my dad got tired of fixing ours (i used it a lot lol) and taught me to do this when i was five. it lit a tech fire in me and i was never afraid of electronics. i took everything i saw apart to study. he's dead now, and this video really took me back to some happy memories. thank you for sharing this. the 5200 is incredibly underrated by anybody who didn't absolutely master that quirky controller. i'm on a waiting list at our local retro store for one, and am really looking forward to it. first game i ever conquered was space invaders on this system.
There's actually an Atari store out in California that I've ordered replacement Atari parts from called "Best Electronics." Their website is a bit hard to navigate and looks like it was designed during the internet stone age, but they've got tons of good stuff that I haven't seen anywhere else, including gold-plated contact sheets for Atari 5200 controllers that are supposed to resist corrosion / oxidization. I got some parts to refurbish some 2600 controllers with, including gold-plated PCBs, and they were top notch quality. I recommend checking them out.
Its a shame that the 7800 also couldn't play those games as well. Then it would be all 3 great Atari consoles in one. I have both a 7800 and 5200. I have alot of fun with both and they're great consoles. I play those, and the N64 and PS2 the most. And my PC.
I'll never need these cleaning videos to help me clean consoles because I don't own any retro console, but I still love watching these videos and find them highly entertaining. Keep 'em coming! :D
Atari had a great idea back in the 1980s to have an analogue control stick. The 2600 had two different controllers but I never saw that as a problem. But the 5200 controllers had issues with centering back to default position. Thanks to your efforts I can see where the fault lies and how the 5200 controller mechanism had issues.
I love how you uploaded this video as I was in an Atari 5200 auction on ebay lol. Now if the controllers turn out to be defective I have a way of fixing them! Thanks! =D
New Jack Swing I've been trying for at least the last year. Problem is obstacles get in my way of accomplishing my goals so I keep having to push forward my goals.
+Michael Wolfe I'm not an expert on all the problems that a 5200 joystick can develop, but I would think that the most likely cause of problems with the analog stick would be the contacts in the potentiometers getting dirty, or oxidized. Before they started using optical sensors, analog joysticks physically turned a potentiometer for each axis (left/right, up/down). It was basically a set of paddles connected to a stick. And just like Atari paddles can get dirty and act flaky, the same would probably apply to the pots in the 5200 controller. The same fix should also apply; Removing them and either giving them a good shot of contact cleaner spray, or actually opening them up and manually cleaning the contacts should do the trick.
The analog stick uses a pair of 500K potentiometers. They are of the sealed variety and excellent quality. It is extremely unlikely you will ever have to fix or maintain the pots. However, I have repaired a ton of these controllers and every single time the stick failed it was because some one had previously opened the controller and failed to close it properly. You have to put both pots in the 6 o'clock position and make sure the stick is dead-center when closing the controller. If not, the pots will not align.
Them little black pads underneath each button should of been cleaned & then use light sand paper or magic eraser to give them a matt effect, if there glossy they won't work as well.
Great video Adam and very useful. I propose fans of the koralik drink something everytime the windex comes out :) btw, fixed sooooo much stuff just through your tried and tested method of windex and cotton buds it's much appreciated and the polish idea has left all my consoles lovely and shiny. Side note to it all, I assume you preordered pier solar 300 years ago. Hopefully when it is finally sent you'll do a video mate. :)
I've seen video's where they use a restoration kit and add a new circuit board. They get them from Best Electronics. People say the controller works great with new parts.
For what it's worth, back in the 80s, I once saw an ad in a video game magazine that claimed to offer instructions for how to perform a simple mod to a 5200 joystick to make it self-centering. At the time I didn't have a 5200, so I never sent away for it. I always wondered if it actually worked and if so, how it was done.
Hey Adam, love this Gamerade series, keep up the good work, one dirty console clean up at a time! One question though, are you planning on doing videos on cleaning portable/handheld consoles (GB,GBC,GBA,PSP,DS,VITA,3DS) ? Thanks in advance!
