Is there an atari doctor in the house?

[Ben_Larson]

Here's the situation: I have a 2600jr. It has several strange issues that I've noticed.

 

First, the sound is terrible - it's fuzzy and music tones are all out-of-key (more so than a normal Atari. ). Secondly, occasionally games go haywire in the middle of playing. For example, once I was playing Enduro and the screen slowly started to get weird, until it was completely unplayable. I don't know if this is just due to dirty connectors or if it's related to the first problem. Thirdly, I can see HMOVE lines sort of 'ghosting' all the way across the screen on certain colored backgrounds. This may just be some normal artifact of 2600jr graphics - I don't really know. I guess that's why I'm asking you guys.

 

The sound problem coupled with the games-going-haywire makes me suspect that maybe the TIA is going bad though. What do you guys think?

 

Ben

[Mindfield]

TIA is a possibility. I would also take a look at the voltage regulator and/or the AC adapter being used. If there are any heat issues or current fluctuations then this can certainly affect the unit's performance.