Atari 2600 + Commodore 1702 monitor = Awesome?

[Ghettokon]

I was at the Portland Retro Game Convention day before, and I bought a copy of dungeon. I have to be honest, one of the biggest reason I bought this title over others is because the beautiful graphic on the demo machine. The demo game was running on a 4-switch Atari 2600 with a Commodore 1702 monitor. When I saw the demo, I can almost count the pixel on the screen, that was how crisp and defined each pixel was, plus the color were carefully design, it was super well put together.

 

However, I can't help thinking since Commodore 1702 is a composite video monitor, and a regular Atari 2600 has only RF out ( based on my limited knowledge ), there must be some kind of mod going on. My question is tho, does the mob on Atari 2600 somehow also boost the graphic quality/signal strength? or it is just because Commodore 1702 is a kick ass monitor? or there are two mods on both Atari 2600 and on the Monitor? Anyone know?

 

And if I want to recreate that graphic quality on my Ataris, what can I do?

 

Best,

Kyle

Edited September 22, 2009 by Ghettokon

[+cvga]

Does anyone have a 1702 monitor that they would like to sell? I'm looking for one to use with my Commodore 64.

[+batari]

PRGE was also the first place I learned about the 1702 monitor mod, and I have a 1702 (not for sale!) I've been using the composite input on it. It did not occur to be that someone had created a mod for the chroma/luma connectors on the back. It appears the 2600 FAQ here has a schematic for the mod. I plan to do it when I get a chance.

 

My only question is that the instructions say the mod is only for a 2600A/Jr and nothing about a six-switch - does anyone know how to mod a 6-switch for a 1702?

[+SpiceWare]

The Atari's you saw have been modified to output S-Video (and possibly stereo sound). I have mine hooked up to a C= 1084S (S=stereo) via the no-longer-available CyberTech S-Video mod. Mine looks like this:

 

 

There's 2 mod kits that I'm aware of. One by Longhorn Engineer, and the forthcoming CyberTech Pro - a sequel to the CyberTech S-Video that I have.

[+batari]

The Atari's you saw have been modified to output S-Video (and possibly stereo sound). I have mine hooked up to a C= 1084S (S=stereo) via the no-longer-available CyberTech S-Video mod. Mine looks like this:

So the 1702 uses S-video signals? I would have never expected that, as the 1702 antedates the S-video spec by at least 5 years!

[+save2600]

The Atari's you saw have been modified to output S-Video (and possibly stereo sound). I have mine hooked up to a C= 1084S (S=stereo) via the no-longer-available CyberTech S-Video mod. Mine looks like this:

So the 1702 uses S-video signals? I would have never expected that, as the 1702 antedates the S-video spec by at least 5 years!

 

Yep - the 1702 has separate Lumen and Chroma signals in the form of RCA jacks. Easy to make an adapter for stuff that outputs

e-video.

[+batari]

The Atari's you saw have been modified to output S-Video (and possibly stereo sound). I have mine hooked up to a C= 1084S (S=stereo) via the no-longer-available CyberTech S-Video mod. Mine looks like this:

So the 1702 uses S-video signals? I would have never expected that, as the 1702 antedates the S-video spec by at least 5 years!

 

Yep - the 1702 has separate Lumen and Chroma signals in the form of RCA jacks. Easy to make an adapter for stuff that outputs

e-video.

I'm aware of the connectors on the monitor, I just did not expect them to be the same voltage levels as S-video, and unless I am missing something, I see no reason why they should be, but if they are, that's great!

[jaybird3rd]

I was at the Portland Retro Game Convention day before, and I bought a copy of dungeon. I have to be honest, one of the biggest reason I bought this title over others is because the beautiful graphic on the demo machine. The demo game was running on a 4-switch Atari 2600 with a Commodore 1702 monitor. When I saw the demo, I can almost count the pixel on the screen, that was how crisp and defined each pixel was, plus the color were carefully design, it was super well put together.

 

However, I can't help thinking since Commodore 1702 is a composite video monitor, and a regular Atari 2600 has only RF out ( based on my limited knowledge ), there must be some kind of mod going on. My question is tho, does the mob on Atari 2600 somehow also boost the graphic quality/signal strength? or it is just because Commodore 1702 is a kick ass monitor? or there are two mods on both Atari 2600 and on the Monitor? Anyone know?

 

And if I want to recreate that graphic quality on my Ataris, what can I do?

 

Best,

Kyle

Welcome to AtariAge!

 

Yes, as the others have pointed out, it is now possible to modify the 2600 to bypass the onboard RF modulator and to output composite and S-Video signals directly, dramatically improving the quality and strength of the video and audio. If you have this modification done to your 2600, you will have a much easier time connecting it to modern televisions or to monitors like the 1702, and it will look better than you ever thought possible. The same goes for the Intellivision, the Atari 7800, the Atari 5200, and all the other classic consoles which have had similar mods designed for them.

[seanhq]

Does anyone have a 1702 monitor that they would like to sell? I'm looking for one to use with my Commodore 64.

I've got an extra 1702 monitor for sale. PM also sent.

