Broken 1986 ATARI 2600 JUNIOR from eBay - Can I Repair it?

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In this video I attempt to fix a 1986 Atari 2600 Junior purchased faulty from eBay. Can this 38 year old console work again? Let's find out
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in these videos.
Many thanks, Vince.

[@Seftdelmer]

"Annoyingly this one's working". Only Vince could say that and mean it.

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

Yea, especially with a 6-switch Woody model.

[@brutlern]

That is trademark Vince.

[@guidomersmann9744]

@@brutlern The real trademark is working on the floor. :D

[@AsmodeusMictian]

Every time I see one of the "old" 2600s in the wood grain case I'm taken instantly back to my early childhood :D

[@BuyitFixit]

I've had that quite a few times too!

[@infernus6278]

That is almost the perfect amount of thermal paste! Steve will be proud

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice Job mate 👍Was one of the first home consoles I ever played on (belonged to be one of my friends from school) back in the 80s. I think you are thinking of Missile Command possibly or centipede, they had trackballs, but Williams defender had a joystick with only up and down and a button for thrust / fire and hyperspace and smart bomb if I remember...

[@BritishVideoGameNerd]

The 2600 Jr. was my first game console I've ever played. Such great memories of this little gem.

[@christof_legend]

Brings back great memories

[@marjon1703]

1:15 " Annoyingly this ones working" 😂😅 Repaired a 2600 Junior three weeks ago. So happy to get it going and play centipede. Neighbours son was happy too as he can play it with his kids too! Another enjoyable vid. Thank you :)

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

Seriously, do a composite video mod on it. It's relatively easy and the kit on aliexpress is cheap. I personally don't use the connectors, though, instead I got a bag of 3-point stereo jacks and fitting composite cables. The antenna output doesn't work anyways anymore after the mod, so I remove the antenna connector and place the stereo jack there, which means that I don't have to cut the case. The picture is way better than with the antenna signal.

[@codebeat4192]

There is also a version of this console with only one chip, the whole Atari on one IC but it is pretty rare. Ben Heck did a video on this to build his portable Atari - "Atari 2600 Junior Single Chip Portable".

[@josephdoiron8376]

My bother and I would have some really heated challenges playing combat. He really didn't like losing and I found it very entertaining to watch him get unhinged!

[@TheCod3r]

*** SPOILER BLOCKER *** Like the video, too!

[@Goombakid808]

I bought one that had those cartridge tabs break off. I ended up using 2 M3 bolts and nuts to fix it. I installed the M3 bolts from under the cartridge slot. I put the bolts through the center cartridge slot as far to the side of the slot as possible. I used M3 nuts to tighten them as much as I could, then cut off the excess of the bolt so it doesn't protrude out too much. I did that about 8 years or so ago and it still works fine. Also, I recommend doing a video mod to it. A basic composite video mod works fine, but I highly recommend the UAV, Ultimate Atari Video. Awesome job bringing that console back to life, Vince!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks for the tips on the M3 bolts 👍👍👍👍

[@DJ_Sycottic]

Defender didn't have a roller ball you're thinking of Missile Command....

[@daShare]

Watching you faffing about with that trim pot was so painful !

[@mikethedigitaldoctorjarvis]

My metal detecting friend asked me if i could have a look at his N64 he dug out of the loft it wasn't working,he knows i'm a computer technician so he thought he would ask me.I'm fine with that,it literally was some cold solder joints and a clean up and it worked perfectly ! and he bought me a bottle of whisky for it too !

[@QuadMochaMatti]

Atari 2600 VCS was the best video game system EVER.

[@hmello3250]

make a composite mod

[@snowysnowwolf6228]

Wonder what you would do if your Rolls Royce was on your red or blue mats ...

[@ducatisteve20081]

I would have used a tiny split pin and soldered it through the centre .

