Ben Heck’s Super Soldered Atari 2600

[@nathangek]

I miss the "BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!" :(

[@felixhultman184]

+PNathan Regrettable acting my ass, that was epic.

[@izzc2506]

Saaaaaaaaaame

[@lowkeyamv7262]

+PNathan dude yes

[@nathangek]

+Michał Sopa the intro at 1:30 or so from the "star wars Christmas special"

[@ZakkBlog]

+PNathan maybe my above comment was filtered because i linked to the video, but it's from the "Hacking the Zombie Apocalypse" episode :) was definitely one of the funnier episodes i've seen lol

[@muh1h1]

i am very happy to see Felix more and more infront of the camera, he did make some GREAT progress regarding that!

[@felixhultman184]

+muh1h1 "This week on the Ben Heck Show, we will make a thing." *Makes thing* "So here's what we made, see you all next week." These are my hopes and dreams.

[@RaveYoda]

Yaaay Felix! We need more of him on camera!

[@uriituw]

I love seeing the MOS logo!

[@paulgascoigne5343]

it's always fascinating seeing how small you can make old tech, even build full systems with a few chips, some wire and a few components. There's something quite thrilling about it, even though I type this on a quad core 1.2ghz cell phone, it's somewhat amazing to see an atari the same size.

[@wattage]

This was a very relaxing and educational episode. Lots of great soldering tips from the Heck, who's done it once or twice.

[@JgHaverty]

Soldering is 20% skill, 80% art. Anyone "can solder" but getting nice, clean, solid joints is definitely an art form. Thanks ben! haha

[@tookitogo]

Soldering is definitely a skill, one Ben isn't great at. Wire routing, on the other hand, is an art, and Ben's work is just gorgeous!!

[@JgHaverty]

+Antonio Tejada And you're definitely an idiot! That soldering was perfect and very clean.

[@tookitogo]

+JgHaverty LOL nah, I just know what I'm talking about. His joints have far too much solder - the solder fillets are supposed to be concave. (And if you look at other comments here, you'll see many people saying the same thing.)

[@spacedudejr]

ladies, ladies, you're both idiots.

[@bcsuda]

Oh man! I seriously can't wait for Felix's episode! That sounds like an awesome project and I am looking forward to finding out if he is a musician. I actually didn't know. He's so full of surprises! Enjoy your vacation, Ben.

[@casiothestrong]

This is by far my favourite BenHeck episode to date! Excellent video that taught me some new soldering techniques. :D

[@johnnyg5237]

i just wanted to say thank you so much for your inspiring videos ben heck and your team i have watched almost everyone of your videos and i got into console hacking after many attempted fails #nevergiveup you guys have inspired me to go to school for electronic engineering. your videos always seem to peak my interest and give me more determination to trouble shoot my projects and push myself further in school. im sure you hear this often but whole heartedly youve changed my life thank you

[@theacematt2]

AHHH I JUST REALIZED HER SHIRT WAS A TRENT/DARIA SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!! ............ that's so cool (and i'm not sure how many other viewers will note it, but, i felt compelled to mention it). Also -- your solder / wiring work is very impressive. Thank you for this video.

[@gionder]

I basically have zero idea what he's talking about when he explains what the parts do, but I find this amazing to watch. The closest I get to this is the eventual soldering a household power wire when I'm changing a socket or something. Still, you can tell the man knows his stuff

[@demoscenes]

Now, this segment was excellent! Really gave lots of ideas for a newbie solderer like myself. Also an interesting project :-) Thanks Ben you rock!

[@iCach0]

New music? Loved it. Excellent idea for an episode BTW! When it comes to soldering I can use all the help I can get.

[@torpedo35]

Very good episode. Happy to watch circuits built from scratch anywhere , anytime..

[@Masonly2]

Production quality has upped a lot since I last watched (Which is a while ago), Congrats, Ben!

[@MrGrandeBestia]

What's the backing music in the hypnotic sequence starting at 17:20?

