RetroN 77

[+KaeruYojimbo]

17 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Which video settings are you using? 

Pretty much the defaults. The only change I've made is turning off the phosphor effects.

[wfletcher3]

On 4/23/2021 at 7:16 PM, WaverBoy said:

Ok, I now have the Retron 77 Stella analog paddle sensitivity set to 83%, which is perfect, and seems to match the feel of the original VCS + paddle. I can now play KABOOM! again without feeling like a complete loser. The default setting is too sensitive. I now have a pretty effin’ sweet HD Atari VCS setup, with the best and most accurate joystick and paddle controls EVAH! Many thanks to all in the community who helped make it possible, from you here at Atari Age to Bradley Koda of Best Electronics!

So I've been thru the menus and can't find where to set the sensitivity.  And I've seen nothing in the docs nor with searching.  Could you please give a menu path.  Many thanks up front.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

 

For R77: Advanced settings/Input/Devices & Ports/Analog paddle: Sensitivity

Edited July 26, 2021 by Thomas Jentzsch

[fiudr]

Can anybody recommend a good new Atari joystick? The top "wood finish" sticker is already peeling off of one of my Retron 77 joysticks, which barely had any use yet, which is exactly what I was worried about the first time I saw them. I expect the sticker will eventually start lifting off the main unit too. It's a shame they went with stickers.

 

How about the new Atari VCS joystick? Is that compatible with the Reton 77? It's wireless so I guess not,plus it seems unavailable anyways.

 

There's a newer reton 77 joystick on Amazon, with additional buttons, but it too uses a sticker, so it will have the same problem. Atari knew back in the 70's not to put stickers on the joysticks because stickers always end up peeling, especially on something like a joystick which will get handled frequently.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by fiudr

[StephenJ]

On 3/13/2021 at 11:48 AM, swlovinist said:

As a longtime Atari enthusiast like many others here, I definitely think that the market needs a new commercial hardware option that is more compatible with some of the amazing aftermarket stuff that is being made.      

Sorry for the very late response to your post...but I couldn't agree more!

[Albert]

1 minute ago, StephenJ said:

Sorry for the very late response to your post...but I couldn't agree more!

Same here. The Retron 77 is turning into a big headache for me as most homebrew games do not work unless they are 4K games. Some 8K stuff works, but after that it's mostly no bueno. And Melody games absolutely will not work.  
 

I am going to have to add a disclaimer to games in the AtariAge Store, eBay, and Etsy about the Retron 77. I wonder how many they've sold at this point.
 

  ..Al 

[Keatah]

On 3/13/2021 at 10:48 AM, swlovinist said:

As a longtime Atari enthusiast like many others here, I definitely think that the market needs a new commercial hardware option that is more compatible with some of the amazing aftermarket stuff that is being made.      

Absolutely.

 

From evaluating past hardware  recreations and FPGA simulation efforts - many fundamental aspects of the original VCS are missing or re-imagined to the point where they cause incompatibilities.

[Keatah]

Some of these really-imaginings would be:

 

1- Nonstandard cartridge slot dimensions. Thus precluding the use of carts like the Starpath Supercharger, some Activision housings, XonoX double-Enders. 

 

2- Cartridge slot with different electrical signals and voltage levels. Not conforming to TTL protocol or having the right current drives and sinks. Causes carts to simply not work, as in not starting up.

 

3- Push buttons instead of slide switches. By default this creates an unfamiliar user interface. Impacts things like the Space Invaders double fire trick, or the Space Shuttle overlays. Sometimes the b/w switch is missing. And it’s not always easy to tell what position the a/b switches are in.

 

4- Improper voltages and “novel” ways of doing A/D & D/A the controller ports. This can break everything except for the bog-standard joysticks and paddles. Controller ports should go right into the 6532 or 100% substitution.

 

5- Any TIA/6507/RIOT recreations and remakes really need to be 100% true to the original. If not, you can bet someone will find a game or develop a game that breaks the system. This because the art of programming the VCS is always right at the edge. Seemingly insignificant differences will rear their ugly heads.

 

6- Cartridge slots that work by dumping is an immediate no-go. It has been proven time and time again that not everything works with such setups. And the incompatibilities are often discovered after purchase, leading to disappointment instead of pride in owning a fine console.

 

7- Weird formfactors. They’re not nostalgic and cause all kinds of subtle issues that a full-size conservatively designed doesn’t exhibit.

 

There’s more but that’s good enough for starters.

