CrossBow

Tough one Steve. I don't have a top three but I've quite a few things that I think might qualify? My two Parker Bros protos for the 2600 I got about 20 years ago. My proto cart for the Jag that has the 2600 emulator on it with a few games that Bryan Edwaard created in the 90s. I believe this is a repro Bryan allowed to be made for a contest that I won this in. My Dreamcast KIOSK My Galaga cocktail cabinet My little VFD table top games of Lupin and Tron from Tomy, and my Zaxxon from Coleco. Heck most of them I have I think are pretty cool! My Ti-99 version of Dragon's Lair that I got as part of a deal with @- Ω - here in our forums. It would go on and on dude...

Thank you for the detailed explanation on it all Alex! But again, in this case the failed transistor is located where....? Inside the TIA. So I guess it is awesome to know what is failed in this case, but still stinks because it isn't something that can be fixed. Unless it were possible to just wire in an actual transistor to handle this externally on a small perf board or just wired into the system directly and then shrink wrapped up? Hmm... a bodge to allow a 95% working TIA to still be used for 100% functionality in a console. I'm kinda like the idea of this...

I've seen something similar to this before although not in the way I was seeing with a recent 4 switch console I was servicing. As part of diagnostics I will use Paul Slocum's excellent Test Cart program as it should some primary colors, shows the current state of all switches minus power of course, but also has a basic graphical view of each controller and small block on the bottom that will move left/right when you plug in paddles to test those too. So all in all a nice utility to know that all controller functions are working properly on the console. Well, on this one, player 1, player 2, and player 4 paddle controls would move from left to right and back turning the paddle as you would expect. But player 3 paddle control would just site on the left side, and then after a point when turning the paddle, it would suddenly just be on the right. No movement of any kind. Just one sec on the left, and then next thing you know it is on the right. So it was acting more like a digital control vs analog. It wasn't the paddles since I used the same set to test player 1 and 2 and that was working fine. Going through the service manual will yield some interesting stuff to help isolate this, but unless you have the diagnostic controller plugs and the 2.6 diagnostic rom, you aren't going to be able to see exactly what you need to see. But lets review that.. If you have the diagnostic plugs, plugged into the controller ports and the diagnostic rom up and running with the controller matrix screen up. Then you use an Oscilliscope to probe the paddle lines off the TIA pins 37,38,39, and 40. They represent player 4, 3, 2, and then player 1 on pin 40. Well, what you should see on your scope if you have it set to the right settings, is something like the picture below from the service manual: However, when I probed pin 38 that is for the player 3 paddle line. I was getting a flat line. Well, actually I was showing a flat line of about 1v but the point is...not pulse like you see in those pictures. (And btw...I was seeing that same pulse line on my o'scope for the other paddles). Well honestly there isn't much in the way of electronics from the controller port to the TIA where the paddles are read and handled. In fact, there is really only 1...just 1 component in the middle of the mix from the controller port to TIA. At least on the 4 switch and above units this is the case. That one component is usually a small ceramic disc, or poly capacitor that doesn't usually go bad. So I first checked that the traces from pin 5 of the player 2 controller port to that cap (C220) was good. It was, and then checked from the cap to pin 38 of the TIA. That too pinged out good. So I went ahead and replaced the capacitor just to see if anything changed. Sadly.... no. What did fix it? Well, if you've gotten this far and read my description of the very simple circuit from port to TIA... it should come as no surprise that is was the TIA itself. This is even more sad considering how rare these IC chips are now becoming and there isn't any projects I'm aware of to make new ones or something to replace the TIA. But yeah... if you find the paddle lines aren't working, chances are that it is the TIA chip itself that has failed if the actual traces are good. Apparently this was less of an issue with earlier 2600s as they used buffer ICs to help control this and therefore the TIA was more protected. Just more cost cutting at work as the console lived on...

I know I've gone on and on about this cartridge in the past but it really is quite amazing given all the systems is can support. At this time, all of the 7800 original released titles minus Choplifter will play properly. Choplifter exhibits a timing issue through the cartridge that actually happens with actual carts on actual hardware as well. But here the BBPro seems to make it show up on all consoles vs just a few that have been encountered in the field. Additionally, the adapter and firmware updates have also gotten quite a few more homebrews working as well. Many of Muddyvision's earlier releases work properly now without graphical glitching and with proper Pokey emulation as well. Some of the more exotic stuff using complex combos of RAM + Bankswitching+ Pokey..etc are still not working but perhaps in time those too will be possible.

