The Professor

Atari forum,

 One of the games I worked on was Qwak!.  It was a duck shooting game and I
 don't recall if I made the original cabinet but Al Alcorn called me into his
 office one day to talk about the gun used to shoot the ducks.  He had found a
 source for the rifle stocks in Mexico and knowing I had once been a machinist
 asked me to fly down there to check it out to see if they could supply up to
 100 per day.  I had never done anything like this before but it was Al Alcorn
 asking so I boarded a plane at the San Jose airport a couple days later
 carrying a rifle stock wrapped in brown paper.

 I had to change planes in LAX for a plane to Lindbergh field in San Diego.  When
 I put the stock through the xray machine the operator motioned to a guard who
 came over, and with gun drawn, ordered me "up against the wall".  Apparently
 they didn't like me bringing a gun onto their plane.  I explained what it was,
 what I was doing and showed them my Atari badge.  They unwrapped the stock and
 inspected it for several minutes and sent me on my way.

 From San Diego I drove a rent-a-car across the border to the wood shop which
 wasn't much more than a barn with a dirt floor.  There were 10-12 tracer
 lathes all running and all producing the same part.  There were boxes and boxes
 of finished parts stacked around the barn.  The man who owned the shop spoke
 perfect English, took the stock I had, set it up in one of the tracer lathes and
 made one in a few minutes.  I knew they could supply all we needed. I left
 the stock there not wanting to get put "up against the wall" on the way back.

 After that the gun became my project.  All the electrical engineering had been
 done but I worked on the cable harness, holster and a method of securing it to
 the cabinet so it wouldn't get stolen.  When that was done I got the game ready
 for production.

 Qwak! only sold about 250 units even though it was a good game.  When a duck
 was shot out of the air it spun down to the bottom of the screen and a dog
 would run along the bottom, grab the dead duck and drag it off the screen.
 I heard one time that the biggest complaint was that the player couldn't
 shoot the dog.
 
Jerryd
 

RickR,
 I don't have any pictures from those days but you can type in GRAN TRAK 10
 and go to Wikipedia.  There is a picture of the flyer made for that game.
 I'm in the fire suit and the girl is a secretary, I think her name is karen.

 The article mentions that "it was initially sold to distributors at a loss".
 My contribution to that problem was to have the door, door frame and
 coin slot made at a local sheet metal shop for about 1/2 of what we had
 been paying for it.
Jerryd
 

Wow!  If you have any pictures, scan and share those too if it's not too much trouble. 

Atari forum,

 Nolan Bushnell was about 30 at the time and a fun, interesting, charismatic
 guy.  The kind of person who, when he walked into a room everyone would stop
 and look in his direction.

 He would often ride his bike to work and enter the plant back by the loading
 doors.  Then he would wheel his bike all the way through the assembly area to
 his office.

 My wife, kids and I were at a restaurant in San Jose one Saturday morning
 when Nolan walked in.  We invited him over and he ate breakfast with us.  He
 knew my kids because I often brought them with me when I went into work on
 weekends.  My kids were quite young, maybe 4 or 5, when they first started to
 come with me.  I would put a chair in front of the games for them to stand on
 and show them how to trip the coin acceptor switch to start the game.  They
 had the run of the building and must have thought it was a magical place.

 At one point we expanded Nolan's office and when I was finished with a game
 prototype I would put it the expanded part so I spent a lot of time in his office.
 After a while it looked like his own private arcade.  He liked it because he
 had managed an arcade while he was in college.
 
 He wanted to teach me the Japanese game of Go but we never got
 around to it.

 When I was in there one day I told him I was trying to buy my first house.
 He immediately said "I can't give you any money but I can give you a raise".
 "You will have to transfer to my department and get your pay checks from
 accounts payable".  This was fine with me and actually nothing really changed
 as far as me working in the lab and reporting to my boss Don.  Being in the
 same department as Nolan would eventually prove to be a big problem for me.

 On Halloween Nolan would wear a pig costume and walk around in it all day.  It
 was pink suit,  kind of like the one Ralphie got for Christmas in the movie
 "A Christmas Story",  Nolan's also had and plastic pig head.

