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Sears Video Arcade II (Atari 2800-Japan) Restoration


Gunstar

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I found a console only buy-it-now listing on eBay for $35 as an "untested for parts or repair only" and thought I'd get it for just the case shell to install a 7800 into it for what I think is a much classier and ageless aesthetic style case to the NTSC or PAL 7800 case styles. I thought this was the perfect candidate with a case in good, if grungy, condition. And when I opened her up, it was far worse looking on the inside with Mud Wasp nests and a good amount of rust all over the shielding and circuit board where the shielding is. 

 

I purchased the controller separately for $20, to go with it planning to mod it into a 7800 compatible 2-button controller. I have a proper power supply already.

 

But for posterity I wanted to make sure that this was a board only good for some salvage, making the case free to me for hacking and modifying. Well, after thoroughly cleaning, first removing the mud nests and then using glass cleaner and a toothbrush I started scrubbing the case and motherboard inside and out, twice. Then I did the same thing again a third time on the motherboard, but with 97% Isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush. I started to realize it was cleaning up quite nicely and !this might even be a working machine that I can restore to like-new working condition!

 

So my hacking and modifying the SVA2 case and a 7800 motherboard into a custom system is on hold indefinitely as I feel now I can have a pristine working Video Arcade II that I've saved instead of salvaged, something I feel my obligation to do if I can, as these vintage legacies become more and more rare because nobody bother to save them. I think this one made it out alive barely, being found, and by chance sold to the right type of person to save it.

 

Though it's all cleaned up now and ready to be tested to see if it's working, while cleaning the oscillator crystal broke off, I think it was about to go and my brush finished the job. But I need to replace the crystal now before I can test it and either start trouble-shooting if it doesn't work, or possibly wrapping this one up quickly as refurbish rather than full restoration. Since this baby, now that it's cleaned, is in excellent condition and really doesn't need any real "restoration" It was in a bad place and got all kinds of dirt and mud in every crevasse and rust build up around the shielding probably due to highly humid storage conditions. 

 

Obviously was in excellent condition when it was first shoved where ever it was shoved, mostly likely a storage shed from the condition of it. And the neglect and storage conditions though purely inadequate, did keep it out of the way and from being physically damaged and to be a Diamond-in-the-rough. For $35 and a bit of elbow grease, I think I've got myself a console in excellent condition, worthy of display in a collection in full working order.

 

The first set of pictures below are "before" shots the second set are "after" shot once I cleaned it all up.

 

 

 

Before:

 

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During cleaning process:

 

motherboard- 97% Isopropyl Alcohol used with a tooth brush.  Cartridge slot- WD-40 used with PCB & microfiber cloth. Cart port cover repair- Loctite Superglue. RF shielding- Dremel with wire brush.

 

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After cleaning:

 

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Sears Video Arcade II case inside and out and console keys- Glass cleaner, toothbrush, cotton rag

Final finish restoration to plastic case (outer)- WD-40 rub down and wipe off. Full dissipation in 24 hours to original plastic sheen and luster.

 

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Repair required: replace Oscillator crystal with broken "leg."

 

No photos yet

 

 

Final destination: On the Wall of Consoles (work in progress) below the Atari VCS and next to the Atari 7800.

 

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Nice job, I have the same console, one of the few I even have the box with as roughed up as it is but my console and accessories are in great shape and I love the look and style of it! 

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I have the same console, but mine powers on just fine, but it has no video, just a few lines on the left hand side. I have taken it apart just like you did and cleaned it inside and with 91% alcohol and Qtips. But it still does the same thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My S/N is AW0012909 and it says made in Hong Kong.

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The first thing I would try in trouble shooting is to make sure the cartridge slot and cartridges edge connectors are well cleaned. Then replace the video cable to see if it is broken. Any known working audio/video RCA cord will do. If that's not it, next I would try replacing the 6507 and TIA chips, if they have sockets and you have spares or some you can borrow from another working 2600 that is also sockets. If that isn't possible or that easy, then skip that trouble shooting step for now, and turn your attention toward the RF modulator. Make sure the switch is working correctly and make any adjustments possible, make sure all connections/wires are soldered good. And I'd ask how you feel about doing an A/V mod to it and removing the modulator. If all of that is done then it's time to look at replacing the 6502 and TIA chips and/or any of the small support IC's like 74LSxx types and others. I also recommend replacing all capacitors with new ones, something I will be doing to my VA2 soon, even though it;s working, when I do an A/V mod to it.

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Thanks, I had an extra Atari 2600 laying around so I took the 6507 chip out of it and put it in the Sears Video Arcade ll and guess what, it worked. But now I have another problem, I can't get the controllers to work. I plugged them in every port and nothing. If you have any advice about this I would greatly appreciate it. 

Thanks,

David

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On 8/4/2022 at 5:57 PM, David1970 said:

Thanks, I had an extra Atari 2600 laying around so I took the 6507 chip out of it and put it in the Sears Video Arcade ll and guess what, it worked. But now I have another problem, I can't get the controllers to work. I plugged them in every port and nothing. If you have any advice about this I would greatly appreciate it. 

Thanks,

David

Sorry, I read this response by the 5th at least, but I was apparently in a hurry or got distracted, and then eventually forgot to reply. 

 

The fact is, I'm much more knowledgeable about 8-bit computers (especially Atari, but all of them in general-and the 5200 since it's essentially an Atari 400 computer) and so I don't recall off the top of my head how the 2600 reads the joystick/paddle lines. I'm used to a Pokey chip handling most I/O and secondly a PIA chip (in Atari and most other 8-bts) to do or help with I/O. So I will get back to you on this one, as I don't know if the 6507 or TIA reads the controller ports, of if it's done by a non-central-chip circuit that may use one or more 74LSXX series IC's and/or transistors to handle port reads. 

 

So sorry, I'll have to yet get back to you on this, I just wanted to reply since it's been so long and you probably thought I ignored you.

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