If you have Spiceware's Parrot bus stuffing demo, that will tell you pretty easily. that demo will NOT work on any 7800 I've seen with the extra timing circuit in place. It is a 2600 demo but runs even on the original older Harmony. So that is one program I use to test for it without taking the console apart.

Can't really tell by SN no. Pretty sure the extra timing circuit started to show up in '87 made units. But it was only for about a year because most of the units I've had that were made in the way late 87 and '88 had the spots to populate the parts for the circuit, but bypassed it with a zero ohm resistor. So it seems to have been something that was only needed temporarily until they sourced other parts to align with each other better on timing to no longer require it is my best guess.

I just took at look at your main board pics, and that one does NOT have the extra timing circuit present. So I do think that Space Rocks is one game that is affected by the extra timing circuit being in place or not. I didn't work on or sell @socrates63 the 7800 he is using, so I don't know what mods or work was done on his 7800. But again, I wonder if it has the extra timing circuit and if it still active in circuit.

I think that is because at least for me... I don't consider the VCS adapter as being practical for playing 2600 games on. And, your is AV upgraded and won't work with the VCS adapter anyway at this point. Or at least, it won't show a picture from the device since that doesn't go through the UAV.

Yeah, in further discussion on this and in looking at a base sample of pics of 7800s I've done over the past 2 years. It seems that roughly 1 in 4 will have that 74x32 chip in them. And I've never noticed any issues with the s-video output that I could tell? So I'm curious if examples can be provided to show me the difference and exactly what value resistance was added and how it was added exactly? Also, we are getting way off topic so this should likely be moved to its own dedicated thread and I can't apologize enough for that!

Yes I have one of the earlier run 7800GDs. But I can only get my Rad2x to work with it the best so far. I've actually just placed an order for another Rad2x that I can use with it dedicated going foward. Although I could try to filter down the sync signal off the encoder of the 7800GD using a resistor and capacitor as I've done on some consoles and run that to provide a new c-sync to see if that works better. I did try kill the trace between the sync and composite pin outputs on the cartridge and soldered a 75ohm resistor between them. I can get stable video, but the audio keeps dropping out so it still isn't quite good. Cleggy also sent me a PM about your s-video output being too bright on your NTSC console? I've not encountered that myself so I'm not sure if it is something I will look for or not going forward.

Well, what isn't on that git hub is a newer version of the Kilo BIOS that should allow the BackBit Pro to work since it won't work with PAL BIOS, or the modified BIOS that have games included. But I've not tested it yet since I don't have an Eprom burner of my own.

i figured you already had it since that French guy on the AA forums stated he had one? It isn't a secret now that Bob has the entire thing hosted on github for folks to snag and burn them own so I figured that too was where you were getting it from.

Though I can't test for it myself and I know you have access to it now, since I've seen mention of it being used in places where I know I never sold it... The Kiloparsec BIOS is supposed to have stuff in place to help with 2600 brew compatibility on PAL 7800s?

Oh...that might be one that is effected by the extra timing circuit that some 7800s have. Disabling that part of the 7800 would likely correct the issue for you. I don't own that physically, but I know Space Rocks works in all of my flash carts I've used with my 7800. Well those that support games of that type anyway.

Which 2600 'brews' didn't work on your 7800? Granted I've not played much less own all of them, but all the ones I've played and bought have never been a problem for me?

There is no mention of an SDcard slot. That said, it could still be possible to 'hack' these in the future through the USB port for power provided it includes data lines on it. But it is confirmed to be an emulation device that works in the same way the Retron-77 does. Only it can do 2600 and 7800 games and the compatibility list is a bit better than the R-77 I'm told. But being an emulation device that is dumping the game contents will pretty much mean that most modern home brews that use additional hardware in the cartridge are a no go for this thing. It also isn't known what emulators they are using for the games. And yes, I've already put in a pre-order because of course I did...

There is a picture of them showing how you use with the front loader? So I assume it does work, you just can't press the cartridge down. Kinda like how it was using a Game Genie back in the day.

