7800 High Score Cartridge
7800 High Score Cartridge
7800
High Score
Cartridge
For Use ONLY with the
Atari 7800 PROSystem.
A 7800 Systems, Inc. Product
An Atari-History.com owned Company.
http://www.atari-history.com
Introduction:
Congratulations on your purchase ofthe 7800 High Score Cartridge.
This cartridge is based on the original designs created in 1984. However In
the summer of 1984 Atari, Inc. was sold and the Atari 7800 PRosystem
game console was put on hold until it was finally re-released in 1986. The
accessories such as the High Score Cartridge and Computer Keyboard were
canceled and never produced.
Thanks to Gary Rubio, a former Atari Consumer Electronics Engineer
who provided Curt Vendel with both the original GCC schematic as well as
the original code for the High Seore Cartridge it has finally been designed,
laid out and built for gamers to use and enjoy.
(Picture of the 7800 High Score Cartridge)
Getting Started:
Your 7800 High Score cartridge is capable of saving up to 5 scores for
up to 13 different games. Only the first 9 games designed back in 1984
were written to support the 7800 High Score cartridge. These games
include:
Asteroids
Dig Dug
Centipede
Galaga
Joust
Ms. Pac Man
Xevious
Food Fight
Robotron 2084
Preparing your 7800 High Score Cartridge for use is simple.
Included in your package along with this manual and the 7800 High Score
cartridge is a plastic envelope containing a CR2032 3 volt lithium battery.
This battery supplies power to the onboard 16K of Static Memory inside of
the cartridge that will hold your high scores.
Contents:
1 Manual
1 High Score Cartridge
1 3volt battery
Installing the Battery:
1. Gently pry apart the top and bottom covers of the cartridge, they will
come apart easily. Once apart, place the bottom cover with the
cartridge board down onto a flat surface.
2. Remove the battery from its plastic bag and keeping the Positive (+)
side UP, slide the battery into the battery holder shown below: (Fig 1)
(Picture of 7800 High Score Cartridge cartridge board)
3. Place the top cover back over the cartridge board and gentle squeeze
the two halves back together. Your cartridge is now ready for use.
Using your High Score Cartridge:
Insert your High Score cartridge into your Atari 7800 PROsystem
with the label facing away from you. Now take your favorite Atari 7800
Prosystem game and plug it into the Pass-Thru connector on the TOP of the
7800 High Score Cartridge with its label facing AWAY from you.
Power on your Atari 7800 PROsystem. You should see the Atari Fuji
symbol cycling the rainbow of colors along with The name ATARI in the
center of the striped rainbow in the center of the screen. Your game should
start ts opening screen. Wait approximateLy 24 seconds md you will see
the PERSONALIZE CARTRIDGE screen appear.
(Picture of the PERSONALIZE CARTRIDGE screen)
Personalize Your High Score Cartridge:
Your 7800 High Score Cartridge is yours and you need to give it a
unique personalized title so that if you were to ever use your cartridge along
with someone else who also owned a 7800 High Score Cartridge you will
know who�s cartridge is who�s. You may enter a title of up to 32
characters long.
How to Personalize:
1. Moving the joystick plugged into the LEFTj oystick port, move it left-
right or up-down to move to the letter/character you wish to select,
then press the FIRE button.
2. Repeat step one until you have finished. Once finished move the
joystick until you see a solid BLOCK character, press the FIRE button
to finish.
3. If you make a mistake and need to ERASE a letter/character, move
the joystick until you see a left pointing arrow, this is the backspace
character, press the FIRE button to backspace and change the previous
letter/character.
4. Once finished your High Score cartridge will now store your
Personalized Title and you are ready to play your favorite game.
Saving High Scores:
1. Once a game is over, if your high score is higher then any of the 5
high scores on the cartridge you will go to the High Score entry screen
to enter your initials (Up to 3 Initials) or if your score did not beat any
of the top 5 you will be taken to the High Score screen to view the
current High Score holders.
2. If you are using the High Score Cartridge for the first time on a
particular game, there are no High Scores, so whatever the first 5
highest scores are will be entered into the High Score Cartridge
memory for you to add your initials to.
3. Move the Joystick left-right or up-down to select a letter/character
press the FIRE button to select. If you make a mistake, move to the
left pointing ARROW character, this is the backspace, press FIRE to
backspace.
4. When you have selected the 3 initials that you want to save a solid
BLOCK will appear as the forth character, press FIRE to save your
initials, the High Score screen will display for 10 seconds, then return
to the Attract Mode screen normally found on most Atari 7800 game
cartridges.
