*NOTE:* Use shielded wires for your audio and video cables. I did that later, but the first part of the mod shown was not using fully shielded wires. And don't put the digital board on carpet! Wear an ESD wrist strap! *ALSO NOTE:* I didn't mention it - but you can see towards the end of the video there, I put a 75ohm resistor between the video output and ground. *MsMadLemon AV Mod* - ruclips.net/video/DFUI8suAhA8/видео.html *JaysVintageJunk AV Mod* - ruclips.net/video/0PI2YKohHj4/видео.html Composite Amp PCB that can be used with various systems:- oshpark.com/shared_projects/DOX9VkSV On the Paddle there's a contact on the other side of that round PCB too. *NTSC vs PAL vs SECAM palettes* www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-tia-color-charts.html
Thanks for your reply will try it at some point I've been messing with the rf screw and finding it hard to tune it in any help appreciated richardlee2@btinternet.com
at 17:15 you point out the heat problem being its being encased in that aluminum cap... couldn't that whole thing function as a passive cooling by extending the reach of the heatsinks?
Yes, you could argue its one giant heatsink! What you need internally though is a way for the IC's to dissipate that heat direcly to the enclosure really =/
"There is absolutely nothing I would salvage off that, oh maybe the led, and that diode, oh maybe the opto oh and the switching chip oh and the wire..." hilarious.. :)
was going to watch this while going to sleep as a nice sleepy video, instead felt like i was hanging out with someone on meth or 40 cups of coffee..in the end it did put me to sleep
I get that SMPS noise on a vision mixer / timebase corrector I use for video transfer. It works perfectly fine but causes interference down the chain on only one of my VCRs. Had the VCR in pieces for days before I realised what was causing it. Trouble is a 9v 2a linear supply is gonna be pricey
You can use petroleum to break down the glue on those power supplies, just soak the seams, let it work itself inside and dissolve the glue and then pull it apart without breaking the plastic. Also, I used to have some minor interference with Atari Jr. S-Video mod, solved it by putting a ferrite on the signal wires inside the machine. I know it's not really the solution in this case, but since then I always run my mod wires through a ferrite just for good measure.
=D Yes, some great games! A correction btw - that Aztec Challenge, never landed on the 2600! But... a homebrew version was created a few years ago. I've played that recently on the Harmony cart.
Also I forgot to mention - Dave @ Tynemouth Software did a nice article on composite modding a 2600 too:- blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2015/02/atari-2600-composite-video-modification.html I also forgot to show that I did replace the caps on the digital board too!!!
My experience with that alternative RF unit is that it tunes into UHF not low band VHF (notice the channel select switch is missing) Also that controller isn't a paddle (variable resistor/pot), it's a driving controller (rotary encoder) used primarily for one game (Indy 500) Great video :)
For power with mine I just pulled the voltage reg and put in a bit of over voltage protection and fuse, then added a usb wire. I normally just use a usb battery pack which lasts a long time. This machine was an absolute horror of corrosion. Looks like somone dumped something in it decades ago. Also added the dual audio out right from the chip. Early games used it, along with more current releases from the community.
Yes, I hard forgotton about the dual audio - I meant to mention that! The PAL TIA only has 1 channel (merged internally). So dual audio is only available on the NTSC version =/
It even had Space Invaders, which was the first 'KILLER APP' game for a gaming console. Atari even had two 'KILLER APPS', the other was Star Raiders for the Atari 8-bit computer. BTW, 'KILLER APPS' is ''purchased software which sells hardware''. Not even Nintendo managed that (Tetris (GB) and SMB (NES) don't count, they were pack-ins).
Yes, the only way to really be able to enjoy the old 2600 systems is to composite mod them. I have a Vader model with a composite video mod and it is great.
Interesting stuff! I've been waffling on whether or not to dive into the wonderful world of Atari. The console was a bit before my time so I don't have any nostalgia for it! But, it has such a dedicated community and so much historical significance that it's hard not to want one! I guess I don't want to seem like a poseur LOL Same with the C64, ZX Spectrum and Amiga consoles. Obviously, those were more of a UK thing but, the passion and knowledge the community has is very impressive to me.
Yes, I get that! I had no nostalgia for the 2600 either tbh as it was a bit before my time. A friend had one but I only saw it a few times and the games seemed aweful to me as a kid back then. I got this 2600 in a job lot containing 2 Megadrives, a Spectrum +2 and a Saturn. I only wanted the Spectrum +2, but ended up fixing all 5 things and kind of fell in love with the Saturn and 2600 lol.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Interesting story! Maybe I'll just let it happen naturally then LOL. I had someone who wanted to trade me some SNES games for a bunch of 2600 stuff; would've been a good trade financially speaking. I could definitely get into the Saturn, I think. I'm just waiting to find one in the wild
I don't - it's a back log from times I've been on holiday and bank holidays recently here in the UK. It will slow down after the weekend again. I needed to push them out as I've run out of space lol.
