Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 After several years of looking, dead units, and missed Ebay and forum deals, I finally got a working Astrocade this week. And not just any Astrocade, but one courtesy of none other than Ken Lill himself, of Bally Alley repute! It was from this ebay auction: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574883395&toolid=10001&campid=5336500554&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FRefurbished-Bally-Not-Astrocade-Arcade-w-Controlers-1-4-3-Carts-%2F290922991821%3F_trksid%3Dp2047675.l2557%26ssPageName%3DSTRK%253AMEWNX%253AIT%26nma%3Dtrue%26si%3Dnmbpgszzo0Y0GKkMjOYIloNh6EU%25253D%26orig_cvip%3Dtrue%26rt%3Dnc When I bid on it, I didn't realize who was selling it, and was sure it would be sniped and go for much higher than it actually did. It wasn't until I checked PayPal that I saw the name of the seller. Apparently he even advertised the auction on the Bally Alley Yahoo group. So I won it, and it arrived fully intact and still functioning. For those wondering, the extra 'surprise' game is Space Fortress. I immediately tested it all out, and everything is working dandily. For those who say a previous thread about another Astrocade that I was testing, I used the same cart, which may well be the ideal thing to keep an Astrocade on while in use, as it has maximum room for the heat-vents to ventilate with. I first did the 99 games of Checkmate test, about an hour later they were all complete, no problems at all encountered. So then I pulled out my copy of the War!(lords) homebrew cart, since the idea of playing 4-player games of Warlords with the awesome Astrocade controllers is something I have wanted to do for some time now. To keep it short and sweet, War! is an awesome game now that I've finally gotten to enjoy as I'd hoped to. Out of paranoia about how fragile Astrocades can be, I plan to keep my new Bally in an original box I picked up, complete with the original styrofoam (it amazes me that I had an easier time finding an empty box than I did finding a working system). The box is in great condition, but no system was living in it. Now there will be one, when it isn't being played. Now I do have a question for the experts here: is there anyway to clear up the slight (not as bad as the pictures indicate) static from the RF connection? It did not affect gameplay, but I know the picture could be cleared up some. And for those interested, I have 2 other non-functioning Astrocade systems that I no longer need. I'll put a posting up for them within a weeks time or so, but feel free to send me an offer for them. To note, the one from my previous Astrocade thread will be for parts, since that is the unit that does power on but also started smoking almost immediately. The other is not only in better cosmetic condition, but it also does power on, and the guy who I bought it from even included the removed RF shield. PM me if interested in either... 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bennybingo Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Congratulations!!! :thumbsup: I love my Astrocade...I just wish they weren't so prone to failure. PS: For the RF static, you could try using a ferrite clamp: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103222#tabsetBasic Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2769983 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Congratulations!!! :thumbsup: I love my Astrocade...I just wish they weren't so prone to failure. PS: For the RF static, you could try using a ferrite clamp: http://www.radioshac...222#tabsetBasic Thanks From your own experience, do those clamps actually work? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2769986 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Congrats! That RF static doesn't look right. I'd ask Ken about it. Maybe you can swap out one of the RF modulators from your non-working consoles. It's an easy swap. I was watching that auction and almost bid on it. What was the "surprise" cart that Ken included, if you don't mind my asking? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2769992 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bennybingo Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks From your own experience, do those clamps actually work? They have helped me on certain systems which were more prone to interference...for the Astrocade, I have never experienced any static. As boxpressed said, it could be a bad RF modulator. That shouldn't be too difficult of a fix for you if you need to make a swap. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2769997 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Congrats! That RF static doesn't look right. I'd ask Ken about it. Maybe you can swap out one of the RF modulators from your non-working consoles. It's an easy swap. I was watching that auction and almost bid on it. What was the "surprise" cart that Ken included, if you don't mind my asking? Space Fortress was the surprise cart. Just a regular game. I'm not actually too concerned about the RF static, as it really isn't as bad as the pictures from my low-resolution phone suggest. Everything was very visible and clear when I played it for the most part. The same happens whenever I hookup anything via RF to my television. I plan to run the RF through a VCR to clean it up, which has worked with other systems. And I'm particularly glad you think I've done well with this, since it is your Astrocade buying guide that I found to be immensely helpful when trying to get an Astrocade Do you have any plans to update your site any further? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2769999 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 They have helped me on certain systems which were more prone to interference...for the Astrocade, I have never experienced any static. As boxpressed said, it could be a bad RF modulator. That shouldn't be too difficult of a fix for you if you need to make a swap. Thanks for that idea, I might keep one of my spares around if I do need parts, then. The static is nowhere near as bad as the pictures make it seem, especially given my low-res camera. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770001 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Oh, here's the games in another bad picture I took. The two plain ones are pretty rare, aren't they? Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770004 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Space Fortress was the surprise cart. Just a regular game. I'm not actually too concerned about the RF static, as it really isn't as bad as the pictures from my low-resolution phone suggest. Everything was very visible and clear when I played it for the most part. The same happens whenever I hookup anything via RF to my television. I plan to run the RF through a VCR to clean it up, which has worked with other systems. And I'm particularly glad you think I've done well with this, since it is your Astrocade buying guide that I found to be immensely helpful when trying to get an Astrocade Do you have any plans to update your site any further? Thanks for the compliment. The website is kind of a vanity project because I wanted one like it to exist! I need to update the prices for the Astrocade page. Like most other systems, prices have gone up over the past year. I also need to add photos of two rare additions since I wrote it. I think my next guide will be for the Intellivision -- I just needed to pick up some more rares to photograph before I write it. I think you got a great deal. I wanted to bid because I knew that whatever Ken would sell would be quality. In the end, I held off because my two Astrocades, while not perfect, work well enough, and I'd really like my next purchase to be a boxed one. When I saw the ending price for the auction, I knew the winner got a real bargain. I'm glad it was you! Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770008 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Now that you have a working system and War, do yourself a favor and buy The Incredible Wizard. It's Wizard of Wor and it's the highlight of the original library of the system. 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770011 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thanks for the compliment. The website is kind of a vanity project because I wanted one like it to exist! I need to update the prices for the Astrocade page. Like most other systems, prices have gone up over the past year. I also need to add photos of two rare additions since I wrote it. I think my next guide will be for the Intellivision -- I just needed to pick up some more rares to photograph before I write it. I think you got a great deal. I wanted to bid because I knew that whatever Ken would sell would be quality. In the end, I held off because my two Astrocades, while not perfect, work well enough, and I'd really like my next purchase to be a boxed one. When I saw the ending price for the auction, I knew the winner got a real bargain. I'm glad it was you! It's a comliment you've earned, and then some! Are there any plans for guides on the Arcadia 2001, or the Adventurevision, or even newer systems? I'm looking forward to reading those someday, as I know they'll be of the same high quality as the other guides you have! As for the auction, yeah, thanks for not bidding I'm honestly very surprised that it didn't end much higher, my max bid was considerably higher than the ending price... Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770012 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Now that you have a working system and War, do yourself a favor and buy The Incredible Wizard. It's Wizard of Wor and it's the highlight of the original library of the system. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIuXQE893m4 Yep, that one's near the top of the list. I might even buy two sealed copies, since they can amazingly still be found cheaply almost 40 years later... Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770013 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 It's a comliment you've earned, and then some! Are there any plans for guides on the Arcadia 2001, or the Adventurevision, or even newer systems? I'm looking forward to reading those someday, as I know they'll be of the same high quality as the other guides you have! Those two systems aren't on my list, even though one of my gems is a NIB Arcadia 2001. I just don't know enough about them to write anything authoritative. And I'll probably never own an Adventurevision, unless I somehow luck into one. I'll probably do Intellivision and then the 2600, 7800, or Odyssey 2 next. I don't know a whole lot about post-Crash systems, although that's the next step for me. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770015 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Those two systems aren't on my list, even though one of my gems is a NIB Arcadia 2001. I just don't know enough about them to write anything authoritative. And I'll probably never own an Adventurevision, unless I somehow luck into one. I'll probably do Intellivision and then the 2600, 7800, or Odyssey 2 next. I don't know a whole lot about post-Crash systems, although that's the next step for me. Well no matter what you do, I'm looking forward to them! 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2770017 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 (edited) I'm totally jelly... Congratulations! And it was't even costly! I need to find one too... Oh, one question BTW : is the power adapter external or internal? If external, is it like your average 9/12 DC block with a classic barrel plug, or one odd shit like the Colecovision had? Edited June 12, 2013 by CatPix Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772618 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 External wall wart, but it is hard-wired. You'd have to open up an Astrocade to swap in a new one. Don't know about the voltage off the top of my head. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772662 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I'll need to open the one I will maybe got one day to pull out the video signal. I need at least composite out because I have only one small travel LCD TV that can receive RF NTSC-N signals. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772669 Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 It's easy to swap out the power supply if you open the Astrocade. Just plugs right into the mainboard. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772673 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Except there is no Euro version of the Astrocade PSU :3 And looking at this : and looking at shematics, it's unclear but it seems that the Bally need two different current to work. Tho, nothing that need a huge-ass PSU like on the Colecovision. The second version really make it sounds like it delivers only 12V, which means either they modified the line filter in the system to use 12V, or it's able to work on 12V from the beginning. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772690 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckafka99 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Congrats on the score! Awesome that you were able to pick one up for a reasonable price from Ken. He hooked me up earlier this year with a working Astrocade as well. Very good person to deal with. Have you asked him about his multi-cart and memory expansion? The multi cart is awesome and I am waiting the arrival of the memory expansion. To help keep mine nice and cool, I have a nice, large laptop fan/cooler that I keep the Astrocade on and always use whenever I fire the console up. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772902 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Yep, the UltiMulti is near the top of the list of stuff to get. Not sure about the White RAM though. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/213210-mission-accomplished-finally-got-a-working-astrocade/#findComment-2772992 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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