Normally this would be a small "About" page to describe what the heck this project is all about, but in this case the simple statement at the beginning "I want to play pong on my TV in 2021" sums it up perfectly.
But the thing is, this project has really meandered all over the place to the point where it's a bit schizophrenic. I like to tell projects as chronologic stories but between the endless testing, retesting, and rabbit holes, this is just not going to be that type of project or page.
So instead I'll try and organize the sections by topic so you can ignore the process and just read the results and repurpose this page to more of a "history of the journey".
How we got here
So how did this really go chronologically?
So yes what started it really was the purchase of the "Atari Flashback Blast" and the disappointment on how bad it was.
Then I tracked down the old Atari 2600 from my parents to my brother and "borrowed" it from him. Unfortunately it didn't work but Laura thought she could get her family Atari 2600 from her parents which she did but that also didn't work. Then followed a couple of days of trying all of the combinations of the two systems with different power adapters, joysticks, and cartridges to confirm. And of course a hefty rabbit hole of trying to figure out how to actually connect these to a modern TV with me finally finding the Atari to Coaxial Adaptor. While it was interesting learning how these systems connected to TV before AV inputs were standardized, it was difficult to keep on track with the final result being that I actually just wanted to play some old Atari 2600 games.
As a last chance I started looking at Ebay to see if anyone had working units and did find a bunch for sale between $60-$80. The problem being is that I would still need a converter and due to the difference in old CRT Tv's and modern LCD Tv's it would never look quite right. I then stumbled upon the RetronN 77 which seemed to be everything I was looking for.
The RetronN 77 was a modern console running Linux with an Atari emulator. It had remakes of the Atari Joystick, but would also work with original joysticks and paddles. It would even work with original cartridges to give that classic tactile feel. And it did/does work, but not quite out of the box.
But first a diversion into "how to buy an Atari 2600 cartridge in 2021". The answer is that it's surprisingly easy. There are multiple internet stores specializing in selling nostalgia like Estarland and Dkoldies. I eventually purchased specific cartridges I wanted from both of these stores but I would only recommend this for those that you already know you want and are hard to find. What I did for the majority of the cartridges I purchased them in lots from Ebay. If you just need a bunch of cartridges to use with your new toy, the Ebay is the place to go where you can regularly find a "Lot of 35 " for about $35. A great way to get a bunch to start playing with. Yea, not all are going to be great, but you have to start somewhere and this is a great way to do so.
And unfortunately this is also why the RetronN 77 is a product that only shines with a bit of work. At it's hear this console is really just a computer running Linux and running the Stella emulator. Which is fine but it just was not tweaked to work perfectly with the rest of the hardware. Just as the old Atari hardware took some shortcuts and got "creative" in some implementation the Stella Emulator has some programming to work around such to get older games to play. The version of the emulator on the RetronN 77 out of the box, is just not optimized to work. Which would be the end except that the user base is a bunch of nerds that fixed the issues and has a way to download a better version on your Stella. While not that complicated as it all runs from an SD card, it is not "Mom and Dad" friendly. But hey, at this point none of this is friendly for anyone not tech savvy.
As a side note, the entire page about Atari 2600 Chips is from this. I had thought that the chips must have some how "gone bad" so I started taking them apart just to get some value from the purchases and seeing where it led. While It was interesting and I learned a lot I now know that all of them were most likely fine and would have played if I had only updated the RetronN software.
And now finally, you would think I could finally play pong, and you would be wrong.
So while the console, cartridges, and joystick all worked, paddles did not.
At this point, I just wanted to play some games so I just ignored all of the games that required paddles, downloaded all 590 or so Roms and just started actually playing games which was the whole point in the first place. Unfortunately only about 1 in 30 is actually worth playing and it ended up being more of a draining experience than actually fun. I think the grind of this kept me from a proper write up of the games I did find. It also kept that nagging issue of wanting to play PONG that started this entire project left undone.
So back to that paddles thing.
First lets buy a couple of sets of paddles from Ebay in case ours are just broken. Nope. After purchasing 2 more sets none of them seem to work so it's time for more research and off to the internet for a deep dive.
The short answer is that Atari paddles and most all dial type control knobs for electronics work using "Potentiometers". A fancy way of describing a control where two circular plates rub against each other and give a current relative to how they are twisted. The problem with the Atari potentiometers and in fact all potentiometers is rust. In order to work you need a small amount of exposed metal to make a contact. Over time, this rusts and corrodes and no longer makes a good contact. On the Atari 2600 this is visible in a paddle controller that jumps around from full on to full off or is incredibly jerky. These connectors can be fixed but the weeds are getting rather high now.
12-28-2023