New Guy 5200 Questions

[StellaR-Trois]

Hello! I have been collecting 5200 game carts for sometime now and I feel it's time for me to finally purchase one of these beautiful behemoths to play them. I understand all the issues with the controllers and how to fix them, but I am curious of the 5200's build quality.

 

1) Are there any issues with the console itself?

2) I am looking at a two port model, what games are incompatible with this model?

3) What should I look for/watch out for when buying?

[MAC-42]

For my part, I would advise against buying any 5200 without first knowing that the sticks are functional. If "they haven't been tested," treat them as though they don't work. For that matter, don't buy any 5200 that "hasn't been tested." That's just a pet peeve of mine. How much effort does it take to plug the doggone thing in and run it? Good grief.

 

Finally, just watch the price you pay for one. There are people who think they can really scalp 5200s; in my experience, and according to others, you can get them very reasonably if you keep your eyes peeled. (Also, definitely put up a Wanted listing in the Marketplace forum here. The people here are pretty good folks and will treat you pretty fairly.)

[sqoon]

I have bought a 4 port model at a yard sale and a 2 port model from Craigslist. Both consoles are solid as a tank. You say you are aware of the controller issues. They are not difficult to refurb in the slightest, and all the replacement parts can be had from Best Electronics' website for relatively cheap. Nothing to look for in buying a system other than asking obvious questions like 'Does the console power up?" and "Are the controllers in working condition?" Those are the two main things I would ask. If the controllers do not work, it is by no means a show-stopper.

 

As for games that do not work with 2-port 5200 consoles, I believe Pitfall is one. Not sure of the others.

[boxpressed]

With apologies to those who have heard me say this, here's a link to an article I wrote that will answer a lot of your questions:

 

http://retroauction.com/buying-and-selling-an-atari-5200/

[Illtiger1]

Boxpressed has a great guide which helps a great deal. If you are patient and update/check your watch list on ebay you will get a good deal. As said before by Mac, some sellers will try to overprice the system and get you if you don't read the description carefully. I recently got one for the first time and love it, so it is worth the time and money in my opinion.

[Jess Ragan]

Hello! I have been collecting 5200 game carts for sometime now and I feel it's time for me to finally purchase one of these beautiful behemoths to play them. I understand all the issues with the controllers and how to fix them, but I am curious of the 5200's build quality.

 

1) Are there any issues with the console itself?

2) I am looking at a two port model, what games are incompatible with this model?

3) What should I look for/watch out for when buying?

 

1. What issues are you referring to specifically? The machine is way larger than it needs to be, has an awful stock controller, and forces you to connect it to the television with a dreadful "shock box" (four port model only). You can get around the terrible controllers with the Wico Command Control, which for my money is the BEST joystick ever made before the crash of 1983 and one of my all-time favorites. You already know about the shock box and how to make it a non-issue. There's not really a solution to the size problem, unless you're an electronics whiz and can fit the motherboard into a smaller case.

 

2. The three games that won't work with a two port 5200 include K-Razy Shootout, Pitfall!, and most damning of all, Mountain King. Note that this does not apply to all two port 5200s... some (like mine) were built with the old hardware configuration, and are compatible with all these titles.

 

I don't know if anyone's taken the time to narrow down which two port systems will work with these three games. However, I suspect it could be determined with an online survey of Atari 5200 owners.

 

3. Get a better joystick right away. A PC gameport (pre-USB) joystick adapter isn't hard to build if you know how to solder... it's mostly straight connections, with maybe a couple of capacitors in between. A Genesis controller adapter is tougher, but not impossible... I was able to do it with a lot of help from another AtariAge member. The Wico Command Control is top of the line as 5200 controllers go, and if you plan to spend any time at all with the system it's a must-have accessory.

 

I'm not sure what else you need to know. You can open the machine and adjust a potentiometer inside to sharpen the joystick control, which is REALLY useful for the unfairly maligned Gyruss, but past that, I'm not sure what to tell 'ya.

[StellaR-Trois]

I bought the system a few hours ago. It was actually a 4 port (the photos were dark), it has the shock box and all its cables, original box/inserts two controllers, and 4 games (Joust, Pac-man, Defender, and Centipede). The seller said the said system functions normally, but that the joysticks do not work. I guess they just need to have their contacts cleaned as the system appears to be immaculate. It totaled to about $100.

 

My biggest issue with the Wico controllers is that they've become very scarce and somewhat expensive.

[+Mitch]

 

2. The three games that won't work with a two port 5200 include K-Razy Shootout, Pitfall!, and most damning of all, Mountain King. Note that this does not apply to all two port 5200s... some (like mine) were built with the old hardware configuration, and are compatible with all these titles.

 

I don't know if anyone's taken the time to narrow down which two port systems will work with these three games. However, I suspect it could be determined with an online survey of Atari 5200 owners.

 

It's just a BIOS swap. The original BIOS has full compatibility, the revised BIOS has compatibility issues with the three mentioned games. Most 2ports have the revised BIOS but a few have the original.

 

Mitch

[+Cafeman]

I bought the system a few hours ago. It was actually a 4 port (the photos were dark), it has the shock box and all its cables, original box/inserts two controllers, and 4 games (Joust, Pac-man, Defender, and Centipede). The seller said the said system functions normally, but that the joysticks do not work. I guess they just need to have their contacts cleaned as the system appears to be immaculate. It totaled to about $100.

