Spector Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 I see on Ebay a seller listing several Ataris 2600s like this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Atari-2600-Woodgrain-4-Switch-Console-NTSC-MODDED-SVIDEO-COMPOSITE-LED-STEREO/332149368255?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D497d4c542b5f4701ab61317bad7de853%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D332149368255&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042 As a Brit looking at possibly getting an NTSC Atari again, would you say this model is too pricey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamrodHare Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 If the shipping is free to the UK, then it's not that bad of a deal, I guess. If you have the soldering skills to do the modding, you would save a LOT of money by getting an unmodded system. I wouldn't pay that much for a modded 4 switch, but that's just my personal opinion. If you can afford it and it's what you want, then you should buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) If the shipping is free to the UK, then it's not that bad of a deal, I guess. If you have the soldering skills to do the modding, you would save a LOT of money by getting an unmodded system. I wouldn't pay that much for a modded 4 switch, but that's just my personal opinion. If you can afford it and it's what you want, then you should buy one. The shipping in not free! But I suppose it's to be expected how costly it would be going to the UK. Is there anyone on here who does mods for the 2600? There certainly was ten years ago, but i don't know what the situation is like nowadays. Edited January 13, 2018 by Spector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Innit Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 There was also the Global Shipping Program con to pay for on that listing as well. There is a seller on ebay based in London who sells modded Ataris and usually with several games, peripherals and a flashback. He calls himself atarimania9. I think he has had NTSC consoles before. Check him out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 What is with the 128KB of RAM(not 128B) listed as in the console, then 4KB of RAM in the controllers, all in the description? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 What is with the 128KB of RAM(not 128B) listed as in the console, then 4KB of RAM in the controllers, all in the description? That description seems to be for one of those emulator machines like the Flashback rather than the original console he's listed, which is another reason not to be keen on buying it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I messaged Atarimania9 after Lord Innit's recommendation in post #4. Here's a typical listing from him right now: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ATARI-2600-AV-MOD-87-GAMES-RARE-KEYBOARD-ON-OFF-LIGHT-PLAY-ON-ANY-TV/282789452912?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160727114228%26meid%3Dc0cee71ace7f43febf3da8d3d6b53fb2%26pid%3D100290%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D332149368255&_trksid=p2060778.c100290.m3507 The listing says "THIS IS THE ICONIC ATARI 2600 AV MODIFIED TO PLAY ON ANY TV." But that doesn't tell me whether it's an NTSC Atari or not, so I asked him, and he replied "To be honest I am not sure." I can't believe that. He's got these highly polished mods of Ataris, and he doesn't even know if the machine is PAL or NTSC! It makes a huge difference because if it's PAL the games are bordered and 17% slower. It's probably PAL, though the Pacman box looks like the US version, it's not the same as the UK one. The search goes on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Innit Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Hmm, that's pretty piss poor. Bells rang and I checked my purchase history and yep, I bought some Activision games back in 2015 from him. Turned out all but Freeway (which was PAL cart in NTSC box) were NTSC and displayed wrong colours despite being advertised as PAL. I messaged him and he said he didn't realise. Sent them all back for refund. I should have realised they were NTSC by the boxes, but still....... Edited January 13, 2018 by Lord Innit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Seems pricy I have to sit on them for days or weeks at 60 usd sometimes Last one I sold and went to France I think it was like 30ish dollars to ship 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 Seems pricy I have to sit on them for days or weeks at 60 usd sometimes Last one I sold and went to France I think it was like 30ish dollars to ship Well if you are selling any more let me know, cause I would be interested. And yes, it's about 30USD to ship to France judging by another listing on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Well if you are selling any more let me know, cause I would be interested. And yes, it's about 30USD to ship to France judging by another listing on this site. I am usually selling one, but I have none in the shop at the moment as I have an xbox and a NES taking up the bench right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) I have one NES on my bench, an xbox 360 MB in one oven and a ps3 MB in another I'm preheating for 8 hours. And was planning to move next an original Xbox onto my bench