5200 Troubleshooting: blank, black screen

[BigO]

I recently acquired a 5200 (2 port, if that matters) for a really good price from a fellow AtariAger.

 

The power supply, Atari part number C018187, had a blown fuse which I replaced. Unloaded, the power supply is putting out ~14.7v which looks pretty clean on an oscilloscope. Now the 5200 powers up.

 

On power up it only displays a blank, black screen, but the video is clean in that it doesn't jump or flicker or change colors, or do the wiggly-scrambled-missing-sync-pulse thing. Steady as a rock-no roll.

 

With a cartridge, it displays the same as without a cartridge: blank, black screen. I cleaned and tested 4 or 5 cartridges. The only thing I see different with a cartridge installed is that it will occasionally display a blue-green, teal-ish screen briefly on startup before it goes back to displaying black. Less frequently, I get a solid white band about 2-3 inches wide down the length of left side of the screen (31" CRT) with the rest of the screen showing a similar bluish-green color.

 

The console is connected directly to the f-connector input on the TV with the same RCA to F-connector adapter that I use with my other game consoles.

 

I intend to do the basics: dismantle the unit, inspect and clean the cartridge slot and inspect the board for any obvious problems.

 

I'm brand new to the 5200. I would greatly appreciate pointers as to specific things I might look for if anyone has experienced and resolved this issue. I'm looking for education.

 

 

(Moderators: Also posted in Hardware forum with no technical response. Duplicated here hoping for more specific 5200 advice. Feel free to delete either.)

[Charlie_]

This might not be much help.........

 

A long time ago I had a 5200 that was doing the same thing. Luckily I had a couple "parts" 5200s laying around.

I remember swapping a chip that says "ATARI" on it. Maybe the bios(?). I also swapped the 4(?) memory chips

and it worked again.

 

Good luck.

 

-Charlie

[BigO]

This might not be much help.........

 

A long time ago I had a 5200 that was doing the same thing. Luckily I had a couple "parts" 5200s laying around.

I remember swapping a chip that says "ATARI" on it. Maybe the bios(?). I also swapped the 4(?) memory chips

and it worked again.

 

Good luck.

 

-Charlie

 

Thanks for the information. It's something specific to check.

 

When/if I get it figured out, I'll post back here.

[AtariMan1976]

I recently acquired a 5200 (2 port, if that matters) for a really good price from a fellow AtariAger.

 

The power supply, Atari part number C018187, had a blown fuse which I replaced. Unloaded, the power supply is putting out ~14.7v which looks pretty clean on an oscilloscope. Now the 5200 powers up.

 

On power up it only displays a blank, black screen, but the video is clean in that it doesn't jump or flicker or change colors, or do the wiggly-scrambled-missing-sync-pulse thing. Steady as a rock-no roll.

 

With a cartridge, it displays the same as without a cartridge: blank, black screen. I cleaned and tested 4 or 5 cartridges. The only thing I see different with a cartridge installed is that it will occasionally display a blue-green, teal-ish screen briefly on startup before it goes back to displaying black. Less frequently, I get a solid white band about 2-3 inches wide down the length of left side of the screen (31" CRT) with the rest of the screen showing a similar bluish-green color.

 

The console is connected directly to the f-connector input on the TV with the same RCA to F-connector adapter that I use with my other game consoles.

 

I intend to do the basics: dismantle the unit, inspect and clean the cartridge slot and inspect the board for any obvious problems.

 

I'm brand new to the 5200. I would greatly appreciate pointers as to specific things I might look for if anyone has experienced and resolved this issue. I'm looking for education.

 

 

(Moderators: Also posted in Hardware forum with no technical response. Duplicated here hoping for more specific 5200 advice. Feel free to delete either.)

Try checking the largest of chips on the board....the four biggest ones in the middle below the cartridge slot. their numbered. try checking the CO12296, the CO14805, and the CPU, which i forget the number on it. The CO12296 is the "Antic" which very well could be the problem, but try the other 2 as well to make sure. Thats what i had to do. The fourth chip is for sound so you probably won't need to worry about that one.

[NoahsMyBro]

I don't know if this will help, but the below thread links to a long, involved process I undertook repairing a dead 5200. The potential relevance to your situation was that I got to a point whereby my system put out a crystal clear blackish/greenish screen, and no sound. Turns out, the power in the 5200 is split down two channels. One of the channels powers the AV circuits, the other powers the CPU. In my case, there was an IC on the board, near the power switch, that was responsible for this 'splitting' of the power. The IC was defective, and was powering the AV circuitry, but not the CPU circuitry. The result was the AV components essentially putting out a blank screen and blank sound. Once I replaced the IC (a very common IC, iirc) I saw & heard the games.

 

Link here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...c=98403&hl=

[BigO]

I don't know if this will help, but the below thread links to a long, involved process I undertook repairing a dead 5200. The potential relevance to your situation was that I got to a point whereby my system put out a crystal clear blackish/greenish screen, and no sound. Turns out, the power in the 5200 is split down two channels. One of the channels powers the AV circuits, the other powers the CPU. In my case, there was an IC on the board, near the power switch, that was responsible for this 'splitting' of the power. The IC was defective, and was powering the AV circuitry, but not the CPU circuitry. The result was the AV components essentially putting out a blank screen and blank sound. Once I replaced the IC (a very common IC, iirc) I saw & heard the games.

