DerMarco Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) Hello, I got my new Atari 2600 today. I tried to get it to work, but it doesnt. If I search for programs on tv, no programs can be found. If I use manual analog search, and I go to 55mhZ i see a black screen. And if I turn the Atari off it goes white and black. I tried cleaning the contacts, too. What can I do? Greetings, DerMarco Edited February 3, 2017 by DerMarco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 When you say "black & white" do you mean a screen that looks like this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 When you say "black & white" do you mean a screen that looks like this? Yes. That screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) It means the Atari is creating a screen but not populating it with data. That's a good thing, shouldn't be anything wrong hat can't be reasonably repaired. Can you take it apart and send a good clear pic of the board (or boards depending on the model)? Also, do you have a multimeter? Edited February 3, 2017 by mojoatomic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 It means the Atari is creating a screen but not populating it with data. That's a good thing, shouldn't be anything wrong hat can't be reasonably repaired. Can you take it apart and send a good clear pic of the board (or boards depending on the model)? Also, do you have a multimeter? Yeah i can take some pictures. But I dont have a multimeter :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Do you have a soldering iron or access to one? Baring that, what part of the world are you in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 Do you have a soldering iron or access to one? Baring that, what part of the world are you in? Yes, I do have one. I live in Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 What part? I have some friends in Bremen. Once we see the board, I can point you in a very specific direction. Until then, is it a 4 or 6 switch model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) Here are the pictures Photos.zip It's a 4 Switch model. I live in the south of Germany. Edited February 3, 2017 by DerMarco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 OK, with the board positioned with the cartridge slot towards the top and the 3 large chips towards the bottom, the chips in order from top to bottom are: RIOT CPU TIA Can you confirm that the chips are socketed? Looks like they are, but it's hard to tell for sure. Can you remove the shield from the back side of the board and take a good shot of the solder joints for the 3 chips in question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 (edited) Photos (2).zip OK, with the board positioned with the cartridge slot towards the top and the 3 large chips towards the bottom, the chips in order from top to bottom are: RIOT CPU TIA Can you confirm that the chips are socketed? Looks like they are, but it's hard to tell for sure. Can you remove the shield from the back side of the board and take a good shot of the solder joints for the 3 chips in question? Here are the new pictures I read that you can find out if a chip is broken, if you start up the atari and test if one gets hot. The chip in the middle got a bit warm, but not that much. Edited February 4, 2017 by DerMarco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 OK, with the board positioned with the cartridge slot towards the top and the 3 large chips towards the bottom, the chips in order from top to bottom are: RIOT CPU TIA Can you confirm that the chips are socketed? Looks like they are, but it's hard to tell for sure. Can you remove the shield from the back side of the board and take a good shot of the solder joints for the 3 chips in question? From my point the solder joints are ok. What do you think? Did you see anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 From my point the solder joints are ok. What do you think? Did you see anything else? Well, I zoomed in but it's hard to tell. I haven't seen a rev 5 board in quite awhile! Looks like a few cold joints on the cart connector, and looks like a few dry/cold joints on the RIOT as well, and since those are the most likely culprits, that's where I'd start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Well, I zoomed in but it's hard to tell. I haven't seen a rev 5 board in quite awhile! Looks like a few cold joints on the cart connector, and looks like a few dry/cold joints on the RIOT as well, and since those are the most likely culprits, that's where I'd start. I tried soldering them. No change, still black picture. What can I do next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I would remove the chips one at a time, starting with the RIOT and test after each reinsertion. Make sure your well grounded when you do this. If still no joy, my best bet would be the RIOT chip. I'd be happy to fix it for you, but I'm afraid the shipping round trip to Germany would be more than it's worth - more than the cost of a RIOT anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerMarco Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Where are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojoatomic Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 PM sent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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