Atari 7800 AV & Power Mods with No Case Cutting - PAL Mod and Test!

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This video is sponsored by www.PCBWay.com! - Join me as we do a variety of useful modifications on the Atari 7800 PAL console. We will install a Deluxe Composite Mod kit from TheFutureWas8Bit.com as well as recapping, slot cleaning, modifying the power jack and following up with some test gameplay! We do this in a reversible way wit no cutting, drilling or board damage. The original components have been saved so they are reinstatable in the future should it be desired.
I had a few little blunders here and there and have left them in so that perhaps others can avoid making the same mistakes that I have.
🤞 PLEASE HELP MARK FIXES STUFF SURVIVE 🏆: Due to "The Event" my livelihood vanished in a puff of smoke. If you can spare some change to help support the channel it is really appreciated and even the smallest pledge goes a long way in helping make more content and feed my cats (and children). Visit / markfixesstuff for more info about Patreon Benefits!
Deluxe Composite Mod Kit: www.thefuturewas8bit.com/shop...
Simoniz Black Plastic Restorer: amzn.to/3jrGjRD
Oil used on the aluminium Strip: amzn.to/3zAPJQk
Hookup wire used: amzn.to/2V4GJEg
#retrogaming #atari #atari7800

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3 сен 2021

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Комментарии : 104

@theannoyedmrfloyd3998 2 года назад

Curt Vendel was in charge of a group on Facebook working on a 7800 Expansion unit, but sadly he died a year ago. I don't know how complete the project was but I hope something comes out after so many people paid for it.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I was very sad to learn of Curt's passing. I'm not sure who has the skills to take the project on now I'm afraid.

@antn537 2 года назад

Mark does his best Bob Ross impression - happy little clouds, err I mean Atari…

@OtreblaMaslab 2 года назад

Since I've somehow ended up with hundreds of Micro USB cables over the years, I now cut one of those up and pull out the individual wires to scavenge wire. Saves me buying it 😂

@rjonzun5828 2 года назад

Your attention to detail is mahvelous.

@aner_bda 2 года назад

Was going to comment about connecting red to negative on the header, but decided to wait to see if there was a reason, and there was. 😁

@DumbBunny5328 25 дней назад

Important thing to note about the 6.8k resistor. On earlier (ntsc with the expansion port) board revisions the TIA audio is still somewhat loud but adding a 6.8k resistor will make it almost totally inaudible.

@MarkFixesStuff 24 дня назад

Thank you for information :)

@MrLurchsThings 3 месяца назад

Glad this video is up as TFW8Bit's instructions pages are missing :D

@matthewsmith4574 2 года назад

Thanks Mark - inspired me to fix my 7800 with a TFW8b mod I bought 3 years ago today. Actually works very nicely 🙂

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Great to hear!

@carledwards9477 2 года назад

I always wanted a 7800 - it just seemed like an amazing console. Watching you improve something like this is a pleasure Mark! Thank you!

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Many thanks!

@GORF_EMPIRE 2 года назад

You must have a later version of the 7800....mine came with an Asteroids 7800 cart. I bought the system on clearance for 5 dollars US and bought out all the carts they had left for 25 cents each. All brand new in their boxes at Toys R Us back in the 90's. A job well done as always.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

The PAL versions had the built in game. The US release was meant to have Pole Position II built in but for some "business reason" it never happened and they put the carts in instead. Thanks for watching mate :)

@GORF_EMPIRE 2 года назад

@@MarkFixesStuff The pleasure is mine but yeah.. I keep forgetting you are across the pond xD

@Paul29Esx 2 года назад

Good video. I go with the Tynemouth way of using an upsidedown barrell connector for the power socket though

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I did similar on the NTSC version video a while back!

@Four_X 2 года назад

Loved it Mark. Excellent Mods for the Atari 7800.

@talideon 2 года назад

I'm sure you gave the undercarriage a good buffing too! 😁

@farerse 2 года назад

Another great video, you really took care of that dirty slot!

