Andromeda Stardust Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) So not true. if I had a panty for all the hookers ive stripped down...I might be able to brag to my friends. this gives me an idea. note to self. save panties? Yes, but at least you don't run the risk of contracting venereal diseases when you "strip" old game carts! Panties = cart labels??? Maybe Albert could save the labels and make some Andy Warhol type pop-art with them. Edited July 10, 2013 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprybug Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Yes, but at least you don't run the risk of contracting venereal diseases when you "strip" old game carts! Panties = cart labels??? Maybe Albert could save the labels and make some Andy Warhol type pop-art with them. That's actually not a bad idea. Now if he could get the labels to come off cleanly. I've done this before and most of the time you have to use goof-off to get those labels off, which completely destroys them and gets them out little by little. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) It would be fun to stick "This was formerly SwordQuest: Waterworld" stickers on them..... At least you could rest easy knowing the cart wasnt wasted by programming over a good game... Edited July 11, 2013 by Jinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Yes, but at least you don't run the risk of contracting venereal diseases when you "strip" old game carts! Panties = cart labels??? Maybe Albert could save the labels and make some Andy Warhol type pop-art with them. I thought that emicon you used was herp mouth.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I always want to throw this out there when talking about removing sticky labels. I have found Naptha (Zippo Lighter Fluid) dissolves most adhesives, and evaporates completely. They use it to verify the paper on rare stamps! You wouldn't want to destroy a rare stamp. Maybe that's what Goo Gone is made of? I don't know. But wetting with Naptha and wiping while wet, and repeating usually dissolves all goo. I have removed Activision labels and wiped all the goo off the back of the label and the cart. (I just have not found a way to restore from the blotchy ActiPlaque.) It will stop the ActiPlaque from getting worse, and you can re-stick the labels back on, or print new ones. (Note: Bleach destroys the label color, OxyClean doesn't whiten the ActiPlaque blotches.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) (I just have not found a way to restore from the blotchy ActiPlaque.) By Actiplaque, you are referring to the greasy looking stain that appears on most Activision cart labels? For some reason, most Activision carts looked like they've been stained with motor oil... Edited July 11, 2013 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san-d-2000 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 No, but I am actively working on them. Just finished removing labels from and cleaning 100 2600 carts, and now they are drying: Going to assemble 100 boxes shortly, will post another photo once I've finished that. Boards are already soldered. Do have to print more manuals, though, which I'll also be working on this evening. ..Al Have you ever considered getting your own cartridge shells manufactured, like the Colecovision homebrew guys do? Seems like a lot of work recycling old ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Have you ever considered getting your own cartridge shells manufactured, like the Colecovision homebrew guys do? Seems like a lot of work recycling old ones. Have you considered donating money to the fund to help Albert raise 10 grand for an injection mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san-d-2000 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Have you considered donating money to the fund to help Albert raise 10 grand for an injection mold? It was just a question, no need to be a smartass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr0st Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It was just a question, no need to be a smartass Apparently it is a very expensive route to go down, and doesn't appear to be feasible, even though it sounds like it would make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 3d printer 10 years from now will solve all our problems? Or too expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 By Actiplaque, you are referring to the greasy looking stain that appears on most Activision cart labels? For some reason, most Activision carts looked like they've been stained with motor oil... Yes. You can halt it by removing the adhesive with Naptha, but I haven't found a way to reverse it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Apparently it is a very expensive route to go down, and doesn't appear to be feasible, even though it sounds like it would make sense. It's quite ironic that even today, making a simple shell is costing a lot, even by ordering one to a Chinese manufacturer, but a PCB and a ROM is cheap as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) There has to be a less than 10 grand way to make carts. If the Vectrex community can do it there is way we can do it. There are NES carts made, Colecovision, Vectrex, Genesis, and there even used to be a supplier of Atari carts as I have a couple clear carts in my hand right now. How did they guy who made Star Castle do it? At any rate it would have saved money in the long run if he had done it years ago. It's like buying a new energy efficient fridge, you keep telling yourself you don't want to invest in it even though the upfront money would be paid back in energy savings but the longer you wait the more money you don't save making it less and less viable. That said I think part of the reason some homebrewers use recycled carts isn't money but to recycle and reuse. There are carts that aren't wanted. One NES community buys up sports games for example because those are destined for land fills. As for cleaning the labels naptha is OK but I find WD 40 works better for me. You have to let it sit for an hour or more to soak through the label but then it just peels off. I haven't seen stained carts yet so I haven't dealt with that. Edited July 11, 2013 by mkiker2089 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 3d printer 10 years from now will solve all our problems? Or too expensive? http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras/articles/jay-lenos-3d-printer-replaces-rusty-old-parts-1/ 3d printers are viable now and can / have been used for similar. You need a good one or else you get ridges where all the