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  #1  
Old 02-02-2018, 09:04 PM
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Atari Heavy Sixer Issues.

I picked up the Sears version of a 1977 Atari Heavy Sixer 2600 today and I'm having some problems with it. At first the graphics were hopelessly screwed up and it would drop out if bumped. I cleaned all the contacts, verified I was using a good cartridge and power supply by trying them on my Vader 2600,found out that the transistor by the power switch had cold solder joints and fixed it,and now Pac-Man still looks like this.....help.
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Old 02-02-2018, 10:02 PM
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More broken solder joints. I mean they're like cockroaches - if you see one, that means there's a million more hiding.
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Old 02-02-2018, 10:17 PM
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One of mine is a 6 switch unit. It has socketed chips. It sometimes acted like that till I pulled the chips and sprayed some cleaner in the sockets and re-socketed them...YMMV.
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Old 02-03-2018, 04:37 PM
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I have now pulled all the chips and cleaned the sockets and checked every joint on the board for cold solder. No change.
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Old 02-04-2018, 01:06 AM
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From the blurry picture it almost looks like the image is compressed and repeating vertically. I assume the vertical hold is properly set, right?
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Old 02-04-2018, 02:14 PM
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The colors are wrong and I can't make out anything resembling what it looks like. The tv is not the issue as I tried it with my Vader 2600 and it works fine. Even tried a different cable and I have the same result.
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Old 02-06-2018, 09:25 AM
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Might be a bad TIA chip.

There are only three chips in an Atari, and they're the same between all versions (except the very late 2600jr) The CPU, the RIOT, and the TIA.

Can you hear the game playing at all, or are you getting just a solid tone/sound and the rolling image?

If you have another Atari with socketed chips, just swap one at at time until you find the bad one. But issues like this are usually the TIA, occasionally the RIOT.

-Ian
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Old 02-06-2018, 09:42 PM
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Image isn't actually rolling,it doesn't move,just looks like that or variations thereof. I can occasionally get sounds but they're not what they should be,just various in game tones. I'll have to take a look at the vader 2600 I have to see if the chips are socketed and if they are I'll try swapping them. Also before anyone suspects the cartridge it does this with multiple games (all of which are fine in the other console)
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Old 02-09-2018, 08:58 PM
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Ok, I have new weirdness to report. I swapped the chips one by one into the Vader console to test them and both longer chips had issues. I put the original chipset back in the Vader and it no longer works, made sure the chips we're in the right spot etc. So I try putting the Vader chips in the heavy sixer and it now works but has no sound.
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  #10  
Old 02-11-2018, 07:04 PM
Dude111 Dude111 is offline
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Looks like its not reading the cartridges right..... Do any games work right in it??

Maybe its really dirty.......... I hope you dont give up on her and can get her happy


Good luck!

Last edited by Dude111; 03-08-2018 at 07:54 PM.
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Old 02-11-2018, 08:42 PM
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Keep messing with the chips, contacts probably dirty as hell and not mating well.
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Old 03-19-2018, 09:30 PM
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I have no idea whats up with it but at this point I have surgically cleaned every contact in it and it plays great aside from a loud hum laid over the audio.
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  #13  
Old 03-21-2018, 12:24 AM
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The main filter cap is failing/has failed if you're getting a loud hum. Try paralleling another cap of suitable voltage over it and at least 1000uf and see if the hum goes away. Also possible your voltage regulator isn't working right, double check that it's actually putting out clean 5V

-Ian
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