[StephenJ]

About a month ago, I sent out the following email to these highly technically savvy YouTube Content Providers:
  Christian Simpson (Retro Recipes)
  David Murray (The 8 Bit Guy)
  Adrian Black (Adrian's Digital Basement)

 

 

I have fully functional Atari 2600's with a collection of original and Homebrew games. But, because of these system's advancing years, I'm hesitant to use them on a regular basis. I'm sure their days are numbered.

It would be great to be able to buy a completely new 2600 to use for my 2600 gaming...or at least a new drop-in motherboard, as there are plenty of broken systems out there. - The Flashbacks and the Retron 77 are just not an option for me (Yecch!)
The only upgrade to the original design I would like to see, would be an up-scaling circuit (like the Retrotink) integrated on the motherboard.

Al at Atariage has indicated that he is having a hard time keeping up with all of the cartridge orders, so I can't help but think something like this on Indiegogo would be a success.

 

The only response I received was from David Murray. He said he simply did not have the time.

 

FYI,
Stephen

 

[Rodney Hester]

5 hours ago, fiudr said:

Can anybody recommend a good new Atari joystick? The top "wood finish" sticker is already peeling off of one of my Retron 77 joysticks, which barely had any use yet, which is exactly what I was worried about the first time I saw them. I expect the sticker will eventually start lifting off the main unit too. It's a shame they went with stickers.

 

How about the new Atari VCS joystick? Is that compatible with the Reton 77? It's wireless so I guess not,plus it seems unavailable anyways.

 

There's a newer reton 77 joystick on Amazon, with additional buttons, but it too uses a sticker, so it will have the same problem. Atari knew back in the 70's not to put stickers on the joysticks because stickers always end up peeling, especially on something like a joystick which will get handled frequently.

The one with additional buttons is USB-only.  I'd strongly advise a remanufactured original Atari stick with upgraded board from Best Electronics.

[fiudr]

3 hours ago, Rodney Hester said:

The one with additional buttons is USB-only.  I'd strongly advise a remanufactured original Atari stick with upgraded board from Best Electronics.

Ah, I didn't realize that new one is USB only.

 

I have a couple flashback joysticks that came with my flashback 10, but they're really light and cheapo. Out of curiosity, do those work with the Retron 77?

 

I was hoping somebody currently made a good compatible joystick. The Retron joystick is pretty nice except for that lousy sticker. I'm wondering if I should try just peeling it off the rest of the way and then using Goo Gone to clean it up. But I suspect it won't look so great if I do that.

 

I took a look at Best Electronics' website again. I've seen it before. But it's...confusing to find anything. The front page is a huge wall of gigantic text that all seems to blend together. It seems they offer replacement parts, but do they offer ready-to-use joysticks/paddles that have already been rebuilt with their new components?

 

EDIT: I think I found a page that lists their pre-built controllers (under quickguide).

 

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by fiudr

[Thomas Jentzsch]

7 hours ago, Albert said:

Same here. The Retron 77 is turning into a big headache for me as most homebrew games do not work unless they are 4K games. Some 8K stuff works, but after that it's mostly no bueno. And Melody games absolutely will not work.  
 

I am going to have to add a disclaimer to games in the AtariAge Store, eBay, and Etsy about the Retron 77. I wonder how many they've sold at this point.

Like I have said multiple times before, the R77 cartridge port is just a (barely working) marketing gimmick. The dumping software is extremely limited (only Atari's own bank switching works, up to 16K). And even if the cartridge format is supported, the hardware is not compatible to all carts.

[Keatah]

After the original hardware runs from Atari back in the 70's & 80's.. The next most sophisticated, accurate, reliable, and enjoyable console would have to be Emulator Stella on modern-day hardware. Buddies and household members alike have been using it seemingly forever. Some of us as early as the Brad Mott and command-line days.

[+SpiceWare]

12 hours ago, fiudr said:

I was hoping somebody currently made a good compatible joystick.

 

Searching for Atari 2600 joystick on Amazon returns a variety

• $20.89 Pomya, 4.4 ⭐ rating (out of 5)
• $12.86 WiCareYo, 4.1 ⭐
• $17.07 Samfox, 4.1 ⭐
• $18.95 ???, 4.1 ⭐
• $15.99 Mcbazel, 3.8 ⭐
• $20.19 T angxi, 3.6 ⭐

etc.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

13 hours ago, fiudr said:

I was hoping somebody currently made a good compatible joystick.