No wonder you were having noise issues. I laughed when I saw that power supply. I went through all mine a while ago after watching some of diodegonewild's videos. He takes apart a lot of dangerous supplies like that. Some are lethal and put mains onto the usb shield! Others have less than 1mm isolation between mains and low voltage traces and the windings of the transformer coils are not even insulated between mains and low voltage (apart from the varnish on the copper wire!) At least they bothered with a fuse in yours lol. Many of mine had no fuse or a 1ohm resistor. Others have weedy ceramic caps bridging the high and low voltage sides. I was going to try and make a few safer but instead just tried to learn something by back-engineering and then binning them. They are all the same basic design. Makes you wonder how many are floating around... Keep it up.
There are plenty of places that sell the same type of composite adapter board there (eg. thefuturewas8bit sell one). In my case I bought the bare PCB from OSH Park (its one of the shared PCB designs). And just fitted the 2K2, 3K3 resistors and a 2N3904 transistor (I think).
Another excellent video and thanks for the shoutout ;-) regarding that Chinese PSU the CE mark isn’t a CE mark it stand for china export, if you compare it with a proper CE mark you’ll notice the font is ever so slightly different. and the best place for it is the bin they are awful. China has no concept of health and safety, you should see some of the air planes they still fly over there, last time I took an internal flight we landed so hard all the over head luggage compartments popped open, the stewardess just walked down the isle closing them like it was totally normal. Oh and have a look at the S-video mod i did, (was on a 2600n jnr but would work on any 2600) no mods to the original pcb and a cracking video output. That paddle was interesting I've never seen one like that before all the ones I have use a potentiometer.
Thanks =D And you're welcome!!! Ah, China-export - makes sense! A great way to deceive consumers into thinking it means the european CE approved! I might have a go at an S-Video mod at some point as well =D Apparently that paddle is only used by a couple of games btw. The better one is the Tennis controller which is probably what you've seen before - I need one of those now lol.
The Composite option is a lot smaller & easier as a mod, S-video has about the same circuit mass as the RF modulator. Much like power supplies unless the S-video circuit quality is good you can get noise too. I've been wanting to do RGB but it's quite an expensive road to go down heh. Hey dodgy PSUs are dangerous, curse it. :) Nearly got a Spinner, some knob bought a 2600 at thrift store but left the controllers, they wouldn't price it for me on the day so somebody got it later. :( I'll find one and likely use your tips to clean it up. ;)
Yes, I bet the S-Video mod gives a nicer picture though! Maybe one day I will swap to S-Video =D And yes - curse that PSU lol. BTW - there are two "spinner" type controllers, the Tennis Paddle (which lots of games support), and the "Driving" one I showed which works with very few games (Indy 500 being one I think).
I'm intrigued that NTSC has access to more colours than PAL. I've seen this mention on the Dragon 32 ve Tandy CoCo which are basically the same computer. I also suspect that modern TVs in the UK would accept an NTSC signal simply because they made the chips for a world market. I wonder if we can release those hidden colours?
Yes, most modern TVs will accept and display NTSC - that's fine if you have an NTSC 2600. The problem is theres a different TIA for NTSC vs PAL I think. So you cannot easily just swap between PAL or NTSC on the same system - that's where the palette issue will be visible. It could be done with a modern replacement of TIA (in FPGA for example). Or with a "switchable" TIA adapter perhaps - where you have both in one machine, only one enabled at a time.
@@GadgetUK164 I think the actual cartridges are marked PAL or NTSC. It might not be the hardware but the software. It seem like the CPU has to set up every scan line the moment it starts. It's busy working the display through the whole visible area.
If you want the best picture from a 2600, get hold of a UAV board from Bryan on Atariage, the S-video output from it on my PVM is amazing. Can still be a bit picky with flat panels though, my Tosh, and a mates Panasonic are bit weird. Samsungs are fine. 2600s are a weird beast when it comes to video output. Your issues with the PSU made me have a go at fixing my Atari 130XE today. It's been using the stock notorious epoxied ingot PSU, and playing Russian roulette every time its turned on. I've tried 2 switch mode 5V PSUs, both good quality not like that thing you had, and I got moire interference patterns on screen with both. Today, I realised I had a Uniross transformer based PSU with selectable voltages, but without 5V out. Opened it up, and its perfect, resistors for selecting the voltage using a LM317T regulator. Changed the 6V resistor for a lower value, and its outputting 5.1V same as the original Atari thing. Ripped the ingot apart, its even less servicable than a C64 PSU. Nothing is exposed. Do any old Ataris like switch mode PSUs?
