5200 Brotherhood

[TwoShedsWilson]

I've got a 2-port and a 4-port. Both acquired in the last month. I even managed to get three working controllers.

 

No pictures though as my current basement setup is shameful.

[+CXK]

On 9/3/2019 at 2:47 PM, TwoShedsWilson said:

I even managed to get three working controllers.

 

If you need another one Best Electronics has some nice ones that actually work 

[ApolloBoy]

Count me in, I've had a 5200 for 15 years now so why not.

[mothball]

I don't have an atarimax flash cart yet, but maybe I'm otherwise qualified to join this renowned group. I've procured the following:

* A two port and a four port w/box
* Track ball w/box
* 2 gold revision controllers from Best
* 61 of the 69 originally released games and Tempest
* Masterplay interface

Simply put, I'm hooked. The Supersystem is my favorite console.

[rubeon]

I finally found the Brotherhood's secret hideout!  I pledge to defend the 5200's honour in all company, if you'll have me.

 

Favourite game is the Dreadnaught Factor, but there's a long list of games that tie for a close 2nd place.

 

Creds:

 

I have two two-ports, one working great and with original packaging, one not working at all (black screen); five or six CX52s in various states of repair, which I rebuild on the regular; 30 or 40 carts along with an Atarimax SD; trackball with box; VCS adapter which is also NOS that I've never opened so I'm not sure why I have it; three dual controller holders so I can win Robotron and Space Dungeon HSC rounds ? (though two of them are in the sealed game boxes I can't bring myself to rip open). 

 

Got my first four-port for Christmas in '82. The 5200 is always #1 on my list, even after all this time.

[BIGHMW]

Atari 5200 owner since May 19th, 1983, when I got my first date with Big Sexy for my 17th birthday (my first was a USA-made 4-port, Serial No. 141101, I currently own a Taiwan-made 2-port with 4-port BIOS I got a few years back so I can use a/my VCS adapter (USA-made, Serial No. 281580), an AA 7800 Redemption unit, an original CX53 Trak-Ball (USA-made, Serial No. 004935), a Wico analog stick (no y-adapter though), an Atari twin controller holder, 2 Best Lifetime Gold sticks, an Atarimax Ultimate SD with over 350 titles on it, and (currently) a Retro-Game-Boyz 5200 stick (more coming soon), so do I qualify for membership???

Edited July 15, 2021 by BIGHMW

[BIGHMW]

For those who own 2-port units who do not want to mod them for fear of losing VCS adapter compatibility, a solution just for you!!! An RF-to-HDMI demodulator!!!

 

 

[phuzaxeman]

So is there a brotherhood application for the board of directors? I'm down.

 

Winter of 82 is when I got my 5200. 

 

I'm a 5200 purist and won't play any of the 5200 games unless it's on the CX52 or trackball plus the overlays on a tube TV. 

Edited July 16, 2021 by phuzaxeman

[Master Phruby]

A few years ago I bought a 2 port 5200 in a damaged case. I was able to find another 4 port 5200 in a perfect case but the motherboard was damaged.  I put the 2 port MB in the 4 port case and upgraded the video out to composite/S-video. That s-video is feed to another box that converts to hdmi. The system works great with my Atarimax cart. I've repaired the controllers and built a paddle controller for Tempest. I have the trackball and the wico joystick/keyboard system for it. I don't play it much but it is the star of my collection. 

[+sramirez2008]

I replaced the motherboards in my 4 port and 2 port a while back and the RF picture is amazing.  I've decided to keep them RF for now.  I have a couple of trak-balls and 2 pair of rebuilt (Best Elec) CX52 joysticks.  I recently picked up a Wico, but I still need a keypad for it.

25 minutes ago, Master Phruby said:

I don't play it much but it is the star of my collection

Same for me, but now that @Ryan Witmer is developing new games, I've played mine a bit more.? 

[Master Phruby]

Back when I was a teenager, I wrote lots of games on my heavily modified Atari 400. I typed in every program from Analog and Antic back then. They taught me how to program.  It was great to upgrade to a 130XE. I never had a 5200 as a kid.I skipped it and upgraded to a Colecovision when my heavy sixer when south.  It was fun to download the Glen the 5200 man's roms on local BBSs to get a taste of the 5200.  Pac-man Jr, Xevious and Space Dungeon on the 8-bits were a lot of fun. 

[BIGHMW]

5 hours ago, Master Phruby said:

A few years ago I bought a 2 port 5200 in a damaged case. I was able to find another 4 port 5200 in a perfect case but the motherboard was damaged.  I put the 2 port MB in the 4 port case and upgraded the video out to composite/S-video. That s-video is feed to another box that converts to hdmi. The system works great with my Atarimax cart. I've repaired the controllers and built a paddle controller for Tempest. I have the trackball and the wico joystick/keyboard system for it. I don't play it much but it is the star of my collection. 