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I buffed it good.

@chriscrossan8034 2 года назад

Another corking video, cheers for doing what you do Mark!

@andychicago8295 2 года назад

Now I want one! :) Great video!

@fabianfarina2208 2 года назад

I love watching you fixing stuff 😊

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Thanks Fabian! That makes me realy happy to hear!

@DadLadsGaming 2 года назад

That was really good mate 👍🏻👍🏻

@TheSocialGamer 2 года назад

Stunningly lovely !

@skjerk 2 года назад

"I remove this with a blunt tool" - poking a pointy fork in there :-D - Love it!

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Hey... that’s a curved pointy fork!

@andypyne 2 года назад

Great music selection for the first 19mins particularly. Excellent video as always and a shout out to Terry and Dave who could definitely take Duke Sigmund Igthor in a fight, unlike those imposter namesake gummi bears 👊

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Glad you enjoyed it. The Gummy Crew don't waste their energy "bouncing here and there and everywhere", and just put the boot in. They could also give Cyril Sneer a good kicking.

@frankowalker4662 2 года назад

So, the power input socket. with a bit of tugging it will come off ? Handy hint. It looks like new. Brilliant.

@RonHelton 2 года назад

Yes, Galaga is one of my favorites as well. Nice mod. The console looks brand new now.

@CaptSpeirsB744 2 года назад

Nice job. There is double sided mounting tape that would be much better fit. The mounting tape I'm referring to is used on high performance R/C Helis' servos. Also a mention that red typically means + power, however, I believe in England the positive side is grounded like my '74 Jag was. Carry on then.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Got a link??

@gokh666 2 года назад

Thanks for the tips.

@bobbus_74 2 года назад

Another top notch video there Mark. I really need to do this to my 7800 actually.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

The 7800 deserves to be played!!

@bobbus_74 2 года назад

@@MarkFixesStuff I do play it, just with an RF connection at the moment. I feel an upgrade coming on.

@TzOk 2 года назад

I'd suggest adding some transil (TVS) in parallel with the PSU connector, to protect against reverse polarity and overvoltage.

@BottIsNotABot 2 года назад

Looks stunning Mark. Think you may have just made me add a 7800 to my wish-list......

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Go for it!

@cadburybunny 2 года назад

RE: The Crimp tool ... try it without wires and give it a REAL GOOD squeeze and see if it double clicks. I had one that was stubborn as a mule just like yours, till I just got mad and squeezed it as hard as possible till it double-clicked. Now it works perfect.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I'll give it a got, although I suspect the crimper is just "poo".

@houseoftheted637 2 года назад

The 7800 is a fine looking console 😎👍

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

It really was. Understated and refined looking IMHO.

@houseoftheted637 2 года назад

@@MarkFixesStuff I think it's the best looking console of that generation.

@NigelDraycott 2 года назад

The 2600's woodgrain 70's design makes way to the futuristic 80's looking black and chrome case

@PMCRetroGamer 2 года назад

Another fab video as usual. Glad to be a patron supporter 👍💯

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Thanks for your support mate!!!!

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Thanks for your support mate!!!!

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Thanks for your support mate!!!!

@davidretrogamesplayedbadly3533 2 года назад

Never owned an Atari, it's a system I keep considering picking up but it's probably just another rabbit hole. I've been told on many occasions my tool is too small ☹️. That looks soooooo shiny now 🥰 Nice mods matey 👍.

@pwissink1 2 года назад

Good and entertaining video Mark. Now time for a Philips Videopac mod and restoration 😅

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

We have a G7000 somewhere

@SMlFFY85 2 года назад

My ratched crimper is next to useless too, ended up getting Engineer PA-21 connector pliers to do the job properly.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Ohhh... have a link to that?

@NotFalco 2 года назад

You can get a closer look at Mark’s bag over on his patreon

@Squeetube 2 года назад

This has got to be one of the latest 7800 boards I’ve ever seen (32nd week of 1993)

@martinevans1206 2 года назад

More sexual innuendo than every Carry On film combined - Oh matron!

