cartridge port mod

[flammingcowz]

I have a rev. b board(really rev. c), and all the guides to putting a cartridge port on to it says to take off the 0 ohm resistor(capacitor?) at J13. How do I do this? Just melt it with a soldering iron?

 

Also, all the guides I see don't show how to hook up the switch to change from games to the internal rom. Is there a guide with pictures and an explanation for that?

 

Another question, when you connect the cartridge connector and you solder a wire to pin 1, 2, etc, do you solder the wire that goes from pin 1 to the pin 1 on the cartridge port, 2 to the pin 2 on the cartridge port, etc?

 

This is what im using as a cartridge port, its a part from an old floppy drive. I don't know if it will work, im trying it on a spare flashback 2.

 

Edited June 18, 2008 by flammingcowz

[mimo]

ohms=resitance

if it says take it out, you should just snip it off if nothing else is going in its place

[BigO]

ohms=resitance

if it says take it out, you should just snip it off if nothing else is going in its place

 

I think it's a surface mount 0 ohm "resistor". He'll have to pop it off the board with a soldering iron.

 

flammingcowz, the markings on the board are the cartridge port pin number.

 

I don't know where, but I have seen at least a description of the switch. Keep poking around on the net. If I recall correctly from my reading about people's mods, the switch has to make one connection and break another to effect the switching between onboard and external ROM.

[flammingcowz]

Is there a way to completely take out the switch and rom, and use the flashback just for cartridges?

 

How would I have to wire it then?

 

This flashback 2's internal game rom was faulty when I bought it and most of the games don't work.

[mimo]

there is a switchless mod out there too, there is a link in these forums

[keilbaca]

Is there a way to completely take out the switch and rom, and use the flashback just for cartridges?

 

How would I have to wire it then?

 

This flashback 2's internal game rom was faulty when I bought it and most of the games don't work.

 

Just hard wire the switch to work with cartridges.

 

Aka, you don't need a switch, find out what wires turn it into cartridge mode, and then just solder them together.

Edited June 18, 2008 by keilbaca

[flammingcowz]

there is a switchless mod out there too, there is a link in these forums

 

Yeah, one that automatically switches when you put in a cartridge. I don't have a switch and the built in games don't work anyway, so I just want it to be only play cartridges.

 

I've searched through these forums for a cartridge only flashback and have found none. If you know of one, a link would be appreciated.

[the.golden.ax]

Where do you get the cart port to put on the FB2 motherboard?

 

AX

[BigO]

Is there a way to completely take out the switch and rom, and use the flashback just for cartridges?

 

How would I have to wire it then?

 

This flashback 2's internal game rom was faulty when I bought it and most of the games don't work.

 

Just hard wire the switch to work with cartridges.

 

Aka, you don't need a switch, find out what wires turn it into cartridge mode, and then just solder them together.

 

I'm pretty sure you remove one jumper and add another, so yeah, it could easily be permanent.

[mimo]

Where do you get the cart port to put on the FB2 motherboard?

 

AX

 

Best Electrics , an old 2600 or use an old 3.5" floppy drive cable (? not too sure about that)

[flammingcowz]

Ok first time i've ever tried to solder. It would help if I had a good soldering iron, mine doesn't heat up all the way except on one side.

 

I used a floppy ribbon cable like in a lot of the atari mods you see, prepared the same way. I tried for over 3 hours to get all of them on the right spot on the "cartridge connector' that I made. No luck. So I tried to solder them to the motherboard. I got to #6 or 7, and then one of the wires ripped. So I desoldered them all and came to a conclusion that i'm just going to let a professional handle this.

 

Will anyone mod it for me?

 

I will pay for all shipping, all parts needed(I don't have any of the parts anymore), and pay you for your troubles.

 

If so, I will send my good flashback thats never been opened, and I would want a switch so I could select between the internal rom or a cartridge.

 

If anyone would do this for me, about how much do you think it would all cost for you to do it, I need to know so I can get all the money.

[BigO]

I wouldn't be discouraged yet. That's fairly intricate soldering to those tiny pads for a newbie with a crap soldering iron. If you have any inclination to do any such work in the future, you might be better off spending the money on a solder station.

 

I've used one of these: http://circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307

I don't know what they'll hit you with for shipping, but it's surprisingly good for a $40.00 solder station.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Edited June 19, 2008 by BigO

[flammingcowz]

I wouldn't be discouraged yet. That's fairly intricate soldering to those tiny pads for a newbie with a crap soldering iron. If you have any inclination to do any such work in the future, you might be better off spending the money on a solder station.

 

I've used one of these: http://circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307

I don't know what they'll hit you with for shipping, but it's surprisingly good for a $40.00 solder station.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Hmm, Ill look in to that, thanks.

[flammingcowz]

have you guys used flux for the atari mod?

[+batari]

I have a rev. b board(really rev. c), and all the guides to putting a cartridge port on to it says to take off the 0 ohm resistor(capacitor?) at J13. How do I do this? Just melt it with a soldering iron?

 

Also, all the guides I see don't show how to hook up the switch to change from games to the internal rom. Is there a guide with pictures and an explanation for that?

 

Another question, when you connect the cartridge connector and you solder a wire to pin 1, 2, etc, do you solder the wire that goes from pin 1 to the pin 1 on the cartridge port, 2 to the pin 2 on the cartridge port, etc?

 

This is what im using as a cartridge port, its a part from an old floppy drive. I don't know if it will work, im trying it on a spare flashback 2.

