Quick explanation without wasted words and time. Straight to it - appreciated. I would like to see another video of other things that prevent it from working properly. Perhaps even repairing/cleaning up the games themselves. Good job though.
Great video! Not only were your explanations detailed enough, but thanks for taking the time to make a 'quality' video a s well. It was easy to see what you were actually doing.
Nice i picked up a 2600 with games, wireless controllers and box, bunch of stuff for 20 bucks cause it didnt work. and that was exactly the problem i had. was showing 15v at regulator so i ordered the parts and we will see what happens next. Thanks for posting
You need to have alooot of knowledge,lots of skills,the right tools and components and a steady hand and eagle eyes along with lot’s of patience to make sure to do it all right.
Good lord it was the voltage regulator easy fix that is awesome and what kind of grease or thermal paste do you use for that kind of voltage regulator component I was wondering what kind for a long time
My 6 switch 2600 was working fine until this week, colors were perhaps a bit washed out. Turned it on last night and static with a weak signal. The unit itself doesnt move, its just powered on and off. never left plugged into mains either. Also got a 2600 Junior with no video output, power light does come on. Is it likely to be the voltage regulator on both? Happy to attempt a repair, will be the first time I try such a thing though.
I dont know if i have a différent version of Frogger or if the capacitors are dead but the colors are different from yours? The frogs are green and the water is purple
Hello friend. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have a question and appreciate your help: the multimeter shows 10.4 on the large filter capacitor and 5.3 on the 5V regulator... Still have no image.. What would be your next step in this case? Thanks for your time :)
Hello Carlos. Is the cart slot cleaned? Are you using a clean, working cartridge as well? I would use an Atari cart rather than an Activision as their PCBs are a bit smaller. I also have had to pull and re-socket chips on some Atari systems. Also - if you have a six switch that has the two separate boards (one for the switches and then a second for the cartridge slot), the cable that connects the two can cause problems.
@@DisplacedGamers Displaced Gamers Thank you so much for your reply :) I have the 6 switch Atari. I have dissasembled both boards and found that the one that receives the controller and power input is covered with some orange subatance :O... Smells like orange soda or some orange sweet liquid... I have started removing it with Alcohol (not Isopropyl alcohol but the anthispetic type, I hope this does not damage the board :O what do yiu think? Is it a bad idea?) All cables look very good and soldering points are very solid (athough Im not an expert they seem very good). I dont know if cartridges work either :( I bought it at risk knowing that it may not work... I'll keep cleaning the board a little more and will write to tou again to see if works. Thanks again for your time and knowledge friend :)
@@DisplacedGamers Hello again friend. After cleaning board, still does not work... :( ... Worst of all, multimeter now displays 7.4 when I measure 5V voltage regulator... Why before cleaning up it showed 5.1 and now is fried?... Did I do something wrong by cleaning it? :( thanks again for your time and knowledge.
Sorry to hear about your additional troubles. You may want to consider posting your issues along with some photos on a forum such as AtariAge. It is a lot easier for multiple people to follow and have a conversation with you about it.
Thanks for the video! I have been trying to fix up an atari 2600 and I have bought some parts to fix it. I bought a new 9V power supply off amazon and new power regulator and some capacitors. Like in your video, I am still getting 0 volts on the negative side of the big capacitor (even with a new regulator). The regulator is inputing 8.9 volts and outputing 5 V. But the big capacitor is inputing 9V and outputing 0V. I need some help lol
Hi there, Awesome video. I have an old 1977 6 Switch Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade that I'm have currently modded from RF to RCA V/A Composite with the RCA Red, White, and Yellow Plugs. The PCB. I tried to cut it on. I think I probably have a Dead Voltage Regulator. Or it be the mod of the Atari 2600 Mod with the Black, Red, Yellow, and Green Wires with probably wasn't connected right. My soldering skills is not really that perfect. But the boards look near mint and I recently put a new Power On/Off Switch by desoldering the old one and installing the new one. I did the same thing with the Game Reset Switch by replacing it. I recently bought on of these replacement packets for the 6 Switch Atari 2600 CX2600 - 6 SWITCH TUNE-UP PARTS VOLTAGE REGULATOR 1 Amp & CAPACITORS off of eBay a few days ago. I also bought one for the 4 Switch as well.
boa tarde parceiro eu tenho um atari 2600 e quado vc liga afonte no atari e coloca um cartucho e acoloca o joystick no atari e liga ele ele nao liga o que pode ser
So I have an Atari 2600 and I have it hooked to an old zenith and I play with it here and there. Recently I picked up a few more games for it and a couple days later, I went to turn it on and there were lines through the screen and it was screeching at me. I thought it was just a dirty game so I blew in it, put it back in, and same thing. Any ideas?
