unoclay Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 At the risk of destroying a mystery i've enjoyed since childhood---and has probably been answered here 1000s of times---could anyone explain (to a lay person) what that "click" sound is that comes from (i presume) the RF switch when you turn on the Atari 5200? I cant think of a single other system i own that make a physical sound of that type when powering it up--like a physical piece moving/clicking into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 It's literally a physical relay that connects the RF signal from the Atari when power is applied, and otherwise allows the RF passthrough from whatever else is connected to the switchbox. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 im a dolt--where in the picture is the actual thing that clicks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 38 minutes ago, unoclay said: im a dolt--where in the picture is the actual thing that clicks? The relay is the clear box in the center of the board. In fact if you have the system already connected up but not the power plug, you will heart a faint click when you first plug it in without even powering on the system. I believe that is the standby power kicking in waiting for the power switch to be pressed and kick in the video and power officially into the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Don’t know why, but I’ve always loved the “click” sound.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 me too. The closest equivalent is the sound the famicom disc drive makes when it moves* the tray pieces to load the disc. *When its working. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 23 hours ago, sramirez2008 said: Don’t know why, but I’ve always loved the “click” sound.? Mee too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 @DrVenkman that was a very good photo. I decided to straighten it a tad and make a couple of adjustments... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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