Pulling cartridge from powered up console

[hueyjones70]

Are there any experts out there who can verify whether or not you can damage a cartridge by removing it while the power is on. I have done it on an XL with no negative results but I have been told that I was just lucky.

[Rybags]

Hotswap was the method we used to do cartridge copying, still is in some cases.

The XL OS even caters for people removing or inserting carts when powered up.

 

But I'd not recommend doing it a lot. Chances are you'd hurt the computer before the cartridge too. Also, the spring contacts can be problematic though often it relates to dirtiness which can be from lack of use.

[DavidMil]

Pulling cartridges from a powered up computers causes very small power arks that can cause damage to transistors inside the IC's and will

eventually cause chip failure. I highly recommend AGAINST pulling cartridges out of a powered up computer.

 

DavidMil

[1050]

I've done it for decades with zero issues. I also

hot plug in Mac65 cart regularly, again for decades

with zero issues, but the machine has been modified

with switched out trigger 3 to allow cart changes

like that without locking up the OS. The claimed

damages just aren't a reality in fact or something

serious would have happened by now. For the first

five years I did wonder some, but no thought to the

issue after that. There is a translator that allows

for hot plug in of 800 only carts too, but I

disremember the exact version/source of it now. I

do remember it had a rainbow intro/instruction

screen at boot up. Might have even been animated.

[DavidMil]

All I can say 1050 is that you are very lucky. My boys killed a 2600 and a 800XL by pulling cartridges out of the

computers with the power on. The Atari manuals wouldn't warn against doing this if there wasn't a reason.

 

DavidMil

[leech]

I've done it for decades with zero issues. I alsohot plug in Mac65 cart regularly, again for decadeswith zero issues, but the machine has been modifiedwith switched out trigger 3 to allow cart changeslike that without locking up the OS. The claimeddamages just aren't a reality in fact or somethingserious would have happened by now. For the firstfive years I did wonder some, but no thought to theissue after that. There is a translator that allowsfor hot plug in of 800 only carts too, but Idisremember the exact version/source of it now. Ido remember it had a rainbow intro/instructionscreen at boot up. Might have even been animated.

I had Translator on floppy, you are correct about the animated screen. There were some games that wouldn't run at all without it on the 800xl, and some that word work oddly. Lucifer's Realm is one where it would work, but most of the images were gone, so it became a text adventure after the intro.