[MOD] "Stereo-ish" Sound Mod For The Atari VCS/2600

Let's add "Stereo" to the Atari VCS/2600! When you break out the sound channels it's really interesting to discover what you hear from your favorite games. Thanks to pcbway.com for supporting this video!
Victor Trucco's Blog: www.victortrucco.com/Atari/At...
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:00 - Background
06:10 - PCBWay Ad
06:40 - Installing The Mod
10:27 - Testing The Mod
15:47 - Using An Emulator
16:37 - Homebrew Stereo
Music used by permission:
“Fakebit World” by Malmen
/ malmen
Other music from the UA-cam Audio Library
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#Retro #Computers #atari #atari2600

[@RetroHackShack]

I forgot to mention that this mod only works on NTSC versions of the Atari 2600. The PAL version of the TIA chip only has one audio channel pin.

[@wardrich]

Rats, I guess the 2600jr is probably out too, then

[@keithmichael112]

interesting tangent about stereo TV, I had no idea it was introduced that late

[@Chris.Wiley.]

I just got that shirt from Amazon about two weeks ago! Thanks for a great video - love anything to do with the VCS.

[@johneygd]

HOTDAMMIT, that stereo saperation sound is actually freaking awesome,it’s understandible that atari abadoned those stereo speakers for the atari 2600 (it would,ve be very very ahead of it’s time) just in favor for the cheaper mixed down mono rf out,BUT if atari just used a stereo headphone jack output sothat you could optionally listen to stereo sound that way,that would,ve be really freaking cool,becides i didn’t knew that atari 2600 did had enough power to change the stereo direction of sound in accordence to those sprite positions,
Now while the nes does has stereo sound but it cannot be controlled by the cpu,because those soundchannels are internally saperated from each other,had nintendo just thinked forward and just added stereo output,then they could,ve be the first as well to have stereo out,what a misoppertunity from those companies to not add stereo output.

[@RetroHackShack]

I am sure it's not easy to program the sound that way, but it sounds cool in Medieval Meyhem.

[@jasmijndekkers]

Great content. Greetings from Steven from the Netherlands

[@RetroHackShack]

Thank you and welcome to the channel!

[@8Blit]

I was going to cover this topic myself, but I think you did it much better than I ever could!

[@user-yr1uq1qe6y]

This episode made me realize my phone seems smart enough to do the stereo in landscape correctly. Neat!

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

I have a Sears tele-games video console (heavy 6er!) and I am planning on doing the composite video conversion, but I may try putting in two speakers! There’s a simple to use IC amp calked an LM386! Designed to use in such applications! Two of them are very cheap for built in “stereo” on board!

[@Raul_Gajadhar]

So, you'd talked about the built-in rom [game] that would have made for and interesting video. Also Atari is set to release a new, and backwards compatible 2600+ this year [must be the Christmas rush of the 1980's all over again]
But this is you last video on the VCS for the time being? Really?

[@RetroHackShack]

Yeah. I'll have another topic to cover next week.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Also replace the large green film caps with part #MMK5224K100J02L4BULK.

[@barrybear2012]

14:50 it's a wonder they didn't black out the A so it soulful say STEROIDS lol.

[@kaitlyn__L]

It's freaky how disorienting that is, especially given half the time the visual events _are_ on the side of the screen we've been trained to expect to match in stereo. But then the other half they don't match at all! To the point I even look at the wrong side of the screen when the tank explodes or cars pass on the left, because the sounds comes out the right.
Definitely not "stereo", I'd call that dual-mono though. Separating the sound for each player is definitely an interesting conceit too, in theory.

[@infinitecanadian]

How does this even work on a system not designed for stereo.

[@Stocko1234]

Following your steps, as a total novice, I managed to recreate this mod on my PAL model (mono obviously). But I'm disappointed with the results. I have my output connected to the 3.5mm jack on a Majority Bowfell soundbar. The sound does work, but I have to ramp up the volume hugely to hear anything at all, at which point the electrical hum starts to become unbearable. I'm just wondering if I might have wired anything incorrectly, or does just the fact that I can hear something mean it must be ok? My board is different to yours, so I have used C208 for +5v since I can't even see C204. I'm using C202 for ground though. But prior to wiring up the mod, this showed about 4.9v on the meter. But after the mod, it only shows 1.24v. Is this reduction expected?

[@Stocko1234]

Fixed it! Although I knew the PAL chip only outputs mono audio, I'd mis-remembered and thought pins 12 and 13 produced the same audio. I had pin 12 connected, now switched to pin 13 and works great. Although pin 12 is labelled PAL-S, it seems it still outputs some audio, just at a very low level!

[@RetroHackShack]

@Stocko1234 Great!

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

I see you have one resistor as 1k, the other is 10k?

[@JB-js4xi]

Wow...that's something

[@infinitecanadian]

The 8-Bit Guy seems to hate calling the channels 'channels'. What is at 5:29?

[@youtube-ventura]

I love the idea, just sad that you did this on an original heavy six switcher instead of a cheaper model.

[@RetroHackShack]

Look again. 😀