Can we fix this rare 1977 Atari VCS? Sears Telegames "Heavy Sixer" Upgrade & Refurb!

For 37 years I've wanted an Atari VCS 2600. Now I have a "heavy sixer" can install a composite mod refurbish the case recap the board & make it work? Made possible by our friendly sponsor PCBWay.com - great PCBs from $5!
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RECIPE INGREDIENTS*
• VCS Upgrade Kit: console5.com/store/atari-2600...
• All VCS Composite Mods: rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53...
• Featured Composite Mod: www.thefuturewas8bit.com/delu...
CHEERS TO
• GavinParsons.co.uk
• Displaced Gamers: / displacedgamers
• DV Game Repair: www.legacycomputersnparts.com/...
• Brian Weiser
• Xavier Bell
• AtariAge forums
• Gardenside Prods. & Clue Detectives & Paradise Radio
• Special thanks to Ladyfractic & Puppyfractic:
• Get a big discount on Puppyfractic's featured collar fitness/GPS tracker at bit.ly/periwhistle & a free Bark Box at bit.ly/barkyfractic!
SAUCES USED WITH THANKS
• www.vectronicscollections.org/...
• / @dvgamerepair3448
• Wikipedia & Wikimedia Commons
• The Internet Archive
• Every attempt was made to contact copyright owners before including content. Very occasionally things can get forgotten in the excitement to release a video so please don't hesitate to let me know if that is the case & I'll put it right. All other media featured is marked as public domain on Google Images or used with written permission or shown under fair use law.
🚘 With free Tesla supercharging/discounted solar your better half can afford to buy you more retro gear!: bit.ly/teslafractic
SOME INGREDIENTS BY
• MattGrandis.net - website design
• / _gazmarshall - some graphics
• / elwoz - colour palette cleanser
• PaulKitching3d.com - some 3D models
©️ All music & content copyright Perifractic's Retro Recipes/Bideas LLC 1988-2020. All rights reserved.
*Some affiliate links may offer some peanuts to support this retrochannel but all opinions are 100% unbiased.
#retrogaming #retrocomputing

[@RetroRecipes]

Thanks for watching! Just to address a few repeat comments here: 1. The Babbyfractics were done with a Snapchat filter (and bluescreen + editing). Glad you liked them! 2. My bad, the Fairchild was actually the first console with cartridges. During extensive research I foolishly misread that as Fairlight (the synth), which isn't a console. 3. Some say Olive Oil will start to smell after a while. I haven't seen that historically. It's now a _very_ thin coat left, but we'll see. I know others who swear by linseed oil, but olive is usually in most houses already. As I said, you can choose what to use and that car stuff is fine too. More updates on this cliffhanger video soon! You friend in retro, Perifractic

[@DrTofu83]

Well, olive oil does smell at first, but the smell goes away. I used it to clean plastic for a long time, and even to dissolve tar when I played barefoot on the beach and, coming from a town of fishermen, sometimes tides brought back some tar from fishing boats that stubborny clung on reef shoes and bare skin. Olive oil smells less and it's less aggressive for the skin than anything you can find, if you like to spread stuff on your consoles without gloves on. Which I end up doing because last time I removed my gloves, I gouged a small hole in my finger :P

[@RetroRecipes]

@@DrTofu83 Agreed. I like the olive oil method personally, and kinda discovered it myself through trial and error. But the nice thing is anyone can choose to use whatever they want. This is just my VCS so I chose that :-)

[@lurkerrekrul]

There was also the Coleco Telstar Arcade, released in 1976, which used metallic, triangular cartridges which snapped in flat on top of the console. I actually had one of those for a while. The pack-in cartridge never worked and after a month or so, the lightgun started registering hits no matter where it was aimed. Coleco's QA department didn't seem too vigilant in those days. My Coleco Telstar Combat system never worked properly either.

[@DrTofu83]

@@RetroRecipes The unit is yours, you can do whatever I wish. I just hope and believe the new parts will make it work fully. :) Every collection is a possibility among many... And Olive Oil was something every fisherman uses to clean and protect stuff from tar and make plastic look new. It somehow protects plastic but melts tar like butter on an oven

[@NozomuYume]

@@lurkerrekrul The Telstar Arcade and the Magnavox Odyssey both supported removable cartridges to play a game, but they are very different from "software cartridges" as these systems were both essentially pong systems with discrete hardwired game logic. The Telstar Arcade actually placed the console inside the cartridge -- the MOS/Commodore-made pong-on-a-chip was inside the cartridge and the "console" was really just a giant controller and port dock. The Magnavox Odyssey cartridges, on the other hand, were just a set of crosswired connections essentially being a glorified jumper/dipswitch -- there was no software contained on them.