now that I'm finishing up the NES(had all bridge diodes shorted). I have two 4 switch 2600s just sitting on a shelf and one still in box 6 switch. Seeing the price being asked for the modded 2600 maybe those should be taking priority now. Or maybe I should hurry up on the NES and the Xbox now that I know Osgeld might be selling the same soon, and get a jump on him, lol. Edited January 13, 2018 by SignGuy81 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I am usually selling one, but I have none in the shop at the moment as I have an xbox and a NES taking up the bench right now ah , too bad! I have one NES on my bench, an xbox 360 MB in one oven and a ps3 MB in another I'm preheating for 8 hours. And was planning to move next an original Xbox onto my bench now that I'm finishing up the NES(had all bridge diodes shorted). I have two 4 switch 2600s just sitting on a shelf and one still in box 6 switch. Seeing the price being asked for the modded 2600 maybe those should be taking priority now. Or maybe I should hurry up on the NES and the Xbox now that I know Osgeld might be selling the same soon, and get a jump on him, lol. Give us some prices then on the 2600s, not the oven! Give them to me - I won't let you burn them like that!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) ah , too bad! Give us some prices then on the 2600s, not the oven! Give them to me - I won't let you burn them like that!!! I don't intend on putting the 2600s in the oven. One of the boards I already did. It was nasty and I cleaned it, and dried it out in the oven(oh heavens no). Trust me it is fine. I'm not baking it at 400 degrees, I do it at low temp to get moisture out. If you go to reflow a BGA chip on a newer system and you do not do this first, when it sees the high heat it will during the reflow process you will popcorn the underside of your chips if there is any moisture trapped. Edited January 13, 2018 by SignGuy81 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) I might try to finish one up tomorrow if I have time. All I'm doing to it is an AV mod, not going to have S-Video or anything. I am going to do a power LED to though. Edited January 14, 2018 by SignGuy81 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) I might try to finish one up tomorrow if I have time. All I'm doing to it is an AV mod, not going to have S-Video or anything. Oh no, an AV mod is all I'm after. You see, my UK television accepts NTSC signals through AV. I used to have one but sold it when I briefly converted to Colecovisianity. I realise now that I sinned and need the Gospel according to Atari. But aesthetics are important to me, and I love the 4 swtichers with the wood front, just like the one I had all those years ago!! Edited January 14, 2018 by Spector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignGuy81 Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 I have a Vader and a Wood Grain 4 switch. I don't want to get your hopes up because I got so many consoles to work on at the moment but if I have time I will try to AV mod the 4 switch Woody soon. I'm not sure what I will ask for it yet I have to go back and look at what I got in it but I'm sure it will be less than the Ebay listing you showed us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 No that's okay, I realise it might or might not happen, fair enough. You certainly have a good feedback link there, so I'd be more willing to take the plunge with one of yours if my wallet were to go deep enough.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyK Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) Looks splendid - but make sure you have a TV that handles NTSC via composite or s-video. Sadly my CRT only plays ball with an NTSC source via RGB SCART - so after getting a US 2600 modded for composite (after a bit of a saga), I only get a b&w image - albeit gloriously crisp! My problem is that I don't know if the mod had been done incorrectly or if the console had dodgy colour before the mod (!) I've put it in the "project" pile. I've had to revert to using my trusty PAL woody with RF hook-up and PAL60 games on a Harmony cartridge. Edited January 14, 2018 by davyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyK Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) Just noticed that eBay seller in the link in the OP states the console has 128K RAM......does he not mean 128bytes? He also states it's the launch edition, implying it's a heavy sixer which doesn't match the picture. I'd avoid. Edited January 14, 2018 by davyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyK Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 You might be better getting a video modded PAL console from a UK seller and buying a Harmony cart. You can then load all the PAL60 ROMs onto it for the optimal experience. There are a couple of hundred of those now - all the best games have been converted. There's a PAL60 ROM thread I started some time ago that has links to the ROMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 You might be better getting a video modded PAL console from a UK seller and buying a Harmony cart. You can then load all the PAL60 ROMs onto it for the optimal experience. There are a couple of hundred of those now - all the best games have been converted. There's a PAL60 ROM thread I started some time ago that has