4 port 5200 displays only a black screen or garbage after displaying the boot up splash screen

[RB5200]

18 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

30$ ! Is that the going price for loose 5200 Galaxian these days? Wow.

That does seem a little on the high side for galaxian.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

5 hours ago, Satoshi Matrix said:

I've taken it apart and did a second cleaning just to make sure. I also followed your advice about inserting it all the way, wiggling it, etc. Each and every time, I get the same "%        !*D P08Y" and the year of our lord, 19 #.

 

The cartridge appears to be dead...which is a real shame. I guess I'd have to bite the bullet and buy another copy. Too bad it's not a very common game. Replacing it is going to cost about $30.

Not sure where you are located, but this is the first hit on eBay and this one stated it is tested and working.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305308056147?hash=item4715c73a53:g:gHwAAOSwtOFkZqNz&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4Gq%2BLFmMoLAGaBZO93bj2KSUCCdzxhR5%2FZQ5PCwx0lB5d0Wxb7RqL1NbfNMvIaGzXGRJK72JLSKfgbwCYIiLQ7%2B3Krsr6zgub1qAOZOjExPZaPITwyCVn1NEjOIn6rH4YwL559whh7It%2B4h%2BTs0QfOQDsJXMZcIN76xDli%2BTkunZJwYo2dczEJwXDb5%2BU5PP4KF3KJkxvrYsLSh48XdDS7psx0FOmDHkYgCUyhN8Ous4bYUHBGDZEwzcz938q5xNsNHRDFdVsTIdqIsNvAT1IY1mM8rW82D%2FOIAkQL%2Fg3YZu|tkp%3ABFBMgLSouKBj

 

[+bent_pin]

8 hours ago, Satoshi Matrix said:

I've taken it apart and did a second cleaning just to make sure. I also followed your advice about inserting it all the way, wiggling it, etc. Each and every time, I get the same "%        !*D P08Y" and the year of our lord, 19 #.

 

The cartridge appears to be dead...which is a real shame. I guess I'd have to bite the bullet and buy another copy. Too bad it's not a very common game. Replacing it is going to cost about $30.

I'll sell you a tested one way cheaper than $30. I have 4 or 5 copies floating around.

[Satoshi Matrix]

On 1/13/2024 at 10:44 AM, RB5200 said:

That does seem a little on the high side for galaxian.

Oh I wish that was the case.

 

On 1/13/2024 at 10:52 AM, -^CrossBow^- said:

Not sure where you are located, but this is the first hit on eBay and this one stated it is tested and working.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305308056147?hash=item4715c73a53:g:gHwAAOSwtOFkZqNz&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4Gq%2BLFmMoLAGaBZO93bj2KSUCCdzxhR5%2FZQ5PCwx0lB5d0Wxb7RqL1NbfNMvIaGzXGRJK72JLSKfgbwCYIiLQ7%2B3Krsr6zgub1qAOZOjExPZaPITwyCVn1NEjOIn6rH4YwL559whh7It%2B4h%2BTs0QfOQDsJXMZcIN76xDli%2BTkunZJwYo2dczEJwXDb5%2BU5PP4KF3KJkxvrYsLSh48XdDS7psx0FOmDHkYgCUyhN8Ous4bYUHBGDZEwzcz938q5xNsNHRDFdVsTIdqIsNvAT1IY1mM8rW82D%2FOIAkQL%2Fg3YZu|tkp%3ABFBMgLSouKBj

 

Sadly, I'm in Canada. With shipping, taxes and import fees, that would be about $36 US, which is around $50 CAD. Hard to justify shopping on ebay these days.

 

On 1/13/2024 at 1:37 PM, bent_pin said:

I'll sell you a tested one way cheaper than $30. I have 4 or 5 copies floating around.

That is very kind. I am very interested in your offer any any other 5200 games you might have for sale. I'm brand new to the 5200.

[+bent_pin]

First get your system fixed. Then I will sell you a box full of my duplicates on the cheap. That way it's just one shipping charge. I'm in the US.

[Satoshi Matrix]

Whoops! Sorry I didn't make it clear - I have a faulty 4 port and a cosmetically damaged but functional 2 port. So I do have a working 5200. The set of games I have all work with it, except for Galaxian. which is why I was wondering if Galaxian might be known to not work with 2 port systems. but it sounds like instead my particular cart seems to have gone bad!

 

Buying two systems netted me a small collection of games that came with them.

 

My current games:
Centipede
Defender
Dig Dug

Frogger
Galaxian (doesn't work)

Kangaroo

Mario Bros.

Missile Command

Ms. Pac-Man

Pac-Man

Pole Position

Popeye

Q*bert

Qix

Realsports Football

Realsports Soccer

Star Raiders

Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator

Super Breakout

 

So far, my favorites are Defender, Missile Command and Centipede. Mario Bros. on 5200 looks much nicer than the 2600 version, but it's choppy. I wonder, do people overclock their 5200s? Is that a thing to make 5200 Mario Bros. run better? haha

 

Edited January 15 by Satoshi Matrix

[Satoshi Matrix]

On another topic, I have six 5200 controllers and I'd like to restore as many as possible. One of them fully works. One works, but the keypad does not. Three more work but one of the directions on the analog stick do not work on each. Last one does not work at all no matter what I press.