[@derickstephenson2532]

Little Ladyfractic is pretty much the cutest thing ever on KZbin

[@therealgaragegirls]

IKR?!

[@Mr.Glaube]

You mean disturbing?

[@the_cheese]

The Sears Telegames System came with two joysticks, two paddle controllers, and the "Shooting Gallery" cartridge, or at least ours did at Christmas of 1977. You could always tell the kid who had a Sears-brand 2600, because they were rubbish at the "Combat" game cartridge that came with Atari-branded 2600s. Love this video; thanks for the flashback to my childhood!!

[@BarnokRetro]

Wow, that system looks amazing! Bummer that it isn't working yet, but I love that you shared it at this point and aren't making us wait. Also great job on the Fractics kids bits, very cool!

[@RetroRecipes]

Hehe glad you liked those bits! 👶

[@neddreadmaynard]

The mini fractics are amazing dude! Surely a spin off channel?! When I saw the thumbnail I thought ahh he's pasted some old photos of the both of them! Loved it.

[@RetroRecipes]

Haha I wondered if anyone would think that!

[@chrisr7847]

I look forward to the next recipode. I had my legs and fingers crossed.

[@kintozero3169]

"I think it's important in life to show successes as well as failures." This line got me

[@FabioRigokimbaorso]

Thanks for the nostalgia trip. The VCS2600 was my first computer gaming system... I used to play it with my father..

[@ReedsRedactions]

Your videos always make me think that every talk-show host should just ditch their sidekick and get a Puppyfractic instead. 😂

[@jefbed212]

I look forward to the conclusion. The Atari 2600 was my first system. It was the 90s and other kids already had the SNES, but I felt lucky to have it. Frogger and Asteroids were my favorites.

[@sifumikezielinski2238]

The Tele-games holds such a place in my heart. It was my first system. I never did beat "Raiders" until last year with the help of my Son. I love this channel you guys are great!

[@blueghost4121]

I have a soft spot for the Atari 400. It was the first I played and this was ahead of it's time being a computer/console.

[@davedogge2280]

2:54 the judgemental death stare when a joke doesn't even deserve a smirk.

[@abn0rm1]

So that pneumatic drill joke... my soda literarily ended up on my screen. Made my day, thank you mr. pneumafractic

[@RetroRecipes]

🤭

[@Mymatevince]

Amazing video, beautiful editing, so well put together. Loved the sounds when the components were unsoldered. Hopefully you will get it going next time, looking forward to Part 2 :-)

[@RetroRecipes]

Cheers Vince! Glad you enjoyed this 👍🕹️

[@NigelDraycott]

Spoiler warning needed 👍

[@PCBWay]

Cheers!

[@PCBWay]

@Retro Recipes excellent as always, Chris!

[@stephanepiquemal8297]

I can't wait to see the next part, your electronic repairs are always inspiring 👍

[@ColorMeMozart]

The parts with mini versions of you two were great! 👍🏻 Grew up with the 2600 so this episode was particularly fun for me.

[@jester6856]

Well it's a dull and wet day in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿..but your video cheered me right up. You got me in the mood to hunt down the two old pong games units in my loft , and get them working. Great video yet again.. I can't get enough of these. Thanks for the video!!

[@TrenchcoatSteve]

Your Omnibot needs a Dustbot to keep it company and keep your desk clean. Big Atari and Tomy fan here, can't wait for part two.

[@benjaminnice]

Good luck, may the force be with you!

[@OttScott]

Thoroughly enjoy your humor. You're my kind of geek. Always enjoy your content. Please keep it coming.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@Dwight.Schrute69]

Your pup melts my heart. I lost mine 10 months ago to lymphoma and watching how much she loves you made me tear up.

[@RetroRecipes]

I'm very sorry to hear that. Been there too. We don't deserve doggos.

[@salesoftheunexpected]

At last 2600! I have 2 of these I need to fix, I originally had this when I was 11 back in the early 80s. Thank you so much for this.

