Sad PENGO

[atari2atari]

So, I have a copy of PENGO that - -

 

- I can boot up on the 5200,

 

- Get the ATARI start screen,

 

- I can choose and start a game of any number players or difficulty,

 

- It shows the gamefield - - just the borders, but with no ice cubes or characters, just black . . .

 

 

And then the screen goes garbled, maybe with some random letters, or maybe it just freezes.

 

 

Other games play okay on the 5200.

 

Is this a system issue - - does PENGO access something that most other carts don't, and it's showing up only on this game?

 

Is it a 2-port versus 4-port issue - - mine's a 2-port.

 

 

Is PENGO fixable . . . or is it a lost cause . . . ?

 

 

Thanks for any advice! Of all the carts in my collection . . . shesh!

 

-a2a

[jblenkle]

Have you tried cleaning the contacts on the game where it plugs into the console? This screws games up sometimes. There might be corrosion or foreign matter on the metal contacts.

[atari2atari]

Have you tried cleaning the contacts on the game where it plugs into the console? This screws games up sometimes. There might be corrosion or foreign matter on the metal contacts.

 

I gave it another good cleaning, and tried it from a cold boot - - same issue!

 

HOWEVER, then I noticed that ROBOTRON sometimes was getting the left fire button stuck in the "ON" position sometimes

 

AND, after letting the 5200 sit there with POPEYE running on attract mode for an hour, and THEN popping PENGO in - - it worked!

 

I think this all points to the GTIA chip being flakey, so I will have to order a few up from BEST ELECTRONICS!

 

Thanks for the response!!

 

-a2a

 

(anyone have any loose GTIA chips, so I don't have to put together a $35 minimum order from Bradley . . . ?)

[MIKE5200]

So, I have a copy of PENGO that - -

 

- I can boot up on the 5200,

 

- Get the ATARI start screen,

 

- I can choose and start a game of any number players or difficulty,

 

- It shows the gamefield - - just the borders, but with no ice cubes or characters, just black . . .

 

 

And then the screen goes garbled, maybe with some random letters, or maybe it just freezes.

 

 

Other games play okay on the 5200.

 

Is this a system issue - - does PENGO access something that most other carts don't, and it's showing up only on this game?

 

Is it a 2-port versus 4-port issue - - mine's a 2-port.

 

 

Is PENGO fixable . . . or is it a lost cause . . . ?

 

 

Thanks for any advice! Of all the carts in my collection . . . shesh!

 

-a2a

 

I got the same problem with Moon Patrol it starts and then it gets weird.

[eightbitter]

The effects caused by damage GTIA can appear in some games only, others work OK. Replace GTIA and Pengo should work properly.

[atari2atari]

The effects caused by damage GTIA can appear in some games only, others work OK. Replace GTIA and Pengo should work properly.

 

Thanks!

 

I think that is exactly what I will do. I will place an order with BEST ELECTRONICS shortly - -

 

http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/custom-i.htm

 

Cheers!

 

-a2a