PsyberTech Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Cleaning out the garage, my 17 year old son said, "Whats that?", and pointed to my Atari 5200 system still in the clear plastic tote where I lovingly placed it 25 years ago. This resulted in a complete unpack and set up party. (The garage never got done) Everything worked except for the joysticks. I went ahead and ordered 3 repair kits. (one an extra). Today I ordered a AtariMax 5200 SD. My Track ball was working perfect, and my wife played the hell out of Centipede for about 3 hours last night. This is a woman who has never once in the 21 years we have been married ever played a single video game. Little did I know she had a 5200 when she was a kid. From work today she was sending me links to repair guides, web sites etc. She wants me to drag it from California to Texas next month do she can play with her Sister and Brothers again. I did note that if you bump the cart towards the back on the 5200 when playing a game it will crash the game. I am thinking that something in the cart seating may have been damaged years ago. Thought I might ask if anyone has seen this before I pop the case. Hate to void my warranty (LOL). Anyone have any suggestions on the proper way to set up the AtariMax SD? To be honest, I bought it solely because I seen the game M.U.L.E. listed on a screen shot. I am sure there are lot of great bin files out there, but they come secondary.. I have around 60 original carts. -Psyber 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Welcome to AtariAge, and thanks for sharing your story! I'm glad your 5200 was still working after all these years, although I'm not entirely surprised; the 5200 is a pretty rugged and durable system (the only exception is the joysticks, which have gained a reputation as being especially problematic). The 5200 Trak-Ball is one of the best controllers ever made for any video game system. The sensitivity you noticed in the cartridge port may simply be because of some slight corrosion that built up inside the cartridge port during storage; it can probably be fixed with some simple cleaning, or it may go away by itself as you insert and remove more cartridges. I also own an Atarimax 5200 Ultimate SD cartridge, and I think it's a must-have accessory for the 5200. It's simply amazing to have every 5200 game in one cartridge. Atarimax has pretty good documentation for setting up the cartridge images on the SD card; the images themselves (along with manuals and scans of the boxes and controller overlays) can be obtained right here on AtariAge, among other places. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 Welcome to AtariAge, and thanks for sharing your story! I'm glad your 5200 was still working after all these years, although I'm not entirely surprised; the 5200 is a pretty rugged and durable system (the only exception is the joysticks, which have gained a reputation as being especially problematic). The 5200 Trak-Ball is one of the best controllers ever made for any video game system. The sensitivity you noticed in the cartridge port may simply be because of some slight corrosion that built up inside the cartridge port during storage; it can probably be fixed with some simple cleaning, or it may go away by itself as you insert and remove more cartridges. I also own an Atarimax 5200 Ultimate SD cartridge, and I think it's a must-have accessory for the 5200. It's simply amazing to have every 5200 game in one cartridge. Atarimax has pretty good documentation for setting up the cartridge images on the SD card; the images themselves (along with manuals and scans of the boxes and controller overlays) can be obtained right here on AtariAge, among other places. Thank you for the welcome and the links. So the AtariMax uses the Cart Scans. I have to go do something... yeah.. that's the ticket.. something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 In a few cases, the top case can warp, causing the carts to not seat perfectly. Leaving a cart in the slot helps reverse it some. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Cleaning out the garage, my 17 year old son said, "Whats that?", and pointed to my Atari 5200 system still in the clear plastic tote where I lovingly placed it 25 years ago. This resulted in a complete unpack and set up party. (The garage never got done) Everything worked except for the joysticks. I went ahead and ordered 3 repair kits. (one an extra). Today I ordered a AtariMax 5200 SD. My Track ball was working perfect, and my wife played the hell out of Centipede for about 3 hours last night. This is a woman who has never once in the 21 years we have been married ever played a single video game. Little did I know she had a 5200 when she was a kid. From work today she was sending me links to repair guides, web sites etc. She wants me to drag it from California to Texas next month do she can play with her Sister and Brothers again. I did note that if you bump the cart towards the back on the 5200 when playing a game it will crash the game. I am thinking that something in the cart seating may have been damaged years ago. Thought I might ask if anyone has seen this before I pop the case. Hate to void my warranty (LOL). Anyone have any suggestions on the proper way to set up the AtariMax SD? To be honest, I bought it solely because I seen the game M.U.L.E. listed on a screen shot. I am sure there are lot of great bin files out there, but they come secondary.. I have around 60 original carts. -Psyber Such a great story! Welcome to the forum!!!! :thumbsup: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Thank you for the welcome and the links. So the AtariMax uses the Cart Scans. I have to go do something... yeah.. that's the ticket.. something. The Atarimax cartridge uses only the cartridge ROM images, not the scans. I pointed them out only because they're handy to refer to as you play, especially the scans of the controller overlays. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 The Atarimax cartridge doesn't actually use the scans; I pointed them out only because they're handy to refer to as you play, especially the controller overlays.i NEED TO U Oh, copy the ROMs to the SD card. I am guessing that it does not come pre-loaded full of 8-bit joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Oh, copy the ROMs to the SD card. I am guessing that it does not come pre-loaded full of 8-bit joy. I believe Atarimax bundles Beef Drop (a BurgerTime clone) with the SD card, but you'll have to copy the rest to the card yourself. The Atarimax forums also have several games which were converted to the 5200 from the Atari 400/800 computer series, such as M.U.L.E. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Cleaning out the garage, my 17 year old son said, ..." Loved your story, especially about the wife and Centipede. I swear, there is SOMETHING about women and Centipede! My ex was not much into video games, but if you put Centipede in front of her, well good luck getting your machine back for a while! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 I believe Atarimax bundles Beef Drop (a BurgerTime clone) with the SD card, but you'll have to copy the rest to the card yourself. The Atarimax forums also have several games which were converted to the 5200 from the Atari 400/800 computer series, such as M.U.L.E. The only reason I have an Atari 800 with 4 joysticks and an 810 drive in my garage was M.U.L.E. The floppy no longer boots. My Atari BBS went up April 8th 1983 and ran until 2001. I started out with the 400, 800, then 800XL, 256k 800XL which I upgraded, and I also upgraded my 130XE to 384k/1088K, OmniMon, OmniView etc.. I was even president of the Atari Computer Club Supporting Suburban Sacramento (A.C.C.E.S.S.) for a while. Yep, I loved my Atari until the Falcon arrived without dual working com ports. Then I moved over to the PC for the BBS. Not sure of anyone would remember the ISIS Atari Network. I was the world concentrator back in the 1990s. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 Loved your story, especially about the wife and Centipede. I swear, there is SOMETHING about women and Centipede! My ex was not much into video games, but if you put Centipede in front of her, well good luck getting your machine back for a while! On the backs of some of the game instruction booklets I would put down my high score... My wife seen my initials, and wanted to know who the other initials were... My x-wife before we got married. That did not go over well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 On the backs of some of the game instruction booklets I would put down my high score... My wife seen my initials, and wanted to know who the other initials were... My x-wife before we got married. That did not go over well. ROTFLAMO! So the moral of the story is, "Wives come and go, but the 5200 is forever?" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwalla Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Great story. A testament to Atari quality (less the stock 5200 joysticks - which is an easy fix atleast). I'm considering the Atarimax 5200 cart too, let us know how it goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 (edited) Cleaning out the garage, my 17 year old son said, "Whats that?", and pointed to my Atari 5200 system still in the clear plastic tote where I lovingly placed it 25 years ago. This resulted in a complete unpack and set up party. (The garage never got done) Everything worked except for the joysticks. I went ahead and ordered 3 repair kits. (one an extra). Today I ordered a AtariMax 5200 SD. My Track ball was working perfect, and my wife played the hell out of Centipede for about 3 hours last night. This is a woman who has never once in the 21 years we have been married ever played a single video game. Little did I know she had a 5200 when she was a kid. From work today she was sending me links to repair guides, web sites etc. She wants me to drag it from California to Texas next month do she can play with her Sister and Brothers again. I did note that if youbump the cart towards the back on the 5200 when playing a game it will crash the game. I am thinking that something in the cart seating may have been damaged years ago. Thought I might ask if anyone has seen this before I pop the case. Hate to void my warranty (LOL). Anyone have any suggestions on the proper way to set up the AtariMax SD? To be honest, I bought it solely because I seen the game M.U.L.E. listed on a screen shot. I am sure there are lot of great bin files out there, but they come secondary.. I have around 60 original carts. -Psyber Psyber...if you can make it out on June 14th, go to the Sunnyvale Atari Party. Not only will Al Alcorn be speaking but so will Dan Kramer. Dan created the beloved Atari 5200 TrakBall. I made a thread about the show here in the 5200 Forum. BTW: Did you belong to any of the Sacramento based Atari users groups back in the day? Edit...I see