[@LurgsHowToGuides]

128 bytes that is crazy, so if you typed the letter A 128 times the RAM would be full. Amazing what they did back then. And I like your drill joke, my neighbour rang my doorbell last night at 0300am, luckily for him I was still up playing my Bagpipes. Great video. So relaxing and interesting.

[@williamroberts5716]

The memory is so limited that programmers made use of video sprites and other glitches to sort of trick the games to work. There was a supercharger cartridge that added memory and provided an audio interface to load from cassette tape. I had one and it worked well but it took a few minutes to load the game.

[@EV-olution]

Nice refurb video. It's always a pleasure to watch your channel, it brings up some very nostalgic feelings every time🙂

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@RetroDream]

Real good one! Perfect edition job. And it's always an emotional moment when you see the final result... I'm a fan!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you!!

[@freetipuk]

I did this exact same thing a year ago (I even stripped down the switched and cleaned them) and ended at exactly the same point ! I feel your pain ... hope you get it working !

[@mrt1r]

Another great video! I hope you get the parts in soon.

[@nattila7713]

my daughter watched your video til the end. and laughed a lot. she doesn't speak english and had to explain a lot of things during the video (she is 13). this is how good your show is! thanks :)

[@RetroRecipes]

That's wonderful, thank you for sharing! All ages are welcome here!

[@andydurbin8309]

I enjoyed everything about the video today. It was as always lots of fun. I'm sure it will all work out just fine in the end.

[@RetroRecipes]

So glad you liked it. Fingers crossed!

[@aaronjamt]

Wait... 3 days ago? The video was posted 11 hours ago! Wait, let me guess: you joined the channel and got early access?

[@andydurbin8309]

@@aaronjamt yeah I support retro recipes so I get to see it before the general public

[@aaronjamt]

@@andydurbin8309 Gotcha. I had already typed the question and was about to send when I answered it myself.

[@earlbrown4398]

Great video, memories of my youth back in Wakefield, Christmas day opening the 2600! Massive upgrade from the Grandstand pong system I had. Love your work, this is definitely one of my fave videos by you guys.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@gallgreg]

Sorry to see you didn't get it working!! Good luck solving its problems!! Your timing is perfect since I _just_ bought a heavy-sixer!!

[@markorollo.]

Might have mentioned this before but for some time just before an 80's Christmas one of these appeared in our house. For weeks I was getting excited thinking I was getting it, Christmas day came, no Atari, turns out Mum was hiding it for a neighbour so her son wouldn't find it :/. I suppose I should have realized, if it was for me it wouldn't have just been sat there in full view. But it still peed me off lol.

[@RetroRecipes]

That's sad!

[@markorollo.]

@@RetroRecipes its ok i'm over it now, just

[@derekjc777]

After only 40 years of therapy...

[@markorollo.]

@@derekjc777 I had a good therapist Mr Amiga

[@derekjc777]

My Spanish isn’t great, but shouldn’t that be Senorita Amiga? 😊

[@eskey691]

After a long dog walk in the rain there's nothing better than to sit down with a nice cup of tea and a Retro Recipes video to watch. Man the work you put in to this restore and you end like that so roll on the next video b/c now i need to know. Have to say looked super cool once everything had a clean and a bit of a makeover and who knew in old retro machines lived Lemmings (haha). Dad jokes are getting better but i think puppyfractic isn't impressed still. An hey poor little LadyFractic being over looked for a video game but hey am sure back in the day as kids we would of done the same hehe. Great video as always guys an i love the extra mile you go with stuff like this. Keep up the great work and take care and will catch you in the next one :-) :-)

[@alfblack2]

Awsome. Never seen the insides of a 2600. And learning about this video mod. Wonderful. Really makes me want to get an original 2600 again.

[@RetroRecipes]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mohamededrees979]

I think you did a brilliant work on restoring these one

[@dougbergen8157]

Yeah the Atari 2600. Had one for many years. Wish I would've keep it. Had 15 games. Glad to see your keeping another one alive. Thx for the memory's. Hope you get yours working. Cheers.

[@cllewis1]

Wilhelm scream at 7:50. Nicely done... Subtle and funny.

[@RetroRecipes]

🤭 good ear

[@martybhoy72]

Was feeling a bit gutted for you. This was episode 1: A New Hope. Episode 2: RR Strikes Back. Episode 3: Return Of The VCS 2600

[@RetrogradeScene]

It's looking great! Looking forward to the next instalment! Also I really need to pick up one of those desolder tools. Bit of an upgrade to what I'm using!