 One year for his birthday we wanted to get him a large stuffed animal that
 looked like a pig but could only find one that looked a little bit like Mickey
 mouse. It was almost 4 feet tall and stood up. Nolan liked it and named him
 "Chuck".  He put it in the hall right outside his office door.
 
 Sometime later Nolan told me he was going to start a new venture, not video
 games,  and wanted me to be part of it.  I said "I'm in" and that was the last
 I heard about it.  He would go off sailing for months at a time,  he actually
 won some races to Hawaii,  and I eventually left Atari.  I walked into a
 restaurant a few years later and saw Nolan and Joe Keenan at a table. I sat
 with them and Nolan said "you could have been part of this".
 It was "Chuck e Cheese".

 Over the years I would run into him at electronic shows and other events and
 he was always the same bigger than life guy.

 When I retired, many years later, I called him up and we had a nice long talk
 about "the old days".  I forgot to ask him if he still had "Chuck".

 Sorry to post these like short stories but I'm trying to keep them in
 chronological order and I'm also trying to remember them as accurately as
 possible.

Jerryd
 

It came!  That didn't take long. 
 
All the way from Netherlands.

 
This is what comes in the bag: 

 
I chose a Combat with a bad label (and no end label) as the shell donor:

 
While I have the cart taken apart, I clean everything up with alcohol and a cotton ball:

 
A quick test after assembly (and before I put the stickers on):

 
And finally, I put the stickers on using a Yars' Revenge to make sure I orient them correctly:

 

I love hearing these stories, please keep sharing!

Every Atari story, no matter how small, is another piece of history saved for all time. Thank you for sharing your memories with us Jerryd, it's sincerely appreciated. How cool it must've been to be there at the beginning. 

Atari forum,

 My boss in the lab was Don and the first thing he did was put a small
 aluminum box on my desk and said "see what you can do with this".  It was
 about 4 X 4 X 2 inches, had an on/off switch on the side and a panel on
 the top with 4 leds and 4 buttons.  It was the first prototype for the "Touch
 Me" game, the forerunner of "Simon".  I played it all day.  It wasn't a very
 successful game but we had an arcade size prototype in the lab and we would
 play it as a 4 player game.  Each player was assigned to a button and as the
 game progressed everyone would forget when it was their time to press their
 button.  It was a hilarious.

 Later that week I attended an in house class that taught all new engineers the
 circuity used in Pong, concentrating on the composite sync signal.  I think the
 instructor's name was Mac.  I had a basic understanding of electronics
 including integrated circuits and transistors but much of this was new to me.

 On the wall in the classroom was a clock that was upside down, the face was a
 mirror image and it ran back words.  I thought "welcome to Atari" which was
 starting out to be different than any other place I had ever worked.

 After the class I was pretty much left alone to figure out where I could
 best contribute to the success of this amazing company.

 The production floor at Atari similar to most.  It was a large open area with
 a flow solder machine and pc board assembly on one end and final assembly for
 the cabinets on the other end.  There were probably about 100 people working
 in that area.  During break time the final assembly workers played foosball
 on a machine set up in their area.

 On the final assembly end of the building there was a model shop run by a guy
 named Holly.  He had 5 or 6 young men working for him making parts for the
 game currently in production.  In the shop there was a lathe, milling machine,
 router, thermal forming machine, table saw, etc.  Most of this equipment was
 very familiar to me because I had been a machinist at one time.  Holly and I
 struck up an instant friendship and I had the run of the shop.

 There was a large fish tank in the lobby made of inch thick plexiglass.  I
 later learned that it was made in this shop.

 With all this equipment available to me I convinced my boss that I could build
 the cabinet, mount the TV, make the wire harness, install the coin handling,
 and basically make the first complete prototype for any new game. I would just
 need help with the graphics on the cabinet because I have no art gene.

 This became my function but it didn't make our mechanical designers or
 draftsmen very happy because when I completed a prototype game I would put it
 next to their drawing board and have then measure what I made and make
 drawings.  There was no thinking or creativity left for them to do.

