Recycling a 410

[adam242]

I have an Atari 410 cassette drive that I am about to dispose of for, lets just say 'cat-related issues'. Is there anything in one of these worth cleaning and saving besides the SIO cable? And can anyone tell me the pinout/ wiring color code for this? Its late here and I can get out my Fluke tomorrow...

[Justin Payne]

How bad is it? Many things can be use from a "broken" 410 to help repair another. For example, I have a 1020 plotter that was missing a cover. I, luckily, had someone gift me a new one but I'd love to be able to restore my existing one. There are all sorts of gears, covers, etc that I'm sure someone could use.

[adam242]

I know, I hate to simply throw out ANYTHING that is old Atari. It's not like they still make these.

[Keatah]

Essentially everything. Because sooner or later spares (of everything) will be needed. Screws go missing. Housings get damaged or dropped or cracked. Motors, spindles, pcbs, wires, switches. there's a guy's wife that knocked over his 800, and all the plastic parts are fucked up. So, here, a housing replacement is needed, get the drift..?

[adam242]

8 minutes ago, Keatah said:

Essentially everything. Because sooner or later spares (of everything) will be needed. Screws go missing. Housings get damaged or dropped or cracked. Motors, spindles, pcbs, wires, switches. there's a guy's wife that knocked over his 800, and all the plastic parts are fucked up. So, here, a housing replacement is needed, get the drift..?

What do YOU care? I though emulation was the be-all end-all... Unless it's your beloved Apple II crap.

[Keatah]

I'll play along. I care about the experiences others have with vintage computing and gaming. And like it or not, there is more frustration with recalcitrant hardware than there is with quality emulators. Sorry bro. I win.

 

Of course you are right, emulation is the be-all end-all. Woot! There will come a time and date when emulation is the only practical way to play these vintage games. Pretty sure no one can refute that. If I can introduce someone to trouble-free 8-bit gaming then I will do so. And it is so easy and immediate to have them play on Altirra or any other contemporary high-quality emulator.

 

1- They are starting out with modern reliable Intel hardware and Windows, which they already know how to work.

2- There are no additional wires to connect except perhaps a controller.

3- There is no wrestling with getting the native output of a vintage console to be compatible with their television.

4- They aren't gonna need a dedicated space for another setup. Ain't gonna need a CRT setup either.

5- They aren't gonna need to buy and test AC power adapters.

6- Video mods are not necessary. Their Intel hardware plugs right into HDMI-enabled television sets.

7- If they want to they can go through all the rigamarole of babysitting original hardware. Nothing stops them.

8- Cost is a factor, every hobbyist is complaining about it. And scalpers are loving the scene!

..there's many more reasons. But those should suffice.

 

Perhaps someone will build all-new hardware from the ground up, making it trouble-free, with no caveats, with no reliance on 50-year old original custom chips scavenged from original machines. We're already well along that path. But Pokeys, Antics, 6502Bs, and GTIAs, still need to be stripped out for use in the 576 NUC.

 

Look at MiSTer, everyone loves it. Look at Software Emulation, thousands upon thousands use it daily.

 

The crap Apple II and Apple II+ stuff I place on the proverbial pedestal is going to physically outlive anything Atari, because all the logic is generic. Some gates could even be built from individual transistors by hand if bad ever came to worse.

[Justin Payne]

@Keatah

I can't argue your point. 

[drpeter]

5 hours ago, adam242 said:

I know, I hate to simply throw out ANYTHING that is old Atari. It's not like they still make these.

Drive belts and rubber-coated rollers that are in good condition are always in demand.  Is this the version with the pause key, or the original version with aluminium carrying handle?

[Mrshoujo]

Cat related issues?? Just get some Nature's Miracle and clean it. I have a tablet computer someone gave me in exchange for fixing their phone and it reeked of some.. animal's urine. I wasn't exactly thrilled but it's not a total loss. I've had to replace the touch digitizer and it needs a new battery but it still works. It's the detachable keyboard which will need intensive cleaning.

 

I would clean that 410 all the same.

[gilsaluki]

Use some Cat-Be-Gone.  

[Justin Payne]

3 hours ago, gilsaluki said:

Use some Cat-Be-Gone.  

I've never heard of that product. I do know of Dog-Gone and Cat-a-pult. I've found both work very well at getting rid of pesky pets.

[adam242]

Thanks for the input, guys, but the cat responsible for soiling this 410 passed away today. I don't want to look at the deck, so I simply chucked it. I have two more 410s anyway.

 

@Keatah Sorry for my snarky response, I was in a dark and 'medicated' place at the time.

[Keatah]

It's no trouble 'mate.

[_The Doctor__]

We too have lost our compatriot, herald, and shadow. She tried to be a great cat right up to the end, she used the litter box up until passing away, going so far as to make sure to use it when she was nauseous. I still can't get through a day without thinking of and crying for her and selfishly for myself wishing she was still here. In fact I was looking up some old thread to help someone and came across her photo on AA and lost it. Get some pooph or poof ?? and clean it.

 

If your feline friend was on a medicine like chemo chlorembucil etc. the hard surfaces can be scrubbed, but any felt pad/fabrics would need to be handled with gloves, bagged and disposed of. Gloves for any cleaning is mandatory though.

 

Best wishes to you and your family, prayers for your lost loved cat to have a great hereafter. And hopes you can save whatever unfortunate accidents happened. Your' cat couldn't help it, the cat didn't understand or know what to do as it was losing it's battle for life. Neither could you.

Edited February 1, 2023 by _The Doctor__

[adam242]

Thank you for your kind words, and I'm sorry for your loss, Doctor. The pain never fully recedes. I still lose it with little warning over McLaren. Pictures, memories, a bump in an old thread mentioning him...

 

Besides McLaren, we lost his brother Julius earlier in the year. McLaren was 15 and in failing health, Julius was an unexpected shock at 14. Two of our female cats gave birth last summer and three of the four kittens did not make it. 2022 was not a kind year to our cat family.

[xrbrevin]

you gave them a happy forever-home with abundant feed and comfort 🙂