I think they just weren't designed to cope with the noise tbh. On systems where there's a lot of filtering on power input you tend to get away with it. But on the Atari systems there's little in the way of components to clean and filter supply etc.
Those cheap Chinese power supplies especially from eBay are just awful; I had a problem with one I got for my famicom it made the famicom jailbars even worse but if I used the Mega Drive power supply I was using before it looked like any other famicom. Avoid at all cost.
Yes, I've had that too lol - worse jail bars!!! Some of them are better than others. The 9v 1.5 amp PSU's I started to buy for the PCE seem to work exceptionally well where I've used them.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
*NOTE:* Use shielded wires for your audio and video cables. I did that later, but the first part of the mod shown was not using fully shielded wires. And don't put the digital board on carpet! Wear an ESD wrist strap!
*ALSO NOTE:* I didn't mention it - but you can see towards the end of the video there, I put a 75ohm resistor between the video output and ground. *MsMadLemon AV Mod* - ruclips.net/video/DFUI8suAhA8/видео.html
*JaysVintageJunk AV Mod* - ruclips.net/video/0PI2YKohHj4/видео.html
Composite Amp PCB that can be used with various systems:-
oshpark.com/shared_projects/DOX9VkSV
On the Paddle there's a contact on the other side of that round PCB too.
*NTSC vs PAL vs SECAM palettes* www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-tia-color-charts.html
Thanks for your reply will try it at some point
I've been messing with the rf screw and finding it hard to tune it in any help appreciated
richardlee2@btinternet.com
I also need a voltage regulator chip 7805 where do I get the chip and capacitors
at 17:15 you point out the heat problem being its being encased in that aluminum cap... couldn't that whole thing function as a passive cooling by extending the reach of the heatsinks?
Yes, you could argue its one giant heatsink! What you need internally though is a way for the IC's to dissipate that heat direcly to the enclosure really =/
"There is absolutely nothing I would salvage off that, oh maybe the led, and that diode, oh maybe the opto oh and the switching chip oh and the wire..." hilarious.. :)
LOL :o)
Hey a fellow cow! :)
Moooo..
And the DAC. Don't forget the DAC ;-)
LOL - I thought that part was hilarious to ( Nothing whatsoever its going straight in the bin )
was going to watch this while going to sleep as a nice sleepy video, instead felt like i was hanging out with someone on meth or 40 cups of coffee..in the end it did put me to sleep
ultimately a great video..just took me another day
LOL!
Thank you for your video, along with a couple of others I've now modded my 1978 Atari 2600.
Yet again another great video, always look forwards to a new one off you, Thank you.
Thanks =D Much appreciated!
useful video, i have been wanting to AV mod my 2600 for ages, this video has convinced me to go ahead with it,
Cheers! =D
Would this mod emble ntsc roms to display with the correct colours on a pal tv? Or would I still need to buy a ntsc compatible tv?
To get NTSC colours you need an NTSC TIA I think!
I get that SMPS noise on a vision mixer / timebase corrector I use for video transfer. It works perfectly fine but causes interference down the chain on only one of my VCRs. Had the VCR in pieces for days before I realised what was causing it. Trouble is a 9v 2a linear supply is gonna be pricey
Yes, that's the problem - trying to find decent old power supplies =/
You can use petroleum to break down the glue on those power supplies, just soak the seams, let it work itself inside and dissolve the glue and then pull it apart without breaking the plastic. Also, I used to have some minor interference with Atari Jr. S-Video mod, solved it by putting a ferrite on the signal wires inside the machine. I know it's not really the solution in this case, but since then I always run my mod wires through a ferrite just for good measure.
Thanks for the tips =D Yes, ferrites can be good for things like that - I sometimes use them too!
I'm quite partial to a 2600. Another one I shouldn't have sold.
The more games you play, the more you realise how good some of them are.
=D Yes, some great games! A correction btw - that Aztec Challenge, never landed on the 2600! But... a homebrew version was created a few years ago. I've played that recently on the Harmony cart.
I was gonna do this to my 6 switcher, then realised I would spend more time doing it than I would ever spend playing it!
Also I forgot to mention - Dave @ Tynemouth Software did a nice article on composite modding a 2600 too:- blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2015/02/atari-2600-composite-video-modification.html
I also forgot to show that I did replace the caps on the digital board too!!!