 

The worst two of them have their rubber gaskets torn, making them extremely loose. Does anyone else an aftermarket replacement for this rubber gasket? I need at least two - a third one still has it, but its torn. I've seen replacements for the buttons and keypad as well as replacement flex circuits, but not what these ones need most. Am I just SOL here?

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, Satoshi Matrix said:

On another topic, I have six 5200 controllers and I'd like to restore as many as possible. One of them fully works. One works, but the keypad does not. Three more work but one of the directions on the analog stick do not work on each. Last one does not work at all no matter what I press.

 

The worst two of them have their rubber gaskets torn, making them extremely loose. Does anyone else an aftermarket replacement for this rubber gasket? I need at least two - a third one still has it, but its torn. I've seen replacements for the buttons and keypad as well as replacement flex circuits, but not what these ones need most. Am I just SOL here?

 

I'm not aware of any replacement boots for the 5200 controllers. Might reach out to Bradley at Best Electronics to see if he has any available. The other issues you mentioned are a combo of likely needing replacement flex and button sets for them with the ones having direction issues likely just have worn out pots inside them not giving proper reading back to the 5200 and like the rubber boots, the pots used in the 5200 controllers appear to be unobtanium. 

[Satoshi Matrix]

Yeah...then these are probably not repairable then, if the rubber gaskets AND the pots are bad. Boo. but that's how it goes I guess.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

7 hours ago, Satoshi Matrix said:

Yeah...then these are probably not repairable then, if the rubber gaskets AND the pots are bad. Boo. but that's how it goes I guess.

Well, I would still keep the controllers on hand as they have other parts that might in good shape. The cable harness, shells etc.

 

[+bent_pin]

Yeah, keep them. I've repaired 6 of them so far. Far down on my list is making new replacement parts for these.

In the meantime, get yourself one of these:

[leaded solder]

If you had an intact enough boot you could probably make a mould and do your own silicone boots, but that sounds like a big project.

 

Maybe you could make a leather boot like for manual transmission shifters? Lots of places make those and it would be kinda classy, although the 80s vibe would be lost.

 

What's the value on the pot? You might be able to do some trickery to rescale a more available one.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, leaded solder said:

If you had an intact enough boot you could probably make a mould and do your own silicone boots, but that sounds like a big project.

 

Maybe you could make a leather boot like for manual transmission shifters? Lots of places make those and it would be kinda classy, although the 80s vibe would be lost.

 

What's the value on the pot? You might be able to do some trickery to rescale a more available one.

The pots are 500k as I recall and the issue with them is more trying to find properly rated ones of the right size to fit in the controller. You can get other 500k pots but they won't fit. Although with all the 3D printing that exists, perhaps someone could create some new mounts internally that would allow for a readily available replacement?

 

[Satoshi Matrix]

11 hours ago, bent_pin said:

Yeah, keep them. I've repaired 6 of them so far. Far down on my list is making new replacement parts for these.

In the meantime, get yourself one of these:

These seem unobtainium, at least without spending $400ish.

[+bent_pin]

You just have to keep a lookout on eBay and here. I got two of the controllers together for $80 and I got the number-pad box for $49. I may bite the bullet and drop $150 for another number-pad box to have the matching pair, but I'm going to wait and see.

[0078265317]

There is a loose for 15 on eBay.  And this boxed with manual and overlays 16 dollars plus 8:30 shipping.  Not 30 bucks.

 

Ebay

[0078265317]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:20 PM, bent_pin said:

You just have to keep a lookout on eBay and here. I got two of the controllers together for $80 and I got the number-pad box for $49. I may bite the bullet and drop $150 for another number-pad box to have the matching pair, but I'm going to wait and see.

Here is a good deal.

 

eBay

 

Maybe somebody is willing to go halfzees with you.

 

And is the last pic with the crack and tape fixable?

Edited January 23 by 0078265317

[+-^CrossBow^-]

9 hours ago, 0078265317 said:

Here is a good deal.

 

eBay

 

Maybe somebody is willing to go halfzees with you.

 

And is the last pic with the crack and tape fixable?

Only the control keypads are worth it in my opinion. I'm the lone guy here that doesn't like those Wico sticks. I've got 3 of them...and only 1 of them works right. The other 2 came to me with the centering plastics broken for one of the axis internally. As a result, the controllers while they do work, they just flop over to one side and won't stay centered and this actually makes it harder to play games with NO resistance vs the slight resistance that at least does exist with the default controllers. 

 

My setup for serious 5200 gaming depends on the game. If it uses the analog nature of the controllers well, then I will just use my stock CX-52s. If the game works better with digital, then I will use my Redemption adapter and pair it with my Wico command control keypad and a Genesis 3-btn controller.

 

My Wico keypad didn't work when I got it. I had to completely desolder and rebuild all of the switches and had to replace the cable harness as there were at least 2 broken wires internally within the cable jacket on the original. Oddly enough, the original cable had an extra wire that 5200 controllers don't have? But I couldn't quite figure out what it was needed for so it wasn't installed when I replaced it out. But it seems to work just fine and does still work with actual Wico controllers if I plug one of those in. But yeah using those keypads is awesome, just not a fan of the controllers they normally pair with.