Ordered this about a week ago and got it in yesterday. This might just be the quickest I've ever bought something from LRG to have it arrive a week later. Though to be fair these were already made up and ready to be sent so... But yeah I picked up the PS4 version of Blade Runner enhanced. I own the original PC game and have since it was new back in '97 but having a way to play it more comfortably on my much larger display in the game room is always preferred. This version is the VHS edition of the release that was apparently only available during the San Diego Comic Con and this is from the left overs they had after the convention. Very nice presentation overall as it comes in a VHS like slip cover that even has artificial wear along the edges like VHS covers would develop over the years. Inside that is a box that looks like a VHS tape that contained the standard PS4 release of the game along with a cool steel book case you can put the game into instead. I was able to spend a bit of time playing it last night and it isn't without its issues. (I knew this before buying it). The video cinematics have some stuttering issues that seems odd considering I have an SSD installed into my PS4 and there is an odd pause hitch that occurs constantly when playing the game in that just moving the cursor around will occasionally make it pause for a second as you move it. Kinda annoying but nothing that has been serious to game play as yet. I was still able to score 49 points in the shooting range in the game the first time I played through it so the controls aren't that bad. The enhanced art however is a very mixed bag. In the cinematics where they have enhanced it, it looks good and seems to run at 60fps now vs the 30 or whatever the originals did. But on the actual gameplay screens, the enhanced graphics seemed to obscure some texture details more than the originals provided even though the original graphics are quite jagged and have quite a bit of noise in their image compression vs the enhanced. I think what they did was apply some AI upscaling on the original graphics and basically did a single pass of it and called it good enough? Not sure but I'm still enjoying the game all the same!

That village area is the main are where you can essentially just park yourself with machine gun and just keep taking out soldiers left and right with minimal risk to yourself. Here is one of those locations. If you bring the screen down just a little bit further, this prevents solders from sneaking up from the bottom of the screen but they still come out the of the village door openings constantly. It is also rare for a soldier to sneak up from the left or right side of the screen here. They will come out from the left and right above those builders on the upper half of the screen, but then they have t walk down between the buildings to get you and you can easily take them out before they turn to shoot at you. So yeah..if you scroll up a bit more so that the bottom left building in the above pic is off screen, but still have room to move between it and the others you have in the middle of this pic, then stay to the left side... Well, you get the idea. Also somewhere on AtariAge, someone mapped out all the hidden POW locations (Unique to the 7800 version I believe), for those bonus points. I can't recall if these locations can be opened again, when you get through both tours of duty though.

I worked with Bob (PacManPlus) to get that done for Al. He supplied the special 3D printed case shell and I swapped everything into it with a UAV + mount board setup. He was showing Bob's games on it throughout the show. But that case is a one off special done for Al and AtariAge. I have a similar case shell with black bottom and red top with the Atari 7800 logo in the middle in black. It also has Bob's Kiloparsec BIOS installed as well. The one I have is my lab test unit. But the shell was designed with AV upgrades in place as it already has nicely centered holes for RCAs and the half moon hole for the s-video jacks I use.

Wait! is that Father Torque from Full Throttle on the bike on the first row of vehicles?! And yes I really dig all the 80s car references. Additionally the water being more of a sewer at least makes more sense on why the Frog would die if he jumped into it vs the water from all other games.

Yeap...cause it could very well look like this inside... This is what most of the OG caps in GGs look like at this point. Notice the yellowing appearance where the caps are soldered to the board vs actual shiny solder? That is the electrolyte having leaked out and corroding the leads, solder, and solder pad underneath. When you crack the glue loose that holds the caps down, you can really see what this starts to look like... Looks tasty ehh? Now this is a typical GG. I've seen some that were worse where the leads were basically eaten through and in some more extreme cases, traces on the PCB that get eaten away due to the corrosion. So yeah... GG recaps are mandatory at this point for pretty much every model. This is all a result of the great capacitor plague of the 90s due to formulae stealing and corp espionage. I remember reading all about it when it happened back in the day.

Oh Snap! My cover is blown as you managed to catch me in two of those pics!

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Do note that on Commando on some of the levels in the game, there are spots where you can essentially just park yourself and keep mowing down enemy soldiers without much if any risk of death to yourself. I've done this several times to rack up scores in the millions. I guess it could be seen as an cheat or something, but it is just taking advantage of how the game was coded. I own the actual arcade cabinet for this game and I do find that the 7800 version is one of the more better arcade ports for the home to play! But yeah... you can cheese this one to get a bunch of free men. I usually just shut it off after a bit because I get tired and just turn off the system.