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Troubleshooting Intellivision


Vbruno305

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I have my first ever Intellivision, the original woodgrain console. When I insert a game cart the green splash screen comes on saying Mattel Intelivision and the game name. After that is just sits there. I have pressed every button and the directional on both controllers but nothing happens. Any clue?

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Back the cart up just a bit...or wiggle it around a bit in slot. I assume you restarted with the game in it and pushed the reset button. If not it is possible that the controllers don't work. Try playing with both controllers as well.

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As they are hardwired in, really the only thing you could do is open up the unit and check if the wire harness is plugged in on each. You could order new controllers on this board...they are from the Intellivision Flashbacks and have been rewired to be compatible.

 

If this is a unit you just picked up, I think I'd start over with a different console.

 

If this was sold to you as "working" from Ebay. Do a return.

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there is a test cart...but without the working controller I don't think it would do much. :-) Plus that would cost more than the game is worth.

 

Good luck. Others will have more Ideas than I have...but a few of them are in Portland this weekend.

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Any button should get past most title screens. I cant imagine every controller function on two controllers has failed. Like bbww says open it up and check the controller connections. Maybe someone put them in backwards? Open one of the controllers and check continuity of the cable wires.

 

Some games have an animated title screen eg. burgertime. Intellivoice games talk at the title screen. Would they work?

 

Edit:

Have a look at the mainboard it should be protected by a metal shield. If that shield is missing someone has already messed with it.

Edited by mr_me
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Never opened before..i just looked at rhe board..looks like its still 1979 in there. Controller connection look good. But while hot plugging player 1 controller the game started couldnt get ot to do much after that so im thinking about disassembling the controllers to clean and corrosion or to see if anything is shorting

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Never opened before..i just looked at rhe board..looks like its still 1979 in there. Controller connection look good. But while hot plugging player 1 controller the game started couldnt get ot to do much after that so im thinking about disassembling the controllers to clean and corrosion or to see if anything is shorting

Yup... just go slow and methodical. You are already a tech so you know what I mean. Maybe it has soda poisoning. If it is sticky in there you can take the mylar sheets out and carefully and gently (do not try to flatten them out too much or you could break the traces in the folds) wash them in warm soapy water, rinse them well, dry them with a hair dryer on low (don't melt the mylar), clean them with rubbing alcohol (it will displace any remaining water) and try them out. Ive had great success using high-grade sandpaper (2000 or so) to gently remove any corrosion. But don't work it too much or you'll remove the trace material!

 

If you want them tested on another unit you could send them to one of us or pickup another working unit.

 

Let us know how it goes. Pics are welcome!

 

KylJoy

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If one of the controllers has a stuck button or direction disk it can do this.

 

You can try taking apart left controller and remove the clear plastic matrix, then try starting a game with the other controller. If that doesn't work put it back together and take the matrix out of the other.

 

Sometimes rebuilding the controllers and making sure the clear matrix is aligned is enough to get them working.

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Another couple questions...

1. Is there a wire pinout for the controllers available not what wire to what pin but what function each trigger

2. Can a new flex circuit and side buttons be purchased

3. Facing the machine which controller is player 1, the left like Atari or right

 

What i got so far is if I remove the left controller and plug the right into the left i can start and play games. I opened the left and the flex circuit looks burned at a few places. I think this is coming from the side triggers not springing back keeping the power flowing which caused the burns...any advise would be awesome.

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Controller pinout:

http://arcarc.xmission.com/Web%20Archives/Deathskull%20(May-2006)/games/tech/intvcont.html

 

Someone here at atariage has proposed making new flex circuits but not yet. You might ask here for used side buttons. Does the rubber side button look broken? Damage could have been caused by not allowing to dry after cleaning. Retrofitting a new flashback controller from Intellivision Productions is an option. There are new old stock flex circuits sometimes on ebay.

 

Internally the right controller is considered the first controller.

Edited by mr_me
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If opening up and cleaning your controllers doesn't work, check the condition of the cords. One of the controllers on my spare Sears version of the Intellivision ended up having a short between one of the inner wires and the ground. Sometimes the system would work, but when the exposed sections of wire would touch it would lock up both controllers. Luckily, you can unplug the controllers on the Sears, so that helped me finally figure it out quickly.

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  • 2 years later...

Is it intellivision model 2609. What cartridges have you tested. You are getting the titlescreen? It could be the hand controllers, they could be plugged incorrectly, or defective.

 

Model number is 5730, I have 3 cartridges, frog,bog, Lock n chase and triple action (three games).

 

Problem is exctaly same, I got to title screen, but nothing happens no matter what buttons I press.

 

I have already opened controllers and cleaned them. No help from that.

 

I have doupt that this console has ever opened before. What are my options? Is there adapter to use other controllers with this?

post-62378-0-55083900-1541193397_thumb.jpg

post-62378-0-69289500-1541193399_thumb.jpg

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Open the console and try each controller plugged in alone in each controller port. If it still doesn't work unplug both controllers; you can simulate a disc press by shorting the first two pins in the controller port.

 

Too bad you don't have a cartridge with an animated titlescreen or one with sound.

Edited by mr_me
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Open the console and try each controller plugged in alone in each controller port. If it still doesn't work unplug both controllers; you can simulate a disc press by shorting the first two pins in the controller port.

 

Too bad you don't have a cartridge with an animated titlescreen or one with sound.

 

When you say "first two pins" you mean those two pins wich has yellow cirle around them?

post-62378-0-46931100-1541197359_thumb.jpg

Edited by utri007
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Happy to say, it wrks! But not so happy to say that both controllers has a problems. Shorting pins I could start a game. I connected controllers and both has a lots of problems. All numbers doesn't work, one has stuck to down. etc. I have undestadn that there is multiple possible reasons for that.

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Controller cables are replaceable. As long as the controller flex-circuits are in good condition, controllers are repairable. You can test for continuity and shorts for each wire in the cable to make sure, before replacing. It's a bit unusual for coiled cables to go bad, I think it's more likely with straight cables. If you want replacement cables look for sega genesis extension cables. They are straight not coiled but you can use them to add de-9 connectors to your intellivision.

 

Edit: Thought I'd double check that you have the flat, white washers under the disc, between the two parts of the flex-circuit.

Edited by mr_me
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