-^CrossBow^-

Well, I'm in that camp of I have a VBXE and no U1MB because I only use my 130xe to play games and as it is NTSC there hasn't been anything I've been that interested in playing that needed more than the 128k it already had on it. So yeah... I got the VBXE because it was a means to provide RGB at a less cost than the Sophia and was available at the time unlike the other. I purchased mine from a US distro and they didn't state that the colors were PAL. Only an option on which position you wanted the jumper to come to you already set to. I understand that jumper is for the speed clocks, but still it wasn't made clear then that the colors on actual games would be off. Only those games made and using the VBXE look correct. Everything else, I'm essentially relegated back to using the s-video output. So I've hoped for sometime that another FW update would be made for it that could offer NTSC but just assumed it would never come to be. So my VBXE is used for those games or programs that utilize it and it isn't for those that don't display correctly.

Yes and I actually advise using his setup for this because you will notice the heatsink in that pic? That isn't for the 3438 as is a CMOS part I believe and doesn't get hot while it has been found that the 2612 gets really really hot and so having the 3438 piggy backed onto it, isn't likely that great a thing when you think about it. I actually removed the piggy back setup sometime ago when I used his earlier Double Mega boards and helped test them for him. His new design is much better as originally they were more L shaped and took up quite a bit space as a result. For instance, it didn't really fit until the RF shield anymore with the earlier setups. But yeah I need to reach out to him and see if he has any of these ready as I've got 3438s on hand already to populate them with.

Oh... yeah I hadn't have anyone request this in a LONG time. (Still sitting on a small stock of 3438s hehe). I might have copied the original scheme to my console docs folders so I will look in a bit. But, there is a slightly better way to do this now. FirebrandX about a year or two after I did this, came out with a board to make this easier called the M1 Double Mega that allows you to have both the 2612 and 3438 on a single PCB with a switch to select which chip you want active. He hasn't made them in a while as he was trying to provide the 3438s to go with them and having issues with that. But might try and reach out to him to see if can get the boards made up so folks can try to source their own chips. And yes... I did grab the pic of the scheme for this and have added it to this post.

Well, I just updated Karl's DF to the latest 1.09 FW on his DF around the 11th so that part is up to spec. In fact, I believed I played some EXO from his DF on my lab unit 7800. So that takes me to the next thought.. let me check some pics... And...yeah his 7800 has one of the 'wonderful' Rockwell Mexico made 6502s in it. Also has a Rockwell TIA also which, I'm not sure I've seen before or noticed until now? I didn't take any pics of the bottom of the console so I don't know if he has the deglitch cap added off the 6502's A15 line or not, although I did disable his extra timing circuit.

Yes that should do the business just fine and I see it is center positive polarity which, is correct for the DF.

Excellent, although I don't remember recommending a specific power supply for the DF? The one I have is actually one of the Genesis clones PSUs from console5, but I clipped the cables and reversed them to match the polarity needed for the DF. There is actually another DF video I have all the footage done on but never edited and released. That is a video I did on how to update the DF using a USB Blaster etc... I've got several vids that have been shot and never put together due to lack of time with other stuff in the hobby that always comes first before my YT channel.

This is correct. Although again, until we have one of these in hand, we won't know if that is the case or not. But yeah, because the DF preloads the game it emulates to the console outside of the console, I would suspect that it will just look like any normal cartridge and dump the BIN data off it to operate. Now, obviously stuff like the Covox, YM, dual pokeys isn't likely to work as that stuff is being addressed in ways that normal games back then never did. So I would only suspect the original released games to work and maybe those 'brews' using similar or same bank schemes and addressing the POKEY in the same manner as Commando, or Ballblazer do. There is another older 7800 flash cart that I'm sure would work. And that is the old Mateos 16 in 1 carts. Those are literally using a rotary switch to select a bank of ROM space for the console to see the game data in. Basically just like the dip switch methods they are using on their 10 in 1 multicart but with a rotary switch. Course it is limited to games of 144k and below but all of the official released games should work from the Mateos on this console.

