Atari 5200 4 Port Snowy Screen

[Illtiger1]

I've been having an issue with my 4 port 5200.  When I hook everything up and put the power on, the screen is very snowy.  I bought another switch box thinking that maybe mine was the issue, but it does the same on the newer one.  Here is a picture:

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

Have you tested it on another TV?

 

Also, what sort of power supply are you using?

[CommodoreDecker]

The noise looks more like a pattern and not random -- could one of the graphics chips (e.g. ANTIC, or GTIA) be starting to fail or getting warm?  

[+x=usr(1536)]

32 minutes ago, CommodoreDecker said:

The noise looks more like a pattern and not random -- could one of the graphics chips (e.g. ANTIC, or GTIA) be starting to fail or getting warm?  

Which is certainly possible.  Interference has also been known to cause patterns like this.

[Illtiger1]

Thank you all for the replies. I turned the system back on this morning to play and the snow is gone. I played quite a bit with Missle Command and Super Breakout with no issue. I didn't do anything different or adjust the wires. I remember this being an issue in the past with this system. Strange.

[+x=usr(1536)]

35 minutes ago, Illtiger1 said:

Thank you all for the replies. I turned the system back on this morning to play and the snow is gone. I played quite a bit with Missle Command and Super Breakout with no issue. I didn't do anything different or adjust the wires. I remember this being an issue in the past with this system. Strange.

This does suggest that interference may be an issue.

 

Out of curiosity: since you mention this is a 4-port, is the original switchbox and power supply still in use, or has it been power- and/or A/V-modified?

 

Also, what other electric / electronic devices are in the general area of the console?

[Illtiger1]

Yes, the original switchbox and power supply are still in use which originally came with the system.  I have it hooked up to a late 90s Sony Trinitron CRT.  I had the power supply hooked up to a power strip sharing power with the TV and a phone charger.

[+Allan]

4 hours ago, Illtiger1 said:

Yes, the original switchbox and power supply are still in use which originally came with the system.  I have it hooked up to a late 90s Sony Trinitron CRT.  I had the power supply hooked up to a power strip sharing power with the TV and a phone charger.

If you have any more issues with it, let me know. I am in Connecticut and could help switch things out to see what the problem is. I have a bunch of 5200 consoles and parts.

[Illtiger1]

9 hours ago, Allan said:

If you have any more issues with it, let me know. I am in Connecticut and could help switch things out to see what the problem is. I have a bunch of 5200 consoles and parts.

Wow, that's very kind of you.  Thank you!  I'm hoping it stays fine this time, but it has been having this issue on and off the past few years.  Really enjoying the 5200 lately.  Just cleaned my trackball bearings which were giving me major issues and it's working great.  Having a blast with Centipede and Missile Command.  Might be the best trackball I've ever used.

[+x=usr(1536)]

14 hours ago, Illtiger1 said:

Yes, the original switchbox and power supply are still in use which originally came with the system.

It may be worth just giving the terminals on / coming from the switchbox a good cleaning, as well as the RF and power cables' connectors. 

14 hours ago, Illtiger1 said:

I have it hooked up to a late 90s Sony Trinitron CRT.  I had the power supply hooked up to a power strip sharing power with the TV and a phone charger.

Doubtful that the phone charger itself is causing interference, but you never know.  Is this something that happens if the phone is connected to the charger and placed near to the 5200?

[Illtiger1]

Good idea. I'll clean give them a good cleaning with some alcohol even if everything seems to be ok currently. As far as interference, I had the same issues with it when I used to set it up in my old game room as well. It's the only system I have that has this issue. I have other rf connected systems like INTV, VCS, and Odyssey 2 that I never have snowy screen issues with.

[ApolloBoy]

19 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Doubtful that the phone charger itself is causing interference, but you never know.  Is this something that happens if the phone is connected to the charger and placed near to the 5200?

Depends on the charger, a lot cheap ones are poorly designed/built and can throw off a ton of interference. I once used a cheap knockoff MacBook charger and it would create interference with literally anything else that was plugged into the same outlet or power strip.

[Illtiger1]

So of course, I didn't play my 5200 for a few days and powered it up over the weekend and the snow is back.  I cleaned the terminals to and from the switchbox and tried changing the channel option on the back of the system and neither fixed the issue.  Here is what it looks like now again.  

[zylon]

that looks like "dirty channel switch" snow

[Illtiger1]

On 5/9/2023 at 5:44 AM, zylon said:

that looks like "dirty channel switch" snow

I cleaned everything that connects or comes from the TV with 91% alcohol and it's still snowy.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Illtiger1