Atari 2600 4 switch Problem

[eggmanfat120]

Hey guys, yesterday I opened up my atari 2600 4 switch because the picture on the screen hasn't been the best lately. Sometimes it has good picture and sometimes it doesn't :I Anyways, I opened it up and found that the rca cable that leads into the system has a small cut at the very end. This is most likely the picture problem. I tried to pull it off and switch the chord, but I couldn't! It was stuck! I applied some force to it, but nothing. I don't want to put TOO MUCH force, because I don't want to break the thing. Is anyone else's Atari 2600 stuck like this as well? I believe this is the original cable.

[+xucaen]

It's an RCA cable inside the console, right? Maybe use a pair of pliers and twist it rather than pull it? I don't know if maybe using a lighter or a match to apply a small bit of heat might loosen it up, kind of like hot water over a stuck jar lid. Obviously, try not to use too much force or heat or you risk ruining it.

 

disclaimer: I am not an expert at anything remotely related to Atari consoles.

 

Good luck!

[+RichG1972]

Hey guys, yesterday I opened up my atari 2600 4 switch because the picture on the screen hasn't been the best lately. Sometimes it has good picture and sometimes it doesn't :I Anyways, I opened it up and found that the rca cable that leads into the system has a small cut at the very end. This is most likely the picture problem. I tried to pull it off and switch the chord, but I couldn't! It was stuck! I applied some force to it, but nothing. I don't want to put TOO MUCH force, because I don't want to break the thing. Is anyone else's Atari 2600 stuck like this as well? I believe this is the original cable.

Could be just because it has been in place for so long without being removed, if you can get the flat blade a small jewelers screwdriver under each of the 4 curved blades try working them away from the jack about a 16th of an inchm then removing the cable from the jack should be easy, after doing this however, clean off the outer portion of the jack and ineer portion with some contact cleaner, just a quick spritz will do, this will help prevent this happening again in the future. Contact cleaner evaporates on its own, no need to wipe so it's real easy

[eggmanfat120]

It's an RCA cable inside the console, right? Maybe use a pair of pliers and twist it rather than pull it? I don't know if maybe using a lighter or a match to apply a small bit of heat might loosen it up, kind of like hot water over a stuck jar lid. Obviously, try not to use too much force or heat or you risk ruining it.

 

disclaimer: I am not an expert at anything remotely related to Atari consoles.

 

Good luck!

I could try twisting pliers the next time I look in the console.

 

Could be just because it has been in place for so long without being removed, if you can get the flat blade a small jewelers screwdriver under each of the 4 curved blades try working them away from the jack about a 16th of an inchm then removing the cable from the jack should be easy, after doing this however, clean off the outer portion of the jack and ineer portion with some contact cleaner, just a quick spritz will do, this will help prevent this happening again in the future. Contact cleaner evaporates on its own, no need to wipe so it's real easy

Ill try that too, whenever I get around to it.

[0078265317]

I thought those rca cables were soldered on weren't they?

[+DrVenkman]

I thought those rca cables were soldered on weren't they?

 

 

Nope, they're coax RF cables with RCA connectors. They should pull right off the RF jack on the board unless they're just stuck, but as noted above, you can twist a bit to help.

[+RichG1972]

I thought those rca cables were soldered on weren't they?

Not at all. mine just slips right off, I tend to not do too much twisting so as to not compromise the solder points. I tr a slight twist but IF that fails I do what I stated above and no I don't utilize WD-40 because typically on circuitry it could create a secondary problem, someone told me to try it to free up a sluggish turntable motor and the WD-40 shorted the speed control circuitry of the motor so I had to replace it so now when I need to do anything Atari related I trust a little CRC and a little know-how.

 

After all, like the Decepticon Leader Megatron says, "Power flows to the one who knows how."

[RWAP]

You could also consider replacing the cable altogether and install a video encoder module, to provide composite video -

 

http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/Atari-2600-BetaGamma-Computing-2600VEC-Video-Encoder-Kit-11876