[Atari Flashback 2+ on Woot]

I'm reading the thread on the main page too - looks legit

 

I ordered 2 after reading about the mods - I know I'm late to the party, but should be fun.

 

FYI if they charge you tax I used the coupon code TAXSUCKS to get a $5 reduction.

 

Also, I have a couple 5 1/4 drives and I'm 99% sure I've still got their cables, could be an easy way to handle this.

 

Has anyone out there tried to sell a 'mod kit' with the necessary parts for this job?

[Woot Sellout has the Flashback 2 for $24.99 today (4/26)]

I ordered 2 after reading about the mods - I know I'm late to the party, should be fun.

 

FYI if they charge you tax I used the coupon code TAXSUCKS to get a $5 reduction.

[Atari Flashback 2+ on Woot]

have any of the legacy engineering folks weighed in on if this is a Pirated version?

[Atari Flashback 2+ on Woot]

So I'm considering buying a couple of these specifically for hacking. I'm late to the party on this so I want to know if 2+ follows the same general specs as the other hacks on this board.

 

There is the part about switching between the onboard games and the cart slot which I'm thinking I could figure out.

 

BUT do I understand correctly that I could basically get a floppy cable, cut one end off and solder the 24 (or 23) wires to the board and then slide the other side onto a 2600 cart? Is it really that simple?

[Woot Sellout has the Flashback 2 for $24.99 today (4/26)]

Gosh i'm tempted, how easy is it to mod these?

 

 

Someone talk me into it . . . it's only $30 after all

[Extension cables for Atari joysticks ...]

Digging up an old thead here, but can you use these 9 pin straight through cables as extensions?

 

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3109713

 

another example:

 

http://www.cablesunlimited.com/products/prod_Group.aspx?groupcode=G0155&itemNo=PCM-2100-01

 

 

Just wondering . . .

[Harmony with Paddles - need help]

Update - I am using bios 1.05

 

I played around with the menu selection and the paddles and here is what I found:

 

My harmony boots to the root of the SD card which has a single folder called "ROMS" This gives me 2 selection options on the initial screen [.] and [ROMS]

 

The paddles have a hard time selecting either of these options, but if I rotate the paddle through its full range of motion pressing the button in and out the entire time I will eventually select one or the other. Once I get into the ROMS folder, I have a hard time being precise with the paddle, but the button works the first time I push it every time.

 

I think that there might be a problem here because my initial screen simply has too little on it. It seems I need to rotate the knob to the zone where the ROMS folder actually exists - the rest of the time, I am just selecting nothing.

 

I'll experiment with more folders on the boot screen and some actual ROMs that I can launch and report back.

[CRT TV Troubleshooting]

@save2600 - Thanks for the response! Is there anything easy that I could check for if I opened her up?

[CRT TV Troubleshooting]

I have a nice big 27" CRT that has started to develop horizontal lines near the top 2 or 3 inches. As the TV stays turned on they 'retreat' back towards the top of the screen. At first they would disappear completely, but now about 1.5" area at the top of the screen remains with these horizontal lines. They distort the image a bit and against a black background they are not noticeable, but white or any other color and you can see them clearly.

 

I don't even really know how to begin troubleshooting something like this. I thought it might be RF interference, but I moved the TV to a different room of the house, and turned off all the electronic stuff near it and they are still there.

 

The TV is a Panasonic CT-27D20B TV

[Help me learn to love the Atari 2600!]

Personally, I don't think that its really possible to appreciate the Atari 2600 without understanding and having some appreciation for the arcade phenomenon that was going on during its heyday. The 2600 and its games were often direct ports of arcade games as Cynicaster points out, but even those that weren't had the same qualities as the great arcade titles.

 

For example,

-In most arcade games the point of the game is to achieve the highest score possible

-The player will almost always die or fail at some point in the game which ends the game

-Gameplay was made more difficult by requiring more fast twitch response from the player as levels increased

-Players weren't rewarded in game by animations, instead you were rewarded outside of the game by your friends and peers in the arcade

(others can add more)

 

The 2600 wanted to bring the above arcade experience into the home. Atari had great success with this in the form of Pong, so they wanted to expand on that. This worked great on the 2600 from about 1978 to 1982 (what would be considered a long time for most consoles). Atari became the fastest growing company in history, but during that time, the differences between console gaming and arcade gaming started to become obvious. The absence of the arcade atmosphere removed some of the enjoyment of achieving high scores (that could never be saved), and players wanted a deeper single player experience. Toward the end of the life of the console you see games that reward exploration and let you achieve goals much like a NES side scroller would, but in the heyday of the console what pushed gameplay was high score.

 

So with that being said, you need to set yourself up to succeed. Try to enjoy some of the top 100 with another player. Encourage yourself to enjoy mastering the game in order to compete with someone else. In this era of gaming, graphics and sound effects were often overlooked if you had a score rivalry with a close friend.

