Assistance Please :D

[tankgirl63w]

Ok….somebody help me out. Found my old Atari 2600 in g-pa’s closet. Tried it out over the wkend, guess what..doesn’t work…problem #1 . 3 controllers, 2 missing joystick covers, don’t know if work bcuz (u guessd it) system doesn’t work…prob #2 . And #3..12 games, don’t know if they work either bcuz (say it all togethr now)...system doesn’t work ; I have Pac-Man, Video Pinball, Combat (tank, tankpong, invisitank, biplane, & jetfighter), 64 telegames (hyperspace & thrustcontrl), Laser Blast, 3 Space Invaders (don’t ask me how), Joust, Golf, Spider Fighter, and Asteroids.

Are any of them worth anything? Who repairs Ataris these days anywho?

Can somebody help me out b4 I do something stupid, say sell them for an idiotic price or let them meet my friend mr. Garbage man .

Thank you

[Osmeroid]

Okay tankgirl, so please describe just what you see when you fire up the ol' 2600. Are you certain that it is tuned into your TV correctly?

 

The 2600 is usually pretty easy to maintain and it could be just a simple cleaning problem - this is VERY common. A 2600 usually turns into a dirt magnet very quickly!!

 

 

Os.

[+FujiSkunk]

Ok….somebody help me out.  Found my old Atari 2600 in g-pa’s closet.  Tried it out over the wkend, guess what..doesn’t work…problem #1

 

Details are your friends. How is it not working? Do you see any kind of picture on your television when you turn it on? How are you connecting the Atari to your television? Did you try both channels 2 and 3? Are there any cuts or fraying on your power cord?

 

3 controllers, 2 missing joystick covers, don’t know if work bcuz (u guessd it) system doesn’t work…prob #2    .  And #3..12 games, don’t know if they work either bcuz (say it all togethr now)...system doesn’t work ; I have Pac-Man, Video Pinball, Combat (tank, tankpong, invisitank, biplane, & jetfighter), 64 telegames (hyperspace & thrustcontrl), Laser Blast, 3 Space Invaders (don’t ask me how), Joust, Golf, Spider Fighter, and Asteroids.

Are any of them worth anything? Who repairs Ataris these days anywho?

Can somebody help me out b4 I do something stupid, say sell them for an idiotic price or let them meet my friend mr. Garbage man .

Thank you 

860499[/snapback]

 

Most of the games you listed are fairly common, and none are what I would call rare, so you don't have to worry about potentially throwing away a gold mine. Even so, I would beg you never to throw away old 2600 stuff! Most likely the games still work, and the odds are favorable that the controllers also still work, even with the missing covers. Even if you decide you don't want to keep the system, somebody here would be very happy to take it off your hands.

 

Welcome to AtariAge!

[Mindfield]

Ok….somebody help me out.  Found my old Atari 2600 in g-pa’s closet.  Tried it out over the wkend, guess what..doesn’t work…problem #1    .  3 controllers, 2 missing joystick covers, don’t know if work bcuz (u guessd it) system doesn’t work…prob #2    .  And #3..12 games, don’t know if they work either bcuz (say it all togethr now)...system doesn’t work ; I have Pac-Man, Video Pinball, Combat (tank, tankpong, invisitank, biplane, & jetfighter), 64 telegames (hyperspace & thrustcontrl), Laser Blast, 3 Space Invaders (don’t ask me how), Joust, Golf, Spider Fighter, and Asteroids.

Are any of them worth anything? Who repairs Ataris these days anywho?

Can somebody help me out b4 I do something stupid, say sell them for an idiotic price or let them meet my friend mr. Garbage man .

Thank you 

860499[/snapback]

 

PURPLE!!!

 

Ahem. Okay, now then. There are indeed a number of people who can repair Ataris here. I can tinker, but I don't have the tools to properly test everything, so I'm limited pretty much to changing ICs I already know to be dead 'n stuff.

 

As has been said, details are a good thing; whether you get any kind of picture or not (even just a black screen) is a good start.

 

A tip to start off with:

 

Take some Q-Tips and some rubbing alcohol. Dip the Q-Tips into the rubbing alcohol and swap the contacts (the gold metal strips on the edge connector in the open end of the cartridge). Swab 'em down good, both sides, then let 'em dry a minute or two, then try them out. Atari carts frequently get dirty over time, and cleaning them is pretty much a frequent ritual for any collector. An alternative (or additional action) is to take a small pencil eraser and rub it over the contacts like you were "erasing" the dirt. That helps too, but you have to make sure to blow out all the eraser leavings.

 

Even if this isn't the (only) problem it never hurts.

[Atari Rescue Group]

If it was in the closet for all this time it should still work. Bad power supply or wrong RF connection are the likely reasons.

[Nukey Shay]

Keep in mind that while the cord that plugs into the television will fit the composite connection (i.e. the "video in" jack), it is NOT designed to do so. The cord from the console must be adapted to fit the RF (antenna in) jack. You can use a TV/game switchbox to do this, or even just an RCA-to-F adapter. The 2600 was designed at a time when seperate audio/video connections were not common on televisions.

[Gateway]

One more suggestion:

 

Please turn off the large purple text in the future. It's making my eyes hurt!

 

Plus, you don't want to piss off Random Terrain.

 

Welcome to AtariAge!

 

P.S. Do NOT click on any of NE146's links!

 

[keilbaca]

One more suggestion:

 

Please turn off the large purple text in the future. It's making my eyes hurt!

 

Plus, you don't want to piss off Random Terrain. 

 

Welcome to AtariAge!

 

P.S. Do NOT click on any of NE146's links!

 

862508[/snapback]

 

LOL!!!!

 

I can fix atari's (gotta fix Kepone's...), but most likely it is of two problems. You are plugging it into the Video In Composite jack, when it needs the RF switchbox, or the power supply is dead. One of the two is very possible, along with you had it tuned to the wrong channel. More details, then we can go from there.