 

My biggest issue with the Wico controllers is that they've become very scarce and somewhat expensive.

 

I never picked up Wico controllers either, because I felt they were too expensive and hard to locate. I'd love to have one, of course. But since i have a Masterplay Interface already, I usually use SEGA Genesis 6-button pads with it for the games that really need digital control (Masterplace Interface is also very expensive!)

 

For the longest time, my stock 5200 sticks worked great. As long as you keep using them, they seem to keep working. But if I let them sit for several months, usually the buttons don't work well at all. So I learned to take them apart and clean the contacts with a pencil eraser - this always gets the buttons working again. My advice: take the time right now to learn how to take apart the sticks and clean them and use Missile Command or some other recommended game to center the 2 analog pots (there are plenty of threads about how to do this) - and also glue the aluminum foil dots onto the buttons. That should be all you need to do.

[Jess Ragan]

I see what you mean about the Wico Command Controls... there's only one on eBay and it's selling for fifty dollars. Yikes! That's a far cry from the zero dollars I spent when I fished one out of a freebie box at a garage sale many years ago. I get the feeling that I'm one of the only people who's been able to play 5200 Robotron with two Wicos.

[sqoon]

Wico controllers are the not the magic answer everybody touts them as. I have two and the pots are shot in both. Realize they are 30 years old and the pots go just as easily as the stock Atari controllers.

[Brian R.]

I don't understand why the four-port switch box is so maligned. Calling it a "shock box" is really taking it too far, IMO. I've never had a problem with it. Just because you can see a spark when connecting the power to the box doesn't mean it's dangerous or going to burn your house down. You can see a spark when you turn on a light switch sometimes.

 

I'm happy to never have to touch a 5200 controller again. I paid for a rebuilt one, only to have it fail. I now have two Wico controllers and a Wico numeric pad. Whatever I paid, it's worth it.

[7800]

Wico controllers are the not the magic answer everybody touts them as. I have two and the pots are shot in both. Realize they are 30 years old and the pots go just as easily as the stock Atari controllers.

 

I have a Wico stick with shot pots too. I took it apart and noticed the pots are plastic... I'd like to replace them with regular metal ones but don't know the OHM rating. Anyone have this info?

[7800]

I'm happy to never have to touch a 5200 controller again. I paid for a rebuilt one, only to have it fail. I now have two Wico controllers and a Wico numeric pad. Whatever I paid, it's worth it.

 

True, even rebuilt controllers are problematic. They are simply not good controllers for playing games, Period.

 

The best kind of controller IMO, which doesn't seem to exist would be a Playstation 3 type controller with 2 analog thumb pads and a cable that branches out with 2 plugs, for P1 and P2 ports... for games like Robotron and Space Dungeon. It would also need to be switchable between digital and analog. If someone could create this, There would be no need for the original controller, ever again.

Edited August 17, 2013 by 7800

[Jess Ragan]

I have a Wico stick with shot pots too. I took it apart and noticed the pots are plastic... I'd like to replace them with regular metal ones but don't know the OHM rating. Anyone have this info?

 

Theoretically, it should offer the same resistance as an official 5200 controller, 0 to 500 KOhms for each axis. More information can be found here:

 

http://old.pinouts.r...00_pinout.shtml

 

EDIT: It's 500KOhms, not 500 Ohms. Sorry about that!

Edited August 18, 2013 by Jess Ragan

[7800]

Sweet!

[Jess Ragan]

It's 500 KOhms (500,000 Ohms). My apologies for not noticing the K!

[sqoon]

Yes, but finding the correct ohms pots to fit into the small form factor of the Wico controllers is next to impossible. I looked around once and found some pots for something related to guitars that looked identical to the Wico pots, but they were selling for $30 a piece. Hard to refurb them when it costs $60 per controller. Might as well buy working Wico's off ebay at that rate.

[Jess Ragan]

Does anyone have internal images of the Wico Command Control? That would probably help a lot. I've found potentiometers that would easily fit in a WCC but I couldn't guarantee they would work with the joystick. Observe:

 

http://www.plccenter.com/Shop/SPECTROL/ST32ETA504/FNFP?source=GoogleShopping&gclid=CL-i37bkhbkCFa87MgodbTEAzQ

[7800]

The Wico stick has two blue plastic pots that are somewhat square in shape. They fit inside of a round adapter and in turn, fit inside a round groove on the inner top shell of the controller. It is reasonable to assume that a pair of standard 500 Kohm pots from Radio Shack would fit inside these grooves. Of course the shaft of the pot would have to be trimmed accordingly.

[sqoon]

I have had them apart and seen the pots and the way they fit in. Haven't seen any direct match at Radio Shack to date.

[7800]

Exact match? Maybe not, but pretty close. The little blue pots are square and fit inside what appears to be an adapter... the adapter shape and diameter is similar to a standard pot.

 

Instead of the Radio Shack analogy, what about pots from a 5200 controller? Except for the lever action shaft, they might fit and work.

[sqoon]

No. I tried to whittle on the inside of one of my Wico's to fit in Best Electronics replacement 5200 pots. They did not operate the directionals on any games I tested. All I can guess is they are the wrong ohms rating.