Shawn Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 12 minutes ago, CPUWIZ said: Since 2003, 17 years and all 7800 games from the AA store since, come on my PCB's. I could probably ask the peeps in China, how many PCB's I had them manufacture, but it is well over 10,000, I think. I'm going further than that. I'm not talking about just the AA store but all the independent releases by individuals and other stores stocking new games and reproductions that are on your pcbs as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Oh, yeah, like the couple hundred DK's etc., you're right. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Just now, CPUWIZ said: Oh, yeah, like the couple hundred DK's etc., you're right. And my carts, and Bob's carts and so on. Those are just the ones I personally know about. I'm sure there are others that I have no clue about as well. Sure now there are one or two people making 7800 pcbs but as for pcbs in bulk you where the only source for many, many years. Something you don't get enough thanks for as well but that is another story for another day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+batari Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 This shell is too flexible to go without snaps. Other shells were able to forgo the snaps but these shells are designed differently. If you look at Coleco shells for the 2600, they are able to go without snaps at the bottom because the side walls of the shell are thick. The Atari shells taper from wide at the opening to thin on the side walls. There is no reason why you need thin side walls. Atari probably did it to save on plastic, which is probably a fraction of a penny each, but a lot when making millions, I suppose? You may not sell too many if you aren't willing to rework the design some more. That said, you might be able to save this design if you were willing to widen the sides of the shell to the same width as the opening. I know you want to call this "done" but what I am suggesting is simple. Adding thickness to the sides of the shells means removing a bit of material from the molds. But removing material is very easy, in this case. Any machine shop could do it in a few minutes, I am sure, if you explained carefully what you wanted done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 As is, I see myself interested in buying a couple of the pink ones for fun as having colors is neat. Having to gorilla glue the seams will be a bummer but I would do so for one offs. Here is hoping the molds get at least the fix that Batari has suggested above. It would benefit the seller and the buyers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 37 minutes ago, Shawn said: As is, I see myself interested in buying a couple of the pink ones for fun as having colors is neat. Having to gorilla glue the seams will be a bummer but I would do so for one offs. Here is hoping the molds get at least the fix that Batari has suggested above. It would benefit the seller and the buyers I suspect you can hold off on the glue as they hold together fairly well with the combination of the pegs and central screw. Maybe try them out however and see for yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 27 minutes ago, Starwander said: I suspect you can hold off on the glue as they hold together fairly well with the combination of the pegs and central screw. Maybe try them out however and see for yourself? I'll be holding off for now if they won't hold pcbs correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Maybe a 3D printed shim/bracket could be designed to help retain CPUWIZ's PCB, this would be a much more economical option than having an injection mold reworked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Bratwurst said: Maybe a 3D printed shim/bracket could be designed to help retain CPUWIZ's PCB, this would be a much more economical option than having an injection mold reworked. They fit perfectly into Atari shells, so I dunno. They are all the same measurement and I am pretty proud of that and the fact that my edge connector is perfect as well. I've compared them to non-standard ones, like the HSC (terrible PCB) and Concerto prototype. I think one that rattled was a 2600 PCB, but there should be no difference. Maybe it's some kind of warping, it's been really hot here in CA and I think they sat outside for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 @Starwander: If you want a couple of blank PCB's, send me a PM and pay for shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 9 hours ago, Shawn said: I'll be holding off for now if they won't hold pcbs correctly. I took some picture of the original Atari PCB board used for the design and the shells themselves. Its completely snug and doesn't move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 7 hours ago, CPUWIZ said: @Starwander: If you want a couple of blank PCB's, send me a PM and pay for shipping. Sounds good, send them my way and let me know the shipping cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 8 hours ago, Bratwurst said: Maybe a 3D printed shim/bracket could be designed to help retain CPUWIZ's PCB, this would be a much more economical option than having an injection mold reworked. Original PCB board and the new shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Fellows, I'd be more than happy to try designing a 3D printable bracket and make the file freely accessible if I could be loaned PCBs and some cartridge shells. I can cover shipping if you need me to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailChao Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 If you haven't done so already - I recommend trying to get in touch with developers, publishers, and distributors outside of the AtariAge community (I know Cote Gamers was looking for 2600 / 7800 shells awhile