Welcome to Atari & 80s consoles. This board covers the pioneers of home gaming: the Atari 2600, 5200 and 7800, the ColecoVision, Intellivision, Vectrex, Magnavox Odyssey and Odyssey 2, and the other cartridge consoles of that era. Collecting, playing, repairing and the surprisingly lively homebrew scene all belong here.
What belongs here
• Atari 2600, 5200 and 7800 hardware, games and accessories
• ColecoVision, Intellivision, Vectrex, Odyssey and similar systems
• Joysticks, paddles, keypads and controller repairs
• Video mods such as composite and S-Video upgrades
• Flashcarts and multicarts for your own collection
• New homebrew games for these systems
What doesn't
• Atari computers such as the ST and the 8-bit line: Vintage computers
• The Atari Jaguar and Lynx, Neo Geo, PC Engine and other cult systems: Neo Geo, PC Engine & cult consoles
• Emulating these systems on modern hardware: PC emulation or Android emulation
• Shell yellowing and deep cleaning: Restoration & retrobrite
How to ask so people can help
1. The console and its model or revision
2. Your region and how it is connected to your display
3. What happens, in as much detail as you can
4. Photos of the board, controller or cartridge contacts
5. What you have already tried
Starter knowledge
• Many of these consoles only output RF. Modern TVs can struggle with it, so a composite mod or a CRT often gives much better results.
• Paddle jitter is usually a dirty or worn potentiometer. Cleaning or replacing it often fixes it.
• Dirty cartridge contacts cause most loading problems. Clean them gently with isopropyl alcohol and let them dry fully before inserting.
• Old power supplies can be unreliable. Check the voltage and polarity before swapping in a replacement.
• The Vectrex has a built-in CRT. The safety note below applies.
Safety
The Vectrex screen is a CRT and can hold a dangerous charge even when unplugged. Never open it unless you know how to discharge it safely; otherwise leave internal work to someone who does. Unplug every console before opening it.
The rules
KZE welcomes homebrew and preservation talk, never piracy. Do not link, share or request ROMs, BIOS files or firmware, and do not ask where to find them. Dump your own cartridges. Homebrew shared by its authors is welcome. No malware, no selling consoles or games and no paid services.
The general house rules apply: be kind, English only (posts in other languages are translated automatically), no spam, no keyboard mashing and no self-promotion spam. Use Report on anything that breaks the rules. This thread is locked, so start your own thread here to ask or share.
Dexter
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