[@marktmdyorkshire7610]

Fantastic video! Quality job

[@josemello3100]

I really like this channel, congratulations! But the dog really steals the show. A big hug for the dog ... yes, for the rest of the team too.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@stevejennings3960]

Yet again Peri, Lady & Puppyfractic - another amazing video!!! Still surprises me how small the PCB (way??) actually is on the VCS!!! What an spiffing episoood A perfect way to start a Saturday morning here in the UK (Eeeooooo eeeoooooo eeeeeeeoooooo)

[@RetroRecipes]

Haha thanks Steve! 👍🕹️

[@rdoetjes]

It can be so “small” because it has no need for a lot of traces for address and databus lines because it hardly has any RAM and the ROM is on the cartridges. And there’s no character ROM and no graphics chipset (just that TIA). Graphics were done by timing the beam to be on or off. Which saved a lot of cost and real estate, it made programming it very complex though. But it sure was highend stuff back in ‘77. Quite incredible engineering.

[@JMDAmigaMusic]

God Bless Jay Miner soul, that design this, the Atari computers and the Amiga

[@greedygreggor]

Nice job! its looking great :)

[@MikeWood]

Saw this post in the middle of the night Toronto time but waited to have a coffee and watch it. Now we have a proper Saturday afternoon movie serial situation. Tune next week for more hair-raising, spine tingling classic cliffhanger adventures with Captain Fractic! :)

[@cvvv6166]

OH the 70s original Gaming Console 🤩👍 still have a couple of them

[@kite666G]

For a moment i tought i was playing Worms...lol Awesome video!

[@ComdrStew]

I had the Darth Vader version. I came home from school one day and there it was sitting on the table. My mom said she saved up for a few months to get it.

[@RacerX-]

Nice job on the mods and the cosmetic refurb. Looks awesome. Hopefully one of those chips will fixer that sixer. 👍

[@RetroRecipes]

And thank you for donating it in the first place Zipp... er X! 👍🕹️

[@rebelscum6356]

I'm hoping you get it working. The heavy sixer is worth restoring. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of hardware ever created. I have 3, myself. Glad you replaced the caps. I hope you don't get a lot of hate for it. Some collectors shun even replacing caps on a heavy sixer. I was blocked by a guy on twitter when I talked about replacing caps on a heaver sixer.

[@dbeaumontresident847]

I still play my atari 2600!! Great video!

[@OperationPhantom]

Always a treat watching you fix these old beauties! I'm sure you'll be playing Star Wars in the next episode, fingers crossed. This is some classy 70s console, with the wood paneling and nice big switches.

[@d_vibe-swe]

I don't know why, but your cute little sound effects always puts a smile on my lips :)

[@RetroRecipes]

You are so kind

[@garefamily01]

Your the Bob Ross of retro console repair.

[@jubeikibagami1601]

The elf voice "I'm FREE!" Had me rolling on the floor!

[@brunopierre3]

Most beautifull video I have ever seen on restauration / electronics. Very passionate! I'm from Brazil. Keep on doing this, please.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@EmilioNorrmann]

ahhhh saturday, sunshine and retro recipes for breakfast ! What more can I ask ?

[@jongray5786]

I still have my original Sears VCS "Heavy Sixer" from Christmas 1978 and it still works flawlessly!

[@Tim_3100]

Great as usual your a master at repairing & restoring consoles 🙂 and PCBway stands for puppy fractic's crispy boards

[@radiochu]

I had a Sears Telegames! It was a hand-me-down from my cousins after they got an NES for Christmas. I miss it. I used to beg my parents to hook it up so I could play Barnstorming.

[@rogergagne3970]

Ah, the old Atari 2600... It's the console I discovered my first ever cheat code on. Holding the 'select' and 'reset' switches down while turning the system on activated 'auto fire' in Space Invaders.

[@Impresso3dBlogspot]

I always loved that 128bits of RAM. It is less than many regular digital watches!