[@keithbk]

Just curious, when creating your own project like this with Atari chips, how easy would it be to include optional peripherals like the components of the Starpath Supercharger?

[@DiyintheGhetto]

Hello Where can i find a schematic and parts list to make my own?I found a lot online but Not really on what i need or how to do it correctly?

[@element14presents]

We post the files we have to github. You can find them by episode here. bit.ly/2dcULuo

[@DiyintheGhetto]

Thank you Ben i always wanted to make one Ever sense i got my 2600 :)

[@tmcdon4ld]

Thanks, I have been soldering and running bodge wires for a long time, but I learned a lot from watching you build this. Now I just need to find something as ambitious as building a perf board Atari 2600.

[@yodal_]

Finally, the intro was changed! If I had to hear "How can we make this portable?" and "Batten down the hatches!" again, I think I would have gone insane.

[@luisrene1387]

Does someone know what is the gauge of those wires?

[@mdytmhgd]

Thank you for completing that solder joint @3:55. I was beginning to get shaky when I see stuff like that.

[@FrankMakesStuff]

Another awesome video! definitely harkens back to some older TBHS episodes that featured the assembly process a little more prominently than some later episodes.

[@aaroNiGHTS]

The bloopers are even better with the close up on the circuit playing.

[@jesuishalil]

Here's an idea for you Ben, when soldering the wire with your method(by smelting the outer tubing) you can verify a good bond by have a multimeter in continuity mode attached to your soldering iron's frame and the wire you are currently soldering.

[@MrToontownforever]

For some strange reason this is extremely soothing/calming

[@zaidhussain5206]

Hi Ben, Thank you for sharing , did you publish the schematic diagram ?

[@chestergeo]

There are diagrams here: github.com/thebenheckshow/226-tbhs-Super-Soldered-Atari-2600 , and docs/Schematic_Atari2600_2000.png seems to be the main diagram (can someone confirm?), but I'm not sure how much of it was actually used (it seems to be a diagram for the original console). I wish to reproduce this on solderless protoboard, but I'm still struggling to figure out a materials list from there (electronics is not my super strong skill). If anyone could figure that out it would be great.

[@zaidhussain5206]

Thank you so much , I will check it .

[@lotec25]

Is there a link for how he wired this? And what pieces he used?

[@atraxr603]

That's some nice soldering!

[@benadams6332]

Be careful with that "excess solder on tip whip on the floor" action. One day you will wear shorts, it is not pleasant, speaking from experience.

[@vomKuckucksfelsen]

+Alfred Stampe everyone needs to make this experience :D

[@calirific3503]

It is not super bad. Got solder one time on my arm. It immediately solidifies (due to cold skin) and then drops to the floor or whatever. No burns.

[@ocpud2999]

My dad is an engineer one day I was 6 at the time he had solder on floor guess who stepped on solder? Yep that hurt lol.

[@Relaxingmusic-zm8ef]

He's been modding for 16 years, that's something! I'm just watching the dream cast mod and it's a fair amount of work! I just look at this guy and think, wow - well done Ben :D Inspirational

[@PixelOutlaw]

Good to see some nice pefboard work. Too many people used huge blobs of solder to make tracks rather than simply use small wire.

[@AmitNohria]

which type of wire you used for jumping the connections?

[@tekrat]

The 6532 ICs (RIOT chip) came in 1 MHz and 2 MHz versions. Which did the Atari 2600 use? Would there be any difference in performance if you substituted on for the other in a 2600?

[@Azure-88]

I'd love to have a complete guide to make an Atari 2600 using new, widely available components. Tried to find one already written on google with no luck. Also I loved this video, very satisfying to watch the electronic 'sewing' and hear you explain the details of what you're doing.

[@briansegarra9312]

yeah I really want to see that

[@casperhito]

the guitar vid is going to be awesome!

[@AleksandrMotsjonov]

so, I missed it. What type of wire does he uses for these purposes exactly?

