Atari 5200 Guy

Just picked up Forza Motorsport 4 the other day and I have already leveled up to 18, own about 20 cars and one truck, and more. This is one racing series I prefer over Gran Turismo. My best car in the game so far? It's my Dodge Stealth that is currently maxed to S1 limits. If any one else here plays I would like to hear about it and see you rides.

Still not interested. That is not, and never will be, an Atari. Sorry but the Atari I knew and loved died a long time ago when Jack called it quits. Not trying to be offensive or anything, and my thoughts are strictly my opinion, but to me there never will be another Atari. The best developers came from there, made their own chips, and everything. That is what made Atari special, unique. There were not many Atari consoles or computers that used off-the-shelf processors. The new VCS sounds cool and all but it is not for me. If given a choice I would go with an XBOX One or Switch. Again, just my opinion.

You're welcome. One more VCS saved from going into a landfill. They are simple machines but one thing wrong can screw up the whole system. Glad it is working or close to working. Post pics when you can of it working. Would be nice to see.

Well...these are the closest I have found. https://www.digikey.com/products/en/inductors-coils-chokes/fixed-inductors/71?FV=1140050%2Cmu1.8µH%7C2087%2Cffe00047&quantity=&ColumnSort=0&page=1&k=Inductor&pageSize=25&pkeyword=Inductor Copy and paste that in your browser of choice. I am still trying to determine the tolerance levels. But it looks like either of the first two might work. If you want to make sure you get the right part contact Video61 or Best Electronics. They may have some as new-old stock. Wouldn't hurt to ask.

I'm checking resources to find that part. Unfortunately it is an analog part and may not be available any more. It is an Inductor 1.8uH.

So, sound is good after jumping L202? If the static returns then replace L202. That would be my suggestion. Sounds like jumping it might have jolted everything else to a working order. I would check those solder joints, too. Age may have deteriorated some solder. It wouldn't hurt to place some fresh solder on those joints.

Your board has the 555 timer, correct? L101 is for six-switch models. Sorry.

Try adjusting L202 first. A small Allen wrench can work but be careful as those can crack easily. Turn slowly in either direction. If that doesn't work then replace it. Yea, I think L101 was a typo in the service manual.

Look for L101 on motherboard and short across it. If you get sound then it needs replaced. Check L201 and try to adjust it. Can you get a clear sound? Audio frequency from L201 should be 5.5 MHz. Check C206, C207, Q202, and L202. Also check C201. If everything so far checks OK then RF modulator is faulty and needs replaced. Also, turn unit on with a game in and after a few minutes check TIA by touching it. If it gets hotter than other ICs then it may need replaced. Just a guess...do you have another unit you can pull the RF modulator from and try that? I will keep looking for other areas to check. But, yea, TIA provides the two-channel sounds from the system.

The 2600, 5200, and 7800 had class, man. Even Junior looks classy. Lynx and Jaguar were good consoles but seemed to be going for a different and original look. I guess you could call them sexy. Jaguar is a sexy looking console, for lack of better wording.

You seen something I haven't. The only consoles I have had that had those stickers started with the PS2. Consoles I bought before that never had them.

Uh oh...Rick drug out Vader!!!

He he...that's the fun part. The other is when you just miss the clown and, "SPLAT!"

Actually, removing that tag has always been OK to remove once you buy it and it is in your home. Lol. Those come off first thing in my house. They are so annoying. Compaq made great computers before HP bought them. I still remember the Apple clones by Laser. Those were in one of the schools I attended. And, yep, remember the Atari vs. Nintendo when Atari reverse engineered the NES lockout chip. I understand they were trying to do to get around Nintendo's exclusive contracts but that wasn't the way to do it. EA reverse engineered Sega's Genesis and got away with it.

My Wii had one on it for 30 days. After that all of the stickers they placed on it, including the vinyl skin that looked like a toddler put it on there, were removed, the console was gutted, and properly cleaned. If there is one thing going against GameStop it has to be their description of "refurbished". Mine had dead bugs in it and dust bunnies as big as a small stuffed animal. Most major console makers already use screws requiring customs tools. But it is not unlawful to try to repair your console yourself to save a bit of money. The charges a qualified console makes for just looking is unreal...at times it can be half the price of a new console. As long as the console is not taken apart to reverse engineer it here in the States then taking apart any console is not illegal.

