Atari 2600 Junior Single Chip Portable
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- Опубліковано 6 гру 2019
- While cleaning out the Ben Heck Show shop in fall of 2018 I found a long-lost project languishing in a junk box. I wondered, could it be saved?
Over the course of 2019 I slowly brought the project back to life and documented it along the way. Enjoy!
For more information and hi-res photos visit: www.benheck.com/project-start...
Video table of contents:
2:30 - restoring junk box IC
5:34 - setting up parts in Eagle and initial design
10:50 - testing cartridges physically with basic PCB design
15:30 - stuffing main logic PCB & testing
21:03 - mocking up the case design
23:49 - design philosophies for the casing
29:09 - material testing for 3D printing the case
31:41 - designing & stuffing the front half PCB with controls and charge circuitry
40:30 - final case construction and assembly
49:25 - game play montage with various cartridges - Ігри
This videos seems to be favored once again by the almighty UA-cam Algorithm. Gives me some incentive to make a follow-up of sorts :)
That would be pretty cool and I'll be sure to give them a watch! I've just found your channel and you do some really awesome projects. I've got a small array of electronic components and a cheap 3D printer myself. It's nothing crazy but you've left me feeling inspired to put them to good use!
Yeah soon it will have a retro status for double effect ;)
all fear and praise thee Hallowed are the Algorithm. So say we all
Maybe Atari the company who made the Atari 2600 and the 2021 version could possibly put that on the market and it would be call the Atari 26 jr portable so show atari the Atari jr that you just made.🎮🎮🎮🎮
I am just finding this
Those cars moving in the oscilloscope signal was some next level Tron shit.
I work with video, and it is amazing what comes through and looks like the image on both a normal oscilloscope, or even a vector scope. Contrast plays a big part, ice dancing really shows up well, where most other sports do not.
I was told stories of back in the day when video tape ruled the broadcasting world, of clever engineers who would make the countdown so it would show up as the numbers counting down on a vector scope. That takes some really good color knowledge.
5:02 for anyone curious
Yes make a video of that.
Just wanted to say that’s my favorite comment on the internet.
Yeah that was really mind blowing that our brain can see things in signals, what if someone connect his brain with the internet and decrypt all data and can see data hack the internet
So update, at MGC 2021 I finally came across another one of these in the wild. Retro game prices have gone INSANE so I finished the transaction and then told the guy how rare it was :)
I keep coming back to this video because it's so fun to watch! Will you be doing a new video for a v2 with the new chip??
pro move
An amazing video. You know what would be great is to see a video on all the bloopers. You make it look so easy and now a days when kids watch and try it themselves they never finish because it not as easy as the videos and they stop because they think they can't do it. But not knowing how much pain and effort it truly takes to make it look so easy.
@@jodylang8781 v2? He's still got 2 sets of v1 pcb to use up.
What did he say after you told him??
One of the coolest things I've ever seen from start to finish
"Hey there, I've spent 18 years in a junk box."
"Oh yeah? Well, I've spent 30 years buried in a dump."
"Oooh, we should get together!!"
Golden.
I agree, Ben should do more hack videos , and keep using that magnificent brain of his. loved every second of the video, just the sheer joy in his voice made me nostalgic. outstanding sir. "Please sir, I want some more." " Feed me Seymour." lol
@@waltgroves9334 "Feed me all night long! You can do it!"
why do you wierdos type out these things, jesus. just stop.
@@RabidDogEOCF
It’s something that you’ll never understand chump
"In the year 2000, Ben Heckendorn built his first mod..."
Ben has gone full circle. Nice job!
Wow, I remember the GeoCities days too... I was so obsessed with portable systems like the Sega Nomad back then. (Yeah, I'm probably around Ben's age, lol.) Awesome to see him redoing the 2600!
"We can rebuild it. Smaller. Better. Portable!"
Yeah, I missed the old video style, this one really brought it all back, Thanks Ben, This is gold.
I remember back on RGVC the excitement over it.
This is the Ben Heck video I was waiting for: Ye Classic Olde Heck Hack. This made me so happy. Thanks, Ben!
Definitely agree with this sentiment.