It's actually slightly easier to reassemble 5200 controllers if you turn the top upside down, put the keypad in place and slide it together inverted. Love the video as always. :-)
I usually stick/glue aluminum foil on each button, helps the conductivity. Best Electronics has sold upgrades to the circuit and buttons using gold, which has gotten pretty expensive now. That works the best.
does the same design flaw haunt the 2600 controller? i have one that is just a nightmare to use. end up using a master system controller. but i really want to fix the 2600 controller.
I haven't tried it on controllers, but can you use no-ox-id? It's a electrical contact lubricant that prevents oxidation / rust and other corrosion that occurs over time.
AdamKoralik There's also De-ox-id contact cleaner that cleans and protect electrical contacts, it's a conductive lubricant. I just know about it because I've used it on computer parts when I used to be big into PC gaming.
Many systems use the same or similar flimsy plastic circuit board things like that. My psp ps3 controller etc many electronic devices. I wonder if this will be an issue 10-20 yrs down the line for all of us*. Or have they improved and been made with better materials? Regardless, this sucks if our electronics are screwed later on.
It's the same shape, but the wiring is configured differently. Long and the short of it is, I've tried what you suggested before, and it doesn't work. :(
What a shame, would be nice to replace the 5200 one with something better. almost anything is better :P wish they would have just made it like the 2600
+Animated Freak There was an adapter that would let you use a 2600 joystick on the 5200. Of course it wasn't suitable for any game that required proportional movement and you still needed the 5200 controller for the keypad. If you do a bit of Googling, you can find instructions for how to build an adapter to connect an old analog joystick with a gameport connector to the 5200. You'll need to make a "Y" cable and plug in a real 5200 controller for the keypad though. However, the 5200 controller isn't really that complicated. I don't believe that there are any actual electronics in it, so it would probably be relatively easy to mount a bunch of pushbutton switches in a box and wire them to an appropriate cable. Add a port to plug in a standard analog joystick and you have a complete, albeit clunky, replacement fort he 5200 controller. :)
Its possible to just replace the flex circuit all together. I think its called a revision 9 and uses gold contacts. No more oxidation. You can get them from ebay or Best Electronics.
You can put some graphite on the bits at the bottom of the rubber button pieces. Use some thick pencils, make a bit of dust from like an HB pencil or something and rub some on the little piece that touches the board. Then wipe them off and voilá, the contacts works better.
Remove the top 3 button plastic holder by taking a flathead screwdriver and inserting it under the pause button at the bottom center. It comes right off.
Another thing that can happen is the conductive coating on the buttons where they contact the pads can wear away after years of use which is the same thing that happens to most regular remote controls. The cure is to buy a window defroster repair kit and apply the conductive stuff from that kit to the buttons. If one was careful enough I suppose that coating could also be applied to the pads on the board.
A much easier solution, is adhesive foil tape on the carbon button pads. I rehabed my 5200 controllers that way and they've been working consistently for over 2 years.
Hey Adam, I've got a question for you. Do you think if some company came out with a brand new 16 bit game console with nice launch games, made their own games and even had reliable 3rd parties making nice games, do you think it would be a success? Of course it would be a niche market, but the retro thing is kinda in right now. And I think a lot of people would embrace a new no-bullshit, none internet dependent ~game~ console, not an entertainment machine. I mean, I'd love one. Personally, I believe the only thing keeping people from going back to an 8bit or 16bit system is that they are all long and done. No more games (officially) and no more support. I've wondered about this for a while, what do you think?
if it was me i'd acquire a second one and replace all the flexi board with perf board and micro switches. no more oxidization and no more maintenance headaches. nice video.
River Raid was my favorite game on the 2600. I got the 2600 when I was 4 for Christmas 1981. Had to share it with my sister. Just my observation though u don't show much game footage, but I got the impression I like the 2600 version alot more than this. The graphics on the 2600 version look alot better to me than this version. Anyone else know what I mean?
