Geister Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 I'm not much of a gamer, but I got a 5200 game system from my sister. It has a power supply and a QIX cartridge, but no controllers. I don't have any interest in spending any amount of money to buy untested (broken) controllers off Flea-bay, nor do I want to spend $100+ for modern controllers. Should I find someone to sell it on to, or harvest the useful 8-bit chips from it for future Atari computer repairs. Any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+gnusto Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 I don't recommend parting a 5200 if it is in somewhat decent shape. You can get good return selling it as a working unit, and there are cheaper sources for the a8 chips within. Do you have a friend or local nerd crew or something that will let you borrow a controller even for a day? Because if you can do that, you can show that it is working. You could also (I think, somebody verify for me because memory is fuzzy here) at least test it with a pair of paddles - the joysticks are essentially two paddles representing x/y. Basically I think you should find somebody to sell it to, the only difference is whether it's tested or untested. It is not unusual at all of the joysticks to be the problem, they were analog and infamously bad, broke a lot more than CX40s. So I often see 5200s missing one or both of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reifsnyderb Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Geister said: I'm not much of a gamer, but I got a 5200 game system from my sister. It has a power supply and a QIX cartridge, but no controllers. I don't have any interest in spending any amount of money to buy untested (broken) controllers off Flea-bay, nor do I want to spend $100+ for modern controllers. Should I find someone to sell it on to, or harvest the useful 8-bit chips from it for future Atari computer repairs. Any other suggestions? Get it working and play games anyhow? 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted July 24, 2023 Author Share Posted July 24, 2023 Like I said, I'm not much of a gamer and if I really want to play Atari games I'm well set up with over 12 8-bit models starting with the 400 and ending with the 130XE. If this was a 7800, I might think about snagging the Maria chip and doing what Atari should have done ages ago and provide a video upgrade for the 8-bit line of computers. As it is, that most value to me is the irreplaceable custom chips. What does a working 5200 without controllers go for? I just noticed that this unit is missing the RF adaptor. I don't know if the unit has composite out of the included video cable or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 18 minutes ago, Geister said: Like I said, I'm not much of a gamer and if I really want to play Atari games I'm well set up with over 12 8-bit models starting with the 400 and ending with the 130XE. If this was a 7800, I might think about snagging the Maria chip and doing what Atari should have done ages ago and provide a video upgrade for the 8-bit line of computers. As it is, that most value to me is the irreplaceable custom chips. What does a working 5200 without controllers go for? I just noticed that this unit is missing the RF adaptor. I don't know if the unit has composite out of the included video cable or not. The 4 port models required the special RF switch box in order to provide the power to it over the RF cable. So if it is a 4 port and missing that RF box, it will be difficult to test it without getting power to it to verify. That said, I'm quite interested as I need a few parts to get my 2 port lab unit 5200 working again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 I would just either sell the whole thing and use the money for new hardware for your 8-bits or you could part it out. If the case is in good shape there are people who have 5200s with cracked/scratch cases. You can use the GTIA and Antic chips in your 8-bits. These do go bad sometimes so you never know when you might need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 13 hours ago, gnusto said: test it with a pair of paddles - the joysticks are essentially two paddles representing x/y. Atari 2600 paddles use a different connector type than the 5200 uses for controllers. Not sure how you would test it with paddles. could you check local retro gaming or toy stores to see if they have any cheap 5200 controllers? Even if you get a cheap controller that doesn’t work, it isn’t hard to take them apart and clean them to get them somewhat working to at least prove the system works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted July 24, 2023 Author Share Posted July 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Cafeman said: Atari 2600 paddles use a different connector type than the 5200 uses for controllers. Not sure how you would test it with paddles. could you check local retro gaming or toy stores to see if they have any cheap 5200 controllers? Even if you get a cheap controller that doesn’t work, it isn’t hard to take them apart and clean them to get them somewhat working to at least prove the system works. I've thought about running down to Quakertown as there are two retro video game stores in that area. The only other places I know of are too far away to consider driving to. Maybe one of these stores will make an offer for the unit. I found a couple places in Allentown, but the only seem to go back to N64 and PS1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 downtown Easton had or has a retro shop that sometimes carries 5200 stuff. 2nd and charles is cleaned out though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted July 24, 2023 Author Share Posted July 24, 2023 (edited) I found a place in Glen, PA that has some 5200 controllers and the RF interface (which I'd need to test). The guy in Glen said that all the controllers he has are borked but he may be able to fix one up enough to test. That sounds like a plan to me. @-^CrossBow^-What are you looking for? The majority of stores around here don't seem to bother with being open on Monday so I'm going to be making a number of phone calls tomorrow. I'll be on the phone anyway once since our Crosley air conditioner bit the dust this week. Anybody know who carries Crosley in the Lehigh Valley? They still advertise a 10 year warranty when the local appliance store seems happy to tell me that none of the big name appliance companies sell reliable or durable devices any more. Man, just give me something built like an Atari! I see a bunch of broken stuff and RF adapters for sale on Fleabay, but to hell with Fleabay. Edited July 24, 2023 by Geister edited to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cx2k Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 You can grab a 5200 controller rebuild kit pretty cheap here: www.atarirepairparts.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 22 hours ago, gnusto said: I don't recommend parting a 5200 if it is in somewhat decent shape. You can get good return selling it as a working unit, and there are cheaper sources for the a8 chips within. These are good points. However, should you decide to part it out, please contact me. I may be interested depending on the condition of the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 It has compartments for storing condiments. So, you can use it as a lunch tray without worrying about spilling the catsup. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, Gemintronic said: It has compartments for storing condiments. So, you can use it as a lunch tray without worrying about spilling the catsup. It's also great for serving small portions of nachos! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam242 Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) Best use for a 5200: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxiiVzHhqUI26jA1RrmBHdNVtgjUT9jsov Edited July 25, 2023 by adam242 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClausB Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 No A8 collection is complete without a 5200. Like mine, yours can be rewired for separate power and RF, and the controllers repaired. Get a couple games. Star Raiders is nice with the analog stick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 31 minutes ago, ClausB said: No A8 collection is complete without a 5200. As a citizen of PAL-land I excuse myself from this completeness requirement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanny Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 35 minutes ago, slx said: As a citizen of PAL-land I excuse myself from this completeness requirement. Not a good excuse 🙂 I'm in PAL-land, too, but own a 5200. 2 1 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 I called multiple retro game stores in the area as far away as Glen PA. and got a lot of nopes on 5200 accessories. The place in Glen, PA had a broken controller and would be happy to fix it for me. The store in Easton, PA said they have maybe one in stock but for some reason they are not open? I wimped out and did a buy it now on Fleabay for a NIB RF adapter and a single controller which I should get by EOM. We'll see how that works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 On 7/24/2023 at 9:07 PM, x=usr(1536) said: It's also great for serving small portions of nachos! I believe you could serve a Thanksgiving Turkey on this thing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bhall408 Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 On 7/24/2023 at 7:40 PM, cx2k said: You can grab a 5200 controller rebuild kit pretty cheap here: www.atarirepairparts.com This looks relatively new -- and the only post on Atari Age I found about them. Sure looks great - full rebuild kits for $21/each at qty 2 and up. How do these compare to the most recent design that BEST was selling? Are there any reviews or background information on the folks doing it? They have an eBay shop, also new, and no reviews yet -- https://www.ebay.com/usr/atarirepairparts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cx2k Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 I saw this on FB: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222238026556927&set=gm.10160594607810255&idorvanity=29814905254 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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