Atari 2600 Pause Kit Now Available!

[Albert]

Glad this made the front page or I wouldn't have known it exists but then I also don't own a 2600, only a 7800.

Do you mean the "Recently Added Topics" box to the right on the Forum Index page?

No, he's talking about this front page:

 

http://atariage.com/

 

..Al

[keilbaca]

There is one kind of DIYer who is perfectly capable of assembling a kit, but is still a prospect for pre-assembled boards. I know this type, because I am one:

 

The lazy type!

 

-tet

 

I am this type as well. I am capable to do it from scratch, but if there's an assembled board ready to go, I'm buying it.

[NoahsMyBro]

Comments:

 

1. I've been uncommonly busy this week and only made it to AA a few minutes ago for the first time in several days. Compunding that, when I visit AA I almost always only look at the 5200 forum. SO this is the first I've heard of this board, and I'm very interested!
2. As far as DIY or not - I think I can install this, given the included instructions. I'd have no clue how to design or build one of these myself, and I'd be far less likely to attempt this with just a bag of the individual components and instructions. I'm not very good with a soldering iron. I'm good enough to be willing to try to install the prepopulated board, rather than pay more and wait on 2-way shipping to have Al do that for me, but I'm not good enough to want to produce the circuit board myself.
3. Question from the instructions - in the first pic, showing the resistor and trace to cut on the 6-switch VCS - wouldn't removing the resistor, and/or cutting the indicated trace, be redundant? It looks to me like the trace leads directly to one leg of the resistor.
4. I'd prefer to leave the board visible and only put heat-shrink around the wires. Why is that a bad idea?
5. When I installed my 8-bitdomain video mod on my 5200, he provided some very neat clips that were used to attach to pins on the microprocessors, so I didn't need to solder to the legs of the chips. Were these not used because of cost, or because they were too big?
6. Last question - the toggle switch looks like a common solid, hard to move, 2-postion toggle switch, like something I'd have used for fog lights 20 years ago. I'd prefer a soft, momentary switch (or button). Do momentary switches work the same way electrically, with the only difference being within the switch itself? Or would a momentary switch require a different type of circuit?

Thanks, this looks really cool, and I think I just may order one this weekend!

 

EDIT - I may be using the wrong terminology in question 6. By momemntary, I don't mean a switch that is switched one way while depressed, and then back to normal when you let go (like a reset switch on the 2600). What I mean is a button that is physically in the same position after you let go, whether the device is On or Off.

Edited June 11, 2010 by NoahsMyBro

[CPUWIZ]

3.) The trace connects the TIA and 6507 together, simply removing the resistor is not enough.

4.) If the bottom of the pause PCB touches other components on the 2600 PCB, while in operation, you will likely fry one or multiple components.

5.) Those clips cost a lot of money and he provided one clip, not multiple.

6.) You can use whatever switch you like, as long as it is an ON/OFF switch and not a momentary switch.

 

Hope that helps.

[vtrucco]

CPUWIZ and Albert, can I use your PDF images in my original article? It´s a little hard to see these original Ataris here in Brazil.

[CPUWIZ]

CPUWIZ and Albert, can I use your PDF images in my original article? It´s a little hard to see these original Ataris here in Brazil.

 

Sure.

[Ikrananka]

Would the pause mod work in the ColecoVision Atari expansion module?

[CPUWIZ]

Would the pause mod work in the ColecoVision Atari expansion module?

 

I am sorry to say, I don't have one of those. Anyone got a pic of the circuit board?

[Ikrananka]

Would the pause mod work in the ColecoVision Atari expansion module?

 

I am sorry to say, I don't have one of those. Anyone got a pic of the circuit board?

I found a bunch of photos at http://www.nightfallcrew.com/wp-content/gallery/colecovision-atari-2600-expansion-modules/.

[Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

 

This'll be one of the greatest new moments for the Atari 2600. I think I might get one and let someone in the family to put it together.

 

Anthony....

[Emehr]

Okay so here's the million dollar question:

 

Let's say I have three Ataris to choose from to install this on: A Vader, 4-switch Woody, and a light sixer. All are in really nice cosmetic shape; only been taken apart to be cleaned. Which one would you hack?

[Pioneer4x4]

Okay so here's the million dollar question:

 

Let's say I have three Ataris to choose from to install this on: A Vader, 4-switch Woody, and a light sixer. All are in really nice cosmetic shape; only been taken apart to be cleaned. Which one would you hack?

With a million dollars, hack them all!

Anyway, my answer would be the sixer! need the sixer to play some of the cooler games well, and pause would be great for them.

[A.J. Franzman]

It looks to me like that Coleco expansion module has only two chips instead of the VCS's three, so it may not be possible to install the pause switch. The two chips look like possibly the 6532 RIOT below the cart port, and a combined 6507+TIA custom chip above the cart port. Of course, other arrangements are possible, including splitting functionality of one of the original three VCS chips among both of the chips.

