New Portable in Progress...

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:55 am

Hello all. I've been here for a while now, generally I just lurk, read, lurk some more, and then go away for a while. I finally decided to dive into really trying to figure out how to make a portable (nearly 3 years or so after I bought Ben's book).

So here I am trying to figure out a few things.
Questions I have:

When cutting the 4 switch to a 4X4 section, I was wondering the following: On the top portion (above the cart connector) is it safe to trim all of the way to the cart connector? If I did, are there traces or leads that you can mess up, need to reconnect, etc etc?

I'll have more questions later I suppose, but that is it for now.

I'll keep progress reports on here as well.

Take care

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:59 am

the atari board has no hidden traces. Check if you're cutting off anything, and if you're not, you should be fine.

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:42 am

Next set of questions:
I'm using basically two refrence points. (sometimes three....)
The main ones: Ben's Book and this link here: http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=1148

When following the directions on Ben's site (link above). There is a difference as to how the video out is obtained from the book, and the one that is shown on the forums. Note... the video output on the forums have wires going to the following pins: 2, 5, 7, 8 The book has everything going to 2, 5, 6, 7 So... I wired everything up to reflect what is shown on the website... When I flick the power switch I wired (in between the positive of the battery to the unregulated pin on the 7805) I get noise on the TV. Kind of the same type of noise you would hear if you were 'frying' the atari 2600 (turning the power switch on and off quickly).

Interesting enough: The ground wires are a bit strange as well. they are a tad different then the book (the ones that you have to connect after hacking the board into a 4X4 to make it work again).

And... the +5V portion/location is different as well. Also... the Video Circuit Chroma is different. It appears to be two leads down from what the online portion shows.

Lots of differences from the website how to and Ben's book.
Just trying to sort things out I guess.

Any ideas? I will try to post some pictures later on. my soldering is fairly clean, everything looks pretty nice. I made some really looooong wires to things like the 7805, to the battery terminals, etc etc. I did that mainly to have room to move things around into my case once it is complete. Main part: I'm trying to get this video/audio to work on the batteries. Then I'll add the screen and whatnot. The controls, I'm not worried about. That's the easy part.

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retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:46 am

Oh... and a battery question as well.

How would I wire the batteries if I have them kind of like in the same holder the Atari Lynx uses? I am removing the Lynx battery area and using it... or I'd like to that is.

3 double As all facing the same way on top of 3 double As all facing the oppisite direction.

--+ --+ --+
+-- +-- +--

Very crude... but like the above

Tibia · Post by **Tibia** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:14 pm

I just did this mod myself, but on a full-sized Atari board.

When you connected the audio, did you clip that center lead of the transistor? I don't know if it was in the book, but it's on the how-to on-line. Look at the Step 2, type B picture. When I snipped that, my audio worked perfectly.

As to the battery connection, wire the positives and negatives together. That vertical bar on the left is also a wire. Once you have that, the positive and negative terminals on the right will be your positive and negative leads going to the unit.

|--+ = --+ = --+
|+-- = +-- = +--

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:02 pm

I didn't do that mod. I went to radio shack and had limited time because I needed a coffee (Starbucks has its priorities in the circle of life). So I didn't dig through the resistors there.

I found my cord for the camera... so here are a few pictures.

I can't get a real clear shot of the entire thing. so I broke it up in sections.

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116720
First attempt... trying to correct a few things

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116721
Scrapped the first and restarted on a new 2600 board. (I've got 15 or so 2600 boards I can go through if I need to LOL

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116722
Close up of the bottom right-hand side of the board.
(connected to pins 2, 5, 7, 8

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116723
This is the left hand side of the board (bottom)
Close up again...

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116724
This is the top left hand side of the board. (Eventually the place where I tie-in the Select and Reset wires)

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.ph ... &id=116725
If cutting too close to the edge of the cart connector is a problem, this is the area I am concerned with. Someone check out the otherside of the board. there are two things (res caps... ) that concern me. It is possible my problem is right here. Not really sure though.

If you notice, I have only connected the wires that require audio/video out... and then connected the wires that are needed to get the 4X4 to work. I haven't connected the controls, as I'm not concerned with those. they tend to be the easiest part of all of this. I'll get that AFTER I can fix this part.
I also have a Casio Model EV-660B that I will be using. Ready to go on that as well... just waiting to get past this hurdle and I'm about to restart again on a new board. LOL

(all of the other essentials are connected as well. The 7805... the batteries... the CTP, the new circuit board created for the video out... etc etc)

Notice the first board is the type requiring the extra chip. the one I am working on right now does not.

Got any tips, advice, see any issues, please let me know.

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:04 pm

not sure why the pics don't show up. just copy and paste I guess..

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:48 pm

any suggestions?

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:47 pm

Anyone have any help for me? Anything would be appreciated

Tibia · Post by **Tibia** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:13 pm

Is it still the audio noise that is your problem?

It also doesn't really matter exactly what AV mod you're using. You're connecting your audio line to a different spot, so that same transistor leg will need to be snipped anyway. Have you tried that yet?

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:24 pm

Nope... I haven't done that. Audio isn't a huge problem. Granted I'm not getting any audio, but there is not any video.

I have no real reason to even think I did my 4x4 hack correctly. Nothing is working yet.

I can't seem to figure out the problem. The step by step says to do it one way... and yet later in the step by step... it shows something different (for example look at point C on the board. It is the ground strip on the bottom. Except later on it is the blob that covers three pins right above the ground. Not sure what the heck is going on.

Tibia · Post by **Tibia** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:42 pm

I haven't done that mod myself, but I think I see where you're getting confused with the multiple point "C"s.

That first point C really is the ground, and point B of the color potentiometer really will get connected to that. I'm not really understanding what that "C chroma" point gets connected to. It looks like it's just attached to the "S Sync" line, but that doesn't make sense to me. I connected straight to the TIA pins without doing that step, and I got an image. Can you undo that connection and see if that gives you a picture?

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:27 pm

look at the first pic of the 4x4 board in the step by step guide.
It states that C is the ground strip on the bottom of the board.

Then if you scroll down and look at how it is connected, the 'c' moved upwards to the three spots that are right above the strip. Not sure how it is supposed to be connected. The first way it shows you... or the second.

If someone can possibly post detailed pictures like mine... it would help out a lot

retrodelee · Post by **retrodelee** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:10 pm

hmm... new suspect after looking at this a bit more.

my 'E' point.
Can someone check if that is right? I have a feeling that it is not.

Tibia · Post by **Tibia** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:54 pm

My camera's elsewhere, as are all my Ataris. I can't post pics.

Those c's are two different things. They do NOT get connected together. Treat those two pictures as entirely separate steps.

Your "E" connection looks fine to me.