Open Cart Surgery - Spy Hunter for Atari 2600
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- Опубліковано 5 кві 2018
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Sega used glob tops as well as Mattel and I think US Games also did this due to it being cheaper but Activision and Atari as well as Imagic used regular chips and ceramic caps.
update did a little more research on this and found new information that Atari and most of the major game companies did indeed use glob tops but for various reasons.
for example in years leading up to Atari's demise as cost cutting measure they used them as a quick prototype before commiting to acutal rom chips used in production carts.
while other companies used them in the very early years of their runs to make games cheaper before later switching to the more standard rom chip format.
and thats it for that I guess, I am always learning new stuff all the time.
John, really enjoy your channel. You’re so grounded and seem to genuinely be into gaming and gaming history. Keep up the good work
What I use to clean the contacts on 2600 games is a mixture of Rubbing Alcohol and maybe 20% mixture of GLAD cleaning spray mixed into it because that actually removes way more grime than normal rubbing alcohol without being too abrasive. I use GLAD cleaning spray on a soft sponge or microfiber clothe to clean the exterior of the cartridge. I use a black furniture marker to color in any noticeable tears on the labels (If its black) and by the end, it looks amazing and works perfect.
@JohnRiggs the black blob is epoxy used to secure wire bonds for a silicon die. companies tend to use this "black blob" for ICs that they didn't mass produce. unfortunately if you are 100% sure it's the black blob that is causing the issue it would be impossible to fix. I would double check traces and anything else that might be on the board to be sure.
Finally some Atari love! Nice attempt here, John.
Glad your 2600 still lives, at least! I'll look forward to you potentially revisiting this one.
I found a way to add a DC blocking circuit to let the 2600 use automatic switch boxes.
Usually you lay something flat while using a heat gun. And unfortunately, Atari 2600 games are simply made, so when it stops working there's not much you can do. The ROM is fried.
Two of my 2600 games got fried recently. I tried re soldering and cleaning the cart and I thought the chip was fried and I guess I have an answer now. At least it was just space invaders and surround
John, it may not be the case for all 2600s, but the cable isn’t actually hardwired on my light sixer. When you open it up, the other end is the same as the one you showed and can be directly unplugged. I recently had to replace that cable because the external end got ripped off in storage. I actually bought another light sixer just to steal the cord because it was so cheap.
I use a pencil eraser to clean very old game PCB contacts Like Atari 2600 and find that's very safe and effective. Occasionally the contacts can be heavily tarnished and require a few GENTLE passes with the more abrasive end of a double sided eraser, then scrub some more with the softer rubber end and then finish up with isopropyl alcohol. I try and stay away from metal polishes on old cartridges since the contacts are often already well worn and down to very thin layers of conductive metal and the reactions and residue can be harsh.
So I've watched a lot of this playlist, and I like it a lot! Great job! Also, for the times where you have to board swap from a currently working game, couldn't you preserve the chips you take and label them (if you aren't already) in case you ever have an extra board?
No game should ever die, they should be immortal.
except superman 64
I got a 2600 jr, but the games are filthy, these open cart surgery are the best. Thank you sir.
Wow, seeing that old RF switch brings back memories. It’s hard to believe that we had to hook up a game system by screwing raw wires to the back of a TV.
For God sakes man! Clean up that Atari 2600 VCS!
This is a job for.. The 8-Bit Guy!
We're the same old age, John. 1977 here too.
my friend upgraded the coaxel cable to RCA (red white yellow cables) by getting a simple mod kit for it.Good luck with the game ^_^
John, I play Atari 2600 games on my channel but I never had a chance to play Spy Hunter. Hope you get that system running again soon.
Spy hunter what a great game
John, you look so buff haha!
If it still does not work by now in 2019 :-) try heating it with a SMD solder gun. check also all traces for some cracks or corrosion. If it still does not work after that, try putting it in the fridge for some time, cooling may do wonders inside.
