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Minimizing jailbar/vertical lines on 2600?


AtariLeaf

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Tried another power supply and different wall sockets, no change. Are these lines anything to worry about or just an annoyance?

 

I'm gonna go with annoyance. No way cleaning the cartridge slot with DeOxit is gonna clear up any video artifacts like that. It's an electronic issue for sure. As in, video output. If faint lines were moving or swaying in a pattern of sorts, then you could blame it on RF interference. When you see such a consistent level of "distortion" or pattern on a game system or computer that doesn't waiver, usually your video chip is the culprit.

 

I remember seeing that a LOT in Apple ][+, ][e and ][c products and later (as in C64c) computers of the mid to late 80's. NES when it was redesigned as the top loader in the 90's exhibited the exact_same_characteristic. It's a video chip thing… NOT a capacitor or some other component that has fallen out of spec. I'll eat my hat if anyone proves otherwise… :skull:

 

Reduce the brightness on your TV if you really want to minimize those bars. :lol:

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How many systems we talking about and are they all from the same era? Light sixes or newer I'm guessing?

 

And were they all fine up until just recently? Or have they always exhibited those lines? Guessing they did and maybe just now you're noticing a difference because you changed a TV out... or?

 

I have only one 2600 system that exhibits these lines and it's a very late model 4-switch Vader. Not the first time I've seen it. Seems more common with late® model 2600's though.

 

The VIC chip is funny in the C64's and Vic20 too after extended use and/or if they're not properly cooled/sinked, can develop those same exact lines. If they weren't born with them that is. *Have* seen it gradually happen to systems over time, so that's why I believe it's a video chip issue. Swap the chip out with an older revision and voila! Lines gone.

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light and heavy sixers, two of each so four sixers tested. So far the only one that hasn't shown the lines is a junior, which I found odd since I would have thought the opposite. also its not the rf cable as I switched out the video cable from a sixer with the one from the good junior. I haven't tested any vaders or 4 switch wood grain models yet.

 

To answer your question, its possible I never noticed the lines. I had the brightness turned up when using a different computer on that monitor

Edited by AtariLeaf
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Yeah, only shows more with the brightness up on certain games. Some TV's will pronounce this more than others of course. One of the reasons I've never been a big fan of A/V modding these old systems. Sometimes/often exaggerate the flaws.

 

For instance, Jungle Hunt looks like ass with a "jail barred" system, whereas Ms. Pac-Man hardly shows the flaw. Just depends on the game, TV, brightness, etc. NOT the RF cable, cartridge port, power supply or anything like that.

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So in your opinion my systems aren't dying?

Nah - not at all. Well a very, very slow death of course. Like the rest of us and everything else. lol

 

But guessing they've probably always been like that or been like that for a very long time and you're now just noticing. :)

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Nah - not at all. Well a very, very slow death of course. Like the rest of us and everything else. lol

 

But guessing they've probably always been like that or been like that for a very long time and you're now just noticing. :)

 

Ok thanks very much for your input. I'm just wracking my brain trying to figure out why I seem to have this very unique system on so many atari's. I'm assuming ferrite beads won't help either. I'm going to have to go back through some old raw video of game footage I'd captured for my youtube channel over the years. I can't recall seeing those lines in the captured footage but I could just never have noticed or it doesn't manifest because of the compression used when transferred to pc.

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A bit of an update - I tried some different games, mostly with black background and most games have the faint vertical lines but some have very little to almost none. Bumper Bash I was surprised to find had almost no lines at all and a sears arcade pinball had it very faintly as well. I also plugged my APF TV Fun into the same setup and there were zero lines. There's almost no rhyme or reason to these lines. I've yet to try a different crt tv but I probably can't do that this weekend. It's at the back of my shed and there's just too much stuff to move to get to it.

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Another update if anyone is watching. I dug out my old CRT tv from the shed and tried asteroids first, played with the brightness all the way up and down, and no lines so I thought "great, its the monitor and/or vcr" then I tried missile command and the lines are noticeable. Both have black screens so I'm still at a loss as to why I have so many systems with these lines when almost nobody has any 2600's with this problem.

 

Seems to be most noticeable on screens with greyish colors

Edited by AtariLeaf
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  • 2 months later...

Bit of a confusing update: So I was playing the 7800 today. I mentioned previously that my 7800 and its games didn't produce this faint jailbar effect and it still doesn't. But today I decided to pop in 2600 Asteroids on my 7800 and low and behold, those faint lines appear on my 7800 with 2600 asteroids. No 7800 games do this on the same system. Is it the game? If it is it's present on all copies of 2600 Asteroids that I own. Really confusing.

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Ok, here's something I tried today on my Rev. 13 four-switch woody 2600:

 

1) Replaced TIA (bottom chip) with the one from the Rev. 14 Atari: Colours became more saturated

2) Then I replaced the RIOT (the top chip) with the one from the Rev. 14 Atari: Jailbar effect became slightly more pronounced (!)

 

So, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but perhaps there is an issue with the RIOT deteriorating over time and overuse.

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Agreed, you mentioned replacing the chips from the rf only unit and putting them in the composite modded unit. I'm just wondering if the effect is more pronounced on a composite modded system compared to standard RF, hence you're noticing it more when you take a chip from an rf unit and put it in a composite unit. As was mentioned in post 38 above, sometimes av modding makes these flaws more apparent. The picture I posted on the first page of a composite modded system with donkey kong running shows the bars as much more pronounced than I have on any of my systems.

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