RMila75 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 My 2600 has been going to a static fuzzy screen with the game audio still running after about 5 minutes of working normally. The connections are ok, and I've tried with two different TV's with the same result. Any idea where to start troubleshooting this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 My first guess would be the voltage regulator starting to go bad - one of the ways they fail is for voltage output to drop as they heat up, which can result in symptoms like the ones you describe. Similarly, the green "chiclet" cap on the power rail can fail which will give a static-filled output. Do you have multi-meter to test the VR? Or a soldering iron to replace the regulator or the cap if those turn out to be the cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMila75 Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 Thanks for the reply. I have both multimeter and soldering iron, but am not skilled with either, unfortunately. Is there a visual guide for testing and repair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 12 hours ago, RMila75 said: Thanks for the reply. I have both multimeter and soldering iron, but am not skilled with either, unfortunately. Is there a visual guide for testing and repair? What model 2600 are you have issues with? If it's a 6-switch or 4-switch, I have photos I can post showing you the likely suspects. If it's a Junior, I don't but the components in question should look the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMila75 Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 It's a 4 switch. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Okay, here's a 4-switch of mine that I took apart a few years ago. I've circled the voltage regulator and green chiclet capacitor. If, like this one above, the chiclet cap is folded over, bend it gently back upright so you can access the voltage regulator. The way to test things would be to insert a game, connect power and start the system. Once you start getting issues, check the voltage regulator. Pin 1 (the one on the left) is the input voltage. With the system turned on, you should be getting roughly 9V DC on that pin. Pin 2, the center pin, is connected to ground. And of course, pin 3 is the output. You should be getting a very rock-stead 5V DC out of that pin, even after literally hours of uptime. If the voltage varies as the VR heats up, that's a sign the regulator needs to be replaced. Be careful not to short either pin 1 or pin 3 with the ground pin while you're making measurements. However, if the voltage output is steady under load and after the system has been running, then that's not your issue. If the large cylindrical main filter cap isn't leaking or bulging, it's almost certainly not the issue. Those tend to be very reliable in 2600's and rarely if ever go bad. The small green caps do go bad, and are impossible to check really without taking them out of the circuit. They're very easy to remove and replace - add a bit of fresh solder to the connection, heat and melt the solder and lift the leg out while the solder is molten. Repeat for the second leg. You can clean out the through-hole by using a spring-loaded solder pump, a desoldering iron, or even plain old solder wick. Then just solder in a replacement. If the VR and chiclet cap aren't the problem, you may have an issue with the RF modulator. Frankly, those are a pain in the ass, and if that's the problem, the system would be a great candidate to AV mod. You'll get a much better picture anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMila75 Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Much appreciated! Do I touch both tips of the multimeter to pin 1 and then to pin 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 1 hour ago, RMila75 said: Much appreciated! Do I touch both tips of the multimeter to pin 1 and then to pin 3? Nope. The ground probe of your meter (usually colored black, but it's whichever probe on your meter is labeled as Ground or Earth) should be put on any good ground location on the system. If you have very steady hands and are sure you won't slip, you could put it on pin 2 (the center pin) of the voltage regulator but I would advise against that - it's too easy to slip and short pin 1 or pin 3, which can possible damage something on the system. Instead, touch it to the metal case of the RF modulator. Then use the positive lead of your probe (usually colored red) to pin 1 to read the input voltage from your power supply. After you've verified it's about 9VDC or so (it can be a bit higher than that or a little bit lower), then move that same probe over to pin 3 to measure the output voltage. This should be a steady 5V. It might be as low as maybe 4.95 and as high as about 5.05 or so, but much less than that indicates a possible short somewhere on the board, and too high indicates your voltage regulator isn't doing its job of regulating that input voltage to produce a steady 5V output. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMila75 Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 I will give it a shot. Many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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