Just started watching your Vida mate love them keep up the great work
Thanks! =D Don't expect this many per week on a regular basis lol! I normally push out one or two a week, and then sometimes none for a week or two.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I know what it's like I run a modding channel myself hard to make them to a steady schedual
My experience with that alternative RF unit is that it tunes into UHF not low band VHF (notice the channel select switch is missing) Also that controller isn't a paddle (variable resistor/pot), it's a driving controller (rotary encoder) used primarily for one game (Indy 500) Great video :)
Thanks for the info =D I need to get a Tennis controller now then lol
For power with mine I just pulled the voltage reg and put in a bit of over voltage protection and fuse, then added a usb wire. I normally just use a usb battery pack which lasts a long time. This machine was an absolute horror of corrosion. Looks like somone dumped something in it decades ago. Also added the dual audio out right from the chip. Early games used it, along with more current releases from the community.
Yes, I hard forgotton about the dual audio - I meant to mention that! The PAL TIA only has 1 channel (merged internally). So dual audio is only available on the NTSC version =/
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Ah yes, I forgot this would be a PAL console.
Thank you for this, this made me realize why my av mod was doing the same thing. Stupid low quality ac adapters.
128 bytes of RAM and a crazy television interface adapter chip to program ... I'm amazed there were *any* good games (besides Pong) for the 2600.
It even had Space Invaders, which was the first 'KILLER APP' game for a gaming console. Atari even had two 'KILLER APPS', the other was Star Raiders for the Atari 8-bit computer. BTW, 'KILLER APPS' is ''purchased software which sells hardware''. Not even Nintendo managed that (Tetris (GB) and SMB (NES) don't count, they were pack-ins).
I know lol - it's amazing ANY games would run on that lol.
Yes, the only way to really be able to enjoy the old 2600 systems is to composite mod them. I have a Vader model with a composite video mod and it is great.
Interesting stuff! I've been waffling on whether or not to dive into the wonderful world of Atari. The console was a bit before my time so I don't have any nostalgia for it! But, it has such a dedicated community and so much historical significance that it's hard not to want one! I guess I don't want to seem like a poseur LOL Same with the C64, ZX Spectrum and Amiga consoles. Obviously, those were more of a UK thing but, the passion and knowledge the community has is very impressive to me.
Yes, I get that! I had no nostalgia for the 2600 either tbh as it was a bit before my time. A friend had one but I only saw it a few times and the games seemed aweful to me as a kid back then. I got this 2600 in a job lot containing 2 Megadrives, a Spectrum +2 and a Saturn. I only wanted the Spectrum +2, but ended up fixing all 5 things and kind of fell in love with the Saturn and 2600 lol.
GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods Interesting story! Maybe I'll just let it happen naturally then LOL. I had someone who wanted to trade me some SNES games for a bunch of 2600 stuff; would've been a good trade financially speaking. I could definitely get into the Saturn, I think. I'm just waiting to find one in the wild
great vid as always
=D
Another good one, but how do you have time to make so many vids lately?
I don't - it's a back log from times I've been on holiday and bank holidays recently here in the UK. It will slow down after the weekend again. I needed to push them out as I've run out of space lol.
No wonder you were having noise issues. I laughed when I saw that power supply. I went through all mine a while ago after watching some of diodegonewild's videos. He takes apart a lot of dangerous supplies like that. Some are lethal and put mains onto the usb shield! Others have less than 1mm isolation between mains and low voltage traces and the windings of the transformer coils are not even insulated between mains and low voltage (apart from the varnish on the copper wire!) At least they bothered with a fuse in yours lol. Many of mine had no fuse or a 1ohm resistor. Others have weedy ceramic caps bridging the high and low voltage sides. I was going to try and make a few safer but instead just tried to learn something by back-engineering and then binning them. They are all the same basic design. Makes you wonder how many are floating around... Keep it up.
Hehe, yes - those PSU's are AWEFUL lol!!!! I will check out diodegonewilds channel =D
hi whats the cart adaptor mod thingy...and were can I get one :)
Ta
N
There are plenty of places that sell the same type of composite adapter board there (eg. thefuturewas8bit sell one). In my case I bought the bare PCB from OSH Park (its one of the shared PCB designs). And just fitted the 2K2, 3K3 resistors and a 2N3904 transistor (I think).