[@TheM0nkeyBomb]

My mate fixed a resistor

[@jamiefors5062]

Old enough to have gotten the original 2600 for Christmas, me, my brother and dad would play it for hours, such great memories, still have it and all the games. If you get Space invaders, put the cartridge in, hold down the reset button and turn it on, you get double bullets lol, or turn it off and on again really quick, that works too Nice fix Vince, thanks for the memories

[@Crumbleofborg]

Nice fix! Feels like you were lucky to diagnose the regulator fault so quickly!

[@Shundi12]

This was my first ever games console. In fact, I still have it :)

[@christianfowler3267]

It says Atari 1983 because it's copyright 1983, based off the 1983 revision of the board. If you look on the back there's the number stamped "9026". I'm guessing this one was manufactured 26th week of 1990. (Yes, Atari were still manufacturing these until 1992-ish)

[@jonathansnow5198]

I think kip hakes might want the line at minute 5:42

[@reddoggames3011]

This is perfect timing for the news of Atari buying intellivision. Maybe you can do something intellivision fixes

[@rondickson1491]

What a great video! I had a 2600 when I was younger with over 130 games. Best wishes to you and the family from the USA!

[@Mrgeeeeeeeeeaaaassaa]

Totally nothing to do with the fix,but why on earth would you have your landline phone in front of the tv like that covering some of the screen 😂😂

[@TheCod3r]

He likes to trigger us 😂

[@Mrgeeeeeeeeeaaaassaa]

And he has lol 😂

[@TheCod3r]

​@@Mrgeeeeeeeeeaaaassaa​At least it gets us to interact in the comments 😂

[@jasonmuller1199]

Don't you just hate it when you buy something from eBay, and it works

[@Stefan_Payne]

and now Part 2 with the Composite Mod? ;) NOt that it makes the Atari VCS that much better....

[@ethanvilla4418]

You should try repairing the Colecovision system from the 80's. It's way better graphics and gameplay than the Atari systems in my opinion. There are also LOTS of non working ones for sale.

[@Landrew0]

I bought an Atari 2600 from Sears in, I wanna say, 1978? It was a miraculous wonder to me.

[@Omega_Mark]

Thermal compound making companies thank you for your generous usage of their product ;) lol.

[@andymouse]

Defender was buttons and joystick, sorry no trackball !...cheers.

[@amnril]

I have a few of these jr 2600’s in the loft. The 2600 had very limited sprite capability, I think the max was three or four and then they’d start flashing if they all needed to be on screen or some were blanked out to maintain the others. A fantastic machine in its day but nowadays….. its 4bit (I think) processor is laughable but shows how amazing the programmers must have been. Arguably it’s best game to many, Adventure, a fantastic game, all fitted on a 4k ROM cart…. That’s 4096 bytes for graphics, code and the Dragon/Bat AI !

[@ray73864]

I'm surprised you could even tune it in. Here in Australia, our Analogue TV network was shutdown in 2013, we haven't had TVs with an analogue tuner in them for a good 7yrs or so now, so I have to rely on either modding my old consoles or if they have composite, use that instead. But even with composite, most of my consoles just show a fuzzy picture on all 3 of my TVs (with my oldest TV being 2008 -- Which has an analogue tuner).

[@paszTube]

Hi Vince, I recently repaired a ZX spectrum and replaced the 7805 with TRACO TSR 1-2450. Maybe you are aware of them. They generate almost no heat and are much more stable.

[@hugosimoes5119]

If the 9v is stepdown to 5v and 5v is used everywhere and 9v nowhere, just ditch the regulator and use am usb-c connector. No more power wasted. That's what Adrian Black from Adrian's Digital Basemente did.

[@walthamwalker]

Nothing more annoying than something arrives from ebay working

[@worroSfOretsevraH]

In the middle-east EU countries all we had was clones. 2600 clones with a bunch of games built in. After that, NES clones. Good memories.

[@andywest5773]

If you like Defender, you should try Stargate (Defender II). That game really pushes the 2600 to the limit.

