Need help with some Atari 2600 Jr. questions

[Atari2600Lives]

I have a Jr. that I want to take on a trip with me but the colors are bit a off. The yellows show up as a green (green castle in Adventure looks cool but Pitfall is just ot much Green).

 

How can I fix this?

 

Alos I had another jr in a sad state that I took apart and the ribbon cable that goes form the rest buttons to the unit came off. Is it a matter of jammming it back in there? (that did not work)

 

Thanks!

[D.Yancey]

If you had to "jam" the cable back on and it does not work; check to see if any of the pins were bent in the process.

 

I'm interested in the color problem too. My 7800 is like that.

[Atari2600Lives]

There are no pins on the cable it's a flat piece of plastic.

Oh well, I am not that upset because that Junior was given to me practically form a trash bin and needs a lot of work anyway.

 

The other one is perfect except for the color.

[AtariYoungin]

Have you tried opening it up and changing the pentometer on the board? it should be a little white disc with a slot in the middle for a flat head screwdriver. Give that a little adjustment, should fix it in a jiff.

[Atari2600Lives]

Now I am afraid to open it because I pulled the ribbon cable (reset switch ) out of the last one. Can anyone tell me how to place the ribbon cable back? stick it back in the slot? glue it? how doe sit go back on, I have no clue from just looking at it.

[AtariYoungin]

i don't have a JR model 2600 handy, can you post a pic of the ribbon and the place where it ripped out of? then maybe i can help.

[Nukey Shay]

AFAIK you just slide the cable back into the connecter...it should be obvious which way it goes by the warp in the ribbon. No glue required (which would probably interfere with the connection).

[Atari2600Lives]

There is not a white knob in the Jr. I took apart my bad one again and there are no knobs anywhere.

 

I guess I am stuck with extra green screens!

 

I will leave the ribbon cable broekn as this Jr. is not functioning well regardless.

[Eckhard Stolberg]

If you look at the first picture in the thread about the pirate 2600jr, you can see the colour adjustment potentiometer directly to the right of the left difficulty switch.

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29393

 

In an original Atari 2600 Jr it is under the metal shielding. You don't have to open the shielding. The potentiometer is accessible through one of the little holes in the shielding. There might be a drop of glue on it though, which you must remove before you can adjust the colours.

 

The 7800 has two of these potentiomenters, one for the 2600 mode and one for the 7800 mode. On the PAL 7800s the one closer to the cartridge port is for 2600 mode. I don't know how it is on the NTSC 7800.

 

And you shouldn't jam the cable into the slot. You need to carefully slide it in all the way down. The connectors on the slot need to make contact with the traces on the cable. Since the connectors and the traces are only on one side of the slot and the cable, it should be obvious which way the cable goes in. BTW, if you are carefull, it should be possible to open the 2600 without unplugging the cable for the RESET and SELECT switch.

 

 

Ciao, Eckhard Stolberg

[AtariYoungin]

Hazah, I knew it. Just didn't have a Jr around to find it. Thanks for the clarification on where it is.

[Video]

The ribbon cable should push in easy part way, then you have to slightly force it the rest of the way. Once it's inserted, it'll be snugly in there and you'll have to give it a slight tug to pull it back out.

 

As for colors there's a pot to adjust it, but that's all I know. Just use a cart you know what the colors are supposed to be and adjust it till they're right.