I know this thread is specifically talking about an Atari 8-bit, but I just wanted to state that these things do and can fail at the drop of a hat. A perfect example of this, is a 2600 I was just working on the other day. Pretty dirty system overall but I cleaned it up a bit and got everything serviced and it was working great! I think I even got my highest score on a game I was playing on it at the time during my testing afterwards. Well, I went to put it and a few other back together, and part of that is testing them again and wouldn't you know it?! Suddenly there is no fire button registration anymore from player 1? Pulled the TIA and it tested good, starting checking for shorts or any broken traces. Nothing... and then on a whim I decided to check the actual controller port. Couldn't find anything wrong, but sure enough no conductivity from pin 6 to a capacitor it goes to? Odd, it looks fine and connected etc. But I decided to hit it with a bit of solder and heat anyway. Yeap...that took care of it. So my point is that something that was working fine and working well, in just a matter of a few days developed a cold solder joint just sitting on a table. It was a simple fix, but is an excellent example of how something can test fine and get sent out or whatever and then not work for some reason. It is frustrating when things like this happen no doubt, but as everyone else has stated, it is part and parcel for this hobby and working and playing on game consoles that were never thought of or much less designed to still be working 40 years later.

If you are located in the states, I offer the Kiloparsec BIOS as a kit I install.

Easy for me to answer... Solaris and Midnight Magic. I did get Pitfall II but picked it up second hand for like a $1 in the late 80s, so I didn't see it new on the shelves like I did with the other two games.

Unfortunately that just results in silence. It doesn't seem to provide any signal that I'm able to get working at line level. So I've always tapped the audio right after the initial filter cap that is directly off the trace where pins 12&13 are connected. BTW on all of the 2600 main boards, those pins are connected at the trace itself under the TIA. That is why to separate the audio, you either have to pull the pins out of the socket, or sever the trace between them on the main board and then solder from the pins that way. But with the exception of a few homebrews and now one confirmed but unreleased original game, Stereo was never really programmed into any of the games to make proper use of the two channels separately. PAL TIA don't even have the two separate outputs instead just having a single audio output. Not sure about the unicorn 1 chips found in later model jr consoles.

So..this is LONG overdue and my apologies to @x=usr(1536) for not having done this sooner. But... I've been using mine now for the past 2 weeks on a multitude of different 2600s I've been servicing. And they work great! They do exactly as they are intended per the service manual and in at least one console, they helped point me to an issue with the paddle lines because the matric output didn't quite match what I was expecting. For checking the paddle lines, it is required to have an O'scope so you can read the pulse from the paddle lines with these plugs inserted, but it helped me find a bad trace to pin 5 off the controller port. Also, I don't think this is mentioned in the service manual. But you can actually just plug in a standard set of controllers and the matrix screen will show changes that correlate to the controller and direction you have it in. I don't see a way for it to register the trigger or fire button presses, but just found it kinda cool that you can get different screen results with a controller plugged in. So yeah, if you are going to be doing a lot of work on the 2600 as a whole, then I advise getting a set of these for sure! But to get the most accurate and best results, you need to have a dedicated 2.6 diagnostic cartridge as well.

Well, I will state that 6.8K seems to be the sweet spot for NTSC 7800s, and I found that a 2K is what I needed in a 2600jr I did. I've not messed with this on any other models of the 2600, but it will depend on where you are getting the audio from and how much other stuff is in the circuit before you tap it. But it is likely that 2k is about what is needed from most 2600s. Using an internal pot is fine I guess, but if you know what value is needed for the particular model of console, then it is much simpler to wire a resistor inline from the audio input to do the job. Again, the AVox has its own volume adjustment so you can get close enough in most cases and then dial in the rest from the Avox itself. I was going by what values allowed me to keep the Avox at about the halfway point on it, so I wouldn't have to adjust it between console uses.

Oh..well should have made that much more clear...

The problem with the original foil is that over the years the adhesive is wearing off and as a result, the tiny tab at the end of the strip that is folded down to actually make contact with the RF shielding, isn't doing it enough to actually make contact anymore. I remove it, and the use pretty thick gauge wire that I solder do the sides of the switch housings and then solder all back down the ground around the RF shielding. The wire is make long enough to not get in way, and is going to hold in place and do the job way better than the foil tape ever was. Of course it can be a pain to desolder the wire if you need to replace a switch, but again, I think it is a much better long term approach vs the original foil.

