Help with 2600 Light Sixer Problem

[spawnshop]

I had the same issue and have tried several carts to line the light sixer cart slot up on several occassions. No matter what I do there are always a few carts that never want to slide in smoothly. I never had that problem with any of the four switch versions that I have come across, just the sixers.

 

Yeah, that's because the 4-switchers have the cartridge reader and slot already lined up on the mobo. But when a sixer is disassembles, they come apart.

I'll pull it apart again this weekend and try with an activision.

[MaximRecoil]

When you assemble the motherboard, shield, and lid assembly, make sure the motherboard gets seated flush in there. What can sometimes happen is, it can catch on the base of the plastic shroud over the edge connector, preventing it from seating flush. When you put the flat aluminum lid on, if the motherboard wasn't seated flush in the shield, you'll see that the lid won't be seated flush on one end either. You can force it flush by screwing it down, but this will flex the motherboard, resulting in the card-edge connector being misaligned, and cartridges not fitting (or having a very tight fit).

 

If things don't seem to want to go back together right, another thing you can do is remove the two screws from that plastic shroud which covers the card-edge connector, flex the shroud and connector back a tad, and then put the screws back in, tightening them down to secure it in the new, more rearward position. This can be enough to prevent the base of the shroud from catching on the edge of the cartridge opening in the shield, allowing it to sit flush. Also, you can play with the tightness of those two shield lid screws. If anything is even slightly out of spec, as those two screws get tight, they flex the motherboard some. Backing those screws off a bit can solve the problem.

 

In my case, I got tired of fighting with it every time I put it back together (mine was so close to being out of spec that there was only a tiny window for getting it right), so I took a flat file to the bottom of the inside walls of the cartridge opening in the shield, and I also filed the protrusions on the bottom of the right-angle bend on one end of the lid (the part that presses down on the motherboard when you tighten those two lid screws) down a bit. Now it goes back together perfectly every time, with no fuss, and all cartridges always fit beautifully in there, including Activision.

Edited September 25, 2015 by MaximRecoil

[spawnshop]

When you assemble the motherboard, shield, and lid assembly, make sure the motherboard gets seated flush in there. What can sometimes happen is, it can catch on the base of the plastic shroud over the edge connector, preventing it from seating flush. When you put the flat aluminum lid on, if the motherboard wasn't seated flush in the shield, you'll see that the lid won't be seated flush on one end either. You can force it flush by screwing it down, but this will flex the motherboard, resulting in the card-edge connector being misaligned, and cartridges not fitting (or having a very tight fit).

 

If things don't seem to want to go back together right, another thing you can do is remove the two screws from that plastic shroud which covers the card-edge connector, flex the shroud and connector back a tad, and then put the screws back in, tightening them down to secure it in the new, more rearward position. This can be enough to prevent the base of the shroud from catching on the edge of the cartridge opening in the shield, allowing it to sit flush. Also, you can play with the tightness of those two shield lid screws. If anything is even slightly out of spec, as those two screws get tight, they flex the motherboard some. Backing those screws off a bit can solve the problem.

 

In my case, I got tired of fighting with it every time I put it back together (mine was so close to being out of spec that there was only a tiny window for getting it right), so I took a flat file to the bottom of the inside walls of the cartridge opening in the shield, and I also filed the protrusions on the bottom of the right-angle bend on one end of the lid (the part that presses down on the motherboard when you tighten those two lid screws) down a bit. Now it goes back together perfectly every time, with no fuss, and all cartridges always fit beautifully in there, including Activision.

 

Thanks for the thorough advice. I will take a look at it again this weekend.

[+xucaen]

There are a lot of possibilities. Your best bet is to download this, read through the trouble-shooting flowcharts and just work through things until you ID the issue.

 

http://www.atarimania.com/documents/Atari_2600_2600_A_VCS_Domestic_Field_Service_Manual.pdf

 

This link opens a PDF with 0 pages. I don't know if it's a temporary problem with the server or if their pdf got corrupted.

 

I googled and found this link:

 

http://www.atariguide.com/pdfs/atari_2600_vcs_domestic_field_service_manual.pdf