Wonder if this fix could also work for my original DualShock 2 controller that came with my PS2. I have other working controllers, but a while ago the black one that came with my PS2 (I got it brand new ages ago), various buttons stopped working, now nearly all of them don't. I did open it up a while back, and found this though. Probably the cause of it. i.imgur.com/b4hUupL.jpg
There were definitely good and bad design decisions in the 5200. I liked my 5200. The keypad was great for Star Raiders. The top opened up, so you could store two controllers face down inside the console. I think they must have had high ambitions for this system that just didn't materialize. Even in the mid-eighties, the controllers were hard to find and expensive to replace.
The membrane they use is similar to most cheap construction keyboards that we use daily. I am not huge on the Atari 5200 scene but it should not take much to make/revamp one of those controllers replacing the membrane buttons with microswitches. I would assume someone has done this by now on a newer reproduction controller.
Hopefully a company makes a good alternative to the Atari 5200 controller. I think the controller itself looks cool, but the problem is that it breaks easily.
Oh and one more thing. I'm still on the fence with windex and isopropyl alcohol 70%. Windex has the advantage in terms of cost whereas alcohol costs a little more.
www.best-electronics-ca.com They're out of California (in Milwaukee myself) but have the most atari stuff I've ever seen online. I've bought numerous controllers and they're perfect
I actually think you don't need to use the pad to test them. When I cleaned my Playstation controllers I remember working it fine just pushing it with the thumb. Because the little pad has no actual connectors on it. It actually connects via pressure so the both contacts get closer. Again that was the case on the Playstation may they used a different way but I highly doubt it.^^
+FlamRoyalBaer The 5200 controllers are different. The rubber buttons have conductive material on them that bridges the contacts on the flex circuit. You can also use any small metal object to do the same thing.
+AdamKoralik I'll probably just e-mail you about this,but if you want to respond here,go for it.Do you know much about fixing power probs on Atari Jr's at all?
AdamKoralik Ya, but it was just an aftermarket one from BRE. Didn't power up then either. I've heard that something in the boards goes bad once in a while though. I've pulled it apart before and you can't see any visible damage, but that doesn't mean anything. It's a model #A1 though so I'd sure like to get it working again.
I guess my question is, do you know what the problem that the mobos' get is, and either how is it fixed, or do you know of a site that would have the info on how to fix it? Thanks
Blank Stairs Best thing to do would be to first test the old and new power supplies with a multimeter make sure they are actually putting out voltage. Then check the port where the power comes in at make sure you have the same voltage on the power port and that it is not loose on the board (common issue with some consoles and laptops). If it still does not work check the power switch make sure its still soldered correctly and that it still functions (you can check that with a multimeter as well). Sadly if it still does not work after all of that check the caps are any of them leaking electrolyte replace them if they are and look for any fuses of any kind and test them to see if they blew.
jason29821 That's a good idea with the multi-meter. I'll get right on checking that stuff. Obviously I check the console input end of the plug with the PSUs plugged in, but when I check the voltage on the input point of the mobo, what kind of voltage should I be expecting with no power running to it? Thanks again. Good idea.
Excellent tutorial Yes it's definitely a pain in the ass trying to put it back together. I have at least 3 or 4 of these controllers I did the pencil method and it didn't work so I'm going to try your solution My issue was in the firing buttons not making contact and the start pause reset buttons These are the worst controllers ever made for any game system. Atari did it better with the 7800 but Colecovision Nintendo/Sega Finally got it right by taking it to the next level which the 5200 should of had done in the first place Talk about frustrating?
Now all we need to do is get Windex to give you a sponsorship for promoting their product I`ll bet their sales are up because of your cleaning videos I know it`s my go to for general purpose cleaning
Use 99% or 100% rubbing alcohol instead. Not windex. 91% will suffice as well. I know it’s become some type of religious debate. But if you take any of the carriage cleaning kits and smell the cleaning solution it’s literally rubbing alcohol. So use that. I’m just spamming at this point.