Greetings, excellent video, first of all thank you for sharing your knowledge. Friend I would like to know if you can help me, in a bargain recently bought an Atari 2600 with wood imitation and 4 buttons, I came without the ac-dc adapter, I got one of a Chinese imitation of nintendo that says "AC-DC 9V 500mA" , I made the modification of the tip with a 3.5mm headphone jack checking very well the polarity using a multimeter, but when trying to turn on the Atari nothing happens. In view of this proceeded to disarm the Atari and perform the voltage measurements as the beams in your video, I am struck by the fact that when I measure voltage between the terminals of the input jack or between the pins of the capacitor it marks about 17V with the Atari off , but when I turn it on, it marks about 4.7 - 5 V in those places and in the voltage regulator it marks 1.7V (that there according to your video if everything is ok it should mark 5V). Will it be that the AC DC adapter does not supply enough power? or is there another problem in atari? Thank you
I bought a used atari for $17. Brand new cable, so I know it’s not that. The power switch is lose and I don’t have a working power meter.How do i know if I just need to resolder the power or need a new one? Does the Atari hum or anything I can use to tell if it’s getting power to see if it’s the switch?
Hey there, RetroGamingGenesis. If the switch is loose - as in it has come loose from the board - it will definitely need to be resoldered. It is also possible for the stem on the switch to break off. As far as the switch circuit, it goes through a filter cap before hitting the voltage regulator. If you think the power switch is in the on position, I suppose you could see if the voltage regulator is getting hot. As for a multimeter, you might be able to score one for cheap at a pawn shop. I believe I paid $10 for my first one. They are useful for many reasons.
What about the potentiometer that's near the large cap? I opened mine and noticed mine is pointing a different direction than yours (arrow) voltages on mine seem fine, but still no sign of life. Should I adjust that thing?
Hi, so I got the kit and installed the new 16 v capacitor and the 5v regulator, but still nothing. I'm starting to think it's the power adapter. The guy I bought the power adapter from said it worked, but I don't think it does. Is there a way to test the power adapter to see if it works? Thanks
Hey there, Daiz7788. Sorry it didn't work. Do you have a six switch? If so, one thing you might want to check are the pins that connect the power and switch board to the input/logic board. If you view the Atari 2600 Bad Color video I posted, I believe I have a shot my re-seating of that cable on a 6-switch. If that isn't making good connection, you won't see anything happen. Do you have a multimeter? I would check your voltage at the jack (easier to do on a 4-switch) with the adapter plugged into the system and see what you get. You can also check it at the new large filter cap you installed. If you check the adapter with it unplugged from the Atari, just know that it will have a larger voltage on it since it isn't under load. Check the input and output pins of the 7805 with the system plugged in and switched on. If you don't get the voltage at the input pin of the voltage regulator, check the power switch. It might be dirty and need some cleaning. If get voltage (+5V) at the regulator output, check to see if it is reaching the ICs.
Thanks for the quick response. I have a 6 switch. This is my first time attempting to trouble shoot anything so even though I do have access to a multimeter, I don't really know how to use it. I tired to copy what you did in the video and test the large capacitor while the console was plugged in, but it showed a really low voltage. How do you check the voltage jack?
So I would definitely check some videos on how to use a multimeter on TH-cam just to get some basics. I believe there is one from Afrotechmods that is pretty good. It could be that you had your multimeter set to AC instead of DC when you did your measurement. I would highly recommend checking out various videos first so you don't accidentally damage something on accident. Did you get a new voltage jack and install it as well? If you elected to go the route of the refresh kit, it should be included. To measure at the jack, you can use the red probe on the middle of the three pins and the black one on the outside pin closest to the plug side. You can also measure the adapter itself out of circuit. You should get around 14v, I imagine. Be careful not to touch the probes together accidentally when you measure two spots.
The Flashback has a much newer design (fewer components) inside. There are also quite a few Flashback units now! Did it work for a little while and now it doesn't?
