The Mr. Video

Hi, I was learning Atari 8-bit assembly from Atari Roots and I wrote this joystick test program just to see how I'd do at assembly programming. It's nothing much, it changes the color of the border when you move the joystick and it changes the color of the playfield when you press the fire button. Feel free to look at the source code and tell me what you think. JOYTEST.xex JOYTEST.ASM

They're not hard to make yourself. I built mine before I even knew how to solder. If you use a 5v usb arduino power cable in place of the 9v battery, then you can power your line voltage inducer through your pi.

Was it Star Rider?

You may want to give this a try. http://ploguechipsounds.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-page-basic-sid-benchmark.html?m=1 There's also the possibility that it's not a problem with the SID chip at all. In that case, you should try using a dead test cartridge. To see if anything else is wrong.

I tried an Atari 1050 power supply with the 1020 and it solved the problem. I guess printing text is more power intensive than just plotting. I also followed instructions from https://tabajara-labs.blogspot.com/2018/08/como-remanufaturar-as-canetas-do.html?m=1 to fit a Pilot BP.S pen into the plotter so I can actually try printing stuff. It's in Portuguese, but it reads fine with Google translate. From it, I was able to print out a copy of the Gettysburg Address. Do be aware that the brass gears do not slide into the motor and need to be installed with a c-clamp.

Hmm... I have been using the 1010 power supply that came with everything else since it was the only power supply in the package. Will a 1050/400 power supply work with the plotter?

I just replaced the two cracked pinion gears with brass ones. While the plotter runs smoother now, it seems that the only thing that has changed is that the plotter resets less often when printing text.

Seems so. I've so far tried printing both an Atari Writer text file and a simple program listing and it constantly resets through both.

Hi, yesterday I got a few Atari 8-bit accessories, including an Atari 1010, a few SIO cables, and an Atari 1020 plotter. The platen gear is cracked and the pens have dried up, but this should go without saying. The one issue with this plotter that I didn't expect is that when I try to print text, it prints a few characters and then resets itself and does the startup pen test. Then, once it's done with that, it prints a few more characters and then resets itself again. It repeats this cycle until it is done printing. This only happens when the plotter is in text mode. When I use it in graphics mode, then it plots without any issue.

Why don't they make a show based on Major Havoc? I know it's not as well known as Atari's other IPs, but at least it has a story they could work off of.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for (At least, I think this is what you're waiting for), a J-card for a Synapse Software game! I started work on Shamus a long time ago, but abandoned it for some reason, so I went back to it and finished it up. I placed the Synapse Software banner on the bottom instead of the side like on the actual box because I thought it would work better here. Also, Shamus and Temple of Apshai do not have any Atari branding on them, so you can use those j-cards for any other version of the game aside from the 8-bit version if you want.

"Just when you thought it was safe to make a cup of tea..." another J-Card was posted! I replaced the belt on my 1010 tape drive, which got me interested in cassette games again, so I figured I'd make another J-Card since it has been nearly 2 years since the last one. This time, I did Temple of Apshai both because it seemed like a simple one to do and because I liked the box art. I plan on doing some for Synapse Software games too, so stay tuned.

I had some free-time today, so I decided to do just that. Unfortunately, moving the IC to another working board didn't fix anything. It just exhibited the same results as before. It's probably safe to say that the EPROM has succumbed to bit-rot. Here's a picture of the IC for anyone who wants to take a gander. I made sure I plugged it in the right way with the IC side facing away from me. I tested the donor board the same way and it loaded up fine.

Sorry for the wait for a response, but I checked the two vias with a multimeter and they both have continuity with their traces on the other side of the board.

Got the mack daddy of 2600 controllers, the CX-10 heavy sixer joystick, for $5 at the flea market today.

Hi, a few months ago, I got a ton of Atari 2600 cartridges, manuals, and other goodies from a local game store liquidation sale. Most of the cartridges work fine except for one. It is a standard looking Atari cartridge with no identifying labels on it and it just won't work. I've tried cleaning the contacts with both rubbing alcohol and DeoxIT and have even tried using different 2600 systems to no avail. It languished in my closet until I remembered about it today and decided to ask you all if there is anything else I could try before counting it out completely. I don't think it's anything rare, I'm just curious about whether or its possible to get it working again.

I've played through the first dungeon of Equinox a few years ago and thought it was fine. I'm not quite sure what the point of the life meter is if you have to restart the room when you get hit anyway. I more so remember the game for its atmospheric soundtrack by Tim and Geoff Follin (listening to it right now, in fact). Also, since everyone is posting this game's box art in different regions, I might as well round it out with the US box. I personally think this one looks the best because it doesn't have super-dated CGI like the Japanese box and the guy on the artwork actually looks like the main character instead of a rejected Lord of the Rings character.

The main reason was probably due to the 400 using a membrane keyboard which has very little tactile feedback. The beeper speaker compensates by giving audible feedback when a key is pressed. I'm not quite sure why the 800 has an internal speaker other then parity between models.

I think once you're done modifying the CTF-1 you'll be left with a close approximation of what Activision had in mind when programming Space Shuttle. Also, the Atari PAT 9000 as seen in this video seems to use the same programming plugs as the CTF-1. Do you think they may be interchangeable between systems?

Yikes! For a bunch of limited cartridge re-releases meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Atari, they seem to be putting more effort in the marketing than quality assurance. With limited runs, it's go big or go home. I hope you can get that resolved or at least get your money back.

I think we should wait until they teach them to play Battletoads before we start worrying.

Hey! That's MY job!

Didn't get this today, but I found a Sega Saturn at the flea market a week ago. I've already replaced the battery and bought an extra controller for it.