Great. Isn't it? I thought Ben wouldn't be doing this kind of things anymore but film making. I'm glad I was wrong.
Totally agree. Ben doing what he does best.
One of the best if not the best Ben's project so far, thanks for sharing Ben!
I miss the ben heck show!!!
This needs to be a retail product. This would sell incredibly well! I’m surprised the Flashback people haven’t done it.
They did. But it doesn't take cartridges
get Jerri Ellsworth on it.
thing is it wont
there is literally no reason to make a portable atari that uses actual cartridges, it's much too easy to emulate
@@sirpiken the cartridges are the point! Retro cool factor and all.
This is one of the most beautiful 'make' videos I've seen. Your attention to detail and the sheer quality of your craftsmanship are outstanding. Thank you for sharing this - A real inspiration.
Switch the left difficulty switch to "A" to hear the music in Moon Patrol. :)
Mad Jack Hist that brings back memories... :)
i loved moon patrol
It works! A lot of the portables I did in the past never bothered adding the difficulty switches so I wanted to make sure I did on this one.
Seeing the o-scope of the cars moving kinda blows my mind.
What a tremendous amount of work and superb execution. Congratulations!
Massively impressive build, the foresight, attention to detail, and just sheer technical and engineering prowess is mind blowing. I'm so glad I watched this!
Knowing Atari there are probably a 1/2 a million of those chips laying around in a crate somewhere.
in a landfill prolly
@@dodgeplow they buried 700,000 "consoles and games" in a landfill in New Mexico
@@tirkentube that was why I mentioned it. I saw the documentary about it
@@tirkentube What landfill I live in NM and would totally try and see if I could find anything.
@@CatTheRoundEarther I don't know I copied that off Wikipedia
That thing is absolutely beautiful!
Only thing it's missing is a 3.5mm AV out Jack for TV play :)
thats called a nintendo switch
I like that but I'd like to go one step further not only add the video out port and the AV Port out. but the second controller port( video game controller Port 1) that way you could set it up and the unit to connect to a TV as well that way in both functions as Atari Junior and as Atari Junior mobile
I agree
Man this video was incredible in so many ways! Thank you for documenting this and sharing it with everyone!!
I don't know how I missed this one, but this really is one of the best projects, aesthetically, that you've done thus far. It's wonderfully compact, has all the necessary controls and expansion for more, and it's very robust. Nicely done.
You're right: this IS the best-looking handheld you've ever done. Congrats Ben!
This is the best hardware porn I've seen in a long time
yeah me to
This project had me hooked start to finish. The final product was absolutely slick 👌
I think you amazed me with your projects back in the early 2000's and you still do today. Well done Ben!
This video was so amazing and in my opinion very well done. I was almost addicted to the entire video and didn't stop watching it until the end when it was over.
The fact that I watched this video through in one sitting might not seem all that amazing to average folks... but i'm a disabled United States Marine who is a paraplegic AND after having three strokes in the last 15 years...(the most recent was early 2019) I've found that it is typically quite difficult for me to maintain the focus, concentration and attention span that I once had (and as a comic book fanatic and artist I completely HATE not being able to sit and draw or read or whatever for 6-8 hours with no problems).
I have to admit that I am very jealous of the maker of this video and the portable atari unit. Man... I really miss being able to accomplish everything that comes into my mind and then i decide to attempt. Bravo!
Now... what do I need to do to order one of these units... cause I want one! You also got me to subscribe to your channel after this one video so you're definitely do something right. Keep doing what you're doing.
Hell yeah dude keep up the good work. And thank you for your service Michael. God bless you.
Pretty sweet handheld.
I want one of these as well. Cheers!
Keep up the fight ,brain damage is a funny thing I speak from experience. Keep stimulating your mind . enjoying a hobby during winter is kryptonite to my seasonal depression. Keep pushing through, it takes time but the brain comes back little bit at a time.
Hey
Thanks for protecting our nation. I salute you!
34:30. That chip moved into place like a T2 Terminator was moving it.
Thinking "what sorcery is this?"
And that sorcery is one of the secrets of how to do smd.
That, and lots of flux.
Really! Holy shit!