@@DisplacedGamers Since I posted the comment I have educated myself on the base of the regulator and other things according to a typical board. I know if it is a regulator problem i need the AMS1117 and before I jump to basic conclusions i need to use multimeter on the output regulator. But by the way you asked that question i assume it is not the regulator.
and you made gold bunny happy too. Today I checked my Atari 2600 12v capacitor and 5v regulator and they're both ...................fine. Bugger. I still don't know what's wrong with this machine.
It is basically to allow for a bit more headroom for the regulator. The amp draw of the Atari can sometimes stress the 0.5 amp regulator. A 1 amp regulator can handle anything asked of it.
Nice one on my clone Atari 2600 the voltage regulator gets fried eveytime i turn the thing on, didnt spot any thermal paste on this cheap unit so the problem may be there.
God bless you son... You made an old man happy today!
Quick explanation without wasted words and time. Straight to it - appreciated. I would like to see another video of other things that prevent it from working properly. Perhaps even repairing/cleaning up the games themselves. Good job though.
Great video! Not only were your explanations detailed enough, but thanks for taking the time to make a 'quality' video a s well. It was easy to see what you were actually doing.
Theae Atari 2600 repair videos are top notch 💪
Nice i picked up a 2600 with games, wireless controllers and box, bunch of stuff for 20 bucks cause it didnt work. and that was exactly the problem i had. was showing 15v at regulator so i ordered the parts and we will see what happens next. Thanks for posting
Perfect video for the issue I was having. I was able to fix it with your guidance. Thank you
This is such a cool video! You detailed the steps perfectly and in just over 5 minutes. Subscribed! 🙂
Same
Damn, I wish I never tossed out my Atari. Judging from your video, my old Atari probably had a dead regulator as well
You need to have alooot of knowledge,lots of skills,the right tools and components and a steady hand and eagle eyes along with lot’s of patience to make sure to do it all right.
I have a brown wooden paneled version of that exact TV sitting next to my Atari 2600, now is that coincidence or what?
What is that desoldering gun you are using? I burnt off my solder pads trying to use my soldering iron and desoldering wick
Hakko FR-300. I believe the FR-301 is the newer model if you are looking to pick one up. I love it.
Good lord it was the voltage regulator easy fix that is awesome and what kind of grease or thermal paste do you use for that kind of voltage regulator component I was wondering what kind for a long time
Wouldn’t any off-the-shelf 7805 linear voltage regulator with the proper amp/current capacity work out as a replacement?
My 6 switch 2600 was working fine until this week, colors were perhaps a bit washed out. Turned it on last night and static with a weak signal. The unit itself doesnt move, its just powered on and off. never left plugged into mains either.
Also got a 2600 Junior with no video output, power light does come on.
Is it likely to be the voltage regulator on both? Happy to attempt a repair, will be the first time I try such a thing though.
I dont know if i have a différent version of Frogger or if the capacitors are dead but the colors are different from yours? The frogs are green and the water is purple
Is it necessary to plug in cartridge and ac adapter to perform the test?
Hello friend. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have a question and appreciate your help: the multimeter shows 10.4 on the large filter capacitor and 5.3 on the 5V regulator... Still have no image.. What would be your next step in this case? Thanks for your time :)
Hello Carlos. Is the cart slot cleaned? Are you using a clean, working cartridge as well? I would use an Atari cart rather than an Activision as their PCBs are a bit smaller. I also have had to pull and re-socket chips on some Atari systems.
Also - if you have a six switch that has the two separate boards (one for the switches and then a second for the cartridge slot), the cable that connects the two can cause problems.
@@DisplacedGamers Displaced Gamers Thank you so much for your reply :) I have the 6 switch Atari. I have dissasembled both boards and found that the one that receives the controller and power input is covered with some orange subatance :O... Smells like orange soda or some orange sweet liquid... I have started removing it with Alcohol (not Isopropyl alcohol but the anthispetic type, I hope this does not damage the board :O what do yiu think? Is it a bad idea?)
All cables look very good and soldering points are very solid (athough Im not an expert they seem very good).
I dont know if cartridges work either :( I bought it at risk knowing that it may not work...
I'll keep cleaning the board a little more and will write to tou again to see if works.
Thanks again for your time and knowledge friend :)
@@DisplacedGamers Hello again friend. After cleaning board, still does not work... :( ... Worst of all, multimeter now displays 7.4 when I measure 5V voltage regulator... Why before cleaning up it showed 5.1 and now is fried?... Did I do something wrong by cleaning it? :( thanks again for your time and knowledge.