 

Don't give up! Difficulty can be punishing on some of these, but thats simply because the games are small. To keep a player interested, the game had to be difficult. Try to learn some tricks to help you succeed "If I position the ship here at the beginning of the level I can shoot 3 right away"

 

Change the difficulty settings and play the different game variations to try and keep the game fresh. Compared to modern games there really isn't much in these. If you are lucky there is more than one static screen, so you should use the game variations and varying difficulty options to change things up. Read the manuals so that you know what the variations are. You can find most of the manuals here on AtariAge.

 

IMO: games that really did a good job with the arcade experience were:

Space Invaders <- you must try the 2 player simultaneous variation

Warlords <- gotta try to get 3 others to play this with you

Asteroids <- If you've got a friend go with a high score competition on this one

Combat <- Try with 2 players - there are a ton of game variations

 

Activision games that you should try

Kaboom! <- Paddle-tastic

Chopper Command <- Keep the difficulty switch on easy

River Raid <- Lemme try once more to get farther

Pitfall <- Explore the area with a friend taking turns playing. You go one way, he/she goes the other. When you've explored enough, see who can last the longest and get the most points, then compare your 'route'

 

Games that started the progression to the next era

Pitfall II (and Pitfall)

Montezuma's Revenge

Hero

Stargate (because of the controls)

 

When I'm playing older games with a younger player, I like to stagger the gameplay where one of us plays 2x, then the next player gets 2 chances to beat his high score. If he does then player 1 gets one more chance to improve and after that, player 2 gets a final chance to win the high score duel. Once each of you has played up to 3 times, you move on to a new game. This adds some 'meta' gaming to the mix and gives you a time when you are expecting to stop playing a given game. That way if one of you really doesn't like it then you know its going to end soon.

 

I'm sure you know about emulation, so I'll just say that it is an alternative if you can't get your hands on the machine or certain carts. There is also a device called a Harmony Cart that lets you play ROMs through your 2600 hardware. It has its own forum on these boards.

[Do ROMs with the .a26 file extension work without renaming or converting?]

Cool, thanks for the response!

 

Is this in the manual? I tried to read through it several times to see if it was mentioned - perhaps I was just not finding it.

[Do ROMs with the .a26 file extension work without renaming or converting?]

Just wondering

[Using Fine Sand Paper (200+) to Clean Carts]

For reference, I had a Chopper Command cart that I used 99% alcohol on. I've used bits of sponge for other carts but I was just using a q-tip this time. It worked better after I used the alcohol but if I bumped it, it would glitch on me.

 

I took the corner of what I think is 220 sand paper (Maybe 2200 I'll have to check. It was the finest they had at the HW store) and just rubbed gently on the contact points in the cart on both sides for like 60 seconds. I then swabbed it again and the cart works pretty much flawlessly now.

 

On the opposite end, My Mouse Trap cart is hard to get started, it seems it has to be seated just right. I tried the swab first and it didn't really help. Tried the sandpaper again and that MIGHT have helped a little. I guess thats not really a contacts problem.

 

As for cleaning the contacts in the 2600 itself . . . I took the cover off of mine but the contacts didn't really look accessible. To clean the machine's contacts do you have to hold that little flap open? How do most people clean those? @Rik - I hear you about the emory board - I guess that would fit into that little space if you needed something heavy duty.

[Using Fine Sand Paper (200+) to Clean Carts]

Bwahahahahaha - Nice find! I admit that I'd like to see more of these Wongo women.

[2600 Power Supply n Stuff]

Message received about the contacts

 

 

FYI I got the Harmony Cart and it worked fine with the 300mA adapter

[Harmony with Paddles - need help]

I just got my Harmony last night and I can't select games or menu items with the paddle fire button. I just read this thread so I'll try the suggestion made to adjust slightly, and I'll check my firmware version - but my cart literally just arrived yesterday so it should be up to date.

 

My paddles are old, but I've never noticed an issue with the button press. I'll try Solar Storm and Encouter L5 tonight and see if the button is supsect, but you can chalk this up as a 3rd set of paddles that is exhibiting the same behavior as described in this thread.

[Using Fine Sand Paper (200+) to Clean Carts]

Or any guidance? - Like never do this? or if you do it too much you'll go blind?

[ATARI 2600 is back !]

I guess the competition pro joysticks ran out - too bad. I've been considering an MCC. I'll probably pull the trigger eventually, but the price is too high at the moment. A free shipping special is nice!

[How do you adjust right and left difficulty on a 4 switch console?]

Thanks! +1

[How do you adjust right and left difficulty on a 4 switch console?]

Is there a way?

[2600 Power Supply n Stuff]

Power supply specifications are 500mA, positive center. Pretty sure a negative center PS would damage you console. I've heard of some folks using as little as 300mA, but that's pushing the limits.

 

Ok, so following up about the power adapter. I know its center positive so that crisis is averted. What about the fact that it is rated at 300mA. It works, so what kind of problems would I expect with a lower current rating (and I guess lower total wattage)? I've read that some carts with extra hardware in them (Pitfall2) won't work. Is there anything else I should be aware of? Will the Harmony Cart work if I am using this lower miliamp adapter?