Edited September 22, 2009 by seanhq

[seanhq]

Indeed, the Commodore 1702 monitors are really nice. If you were at the AtariAge booth at the Retro Gaming Expo this weekend, there was a row of 4 (maybe 5) of them and one with another on top (right side of the booth). The top one was mine on loan to AtariAge

 

I have my 2600 4 switch modded with both S-Video and composite video/audio which I plug into the front of the 1702. I would never mod my heavy sixer though or at least not do a case modification like on my 4-switch.

 

Side note Dungeon is awesome. I too picked up a copy. I also picked up Juno First and Incoming. AtariAge puts out some quality stuff for sure.

[Ghettokon]

The Atari's you saw have been modified to output S-Video (and possibly stereo sound). I have mine hooked up to a C= 1084S (S=stereo) via the no-longer-available CyberTech S-Video mod. Mine looks like this:

 

 

There's 2 mod kits that I'm aware of. One by Longhorn Engineer, and the forthcoming CyberTech Pro - a sequel to the CyberTech S-Video that I have.

 

 

Woa, My Atari mod life starts today (night)!! Thanks, really beautiful picture!

[Dino]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

[Rom Hunter]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

[+SpiceWare]

If I remember correctly, the 1702 was released along with the Commodore 64. It supports composite, chroma/luma (s-video) and mono sound.

 

The 1084S was designed for the Amiga, it came bundled with my "student purchase" Amiga 2000HD. Besides composite and chroma/luma, it supports RGBI and analog RGB. RGBI was for the Commodore 128's 16 color 80 column display and analog RGB was for the Amiga. It also has stereo sound as the Amiga was designed for stereo audio.

[+SpiceWare]

Woa, My Atari mod life starts today (night)!! Thanks, really beautiful picture!

here's a few more

[frank_c]

 

Yep - the 1702 has separate Lumen and Chroma signals in the form of RCA jacks. Easy to make an adapter for stuff that outputs

s-video.

 

too easy. i have a Roland sampler that has S-video out...wired up a DIN jack and the picture is amazing.

 

haven't gone the other way though, not sure i need to play the C64 on a 32" LCD TV.

Edited September 23, 2009 by frank_c

[RangerG]

I love the 1702 monitor. I have three systems hooked to it. Get your systems s-video modded then buy a splitter (it's a bit strange in that the s-video splits into chroma and luma and then your audio may have to go two "stereo" to one "audio" for the back of the 1702. Great graphics and great retro look and feel.

[Godzilla]

I have to agree, c=/amiga monitor rule. I used to use my adam+ 2600 module which gave me video out (and a seperate VCR + RF to get audio out! lol.) Poor man's A/V mod. But it looked amazing on my 1084 I miss that setup...

[Albert]

Yes, all the systems that were hooked up to 1702 monitors (including the Atari 7800 console) have been modified for separate chroma/luminance output. All the 2600 systems that were there have stereo audio output, but I combine that into mono output since the 1702s do not have stereo audio inputs. The 1702 monitors really do look outstanding, especially for their age. They are great for shows like this due to their relatively small size, they have carrying handles, have a flat top so you can put stuff on top, and have great output.

 

..Al

[Dino]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

 

Is it THAT much better though? I have a 1084S and am wondering whether its worth the effort to upgrade...

[Rom Hunter]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

 

Is it THAT much better though? I have a 1084S and am wondering whether its worth the effort to upgrade...

Nope, you would downgrade it.

 

The 1702 is older than the 1084S.

 

[Dino]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

 

Is it THAT much better though? I have a 1084S and am wondering whether its worth the effort to upgrade...

Nope, you would downgrade it.

 

The 1702 is older than the 1084S.

 

 

That's the reason why I bought the 1084S in the first place - I thought that newer = better. Am I wrong?

[potatohead]

I was really surprised at the quality output. I spent some time hanging with Batari, and he had a modified machine of Al's hooked to one of these things, displaying the harmony menu. Simply excellent!

 

(I'm on the hunt for one now)

[Crazy Climber]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

 

Is it THAT much better though? I have a 1084S and am wondering whether its worth the effort to upgrade...

Nope, you would downgrade it.

 

The 1702 is older than the 1084S.

 

 

That's the reason why I bought the 1084S in the first place - I thought that newer = better. Am I wrong?

I had your modded heavy sixer hooked up to both a 1084s and a 1702. For some reason I just love how they look hooked up to those 1702 monitors. The 1084S as far as I know is superior but just doesn't have that retro look like the 1702 does, just my opinion

[Dino]

whats the difference between the 1702 and 1084S?

Other look and stereo sound.

 

The 1702 is one hell of a monitor.

 

I had one myself for more than 20 years.

 

Even connected my first Playstation to it.

 

 

Is it THAT much better though? I have a 1084S and am wondering whether its worth the effort to upgrade...

Nope, you would downgrade it.

 

The 1702 is older than the 1084S.

 

 

That's the reason why I bought the 1084S in the first place - I thought that newer = better. Am I wrong?

I had your modded heavy sixer hooked up to both a 1084s and a 1702. For some reason I just love how they look hooked up to those 1702 monitors. The 1084S as far as I know is superior but just doesn't have that retro look like the 1702 does, just my opinion

 

I just picked it up from the Post Office I'm keen to try it out, but wil lhave to wait until my new desk arrives I don't mind so much about the retro feel, I just want the best result.