atari_aaron Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I found a Coleco 2600 clone while visiting a Toronto flea market. It cost me $7.50. Anyway, I brought it back to the US, and when I got home I plugged it into my TV using my Atari JR cables and power pack. The screen was mostly fuzzy, the signal apparently wasn't making it to the TV screen. The Atari JR works just fine using the same cables. Any ideas why I'm not getting a picture? Does it sound like this system is shot, or is there some trick to the Coleco clone? Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 It might be PAL, or try flipping to either 2 or 3 (the opposite channel you used) to see if you get a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Are you sure that the gemini uses the same power as the jr? I would look somewhere for the power requirements for the coleco gemini. The RF wire should have no problems if it works with the jr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_aaron Posted July 8, 2004 Author Share Posted July 8, 2004 Switching between channels 2 and 3 seems to make little difference. I sort of got a weird looking fuzzy rainbow when the Gemini was switched to channel 3, but that was about it. Looking online, the Gemini uses the exact same power supply as the Atari JR. I suppose it could be PAL, but I doubt it.... but even if it was, I don't know how I could tell. The labels on the system are printed in both English and French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You said the magic word... french... its PAL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacbthPSW Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You said the magic word... french... its PAL. Canada has two official languages, French and English, and most products are required to have both languages on them. So having French on the unit in no way proves that it's PAL. The Gemini was quite common in Canada, and all the units I've ever had have been NTSC. Besides, usually using a PAL unit on an NTSC TV results in the picture showing up fine, but in black & white. I may be wrong about this, but I think even France doesn't use PAL - they use SECAM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You're right about the PAL on the TV... my Australian "64 in 1" atari 2600 does that. They use pal... certain parts do. I had a 6-switch that had that problem, i tore it apart, checked the connections, pushed the RCA cable back in the slot, put i together, and i got a clear picture. Maybe that's whats wrong with yours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azrael Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Hi, cool find for $7.50! If it was bought in Canada with English and French wording then isn't it most likely NTSC? SECAM is the French standard which is similar to PAL (displays in B+W on PAL equipment. Or at least it does on mine. Maybe changing the RF lead and cleaning the contacts would help more than anything. Good luck anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIPITBULL Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Hey atari_aaron, does your system look like the picture of my Coleco Gemini system I have posted here in the 2600 topic under the title "My Gemini system" or go to the gamerzunivers link at the bottom of my post and look at the Atari controller rarity guide for that system and many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Since Quebec is (unfortunately :wink: ) part of Canada, they would almost certainly use the NTSC format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I always thought Canada was all NTSC, regardless of the English or French speaking parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Got this off the web: NTSC countries are: USA, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Burma, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Greenland, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts, Saipan, Samoa, Surinam, Taiwan, Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, Virgin Islands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I have a Gemini that has both English & French on the box. It originated in Canada and is indeed NTSC. The unit works fine on my NTSC television. -S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video*game*source Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You said the magic word... french... its PAL. France uses SECAM and the Gemini isn't available as a PAL version at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_aaron Posted July 9, 2004 Author Share Posted July 9, 2004 Hmmm.. Well, if it works at all, it's probably the contacts. I took the case apart and the screws showed some rust.... although everything inside looked like it was still in good condition. I will have to make a trip to Radio Shack for a better cable. AtariPitbull, without being able to read the labels on your gemini system, from a quick glance it looks exactly like yours. Without the controllers, box, and power unit of course. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I had a Coleco Gemini back in 1985 that lasted me the entire summer. It died out around the time I ended up finishing off my layaway payments on a standalone Adam computer system. Then again, some friends of mine at St. Vincent's Home in Fall River, MA had 2600s that I played my games on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBillTX Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 Was the quality of the Gemini as good as the vader-era 2600's? I always felt Coleco had shoddy quality of all thier products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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