slyde Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Hi guys, i have an 800xl that is having an issue with keeping its color. Sometimes the color is normal, but other times the color goes into black and white. I was talking with others here and they mentioned for me to try to insert a screwdriver into the hole in the bottom of the unit, and see if that affects the color. If it did, it could be a dirty pot. I did so and that definitely seems to be the issue..... when i even TOUCH a scewdriver into the hole, my color flickers like crazy. So, my next question is, is this possible to fix for someone who really is not a technie at all, and is leery on even opening up the unit? I'm just afraid i will end up breaking it more than fixing it. thanks guys, Slyde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31336haxx0r Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 First optin is to replace the pot. Second option is to use contact cleaner carefully on it. Give it a spray with that stuff and fully turn the pot a few times to evenly distribute that stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bob1200xl Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Usually just turning the pot back and forth 1/2 turn cleans off the crud - works fine. Bob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari8warez Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 (edited) Hi guys, i have an 800xl that is having an issue with keeping its color. Sometimes the color is normal, but other times the color goes into black and white. I was talking with others here and they mentioned for me to try to insert a screwdriver into the hole in the bottom of the unit, and see if that affects the color. If it did, it could be a dirty pot. I did so and that definitely seems to be the issue..... when i even TOUCH a scewdriver into the hole, my color flickers like crazy. So, my next question is, is this possible to fix for someone who really is not a technie at all, and is leery on even opening up the unit? I'm just afraid i will end up breaking it more than fixing it. thanks guys, Slyde When I have a dirty pot (not just on an Atari but in general) a dab of WD-40 fixes it. Corrosion is usually the problem. Try Bob's suggestion first and if that doesn't fix it use WD-40, never fails (and whoever else is reading this, let's not start another debate about the pros vs. cons of WD-40, a malfunctioning pot is worse than any theoretical harm WD-40 may cause on your electronics, in my experience is none by the way) Edited February 10, 2013 by atari8warez 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slyde Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 Ok thanks guys. i am getting my screwdriver, and have some wd-40 around here somwhere. I'll give it a shot and report back. thanks again all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari8warez Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 (edited) Ok thanks guys. i am getting my screwdriver, and have some wd-40 around here somwhere. I'll give it a shot and report back. thanks again all. Good luck, I just fixed a malfunctioning remote door bell switch a few days ago. The button on the remote ringer wasn't making a good contact with the point on the PCB, a small dab of WD-40 fixed it and it also protects against future corrosion. Just one point, try to spay WD-40 onto a small container and use a drop of the formed liquid rather than spraying it directly to the motherboard. This way you can prevent over-spraying around the pot. Edited February 10, 2013 by atari8warez 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1050 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 a small dab of WD-40 fixed it and it also protects against future corrosion. That's actually not the case at all. WD-40 over time will evaporate completely away leaving NOTHING behind. It's a temporary lubricant/cleaner at best. Leave a big wet spot on your favorite unprotected metal cabinet and come back in three weeks to see if you can find where you sprayed the stuff. It won't be there anymore, nor will there be any dust attracted to the area as if it were any kind of oil. On the other hand, contact cleaner from Radio Shack is meant for just this job and does it better than anything else you can buy and that includes long term protection, seems to be a no brainer. The neighbor tries to use WD-40 for starting fluid among many, many other things, but it doesn't work to good for that at all, yet he tries it every time. I don't understand the worship aspect surrounding Water Displacement formula number 40 at all. I use the stuff on my wooden drawers and it works real good there and the stuff can not be beat for removing the sticker glue left behind when removing price tags etc. But then I already own a can of both so it's easy for me to say use both where they each work good. My only real point here is that there is NO long term anything to WD-40 as it goes away completely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari8warez Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) That's actually not the case at all. WD-40 over time will evaporate completely away leaving NOTHING behind. It would not lubricate anything if it didn't leave anything behind, however light it may be, it does leave lubricating oil behind: "The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile, viscous oil which remains on the surface, providing lubrication and protection from moisture.