I used a dremel stylo+ (home depot)$45.00 on low setting 2.25 a polishing wheel(with dremel)and some tripoli polishing compound(with dremel) for soft metals buffed all the contacts or pads on the cartridges then got a Fred Meyer Jewelers cleaning cloth(jeweley store) $9.00 used the not so soft cloth to clean off the compound and then the softer cloth to clean it up even better then qtips with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol from Kroger to finish off the pads and my games for my Colecovision and Atari 2600 works like new. I took the boards out of the cartridges to clean them. Well worth it and i was born in 1977 also brother
atari collecting is still pretty good. i got 25 atari games for $1 each at a thrift store that specializes in retro games, and among them were games like Hero, Adventure, pitfall 2, etc. i think Hero is worth like $40 right now and that's more than i payed for the entire lot. people just don't bother to individually price their atari games for whatever reason.
try 90 to 100% acetone nail polish remover to clean the contacts, I also had used some sand paper on one to get it to work
An MTV shirt brings me back. It's a good shirt.
wow nothing beats atari 2600 and a M TV tee shirt
Hell yea I remember playing asteroids and missile command ind 86-87
I will always up vote Open Cart surgery sir! You are doing great work sir! I never miss an episode.
When i opened up my Atari 2600 I was able to easily just replace the RF cable as it wasn't really hardwired in. It was just connected to the input inside the system. I have the PAL version so maybe it's a little bit different
I've taken apart and fixed many US NTSC VCSes, of different revisions, and the RF cable is not ever hardwired. And on the 2600Jr, it's not even connected inside the case, but rather there's an RF out jack on the outside.
I’ve had good results with just inserting the game and turning the atari on even if you don’t get a signal. Leave it on for a few minutes and most of the time after a few more tries it begins to work. Of all the cartridges I own only one has not responded to this. See if that helps. The last game I tried that with was Porky’s!
Do you know why that is? Also does that work with NES games. I have had a few that sputtered to some degree of life after a similar wait.
I don't know why that happens. I imagine electricity has to go through the whole circuit of the game like trying to give life to Frankenstein's monster but most of the time it works! Same goes to nes, snes, N64 game cartridges. Now that I think about it I have never had to to this to Sega Genesis carts! weird!
Man, I had an Atari 2600 and tons of games but, I was so jealous and wanted an nes.
Atari 2600 systems are damn near bulletproof. My original one still works like the day I got it, and I can't remember actually seeing one that didn't work simply due to age.
John, I love your shirt!
I also have a dead copy of Berzerk (which I never bothered with since I already had a working one) and I have a copy of Circus Atari that the screen rolls (think messed up vert/horz on CRTs with analog control).
Classic history lessons on the antenna hook up / AV, you probably blew some millenial's mind. Awesome job never seen inside an Atari game. Keep up the great work on open cart surgery , its my favorite informative go to for my NES.
Did you check to see if the board has a solid connection to the pins where the system reads the game. I had one cart that had a broken pathway, fix the path and the game worked. Love a Mario Cart 64 for free!
Love an open cart surgery.
Forgot about those little coax adapters! Time to break out the Atari =)
Heating the glob top is not like reflowing solder. Lol.
How do you open the skinnier style 2600 cartridges like Frogs n Flies? There are two tabs that look like they can be pushed down to open but using some brute force doesn't seem to work.
the problem with those kind of chips is: you can use heat on them but if it works its only partial and then it craps itself up
The doctor is in the gaming house.
Usually even a bad shape 2600 game will show something on the screen. I doesn't even look like the cart is responding at all to the 2600 console :(
BTW: Thanks for doing a 2600 game. They are very near and dear to my heart and what I collect and I've wondered how you would handle one. Acutally I have to Chopper Commands I was eventually planning on sending you lol.
Yay, I was a 77 baby too!!!
Soon buff!
I used a box just like that for my Master System and Sega Genesis back in the day. It was not good.
Maybe if you tried scrubing it with a toothbrush and bright boy something may happen? Just a suggestion.
That title just cracked me up...lmfao
I approve of this level of beardiness.
I'm just lazy. I need to shave.
You said Ready Player One....it was worth watching
Did you ever get it to work?
That's a shame. Can you burn a 2600 eprom? I've found so many 2600 cartridges at thrift stores and flea markets that were in terrible shape, but they played fine after a good cleaning.
I have a Pack-man cart that doesn't work, hope there is a way to fix!
Dude, you look like my good neighbor next door, but younger.
Atari Spy Hunter exists and I don’t own it? Gotta fix that right now!