 

I don't know how you'd ever get that to work. You want a floppy cable with a card edge connector, not the DIP connector you have shown. The card edge connectors were used on 5.25" floppy drives in the 80's and early-mid 90's, but you can still buy them new.

[flammingcowz]

I bought something called "Rosin Soldering Flux", in paste form. Before I open it i want to know if I should use it for this, so that I can return it if i need to.

[BigO]

I bought something called "Rosin Soldering Flux", in paste form. Before I open it i want to know if I should use it for this, so that I can return it if i need to.

It's the proper type of flux to use for soldering electronics, but I generally don't use it for the type of stuff we're talking about here. Rosin core solder (has the necessary flux inside the solder itself) works for most small, relatively clean soldering jobs like this.

 

Don't use acid core solder for electronics.

Edited June 22, 2008 by BigO

[flammingcowz]

OK, I have one DPDT switch and I'm saving it for my good flashback 2, after I try to mod this one. I have a new soldering iron, new solder, a thing of flux, and im getting an old 5.25" floppy drive tommorow. I have everything that I will need for this.

 

On this flashback, I don't want to use a switch, I want it to be just for cartridges.

 

With the DIP connector I have (i doubt it works), I have it all wired in to the flashback, all 24 pins.

 

The thing is, without the switch, I don't know how to wire the system up to play the cartridges.

 

I've killed the resistor at J9, and I've tried connected one J9 pad to the other J9 pad, that didn't work(I think)

 

I tried wiring one J3 pad to the other J3 pad, which didn't work (I think)

 

and I've tried wiring one J9 to one J3. That didn't work either(I think)

 

If you don't want to use a switch, what do you wire with these?

[NixonTech2071]

I have a rev. b board(really rev. c), and all the guides to putting a cartridge port on to it says to take off the 0 ohm resistor(capacitor?) at J13. How do I do this? Just melt it with a soldering iron?

 

Also, all the guides I see don't show how to hook up the switch to change from games to the internal rom. Is there a guide with pictures and an explanation for that?

 

Another question, when you connect the cartridge connector and you solder a wire to pin 1, 2, etc, do you solder the wire that goes from pin 1 to the pin 1 on the cartridge port, 2 to the pin 2 on the cartridge port, etc?

 

This is what im using as a cartridge port, its a part from an old floppy drive. I don't know if it will work, im trying it on a spare flashback 2.

 

I suppose that is PC 50 X?

[BigO]

OK, I have one DPDT switch and I'm saving it for my good flashback 2, after I try to mod this one. I have a new soldering iron, new solder, a thing of flux, and im getting an old 5.25" floppy drive tommorow. I have everything that I will need for this.

 

On this flashback, I don't want to use a switch, I want it to be just for cartridges.

 

With the DIP connector I have (i doubt it works), I have it all wired in to the flashback, all 24 pins.

 

The thing is, without the switch, I don't know how to wire the system up to play the cartridges.

 

I've killed the resistor at J9, and I've tried connected one J9 pad to the other J9 pad, that didn't work(I think)

 

I tried wiring one J3 pad to the other J3 pad, which didn't work (I think)

 

and I've tried wiring one J9 to one J3. That didn't work either(I think)

 

If you don't want to use a switch, what do you wire with these?

 

A switch is basically a wire that can be connected and disconnected. If you know what a DPDT switch is and what it does, I'm confident that you can reason through what to do without a switch.

 

If that connector in the picture is what you're using, how do you intend to plug the cartridge in to it?

[flammingcowz]

A switch is basically a wire that can be connected and disconnected. If you know what a DPDT switch is and what it does, I'm confident that you can reason through what to do without a switch.

 

If that connector in the picture is what you're using, how do you intend to plug the cartridge in to it?

 

I know what a DPDT switch is but not how it works, and the cartridge fits in to the pins on that connector, I don't think that it works though.

[flammingcowz]

Whew, a few years ago when I got my first computer, it was made by hand by a guy who used to own a computer business. So it wasn't any name brand, it was just random parts thrown together. I opened it up and found a 34-pin female edge connector that connected a 1.44mb floppy to the motherboard. It has 3 ends. One is the 34 pin edge connector, and the other 2 are black and have really close holes, both female. The 2 that aren't the edge connector were connecting the floppy to the motherboard. I want to know if i can use this for the mod?

 

Here is a picture to show you what I am talking about.

 

 

Something in the picture that you can not see, is that at the edge connector, 2 ribbon cables come from it. One goes to one of the black parts, and the other ribbon cable to the other black parts. It looks like the bottom row of pins goes to one cable, and the top row goes to the other. Will this be a problem when soldering it so to my flashback?

Edited June 25, 2008 by flammingcowz

[BigO]

Whew, a few years ago when I got my first computer, it was made by hand by a guy who used to own a computer business. So it wasn't any name brand, it was just random parts thrown together. I opened it up and found a 34-pin female edge connector that connected a 1.44mb floppy to the motherboard. It has 3 ends. One is the 34 pin edge connector, and the other 2 are black and have really close holes, both female. The 2 that aren't the edge connector were connecting the floppy to the motherboard. I want to know if i can use this for the mod?

 

Something in the picture that you can not see, is that at the edge connector, 2 ribbon cables come from it. One goes to one of the black parts, and the other ribbon cable to the other black parts. It looks like the bottom row of pins goes to one cable, and the top row goes to the other. Will this be a problem when soldering it so to my flashback?

While I can see how you'd think that, it's not true that one row of pins goes to one cable and the other to another cable. All the conductors in the ribbon cable will be connected to that socket part that you need and to all of the other sockets on that cable as well.

Edited June 25, 2008 by BigO