[@TanjoGalbi]

+Aleksandr Motsjonov He called it his "fine wire" But he used single stranded wire (referred to as solid strand in his caption @7:15) so it's less flexible, keeps its shape/position better and no stray strands to cause shorts.

[@knapsttub]

Early in the video Ben mentioned handedness when soldering and I realized I prefer to heat components with my left hand while feeding solder with my right. I'm right-handed. Is this unusual or is it fairly common when soldering? I feel I have more control feeding solder with my right hand. I dunno. Just wondering if I'm a weirdo or if other do this too.

[@brandon-butler]

I'm so happy to see you do a project I suggested a while back :)

[@willproctor7301]

It's not sodering or soldering, when it's done like this, it's art.

[@pratherat]

I bought a Haako soldering iron tip cleaner, and have never gone back to the sponge. It does a great job. Also, with the cost of custom printed circuit boards dropping like crazy, all you need is about a week and a half of patience to do away with all the fiddly wiring.

[@innerteapot]

Love the updated intro sequence 👍 Of course the old one was great too. It's nice to have a change 😎

[@JadarDev]

Don't you need some sort of ROM for the CPU to start executing? Or is that all on the cartridge?

[@chtps3]

Best EPISODE not extreme builds but a lot of behind the scenes work and technics. Moreover Felix will give us a great episode because even Ben need vacations. Might look like human but even androids need some days of in order to upgrade themselves! haha

[@JB-kh7vg]

great video that is gonna be my next project. but what kind of wire do you use? i am using wirewrap wire and just solder with that only the isolationisme doesn't go away by heat as you told tour wire did

[@maker_karen1785]

+jonathan beibier Ben found an hold ribbon cable and pulled off each strand to reuse it. It was 30AWG.

[@dummybugs4019]

Hello there Can you fix my fluke 179 , for some reason the display missing ,

[@mtbevins]

It is art watching Ben solder. Looking forward to Felix's Guitar project.

[@TemporalOnline]

Whenever I try to do the same, it does not matter what heat iron or solder or how much is the tin to lead ratio more or less conductor, mine always goes awry at some point is like the solder does not flow or the iron does not heat or something and I can't pinpoint WHY? WHY MY SOLDER IS ALWAYS WRONG?

[@tookitogo]

+TemporalOnline Try adding additional flux, such as with a flux pen. (Get rosin flux.)

[@BrodyPetree_Thegamer_123]

Can I use any old surface mount capacitor?

[@TheTurnipKing]

17:02 What might be a better idea would be to add a socket, and solder to the socket rather than directly to the chip, since it leaves the chip unmolested if you suspect you may want to remove it later. Of course, that adds vertical height, so it's a trade-off.

[@0xbenedikt]

Indeed I thought the same

[@Meow_YT]

Why do the E14 adverts have to have stupidly over-the-top gain to their volume? Had to halve the volume when it came on

[@Pawelism]

This was great to watch! What gauge of wire did you use for the 'tiny wire'? I also thought it was neat that each piece of Ben-made hardware has a custom signature in the form of your hot glue fingerprint holding down the wires.

[@eclipsemn8806]

this is really cool because I know exactly what you were saying about everything because we learned all of this stuff in my college classes with the oscilloscopes and "and, or, not, xor gates". it's really interesting and cool stuff to learn and to play around with.

[@mauryginsberg7720]

FANTASTIC! More 8-bit please? With links to Machine code/Assembly too would be great!

[@bzboii]

this channel needs WAYY more subs

[@Dejotaerre]

The proyect it's fine.... but... no sockets for the chips at all?

[@DogRox]

That was killer! I do a lot of that kind of work making my Arduino shields from scratch, although I don't use SMDs. I don't know if I can handle them right yet that's just too fine of a work for me :-) but I like to know what kind of solid wire that was used because I'm using that fine wire from IDE ribbon cables, it stranded and hard to work with. Nice work, Ben!! :-)

[@allluckyseven]

Good episode. Neat soldering and arrangement of the wires, but also nice background music and animation. EDIT: It appears that you lost the font for the end warning card. When you fix it, could you please fix the _("element14)"_ bit, swapping the last parenthesis with the quote character?

