Atari 2600 A/V Issue

[coliver80]

Ive got a 4 switch Atari 2600 woody that refuses to show any signs of life. I've swapped all 3 chips, ive checked voltages at the power jack.. the transistor and the rf modulator. I even did an AV mod (done several from scratch) and still have nothing. No video or audio signal of any kind. I've done several av mods on systems that my wife has had from childhood.. beat up and rusted but still work great. She got me this one as a surprise as it looks brand new but is dead. Any help would be appreciated... thanks!!

[Hannacek]

First step is to make sure the power adapter works. You can buy a new one from Retro Bit or whatever generic company makes them. If you have a multimeter, then test it to make sure the console is getting power.

A common problem with 2600's is the 7805 linear power regulator can fail. The 7805 takes the 9 volts from the power adapter, and knocks it down to something the 2600 can use, which is 5 volts. If the regulator was giving off more than 5 volts, then the chips got fried, and can not be repaired. But usually the regulator just fails, and desoldering it and replacing it with a new one will solve the problem.

[coliver80]

FIXED!! Replaced crystal got black and white video.. replaced TIA Chip.. got color!!