 I'll post more as I try to recall events from over 40 years ago.

 Thanks for viewing.
Jerryd
 

GREAT history Jerryd! Thank you for sharing with everyone. It's wonderful to have you here, welcome to the site! 

Yes Please! I would like to hear more!
How long did you work there?

Welcome.  Great first post. 

Please do write more, that was awesome! Thanks for sharing Jerry! =D

Atari forum,
 I don't know how many people check this site but if there are some views I
 will post some stories about when I worked at Atari in the very early days.

 Here's how I got hired.

 In 1973 I found an ad in the San Jose Mercury News want ad section for a
 production job at Atari.  I didn't know what they did but the ad mentioned
 soldering and wiring and I had electronics training in the Navy.

 I went to the factory in Los Gatos and got an interview right away.  The lady
 doing the interview said that before we got too far along she wanted to show
 me the production floor to see if I could work in that environment.  On the way
 I saw my first Pong game in the hallway.  It had just gone out of production.
 
 As we toured the plant I could see why some people might not feel comfortable
 working here.  At the time I was 30 and most of the workers were much younger
 than me and many were dressed like hippies.  They were making "Gotcha".  At
 one end of the production floor there was a large sign that read "SUB ASS" short
 for sub assembly.  On the other end there was a moving assembly line for final
 assembly.  It all looked exciting to me.

 Back in her office she asked me a lot of questions and at one point said "I
 think I'm going to have you talk to our VP of engineering, Al Alcorn".

 His office was down at the far end of the building right outside the engineering
 lab.  He was an imposing figure who I instantly realized was very sure of himself
 and very into his job.

 He saw on my resume that I had worked at a small start up company, there was a
 lot of them in those days,  so he was very proud to tell me how he was Atari's
 first engineer when it was just a start up.  We had something in common.

 We talked start ups for a while and then he drew some circuits on his black
 board, yes it was a black board not a white board.  I stumbled my way through
 that, he showed me around the lab and offered me a job.  I started the next
 day.

 If there is much interest I will post more.

 Thanks,
Jerryd
 

The 2600 version of Star Strike has no visible score counter or timer, as far as I can tell. That's the only one I can think of right now.

A viewer recently made a comment alluding to the fact that almost all 2600 games have some sort of a scoring system. 
It got me thinking: What non-homebrew 2600 games have no scoring of any kind? (For this question, I would include timers in games as a way to keep score)
 
So far the only game I can think of is Adventure.

Count me "in", but consider me to be the first cut if we end up with an odd number of participants. I'll just do the food bank donation if that ends up being the case.
 
Wish list posted later. Thanks!

IN
 
I'll post my wishlist later. Hmmm.
 
@Atari Creep: Sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon & if there's anything we can do, just say the word.

Hey guys!!!! I have thought about this long and hard and as a result of current circumstances I will not be participating in this years Secret Santa. Sadly my physical health has worsen and the doctor put me on new restrictions that conflicted with my current job and have not worked in over 2 months. I was hoping to find work that worked around my restrictions by now but that has been a fail.  
 
As a result I am unable to provide any Christmas for my lady nor her kids this year (she will front me gifts for the kids) and I wouldn't feel right participating in something like this if I couldn't do for them first. Also, I have debts with members here that I am trying to get corrected and that takes next priority after my family. 
 
I had SO much fun with last years SS and was looking forward to it all year but life happens!!!! I will make it up to ya (who ever I get) next year!!!!
 
Have fun guys and have a fun, safe and HAPPY Holiday season!!!!!!!    

I'm in!

