Atari 2600 Console5 Refresh Kit Install Guide Vader Edition

[blainelocklair]

How's this for timely since a question about fixing up a Vader just showed up?

 

If you’ve never had the chance to get console restoration parts from them before, Console5.com is a wonderful resource. Luke and his team do a great job of putting together restoration kits and have a wiki with parts lists, schematics, and how-to knowledge. I put a Console5 “Refresh Kit” into an Atari 2600 Vader revision 16 and put together a video to help you get it done if you’re looking to restore your own 2600. Hope you are safe and healthy out there, praying for us all daily. God bless.

 

[cleoo]

Nice video. It was timely as I followed it recently, but had some questions since there seems to be some discrepancies.

 

I noticed you didn't replace C242. I replaced just C241 also and it worked fine, but Console 5 provides an additional .1uf for C242. Just wondering why it was left out.

Also, Console 5 listed C201 as being replaced with a 4.7uf. I can't find it in the schematic nor on my board.

 

I got this Revision 16 schematic from this page:

 

Console 5 parts:

For 4 Switch

• All new 2200uF and 4.7uF electrolytic capacitors: C201, C214, C243 (4.7uF caps are radial-type)
• C206, C207: Two new 820pF MLCC capacitors to replace failure-prone styrene caps: Frequently the cause of audio loss (see product images for install photo)
• C241 and/or C242: Two replacement .1uF (or .22uF) "chicklet" capacitors.  Some models have incorrect parts from the factory, or sometimes the original caps fail and cause "sparklies" in the video.  These are the non-electrolytic cap(s) near the voltage regulator.  The .1uF and .22uF are functionally identical for this purpose.

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 4/22/2020 at 11:10 AM, cleoo said:

Nice video. It was timely as I followed it recently, but had some questions since there seems to be some discrepancies.

 

I noticed you didn't replace C242. I replaced just C241 also and it worked fine, but Console 5 provides an additional .1uf for C242. Just wondering why it was left out.

Also, Console 5 listed C201 as being replaced with a 4.7uf. I can't find it in the schematic nor on my board.

 

I got this Revision 16 schematic from this page:

 

Console 5 parts:

For 4 Switch

• All new 2200uF and 4.7uF electrolytic capacitors: C201, C214, C243 (4.7uF caps are radial-type)
• C206, C207: Two new 820pF MLCC capacitors to replace failure-prone styrene caps: Frequently the cause of audio loss (see product images for install photo)
• C241 and/or C242: Two replacement .1uF (or .22uF) "chicklet" capacitors.  Some models have incorrect parts from the factory, or sometimes the original caps fail and cause "sparklies" in the video.  These are the non-electrolytic cap(s) near the voltage regulator.  The .1uF and .22uF are functionally identical for this purpose.

 

Blaine actually asked me about the very same caps on his revision 16 in the video. It looks like some later revs do NOT have all the caps listed. the C201 ins't actually on the rev 16 board that I can find. It is possible that console5 doesn't have this listed properly and just need to be told about it. But C242 and C241 do exist and you would normally replace those. Also instead of an IC chip in the upper right of his mainboard that I show on the Rev 16 schematics and others, he appeared to have hardwired resistors and diodes in that section and no cap there either. So it would seem that Blaines in his video was either re-worked without some of these parts being needed or is some strange revision of the 16 board that isn't very common. Also, his cap near the power port (C242) had been replaced with a diode. So...he didn't change that because he doesn't have a cap there to begin with.

 

[cleoo]

That's interesting because on my Revision 16 board, the C242 originally had a diode in that spot (I'm assuming like Blaine's since I didn't see that part.) So, would changing that diode to the .1uF capacitor affect anything? I changed it because of the Console5 listing.

 

Looking at my board, the C201 is completely missing. It's supposed to be right next to L201. It's not marked and it's filled in with solder.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Did you have a small IC chip in the upper right next to C245? Blaine's did not and I don't think he even had a spot on his main board showing where C201 would have been. So he just didn't have it at all. The diode in C242 could possibly be a small glass cap of some sort but I would need one on hand to check this and I don't think I've come across any Rev 16 boards personally.

 

[cleoo]

1st picture: There’s an IC next to C245. 

 

C242 with the capacitor. I’m thinking I should put the diode back. I was getting distortion on the screen. 

 

Missing C201 

[cleoo]

Here’s the original diode at C242

[+-^CrossBow^-]

That isn't a diode...that is a ceramic cap and was likely fine as it looks to have been replaced once before. So you are likely fine there. But yes you do have the 555 timer in place in the upper right as the schematics show. Blaine's was missing that IC and had other passive components installed in its place for whatever reason. Again, Blaine didn't notice this until most of his filming was done before he asked me about it. So I think it was decided to only show what he did change out to avoid confusion with some variations. I'm going to let console5 know about some of this and see what might be able to be changed on the Wiki for the Rev 16. We at least know for a fact that C201 isn't present on the Rev 16 boards. That much is clear.

 

 

 

[cleoo]

Goes to show how much I know. ?‍♂️

 

The last post (#7) was showing how the CAPACITOR was before I put in the Console 5 white capacitor.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Right...I'm just saying you do have a cap in that location as you should and replacing it was fine. So I don't believe that is related to your distortion you are talking about. Can you get a pic of that to show us?