gzsfrk Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 (edited) Hello all! I recently picked up a ratty old 4-port 5200 lot off craigslist for cheap. It was a great deal if only for the 17 games (including James Bond), but I was hoping to get some life out of the console and controllers as well. So I got everything nice and cleaned up, hooked it all up, and turned it on. The switcher clicked and the power light on the console came on, but no screen output (not even the black screen). So through the process of elimination, I found out that the console and power supply works fine, but that the switcher box wasn't working. (I found out by using a known good switcher, and it came up perfect, with both display and sound clear as a bell.) Took apart the switcher box, had to reflow some cracked joints on both the RF and power supply jacks, then tried it again. That time, I was getting a display, but it was very staticky and had awful static noise coming out. See the picture below: Given how expensive 5200 switchers generally run, I would prefer to fix this one if possible, especially as it seems this is a simple interference issue that I hope shouldn't be too difficult to fix. Oh, and if it's relevant, this is the Switcher box that has the RF antenna screws, and not the one without them. As I mentioned, I've already gone through and reflowed the cracked/loose solder points, but I'm just not sure what to try next. I had considered unwiring the antenna screws altogether, but I wasn't sure if that might mess something up? Worst case scenario, I'll just do an A/V mod on the thing. But my first choice is to fix the Switcher box if at all possible. Thanks in advance for any help! Edited July 26, 2013 by gzsfrk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzsfrk Posted July 26, 2013 Author Share Posted July 26, 2013 Just a quick update. I did go ahead and try disconnecting the wires going to the RF screws, and it did marginally improve the quality of the video signal, but not by much. Plus, the audio static is still just as terrible as before. Kind of makes me think there's some bi-directional bleed-over in the audio and video signals. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenorman Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I have the same issue that you do, only not quite as bad. I've tried basically the same steps: taking the switchbox apart, cleaning it, and reflowing some cracked soldier joints. I'll be interested to see if you get any other suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Replace the chip on the board. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/199871-4-port-switch-box-broken/#entry2553728 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Replace the chip on the board. http://atariage.com/...n/#entry2553728 Agreed. That sounds like the chip is failing, but not quite dead yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gzsfrk Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 Really appreciate the feedback, guys. I'm ordering a couple of those replacement ICs from Mouser today. Will report back how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhcocker Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 An Really appreciate the feedback, guys. I'm ordering a couple of those replacement ICs from Mouser today. Will report back how it goes. Any Updates? I'm having a similar issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari-dna Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Bump. Did you get it fixed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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