What do you mean by Pads on the main board? You mean what number pin is what? Or. The schematics are only going to show address labels and such, but not really much else. But that is the only place I know of to start: The 2332 IC is the BIOS in this schematic here and is about the closest I've seen to pin outs for it:

The modification requires removing the part of the plastic on the sleeve on the bottom side of it, that the retaining screws go into. But I don't advise this for most folks because without those screws, the sleeve will have a bit more movement around inside the console by a few mills. So it can make inserting games a little more fiddly as they might not line up as well with the slot inside the sleeve so you have to wiggle them sometimes to align them. But yes, the dust pegs on the SC and some tigervision carts extend out too far and as a result, they bottom out on that part of the plastic inside the sleeve before the pcb fingers can make proper contact with the cartridge slot. But again, you could also have the extra timing circuit in place, and I believe that too will prevent the SC from coming up properly. Disabling that circuit is very easy as you only have to clip one leg of a capacitor that feeds to it. Disabling it will prevent at least 1 game from working and possibly 2 or 3. Those games are 2600 games however, with 7800 versions available that can still be played and are better versions in most respects.

Yes, in most cases this is why. I modified the cartridge sleeve on my personal 7800 to allow for my SC and all of my Tigervision games to seat down all the way and work now. But it isn't something I advise everyone to do or try. It is also possible your 7800 has the extra timing circuit in place and I believe that affects the SC operation as well.

Yes it does...

Also this current Atari is still based out of the EU right? Commando isn't as easy to find in PAL land as it is here in NTSC either correct?

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3658/5381/files/Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf

Odd that Ballblazer is listed as passing compatbility, but that Commando is untested? Does Atari not have access to all the physical carts I'm guessing? They should have reached out to the public to try and secure some of these untested games to see what is up with them.

The actual comparison I can make is based on at least one of Brad's controllers that again, was sent in to me because the fire buttons weren't responding well. I know it was one of Brads because it still had his sticker across one of the screw holes with that screw hole filled in with hot glue. It just needed to be cleaned as I stated above, but that revision, looked basically like the Rev 9 flexes but with gold plating on them. I knew about these new ones of his with larger contact traces, yes. But I wasn't willing to spend Brad's prices for his kits when he makes you buy everything in pairs when you order the parts by themselves. I never stated that these were a brand new idea, and in fact I thought I was pretty clear in my statement about these being half the cost of other kits, that I was referring to Bradley's. So here is my transparent take on it per your outline... I was comparing these with Best older kits as those are the only ones I've see and had in hand physically. And compared to those, these are great and work better for me then even a new set of standard Rev9 flex with foil dots do. With the exception of the top row buttons as I stated because for me, those seem to require a more directly and centered press to register. But as those buttons aren't used nearly as often as the fire buttons are, that doesn't really bother me since they do register when needed.\ So my take is that for the price, compared to what a new Rev9 standard flex will cost plus the labor to clean everything and apply little foil dots... yeah, these are a better option as they are just drop in a go. I wouldn't even charge labor to install these kits because it would be minimal. And ARP takes paypal and doesn't impose any limits which, for someone that is asked to service these systems, is of great benefit to me.

So yes with @Eagle's updated file and the 7800GD updated, I too can confirm that the Portal demo is working again. But I have noticed something odd that I think started with the update prior to this one... The volume adjustments only work on the audio output from the 7800GD... I could have sworn the volume adjustments worked through the console as well, but now all that happens is the voices are either full volume, or not at all. No adjustments between affect the volume output through my 7800 itself. So as an example, the TIA audio is way too loud on the Portal demo and adjusting it changes nothing until I have no volume set, and then the TIA is killed completely at that point through the audio output on my console internally. But on the 7800GD it is adjusting the volume incrementally as expected and in fact my initial TIA setting of about 5 or 6 is now a bit too low through the 7800GD AV out port. So was there a change made in that works? Because prior to this on the initial FW release, the volume adjustments did work through my 7800 audio output as that was what I was using to adjust those settings.

Yes it does, but there are some slight differences as I've seen and heard what it sounds like on an actual PAL console. This actually seems to run a little slower on NTSC vs PAL as can be heard in the music and overall speed of everything. Additionally, at least on all of my displays, part of the graphics are cut off on the bottom of the screen.