I'll add to this @Bratwurst's 7800 joysticks (compatible with 2600) that I use as my daily driver. They cost a bit more than the Amazon ones above but they're solid, clicky and my favourite that I've used on the 2600 & 7800 so far. They are arcade style so they're not like the original joysticks but I much prefer that type for just about every kind of game.

 

Link to more info about them (scroll down a bit in the top post):

- James

[Thomas Jentzsch]

1 hour ago, SpiceWare said:

 

Searching for Atari 2600 joystick on Amazon returns a variety

• $20.89 Pomya, 4.4 ⭐ rating (out of 5)
• $12.86 WiCareYo, 4.1 ⭐
• $17.07 Samfox, 4.1 ⭐
• $18.95 ???, 4.1 ⭐
• $15.99 Mcbazel, 3.8 ⭐
• $20.19 T angxi, 3.6 ⭐

etc.

Be careful with the ratings. According to ReviewMeta, most seem to be faked quite a lot.

• Pomya, 4.4 ⭐ -> 4.2 ⭐
• WiCareYo, 4.1 ⭐ -> 3.3 ⭐ 
• 7 Samfox, 4.1 ⭐ -> 2.3 ⭐
• ???, 4.1 ⭐ -> 2.4 ⭐
• Mcbazel, 3.8 ⭐ -> 1.0 ⭐

 

[Tifany]

With the OTG adaptor, wouldn't the Trooper II work through USB on the Retron? Is Stella set up to recognize joysticks other than with the 2600Daptor or whatnot?

 

I realize that it's probably easier just to plug something into the front panel though!  Just curious!

 

 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

1 minute ago, Tifany said:

Is Stella set up to recognize joysticks other than with the 2600Daptor or whatnot?

USB sticks work just fine.

[Tifany]

Just now, Thomas Jentzsch said:

USB sticks work just fine.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

 

[Trouble for Turmoil]

It seems like this clone has been more of a headache for some that it is worth. And while I've had my issues with it and will probably get a real 2600 when I see one, I do like this thing and have had alot of fun on it.

That being said I hate updating this thing and have a question if someone can help me. On they Hyperkin Retron 77 website, along with it's many download links, it seems to have updates for the dumper (V 1.3) and controller (1.2.) I want to ask if they do anything and how I can put these updates on my system. I've looked on YouTube and online but haven't gotten anything and have only seen updates for things like the Stella emulator on this thing and the limiter removal. If someone could help I would appreciate it as I'm getting so tired with looking and getting nothing.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

All you need it the latest Stella for R77. It includes the latest of Hyperkin too.

[Trouble for Turmoil]

I don't think I'll be able to do that. I flashed the latest community build on an SD card yesterday but had way too many changes and things going wrong with the system that I have to use the 3.9.3 build unless a fix comes along later. I checked the community build board and it seems like it could be a hardware issue on my end Wich sucks. So if someone could tell me where where I can get the 3.9.3 build for the Retron 77 with the updated Dumper and Controller code than that would help make things slightly more smoother, if those updates actually do improve things at least.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

The latest dumper and controller code got released before the community build 3.9.3. got released. So I suppose they should be already included. 

 

Else I doubt anyone will do the work for you required to port back later changes to your faulty hardware.

[DirtyHairy]

17 hours ago, Trouble for Turmoil said:

I don't think I'll be able to do that. I flashed the latest community build on an SD card yesterday but had way too many changes and things going wrong with the system that I have to use the 3.9.3 build unless a fix comes along later. I checked the community build board and it seems like it could be a hardware issue on my end Wich sucks. So if someone could tell me where where I can get the 3.9.3 build for the Retron 77 with the updated Dumper and Controller code than that would help make things slightly more smoother, if those updates actually do improve things at least.

To the best of my knowledge the dumper and controller MCUs are programmed at factory, and I am not aware of any public way of reprogramming them in-circuit (or whether this is possible at all). Hyperkind dumped the code on their website, but this is not an update that can be installed (or is installed by any firmware), it's just the source for the code programmed into the controllers at factory.

 

That said, the latest 6.x builds *do* include a few controller fixes, but these are implemented in the linux kernel driver and in Stella.

[Atariboy]

Before I try this, is it likely safe to use one of these arcade sticks with one of these OTG cables, connected to my Retron '77?

 

I've gathered from checking in this thread from time to time that going overboard with too many USB devices can cause issues with the stock power supply, with a powered USB hub I believe the recommendation if one wants multiple accessories connected like an AtariVox. Am I pretty safe with just a single USB controller, even if it's a big arcade stick that perhaps draws a bit more power than something simpler?

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by Atariboy