[4] This is diluted with a volatile hydrocarbon to give a low viscosity fluid which can be sprayed and thus penetrate crevices. The volatile hydrocarbon then evaporates, leaving the oil behind. A propellant (originally a low-molecular weight hydrocarbon, now carbon dioxide) provides gas pressure in the can to force the liquid through the spray nozzle, then evaporates away" It's a temporary lubricant/cleaner at best. True, nothing in life is permanent On the other hand, contact cleaner from Radio Shack is meant for just this job and does it better than anything else you can buy and that includes long term protection, seems to be a no brainer. If that works for you sure why not. WD-40 works for me and I see no reason to buy contact cleaners I don't understand the worship aspect surrounding Water Displacement formula number 40 at all. Simple, it has many good uses around the house. and the stuff can not be beat for removing the sticker glue left behind when removing price tags etc. I agree, excellent on removing though stickers. Edited February 11, 2013 by atari8warez 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Be very careful with turning the pot around ... Some (especially the ones without plastic head) are very fragile and they get broke as soon as you look at it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papa_november Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 But what is the vaule of the pot? Who makes it, and where can it be found? I have an 800XL that always needs adjustment whenever it's turned on, and it's supremely annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) Always worth remembering two things, use a plastic pot adjuster rather than a metal one and don't spray the stuff on while the machine is on.. Edited February 11, 2013 by Mclaneinc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 @papa november What you need is this: 500K 6mm Trimmer Variable Resistor / Potentiometer eBay Auction -- Item Number: 300368578372 IIRC they are 6mm ... p.s. there was a certain way to do ebay links, but I forgot... sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1050 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 You are seriously quoting me ad copy for 'proof' that it contains oil? Those guys only know the bra sizes of their secretaries, give me a break. Why don't you just squirt a piece of paper with your precious fluid and get back to me in a few weeks when you see for yourself - there is NOTHING there anymore. Ad copy jeez - you remember Prestone with the silcone additves to lubricate your water pump? Turns out to be silicate which is water glass stop leak and you never could and still can't lubricate your sealed water pump bearings under any conditions at all, the bearing sits behind a seal and never touches the water. And yet people believe this nonsense, after all it was on the TV for 20 years, still IS. Everything you read on the internet is true too. Tis a real mystery as to what it actually is, and if only they told the truth in the first place about that there would be many selling a product just as good (none). He went through 40 formulations until he got the one he wanted though. I suspect that's all I'll ever really know about it. I'm certainly not going to believe anything you got to say about it - you are a self confirmed fanatic just for starters. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that possibly contact cleaner and WD-40 are based on the same chemical. I know WD-40 was used under the distributor cap of a certain hard to keep running Ford that kept having to plow into snow drifts and would soon die due to a lack of spark at the plugs. Crazy Texan would pop the cap and spray half a can of that stuff in there and on his wires, put it back together and bust a dozen more drifts across the road before he had to do it again. I thought for sure it would catch on fire, but instead he drove it back to Texas and traded it in for one with a better distributor placement. It helped a bunch more when he stayed in Texas. Wouldn't matter if the machine were on or not, contact cleaner is non-shorting, they got there ahead of you and didn't go that route on purpose I suspect, they clever that way. You are supposed to shoot this stuff into a live TV of the rotating gang tuner type and then spin the devil out of that thing while continuing to soak everything underneath it as it drips off including the hot chassis running a B+ of 300 volts or better in some places. Wild. Used to be known as tuner cleaner, haven't seen a qualifying tuner of this type in 20 years at least, you quit only when your picture clears up and quits jumping around all over the place and you've got your sound back too. TV repair man would never be caught without it as it saved many take ins, they used to show up in a van and take your TV away from you for a week at a time!! Channels 2 to 5 and 7 to 13 and she was all in at that point, no other channels to tune to back then. Talk about a different world. The pot is shown to be 500K on my schematic and on the pot itself. You'll find several manufacturers of that type of pot at mouser.com PC mount, three legs, horizontal, carbon pad, and metal filters and don't forget to use the cheapest first sorting to weed out anything that Atari would never use to begin with. We are talking a whole eighteen cents each here people. Todays price at your volume will be substantially more but I hope you get the idea. I'm sure Best also sells them, R38 on an 800XL schematic, but always better known as the color pot you adjust from the bottom. Got beat to the eBay avenue but there is got to be several china options there alone. Not sure on the size either but they just might go by wattage as in 1/4 watt, and again not sure of that so use your own judgement there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Too much coffee? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I much prefer Armor All - it leaves a nice shiny surface. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31336haxx0r Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Those guys only know the bra sizes of their secretaries, [...]. Hehehe, dude that cracked me up quite good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari8warez Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I'm certainly not going to believe anything you got to say about it - you are a self confirmed fanatic just for starters. Yes I am...., I confirmed that it works for me .....and why do you get so worked up about it, just continue to use your contact cleaner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Z Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Always worth remembering two things, use a plastic pot adjuster rather than a metal one and don't spray the stuff on while the machine is on.. I think that only applies for inductors 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slyde Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 wow, ok apparently theres been alot more discussion since i checked in yesterday for the record, i have applied some wd-40 and tried my best to work it in while adjusting the pot. Right now, i am getting a flawless color from the xl, but it has gone for small periods in the past looking good, only to revert to black and white, so the jury will be out for the next few days while i keep playing it and seeing it things are better. and i'll probably pick up some contact cleaner this weekend just to be safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEtalGuy66 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) I had an 800xl that used to do that for years.. Youd turn it on.. it'd be black & white.. youd adjust it in to correct color, and it'd look good.. 15 minutes later when the machine warmed up, it'd go black & white again.. youd adjust it again.. it'd look great.. 1 hour later, it'd either go black & white, or the color would be way the hell off.. you'd adjust it again.. It wasnt the pot.. I replaced it twice.. same behavior... replaced the GTIA... same behavior... I finally got pissed off and remote mounted a pot (with a knob on it) on the end of 3 wires, outside the case, so I could just adjust it whenever it needed it.. Eventually, when I completely freshened up and restored that machine, I rebuilt the whole voltage doubler circuit that provides the input signal to the pot..(a few caps, a couple of diodes, a transistor, and a few resistors.) That fixed it permanently.... WD40 is the WRONG SHIT for your electronic equipment... If you are too lazy/cheap to get the RIGHT SHIT, and WD40 works satisfactorily for you, then GOOD FOR YOU... Edited February 12, 2013 by MEtalGuy66 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1050 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Yes I am...., I confirmed that it works for me .....and why do you get so worked up about it, just continue to use your contact cleaner. You still don't seem to see my only point. I do and will use both, but your WD-40 evaporates completely away leaving nothing behind, I can't let you say it does different without informing people that they need to prove that oil content rumor for themselves, because it is totally false as far as I am able to determine. Whatever it is, it doesn't leave any kind of oil behind. I sure do get worked up when people can't see the forest for the trees. No coffee, more cabin fever than anything else, but the days are getting longer as we speak, so that solution is just a matter of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+therealbountybob Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 When I have a dirty pot (not just on an Atari but in general) a dab of WD-40 fixes it. Corrosion is usually the problem. Try Bob's suggestion first and if that doesn't fix it use WD-40, never fails (and whoever else is reading this, let's not start another debate about the pros vs. cons of WD-40, a malfunctioning pot is worse than any theoretical harm WD-40 may cause on your electronics, in my experience is none by the way) I'm glad that didn't happen 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClausB Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 for the record, i have applied some wd-40 and tried my best to work it in while adjusting the pot. Looks like you need to squirt some under your SHIFT key too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Ouch... touché! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Knight Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Practically anything purely oil based will suffice as long as its not spattered on. 3 in 1 oil is ok and even a edge of a pencil with car oil also (its just a lubricant after all and non-conductive also). Anything water based or a substitute composite may evaporate over time (like WD40). Olive oil is often used in my house for squeaky door hinges when i cant find anything else - but thats another story! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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