back). There might be more interest there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 7 hours ago, Starwander said: Sounds good, send them my way and let me know the shipping cost. Just tested 3 of my 7800 PCB's, they all fit perfectly, so I think warping is likely to blame, or it was a janky 2600 PCB. I'll send you a couple populated duds anyway, so you can see for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+batari Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 I am not worried about PCB fitment. PCBs are easy enough to change and I would definitely change a PCB to fit in a good quality shell. The only valid option here is to widen the sides of the shells. Literally a few minutes on the milling machine is all you need to fix the molds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+batari Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Look, I know I am being a bit hard on you about fixing these shells. Fact is, I would love it if there were a quality shell out there I could use for my own projects! But, these are simply not adequate for my projects unless you fix these the right way. I stand behind the quality of my stuff, and the quality of the shell is a part of that equation. If the shell is not up to snuff, I could see myself getting myriad returns and losing money and customers if I were to use these. That isn't worth it to me, at any price. My posts here are intended not as ribbing but as motivation for you to listen to what we are saying and make these shells better, and I have suggested a way to do that. If you do fix these shells the right way, you would have a customer in me, and likely in many others as well. If you don't, then chances are someone else will come along and design a better shell, and I would use those instead. If this happens, don't say you were not warned. So this is your chance to make it right. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 3 hours ago, batari said: Look, I know I am being a bit hard on you about fixing these shells. Fact is, I would love it if there were a quality shell out there I could use for my own projects! But, these are simply not adequate for my projects unless you fix these the right way. I stand behind the quality of my stuff, and the quality of the shell is a part of that equation. If the shell is not up to snuff, I could see myself getting myriad returns and losing money and customers if I were to use these. That isn't worth it to me, at any price. My posts here are intended not as ribbing but as motivation for you to listen to what we are saying and make these shells better, and I have suggested a way to do that. If you do fix these shells the right way, you would have a customer in me, and likely in many others as well. If you don't, then chances are someone else will come along and design a better shell, and I would use those instead. If this happens, don't say you were not warned. So this is your chance to make it right. Is there any way I can talk you into trying one of the shells? I will send you a free one if you would like. Just send me your address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 5 hours ago, CPUWIZ said: Just tested 3 of my 7800 PCB's, they all fit perfectly, so I think warping is likely to blame, or it was a janky 2600 PCB. I'll send you a couple populated duds anyway, so you can see for yourself. Thank it is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 12 hours ago, Bratwurst said: Fellows, I'd be more than happy to try designing a 3D printable bracket and make the file freely accessible if I could be loaned PCBs and some cartridge shells. I can cover shipping if you need me to. I can send you a free shell, let me know what color you would like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Starwander Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 10 hours ago, TailChao said: If you haven't done so already - I recommend trying to get in touch with developers, publishers, and distributors outside of the AtariAge community (I know Cote Gamers was looking for 2600 / 7800 shells awhile back). There might be more interest there. Thank you for the recommendation, much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 22 hours ago, Starwander said: I can send you a free shell, let me know what color you would like. Very cool of you to offer, but it sounds like CPUWIZ was able to sort out the PCB fitting issue. Maybe I could 3D print a brace that hugs the bottom inside and fills in the two slots on the label side, would anyone be interested in that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 10/14/2020 at 7:42 PM, Starwander said: Up for sale are my brand new Atari 7800 cartridge shells. I took the liberty of making some in a variety of colors I like however since I own the mold I can make other colors as well. These are made in the USA. The shells are designed off the original however do not feature the latches and instead have two pegs at the end to keep the two halves attached. Seems to work fairly well on my testing. These should fit most PCB boards however there seems to be a variety of boards used so I cannot guarantee 100% compatibility. They worked with the original PCB boards I tried. They are $5.99 each plus shipping and come with the center screw. These are in hand and ready to ship. Website To Order From I also own a mold for Atari Jaguar shells and Sega Genesis shells if anyone needs either of these. They are both USA molds as well. Do these hold together without the screw like the ones with the 4 snap in place tabs? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 32 minutes ago, Swami said: Do these hold together without the screw like the ones with the 4 snap in place tabs? Thanks. No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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