[@Sexyorange100]

Ben hair is only 50% loaded

[@sprybug]

I thought about doing this. How long did it take overall?

[@Douglie007]

where do you get the Atari 2600 cart port?

[@00Klingon]

+Doug Plummer (douglie007) I believe one source is old computers. I think the old 5 1/4 floppy drive connectors are compatible with the cartridge pins.

[@nzoomed]

I was interested in building a similar 8 bit system built from scratch. very interesting video!

[@anthonyflores524]

An what temp do u use on xbox controler chips so no burns

[@batuhangenc2021]

How did you created those gaps on the wire?

[@GabrielWehrle]

I think it is a problem with my iron's tip, but does anyone know why my soldering iron won't "let go" of the solder? I see Ben's solder flow nicely onto the pcb, but my solder just stays on my iron and won't flow off of it even if I clean it using a wet sponge.

[@user-ue6iv2rd1n]

+Gabriel Wehrle That's normal your tip is fine, if you had a bad tip your solder would ball up or just roll off. Add more heat and flux to whatever your trying to solder too.

[@GabrielWehrle]

+111 111 Thanks! The problem is, my iron is cheap so it doesn't have a temperature gauge. I also have trouble heating up solder as well, so maybe my iron simply isn't hot enough?

[@TheBrokenLife]

+Gabriel Wehrle Are you using large diameter solder? That can cause both problems. By the time you get the big stuff hot enough to melt you'll already have waaay too much on the tip. Buy the thinnest stuff you can find and just pour it on if you need more in an area, It's sold by the pound anyhow, so who cares? Also, you can buy an adjustable range station for about $15. It won't be high quality, but it's better than an equivalent grade non-adjustable iron. I bought a Stahl in that price range just to see how it was and it's surprisingly decent. Way better than the hardware store Weller irons.

[@GabrielWehrle]

+Maxwelhse Hey, Thanks! I am using large diameter solder, because it was cheaper, but I'll try some thinner solder and see how that works out.

[@TheBrokenLife]

Gabriel Wehrle Cool. I hope it works out for you!

[@glennlake1138]

Great video... Your like the Bob Ross of soldering!!

[@Psychlist1972]

That's some blobby solder for sure. Maybe a narrower thickness solder will help you there. Solder joints should be concave, not convex/spherical.

[@Psychlist1972]

+Pete Brown I see you explain it later, to say you want to make sure there's enough. But for folks unfamiliar with soldering, they need to know this isn't a model to follow. I do enjoy your projects, though.

[@SublimatedIce]

Hey Ben, Great video. I was left wondering What kind of solder and flux/resin core do you use? Also, what gauge of wire is the black wire? Thanks again for the great video!

[@buzzbbird]

How about making a circuit board to turn old laptop screens into multi use video screens?

[@tookitogo]

You really can't DIY those, I don't even think you can get those chips at retail. But ebay sells them as finished boards, so you can take the LCD and use it in a project.

[@yves-170]

Whats the substance he's using to keep the wires glued to the board? Also, the part I can never do when atempting this is removing the insulation, is there a better method than 'just use you fingernails'?

[@Novashadow115]

use an xacto knife, teeth, or small toenail clippers.also, he didn't glue the wires down. they are solid steand meaning they retain their shape after being bent and they take alot of force to move

[@yves-170]

Pretty sure he hot glued them down, did you see the whole thing?

[@Novashadow115]

Yves - I did not see hot glue on the wires. I will look again but he did specifically say in the beginning to use solid strand wire so that it keeps its shape

[@yves-170]

They keep their shape but they tend to "spring up" so you have to hold them to the board somehow. See: 16:00

[@Novashadow115]

Yves - Thanks

[@AdrianDerBitschubser]

bob ross of soldering

[@dj505Gaming]

Yup

[@mitchmarvinmartian]

+Adrian Kulisch I was FULLY mesmerized.