@@absalomdraconis Indeed. It's not about accuracy so much as it's knowing what the solder will do in given situations.
Dude. I am THOROUGHLY ENJOYING this video! I had a dream for an ATARI build of my own and started making notes. Stumbled into your vid. So awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I love that there are talented people like this that are restoring & maintaining these little pieces of Computer history.
It's clear that *SO* much love & attention has been poured into this project.
Thank you for uploading it & sharing it with the world.
Makes me want to build a project of my own 😄
This was incredible. Start to finish from idea to functioning product. Love seeing your thought process with each step. Amazing how far you've come!
This was a fun watch. Love how the final product came out. Well done, looks like something we could have seen back in Atari's prime!
Just finished the video! That was quite the trip! Thank you a ton for sharing this. Very nice work!
This is so fantastic. I am happy you have the stick to it to get this project done. This is the ultimate 1 of a kind device. I enjoyed watching you play. Very nice layout and design
I wish I could finish some of my projects that quickly.
I know, right? It only took him 53 minutes
19 years and 53 minutes?
18 years, @@williammentink. And then of course not right down to the day, but I see where you were trying to go with your joke attempt. :-)
Absolutely beautiful attention to detail, and an amazing final build! Congratulations
This entire built is genius on so many levels…design…Funktion..and the nostalgia feeling…dang…try to mass produce it …you got my blessing…great work.
The aesthetic and technical designs are beautiful. I really appreciate your passion for it! It takes me back to being a kid for sure, thanks!
The sound of the carts hitting the wood and sliding down into the slot, sounds so good.
Holy cow that looks great! The window to see the chip is my favorite part.
Lots of technical content to satisfy my adult side, vintage games for my inner child, and you singing the Moon Patrol music to make both laugh in joyful unison... great build and video
I love that you still have a channel to do all your fun ideas
Absolutely stunning work. You're living my dream life. I live in an apartment so I can't run all the machines I have. I have a CNC, a laser cutter, and 3 different 3d printers, and I've only used each one enough to get it dialled in, but the fumes and ventilation here make it prohibitive to do large projects. Love love love this!
That this thing has a paddle is really going the extra mile. It seems like nearly every attempt to bring Atari console games into the modern world horribly neglects the paddle games, except for the few that specialize in them.
...I guess the player 2 input means you actually could plug in the second-port keypad and play Star Raiders on this.
And right after I posted that comment, Willie of ArcadeUSA posted a video of a mini-arcade machine that specializes in the paddle games, AND IS STILL TERRIBLE, because they didn't use pots! Why?????
I want to make an atari two player console emulator that uses joysticks that are also the paddle when you rotate the joystick.
I think the mockups of the supposed controller for the increasingly vaporous "Atari VCS" showed something like that.
Atari at one point had a controller that integrated the paddle as a ring around the base of the joystick. It was sold with the "Atari 2800" (the redesigned 2600 for the Japanese market, sold in the US as the Sears Video Arcade II). Don't know if it was any good--it's interesting that they didn't stick with it for the 7800 or XEGS though. The console seems to have needed some special circuitry to switch between the two functions. The regular paddles came in pairs with a Y-connector, so having one paddle per joystick changed how they had to be addressed for two-player games.
So true
i loved this! I wondered if Ben Heck was just gone forever. I'm glad i found this. I love your personality and the tinkering that you do. I always enjoyed your shows.
An amazing video. You know what would be great is to see a video on all the bloopers. You make it look so easy and now a days when kids watch and try it themselves they never finish because it not as easy as the videos and they stop because they think they can't do it. But not knowing how much pain and effort it truly takes to make it look so easy.
"I found an incredibly rare Atari 2600 junior, never seen another one like it!"
(Immediately destroys it)
it's a free country but man... I cringed. Deep in my soul.
I like how he never seen one ever again but his friend had one? 😂
You could've gotten one for free. atariage.com/forums/topic/312153-fs-ft-atari-2600-jr-janice-unicorn-1chip-board/
He didn't destroy it, he transformed it.