Prepare to fork out some money. lol
I’m prepared. But maybe not prepared enough...
Hi john hope you have a good day on the 13th April ( happy birthday )
Oh yeah going way back Atari 2600 now were talking . I hope Atari come's out with a new console.
I would say you download the rom and write it to an eprom from a cart that is just the chip
Maybe a busted trace ?
Did you try blowing on it?
... ok, all joking aside. My guess is that the ROM chip is fried (if you can't see any damage on the board). There isn't much going on with those games, only so many things it could be.
That game can't be worth that much... (Checks eBay)... Holy crap, you weren't kidding! I know I picked that game up years ago for probably 99 cents.
Dang bro! That VCS needs cleaning!
Clean the board with alcohol and q- tips. Allow 5 minutes to dry.
My trouble is I can't open my Ms Pacman game. It does not have screws. It has some sort of notched -- in the middle right under the Ms. Pacman herself on the label. There is a circle wire in there. If I make the computer board thing come out like it would when inserted in the cosole -- and I wiggle everything, I can get it half open but the back end WILL NOT LET GO. Its really hard to do even this. I would have to break it to get it open. When I stop playing with it, let the computer insert thingy go back in, the thing reseals itself! I have lost the progress I made. There are four indents on the backend (took the sticker off) and it looks like you need some sort of key to get them unlocked similiar to how they would get cassettees out of that cumbersome plastic anti-theft thing years ago. Remember them?
Well I am stumped. Anyone got suggestions? I just want to clean it when I get it open.
Brite Boi is ma boi.
Any relation to Robert Z'Dar?
i hope you can fix it
Did you try putting it in rice
realsama It doesnt work that way sarcastic child.
😂😂😂
👍👍
Toy with not putting it into the slot as far as you typically would?
The epoxy takes about 117 to melt. My guess is that the traces from that microblob wouldn’t withstand it. Good try
So I know this is 2 years old so I'm praying to the all mighty donkey kong gods you read this lol. May I ask what the 2600 looking game on the wall is? I can only make out the word fantasy on it. As a collector myself I don't recognize it. Is it an actual game?
So thumbs up the video before you even watch it :D
The majority of Atari games use dil chips, pity you couldn't get it working :(
Use a pencil eraser, I had a game that was like that for the Atari 2600 and I saw a video that said to use a pencil eraser and it worked edit: if nothing came off the cartridge with brite boy it’s not fixable
Ah... Thats not a common game, quite rare. Please do not ruin the label. I've restored a few cartridges without opening them up.
look at the precision milling, and vias wow that silk mask is outstanding, omg they shrunk the ROM by 3/4 holy smokes. looks like it was made in the 2010's or later, such an advancement good on you Sega, can't wait for the year 2010 and see what outstanding things Sega has achieved probably world dominated AI robots. . congrats wasting time on non vintage internals AKA. Chinese ripoff. get a pcb, chip and burn new rom. done. case and label maybe real of forged. probably the later.
Hey John big fan. With that being said i have a 2600 task for you. Its one of the more sought after horror games. Ive gotten it open and the board out. Please message me if you could please help me out.
He's dead Jim.
Hey dude your my age cool
Please clean your console. Your Atari will cry.
unfortunately Atari games are the one chip and some traces. There's not much else that can be done.
Not sure why someone felt the need to do a thumbs down. I guess every group has one. And yes you know what I mean by that just being nice.
Have never seen a glob top 2600 ROM before, there could be a high chance thats a fake ROM.
I don't know that a hairdryer would reflow solder. Perhaps try a toaster oven?
I've heard people use a lighter, too.
It takes about 435 degrees to reflow solder directly on the problem area and a blow dryer wont do that. As for the oven if you can get it to the right temp and you leave it sit longer than 20-30 seconds your going to damage the board. Louis Rossman did a video about this with LinusTechTips a while ago.
Atari a dead video game Company what a great finally to their consoles the Atari Jaguar
man...learn how to repair the boards....all you do is clean the pins......we all know how to do that
What's with the crappy 12 fps framerate? Are you seriously using a 10 year old webcam to shoot your videos?! Come on man, get yourself a decent camera and shoot your videos at 30 fps (or 60 fps if you want to keep up with the big boys). I couldn't take more than 30 seconds of this video before I had to stop watching.