AdamKoralik I have the original atari the six switch one its only display a few to no colors(I have it set to color) when I hook it's hook it up to my tv I'm using coax not the switch box
Why does everyone use compressed air while I am still blowing the shit out of it because I am to cheap to pay money for compressed air? Well if it would be as hard as a compressor than maybe, I mean a real industrial one is awesome. I know many people are concerned about spit, well it is true if you blow it is a bit wet. But is that really that bad? Who knows.^^ Well I have to give it compressed air can be used much more precise. Also I end to clean everything with qtipps which I can reach. I wish there where better ends for the vacoomizer because that would also be an awesome way expecially if you have dyson you work with bower but those little areas are not very doable I mean you can clean your PC out no problem but those old machines are much more compact.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
my dad got tired of fixing ours (i used it a lot lol) and taught me to do this when i was five. it lit a tech fire in me and i was never afraid of electronics. i took everything i saw apart to study. he's dead now, and this video really took me back to some happy memories. thank you for sharing this. the 5200 is incredibly underrated by anybody who didn't absolutely master that quirky controller. i'm on a waiting list at our local retro store for one, and am really looking forward to it. first game i ever conquered was space invaders on this system.
+doodoostickstain Happy to take you down memory lane.
There's actually an Atari store out in California that I've ordered replacement Atari parts from called "Best Electronics." Their website is a bit hard to navigate and looks like it was designed during the internet stone age, but they've got tons of good stuff that I haven't seen anywhere else, including gold-plated contact sheets for Atari 5200 controllers that are supposed to resist corrosion / oxidization. I got some parts to refurbish some 2600 controllers with, including gold-plated PCBs, and they were top notch quality. I recommend checking them out.
I received a 5200 for Christmas way back in '82. A truly wonderful system and my second favourite after the Sega Genesis.
Its a shame that the 7800 also couldn't play those games as well. Then it would be all 3 great Atari consoles in one. I have both a 7800 and 5200. I have alot of fun with both and they're great consoles. I play those, and the N64 and PS2 the most. And my PC.
I'll never need these cleaning videos to help me clean consoles because I don't own any retro console, but I still love watching these videos and find them highly entertaining. Keep 'em coming! :D
I love how I watch these vids all the time but I'll probably never own any of these.
I still appreciate you watching.
AdamKoralik Still waiting for a colecovision power switch repair video xD
Atari had a great idea back in the 1980s to have an analogue control stick. The 2600 had two different controllers but I never saw that as a problem.
But the 5200 controllers had issues with centering back to default position.
Thanks to your efforts I can see where the fault lies and how the 5200 controller mechanism had issues.
I love how you uploaded this video as I was in an Atari 5200 auction on ebay lol. Now if the controllers turn out to be defective I have a way of fixing them! Thanks! =D
Good luck!
I want to fix my life, should I drink Windex? It seems to work fine with everything else.
Give it a shot.
Try shwindex
New Jack Swing
Yup, I'm not being serious. Though I do need to fix my life.
New Jack Swing
I've been trying for at least the last year. Problem is obstacles get in my way of accomplishing my goals so I keep having to push forward my goals.
CounterNerd gorillaz 2-D
This was very informative, but what do you do if the side buttons or the analog stick stop working?
The side buttons should be cleaned, like I showed. As for the analog stick...yeah...that's a whole different animal. I have no idea how to fix that.
+Michael Wolfe I'm not an expert on all the problems that a 5200 joystick can develop, but I would think that the most likely cause of problems with the analog stick would be the contacts in the potentiometers getting dirty, or oxidized.
Before they started using optical sensors, analog joysticks physically turned a potentiometer for each axis (left/right, up/down). It was basically a set of paddles connected to a stick. And just like Atari paddles can get dirty and act flaky, the same would probably apply to the pots in the 5200 controller. The same fix should also apply; Removing them and either giving them a good shot of contact cleaner spray, or actually opening them up and manually cleaning the contacts should do the trick.
The analog stick uses a pair of 500K potentiometers. They are of the sealed variety and excellent quality. It is extremely unlikely you will ever have to fix or maintain the pots. However, I have repaired a ton of these controllers and every single time the stick failed it was because some one had previously opened the controller and failed to close it properly. You have to put both pots in the 6 o'clock position and make sure the stick is dead-center when closing the controller. If not, the pots will not align.
