An Intro and Controller Cable issues

[C. Alan]

Last Thursday, I was at my in-laws house, and they told me that they had an old atari that they were going to throw away, and they wondered if I would like to have it. I was expecting a 2600, and I was much surprised when they presented me with a 5200. They said they stopped using it more than 15 years ago when the controllers stopped working. It had been sitting in a closet ever since.

 

I am a bit of a game geek. I grew up playing a 2600, a NES system, a Genesis, Xbox, and an Xbox 360. I put myself through college by working on Pinball machines, and working in an arcade back around when Williams was in its heyday with Mortal Combat (1&2). In the past I have built a MAME machine, and I know just enough about electronics to be dangerous.

 

The system boots up ok, and after much reading on the controllers, I have one controller that works about 90%. Both of the controllers appear to have bad cables, which was a bit of a surprise to me. The controllers have Rev. 7 flex boards in them that are in pretty good shape. I have cleaned off the contacts, and put metal tape on top of the old carbon disks. However, on one controller, I can not get a signal trace from the #7 pin to the lead where it plugs into the flex board. On the other controller, I have the same situation on the #3 pin.

 

Being that the #7 pin has the start button on it, that controller is useless, so I cut the cable just above the plug to check to see if the plug was the problem. However, the problem in not at the plug, so I have to assume I have a busted wire between the flex terminal and the end of the cut cable. I am glad it is just a standard 15 pin plug, I just need to find a cable, and I think I can build a new one.

 

I could use one bit of help with the rebuild of my controllers: Does anyone have a list of the pin-outs and the wire colors that go to each pin? It would make replacing the cable a lot easier.

 

Thanks,

C. Alan

[82atari5200]

Last Thursday, I was at my in-laws house, and they told me that they had an old atari that they were going to throw away, and they wondered if I would like to have it. I was expecting a 2600, and I was much surprised when they presented me with a 5200. They said they stopped using it more than 15 years ago when the controllers stopped working. It had been sitting in a closet ever since.

 

I am a bit of a game geek. I grew up playing a 2600, a NES system, a Genesis, Xbox, and an Xbox 360. I put myself through college by working on Pinball machines, and working in an arcade back around when Williams was in its heyday with Mortal Combat (1&2). In the past I have built a MAME machine, and I know just enough about electronics to be dangerous.

 

The system boots up ok, and after much reading on the controllers, I have one controller that works about 90%. Both of the controllers appear to have bad cables, which was a bit of a surprise to me. The controllers have Rev. 7 flex boards in them that are in pretty good shape. I have cleaned off the contacts, and put metal tape on top of the old carbon disks. However, on one controller, I can not get a signal trace from the #7 pin to the lead where it plugs into the flex board. On the other controller, I have the same situation on the #3 pin.

 

Being that the #7 pin has the start button on it, that controller is useless, so I cut the cable just above the plug to check to see if the plug was the problem. However, the problem in not at the plug, so I have to assume I have a busted wire between the flex terminal and the end of the cut cable. I am glad it is just a standard 15 pin plug, I just need to find a cable, and I think I can build a new one.

 

I could use one bit of help with the rebuild of my controllers: Does anyone have a list of the pin-outs and the wire colors that go to each pin? It would make replacing the cable a lot easier.

 

Thanks,

C. Alan

Easier to buy them (the cables) new from Best Electronics. Just shell out $50.00 and get 2 rebuilt ones from best with the gold contacts. AWESOME...

[Prodos8]

Welcome to AtariAge!

 

Yeah the controllers usually don't work unil you refurbish them or clean them at least. Usually cleaning the carbon dots (scraping them across a piece of paper) and the flex circuit. It'd probably be much easier to buy a new cable from best-electronics (as stated above) then to try and rig something up, and if your serious about the system get the gold rebuild parts as well. If a fun system to play around with once you get a good controller.

 

Anyway, if your feeling adventurous here's a pinout for the controller: http://www.technick.net/public/code/cp_dpa...njoy_atari_5200

 

BTW if you jumper pins 4 & 7 together at the controller port, with wire or paperclip, you can get the game to start, then just plug the controller in to play.

[mimo]

get your parts from MrRetroGamer of these fine forums.

cheaper than Best, and no minimum order.