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Help - The Universe Doesn't Want Me to Start a Game on My Atari 5200


rennervision

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I could use some help on what to do at this point.  This summer I've gotten back into collecting Atari stuff for a new room my wife graciously allowed me to clean up and turn into an Atari Lounge.  One thing I've always wanted was to own all of Atari's four consoles, so I was off to eBay.  

 

Well, trying to play any game on an Atari 5200 has been a very disheartening experience.  When the 5200 I purchased arrived, I quickly hooked it up and got ready for a test drive.  Except for one thing - both controllers barely worked.  Start and left/right movement with the joystick was all I could do with no other functioning controls.  OK, I thought.  I knew these controllers were a little infamous so this wasn't unexpected.  I'm just going to have to get these fixed and I'll be back in business. 

 

Shipped them off to another guy on eBay who charged $100 to fix.  When they returned, every button worked on both.  So for a moment - a very brief moment - I had a pleased look on my face.  And then suddenly, neither controller could start a game.

 

OK, I thought.  Based on some other threads I've read around here it sounds like my next step is to replace port 1's 4052 multiplexer chip as it no longer recognizes any start commands.  Except something didn't seem right with that theory.  If I tried to start up Galaxian, which uses all the keypad buttons to select your game, none of them were recognized either.

 

Well, while goofing around I found a trick that worked enough times that I can't dismiss it as being voodoo.  What I do is I wiggle the cartridge a little bit (without removing it) and the game always freezes when I do this with a corrupted-looking screen.  I then quickly power off/on the unit again and suddenly - lo and behold - all buttons are now recognized on my controller and I can start a game.

 

Except, going back to my Galaxian example, I might play a game fine - but now when the game is over my controller suddenly loses all functionality again.  Mind you, I have not yet shut off the console or unplugged/plugged the controller.  But I still have to do that crazy cartridge wiggle/power toggle trick and maybe out of 3-10 attempts I'm back to playing again.

 

Does this sound like the 4052 multiplexer chip?  Is it something else?  What can I do to get my Atari Karma in good standing?

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Hey, welcome to the 5200 forums, and good luck on your gaming journey with Big Sexy (our affectionate nickname for the 5200), we hope she'll give you years of vintage arcading bliss.

 

You got ripped off by the guy on eBay who "fixed" your joysticks, you should've gotten a hold of Best Electronics, they have reworked 5200 controllers that operate on GOLD-PLATED flex-circuits and buttons, those carbon flex circuits and contacts on the buttons they come with out of the box are prone to fail almost immediately.

 

Here is the link to the NEVER-FAIL GOLD circuit 5200 sticks I was talking about: http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/5200.htm

 

BTW, they also have gold-plated controllers and other upgraded goodies on that site as well, just give them a phone call and get a price quote, and ask how much they will be willing to give you a discount/knock off the price if you were to send your old failing sticks in as "cores" (they usually take those and rebuild them with gold circuits and resell them to other 5200 owners down the line)

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Thanks Moonsweeper.  I actually will do that just to have two quality joysticks, but I also highly doubt the problem I'm having is with my repaired controllers.  When one joystick can't start a game, I swap it out with the other and it doesn't work either.  And then none of the buttons on either one are recognized by Galaxian when the problem starts.  

 

But after a magical cartridge wiggle/power toggle, the problem goes away.  All buttons and controls then work fine for both.  That's why I was suspecting something internal to the console was causing my issues since the odds of all controls failing on both controllers at the same time is too coincidental.

 

Edit - I just got back from playing a few different games, and now the startup issue seems to have gone away.  (For now.)  But I'm sure it's only temporary.

Edited by rennervision
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1 hour ago, rennervision said:

Thanks Moonsweeper.  I actually will do that just to have two quality joysticks, but I also highly doubt the problem I'm having is with my repaired controllers.  When one joystick can't start a game, I swap it out with the other and it doesn't work either.  And then none of the buttons on either one are recognized by Galaxian when the problem starts.  

 

But after a magical cartridge wiggle/power toggle, the problem goes away.  All buttons and controls then work fine for both.  That's why I was suspecting something internal to the console was causing my issues since the odds of all controls failing on both controllers at the same time is too coincidental.

 

Edit - I just got back from playing a few different games, and now the startup issue seems to have gone away.  (For now.)  But I'm sure it's only temporary.

I suspect you have debris in the cartridge slot or simply dirty contacts. With the power disconnected, spray electrical contact cleaner in the cartridge slot and then insert and remove a cartridge several times vigorously so the friction will help clean the metal. Wait a few minutes to let the contact cleaner evaporate before reconnecting power.

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46 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

I suspect you have debris in the cartridge slot or simply dirty contacts. With the power disconnected, spray electrical contact cleaner in the cartridge slot and then insert and remove a cartridge several times vigorously so the friction will help clean the metal. Wait a few minutes to let the contact cleaner evaporate before reconnecting power.

That's reassuring and I hope that's all it is!  I'll give it a shot.  :D

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If this is a 4 port unit (please confirm) then I suspect you have a shorting problem on a data line, near the cartridge port. Particularly as this is intermittent and can be fixed by wiggling/flexing near the cartridge port. It’s a known issue with earlier 4 port consoles.

If you have a 4 port then I’ll explain further what you should look for.

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On 9/8/2019 at 11:46 AM, atari-dna said:

If this is a 4 port unit (please confirm) then I suspect you have a shorting problem on a data line, near the cartridge port. Particularly as this is intermittent and can be fixed by wiggling/flexing near the cartridge port. It’s a known issue with earlier 4 port consoles.

If you have a 4 port then I’ll explain further what you should look for.

Thanks - yes, it is a 4 port.  Haven't done anything to further troubleshoot it yet, but last night it still seemed to be working without giving me any fuss.

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