Think a little dielectric grease will keep it from oxydizing?
First time that I've seen the inside of a 5200 controller. Thanks for the video :)
Glad I could pop your cherry there. :P
wow! History has been made! GOOOO Adam!
Thanks.
Adam, your video helped me a lot to fix my controller! Other thing you can do to delay the oxidation is to clean the keypad with the windex.
Good. Yeah, that's probably true.
Them little black pads underneath each button should of been cleaned & then use light sand paper or magic eraser to give them a matt effect, if there glossy they won't work as well.
Glad to see It working adam!
Thanks again Noah!
Great video Adam and very useful. I propose fans of the koralik drink something everytime the windex comes out :) btw, fixed sooooo much stuff just through your tried and tested method of windex and cotton buds it's much appreciated and the polish idea has left all my consoles lovely and shiny. Side note to it all, I assume you preordered pier solar 300 years ago. Hopefully when it is finally sent you'll do a video mate. :)
Man, people would be in drunken comas.
Glad I could help.
Yep, I did. I await for its glory like all. :D
Is it weird for me to actually want a 5200?
I've seen video's where they use a restoration kit and add a new circuit board. They get them from Best Electronics. People say the controller works great with new parts.
I think B.E. uses gold in the circuit board, which makes it last longer.
For what it's worth, back in the 80s, I once saw an ad in a video game magazine that claimed to offer instructions for how to perform a simple mod to a 5200 joystick to make it self-centering. At the time I didn't have a 5200, so I never sent away for it. I always wondered if it actually worked and if so, how it was done.
Oh dude, you've made it so difficult. I could field strip this thing in seconds when I was 12.
Mark Hayden The goal is to make a video anyone can follow sir.
I got ya. Cheers. Love your channel.
Mark Hayden
Hey Adam, love this Gamerade series, keep up the good work, one dirty console clean up at a time! One question though, are you planning on doing videos on cleaning portable/handheld consoles (GB,GBC,GBA,PSP,DS,VITA,3DS) ? Thanks in advance!
It's actually slightly easier to reassemble 5200 controllers if you turn the top upside down, put the keypad in place and slide it together inverted. Love the video as always. :-)
Hm, good idea.
Great video Adam!
I just can't believe how many of these consoles and controllers have been thrown because of this problem...
Thanks. I agree.
Great Cleaning Vid Adam!
Thanks Scott.
I usually stick/glue aluminum foil on each button, helps the conductivity. Best Electronics has sold upgrades to the circuit and buttons using gold, which has gotten pretty expensive now. That works the best.
you can buy an after market controller or maybe theres a solution on retro stores like a board to replace the faulty one.
Could you not put some sort of coating on the contacts to stop the oxidising
Possibly, though I personally am not aware of anything that would fix that permanently. I'm open to suggestions though.
does the same design flaw haunt the 2600 controller? i have one that is just a nightmare to use. end up using a master system controller. but i really want to fix the 2600 controller.
Benjo-Kazooie Nah, 2600 controllers are pretty reliable. You can always use a Sega Genesis controller on the 2600 if you prefer.
i thought it was the analog stick that broke and not the buttons. are they apart of the same wire or am i completely wrong?
The analog stick breaks all the time, but from different reasons. Like I said, there's a lot of different ways this piece of crap can break. :P
Is there a way to replace the board with a board that won't oxidize?
SondoSoft yes theres a web sitr that sells gold plated boards its called best electronics ca
great video once again
Thanks.
Could you do a video on cleaning a Sega cd
I don't have a dirty one currently.
I haven't tried it on controllers, but can you use no-ox-id? It's a electrical contact lubricant that prevents oxidation / rust and other corrosion that occurs over time.
Possibly, I don't know. I never heard of that.
AdamKoralik There's also De-ox-id contact cleaner that cleans and protect electrical contacts, it's a conductive lubricant. I just know about it because I've used it on computer parts when I used to be big into PC gaming.
Can you use the Atari Jaguar controller with the 5200?
Nope.
Hey Adam I've tried cleaning it but the keypad STILL won't work, ant suggestions?