@heikoschunemann1572 2 года назад

Hi Mark, you have to use the crimping-tool the other way round, then it will work in the first try. Maybe you can use the smaller part too.

@XDR1977 2 года назад

I thought you were captured in the RMC.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Don't tell Neil that I escaped....

@d2factotum 2 года назад

I'm pretty sure the TIA chip in the 2600 wouldn't have been able to do wireframe graphics--that's why the 2600 version of Asteroids went for the filled-in approach as well.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Funny because in my mind I thought the wireframe stuff would be easier to render. I’m guessing that the graphics can’t be filled polygons then.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

(I know nothing about programming)

@d2factotum 2 года назад

@@MarkFixesStuff It's because of the way the TIA works in the 2600. The entire console had only 128 bytes of RAM, so they couldn't have a nice bitmapped display that you could draw lines on--instead, the TIA had a "playfield", a couple of mobile objects, and a "ball" that had to be set up on every line of the display by the CPU. This is why the 2600 version of Pac-Man was famously terrible, the programmer didn't have enough objects available to render all four ghosts at the same time so they flickered like crazy.

@junkdata6242 2 года назад

I don't wanna nitpick... But I kind of do. That nice ridged IC you're referring to as a Fairchild is actually a Fujitsu chip, isn't it? I recognize the style from a Fujitsu made 8088 I have kicking around.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I think you're right. I thought I recognised the F logo as the Fairchild style, but looking at it now I reckon you are on the money!

@preferredimage 2 года назад

16:10 Polarity! edit, nevermind....

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

It was a trap!!

@thegreatjonzini 2 года назад

Looks really great! Is there a way of converting this to 60hz /pal 60? Simple change of a crystal maybe?

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Not that simply I am afraid. It would mean quite a lot of changes. Definitely easier to import one of the US 7800 units.

@LeftyLabs 2 года назад

You should really test Ballblazer, Commando or one of the many POKEY-enhanced homebrew carts to ensure you’ve got the CARTRIDGE AUDIO balanced properly. The “correct” way to do this is to lift the TIA and CARTRIDGE AUDIO resistors and tie them together at the output to preserve the stock balance, or if keeping RF intact, add another pair of resistors at the base of each audio line, then tie the new resistor outputs together. Ballblazer is by far the more common of the POKEY games, but it only uses POKEY sound, so not easy to judge proper balance with that cart alone. Commando uses POKEY for audio and TIA for percussion and gun sounds during play. If one sound source is too loud compared to the other, you know you need to add a resistor or change values to get the right balance.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Hey Herb!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this up. It's pretty much where I was headed, so to see it so concisely explained is really helpful. Since I recorded this video (last month!) I have managed to chase down a boxed PAL BallBlazer, but as you say it's hard to balance the POKEY and TIA with that cart so I have been looking for Commando. We more accurately I've been looking for Commando that doesn't cost a massive amount of money. I think when I have that cart I might have to revisit this and do the sound balancing as you described. Thanks again, I'm very grateful for the info!

@LeftyLabs 2 года назад

If you can source or borrow one of the multi carts (an old Cuttle Cart 2 or Mateos Cart, or a new Concerto or Dragonfly Cart), all of them support adding a POKEY chip into the cart to play POKEY enabled .A78 format binaries. I have both - the compatibility is greater with DragonFly but it requires its own external power supply, and you have to select and load ROMs via a small two-line LCD on the cart itself. The Concerto is more user-friendly but has some console/game combo incompatibilities which have been tough for the developer to completely iron out.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

@@LeftyLabs I was looking at the Dragonfly last night actually. That might make more sense than scouring ebay. Hmmmm... Next pay day maybe.

@matthewsmith4574 2 года назад

I'm involved in the 7800 community at AtariAge and definitely the Dragonfly is a great pickup for Pal users. Plenty of pokey enhanced games coming along as well but the YM feature is probably not required ATM.