 

You built a paddle controller for Tempest??? SWEET!!! Please post some pics as well as a link so I can get one too.   Also, does it work the same as a trak-ball (in other words does it move the zapper around like the paddle in Super Breakout or does it act like the CX52 joystick on Centipede (in a two-speed variant, where you have to return the stick to center to stop moving)

[Master Phruby]

7 minutes ago, BIGHMW said:

 

You built a paddle controller for Tempest??? SWEET!!! Please post some pics as well as a link so I can get one too.   Also, does it work the same as a trak-ball (in other words does it move the zapper around like the paddle in Super Breakout or does it act like the CX52 joystick on Centipede (in a two-speed variant, where you have to return the stick to center to stop moving)

The plans are somewhere around here. You basically replace the POTS in the the joystick with one from a 2600 paddle controller and a resistor.  It's pretty easy.

 

 

[Eisengrim]

I finally got a 5200 a couple of months ago. I grew up with an Intellivision, but always loved the idea of the 5200 for its arcade games. I grew up in a rural town with no arcade, just the occasional game at pizza parlors, so the 5200 would have been a dream system back then. The Intellivision has a couple good arcade games, but I'm so impressed at how good some of these 5200 games are. Defender, for example - the little details on your ship, the sound effects, the streaking laser cannon, just amazing. I know the original Zaxxon isn't perfect, but I would have loved to have had that version as a kid. Such a cool system.

[CommodoreDecker]

Count me in!

 

Will have a photo soon.

 

I had wanted one back in 1984, but mom warned me off it because of the joystick problems and (like me) was unaware of clever third party alternatives.

 

After seeing enough game comparisons, and despite the inter-departmental squabbles circa 1983, there's enough about this intriguing console to collect for it proper. 

 

It's true:  The joysticks are a hot mess, and the auto-switching power supply that multiplexes both power and video signal is clever in some ways, dumb in others -- do always plug in the AC power last since removing the game console from the switcher box may blow the fuse and those power bricks were designed to be sealed.

 

But the size of the thing really adds dimension to what "tangible" is.  In 1983/4, this must have been a marvel for the 5 minutes one could play Defender before the joystick broke.  

 

I gather that "Centipede" is better on the A5200 than other systems of the time, especially with the Trak-ball. Will be looking up Millipede soon as well. That reminds me, has anyone else ever swapped out of a Trakball controller the cue ball with an 8-ball when cleaning the contacts?

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

My second 5200 fell into my lap recently, and it actually works, unlike my other one.

 

It's a 2-port, made in Taiwan, and in surprisingly nice shape.  It came as just the console only, but as I had a power supply, controllers, and cartridges sitting around, was perfectly happy to get just a bare machine.

 

Tested controllers and found that, as expected, I need to rebuild three joysticks. Was able to confirm that the trak-ball worked, though, by playing Ms. Pac-Man with a controller that was clearly not suited for that game   Did have full range of motion plus START, PAUSE, and RESET, though.  I'll worry about the keypads and fire buttons later; this was good enough to give me a sense of how functional the machine might be, which was what I needed to immediately determine.

 

Overall, I'm happy to have a working one.  The plan is to keep this one stock, resurrect the dead one and stick a UAV in it, and somewhere along the line add an Atarimax cartridge and a 2600 adapter into the mix.

 

Hmm - I just realised that I have a 5200, 7800, and Jaguar.  Looks like there are two cartridge-based console holes in the lineup to fill

[BIGHMW]

On 9/13/2019 at 11:26 PM, ApolloBoy said:

Count me in, I've ha d a 5200 for 15 years now so why not.

I've owned 2 or 3 5200 units (a 4-port, an a/v-modded 4-port and currently a 2-port w/ 4-port BIOS) since I got my first date with Big Sexy on my 17th Birthday (May 19, 1983) and still have one of my 2 original Trak-Ball units I brought up with me from L.A. when we moved to Port Townsend back in 1987 (the other one got sold when I was liquidating all of my carts both due to unemployment and also when I got my first Atarimax multicart), so count me in!!!

[widowsson]

I will definately join in!!!!!! I first encountered the beast a bit after it's prime, in about 1989 at a garage sale, but had no power supply, controllers or games. She may have evaded me then..... but flash forward about 30 years, and I procured the first of what is now 6 sexy gals!!!

Photos and serials will be forthcoming!!!