with it that you can't fix yourself because I refuse to bail someone out of a problem that THEY created by a display of their own ineptitude!

 

Rich,

 

As you can see, there are a number of people, including me, that do believe you are a contributing member of AtariAge. Hence, it would be a loss to the community if you left.

 

Please don't ask me to IM you personally. This is not a "you and me" problem. This is a community problem.

 

No one is crucifying you for being a purist. What we don't like is the unrelenting posts telling us we're wrong for modifying original equipment. There are a lot of purists here who are able to happily exist with the rest of us. The difference is that once they've made their opinions known, they let it lie. Over the past month or so, about all I've seen from you is an almost RELIGIOUS attempt to shove your purist ideals down people's throat, in a vein attempt to convert. This is evident in your use your mentioning of personal handicaps, and unprovoked personal attacks against other members of the forums to either shut them up, or convert them.

 

This last trick of telling us you sent an IM to Albert to permanently remove your account and all of the posts you've contributed is actually rather immature. If you are unhappy at this juncture, you can just leave the forums for a while and come back later, if you decide to do so.

 

Yes, we are aware of the great refurbs you've done, and many of us commend you on them. You do a great job! And I do understand what you say about people "undoing" your original refurbs. I've done numerous projects (not necessarily game related) that took up my time and money to build, that ended up "wrecked". But I say live and let live, and move on.

 

Let's try to be friends here and coexist happily.

[mtshark7]

Rich:1st off I dunno why you are getting upset about modders...unless you SOLD one of your restorations and the person you sold it to turned around and modded it...THEN I see why you are pissed.

 

But you never responded to my PM about ordering a new 6-switch board so i can FIX my light 6-switch 2600 to tip top NORMAL shape

And yes I am currently modding a light 6-switch but its my SPARE console. I also own a vader 2600 that I ordered off of atari260 and it came with box and manuals and is in great shape and wouldn't even dare to mod that one. I only mod consoles that I have spares of. All the consoles I collect are original.

 

Finally, asking Al to delete your account?! Seriously?! It's like your giving up completely. Don't leave our community especially since everyone wants you to stay you are better then this.

 

Finally+, even tho I do mod SPARE consoles, I definitely appreciate your work...heck if I bought a heavy 6-er from you I would take excellent care of it.

[+RichG1972]

Rich:1st off I dunno why you are getting upset about modders...unless you SOLD one of your restorations and the person you sold it to turned around and modded it...THEN I see why you are pissed.

 

But you never responded to my PM about ordering a new 6-switch board so i can FIX my light 6-switch 2600 to tip top NORMAL shape

And yes I am currently modding a light 6-switch but its my SPARE console. I also own a vader 2600 that I ordered off of atari260 and it came with box and manuals and is in great shape and wouldn't even dare to mod that one. I only mod consoles that I have spares of. All the consoles I collect are original.

 

Finally, asking Al to delete your account?! Seriously?! It's like your giving up completely. Don't leave our community especially since everyone wants you to stay you are better then this.

 

Finally+, even tho I do mod SPARE consoles, I definitely appreciate your work...heck if I bought a heavy 6-er from you I would take excellent care of it.

 

Mark T,

 

THAT was the angle I was going for, see I am contracted by a shop here in Athol Massachusetts to restore the systems that the shop owner Jon gave me to restore to factory specs and each system let me tell you, was a damn horror story in and of itself.

 

Prime example just to show you how badly some people treat their systems, ONE someone obviously mistook for a coaster because I found Dr. Pepper and Pepsi spilled down inside a light sixer along with toast and cracker crumbs, cobwebs, broke open spider egg sacs dead flies and spiders, dust and mold...and the system smelled like someone had been farting in it for like 20 or so years and I had to put a few of my citrus wipes over my nose with rubber bands just to cloak the stench.