Sorry to hear about your additional troubles.
You may want to consider posting your issues along with some photos on a forum such as AtariAge. It is a lot easier for multiple people to follow and have a conversation with you about it.
@@DisplacedGamers Thanks again friend! Definitely will check out AtariAge forum!! :)
The 7805 is pretty much the ones in use today right? Assuming it doesn't require new old stock?
Displaced gamers the game port on my Atari 2600 is broken. The games won't seat properly and it acts like a spring is pushing them up. Can you help?
Thanks for the video! I have been trying to fix up an atari 2600 and I have bought some parts to fix it. I bought a new 9V power supply off amazon and new power regulator and some capacitors. Like in your video, I am still getting 0 volts on the negative side of the big capacitor (even with a new regulator). The regulator is inputing 8.9 volts and outputing 5 V. But the big capacitor is inputing 9V and outputing 0V. I need some help lol
It is a 4 switch by the way.
Great video -well done, thanks!
Hi there, Awesome video. I have an old 1977 6 Switch Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade that I'm have currently modded from RF to RCA V/A Composite with the RCA Red, White, and Yellow Plugs. The PCB. I tried to cut it on. I think I probably have a Dead Voltage Regulator. Or it be the mod of the Atari 2600 Mod with the Black, Red, Yellow, and Green Wires with probably wasn't connected right. My soldering skills is not really that perfect. But the boards look near mint and I recently put a new Power On/Off Switch by desoldering the old one and installing the new one. I did the same thing with the Game Reset Switch by replacing it. I recently bought on of these replacement packets for the 6 Switch Atari 2600 CX2600 - 6 SWITCH TUNE-UP PARTS VOLTAGE REGULATOR 1 Amp & CAPACITORS off of eBay a few days ago. I also bought one for the 4 Switch as well.
Thanks for this video - helped! What are those two switches on either side of where the power adapter connects?
Those are the Player 1 and 2 difficulty switches.
Thanks!
Hi You wouldn’t happen to know what a black square on the left side of the screen is do you
boa tarde parceiro eu tenho um atari 2600 e quado vc liga afonte no atari e coloca um cartucho e acoloca o joystick no atari e liga ele ele nao liga o que pode ser
So I have an Atari 2600 and I have it hooked to an old zenith and I play with it here and there. Recently I picked up a few more games for it and a couple days later, I went to turn it on and there were lines through the screen and it was screeching at me. I thought it was just a dirty game so I blew in it, put it back in, and same thing. Any ideas?
You probably want to clean your cartridge port as well as your carts. Activision carts also used thin PCBs, so they can be a bit finicky at times.
I'm thinking the ac adapter could be dead. As I get nothing from my reader
Greetings, excellent video, first of all thank you for sharing your knowledge. Friend I would like to know if you can help me, in a bargain recently bought an Atari 2600 with wood imitation and 4 buttons, I came without the ac-dc adapter, I got one of a Chinese imitation of nintendo that says "AC-DC 9V 500mA" , I made the modification of the tip with a 3.5mm headphone jack checking very well the polarity using a multimeter, but when trying to turn on the Atari nothing happens. In view of this proceeded to disarm the Atari and perform the voltage measurements as the beams in your video, I am struck by the fact that when I measure voltage between the terminals of the input jack or between the pins of the capacitor it marks about 17V with the Atari off , but when I turn it on, it marks about 4.7 - 5 V in those places and in the voltage regulator it marks 1.7V (that there according to your video if everything is ok it should mark 5V). Will it be that the AC DC adapter does not supply enough power? or is there another problem in atari? Thank you
Do you do repairs for people?
I bought a used atari for $17. Brand new cable, so I know it’s not that. The power switch is lose and I don’t have a working power meter.How do i know if I just need to resolder the power or need a new one?
Does the Atari hum or anything I can use to tell if it’s getting power to see if it’s the switch?
Hey there, RetroGamingGenesis. If the switch is loose - as in it has come loose from the board - it will definitely need to be resoldered. It is also possible for the stem on the switch to break off. As far as the switch circuit, it goes through a filter cap before hitting the voltage regulator. If you think the power switch is in the on position, I suppose you could see if the voltage regulator is getting hot.
As for a multimeter, you might be able to score one for cheap at a pawn shop. I believe I paid $10 for my first one. They are useful for many reasons.