 

Link here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...c=98403&hl=

 

Thanks, Noah's Bro. I'll definitely take a look at this. Sounds promising.

[BigO]

I acquired some parts donor 4 port 5200's. One board with no case was known to work, with some issues. I started swapping out all of the chips that were socketed on my 2 port. When I got down to RAM chip U23 (A23 on my 2 port board), I got a picture.

 

Now the games won't start and the picture is in black & white. I briefly got flickers of color and the picture goes wonky when I tap on the RF modulator, so something is probably slightly amiss in that area.

 

I'll go put the oscilloscope to 'er to see what's up with the no-start condition. Tried several controllers (which might all be bad!) and no luck.

 

It's still not working, but there's progress.

[BigO]

[duplicate post]

Edited August 25, 2007 by BigO

[Jess Ragan]

Dagnabbit, that was what was wrong with MY last Atari 5200! Now I feel stupid for having torn it aprt...

[BigO]

In addition to that bad RAM chip, a 4052 (U9) was bad causing the unit not to read the controller.

 

The color problem was just an adjustment.

 

All fixed. Now to fix the controllers...I forsee some more adapter engineering in my future.

 

Hopefully I can build up a working trackball from the 5 dead ones I picked up the other day along with the 5200 spares.

[T2KFREEKER]

In addition to that bad RAM chip, a 4052 (U9) was bad causing the unit not to read the controller.

 

The color problem was just an adjustment.

 

All fixed. Now to fix the controllers...I forsee some more adapter engineering in my future.

 

Hopefully I can build up a working trackball from the 5 dead ones I picked up the other day along with the 5200 spares.

 

 

As a coolness point, switch the BIOS chip from the four port to the two port so that you are able to play all of the games. A few 5200 games like Pitfall! will not work with the 2 port BIOS chip. Just some helpful info there man.

[Jess Ragan]

Do any 5200 games even use all four joystick ports?

[BigO]

In addition to that bad RAM chip, a 4052 (U9) was bad causing the unit not to read the controller.

 

The color problem was just an adjustment.

 

All fixed. Now to fix the controllers...I forsee some more adapter engineering in my future.

 

Hopefully I can build up a working trackball from the 5 dead ones I picked up the other day along with the 5200 spares.

 

 

As a coolness point, switch the BIOS chip from the four port to the two port so that you are able to play all of the games. A few 5200 games like Pitfall! will not work with the 2 port BIOS chip. Just some helpful info there man.

 

Hey, thanks. I had switched them in the process of troubleshooting, but switched them back. I couldn't see any difference, but don't have Pitfall. I will re-switch them.

 

I'll probably end up building up a working 4 port out of this pile, including educating myself on the repair of the RF switchbox. I know you can do a power mod, but those switchboxes can't be all that difficult to fix. There's one chip, one transistor, one relay some caps and resistors. I got a pile of these, too.

[T2KFREEKER]

Do any 5200 games even use all four joystick ports?

 

 

Doesn't Robotron and Space Dungeon?

[SINGLE TOOTH]

Do any 5200 games even use all four joystick ports?

 

 

Doesn't Robotron and Space Dungeon?

I thought Super Breakout was one.

[+Mitch]

Robotron and Space Dungeon only use two ports.

 

Off the top of my head, Super Breakout, RS Tennis and the Asteroids proto are the only original games to use all four ports. There are a few modern release that use them though; Combat 2, Castle Crisis and Mule come to mind.

 

Mitch

[vintagegamecrazy]

I figured that I'd raise a dead thread than start a new one but I have a 5200 2 port with a black screen as well. When I started with it it had no power so I just replaced the CD4013 Flip Flop and it powers up now but I have the black screen. Does anyone know if the flip flop splits the voltage between the video and CPU channels or does another IC do that? Are there any other ICs to replace and can I purchase them online? I hope I don't have to have donars to fix this system. I also have 4 port that I just recently acquired in a garage sale and it has power through the switchbox but no video whatsoever. The TV doesn't even know it's there. Is this a switchbox issue or a console issue? This is my first 4 port as well so I'm new to this. I am proficient at soldering so repairs won't be a problem once I know what to replace.

 

Thanks

[zylon]

I figured that I'd raise a dead thread than start a new one but I have a 5200 2 port with a black screen as well. When I started with it it had no power so I just replaced the CD4013 Flip Flop and it powers up now but I have the black screen. Does anyone know if the flip flop splits the voltage between the video and CPU channels or does another IC do that? Are there any other ICs to replace and can I purchase them online? I hope I don't have to have donars to fix this system. I also have 4 port that I just recently acquired in a garage sale and it has power through the switchbox but no video whatsoever. The TV doesn't even know it's there. Is this a switchbox issue or a console issue? This is my first 4 port as well so I'm new to this. I am proficient at soldering so repairs won't be a problem once I know what to replace.