 

But I pressed on and got it going, main problem was that all the colors were completely scrambled and the sound was faint, so after a few adjustments and then a quick re-solder of the power jack cured all problems, and I even got the inside and outside of the console looking pretty good all I gotta figure out is what color the piping is supposed to be, like orange or yellow-orange or yellow and I kinda think that could be figured out by serial number.

 

Main problem with the 4 switch Atari that was in the box which IRONICALLY is the sister system to my own console, is the cart slot is not recognizing any cartridge I put in and when I put in Star Raiders, I get a quick flash of the Star Raiders grid, then the stripe effect that clearly tells me the cart slot is a bit dodgy aka fried. And the final thing wrong with the 4 switch is it is missing the stock RF cable that is supposed to come off the mainboard, so to fix this system I am just gonna order a new mainboard for it with all the circuitry present.

 

Then there is an Atari 7800 which I have the main console for, but no power supply, no controllers and no cartridges to test it so I am trying to get those items so I can finish my work which probably AGAIN is gonna be a horror story, and last but not least a 4 port Atari 5200 with a cracked storage door that is all scratched to hell, it has the RF wire but no switchbox with the power jack on it and no controllers or games, so again no way to test it to diagnose the problem so basically until Jon at Never Grow Up can supply me with the missing parts I need or I find them elsewhere I am basically stuck.

 

But I am also investing some of my own money into fixing these systems up for him, because there are a lot of people that come into his store looking for stock systems and I am gonna do my best to deliver on that for him, and he feels the same way I do about modifications but I am not jumping on that bandwagon again because its too problematic. But after the systems leave my hands I can only hope they go to a good home and that they are left stock because that makes me feel good if they are left that way because that tells me I've done my job right and that my work is worth something, on the other hand if those systems are sold and someone hacks them apart and modifies them past what I did to bring the system back to its glory days then that tells me my work was basically worth nothing and that it wasn't good enough, that's all I was really trying to say.

 

Heck here's a compromise, if any of you find an Atari system that the RF section is burned out on, retrofit that one with a 3 wire modification, because in that aspect it gives new life to that system and if it can be done build the new RF unit into it so that it looks as if it had always been part of it to begin with so it doesn't look like it was an aftermarket part, I can even illustrate how to do it if necessary.

 

Oh and Mark T, I did get your PM regarding that and no I don't sell the switchboards myself but I think if I could be reimbursed for the price of the switchboard, I could place a bulk order and get a lot of the stuff I need and your switchboard, then ship you the switchboard and all I would want is to be reimbursed for the cost of the shipping and the switchboard.

Edited July 3, 2011 by RichG1972

[CPUWIZ]

 

[SlowCoder]

Hey Rich,

I have to say that your last post there was very informative, contributory, and I didn't feel preached at. Enjoyed reading.

 

This is probably better asked in a different thread, but I'd like to see if you can answer. Regarding the RF diagnosis you mentioned in your last paragraph, are you recommending that we install a temporary 3 wire composite mod to test the system functionality and verify the RF module is faulty?

[mtshark7]

Rich: I would be interested in knowing how to do the 3 wire mod!.

 

Oh ok....how much would the total be for the switchboards if you got them? (Switchboard & Shipping)

I need a new populated 6-switch switchboard that takes the wire harness cable.

[SlowCoder]

 

Hopefully not. Perhaps a turnaround and an understanding ...

[Miss 2600]

I don't know why anyone would call for a lock on this thread. That seems to happen fairly frequently on this forum. I like the Phil Jackson Zen approach. If the Lakers are playing poorly, he doesn't immediately call time out and pull players; he sits, observes, and sees if they can work things out themselves. That's what seems to be happening on this thread.

[+RichG1972]

 

Hopefully not. Perhaps a turnaround and an understanding ...

 

Actually I found something on Ebay that might be a better answer, it worked like a damn charm for me, its a box that you INPUT an rf signal into a coax h jack and it splits the signal into the respective video and left right channel AND it even has an S-Video jack on this box, I had one once before and forgot all about it and they work great if you know how to set it up.

