New and need some help have just got a 2600 Jnr

[GothicCard]

Hi

 

So did not want my first post saying I have got a problem, but I ordered off of ebay an Atari 2600 Junior (after enjoying my Atari Flashback/and emulator), it has arrived today.

I have tuned it in to my telly (LCD) but 2 things are not seeming right and I only have one game to test (Phoenix) with at the moment.

 

1 the colours are wrong; blue is green, yellow is light green. Colour/Black and white TV switch makes no difference.

2 I am not getting all the sounds (as compared to using the emulator version of the game), have firing sounds not the sounds of the aliens.

 

Is this the fault of my telly or could it be either the console or the game?

 

I live in the UK, Atari Jnr says pale, do not know how you would tell if game is pale or not.

[+freewheel]

Is the 2600 modded for output, or are you using the factory RF connector?

 

I've seen weird behaviour on modern LCD screens with all connection types, but the sound makes me wonder if it's more than that. Often the only way to narrow it down is test with other TVs, other carts, etc (not always as easy to find another 2600).

[alex_79]

The TV TYPE switch apparently isn't used by that game, so it doesn't have any effect.

Wrong colors might indicate that you are using a NTSC cart in a PAL console or viceversa (NTSC and PAL 2600s have different color palettes), or maybe the color pot inside your console needs to be adjusted.

 

You can try adjusting the pot with the console turned on using a small flat screwdriver.

Here is where it is located on the Jr. motherboard.

You should be able to adjust it without opening the console from the bottom of the case.

 

 

 

In Phoenix the sounds of the aliens can be activated/deactivated by the LEFT DIFFICULTY switch.

Remember that, despite their names, the 5 switches on the console (TV TYPE, LEFT and RIGHT DIFFICULTY, SELECT and RESET) are read by software and therefore they can have different function depending on the game. You can find the manuals for most of the games on the main page of this site.

[+Stephen Moss]

Are you sure you are tuned into the main output and not a weaker sideband? In the UK the output of games consoles and VCRs was typically set to the non broadcast channel 38 (606 - 614MHz).

 

If you do appear to be on Ch38 and your LDC has a manual fine adjust setting on the frequency scan try adjusting the frequency it up and down a little to see it that improves things as what they lock onto in auto tune mode can be not quite right.

[GothicCard]

Thank you for replys,

 

I will check the tuning. It is pluged in via the RF lead. I have tried on another LCD TV and only got B&W, trying to find some one with a CRT TV (but had no luck so far).

 

The sound came back last night, so all the sound seems to be there now.

 

Hopping some other games arrive today.

 

Thinking of getting a Modded Atari 2600 woody, there is a guy on ebay that does it and has good coments/reviews.

 

Will get back with how things go.

[GothicCard]

Hi

 

Nothing has turned up today, so still not been able to check with other games.

 

The TV is tuned to 591 MHz, the TV does not pick anything up in the 606 - 614MHz.

 

Sound still working, and colours are still off.

 

If the other games (when they arrive) are still the wrong colours I will have ago at adjusting the POT. I am guessing you do this whilst the console is on and connected to the TV, so you can see what is happening to the colours? (I have never done anything like this before.

[+freewheel]

If the other games (when they arrive) are still the wrong colours I will have ago at adjusting the POT. I am guessing you do this whilst the console is on and connected to the TV, so you can see what is happening to the colours? (I have never done anything like this before.

 

Absolutely. Be a bit careful, try not to touch anything else - odds are you'll be doing this with a metal screwdriver - but there's not much fear of danger. I do it all the time when fine tuning mis-behaving consoles, or adjusting mods. Just make very slow adjustments until things look "good". It's tricky unless you have a reference console to compare to, but you should be able to look at screenshots to get a good idea of what the colours should look like - at least close enough anyway.

 

If sound works and it's only colours that are off... I'm thinking someone else had it right - possibly an NTSC cart in a PAL console. Not much you can do to fix that. I don't know if there's any easy way to tell PAL/NTSC on that game, some are obvious while others are a guessing game. Someone here probably knows better than me,

[GothicCard]

The TV TYPE switch apparently isn't used by that game, so it doesn't have any effect.

Wrong colors might indicate that you are using a NTSC cart in a PAL console or viceversa (NTSC and PAL 2600s have different color palettes), or maybe the color pot inside your console needs to be adjusted.

 

You can try adjusting the pot with the console turned on using a small flat screwdriver.

Here is where it is located on the Jr. motherboard.

color_pot.JPG

You should be able to adjust it without opening the console from the bottom of the case.

color_pot2.jpgcolor_pot3.jpg

 

 

 

In Phoenix the sounds of the aliens can be activated/deactivated by the LEFT DIFFICULTY switch.

Remember that, despite their names, the 5 switches on the console (TV TYPE, LEFT and RIGHT DIFFICULTY, SELECT and RESET) are read by software and therefore they can have different function depending on the game. You can find the manuals for most of the games on the main page of this site.

 

 

Absolutely. Be a bit careful, try not to touch anything else - odds are you'll be doing this with a metal screwdriver - but there's not much fear of danger. I do it all the time when fine tuning mis-behaving consoles, or adjusting mods. Just make very slow adjustments until things look "good". It's tricky unless you have a reference console to compare to, but you should be able to look at screenshots to get a good idea of what the colours should look like - at least close enough anyway.

 

If sound works and it's only colours that are off... I'm thinking someone else had it right - possibly an NTSC cart in a PAL console. Not much you can do to fix that. I don't know if there's any easy way to tell PAL/NTSC on that game, some are obvious while others are a guessing game. Someone here probably knows better than me,

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help. I have adjusted the pot and now how an almost perfect picture.