Atari 1200xl red basic screen

[qix_maniac]

My friend has an Atari 1200xl that all of a sudden his screen boots up in red. He puts basic cartridge in and gets ready prompt but screen is red? Memory checks are ok and keyboard works fine, is it worth fixing or can it be fixed?

 

Any help appreciated. I told him to just buy an Atari 800xl on ebay since they are cheap to acquire compared to 1200xl which is much rarer to find in good condition and cheap

Edited January 19, 2012 by qix_maniac

[+bob1200xl]

Well... it sounds pretty bad. Probably best to just chuck it in my direction.

 

Or, you could rotate the color adjustment pot back and forth a few times and see if that helps.

 

Bob

 

 

My friend has an Atari 1200xl that all of a sudden his screen boots up in red. He puts basic cartridge in and gets ready prompt but screen is red? Memory checks are ok and keyboard works fine, is it worth fixing or can it be fixed?

 

Any help appreciated. I told him to just buy an Atari 800xl on ebay since they are cheap to acquire compared to 1200xl which is much rarer to find in good condition and cheap

[qix_maniac]

Well... it sounds pretty bad. Probably best to just chuck it in my direction.

 

Or, you could rotate the color adjustment pot back and forth a few times and see if that helps.

 

Bob

 

 

My friend has an Atari 1200xl that all of a sudden his screen boots up in red. He puts basic cartridge in and gets ready prompt but screen is red? Memory checks are ok and keyboard works fine, is it worth fixing or can it be fixed?

 

Any help appreciated. I told him to just buy an Atari 800xl on ebay since they are cheap to acquire compared to 1200xl which is much rarer to find in good condition and cheap

Well... it sounds pretty bad. Probably best to just chuck it in my direction.

 

Or, you could rotate the color adjustment pot back and forth a few times and see if that helps.

 

Bob

 

 

My friend has an Atari 1200xl that all of a sudden his screen boots up in red. He puts basic cartridge in and gets ready prompt but screen is red? Memory checks are ok and keyboard works fine, is it worth fixing or can it be fixed?

 

Any help appreciated. I told him to just buy an Atari 800xl on ebay since they are cheap to acquire compared to 1200xl which is much rarer to find in good condition and cheap

 

Thanks Bob but what does "you could rotate the color adjustment pot back and forth" mean? How do I do that, I need fixing 8-bit computers for dummies

[sloopy]

there is a hole in the bottom of the machine, if you look in that hole, there is a small rectangle hole inside... turn that rectangle 40-60 degrees back and forth a couple times, and then turn until blue (its a pot so it wont turn a full 360degrees...)

 

I will see bobs 'send it to me' and will send you a nicely working 800XL if you send it to me ;'D

 

sloopy.

[+bob1200xl]

The color adjustment is thru the hole in the bottom of the case that is closest to the label area. It is a bear, though. Nothing fits in the hole except the special TV tuning tools that TV repairmen used to have. Good luck with that...

 

Taking the computer apart is the best way to do this. Six screws on the bottom. Do not mix up the top cover and motherboard screws! Remove the keyboard and LED cables. Five or six screws holding the motherboard to the bottom case. Pry/push the rivets out of the shield cover. Store the shields and shield hardware in a safe place. Re-attach the motherboard to the base section. Plug in the 1200XL (without the top cover - no need for keyboard or LEDs at the moment). Power on with BASIC. Turn the green knob on the pot until the color looks correct. Better yet, get a diagnostic cartridge and use COLORBARS to set the top and bottom color the same. (you have to plug in the keyboard for that...)

 

Plug the keyboard and LEDs back in. Put back the six cover screws.

 

Done.

 

While you are in there, check the motherboard screw that is in the upper-right corner. This screw, if present, holds down the heat sink assembly. On some machines, the heat sink is too close to one of the capacitors on the motherboard and may short out if you are not careful. You may see a piece of insulating paper under the heat sink - make sure the heat sink is not going to short out the motherboard. You do not have to install that screw - use judgement...

 

Bob

[Gunstar]

Do what bob says, or, go to Radio Shack or your locl hardware store, probably even Walmart, and buy a small electrical/electronics screw driver set for a few bucks like the ones shown below, one of the smallest flathead drivers will work through the hole (and a lot of other electronic holes). I got the stanley drivers at ACE and the red&black set at Radio Shack.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Gunstar