@LeftyLabs 2 года назад

@@matthewsmith4574 Bad news - Rafal, the creator of the Dragonfly, posted on AtariAge just the other day that the worldwide chip shortage has affected him too and currently Dragonfly carts are not available to order. That’s a darn shame, but exactly why I bought one as soon as I had a chance last year. I missed out on the earlier Mateos Cart a few years ago by waiting.

@ronaldlipphardt5573 2 года назад

Awesome Video !!! Where Do I Get The Power Mod Kit Which I Can Not Find In Your Links ?

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

I just bought a socket online... I really should try and find some more.

@xtraOhrdiNAIR 2 года назад

Hey Mark, at minute 22:00 didn‘t you solder the wrong side together ? looks like that side is already bridged by the mainboard itself and the other side needs to bridge ?

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

That's definitely the right end. I see that it does look a bit like they are connected on the board but they are definitely seperate. Schematics are here actually. atariage.com/7800/archives/schematics_pal/Schematic_7800_PAL_High.html

@005AGIMA 2 года назад

Once again you've made me want a 7800. Cleaned up that thing looks fantastic, and playing both 2600 and 7800 titles (which let's be honest, do look heaps better) surely it's the one to get? On another note this is pure filth lol. I keep saying people should try different size tips but no-body listens. Sometimes you just need a bigger one to get the job done.

@Gameboy_1992 7 дней назад

Amk. Once done, always done. No reversing.

@CASFAN Год назад

A great video Mark. I've just done this mod and it seemed to go well. I've hooked it all up though and can't get the Atari 7800 signal to sync. It's there, but is just in B&W and scrolls. The Atari 2600 games play really well though with full sound and a crisp stable image. I realise that this vid is a good year old, but if you (or anyone else) happens to read this, I would appreciate any help.

@MarkFixesStuff Год назад

Thanks Graham! Always love to hear from people!

@CASFAN Год назад

Thanks Mark, any idea what may be causing my sync issues with just the 7800 games?

@MarkFixesStuff Год назад

@@CASFAN ah missed that. There’s a colour pot for the 7800 colours in the middle of the board that might need a slight tweak. That might sort the scrolling out too. The video output for the 7800 games is separated from the 2600

@CASFAN Год назад

@@MarkFixesStuff thanks Mark, I gave that a slight tweak (I believe it’s R42 that deals with the 7800) but no joy. Maybe it needs a bit more. There was no 7800 sound either, but the 2600 had full sound.

@robertsissco2439 2 года назад

I need to buy a desoldering gun. I had to remove a dead PLA and sus SID chip from a C64 board yesterday, and it took forever using a manual sucker. I need my sucking to be quicker and automatic.

@loganjorgensen 2 года назад

Not that I think reversible mods are bad but I kind of wonder why one would go back to RF now, maybe if I brought my 7800 into a time machine and wanted to play with it on a TV from the past? Think I'd just tell the people that even in their time better AV is possible. ^_^ Power mod will be appreciated by anyone in the future trying to use it, nothing stops people dead in their tracks like "What kind of port is this?", where they usually just discard the console entirely. Stark contrast, Jaguar can use a GEN/MD Model-1 PSU. The original 7800 power port plastic is very thin and soft like it was designed to fail with time lol. O_o??? Definitely gotten the Composite kits down to a good price point, won't break the bank. 7800 RGB mods are still not quite ready for mass use but would like to see you give S-Video a try. ;)

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

Because in 100 years the antique expert will say “shame it’s not original” so I want it to be able to be reinstated for preservation purposes.

@loganjorgensen 2 года назад

@@MarkFixesStuff Lol I see, you're probably right about that. Antique dealers see patina, I just see rust & corrosion.

@MarkFixesStuff 2 года назад

@@loganjorgensen in the UK there is a program called Antiques Roadshow and the “experts” on that are always saying “if only it hadn’t been restored” lol