Here's some stuff I've been looking for, but more ideas can be found at my Wish List

 

2600 

Polaris

Quest For Quintana Roo

Star Wars: The Arcade Game

Stargunner

Tanks But No Tanks

 

Intellivision

Hover Force

Pole Position

Truckin' Box ,Map, Instructions (already have the game)

 

NES

GI Joe 2: Atlantis Factor

 

Master System

Alf

 

32X

Afterburner

 

Plug n Play Systems

Konamis Arcade Advance by Majesco



Pac Man Retro Arcade Version by Jakks Pacific (see pic below)



Lynx

Ms. Pac-Man

Ninja Gaiden III

Pac Land

 

3DS

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

Zelda: Link Between Worlds

I’m in! Here is my wishlist:
 
Atari 2600
 
Cosmic Commuter
Hero
Montezuma's Revenge
Mr. Do
Pengo
Robot Attack
Sub Scan
Private Eye
Beamrider
Double Dragon
River Raid II
Rampage
HERO
Juno First
Ladybug
Toyshop Trouble
Star Wars The Arcade Game
Star Castle Arcade
 
Atari 7800
Donkey Kong
Seagull 78 Controller Adapter
 
Atari 5200
The Dreadnaught Factor
 
Intellivision
Armor Battle CIB w overlays
Dracula
Tron Solar Sailer CIB w overlays
Truckin w/ overlays
 
Colecovision
Tutankham
Star Wars the Arcade Game

Cool!   Im in
 
Ze ole' wish list
 
Atari 2600:
- Up N Down CIB
- Zaxxon CIB
- Wizard of Wor CIB
- Amidar CIB
- Bump N Jump CIB
- Burgertime CIB
- Canyon Bomber CIB
- Canival CIB
- Dodge Em CIB
- Donkey Kong Jr CIB
- Front Line CIB
- Gyruss CIB
- Joust CIB
- Kangaroo CIB
- Mario Bros CIB
- Millipede CIB
- Moon Patrol CIB
- Mousetrap CIB
- Mr Do CIB
- Night Driver CIB
- Omega Race CIB
- Pengo CIB
- Popeye CIB
- Qbert CIB
- Spy Hunter CIB
- Star Trek CIB
- Star Wars Arcade CIB
- StarGate CIB
- Super Cobra CIB
- Tapper CIB

Awesome! Christmas is almost here, wow Looking forward to getting out the aluminum tree and placing the Atari cart under it.
Also we're shooting a special Christmas episode on thanksgiving... wonder what it will be

Cool.  I can't believe we are talking about secret Santa already!  Where has this year gone?!  

HO! HO! HO!
I'm thrilled to announce Atari I/O Secret Santa 2017!
 
 
 
$30 Maximum spend on gifts, $20 min spend
 
Please wrap your presents if you can! Let's make this fun!
 
Gift items must pertain to classic video games or retro culture
 
Package must arrive no later than Saturday, December 23, 2017
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Happy Holidays! It's time for our 3rd Annual Atari I/O Secret Santa! If you'd like to be part of Secret Santa this year, please post a message below saying that you'd like to participate. If you can, include a link to your Want List in your post, or a list of game systems you collect for. The last day to sign up is Wednesday, November 15, 2017. Names will be assigned impartially by our Moderating team, and we will send you a PM with your Secret Santa information no later than Friday, November 17, 2017.
 
We love classic video games and retro life, and as such gift items can be used or refurbished so long as they meet the criteria of costing you around $30. 
 
It's really important to us to create magical and special holiday memories for our friends here in the Forums. We're like a small town here, a warm community of friends with similar interests. For some of us who may have to sacrifice to make a special Christmas for our families, this may end up being the only presents we get to open. If you'd like to participate in Secret Santa this year but may not have the means, please send me a PM and we will try to find a way to help.
 
Your Secret Santa package can be made up of more than one gift, so long as their total value is around $30 and so long as you've put together a gift package that you feel would be magical and special. (Please don't send a box of "junk")
 
The presents you send should be gift wrapped. We really want this to feel like something special! However, it would be okay to send an item without gift wrapping if you were ordering from an Atari vendor, Amazon or eBay and wanted to have it shipped directly to your person's house as opposed to paying twice for shipping. We encourage you to gift wrap your presents when possible.
 
If you're unable to participate in Secret Santa this year, please think about donating to a deserving charity of your choice. One charity to consider is the Oregon Food Bank, which RickR brought to our attention last year. You can visit them online at www.oregonfoodbank.org
 
 
 
 If you would like to participate, you must sign up by Wednesday, November 15, 2017  
 
 
 
 
Happy Holidays to All!