Nah, Atari 5200 controllers are evil.
Many systems use the same or similar flimsy plastic circuit board things like that. My psp ps3 controller etc many electronic devices.
I wonder if this will be an issue 10-20 yrs down the line for all of us*. Or have they improved and been made with better materials? Regardless, this sucks if our electronics are screwed later on.
Hey Adam, could you show how to get the best image quality out of game systems that are pre-NES?
Depends on the console. But for the most part, you're stuck with RF.
Hey the controller seam to have the same port as the Neo Geo systems? Have you tried it with those controllers to see if they work?
It's the same shape, but the wiring is configured differently. Long and the short of it is, I've tried what you suggested before, and it doesn't work. :(
What a shame, would be nice to replace the 5200 one with something better. almost anything is better :P wish they would have just made it like the 2600
Purple Leo I like the fact that Sega Genesis controllers actually works on the 2600.
+Animated Freak There was an adapter that would let you use a 2600 joystick on the 5200. Of course it wasn't suitable for any game that required proportional movement and you still needed the 5200 controller for the keypad.
If you do a bit of Googling, you can find instructions for how to build an adapter to connect an old analog joystick with a gameport connector to the 5200. You'll need to make a "Y" cable and plug in a real 5200 controller for the keypad though. However, the 5200 controller isn't really that complicated. I don't believe that there are any actual electronics in it, so it would probably be relatively easy to mount a bunch of pushbutton switches in a box and wire them to an appropriate cable. Add a port to plug in a standard analog joystick and you have a complete, albeit clunky, replacement fort he 5200 controller. :)
does this work with the one with no box?
Should.
Great video!
Thanks James.
i know that feeling of opening the 5200 controller. Freakin' nightmare.
Reminds me of when i have to put the data cable back into the dreamcast gdrom. ugh fun times
A controller so fragile that all you have to do is look at it and it breaks
Yes!A new A.K. video.
Erasers work great, too, especially the white artist erasers. You won't have to work with chemicals or anything like that.
Its possible to just replace the flex circuit all together. I think its called a revision 9 and uses gold contacts. No more oxidation.
You can get them from ebay or Best Electronics.
Link?
You can put some graphite on the bits at the bottom of the rubber button pieces. Use some thick pencils, make a bit of dust from like an HB pencil or something and rub some on the little piece that touches the board. Then wipe them off and voilá, the contacts works better.
This is gonna help a bunch of people.
Hopefully.
I been trying to put mine back together for 2 hours now. I can't get it back together ugh.
Remove the top 3 button plastic holder by taking a flathead screwdriver and inserting it under the pause button at the bottom center. It comes right off.
Another thing that can happen is the conductive coating on the buttons where they contact the pads can wear away after years of use which is the same thing that happens to most regular remote controls.
The cure is to buy a window defroster repair kit and apply the conductive stuff from that kit to the buttons.
If one was careful enough I suppose that coating could also be applied to the pads on the board.
A much easier solution, is adhesive foil tape on the carbon button pads. I rehabed my 5200 controllers that way and they've been working consistently for over 2 years.
+Jeffrey Jackson Cool did not know that.
the flex circuit was a very innovative back then but obviously not perfect
Yep.
Hey Adam, I've got a question for you. Do you think if some company came out with a brand new 16 bit game console with nice launch games, made their own games and even had reliable 3rd parties making nice games, do you think it would be a success? Of course it would be a niche market, but the retro thing is kinda in right now. And I think a lot of people would embrace a new no-bullshit, none internet dependent ~game~ console, not an entertainment machine. I mean, I'd love one. Personally, I believe the only thing keeping people from going back to an 8bit or 16bit system is that they are all long and done. No more games (officially) and no more support. I've wondered about this for a while, what do you think?
i know he'd buy one xD
Do you own an atari 5200 adam?
Yes I do, got one recently.
AdamKoralik oh sorry! I forgot that you got one. I saw your atari 5200 and remembered that I've seen it before
Christoffer Karlsson
All good bro.
Its a shame that very few controllers were available for this conso
Lee.
