Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Will do! Thanks! And I'm not afraid to take it apart, but other than blowing dust out of it, I'd be afraid of touching anything inside there. There's not too much to be afraid of. It's well-made equipment on the inside. You won't hurt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted December 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm more worried about hurting myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 I'm more worried about hurting myself! Hmmm...how do you respond to that? If you are worried about being shocked there is nothing to worry about. It's a 9-volt power supply from the wall but the system only uses 5 volts of that. You could run this thing off of 6 "AA" batteries for a while if you needed to. Handle the board too tightly, though, and you can get poked but nothing there to shock you. Besides...you can remove all electricity in the system by unplugging all connections to the console, including power, and turn it on for a minute. After that there will be no electricity stored inside the console. They are really a low-power device. Lots of parts but it only requires enough power to operate an LED light...5 volts. That's it. I'll help walk you through it should you get the courage to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted December 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 Ha! No, electrocution isn't the fear. I'm just the least handy, least technical person you could imagine. I was brave enough to repair my paddles recently though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted December 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 So after playing quite a bit tonight, I haven't noticed the issue. Thanks to all who chimed in with advice! I really, really appreciate the helpful spirit everyone has here. THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 I can't stand seeing a game machine not working because it needs a "doctor" LOL. You are welcome. I hope to be of more help in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 I need a doctor, STAT Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 I'm going to say a bad capacitor in the video circuit. If that before picture is what it was like when you first turned it on and the last picture is from, say, minutes later then that appears to be a capacitor that is no longer able to hold enough electric charge to perform its function. In this case to hold enough to produce a quality signal. Whatever you do I would not recommend throwing it away...please. Now a few questions: Was the image before and after sudden or did it slowly transition? How long was the console on before the bottom image happened? Did moving the console, or any of its wires, change the images back and forth? Are you using direct-connect or the old-fashioned RF switchbox that came with 2600s? Give me a bit of time and I might be able to help you come up with a fix if you are willing to do some solder work. Or if you don't want to do that yourself you might find someone close to you to help. I would if I could but that would require shipping it. These machines are fairly old. The 2600 is at the very least, figuring the wood-grain design (including Darth) stopped during the crash, 33 years old. Wires start to lose their integrity and can become brittle and lose the ability to sustain power and RF signals. That is part of a worst case scenario. The thing that I have ran into the most with a few 2600's Mom and I would find in the wild at yard sales and such was with the RCA connector inside the console. Unlike the 5200 that is soldered into place on the mainboard (along with a RCA connector???) the 2600 has just the RCA connector. This allowed for easy connection of the RF cable...no soldering required. This connector, however, overtime and depending on how well the console was handled, treated, and so forth, can be jarred loose. All that would need to be done is to check the solder joints on it and solder them back. That is the part of the not so bad case scenario. The machine itself is playing games so that aspect of it is working. That's a plus. So...it looks like somewhere in the RF circuitry there is a bad connection or a faulty part causing the effect of a bad connection. If you are brave that is where I would look. You might have to try this step-by-step information to completely tear down a 4-switch model: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Atari+2600+Teardown/3541 With the top off I would suggest connecting the power and RF back up so that you can turn on and check the RF connector. That is the most effective way I have found to check that connector. With the system on (with a game cartridge in the system of course) you can use your hand and gentle try to wiggle the RF cord where it connects to the RF connector on the board. Don't try to force it. You only want to see if trying to move it causes your signal to change. But it does look like somewhere in your system the RF signal is being disrupted where your TV is not getting either a ground or the signal itself...it's only getting half of the signal. So I would suspect and check your cable and its connection inside the console first. That is my theory and suggestions. I would do it for you if I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted January 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Thank you!! I will respond later with answers to your questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 I didn't get chance to test it yesterday, but I'll answer what I know now. Was the image before and after sudden or did it slowly transition? - Instantaneous How long was the console on before the bottom image happened? - Not sure exactly, but it's minutes, not hours. 10-15 perhaps Did moving the console, or any of its wires, change the images back and forth? - This I'm not sure of. Off the top of my head, I believe it does move the lines a bit. Are you using direct-connect or the old-fashioned RF switchbox that came with 2600s? - Direct-connect via coaxial Also, I'm not opposed to shipping it to you & paying for it to come back. It won't get thrown away either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 I'm going to call this one a faulty RF cable or loose RCA connector on the inside of the console. That's what it sounds like to me. I don't mind working on it for you. Just me a PM when you are ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormSurge Posted January 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Thanks so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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