Thanks. I wiggled it around and it didn’t turn on so I probably need to do both.
I.love Atari 2600
I am Pakistani
Yes sir very good video is like
What about the potentiometer that's near the large cap? I opened mine and noticed mine is pointing a different direction than yours (arrow) voltages on mine seem fine, but still no sign of life. Should I adjust that thing?
That is for adjusting tint. It is rather sensitive to change. I wouldn't move it as it can be rather difficult to dial it back into accurate colors.
Hi, thanks for the links. I have an atari 2600 that doesn't seem to be getting any power. I just ordered the kit from console5.
Awesome, Daiz7788. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, so I got the kit and installed the new 16 v capacitor and the 5v regulator, but still nothing. I'm starting to think it's the power adapter. The guy I bought the power adapter from said it worked, but I don't think it does. Is there a way to test the power adapter to see if it works? Thanks
Hey there, Daiz7788. Sorry it didn't work.
Do you have a six switch? If so, one thing you might want to check are the pins that connect the power and switch board to the input/logic board. If you view the Atari 2600 Bad Color video I posted, I believe I have a shot my re-seating of that cable on a 6-switch. If that isn't making good connection, you won't see anything happen.
Do you have a multimeter? I would check your voltage at the jack (easier to do on a 4-switch) with the adapter plugged into the system and see what you get. You can also check it at the new large filter cap you installed. If you check the adapter with it unplugged from the Atari, just know that it will have a larger voltage on it since it isn't under load.
Check the input and output pins of the 7805 with the system plugged in and switched on. If you don't get the voltage at the input pin of the voltage regulator, check the power switch. It might be dirty and need some cleaning. If get voltage (+5V) at the regulator output, check to see if it is reaching the ICs.
Thanks for the quick response. I have a 6 switch. This is my first time attempting to trouble shoot anything so even though I do have access to a multimeter, I don't really know how to use it. I tired to copy what you did in the video and test the large capacitor while the console was plugged in, but it showed a really low voltage. How do you check the voltage jack?
So I would definitely check some videos on how to use a multimeter on TH-cam just to get some basics. I believe there is one from Afrotechmods that is pretty good. It could be that you had your multimeter set to AC instead of DC when you did your measurement.
I would highly recommend checking out various videos first so you don't accidentally damage something on accident.
Did you get a new voltage jack and install it as well? If you elected to go the route of the refresh kit, it should be included. To measure at the jack, you can use the red probe on the middle of the three pins and the black one on the outside pin closest to the plug side.
You can also measure the adapter itself out of circuit. You should get around 14v, I imagine.
Be careful not to touch the probes together accidentally when you measure two spots.
is the bubbling on the board normal?
What the hell
No it's not normal
Hey, i have an atari flashback that has the same problem. Will that regulator work for it as well?
The Flashback has a much newer design (fewer components) inside. There are also quite a few Flashback units now! Did it work for a little while and now it doesn't?
@@DisplacedGamers Yes,exactly
@@DisplacedGamers Since I posted the comment I have educated myself on the base of the regulator and other things according to a typical board. I know if it is a regulator problem i need the AMS1117 and before I jump to basic conclusions i need to use multimeter on the output regulator. But by the way you asked that question i assume it is not the regulator.
@@DisplacedGamers do you have a solution?
and you made gold bunny happy too. Today I checked my Atari 2600 12v capacitor and 5v regulator and they're both ...................fine. Bugger. I still don't know what's wrong with this machine.
Why would you repair the 0,5 amper voltage regulator with a 1 amper?
It is basically to allow for a bit more headroom for the regulator. The amp draw of the Atari can sometimes stress the 0.5 amp regulator. A 1 amp regulator can handle anything asked of it.
Oh, that explains it. Thanks!
As Mr. Burns would say.... "Excellent Smithers!"
Replace the 7805 with a Trasco 2541 DC converter which is much more stable and runs cooler.
Necesito ayuda tengo uno igual pero la imagen se ve horrible q puede ser alguien q sepa y me pueda ayudar
wish if i could know this mechanism 25 years back......then life could been changed in a different way
awesome!
That look totally different from the inside of my 2600, wonder why ?
Nice one on my clone Atari 2600 the voltage regulator gets fried eveytime i turn the thing on, didnt spot any thermal paste on this cheap unit so the problem may be there.
I don’t know what is wrong with americans and q-tips just use credit card