 

Thanks

 

Yes. The 4013 does split the power into the two circuits for video and logic. The rest of that one sounds like a bad IC or two. The IC's in your 4-port are the same and can be used for swap-testing. Some of them are readily available and the rest are proprietary. Those can be had at Best Electronics.

Most common failure in the switchbox is the little IC . LM393N

[Sprybug]

I got one for ya guys. At the last PRGE I picked up an Atari 5200 in a bargain bin that had obviously seen better days. I doubted that it worked, but I got it for like a buck, so no big loss if it wasn't repairable. The other day I finally pulled it out and decide to test it out. It's the original 4 porter. Even the model number on the motherboard says it's the original. I didn't have the switchbox or the power adapter, so I thought I'd give the power and AV mod a go while fixing this baby up. It's the Power & AV mod that is found here at AtariAge. At first, after applying the power mod (using a 12VDC 2A power adapter), I got no power to the LED. After examining the board, I noticed that one of the resistors looked completely burned out. I found the service manual online and found out what the value of the resistor was (it was so black, I couldn't read the color stripes). Originally, I thought it was a 100K ohm resistor because that is what my multimeter read, however there was no 100K resistors on the 5200 schematic in the power area. I found the resistor value in the service manual and it was only 56 ohms! I guess whatever killed that resistor also added a lot of resistance with the ruined material. So anyhow, I replaced the 56 ohm resistor with one I had and walla! It powered up. Now I had to do the AV mod to see if it really worked. When I hooked it up to my TV, I actually got a display....BUT the screen rolls like a Mofo. I can see the game, but it rolls as if the vertical hold on my TV is out of wack (which it isn't). I went to the service manual again and couldn't find anything about a rolling screen, nor did I find anything with Google. So any suggestions guys? I'm really close to getting this baby working again!

[+Mitch]

Is it on the right TV channel? Or it may need to be retuned.

 

Mitch

[Sprybug]

Is it on the right TV channel? Or it may need to be retuned.

 

Mitch

Well no, it's a composite mod, so it doesn't use an RF TV channel, just the video in. I figured it out already though the very next morning after the post. The mod I did in the schematic had the Sync signal go through a 4007 diode....why? I'm not sure because I don't know how any kind of feedback, if there was any, would mess it up. I tried just bypassing it and it all worked. I might try a standard 4148 diode instead. A 4007 was massive overkill in the plans anyway. Not sure why he felt it needed something like that, when a 4148 would be just dandy. If that doesn't work, then I'll just bypass having a diode all together.

[Deteacher]

Ok, my turn to resurrect this thread:

 

I just picked up a 5200 (4-port model with all cables, 3 controllers and 5-6 games.) I went against my better judgement and bought it, knowing it was "untested." Sure enough, it doesn't work. It has the black screen that's described in the previous posts in this thread. So, at least I know the power supply is good.

 

I'm brand new to the 5200, but from what I read, it looks like I'm looking at chip swapping. But the first thing I'm going to do is give it a good cleaning. I'm also going to reseat all the socketed chips. Looks like I can get all the chips I need from Best Electronics.

 

My question is: Should I just go ahead and buy all the chips and swap them all out? Antic, GTIA, 6502, Pokey and 8 RAM chips? I'm guessing the 8 chips going down the left side are all the RAM chips, correct?

[7800fan]

I would rule out a few things first. Got a meter? Check power supply, should be more than 12v without load, and both VR for +5v output. If the power supply is low (like 6-8v without load), then 5200 won't work even if the power LED comes on. If either of the VR is bad, 5200 won't work either.

 

After that, check for hot chip (remove large RF shield), if any of them feels like it will burn your finger, that chip is likely failing.

 

With a bright flashlight, look inside the cart slot. Foreign debris can get in easily and prevent the cart from seating fully. 5200 uses interlock on pin 16 and 32 to enable 5200 to power on. If the cart was dirty, not inserted right, or absent only the red LED and the black screen will happen.

[Deteacher]

Thank you for that. I'm going to try your suggestions and report back my findings.

 

This is going to be a total noob question, so I'll apologize in advance. When it comes to using the multimeter on the IC chips, is it as simple as putting one prong on one pin and then moving the other one along all the other pins to test for continuity? I've never used one before and I tried to research this on YouTube, but didn't find much that explains things in plain English.

 

Gonna crack her open now and start the cleaning process.

[Deteacher]

Ok, so I put the multimeter to the power supply. Says it's supposed to put out 9v...but the meter is reading 14.9! I'm guessing the power supply could be the culprit here? If it's putting out that much more voltage, could it have cooked the insides? Again, I'm very new to this, so any and all help/info I can get is greatly appreciated.

 

Edit: After re-reading the posts above, it looks like 14.9v is normal for the power supply when it's not throwing a load. None of the chips seem to get hot. The 6502 seems to get a little bit warm, but I'm guessing that's normal if the machine has been on for 10-15 minutes.

 

There don't seem to be any burnt caps/resistors/etc. Everything on the board looks clean. If there aren't any other suggestions, I guess I'll get in touch with Best and start buying some chips.

Edited September 19, 2017 by Deteacher