you were a member of ACCESS. Was that before the ST owners broke away or after? PS: if you want a killer digital joystick mod, Grips03 modifies a NeoGeo arcade joystick controller to be 5200 compatible. It's sweet. Edited May 15, 2014 by Lynxpro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 you can probably get one of the controllers working with an eraser and a piece of paper take apart controller (carefully remove startpausereset bezel peel up flex circuit,remove screws carefully pry up bottom to leave the little studs intact, then use the eraser on the contacts (or some 1000grit sand paper) then on a sheet of paper make a few little skid marks with each button contact especially the fire buttonsthen test it out with galaxian as each button is a level start before reassembly if it works carefully reassemble lining up the potsuds to the stick cam plates wish you luck i just cant bring myself to pay $125 for a cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 (edited) ................... Anyone have any suggestions on the proper way to set up the AtariMax SD? To be honest, I bought it solely because I seen the game M.U.L.E. listed on a screen shot. I am sure there are lot of great bin files out there, but they come secondary.. I have around 60 original carts. -Psyber Hello. Welcome to Atariage... I sent you a ZIP file that has, what I think, is all the 5200 games currently available. The only rom I removed is Pac-man Arcade because that rom was being sold and I'm not sure if it still is or if we can share it if it is not... Anyway, the ZIP is the root directory of my SD card used for the Atarimax cart. You should be able to extract the ZIP to a SD card, pop the card in your cart and start playing. Edited May 16, 2014 by Official Ninja 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masematte Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Hello , im a new owner of a 5200 system, im thinking about the SD Card, is it similiar the same a a harmony card ? @ Ninja can you send me the ZIP Zoo :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share Posted May 16, 2014 (edited) I have been reading the player guides for all my game carts. It feels like I have never even seen them before, except I know that I used to rule them all. Found a massive collection of Atari video game reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbK8PfNodpIvDupukYclyBKscPJQOU7SL which I am watching right now. Up and running on the 55" Samsung in the living room. http://i.imgur.com/nz9sAMx.png I think I need to mess with the color settings. The games look a bit washed out from what I remember. Perhaps it is because it is on a 55" TV. Edited May 16, 2014 by PsyberTech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 ........................ Up and running on the 55" Samsung in the living room. http://i.imgur.com/nz9sAMx.png I think I need to mess with the color settings. The games look a bit washed out from what I remember. Perhaps it is because it is on a 55" TV. The old consoles, or anything RF or composite video tends to look a bit washed out on todays modern flat panels. Don't forget, that TV is wide screen and these games are made for the old 4:3 standard. So, change the ratio on your panel when playing Atari. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Aluminum tape + hole puncher = buttons that work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 17, 2014 Author Share Posted May 17, 2014 Yeah! I just got three total rebuild kits for my controllers. I have repaired them a lot 25 years ago, but each of them have specific problems that cleaning the contacts just did not fix. Hence the total replacement kits. I found the gold dot replacements AFTER I bought these kits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 To Psybertech and any other 5200 fans in NorCal... If you can make it, try to make it to the Sunnyvale Atari Party on Saturday June 14th. Dan "The Trakball Man" Kramer [in other words, the man who designed the 2600 and - beloved - 5200 TrakBall] will be speaking and showing off some protos from Atari Inc's heyday. There will be 5200 stuff there, as well as 2600s/Flashbacks, 7800s, Lynxes/Jaguars, Atari 8-bit and 16-bit computers. Al "Employee #3" Alcorn will also be speaking which is grounds enough to attend. I'm sure Dan would be more than happy to sign any 5200 TrakBalls brought to the event. He's especially proud of that product because it truly was his "baby". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) I noticed that I had some issues with my second joystick plug and thought it might be a good idea if to take a look under the hood of my cx5200... This is what I first noticed and perhaps a potential problem. So I went out to my shop and did a little refurbishment. And I thought to clean up the RF shield a bit too. While I had it apart, I noticed how dull the pins looked in both sockets, so I used a small brass brush to shine them up a bit. 10,000 RPM FTW! S H I N E Y ! ! ! Everything tests out good now. Both joystick ports are functional again. Edited May 19, 2014 by PsyberTech 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyberTech Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 The doorbell just rang... My AtariMax just arrived! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Your going to love that thing! The AtariMax is right up there with sliced bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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