@@GadgetUK164 Ta for that :)
Another excellent video and thanks for the shoutout ;-) regarding that Chinese PSU the CE mark isn’t a CE mark it stand for china export, if you compare it with a proper CE mark you’ll notice the font is ever so slightly different. and the best place for it is the bin they are awful. China has no concept of health and safety, you should see some of the air planes they still fly over there, last time I took an internal flight we landed so hard all the over head luggage compartments popped open, the stewardess just walked down the isle closing them like it was totally normal. Oh and have a look at the S-video mod i did, (was on a 2600n jnr but would work on any 2600) no mods to the original pcb and a cracking video output. That paddle was interesting I've never seen one like that before all the ones I have use a potentiometer.
Thanks =D And you're welcome!!! Ah, China-export - makes sense! A great way to deceive consumers into thinking it means the european CE approved! I might have a go at an S-Video mod at some point as well =D Apparently that paddle is only used by a couple of games btw. The better one is the Tennis controller which is probably what you've seen before - I need one of those now lol.
Great vid Chris 😁 ive never had an Atari so it was interesting to see inside this one 😁 another one working 🙋🙋🙋Kim......
=D
thank you for the video, merci beaucoup
Another thumbs up bro
Cheers mate =D
The Composite option is a lot smaller & easier as a mod, S-video has about the same circuit mass as the RF modulator. Much like power supplies unless the S-video circuit quality is good you can get noise too. I've been wanting to do RGB but it's quite an expensive road to go down heh. Hey dodgy PSUs are dangerous, curse it. :)
Nearly got a Spinner, some knob bought a 2600 at thrift store but left the controllers, they wouldn't price it for me on the day so somebody got it later. :( I'll find one and likely use your tips to clean it up. ;)
Yes, I bet the S-Video mod gives a nicer picture though! Maybe one day I will swap to S-Video =D And yes - curse that PSU lol. BTW - there are two "spinner" type controllers, the Tennis Paddle (which lots of games support), and the "Driving" one I showed which works with very few games (Indy 500 being one I think).
I'm intrigued that NTSC has access to more colours than PAL. I've seen this mention on the Dragon 32 ve Tandy CoCo which are basically the same computer. I also suspect that modern TVs in the UK would accept an NTSC signal simply because they made the chips for a world market. I wonder if we can release those hidden colours?
Yes, most modern TVs will accept and display NTSC - that's fine if you have an NTSC 2600. The problem is theres a different TIA for NTSC vs PAL I think. So you cannot easily just swap between PAL or NTSC on the same system - that's where the palette issue will be visible. It could be done with a modern replacement of TIA (in FPGA for example). Or with a "switchable" TIA adapter perhaps - where you have both in one machine, only one enabled at a time.
@@GadgetUK164 I think the actual cartridges are marked PAL or NTSC. It might not be the hardware but the software. It seem like the CPU has to set up every scan line the moment it starts. It's busy working the display through the whole visible area.
@@wayland7150 The TIA chip is region specific though!
Another great video Chris.
Cheers fella =D
If you want the best picture from a 2600, get hold of a UAV board from Bryan on Atariage, the S-video output from it on my PVM is amazing. Can still be a bit picky with flat panels though, my Tosh, and a mates Panasonic are bit weird. Samsungs are fine. 2600s are a weird beast when it comes to video output.
Your issues with the PSU made me have a go at fixing my Atari 130XE today. It's been using the stock notorious epoxied ingot PSU, and playing Russian roulette every time its turned on. I've tried 2 switch mode 5V PSUs, both good quality not like that thing you had, and I got moire interference patterns on screen with both. Today, I realised I had a Uniross transformer based PSU with selectable voltages, but without 5V out. Opened it up, and its perfect, resistors for selecting the voltage using a LM317T regulator. Changed the 6V resistor for a lower value, and its outputting 5.1V same as the original Atari thing. Ripped the ingot apart, its even less servicable than a C64 PSU. Nothing is exposed. Do any old Ataris like switch mode PSUs?
Yes, I've no doubt there are better solutions! The longhorn mod is supposed to be quite good too!
I think they just weren't designed to cope with the noise tbh. On systems where there's a lot of filtering on power input you tend to get away with it. But on the Atari systems there's little in the way of components to clean and filter supply etc.
Those cheap Chinese power supplies especially from eBay are just awful; I had a problem with one I got for my famicom it made the famicom jailbars even worse but if I used the Mega Drive power supply I was using before it looked like any other famicom. Avoid at all cost.
Yes, I've had that too lol - worse jail bars!!! Some of them are better than others. The 9v 1.5 amp PSU's I started to buy for the PCE seem to work exceptionally well where I've used them.
Awesome video as always and the Chinese power supplies in the video is a peace of 💩
Thanks mate =D And lol - yes, that is what the cheap PSU was! =D
I.love Atari 2600
Ian Pakistani
Sir you video is very good video is
Thanks =D