[@lofi-guy]

I get switching noise from that particular 3rd party power supply. I tested 2 of them on 2 screens. It looks like a horizontal scrolling fuzz on the display, which can be faint on dark backgrounds.

[@aldo9923]

Idk why I never get your videos pushed to my recommended. I’ve tried unsubscribing and then subscribing again, setup notifications and still nothing. So weird.

[@dash8brj]

Nicely done with the trimmer pot repair! and pot luck you touched VR1 and the machine came to life!

[@nathanahubbard1975]

I remember thinking that the 2600 was piece of crap back when I was a little kid in the early 80s. Looking back on it now, it sure seems like a piece of crap. Amazing it lasted so long into the 80s.

[@Twenty_Six_Hundred]

The 2600JR was the first system i owned and personally i think they're the best looking. Got mine for my 5th birthday along with Missile Command, Midnight Magic an RS Boxing. About a year or so later a friend of the family came around with a grocery bad full of around 40 games and gave them to me. I was the happiest kid for many years playing all those classics. 2600 holds a special part of my heart

[@adamdavies163]

The IC's on that unit look to be a mix of 1989/1990. So looks like a much later unit than '86.

[@SteveRand]

I had this console as a kid and really wish I'd kept it. Still have my dad's Atari 1040ST and possibly the 400 somewhere.

[@brody6634]

"just shows you, that putting your hands around the board sometimes that works" instructions unclear: i have been electrocuted. 😂

[@RommudohDev]

11:00 you should always insert and fasten the screw before soldering such components. Otherwise you might have to reflow it to align it properly, or the solder gets mechanical stress when you fasten the screw and might break or even rip off pads.

[@renatoscutube]

Vince, in general it is not a good idea to try to fix a trimpot if you want a long lasting repair. Suppose you could not get another trimpot, you still would have the option to use a simple resistor (or combination of resistors) to replace it, considering that a trimpot is simply a variable resistance component. You would only have to determine the resistance that works for the circuit.

[@HKT-4300]

As a heads up, all Mega Drive/Master system controllers work on Atari, In fact what you have there is a Mega Drive stick i think.

[@djm9937]

was wondering if a brass paper clip through the potentiometer would work?

[@paulwilson1555]

I remember Centipede having a rollerball, but I'm sure defender was buttons or a controller.

[@KennyBacchus-yg3uv]

Broken. 1986. Atarl. 2600. Junior. From. eBay. Can. l. Repair. it. ?

[@MarioMania05]

Can you please put it in 4:3 or just use a CRT, I very much hate it when people on here do this, I know you have CRT's, use it

[@robertovers1863]

i love seeing things for sale on ebay with "it could do with a clean " my advice would be "well clean the bloody thing then " or sell it to Vince

[@daniel070487]

pls switch out that old crusty voltage regulator and the vari resistor, they will fail in time again.

[@thewoodgrainloverofatari5931]

at the 28:00 minute mark start the game then it won't scroll though colors for ya vince when your tryin to ajust the penteniomiter

[@KieranSymes]

Hi Vince. I'd be happy to 3D print that part if we can find a 3D model online.

[@johnthomas7040]

as a kid i got bulled it to lending my 2600 out let just say never got it back

[@bobsbits5357]

hi have seen alot of them pot's go bad alot are used in the output of studio reel to reel deck in and out to get the levels right there's no need to open a deck and put alot of wear on the pots you fixing one got to be a first i i know people just wait for it to come

[@ericbechler9903]

Nice never owned that kind of console my first console was a Nintendo 64

[@Nathan1975Liggy]

Did you know vince that the wipers on those older skeleton variable resistores is solid Silver

[@TechGorilla1987]

@10:00 - To be fair - most of those solder joints look like hot garbage.

[@rubenmejia4881]

I never knew I wanted an Atari 2600 Jr. Until now 😅 great fix!

[@Lazyman1975]

I would just put a 3 pin knob one on so you could adjust it easily. Make it work ya know.