I agree.
if it was me i'd acquire a second one and replace all the flexi board with perf board and micro switches. no more oxidization and no more maintenance headaches. nice video.
That sounds like a little too much work for the 5200
Thanks!
mortalkombatrulz
idk, i'd do it for the fun of it even if it's over kill. but when i start collecting i want to be able to play what i'm collecting.
River Raid was my favorite game on the 2600. I got the 2600 when I was 4 for Christmas 1981. Had to share it with my sister. Just my observation though u don't show much game footage, but I got the impression I like the 2600 version alot more than this. The graphics on the 2600 version look alot better to me than this version. Anyone else know what I mean?
Someone needs to make a controller test cart
Wonder if this fix could also work for my original DualShock 2 controller that came with my PS2. I have other working controllers, but a while ago the black one that came with my PS2 (I got it brand new ages ago), various buttons stopped working, now nearly all of them don't. I did open it up a while back, and found this though. Probably the cause of it. i.imgur.com/b4hUupL.jpg
There were definitely good and bad design decisions in the 5200. I liked my 5200. The keypad was great for Star Raiders. The top opened up, so you could store two controllers face down inside the console. I think they must have had high ambitions for this system that just didn't materialize. Even in the mid-eighties, the controllers were hard to find and expensive to replace.
The membrane they use is similar to most cheap construction keyboards that we use daily. I am not huge on the Atari 5200 scene but it should not take much to make/revamp one of those controllers replacing the membrane buttons with microswitches. I would assume someone has done this by now on a newer reproduction controller.
I've heard that it was done, but isn't particularly common.
Hopefully a company makes a good alternative to the Atari 5200 controller. I think the controller itself looks cool, but the problem is that it breaks easily.
Oh and one more thing. I'm still on the fence with windex and isopropyl alcohol 70%.
Windex has the advantage in terms of cost whereas alcohol costs a little more.
Best Electronics sells rebuilt 5200 controllers w/gold contacts. You cannot believe the difference when playing the 5200
Do they do this online? Sorry, not familiar with that store.
www.best-electronics-ca.com
They're out of California (in Milwaukee myself) but have the most atari stuff I've ever seen online. I've bought numerous controllers and they're perfect
Wow, I wish this video had been around back in the 80's when I gave away my 5200 due to the shitty controllers.
I actually think you don't need to use the pad to test them. When I cleaned my Playstation controllers I remember working it fine just pushing it with the thumb. Because the little pad has no actual connectors on it. It actually connects via pressure so the both contacts get closer. Again that was the case on the Playstation may they used a different way but I highly doubt it.^^
+FlamRoyalBaer The 5200 controllers are different. The rubber buttons have conductive material on them that bridges the contacts on the flex circuit. You can also use any small metal object to do the same thing.
+AdamKoralik
I'll probably just e-mail you about this,but if you want to respond here,go for it.Do you know much about fixing power probs on Atari Jr's at all?
Have you tries just getting a new PSU?
AdamKoralik Ya, but it was just an aftermarket one from BRE. Didn't power up then either. I've heard that something in the boards goes bad once in a while though. I've pulled it apart before and you can't see any visible damage, but that doesn't mean anything.
It's a model #A1 though so I'd sure like to get it working again.
I guess my question is, do you know what the problem that the mobos' get is, and either how is it fixed, or do you know of a site that would have the info on how to fix it?
Thanks
Blank Stairs Best thing to do would be to first test the old and new power supplies with a multimeter make sure they are actually putting out voltage. Then check the port where the power comes in at make sure you have the same voltage on the power port and that it is not loose on the board (common issue with some consoles and laptops). If it still does not work check the power switch make sure its still soldered correctly and that it still functions (you can check that with a multimeter as well). Sadly if it still does not work after all of that check the caps are any of them leaking electrolyte replace them if they are and look for any fuses of any kind and test them to see if they blew.
jason29821 That's a good idea with the multi-meter. I'll get right on checking that stuff. Obviously I check the console input end of the plug with the PSUs plugged in, but when I check the voltage on the input point of the mobo, what kind of voltage should I be expecting with no power running to it?
