RickR

Still here!

Sorry for the lack of posts/updates, etc.
Still working & much busier. The island is still quiet and peaceful.
The internet still works great, I'm a member of the volunteer fire department (FF1, Treasurer & Lieutenant, not sure how I got that last responsibility, since I still haven't seen a real fire yet), assistant coach for the boys basketball team & just enjoying the solitude. Oh & we had a tornado last October. 😀 🌪️
I'll do better at sharing more pics/videos if you're interested.

So, Sting Ray Afternoons is a MUST read. This book was fantastic & right up our (as in age group) alley. He's not much of a gamer & is a little older than (most) of us, but it's a wonderful nostalgia trip. I highly recommend it.
SRAs ends when the author graduates high school. He has since announced a sequel that picks up where SRAs leaves off.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316419435/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_1sUDCb72C96KB
 

An 83 megabyte cartridge that will run on an UNEXPANDED TI-99/4A!
 
 

I suppose I better live up to my review, lol.
Seems to me a big part of getting a high score is the simple luck of where some of the tanks pop up. I played a bunch of games to get this one.
70,000 (Atari GH Vol 1 DS, Played on a 3DS XL)

 

An update!  Here's a picture of the old girl on my shelf.  And also, a picture of the re-fixed axle.  The original repair broke after a few forays onto the carpet.  But now it's exoxy and a metal clip and it seems to be holding much better.
 

Cleaning complete.  Re-assembly complete.  Should we take a poll about whether it works?
 
Naw!  It works!  It works nicely.  The only thing wrong at this moment is that the "laser" light bulb is burnt out.  I'll need to find a new one, and it's kind of a strange bulb.  The repaired front axle appears to be fine.  I am stoked! 
 

I just purchased a Milton Bradley Big Trak on ebay.  It was in broken/parts/as-is condition.  The price was right, and I thought it would be fun to try and restore it. 
For those that are unfamiliar -- the Big Trak was an electronically programmable toy vehicle from 1982.  More info here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trak
I always wanted one, thanks to commercials like this:
I thought I could skip the apple and deliver a beer to my father.  Alas, the budget would never allow for this purchase.  Until now!
Well, the Big Trak arrived yesterday.  As advertised, in pretty sad shape.  Lots of dirt and grime, a broken battery terminal, and worst of all, a broken front axle.  So I immediately got busy.  I took apart the wheels and applied some epoxy to that broken axle.  Everything removed got washed.  Next steps are to take the top off and see what's going on with the electronics.  And replace that battery terminal.
I've got mixed expectations.  I think at the low end, I may end up with a Big Trak that is cosmetically good, but doesn't work.  I'd be ok with that...it will look great on a shelf.  Best case, I get it fully working. 
The main body section, not yet opened:



 
Broken battery connector:

 
Fixing Axel Foley.  Using a lot of epoxy will make it stronger, and it will still fit in it's slot.


 
Removed parts have been washed.

 

I don't know why I never noticed this before.  I was adding a manual to my Atari Bowling box and noticed something kind of cool.  Whoever had this box before me wrote down their high scores on the top flap!  The box is pretty beat up, but I think these scores make it pretty neat.
 
 
 
 

I thought I'd do a quick write up on the Atari Flashback 9, which has two features that make it VERY worthwhile.
It has an SD card slot (to load any game file you like) It has HDMI output (razor sharp video on a flatscreen TV) These two features work really nicely.  I am getting great output on my flatscreen (my pictures don't do it justice).  And we have all been clamoring for a 2600 that uses an SD card slot.  It does use emulation, but I think it's really well done.  I haven't noticed any sound or graphics glitches. 
I want to thank Arenafoot for his flashback portable gamepack (available from the AtariAge forums), as that's what I used on mine.  There is one small quirk I should mention.  The Flashback 9 won't load a file if there is a space in the filename.  I used a batch file renamer program to remove spaces from all of the files in Arenafoot's pack.  And BOOM, they all work. 
I bought mine used on ebay.  I think you can get them new for $60 or so on Amazon.  IMO, avoid the "Gold" version.  It comes with "wireless" controllers and I don't like the lag those introduce, plus they have to be aimed at the console.  
This product is made by atgames.  In this case (and also with the portable), they deserve a lot of credit and praise.  I really feel that this is an outstanding product. 
Let me know if you have any questions or need help in any way.
 
 

Latest recently re-testing my main Desktop. 
UserBenchmarks: Game 70%, Desk 74%, Work 57%
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1500X - 75.9%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060-6GB - 72.4%
SSD: Adata XPG SX900 128GB - 77.1%
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016) - 112.6%
HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB - 89.2%
RAM: Unknown V02D4LF8GB5285282400 2x8GB - 86.6%
MBD: Asus PRIME B350M-A
 
 

May as well put this here.  It's a good review and helpfully goes over the scoring and gameplay.
 
 

The original arcade game is amazing and something I wish I had in my home! Amazing that Atari got the license to make the actual arcade game and lost the home console license to Parker Bros. It's this type of thinking and management style that helped bring about Atari's downfall. This is a nice 2600 game though, and a GREAT review!

66,000
 

66,000
 

Oh yeah, a 7800 version would have been fantastic I'm sure. 

It really is an amazing game for the 2600.  They took liberties with the graphics, but it ends up working really well.  I think it was developed by Mike Feinstein of GCC, who had a hand in a lot of other of the later, well-done ports on the 2600. 

Looks like fun. 

That game will pump you up. 

I thought I'd do a quick write up on the Atari Flashback 9, which has two features that make it VERY worthwhile.
It has an SD card slot (to load any game file you like) It has HDMI output (razor sharp video on a flatscreen TV) These two features work really nicely.  I am getting great output on my flatscreen (my pictures don't do it justice).  And we have all been clamoring for a 2600 that uses an SD card slot.  It does use emulation, but I think it's really well done.  I haven't noticed any sound or graphics glitches. 
I want to thank Arenafoot for his flashback portable gamepack (available from the AtariAge forums), as that's what I used on mine.  There is one small quirk I should mention.  The Flashback 9 won't load a file if there is a space in the filename.  I used a batch file renamer program to remove spaces from all of the files in Arenafoot's pack.  And BOOM, they all work. 
I bought mine used on ebay.  I think you can get them new for $60 or so on Amazon.  IMO, avoid the "Gold" version.  It comes with "wireless" controllers and I don't like the lag those introduce, plus they have to be aimed at the console.  
This product is made by atgames.  In this case (and also with the portable), they deserve a lot of credit and praise.  I really feel that this is an outstanding product. 
Let me know if you have any questions or need help in any way.
 
 

That game will pump you up. 

That game will pump you up. 

Reviewing & ranking my 35th Intellivision game.
This one rocks!
Ep 533: Dig Dug
 

http://www.ataricompendium.com/game_library/classifieds/o2carts.html

Second attempt.  

Here we go.  Right settings.  26,000.  Brutal game.
 

Giant Ichiro protects the trophy after Pike beeped twice.