@@mirabilis destroying with style
5:00 this is the coolest thing i've ever seen...its what solidifies the idea that Tron the movie tries to explain. "i tried to picture clusters of information as the moved thru the computer, what did it look like? ships, motorcycles,...are the circuits like freeways...i kept dreaming of a world i thought i'd never see...and then one day i got in!"
I have no idea how components and all this stuff works but I'm sitting through this entire video in complete amazement definitely going to subscribe you are a very creative person man keep it up
I've recently gotten into watching people make these types of portable consoles and I gotta admit that this is the coolest thing i've seen so far!
Protip: when making a paper printout, add a scale indicator just to make sure your stupid printer doesnt get the size wrong
smart
A trick my friend learned me was to use a projector for transferring pixels to paper, by setting the projector at the right distance, zoom, focus, angle etc.
Then take a box of A4 sheets and tape to the wall until you have the entire model projected onto the paper
Then you adjust the scaling in your software to fit 1:1
Then you print the whole thing by hand
@Barry Manilowa I believed that is printing by hand. If you speak English, you should have understood that. Fairly easy and self explanatory.
@Barry Manilowa I don't have an opinion how to trace or enlarge an image and couldn't give a shit less but I do know what printing by hand meant as he used it, dipshit.
FYI, there is an even more compact version of the Atari 2600 on a chip, it's the one embedded in the Atari Flashback 2 console released in 2005 (codename "michele"). Just my 2 cents... :=)
I like how you tempt him. Lol
A-ha! So there is hope for seeing more such compact devices??
Haha I loved that thing. It was a fun afternoon mod project to put a cartridge slot in mine and play combat on a 70" tv that evening over some beers with friends. I think I did that around 2012
Excellent job, I love your attention to detail and comic relief. Keep up the great work
This is the best video I have ever seen since you started your project 20 years ago.Loved your dedication and making it possible with style.
This has to be one of the coolest things I've seen. I want one.
this is, without question, a masterpiece.
Was born in '78 and Atari 2600 was my first ever console ... Still holds a special place in my heart & still have it somewhere stashed - the "Junior" model - albeit, non-working ... This stellar, "Tony-Stark" level of ingenuity for the beloved 2600, depicted in this vid, took me a trip way down the memory lane ... Thank U very much for sharing this vid, man :-) ... Can't imagine how it must felt, when U first powered it on, after having the entire project completed ... That moment on your vid sure brought a tear to my eye ... Regards.
I remember seeing your original build back in the day. Thinking that was amazing. This is just wicked cool!
"Doesn't have the music, I'll take care of that" LMAO. OMG Dude, I used to play all these games. What you did is awesome.
Mannnnn, this is like such a throwback for me.
This made me smile to see....also made me want to dive into my box of juniors to see if any of them are one-chips.
I use sheet metal pliers whenever I need to easily bend pins uniform, and Ben had me on pins when he re-tinned such a special chip with all the pins catty-wompus like that. I'm glad it all turned out so fantastic!
Always fun to watch you build a project. Thanks!
I watched this video several times now, your skills are really amazing (a pleasure to watch) and that Arnold Schwarzenegger immitation was spot on! ;-)
"kill...me...." - it took a while for me to recover from that! Thanks Ben :)
Also, thanks for uploading this wee gem....on the ball, man!
All I can say is you are one smart cookie so much knowledge about differing things so much equipment you know how to use Its a pleasure watching your thinking processes and all the knowledge that goes into doing this,one extremely fine video my friend very fine
You are a true tech & design wizard Ben. This is the absolute greatest conversion I’ve even seen.
Oh, through this video I've remembered my own childhood when I'd made ZX Spectrum by myself in 1994
"Janus" is probably more a reference to the two-faced Roman god, than an alternative spelling of Janice.
I wouldn't be so sure. Atari famously named many of their chips with women's names, many after women who worked at the company. Stella, Paula, Sally, Stellette, Isabel, Stephanie, Betty, etc, etc.
@@kraftlab Janus is not a very unigendered name though, it's distinctly male
@@Nukle0n No-one can be sure unless they go back and ask one of the Atari engineers why it was named that. I am just saying they used people names more often then mythological names. Mercury was the only mythological name that stands out to me.
Also it was common for them to itterate on existing names. Like Pokey and Porkey. Stella and Stellette.
