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  #1  
Old 01-28-2017, 06:23 PM
crt89 crt89 is offline
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Smelly Atari equipment

I have an Atari 400 and a 2600 and both have a weird smell to them. I have taken them apart and they are clean inside and out. I wiped them down, but they still have a bit of a stink. The 400 is a chemically smell but the 2600 is just bad, especially the cartridges. I have them packed in a plastic container and when I open it I can smell it strongly.

It's odd because my Nintendo NESs and Super NES don't smell that way.

I am wondering if the plastic is giving off an odor.
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  #2  
Old 01-28-2017, 08:17 PM
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We used to seal up smelly sets in a bag for a week with activated charcoal, bought bulk. Any remaining smells, and they got the ammonia treatment - not for wood or paper (speakers), but effective on glass, plastic and circuit boards...

Smelly wood cabinets got an inside coat of B-I-N Shellac sealer, an old tip from a furniture-maker. Yes, even the burnt-socks-oh-my-this-flyback-going-up-in-flames-smell goes away with the shellac sealer.

Some adhesives deteriorate to pretty bad smelling stuff, as does some open-cell foam. I can't offer a solution there, 'cept replacement.
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Old 01-28-2017, 08:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crt89 View Post
I am wondering if the plastic is giving off an odor.
Honestly, I doubt that. Unless they've been stored in hot temperatures (like an attic) and even then, very recently. You sure it's not just cigarette smoke smell? I've worked on stinky computers before that were owned by stinky people.

And more importantly, are they stinking when powered on? Or just sitting around?

Open one up and look.
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Old 01-29-2017, 02:00 PM
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init4fun init4fun is offline
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http://dwarmstr.blogspot.com/2013/02...les-stink.html

If you read this link it may offer a possible answer . Over the years I have encountered plastic that smells like Barf exactly as this article states , and so I know this is for real . What originally sent me searching for this was the fact that I have a really nice set of TV/radio alignment tools that if kept in a tightly sealed toolbox will knock your socks off if you take a whiff when it's first opened . My solution was to just leave them open sitting on the bench in a giant old coffee mug , and not being sealed lets the stink blend in with and get lost in all the other smells in the garage .
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Old 02-02-2017, 11:57 AM
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Another thing that works, quite often: Dryer Fabric Softner Sheets, scented.
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Old 02-14-2017, 06:26 PM
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Perhaps keeping them sealed in that container is causing it. Could be some kind of chemical reaction from the stagnant air.

I brought home a nice office chair that had been sitting in a smoky garage for who knows how long. It reeked of smoke even after cleaning. I've had it for two weeks and I can barely detect anything now, even when sniffing the upholstery directly. However, I'm still going to refer to it as "Old Smoky".

I've read good things about that BIN sealer though. It would be especially useful following what I'll call a redneck Retobrite treatment. I've heard of a few having success using just Oxiclean and water. Use double the maximum amount of cleaner called for, immerse object and boom, done.

Last edited by Jon A.; 02-14-2017 at 07:34 PM.
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Old 02-17-2017, 07:28 PM
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Try Fabrese.
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  #8  
Old 03-08-2017, 12:26 PM
centralradio centralradio is offline
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I left old smelly cig smoke TV sets outside under a tarp for a couple of months and the smell was almost gone.Clean the sets with Lysol and Windex and they were fine.
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Old 03-16-2017, 05:54 PM
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I picked up a 20 year old package of wood chisels from granddad's tools, it's a flexible clear plastic carry bag type thing, and it stinks like old cheese. Now come to think of it, I had some old ass plastic welding goggles that smelled exactly the same. I had assumed they were stored with something stinky. With those, I scrubbed the living crap out of them in hot water and soap, and the smell is only barely noticeable when under your nose, now.

I guess some plastics just stink as they degrade. It's probably the actual plasitcizer slowly evaporating. The more you know.
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Old 03-17-2017, 01:32 PM
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Those tool handles are made from Cellulose Acetate Butyrate. It's a tough plastic but stinky just like the protective screens on Predicta TVs and many old TV knobs.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/bleec...om-my-toolbox/
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  #11  
Old 01-14-2020, 07:28 PM
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demy1942 demy1942 is offline
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Guys, I have about 30 cartridges and a 2600. One joystick doesn't work etc, some games iffy, anything to do with it for cleaning?
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Old 01-14-2020, 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by demy1942 View Post
Guys, I have about 30 cartridges and a 2600. One joystick doesn't work etc, some games iffy, anything to do with it for cleaning?
I doubt cleaning would help much. Probably all dirty contacts and electronic problems like that.
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