[20ohm20]

this thread needs to be shut down.

[zylon]

And a close analysis of your cranium will reveal sawdust, setting aside the fact that you are inept, insufficient, inexcusable, pompous, pusillanimous and pathetic

 

We've been infiltrated by Cobra Commander!!!

 

 

[Miss 2600]

And a close analysis of your cranium will reveal sawdust, setting aside the fact that you are inept, insufficient, inexcusable, pompous, pusillanimous and pathetic

 

We've been infiltrated by Cobra Commander!!!

 

 

Wow, he used "pusillanimous"! I had to look that word up! Now I know how to pronounce it, too.

[Osbo]

And a close analysis of your cranium will reveal sawdust, setting aside the fact that you are inept, insufficient, inexcusable, pompous, pusillanimous and pathetic

 

We've been infiltrated by Cobra Commander!!!

 

 

 

That's what it was? It sure says a lot about him... And he's almost 40...

[+RichG1972]

And a close analysis of your cranium will reveal sawdust, setting aside the fact that you are inept, insufficient, inexcusable, pompous, pusillanimous and pathetic

 

We've been infiltrated by Cobra Commander!!!

 

 

 

That's what it was? It sure says a lot about him... And he's almost 40...

 

I see people are solely gonna focus on my previous posts and not the last 2 or so I have posted so I'll just shut up now because if I don't its just gonna be more fuel for the fire and more ammunition for people to use against me and make fun of me, but how many people do you know realistically with the disabilities that I have that can do the things that I can do? Not many I assure you, I mean....brain damage, Cerebral Palsy, water on the brain, a potentially deadly combination and it also at one point used to include epilepsy but I beat that back in 1980.

 

But that's neither here nor there, my point is people are not focusing on the last 2 or 3 posts I made which were not argumentative but were better thought out than my earlier ones and people here are deliberately trying to rile me again unnecessarily, if the number of you that don't want me here outnumbers the amount who want me to stay then just say so, or why not post a poll and put it to a vote, and based on the results of that poll that will dictate what the final outcome will be and until the final count of that poll is reached I just will not post one further thing.

[CPUWIZ]

it also at one point used to include epilepsy but I beat that back in 1980.

 

Really? How was that accomplished? This is a serious question.

[Osbo]

And a close analysis of your cranium will reveal sawdust, setting aside the fact that you are inept, insufficient, inexcusable, pompous, pusillanimous and pathetic

 

We've been infiltrated by Cobra Commander!!!

 

 

 

That's what it was? It sure says a lot about him... And he's almost 40...

 

I see people are solely gonna focus on my previous posts and not the last 2 or so I have posted so I'll just shut up now because if I don't its just gonna be more fuel for the fire and more ammunition for people to use against me and make fun of me, but how many people do you know realistically with the disabilities that I have that can do the things that I can do? Not many I assure you, I mean....brain damage, Cerebral Palsy, water on the brain, a potentially deadly combination and it also at one point used to include epilepsy but I beat that back in 1980.

 

But that's neither here nor there, my point is people are not focusing on the last 2 or 3 posts I made which were not argumentative but were better thought out than my earlier ones and people here are deliberately trying to rile me again unnecessarily, if the number of you that don't want me here outnumbers the amount who want me to stay then just say so, or why not post a poll and put it to a vote, and based on the results of that poll that will dictate what the final outcome will be and until the final count of that poll is reached I just will not post one further thing.

 

Quit playing the pity card dude, you are 40.

[Karyyk]

Sorry for breaking into this heated debate, but I'm in the need of some enlightenment. WTF is a "melvin" (and why is it bad)?

[Osbo]

Sorry for breaking into this heated debate, but I'm in the need of some enlightenment. WTF is a "melvin" (and why is it bad)?

 

The Melvin is a variant where the victim's underwear is pulled up from the front, to cause injury, or, at least, severe pain to the victim's genitals. The female variant is sometimes called a Minerva.

 

Ahhh google rocks