[@elvee88]

+Adrian Kulisch Soddering*

[@dj505Gaming]

+Luca Van No, it's spelled soldering, at least here in Canada. There might be a few ways to spell it.

[@elvee88]

***** I was making a cheap predictable joke about how they're pronouncing it.

[@sam113101]

What wire gauge is this? 26 AWG?

[@cyberstar251]

canu try making the old atari 800 computer smaller?

[@560tomas]

Hello from Croatia!Ben I have question for you.. How much hours did you spend on soldering this thing ?

[@SwingingTheDead1]

Stoked for next week!

[@CimandeTube]

Can you please do a video on the SNES mods (region, Htz, led) that are widely known. The current mods are really messy but there is one nice implentation that is really neat. Id like to see how you tackle lifting the pins etc.

[@utzufideli9769]

If there is some circuit diagram ?

[@ggeorge747]

As Adam the Woo would say, "Heck it!" Let's build an Atari!

[@lurkerrekrul]

I know the usual advice is to get an expensive, variable power solder "station", but for someone who just does occasional soldering, what kind of inexpensive iron would you recommend? Years ago, I bought a low-power, fine pointed iron that claimed to be good for electronics, but it's so weak that there is literally only one spot on the tip that will actually melt solder! I usually have to melt the solder onto the tip, then press the blob of melted solder against the connection and hold it there for several seconds. Luckily I'm usually just soldering wires to connectors, so the heat isn't really an issue. It's just a pain in the butt. I can't use desoldering braid because the iron won't get it hot enough to draw in the solder.

[@TheBrokenLife]

+lurkerrekrul You're going to need to define "inexpensive". Under $100? Under $50?

[@TheBrokenLife]

+lurkerrekrul You're going to need to define "inexpensive". Under $100? Under $50?

[@lurkerrekrul]

+Maxwelhse I was thinking under $50 at least. Years ago, my grandfather had an old soldering iron that worked well. It was just a pencil-type iron on a cord with a relatively wide tip, but he never had any problem getting solder to flow. Unfortunately, like most of his tools, it vanished after he died when my grandmother cleaned house.

[@TheBrokenLife]

lurkerrekrul You can get a used Hakko station in that price range and people have nothing but great things to say about them. Or for $100 you can buy a new FX888, which is on my personal wish list. Another option would be a Stahl station. I got one on super sale for like $15 and it's surprisingly decent. www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ssvt-variable-temperature-soldering-station--374-100 Those are my thoughts from $20-$100, I guess.

[@lurkerrekrul]

+Maxwelhse Thanks for the advice. :)

[@emulatorretro]

what ever happened to the case?

[@googleboughtmee]

That looks exactly like when I solder, except here the solder is going where you wanted it to.

[@tookitogo]

+googleboughtmee Use more flux, and heat the components more before bringing in the solder.

[@GenBloodLust]

does any one have a link to that acoustic guitar build? that sounds legit but I cant find it edit I found it no worries

[@proyectosledar]

you need more light

[@bartconinckx]

what kind of wire is that?

[@shadowfoam3491]

Ben. Sir. As a multi-year fan, I believe I have a large enough sample size to make a recommendation: please clear your throat when you expect to speak on camera. The gargle of phlegm audible in nearly every episode makes for a tough listening experience. Aside from that, please keep doin' what you're doin'.

[@michaelhodge9902]

Do a tear down video about the senco cordless nailer and ridgid cordless hyperdrive nailer

[@depletionmode]

What Guage solid-core wire are you using?

[@maker_karen1785]

+David Kaplan 30 AWG.

[@Indigofrost]

i know this video is old, but could you guys do this for the nes or gameboy?

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Just starting up the episode…but…wouldn't you want to solder sockets? That's a very popular mod to do to existing 2600 PCBs by the fans in the community. Obviously makes it much easier to replace defective chips like the RIOT or TIA if they eventually fail.