 

I've noticed that sometimes if I turn the unit off and then back on, I have to re-seat the cartridges to get them to play - could this be related somehow to power?

 

I guess I just need advice - should I buy another power adapter or just roll forward with the 300mA adapter?

 

Buying a whole new 2600 that comes with a power adapter could be easier than getting a power adapter by itself. Are most parts interchangeable between the 4 switch and 6 switch models? I might just wait to find the right deal and then buy a 2nd unit (to protect my Harmony Cart investment).

 

Thanks again for all the help!

[I fixed my paddles]

Wires are connected to the pots as you described. If I move them ever so slightly with the paddles plugged in, nothing happens to the on-screen car in Street Racer. I also jiggled the connection in the joystick port slightly and nothing moved on screen there either.

 

I guess if it bothers me enough, I will buy the Radio Shack cleaning lube and see if that improves it. Right now they are working very well, not like new, but very well.

[Harmony cart "THANK YOU!" thread]

Just ordered my Harmony. The world is a better place . . .

[I fixed my paddles]

Years ago, I remember hearing a rattle inside one of my Atari paddles, and as an adventurous pre-teen, I opened them up to try and figure out what could have gone wrong. The problem was one of the rods that center the pot had broken, and my attempts to repair it were unsuccessful. I managed to pretty much disconnect both wires from the pot and lose the lock washer that fastens the pot in place along with the spacer that keeps the knob on. I also disassembled the working paddle and didn't put it back together quite right.

 

Ok thats a lot of physical damage but I still had the knob and everything to put it back together. Since 11 year old me broke the things, I embarked upon an attempt to get my paddles working again.

 

My first problem was assesing if the most broken paddle would even work again. I went through several attempts to re-solder the wires to the pot, and I eventually had to remove all of the original solder, re-strip the wires and just solder new contacts. This worked great and even before I re-assembled the paddle I could tell that it was working (tested with Warlords).

 

The next issue was that I had to repair the original problem which was the plastic rod that keeps the center pot in place needed to be replaced. This is tough, and I didn't think it would be possible. Eventually, I found that if I used a plastic object with a wide base and a narrow shaft, I could just glue it over the spaced area where the original rod was connected. I ended up using a plastic piece that is used for adjusting dry-wall fastners. If you've ever used dry wall screws, they come with a plastic hanger that you put into a guide hole. You then use a narrow plastic implement that you can hammer into the plastic hanger to expand it and lock it into place. When you are done with your job, this narrow plastic implement is pretty much useless. I ended up saving one and was able to trim it to the right size and super-glue it into place. It fit nicely and is now helping to hold the pot in place.

 

Next problem - replacing the lock washer that held the pot in place when inserted into the hole in the paddle mold. This was tougher than I expected. I tried just cutting a fastener from some copper foil that I had, but it wasn't rigid enough. I bought some 5/16" internal tooth lock washers that were the same size as the old fastner, but because they were so rigid, they wouldn't fit around the threaded shaft in the paddle. That woulda worked if I coulda bent the threads on the washer. I also tried 3/8" lock washers and they were just too big. I ended up getting a fastening bolt that measured at 3/8" internal diameter. I got it in the electrical dept at Lowe's. I think its meant for ceiling fans, but it was the right size to screw around the pot and narrow enough not to impede the turning of the knob.

 

Last problem was to figure out how to make it so that the knob would stay on its post. For this I used thin copper foil. I folded it to a thikness thats hard to measure, but I bent it in the shape of the post and the put one end into the opening in the knob. I basically wrapped it around the post, forming it to the shape and then put the top into the hole that is in the knob. I left it semi-inserted into the knob and then fit the post into the exposed end of the copper foil 'sheath' that I'd created. I then fit the knob on the post and carefully pushed it down. This made it so that my copper foil was between the post and the knob, spacing things enough so that the knob doesn't come off easily.

 

So my broken paddle now works great!

 

I ended up just putting the other paddle back together and it actually doesn't seem to work as well. When I move it to the left quickly it seems that the item controlled on screen quickly moves back to the right just a slight bit. Example: Street Racer: quickly try to avoid a car by moving to the left and the car goes all the way left and then just adjusts a bit right. If I move it slowly it works exactly as expected. I can live with this, but its not a jitter and I don't really know how to fix it off the top o my head.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience. Lemme know if you have questions or observations.

[2600 Power Supply n Stuff]

Good news AtariParty!

 

I opened the case and re-soldered the power port contact point closest to the edge of the board. It was clearly broken. Now that I've done that the rubber band is no longer necessary, and I can power the device on and off normally. I also cleaned up the switches, fixed my paddles, and somehow repaired a Wico Joystick by just opening it and sealing it up again.

 

Now to order a Harmony Cart!

 

Edit:

Just for the record, the paper taped to the inside of the device had the date 17 Aug 1981 stamped on it in blue ink.