Atari 800 Cartridge Door (RF Shield?)

LynxVGL · October 25, 2015

I finally got an 800, and am in the process of doing a little cleaning/restoring on it. The metal cover on the cartridge door has come unglued, and the foam that was the reverse liner on it has been disintegrating. So I'm doing a careful cleaning to make sure the foam bits aren't getting where they shouldn't. Question is, should I re-glue the metal cover back on to the inside of the cartridge door. IS it serving any real functionality? Some RF shielding that I should be aware of?

Rybags · October 25, 2015

The shielding on the 400/800 is paranoia mode and taking away the part on the cart door would barely make a difference.

But not having it can take away from the look/authenticity of the machine.

I'd just clean both surfaces of crud then use double-sided tape to put it back in place.

Keatah · October 25, 2015

The foam provides a pressure spring to ensure contact with the other shielding. It also provide a bit of resistance when snapping the door shut. I'd replace it exactly.