[@NakatsuHime]

I ended up watching this for the soldering technique - which I totally lack. Also, the iron I use currently has a pointed tip, so that doesn't help. Luckily, I have tons of old-fashioned lead-based solder, which is much much better than the modern stuff. I really need to get my skills up to speed before I dissemble my DX7s synth to change its backup battery, that is hard-soldered to the PCB. Thanks Yamaha for making this an easy task !

[@tookitogo]

Yeah, I hate conical tips too. Chisel or bevel tips are the way to go! (And a drag soldering tip, which has a little well to grab solder. Freaking amazing even for other things.) Good leaded solder is still available. I use Kester 63/37 with 44/66 flux core (3% rosin core) in a few different thicknesses, which you can get on Amazon. MG Chemicals solder is also very good. Multicore brand is supposed to be awesome, too, but I've never tried it.

[@kieferonline]

This is a very useful video! It's good to see some nuances of how soldering is done. These pieces are so tiny.

[@tookitogo]

+kieferonline Hah, not even close. This is as un-nuanced as you can get in soldering. Ben does great wire routing and overall design, but his soldering is really bad. (And none of the components he used are especially small. Most new components are much smaller.)

[@kieferonline]

Well, he's the best--among those who also post soldering videos to KZbin. I'd definitely like to see better examples, if you have a suggestion.

[@tookitogo]

+kieferonline Look for the tutorials from Pace and EEVblog.

[@dandantheman165]

hello I was wondering if you can make a custom keyboard for gaming the reason why I'm asking just because my hand stumble over the keys so I play a lot of Battlefield lot of game from Steam but I play on my laptop but I will be getting PC soon so having a custom keyboard .

[@BunnyFett]

Extreme soldering video, love it.

[@intel386DX]

This is awesome, can you share the schematics?

[@stevencarter7999]

what solder do you use in general.

[@SladderBux]

+steven carter I was about to post the same question...

[@_BenJaminCroft_]

It would be really cool if you show how to reball a CPU. For example the infamous yellow light of death fix for the PS3 or the red circle of death for the xbox 360. It would be awsome to show how to do that!

[@AdykT1]

I second this

[@tschak909]

People with ASMR are _loving_ this.

[@Magic-Enlightenment]

Do you have the schematic for this cut down interface?

[@Magic-Enlightenment]

+theHeckwithKaren Hello, Thanks for the information but one important piece of information is missing. The complete schematic and the layout of the "Super Soldered Atari 2600" components for the Atari perfboard. I would like to have ago at reproducing this. The bus soldering for the data and address bus I can follow from the video. But there is not enough information to figure out what the SMDs are (values and locations) and other components plus where you connected them etc. Also how you wire up the controller / video / audio and buttons etc

[@chestergeo]

Chris, did you see github.com/thebenheckshow/226-tbhs-Super-Soldered-Atari-2600 ? It seems to be it (in particular the docs/Schematic_Atari2600_2000.png file), but I can't figure several of the components, and whether this was the diagram used or just inspiration from the original Atari...

[@Magic-Enlightenment]

This is one of the official Atari 2600 schematics. Which has been downloaded from here atariage.com/2600/archives/schematics/index.html Ben has not gone into any detail about the circuit he used. :-(

[@chestergeo]

Yeah, thought so. I really wish we had information on that, it would be really helpful. Thanks for replying.

[@chestergeo]

Ok, so I decided to dive into the diagram, and it wasn't *that* hard to figure out most parts (as an amateur, this guide helped me with some of the symbols: learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-read-a-schematic). Also, this page has it divided in logical functions: kevtris.org/2600/2600schemo.html - it helped me figure out that the "a-f" triangles were NOT ports from a 4050 logical inverter chip (notably absent from the 4-switch diagram, aka "sheet 2" on AtariAge).

[@wallacelang1374]

I found it interesting to see Ben Heck doing a Super Solder on the Atari 2600 three main chips, but my big question is "what is Ben intending to make out of this device?"