[@2009numan]

the fisrt atari 2600's came out in 1977 Vince

[@TheStickCollector]

It's always nice to see this still around. No wonder why it looks different. Sounds like a cost cutting thing to prolong it's life. It seems like a good Christmas or birthday gift.

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

Annoyingly one is working😂 but the other one made a good video

[@mrbussey]

Great fix, Vince!! A couple things about Defender on the 2600. If you move the ship all the way down into the city and press fire it will set off a smart bomb and kill all the aliens on the screen. You have three smart bombs to start as shown in the lower right of the screen. If you move all the way up your ship will disappear and when you press fire it activates hyperspace and you appear randomly in the play space. If all the humans die (the things you are saving) it takes you into a special play area where you get attacked by monsters.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you! I probably knew this back then, but it has all been erased from my memory. Nice one 👍👍👍

[@KJW648]

Rust = White vinegar LED = 9v Defender did not use a track ball, Did not even use full joystick.

[@wayne7521]

Are you sure about that , as trackball for football Atari , came out in 78 The defender game was made around 81 Bear in mind centipede came out in June 81 and used a track ball .

[@KJW648]

@@wayne7521100% Atari 8 bit computer /7800 was my favourite version, amazing....The big mistake is, it was not a Atari game, but a Williams classic. Up and down controller, thrust, reverse, hyperspace, smartbomb buttons. It's was a lot hard to control.🤣😁

[@shawncat]

​@@wayne7521He's actually correct; a two-way joystick and 5 buttons were on the stock machine. Trackballs were used on the multi-game machines later on.

[@wayne7521]

@@shawncat so it's still highly likely possible , but yes I've seen images from yesterday year of the Williams cabinets of defender ... all buttons and two player joysticks . But are we taking into account, in the 80s we had travelling fun fairs , and people also modded cabinet's. .. More so when parts were easier to replace with cheaper compatible components P.s. ive been around since 1970

[@wayne7521]

@@shawncat and before we think I'm trying to win an argument , no I am just stating facts . Human nature and all

[@slammedniss]

Now that it's working, you should do a vid and A/V mod it.

[@marvinthecat06k75]

How old is that scrabble i have bever seen a green box

[@Phiyedough]

Makes a change to see something that isn't surface mount!

[@RetroShare2]

You need a bigger tip.

[@Shagnasty1956]

How rude, how do you know!

[@dazzypops]

Wow, a Quickshot 2 joystick I think? The hours I had on one of those on my old C64, then Amiga. The rapidfire switch was a must! I had an Atari back in '83/84 with the original leaf switch joysticks, which kept snapping on the leaf parts - went through a couple of those. I used to love Atlantis, such a great game. Fab fix as always Vince! So close with the thermal paste too, keep practicing, one day you'll get the hallelujah sound!

[@michaelmcmahon8312]

The atari 2600 can be played with a sega genesis/mega drive 3 button controller in place of the standard joystick that came with the 2600. Also atari just released an actual official game pad on their website that came out this month of May and is compatible with 2600, 5200, 5400, and 7800 and all new VCS game console and I believe the 400 mini console as well.

[@JamesPotts]

The original game has a two way (up/down) joystick, and buttons for reverse, thrust, fire, and hyperspace.

[@Rep2369]

I started on the 2600. So much fun for something relatively simple. Pry already mentioned in comments but SEGA Genesis (MegaDrive for you in the UK) controllers work if you're ever in a pinch without a controller or want to use a game pad on it. Cool vid Vince!

[@lexluthermiester]

@MyMateVince The cart block is easily defeated if you take the cart port mount apart and remove the locking mechanism that surrounds the cart connector pins. Open it up and you'll see what I mean. This was a common failure point and I have lost count how many times I made that mod. Never understood why Atari made it that way, it served no real purpose.

[@andrasszabo7386]

Nice fix, Vince :) Bur didn't you have any scrap/donor board to get a potentiometer from? Or at least parts for it? The 2600jr was also MY first experience with color video games, besides the C64 we each had at home. For the card connector, you can get a clone console dirt cheap, and replace the connector.