different layers go on. I think Albert wants to use old carts rather than has to though. Maybe he will chime in on that. Jay Leno has one that he makes all kinds of gadgets with. Granted he has more money than us but people on budgets like Ben Heckendorn use them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianC Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 http://www.jaylenosg...ty-old-parts-1/ 3d printers are viable now and can / have been used for similar. You need a good one or else you get ridges where all the different layers go on. I think Albert wants to use old carts rather than has to though. Maybe he will chime in on that. Jay Leno has one that he makes all kinds of gadgets with. Granted he has more money than us but people on budgets like Ben Heckendorn use them as well. I like that Big Bang Theory episode where they used a 3D printer to make action figures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 http://www.jaylenosg...ty-old-parts-1/ 3d printers are viable now and can / have been used for similar. You need a good one or else you get ridges where all the different layers go on. I think Albert wants to use old carts rather than has to though. Maybe he will chime in on that. Jay Leno has one that he makes all kinds of gadgets with. Granted he has more money than us but people on budgets like Ben Heckendorn use them as well. shapeways.com Their default material is constructed from a nylon powder, fused together by a powerful laser. It is strong and rigid yet flexible if you print it thin. The cost is about $1.50 USD per cubic centimeter of material last I checked. That would translate to about $100 per cart most likely. It could be cheaper if you printed it thin, but too thin and the cart would warp when you attempt to insert it into the Atari. Additionally, the prep work to get the stuff looking like a slick black Atari cart is actually much more labor intensive than simply removing labels. I have worked with the material before, and they use an air hose to remove all the powdery material from the model, which gets recycled into new parts. Most fresh models still release some amount of powder, and while it's harmless, I wouldn't want to get the powdery stuff in the console as it could interfere with the cart connectors. Then you've got to sand off the rough edges with fine grit sandpaper, and dye it black which involves mixing RIT dye powder with an acetone/water solution, which you heat up and soak the parts in for several hours. You then fish the parts out with a strainer and rinse them many times in water until it is clear. The dye batch can be used over and over again, but it is extremely messy and permanent. It will stain skin, plastic, fabric, and anything else besides metal or glass. Lastly, the powdery matte black finish of the carts will have to be "fixed" with clear coat to give it a glossy/satin finish and bind the material to strengthen it so it doesn't release any more powder. And after hours of prep work and $100 per cart, it still won't look as half good as an original cart or a fresh batch of injection molded parts. Not worth it IMO, and I hear amateurish products like Makerbot, etc, while cheaper to produce, have nowhere near the tolerances necessary to produce working carts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 The cost is about $1.50 USD per cubic centimeter of material last I checked. That would translate to about $100 per cart most likely. Pretty good estimation. Let's do the math: The carts material is about 2 mm thick. The cart measures about 2x8x10cm, which results into a total surface of about 232 square cm. So, ignoring any additional material for the cart's inner parts, the cart needs 46.4 cubic cm. Which would cost $69.60. The material price would have to drop by a factor of 20 or more before this method becomes feasible. But is the material really THAT expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 3D printing is not a viable means of producing 2600 cartridges right now. Perhaps a $100K+ 3D printer could do it, but lower-end models would produce cartridges far too slowly, they would not have nearly the quality of traditionally-produced carts, I'm not confident they would be able to withstand the forces required of being inserted and removed frequently from a 2600 console (especially the plastic "pins" that are inserted into the 2600). Plus, they would be more expensive than cartridges produced via injection molding. I am looking into having cartridge molds made that would work for 2600 and 7800 games. And, yes, they are very expensive to produce. ..Al 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm not confident they would be able to withstand the forces required of being inserted and removed frequently from a 2600 console (especially the plastic "pins" that are inserted into the 2600). Well, that's no problem for boxed releases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 Well, that's no problem for boxed releases. LOL, well, I don't seal the boxes, so hopefully people will still play them! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 How do the others make carts if the cost is so high then. There's a secret the atari community isn't privy to. Contact retrousb.com as they sell game for much less than $100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I am looking into having cartridge molds made that would work for 2600 and 7800 games. And, yes, they are very expensive to produce. Is this one of the things that gets cheaper as the number of carts increases? Maybe you could do a cartridge Kickstarter and get all the money you need to have a boatload of Atari 2600/7800 cartridge shells made so you will no longer have to waste time cleaning old carts. One less time-wasting hassle for you means that people will get their homebrews faster. I bet a bunch of AtariAge members would gladly support your Kickstarter project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I've been told the mold is what's expensive, then from there it's rather affordable to make carts. That's why Jay Leno went to 3d printing, mold makers are absurdly overpriced. When a man with over 100 cars says he can't afford your work then something is very wrong. A kickstarter would work Albert. Sell some Atari Age swag or the next big release and charge a premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 LOL, well, I don't seal the boxes, so hopefully people will still play them! ..Al You could save a lot of money by just sending them empty boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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