no cartridge

[SS]

So what CAN happen if you turn on a system w/o inserting a cart first? Or if you remove the cartridge with the power still on? Everyone was told that you shouldn't do this but I never quite knew why.

[Susuwatari]

Ypou either get a blank screen or a multicolored vertical stripes. No damage to the system though as long as you don't insert or remove the cart while the system's on.

[SS]

No damage to the system though as long as you don't insert or remove the cart while the system's on.

 

So what could conceivably happen to the system if you do either of those?

[ATARIPITBULL]

I've done both of those things as a kid with my first 2600 and nothing happend to my system or the cartridge, but some people here have said that it had fried there Atari and or there cartridge.

 

 

[Mindfield]

It's possible. Inserting or removing a cart while the power is on could produce some undesirable side effects. Power could arc or spike and fry the chips, or the contacts could cross, which would not be very pleasant if the power contact crosses another contact. It's probably not very likely to happen, but the possibility is there.

[bjk7382]

I think the cartrige would get fried before the system would. Although I have done it and nothing has happened.

 

I also play around with my dactar 4 in1 and a 8 in 1 cartrige I have with switches. If you switch the switches with the power on you can get some crazy stuff on the screen. Like a normal seaquest screen that just racks up points by itself.

[Mindfield]

I think the cartrige would get fried before the system would. Although I have done it and nothing has happened.

 

I also play around with my dactar 4 in1 and a 8 in 1 cartrige I have with switches. If you switch the switches with the power on you can get some crazy stuff on the screen. Like a normal seaquest screen that just racks up points by itself.  

 

Probably 'cos those switches cut power to the ROM between states, so if you just flicked from one state to the other it'd be the equivalent of frying.

[bjk7382]

I think the cartrige would get fried before the system would. Although I have done it and nothing has happened.

 

I also play around with my dactar 4 in1 and a 8 in 1 cartrige I have with switches. If you switch the switches with the power on you can get some crazy stuff on the screen. Like a normal seaquest screen that just racks up points by itself.  

 

Probably 'cos those switches cut power between states, so if you just flicked from one state to the other it'd be the equivalent of frying.

 

It also loads up different parts of one game into another. Pretty neat effects when you start mixing like 3 games. It eventually locks up though. I sat there flipping the switches for about 5 min. straight one time between dragonfire and seaquest getting some pretty crazy stuff.

[CPUWIZ]

Another dead cart, coming right up.

 

[bjk7382]

Another dead cart, coming right up.

 

 

Its only an 8 in 1 cart from mexico that I paid $5 for.

 

The dactar don't do much, so I don't play around with those a lot.

[Bryan]

The problem is when you insert a cartridge with the power on, there's no guarantee that the power contacts will connect first, and IC's can be destroyed by applying signals to their IO pins without power.

 

Often on newer systems, the power contacts of the cartridge are made longer than the others, minimizing the risk.

 

-Bry

[Stingray]

I did this once and it ripped a hole in the fabric of time. I ended up becoming my own grandfather, but that's another story.

 

-S

[AtariDude]

So in other words kids, don't try this at home without adult supervision