[@ches74]

You can't have a rusty PCB, they aren't made from iron! 😂 It's only going to be from the shields or components.

[@Club_Michas]

I would replace the 7805 with a 78S05 which runs cooler and gives you a much more cleaner output which can also improve the Picture Quality. On the SNES it definitely improves the Video Quality. The 7805 is also known to fail on older Devices which cause dozen of Commodore 64 to fail because when they fail they short and input Voltage will be forwarded to the Output which kills sensible Components on the Mainboard like the CPU or RAM.

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

Seriously, do a composite video mod on it. It's relatively easy and the kit on aliexpress is cheap. I personally don't use the connectors, though, instead I got a bag of 3-point stereo jacks and fitting composite cables. The antenna output doesn't work anyways anymore after the mod, so I remove the antenna connector and place the stereo jack there, which means that I don't have to cut the case. The picture is way better than with the antenna signal. At the moment I am trying to fix an Atari 7800, which so far gave me multiple headaches. I think I've finally nailed the fault down to a defective transistor, after replacing defective switches, a defective flip-flop-chip, all three caps (one exploded while I had the console in my board holder) and other parts that I can't remember. That thing has the most overengineered power on circuit I've ever seen, literally half the components on the board are for switching the console on and off. At the moment I am waiting for the replacement transistor (MJE210) from aliexpress, and if that doesn't work I am going to short-circuit the transistor (if I do that at the moment, the console works) and put in a push-switch in the wiring behind the power connector. Reset won't work that way, but I'm at the point where I stopped caring.

[@deralbtraumritter8573]

lol like radio static and touching the antenna…

[@deralbtraumritter8573]

4:49 what are those cleaning tools you use?

[@jamesdye4603]

I still have my six switch wood grain from the late 70s. Needs a cleanup but it still works.

[@Zooumberg]

The original defender never had a rollerball. It had a two way joystick and a reverse direction button. But it was a long time ago.

[@Omega_Mark]

The best thing you could do for these consoles is replacing that tired voltage regulator with a new one and change the caps. This will protect other old components. You can upgrade your RF modulator to composite out for under $15, especially if you decide to keep the console. The mod improves video and audio as well. From these two consoles, the heavy sixer is the more desired one. With that you have plenty of content to make another cool video :).

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

Nice easy fix. Annoying that the eBay sellers are beginning to ask silly prices for what is really a non working, potentially unfixable box of used spares. Looking at the PCB, this truly was a barn find.

[@NearlySatient]

'Puttin' your hand around the board' - and getting fried and electrocuted...

[@Danieel-ip6hg]

9 volts mate

[@hal-rekabi6724]

this Video is 40 years to late for me...

[@dazzyh8371]

My first console and I had road runner

[@coffeecatcat]

Might be a USA version not sure

[@Bears9McMahon]

At least no bugs that’s always a plus

[@cfq.tufanuf7601]

This same game is called "datastorm" on the Amiga. And its the most fun 2 player game for an oldy. Better version in my opinion too.

[@GmKofHard]

The improper amount of thermal paste joke cracked me up especially since the minute you said that tronicsfix came to mind than you brought it up like you read my mind lmao

[@kingofmadprops]

Oh man, Pac Man on the Atari was my favorite! Always having to get after that square cookie…so much fun. These kids nowadays don’t know how good it was.

[@Pistol_Knight]

Best game ever made was my Arcade goto

[@janeclements317]

That was so fiddly and small, I had to look away because it was making me twitchy. I’m impressed you understood how it works and could repair it. The console looks good with a bit of a clean!

[@wayne7521]

Variable resistors are cool , i can remember around age 11 ,been taught how to build ,a circuit .. Involving variable resistor ,speaker and battery , so it made sound of alike rpm on an engine increaseing

[@Pablus96]

As always, an honest and educating repair 😄 Good work Vince 😃 it’s been a very nice video