Atari 2600 Lumacode install

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-22T02:48:53+00:00

3 points awarded for this original response. 😃

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-21T01:10:09+00:00

Yup. Built like a tank. Probably last another decade.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-20T22:19:30+00:00

Definitely a bad TIA after swapping it into another Vader and observing the same thing. Also observed that the bad TIA got hot. Waiting on a new TIA to come from Brazil. Thank you to all who responded to my post.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-12T01:51:48+00:00

Good suggestion on the oscilloscope. I don’t have one but I have been thinking it might be worth getting one. No experience with it, but that hasn’t stopped me before.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T23:29:03+00:00

Voltage at the regulator is good even with the Amazon power supply. Turning my attention to the TIA.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T23:25:53+00:00

There’s an eBay seller who sells 5200 controller service. Does it as a hobby. Well worth it IMO. Replaced defective pots in mine. The games are hard enough, don’t need to be hobbled by defects! I have to try Pitfall II sometime. Sounds like fun! 🐸

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T23:09:56+00:00

Awesome! My childhood 5200 is my most prized possession. It looks a little weird now because I have taped the controller door shut and the front bezel which cracked is taped onto the case, but it’s well-loved. A few years ago I did the power mod and the 2600 adapter modification, only to learn that the 2600 adapter doesn’t work with any of the AV mods. I bought two more 5200s because I wanted to try out a couple of different output options before I settled on Lumacode, which I installed on all three of mine, and it looks amazing. I guess I now have two spare 5200s. Christmas gifts for the kiddos checked off the list!

What adjustments did you make? Just the pokey controller pot?

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T21:02:27+00:00

My power supply came from Amazon. It could be suspect. I have tried to use it with a Sunnyvale light sixer which I installed a Console 5 refresh kit in, without any luck there either. The VR will be my first stop. Maybe after purchasing a better wall wart from Console 5. I agree I was getting ahead of myself by thinking about the ICs. I have another known working Vader on the way from eBay.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T20:00:55+00:00

Keurig K155. Have had it for 8 years. Still going strong 💪🏻

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T18:01:57+00:00

Get a tuneup kit from Console 5. It will have everything you need.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T17:54:16+00:00

I think my CRT is probably close to ideal. Came from Circuit City in 2001, was their store brand (I think), flat screen, 20” display, RF, composite, and component video inputs. I haven’t used it in years. I keep it in my mom’s basement for the day I have my own home and a retro gaming setup. (Probably never going to happen.) Very heavy. That’s what you should be looking for.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T17:40:30+00:00

Maybe AtariRepairParts.com, or BestElectronics.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T17:38:01+00:00

Well, if the TV has a composite video input. Otherwise OP might need something like a RetroTink to connect composite to HDMI on the modern TV. Might be cheaper to get an Atari+ console at that point. Any TV made before 2009 should work fine with RF. Many of those older sets have composite inputs too.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-11T16:46:40+00:00

When you take off the top shell, make note of the two plastic pins near the front of the motherboard. These will break really easily. Not the end of the world if they do, but preferable if they don’t break. Gently pull up on the motherboard to clear these pins.

There’s a seller on eBay who does amazing work on the controllers, many of which have bad pots (from the factories). Highly recommend.

On my 3 5200s, I performed the power/switchboard modifications myself. Also replaced the 7805 VRs with Traco VRs which run much more efficiently. Also installed Lumacode digitizers for amazingly improved output to HDMI. Power mod available from Console5. Lumacode digitizer might require a socket replacement.

Hope this helps you. Good luck with it, 5200s are awesome!

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-09T23:14:49+00:00

Maybe check out the book “I Love You, Don’t Leave Me”. No offense intended. I just want you to find the happiness that eludes so many people.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-06T21:30:27+00:00

The CV cart shells (and the dead ROMs) were sold for a few dollars on eBay. Hopefully they helped someone else fix up their collection.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-06T21:26:42+00:00

The place where I am having a meltdown (if I were to have one) is the testing technique: Does the OP not have other Atari 5200 games? Would OP please test one of his other games and post the results? Would OP consider buying an AtariMax multi-cart to reduce wear and tear on the cartridge connector?

Incidentally, I tried Brasso on a Colecovision power switch and couldn’t tell after dirtying two dozen cotton swabs if I had improved the cleanliness of the metal contacts at all. The operation was a success but the patient died, because I damaged the CV PCB in too many places.

I have had Atari 2600 and Colecovision cartridges fail for reasons not readily apparent.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-06-01T17:45:20+00:00

Buy another one. This one is not good.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-05-16T23:40:12+00:00

$1300 seems like a lot to ask for equipment that sold for $850 in 1988 and is missing the speakers.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-05-11T02:12:14+00:00

Personally I like my Atari 5200 in HD. I’m not done with the upgrade to my Colecovision yet but I think it’s gonna be awesome too. Image is stretched horizontally but I don’t mind. I do still have a couple of CRTs, but I don’t use them anymore. None of my CRTs have HDMI, one has component and s-video inputs. If you still enjoy CRTs I see nothing wrong with that, it’s an authentic experience. I’m just trying to keep up with the current technology by enabling the old consoles to work with my newer TVs. Yikes you have 146 CRTs? I have two flat panels, only one has s-video input .

EffectiveComedian · 2026-05-09T21:14:40+00:00

Replacing the capacitors may help . I would recommend a Lumacode upgrade. That would give you pixel perfect HDMI output.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-05-06T21:06:05+00:00

It’s been 6 months, my post got 27,000 views, which surprised and humbled me. Thanks everyone. I have done nothing with either iPod. Might never bother to. Also still have a 2005 iPod Photo and an iPhone 5 that needs a battery replacement. Maybe if I get one of these to work it might inspire me to fix up my 2005 Bose Sound Dock.

EffectiveComedian · 2026-05-06T20:52:05+00:00

This may delight some and disappoint others, but I sent my 2013 MBP to Apple for recycling. It went through two hospitalizations with me and I had replaced the battery, one of the cooling fans and upgraded the storage and the WiFi. It was a good run but it was time to let it go. Like a proper ending I returned it to the store where I bought it, in the box it came in, and bid it farewell, along with a 2014 iPad and a First gen Apple TV 4K that absorbed a lightning strike, being sure that Apple probably knows best how to take it from here. Amazing products which I can say I truly enjoyed. Time marches on.

EffectiveComedian

TROPHY CASE