As a name for girls Janus peaked in popularity around 1956 so that would make a girl named Janus in her 20's around the time Atari was making these things which would line up well with the ages of the people working there.
Nope. As others have rightfully pointed out, Atari _very famously_ named all their custom chips after secretaries, girlfriends, etc. Partly so they could discuss them in public without giving away what they were talking about, partly so many of these women got some kind of credit for the work they did for Atari.
It's a Janice chip, here's the schematic direct from the Atari archives - www.atarimuseum.com/ahs_archives/archives/schematics/videogames/2100/2100-3in1-JAN-chip.gif (bottom right, hand written - Janice)
As their 8-bit computer line already had a Janice chip in use, the 2600jr 3in1 chip became the Jan chip (Jan being short for Janice) to differentiate the two so they didn't end up accidentally ordering each others chip from the fabricator.
Where does Janus come from? It's what their chip fabricator printed on the chip: the name (Jan) and the country of origin (US), thus they're all labelled JAN-US or JAN/US or JanUS.
Absolutely nothing to do with Janus, his gates or Roman mythology, as others rightfully said.
@@kraftlab I posted the answer below. I went through a bunch of the schematics on the archive and went from there.
It's a "Jan" chip made in the US, so thus they all have some variation of Jan-US on the chip, and thats where Janus comes from. Bit more detail in my other comment if you're interested.
Awesome, Brother! Fantastic piece of kit. Attention to detail is definitely off the charts! Way to follow through!
My god what a project. I’m a newbie to electronics but still watched the whole process - entertaining video and amazing design/craftsmanship
"If logs are dark, see a doctor"
😂🤣😭
This is nothing short of amazing. Watching the whole process of building makes it even more impressive.
This is simultaneously inspiring and intimidating. I love what you did. Beyond the fact that I would pay more for this than I would the Retron 77, I enjoyed the making of video as much as any of the games. Good job!
Got my stick here, just in case things start moving around, CnC laughs, Ben beats it into submission.
IIRC one of the difficulty switches toggles the music on Moon Patrol.
Definitely need to test this next time I turn on my atari......I've been convincing myself I imagined that music up in my head.....
This was so epic on many levels!!! Can you imagine what it would have been like back in the 2600 days to be able to make this with an in home CNC, laser, and 3D printer! But then again, it wouldn't have been what it was and you wouldn't be making what you did now. Congrats on seeing it through 19 years later!
As someone who lived through the early 80's Atari scene I just loved this whole video. I never even knew about the Janus chip until today. Great job!!!
FWIW - Moon Patrol without music basically stinks. I am not going to get it out of my head all day now!!!
i like your projects, a lot of heart and passion in them. kudos and please don't stop
"We could be build it. Smaller. Better. Portable"
Bionic!
2:55 - The guy on youtube who does professional painting restoration... I love his videos too LOL.
Incredible video. Thanks Ben, for the trip down memory lane. I played all those games as a kid. Magical times. I want that skill, and I want that equipment. I can always dream...
Dude that Arnold impression was spot on!
You nailed it 😎
And still a shorter lead time than the Atari VCS Indiegogo.
that thing isnt getting here fast enough
@@dcfuksurmom That thing isn't going to get here.
"the longhorn engineer", Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time!
The shot where you placed the control pcbs was very satisfying
"I have never come across another one for sale, even after 20 years of modding and hacking"
"I THEN PROCEEDED TO DESOLDER THIS CHIP"
Why must you hurt us in this way.
To be fair he desoldered it and used it before he realized how rare it was. It was only after trying to find more later that he found they didn’t seem to exist... I mean how could he know he wouldn’t be able to find them for sale in 20 years before those 20 years passed?
Not to mention that not everyone thinks consoles (and other collectibles) sitting in boxes untouched on shelves til they rot is better than actually using them... Some would say it’s a shame so much great hardware is locked away and unused by hoarders...err sorry collectors...so it’s all a matter of perspective. (My personal feeling on this sits somewhere in the middle of the two extremes I’m just playing devil’s advocate a bit).
