Fatal Run cart doesn’t work

[kyle]

I have a Fatal Run cart that will Display the Atari logo screen but after that just colored lines. Any  ideas?

[AtariBrian]

Obviously clean the contacts with atleast 91 percent several times. Make sure to use some force. If that does not work try DeoxIT. And then isopropyl again.

[+sixersfan105]

Good advice by @AtariBrian but I'll offer up one other possibility, too. Where are you located? Assuming you're in the US on NTSC hardware, there's a chance someone sold you a PAL Fatal Run cartridge. The symptoms you are describing are what happens when you put a PAL cartridge in an NTSC console. Or it could just be dirty, as suggested above. 

[kyle]

I’ve cleaned it but I definitely could clean it some more.  I was wondering if it was PAL?  How can I find out?   Is there something that identifies it as pal on the cart or circuit board? 

[+sixersfan105]

I'm only familiar with the black letter "P" that is on the back of PAL cartridges. Problem is, those can fall off over the years OR be purposely removed by shifty sellers. 

[Curt Vendel]

41 minutes ago, AtariBrian said:

Obviously clean the contacts with atleast 91 percent several times. Make sure to use some force. If that does not work try DeoxIT. And then isopropyl again.

Definitely agree with Brian...  q-tip with some Isopropyl alcohol should do it.  The best is electronics contact cleaner.   If its a PAL cart, there should be a P in the cart model# or a P label on the back of the cart.

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I was going to say...I thought if a PAL cart was put into an NTSC 7800 that you pretty much just get the colored bars as it doesn't initiate into 7800 mode since PAL carts don't contain the encrypt key? Does the 7800 rainbow BIOS screen still come up with a PAL cart inserted but then fail? 

 

Again I thought it would immediately go to the colored bars and didn't even show the rainbow?

 

[phattyboombatty]

I had this exact thing happen with my Fatal Run cart that I purchased off of eBay last year... It just wouldn’t load. 
 

I was certain that I’d purchased a known-good NTSC cart, but I began having my doubts about it either being known-bad or PAL. ?
 

After several good, thorough cleanings with isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips, voila the game loaded. It could be something idiosyncratic about this particular run of carts, or it just might be good old-fashioned corrosion. 

[+sixersfan105]

On 1/27/2020 at 10:25 AM, -^CrossBow^- said:

I was going to say...I thought if a PAL cart was put into an NTSC 7800 that you pretty much just get the colored bars as it doesn't initiate into 7800 mode since PAL carts don't contain the encrypt key? Does the 7800 rainbow BIOS screen still come up with a PAL cart inserted but then fail? 

 

Again I thought it would immediately go to the colored bars and didn't even show the rainbow?

 

No, PAL carts in an NTSC system show the Atari rainbow screen and then fail. It's my understanding this happens because NTSC ROMs are encrypted and PAL ROMs are not. When an NTSC console checks the PAL cart for encryption and it's not there, that's why it crashes right after the rainbow splash screen. 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

26 minutes ago, sixersfan105 said:

No, PAL carts in an NTSC system show the Atari rainbow screen and then fail. It's my understanding this happens because NTSC ROMs are encrypted and PAL ROMs are not. When an NTSC console checks the PAL cart for encryption and it's not there, that's why it crashes right after the rainbow splash screen. 

Good to know. I've only encountered one pal 7800 cart. I can't remember what it was..I'm thinking it was an Ikari Warriors. I just thought the cart didn't work, but once I put the DevOS bios mod into that 7800, then it was able to fire up and that was when I discovered it was pal due to the screen roll it gave at the time. I don't remember what happened to that cart as it was 15-20 years ago now maybe? My luck I still have it LOL!