links to the ROMs. I'm a bit of a purist and prefer NTSC, plus my TV is NTSC compatible through AV anyway. I'm aware of the PAL60 ROMs from back in the early 00s when I used a Cuttle Cart, but when I bought a new portable in 2005 with NTSC, that was it. It just feels more right than a PAL hack, and virtually everything is available the way it was intended. I suspect your American Atari DOES work and your TV just can't deal with the colour. Many portable TVs in England after 2003 are okay with NTSC through composite, but I'm guessing yours is before then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyK Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) I'm with you re getting an NTSC console for the proper experience - it's why I tried to go that way. I've tried my US 2600 with modern TVs (I play 2600 on a CRT) and I still get a b&w picture. But I'm aware that there are pots to adjust for colour after the mod I got done and I haven't adjusted those while connected to a modern TV. I only tried it with my CRT. I even tried it with an NTSC/PAL converter box and that didn't work (though it didn't work with my JPN N64 either - though it works with my JPN Gamecube - shrug). The converter just didn't seem to detect a signal at all from the 2600 or N64. I also tried using various chains of PAL/NTSC VCRs and SCART blocks - powered and unpowered to no avail. So it's still inconclusive. The mod looks OK - I got it professionally done by a local PC/console repair shop. Going by the wiring diagram everything looks in place. It's possible the console colour wasn't right. The console was in poor condition when I got it (part of the saga - I ended up getting almost a full refund) so it is possible I modded a faulty console to begin with. I have a couple of NTSC carts (Stargate and Pacman) so I'm assuming they are OK! And re PAL60 ROMs - I've created quite a few of them myself - it really is the NTSC game with just a few bytes changed to select different colour values - you are playing the NTSC game. But - I get you - if I could get an AV modded NTSC console working on my CRT that would be my choice. I'd probably try and get a nice original cart collection together of my favourites too. Edited January 14, 2018 by davyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 I'm with you re getting an NTSC console for the proper experience - it's why I tried to go that way. I've tried my US 2600 with modern TVs (I play 2600 on a CRT) and I still get a b&w picture. But I'm aware that there are pots to adjust for colour after the mod I got done and I haven't adjusted those while connected to a modern TV. I only tried it with my CRT. I even tried it with an NTSC/PAL converter box and that didn't work (though it didn't work with my JPN N64 either - though it works with my JPN Gamecube - shrug). The converter just didn't seem to detect a signal at all from the 2600 or N64. I also tried using various chains of PAL/NTSC VCRs and SCART blocks - powered and unpowered to no avail. So it's still inconclusive. The mod looks OK - I got it professionally done by a local PC/console repair shop. Going by the wiring diagram everything looks in place. It's possible the console colour wasn't right. The console was in poor condition when I got it (part of the saga - I ended up getting almost a full refund) so it is possible I modded a faulty console to begin with. I have a couple of NTSC carts (Stargate and Pacman) so I'm assuming they are OK! And re PAL60 ROMs - I've created quite a few of them myself - it really is the NTSC game with just a few bytes changed to select different colour values - you are playing the NTSC game. But - I get you - if I could get an AV modded NTSC console working on my CRT that would be my choice. I'd probably try and get a nice original cart collection together of my favourites too. Reading through that makes me think yeah, you've got a wonky Atari there. The first time I got an Atari modded, it wasn't done too well, and the picture went, but it didn't go black and white. It could be a number of things, but the original machine you got wasn't in great nick, and that's got to be a bad sign. Regarding PAL60, it might not work on my TV because it could show the NTSC interpretation of the PAL-altered colours by mistake! For now, I'm going to try and heckle people here and on Ebay to see if I can get a 4 or 6 switch Woody with a good composite picture from the land of Trump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 There was also the Global Shipping Program con to pay for on that listing as well. Yes I'm beginning to get a better understanding of the "Program" now. Take a look at this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-2600-Modded-System-AV/162855836063?hash=item25eaf6d99f:g:Y1kAAOSwExlaXon1 $70 for a modded four-switcher, but through the wonderful Global Shipping Program, postage to the UK comes to...$65.50?!!?? Yes folks - it costs almost as much to post as it does to buy! And it's more expensive sending it to Britain than just about anywhere else in the entire world. Disgusting for an American company like Ebay to treat the Brits like that. What about the 'special relationship'???? If that's the norm, then my only hope seems to be someone on here... if they can price match without the ridiculous postage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.