Some weird Atari 2600 console issues

[Dennis90]

I have some consoles I'm trying to repair and hope somebody here could help, they both are AV modded with a transistor and two resistors.

First I have a PAL Junior console that works and plays fine, but the picture is always pretty dark and there seems to be ghosting interference. I tested to install a new AV mod just like the one I already made in case I messed up the first one, but it was the same problem, so what could be wrong? I don't know if the picture looked fine before I AV modded it cus it has been laying around for a while.

The next console is a PAL 4 switcher that acts werid, sometimes it plays and works fine with no issues at all but most of the time it glitches pretty bad, like characters are stuck and in the wrong place or jumping around. And when it glitches the screen can kinda like loose color and flash and jump a little bit. Any ideas what might be wrong?

[SignGuy81]

I'm assuming the last one is unmodded correct? That one you may want to start by cleaning the cartridge slot.

 

The one that is AV modded, have you tried it on a different TV?

[Dennis90]

No, both are AV modded. And seems I somehow managed to bend one of the connector pins in the 4-switcher pretty bad while trying to clean it... I guess mabye one of the pins was already bent in a weird way that caused the glitches or something so I think I have to fix the connector properly first and see if that solves the problem.

The junior console did I try on other TV's now and it's the same problem, the image looks a little diffrent from TV to TV tho, but it's always pretty bad, and on one TV the image looked pretty shaky and unstable.

I also have another AV modded junior console I try to fix, the image is fine and the games plays fine, except it has no sound at all for some reason, I tried hooking up crocodile clip wires direclty to the sound output near the TIA chip and to the ground and still I got no sound at all, any ideas how I can try to fix it?

Edited November 13, 2017 by Dennis90

[Dennis90]

I got one more Junior console here that has problems too, also AV modded. (I have a little pile of broken consoles I have not managed to fix myself that I just put aside and they has just been laying around so I thought I should try to take care of some of these now and try fix them) This one seem to play like it should, only problem is that part of the graphics dissapear when you change the B/W switch, like the left player in Outlaw dissapears for example. And also, right after the console is turned on it always shows this weird white flash on the screen, but yeah other than these two problems everything seems fine. I shot a quick video so you can see the problems:

Any ideas on this one? I already tested to swap out the three main IC chips, but it was just the same problem.

[Dennis90]

I managed to fix the Junior console I mentioned in the first post that had dark image. I looked around for alternative composite mods for PAL Junior consoles and found this one: http://www.console-corner.de/videomod.htmlSo I tried it out and It turned out nicely. The image looks great now! Still have not managed to fix the other three consoles mentioned tho.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Dennis90

[Eraserble]

hi i got an issue with my atari 2600 jr the up and down docent work on the left controller port and my right port down and right dont work could this be the riot chip ive tested with a multi meter if the trace goes to the chip and it dose ives re solder everything to make sure but still had the same issue

[SignGuy81]

hi i got an issue with my atari 2600 jr the up and down docent work on the left controller port and my right port down and right dont work could this be the riot chip ive tested with a multi meter if the trace goes to the chip and it dose ives re solder everything to make sure but still had the same issue

Check from the actual male pins that the controller plugs into to where they go on the chip(it is common for the pins to come lose in the db9 connector and that may be what you need, it can be hard to tell by looking at the controller port but it is the leads that come out of the back of the port and go down to the mother board that break loose in the back of the port from the pins that come out the other side).

 

EDIT:

I have RIOT chips and DB9 connectors that will work so whatever you come up with let me know maybe I can help.

Edited November 20, 2017 by SignGuy81

[Eraserble]

hi i did what u said but the connectors are fine ive tested it to ground with controller pluged in and to the riot chip from ground so i believe its the chip unless you know something else ive even shorted the pins to ground to the chip

Edited November 21, 2017 by Eraserble