Trying to FIX a Broken Atari 2600 Video Games Console

Hi, in this video I attempt to fix an Atari 2600 purchased faulty from eBay. It has no power.

If you have an interesting 'non returnable' item for a 'trying to fix' video then my PO box is:

PO Box 2597
WATFORD
WD18 1HT
UK

Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[jamiefors]

Can remember creeping down on Christmas morning and opening the corner of the wrapping and seeing our dad got me and my brother this, god that was 1978 when it came out, spent all day playing combat, so many great memories, I remember space invaders, if you turned the console on and off really quick, you got double years on and I still have it and it’s in great working order.

Nice find buddy, well done 👍

[dawn]

I used to play this with my brother. We spent hours sat on the living room carpet infront of the TV trying to blow each others tanks. Great fun, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[bengtgronlund]

"Combat" was my brothers and my favorite Atari 2600 game. We got it when it was just released. Our oldest brother, that worked as a sailor and earned quite som cash created a point system for us to earn the console. If we went to the store buying cigarettes for him we got some points and if we served him coffe we got points for that to. We could also get minus points. Anyway, eventually we hade earned enough points and he purchased the console and we had a blast with it, my brother and I. We later purchased a Atari 600XL, a Commedore 128, and alsa a Atari 520ST, and suddenly my dad aquired a PC 8088 in 1986. That led me in to PC, and today I have been working as a computer professional for 35 years, and I have been working with all Microsoft operating systems, and what led me to this path was an Atari 2600 in 1978-79. Thank you for your video!

[woollysoxx]

I used to work for mastercare in the eighties and repaired these when they were under warranty! Can’t recall much of what faults we had but I do recall a cartridge called SALT stand alone test, basically told you what chip to replace!

[OrderoftheWarlocks]

had mine fail out of the blue the other month and it was the exact problem. Touched up the solder joints and she's golden

[sebastian]

Most AC powered devices can be powered by a DC adapter. If there is a FULL bridge rectifier inside, then it will work with any polarity of DC (Center positive or negative) but if inside is only a diode as rectifier, then only one polarity will work. However, no damage can occur.
Keep in mind that will be loses on the diodes (some 1.2 to 1.5V)so DC voltage must be somewhat bigger than the AC required. For a 9V AC followed by a 7805 I will still use a 9 to 12V DC adapter.
Edit: Obviously this Atari seems to have one diode rectifier followed by the capacitor and the 7805. If so, it will need a certain polarity on the input power jack (center positive) because the ground is on the outer contact. But I don`t see the diode so I think it was meant to be powered by DC.
I would change the capacitor however, just because its age and add a diode for protection.
I had many Atari clones in the 90s that died on CPU or crystal failures, even the ROM was not readable on one of them They were the clones "9999... in one" some with the connector for cartridge. All of them had the real chips, except two later revisions that had the ROM on small PCBs (COB) that were soldered on the main board; those had not the cartridge connector.
I modded an big old B&W TV by putting inside such a board and have it running games by pushing a button on channel selector (channel 3 on VHF I thing it was); the game was always powered up.

[arokh]

YouTube algorithm wins again for showing me this channel. A family friend's Atari 2600 was my introduction to gaming, way back in the early 80s. Pitfall and Pole Position were my favourite games back then. I also can't get over the size of those traces, you can drive a semi along them haha.

[jpfyntik]

Just hooked up my original 1983 Atari 2600 (4 switch), and about 40 games, after 35 years of storage in the original box. I hooked it up, gave it the ole blowout, put in some games, and played with my 5 and 7 year old boys. She ran flawlessly as she did back then. It brought back many memories of my childhood when life was much simpler. I miss my mother dearly, and i can remember sometimes how she would holler at us for sitting in the house, playing Atari.

[victorvarsanyi]

Seeing that Atari 2600 brings back many fond memories of my childhood. Back in the day, we used to take polaroids of the TV and send them in to Atari or the game manufacturers and get patches and things for high scores.

[jasonmuller]

Great job i get so excited when someone gets an old console working again, a lil bit of solder and now another Atari gets a new life

[TheCodr]

Great stuff Vince. I have an Atari myself which I might get around to trying to fix one day lol

[lemonherb]

I remember as a kid I tripped over the power cord a few times. I imagine I wasn't the only one and that kind of stress could be one of the causes of the power jack breaking free.

That said, the soldering job on these Atari's are generally terrible and often they just don't use enough solder so it doesn't take much force to break the joints

[DEmma]

Blast from the past. Good memories from my childhood with this. Youth of today wouldnt understand how this was a game changer of its time

[XLAND]

I wish we could post pictures in the comments. I graduated Coleman College for Computer Repair in 1993. We all received a 386 Computers but Pentium was already out. I became an Auto Mechanic as a Career. The repair training has been a tremendous help in doing repairs that most can not perform. A few years ago, I was cleaning out my Parent's Attic and found our 2600. Of course, no power. Took it to my Shop one Saturday and tore it down. Had to disassemble the Power Switch to clean for the power issue, took them all apart for giggles. Works flawlessly. Kind of weird to play on a 50".... Now the great part. I tore into it on October 28th.... The little quality control receipt for it's build date; October Exactly 35 years to the day.... LOL

[marccarter]

My first and only gaming console. I got an Atari PC the following Christmas, been a PC gamer ever since. You could not write basic code on those, which was all the rage back then. The 2600 put me off of consoles for life lol! I had the black plastic one! Great show as always

[ricardoandrade]

Cool video. The Atari2600 was my very first game console...a lot of nostalgia upon seeing the video.

[jamesdavies]

Devices that are powered by AC power bricks can be powered with DC power bricks without issue, just not vice versa. It will still just pass through the rectifier circuit just fine.

[cybernigel]

That is quite an interesting atari vcs as it has the cut outs in the top for the speakers that never were. You can see them in the video when you remove the top cover at 6:05.

[stuartmcphillie]

Love it, Vince. Takes me back to being a kid. First serious console my brother and I owned.

[MrEvilWasp]

Wow so many memories flooding back with that tank game. The noises alone made me smile big time.

Peace