[carmel_andrews]

If i could make a suggestion here Al/CPUWIZ

 

For those that are NOT comfortable with 'soldering irons' (i.e are not soldering iron friendly) how's about doing a rev. 2 version of pause kit but in a cartridge (with a cartridge thru port to making it useful for playing 2600 games) that allows you to pause any 2600 game like this gadget does

Edited June 18, 2010 by carmel_andrews

[+5-11under]

Would the pause mod work in the ColecoVision Atari expansion module?

 

Is the AA pause exactly the same as the one by vtrucco, using just the RDY lines of the 6507 and TIA?

 

Thanks,

5-11under

[NoahsMyBro]

Would the pause mod work in the ColecoVision Atari expansion module?

 

Is the AA pause exactly the same as the one by vtrucco, using just the RDY lines of the 6507 and TIA?

 

Thanks,

5-11under

 

 

See here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/163553-atari-2600-pause-kit-now-available/page__view__findpost__p__2028469

[Chuck D. Head]

A quick thought I came up with on another thread; I wonder if it would be possible to add an led in the circuit to indicate when pause is on? If it were just a bulb I would try it myself, but a LED has three leads and that just enough to confuse me. (doesn't take much). I dont think the circuit would have enough voltage to do another kind of bulb; don't know that it would have enough for LED frankly. Anyway just a thought. Morgan

[JingleJoe]

A quick thought I came up with on another thread; I wonder if it would be possible to add an led in the circuit to indicate when pause is on? If it were just a bulb I would try it myself, but a LED has three leads and that just enough to confuse me. (doesn't take much). I dont think the circuit would have enough voltage to do another kind of bulb; don't know that it would have enough for LED frankly. Anyway just a thought. Morgan

You have an unusual opinion about LEDs, they usually have two leads and only need a very small voltage and amperage to light up, so the Atari 2600 could definately supply enough.

 

I've just figured out how to add an LED to the pause kit as I was typing that simply use a double pole switch! That way you can have one side controling the pause function and the other side connected to the LED which would be connected to the 5V voltage regulator through a 200 ohm resistor. Any resistor between 100 ohms and 1k ohm works fine, I just like to use a resistor at about 200 ohms because you still get a good brightness and don't draw too much power.

[Emehr]

Wouldn't the scrambly colorful images on the TV be sufficient for indicating a paused game?

[Chuck D. Head]

You have an unusual opinion about LEDs, they usually have two leads and only need a very small voltage and amperage to light up, so the Atari 2600 could definately supply enough.

 

- Yeah, looking at one now; two leads. I was just kinda sketching it out and thinking transitor instead of diode. Like I said, I am easily confused -

 

I've just figured out how to add an LED to the pause kit as I was typing that simply use a double pole switch! That way you can have one side controling the pause function and the other side connected to the LED which would be connected to the 5V voltage regulator through a 200 ohm resistor. Any resistor between 100 ohms and 1k ohm works fine, I just like to use a resistor at about 200 ohms because you still get a good brightness and don't draw too much power.

Nice, I knew someone could figure it out....Thanks!

[Chuck D. Head]

Wouldn't the scrambly colorful images on the TV be sufficient for indicating a paused game?

 

Yeah, but not as cool as an orange pause light nestled aristically next to the green power light. Also, the orange light would tell my wife that I didn't just forget to turn the console off, then she would not destroy some epic game I had going by trying to save five cents worth of electricity. Morgan

[JingleJoe]

Wouldn't the scrambly colorful images on the TV be sufficient for indicating a paused game?

 

Yeah, but not as cool as an orange pause light nestled aristically next to the green power light. Also, the orange light would tell my wife that I didn't just forget to turn the console off, then she would not destroy some epic game I had going by trying to save five cents worth of electricity. Morgan

One could make a screen from some clear plastic all blacked out except for the word "PAUSE" and mount the LED behind that

[A.J. Franzman]

Or one could use the double-pole switch idea to power a relay, and wire the relay to an external added project case, and put in some surplus equipment like a high-power strobe light, burglar alarm bell, and naval klaxon alarm. A claymore mine wired to a mercury switch as anti-tamper device might be good too.

[Chuck D. Head]

Or one could use the double-pole switch idea to power a relay, and wire the relay to an external added project case, and put in some surplus equipment like a high-power strobe light, burglar alarm bell, and naval klaxon alarm. A claymore mine wired to a mercury switch as anti-tamper device might be good too.

 

Nice! I've been waiting for that post all day! I would definitely pay $20 for a pre-populated circuit board that did all that, if you could add one more logic circuit that would feed my dog Einstein when I paused my marathon Fathom session. Morgan

[Dauber]

Chuck -- could you do me a favor and use that device to send a pause button to me in 1983?