I do have a Birthday coming up. "Oh sweetheart? I know what I would like to unwrap on my birthday. Did you know Wii has a younger, more powerful, sibling?" Naa...that probably wouldn't work, would it?

If I am ever placed in a home my 5200 stuff goes with me! If I can have more than one console it would be all the Atari stuff. If I can't then the Lynx will go with me. I'll be darned if I'm going to be caught without some sort of gaming machine. I can hide a Lynx in a drawer beside a bed. As for modern stuff, the 360 and Wii are as modern as I have. Wife and I play Borderlands a LOT and it still surprises me that the developers are still issuing Gold Keys for Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel. We were more than happy to kill Handsome Jack after what he did to his daughter. He deserved it. His daughter, known as Angel, has become my favorite NPC character of all-time. I could only imagine what skills she would have if she was a playable character. We also play Terraria, Minecraft, Farming Simulator and Farming Simulator 2015 on 360. I have also dug into all of the Saint's Row series. I like Halo but I am not a huge fan of the series. Wii Bowling tournaments? Are you talking about the bowling game in Resort? It is a fun game. And the Wii is really a good console. So far I have not ran into any shovelwear. Then again I have been getting picky with the Wii games I try to find. Right now I have been working on Six Meier's Pirates which has been a lot of fun. On the PC side of things, Steam is my gaming source of choice. It is here I have discovered six of my top-favorite modern Indie games. Both Euro Trucking Simulators, American Trucking Simulator, Car Mechanic Simulator 2013 & 2015, and a physical copy of Farming Simulator 2013 edition. As for living through the early years of video games, the likes of Atari, Coleco, and Mattel may have started the video game industry but we are the reason the industry is still around. Its not because they kept releasing machines, its because we bought and supported them. Without us they wouldn't be here. I have to admit that it is a shame that there isn't any differences between a modern PC, XBOX, or PS4 now. All are X86 systems. XBOX canned its Indie support a while back. The only company making a difference is Nintendo with its Switch hybrid console/tablet and allowing Indie developers to make games for it with great success. For the first time ever anyone can join Nintendo's development program for free, obtain their development software for free, and get started right away. The only drawback is the developer will have buy the development hardware which makes sense. However, I have no clue how much that costs. I would love to try my hand at it someday.

I'm not 50 but turning 44 next month comes pretty darn close. It would be 40 years ago when I seen my first video game, a game that remains my number one favorite. That game is Space Invaders. While my reflexes may be getting slower my memory still retains that first encounter. I'm not as good at the game as I use to be but I still play the 2600 port often. I do like the version the 5200 got as well. I get my daily video game exercises in.

wooHOOO!! Yea! Improved my score. 3,237 points.

Wow...only 1379 points. It's been a while since I played this game. This is going to be fun! I am using V61's CX-30 Evolved Paddle Controllers for the first time. Pretty nice set.

I am personally thanking those that have helped me obtain some of the items on my list. Thank you very much. Atari I/O members are top notch. Updated to remove titles on list that were obtained, added SNES stuff, removed some paragraphs that no longer apply.

Definitely the best-dressed consoles of 1980s hardware. I think the PS3 is the only other console to use a similar style initially. I am betting that once Jack bought Atari he had to figure out a way to get rid of those joysticks. Since they were already made it would have made sense to include them with the Junior model. It wouldn't have cost him anything as he already had them. Just a theory of course.

Naaa...I prefer the original PS3 model. That piano black with silver accents has 5200 written all over it. With Junior they could have included a Euro-style game pad with a single fire button. If you are going to upgrade a system might as well upgrade the controller, too.

Never was a fan of Puyo Puyo. It bored me. Would be cool to see what the MD got that the US didn't. I am surprised that Konami never made ports of Gradius, Gradius II, Salamander/Life Force to the Genesis. They should have. The MD/Genesis was a very capable system.

Well, we are set for mor snow this weekend. The weather system is really messed up!