(Picture of the High Score screen)
Clearing Scores & Changing Personalized Name:
If for some reason you wanted to wipe out the High Scores for a
particular game or for all High Scores or if you wanted to change the
Personalized Name of your cartridge you can enter the Maintenance Mode
of the cartridge.
1. Insert a game that works with the High Score Cartridge such as
Asteroids on top of the High Score Cartridge.
2. Wait 24 seconds for the High Score Screen to appear.
3. Press and hold the PAUSE button and press the Select Button.
4. You are now in the Maintenance Mode screen. Select what you would
like to clear and press the FIRE button. Once complete move the
Joystick to DO Nothing and press FIRE and select YES and you will
EXIT the Maintenance Screen.
Changing Batteries:
If you need to install a new battery you need to remember that once
the battery is removed from your High Score Cartridge, even for just a
moment you will lose ALL Personalization and ALL High Scores for ALL
games. If this is not a problem the follow the LOSE MEMORY section, if
keeping your High Score is important and necessary, follow the RETAIN
MEMORY section.
LOSE MEMORY
1. Open the High Score Cartridge by gently prying the 2 halves apart,
remove the old battery (you may need a small flat heat screw driver to
gentle pop the old battery out of the battery holder.
2. Install new battery with the Positive (+) side facing UP and place the
two covers together and gentle squeeze them together until they snap
tight.
RETAIN MEMORY
This procedure is a little difficult, only perform it if you feel
comfortable working on the cartridge while it is plugged into the Atari 7800
PROsystem. Although performing this procedure will not and/or should not
damage your Atari 7800 PROsystem and/or 7800 High Score Cartridge, you
perform this procedure at your own risk. Curt Vendel and/or Gary Rubio is
not responsible/liable for damages which may occur by performing the
procedure below:
1. WARNING!!! Static shock can damage the components on the High
Score Board, before handling it, touch a piece of bare metal on a piece
of furniture or a (cold) radiator in your home/office to discharge any
static you may have built up on your person.
2. Open your High Score Cartridge and remove the board for the plastic
halves.
3. With the power OFF on you 7800 PROsystem, insert the High Score
board into the cartridge slot with the battery/components side of the
board facing AWAY from the front of the Atari 7800 PROsystem
console.
4. Turn the console power ON. The screen may be black or have
several lines on the screen, this is normal.
5. Using a small flat head screwdriver, CAREFULLY pry out the old
battery from the battery holder. (Power from the console is feeding
power to the 16K of Static Memory at this point, DO NOT power off
the console until after the new battery is installed)
6. With the Positive (+) side of the new CR2032 battery (available at
Radio Shack) facing up, slide it into the battery holder until it is firmly
in place.
7. Power OFF your Atari 7800 PROsystem console. Return the high
score board back onto the bottom halve (the one with the post) with its
components facing UP. Place the top halve (label on it) back on top
and gentle squeeze them together.
8. Test your cartridge by plugging it in, inserting a High Score
compatible game on top of it, power up and wait 24 seconds, if the
high score screen comes up then you saved your scores, if the
cartridge asks your to PERSONALIZE it, then you�ve lost the
onboard memory and your scores.
Troubleshooting:
Problem: When I plug a game in, its coming up with garbage characters or a blank
screen.
Remedy: 1. Reinsert High Score cartridge, then game on top High Score
Cartridge. Power ON and test again.
2. Cartridge contacts may be dirty and need cleaning. Open cartridge,
remove the High Score board and using a pencil eraser go over the cartridge
contacts (silver) at the bottom of the board on BOTH sides. Reassemble
cartridge, plug in and test again.
Problem: Scores are not saving, and/or everytime I power on the Atari 7800 console
with my High Score Cartridge it asks me to Personalize it.
Remedy: Battery is dead and/or not properly seated in battery holder. Check battery
and replace if necessary with a CR2032 battery available at Radio Shack.
Problem: I play a game, then when its over I�m taken to the High Score screen, but
the Personalized title is all garbled and all of the screens are very high with XAX or
similar initials in all 5 high score spots.
Remedy: No battery installed or battery is dead, replace with CR2032 battery
available at Radio Shack.
Problem: If I play for an extended period of time the Atari 7800 PROsystem console
will sometimes lock up and I can�t play anymore until I power off then back on.
Remedy: There is an overheat/lockup problem with the MARIA graphics processor
chip in the Atari 7800 PROsystem consoles which can cause this problem to occur, there
is no remedy to fix this problem.
Your 7800 High Score Cartridge should bring you
Years of use and fun....
ENJOY!
This document scanned by Mitchell Orman
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