@Trantor The Troll he f ed it up 20 years ago when they were probably not worth a lot
@Trantor The Troll To be fair, it’s also not like the Atari Jr. is super rare, it’s just the single chip version that’s hard to find. And the only value that a single chip version would have is to a modder like Ben. Nobody who is playing the original system as it came is going to care whether their 2600 has 1 or 3 chips inside, as long as it plays the games ok.
I get that from a collecting standpoint it seems weird to take apart a rare version of a console, but the only way you would even know it’s rare is from looking at the internals, so I don’t think the fact that this variant is super rare necessarily makes it super desirable or valuable, if that makes sense
LOL was just scrolling down looking for these comments.
@Trantor The Troll All microchips eventually fail. What difference does it make when it fails?
17:13 - "The bigger the glob, the better the job!" Ah, another student of the Louis Rossmann school of soldering!
I thought that was the AvE school of welding.
Very glad you're still making these video's, especially when it comes to retro consoles. Thanks for the content!
Amazing work! And a beautiful final project!
So he's the Cousin LGR never knew he had.
i was really getting LGR vibes.awesome.much respect to both of them.hail to the king baby!
I was thinking the exact same thing! would not be surprised if they were related somehow
"What's the difference between Pac Man and Ms Pac Man...really"?
" Well she has a bow on her head"....
Ahhh, good old Wayne's world reference
Wayne's world ....... party time ... excellent {Guitar noises }. God i loved the 80's. And the 90' s were even better lol
Ms pacman moves faster.
Beside the bow, Ms. Pacman has a gameplay element missing in pacman, if I remember correctly, as long as you eat dots, the ghosts don't chase you... so you have to clear the board strategically.
IS THAT IT? GET RIGHT OUT OF TOWN!
Ben this is absolutly fantastic!! Incredible work, you can really see how much youve refined your craft over the years and just how the tools availible nowadays can help make such a polished project a reality. Seriously great work, looks fantastic. Not sure about the tripple thick look but it should last a few hefty gaming sessions
loved it, great effort in bringing The Atari 2600 back to new life. lovely project looks great.
"Everytime a human has an operation, they're alive...Whats the difference?"
The human brain has no HDD but runs solely on RAM. You turn it off and back on again, it can't find the god damn boot sector.
Man, it takes me an hour every morning to find the boot sector.
Sometimes it has trouble even coming back from sleep mode.
Disabled my watch dog timer...now I can do whatever I want.
It stores quite a bit with synaptic connections.
The tension in this video is amazing lol I had to see it finished! I'd love to know how long this iteration took (not counting the preamble)
If he just doesn’t make such stupid generic jokes,then he could make his portible atari 2600 look a million times better.
@@johneygd It's been a year since I watched it so I honestly can't remember. I do remember him having a North American accent and pronouncing 'solder' as 'sodder'
I remember you from the old internets. You an OG Ben- inspired whole generations, literally two decades, of modders, hackers, designers and engineers. Thanks duder! ✨☮️💟🕉✨
You have come a long way in quality, this one is not really even a hack. Great job.
I've had this design in my head from the day i held my first Game boy. Thanks Ben for making it a reality. Question? Is it possible to clone a Janus Chip?
Probably the only realistic route would be an CPLD or FPGA depending on the complexity, but one has to reverse engineer it first which might not be very easy since available documentation seems to be slim to none...
"Paper is cheap, PCBs are expensive": sooooooo true. One day I was etching a PCB by printing it out onto thin paper and putting it under UV light. PCB turned out great until I realized I didn't print it correctly and it was at a wrong scale, just ever so slightly that you wouldn't notice it immediately.
2 hours down the drain and a not so happy evening 8/
I just bumped into this video. Wow, wow, wow. This is an amazing project! I love that the carts fit flush in the back. I wish this was something I could buy!
Looks beautiful. Nice work Ben!
It's 2019, but somehow you videos always have an 80s vibe
Nice one, that's labour of love!
If someone came up with a large lot of single chip Atari 2600 junior ICs would you go into production? lol
man your channel seems underapreciated, the stuff you do is so interesting and cool!
Atari was my first console as an infant ... seeing this portable makes me feel fuzzy . Love your work
Ave shoutout, Steve1989 shoutout,..... Love it!