Thanks again. Good idea.
Excellent tutorial Yes it's definitely a pain in the ass trying to put it back together. I have at least 3 or 4 of these controllers I did the pencil method and it didn't work so I'm going to try your solution My issue was in the firing buttons not making contact and the start pause reset buttons These are the worst controllers ever made for any game system. Atari did it better with the 7800 but Colecovision Nintendo/Sega Finally got it right by taking it to the next level which the 5200 should of had done in the first place Talk about frustrating?
Wow, just months before oxidation comes back. Atari really screwed up back in the day.
Agreed.
Look at that dirt!
Or, dirt-lean as it's called in other countries.
oxidization?... pretty sure it's "oxidation". I used to make this kind of mistake with verbs like "ferment".
He corrected himself in the last minute. I'm a dick.
Elias Montejano
All good.
Cool
only ever had a 2600 when i was growing up the 5200 passed me by
Passed most people by.
4th gen review!
Aiming for next month.
Now all we need to do is get Windex to give you a sponsorship for promoting their product
I`ll bet their sales are up because of your cleaning videos
I know it`s my go to for general purpose cleaning
Man, I wish.
To bad there wasn't away to used Jaguar controllers on a 5200.
this wont fix the self centering issues nor the fact the D pad breaks most often
This kind of board seams to be called "flat flex" apparently ^^"
The only way to win the 5200 game is not to play at all... Or buy one of the older Atari Computer systems
Use 99% or 100% rubbing alcohol instead. Not windex. 91% will suffice as well. I know it’s become some type of religious debate. But if you take any of the carriage cleaning kits and smell the cleaning solution it’s literally rubbing alcohol. So use that. I’m just spamming at this point.
Just use a genesis controller
Vampirerockstar Doesn't work on the 5200, only the 2600 and 7800.
AdamKoralik I have the original atari the six switch one its only display a few to no colors(I have it set to color) when I hook it's hook it up to my tv I'm using coax not the switch box
Why does everyone use compressed air while I am still blowing the shit out of it because I am to cheap to pay money for compressed air? Well if it would be as hard as a compressor than maybe, I mean a real industrial one is awesome. I know many people are concerned about spit, well it is true if you blow it is a bit wet. But is that really that bad? Who knows.^^ Well I have to give it compressed air can be used much more precise. Also I end to clean everything with qtipps which I can reach. I wish there where better ends for the vacoomizer because that would also be an awesome way expecially if you have dyson you work with bower but those little areas are not very doable I mean you can clean your PC out no problem but those old machines are much more compact.
It's quite bad actually. Your breath contains moisture that corrodes what you're breathing on to. It's not just spit you have to worry about.
Yeah your breath isn't as strong or direct as compressed air either trust me
Crimson twelve
Well next time I should really try it. How long does a can of compressed air last?
i cleaned 3 or 4 consoles with one can but my mom also used the same can for some shop work so idk
Crimson twelve I am guesing the size is about 500ml? Well damn if it can be used that long I will get one next time. Thanks for the Information.
Just get a Genesis controller.
How would that help? It doesn't work on the 5200. Only works on the 2600 and 7800.
AdamKoralik Trackball?
Emo T. Icon Ever tried one? It's unusable.
AdamKoralik works better than the controller.
Emo T. Icon
Let's be honest, they're both awful.
£ - Pound
Lb - Pound
# - not a pound (its proper name is "hash" or "hatch")
don't worry, its not just you, it seems most of america gets this wrong
:P
# is referred to as a pound symbol in North American English.
Yeah its not an English pound or weight its something different
AdamKoralik i know :), i always thought pound was a strange name for it though
Also it's called an octothorpe.
Go tell that to all of the automated phones systems in North America that says "Press the pound key"
"Easy"
Compared so some of the other options, yeah.
Just checked other methods... I take back my previous comment
I meant console, I hate android typing.
What a cheap ass controller they put out for that system.
Yep.
First I hope :)
Isn't this like polishing a turd?
wow, what a horrible desined controller :D
Tyton games sucks.