[@robbruce2128]

Never knew the epithet ("heavey sixer") for this model. I have one -- originally bought new -- albeit now in pieces. Amazing the heavy shield around the processor module made of cast aluminum: that thing would take a bullet for you. In fact, I knocked a full-size 60s vintage wooden speaker off a bookshelf onto the Atari ^B^B^B^B^B Sears system sitting on the TV and it only dented that silver ridge around the controls. The console still worked fine, and probably saved the TV from damage. Eventually one or two of the panel switches got a little broken off by flying joysticks, though ;) Had to switch them with a pointy stick after that.

[@nematolvajkergetok5104]

Fun fact: The Atari 2600 (codename: Stella) was designed by the same Jay Miner who later also designed the Amiga (codename: Lorraine).

[@the-tree-art]

Thank you for all Thats Good Videos. Mein englischer sprachschatz ist begrenzt, jedoch verstehe ich die Jokes und witzigen Komponenten und finde euren Kanal einfach super toll gemacht. Immer wieder ein tolles Erlebnis diese Clips zu sehen. Beste Grüße aus Lauenförde in Germany

[@Lilithe]

OMG that Legacy Computers guy is the nicest ever He sold me the VGA card he was using in an old 8088 system for a good price. (He's in the next city over too, so it came quick!)

[@RetroRecipes]

He is indeed!

[@Datan0de]

I have a few 2600s (long story), but sadly none are currently functional. Getting one or more of them working again has been on my "someday" list, but now I'm inspired to at least get the heavy 6 (my favorite model) up and running again. That refurbishment kit is looking very tempting!

[@RetroRecipes]

Dew it!

[@lurkerrekrul]

Back in the 80s, I fixed my grandparents' original Sears Telegames system by replacing the red coil (inductor?) on the board. I honestly don't remember how I knew that was the problem as I know very little about electronics, but we went to Radio Shack and I bought a bag of assorted coils that looked like it had a reasonable match. I put it in and with a little adjusting, it worked. The colors might have been off a little, but not too bad. As for the RF output, bad video quality was always a problem and with CRT TVs, it almost always boiled down to a bad switchbox. Several years ago, someone I know got the urge to hook up an old Atari system. The video looked just like your example. Just for the hell of it, I opened up the switch box and wrapped wire around the contacts, making a direct connection and bypassing the switch itself. All the static disappeared and the image was as clear as you could expect from a CRT TV.

[@RetroRecipes]

I might just try that!

[@lurkerrekrul]

@@RetroRecipes You can also just buy an RCA to coax adapter so that you can connect the RF cable directly to the coax input on a CRT TV. I assume it would also work on an LCD TV if it has a coax connector, but I've never tried it. Probably not as good as a true composite mod, but better than using the switchbox. I don't know if they used those switchboxes elsewhere in the world, but here in the US, they were so notorious for causing problems that you could buy replacements in practically any department store. Some even came with double inputs for hooking up more than one game system. I assume that the contacts in the switch get oxidized over time, which leads to the lousy connection. Just like Atari paddle controllers would get oxidized and become jittery. I never tried to clean on though.

[@scottmefford6917]

Top drawer work mate. She looks nearly brand new.

[@RetroRecipes]

Thanks!

[@johnsimon8457]

10:18 I grew up near the Ferrara-Pan candy company in Chicago where those Atomic Fireballs were produced and I never thought of them as gobstoppers … despite those being exactly what they are! All through-hole technology, it was a different time. the metal shielding makes it look like it was built like a tank. Edit: WOAH! Atari provided a repair manual for the VCS? It makes sense because it’s an expensive piece of electronics in 1978 but “repair vs replace” was a different proposition then

[@doctorskodtsjunkdrawer5970]

Perifractic, I have watched this video a couple times since you first posted it. I wanted to share that I have this very unit, in box, that I found at a Goodwill about 18 years ago. I paid two whole dollars for it and I have only taken it from the box perhaps twice. It is complete with the joysticks, paddles, and etc. I have been prepping the debut of my KZbin channel for about a year (we moved, and there's that pandemic thing that has delayed everything) and I will re-unbox this classic console, test, clean (if needed) and restore (if needed). When I bought it, it looked as if it had never, ever been used- an Atari Time Capsule, if you will. Once I launch, I will let you know so you can gasp along with the rest of the Atari (Sears Tele-Games) Loving world! Cheers!

[@RetroRecipes]

Wonderful!!

[@Kauffy901]

This definitely happened because you put everything back together before testing it, Chris. If you had tested it first, it would have worked just fine. The Murphy Gods demand their due.

[@RetroRecipes]

Lol well it didn't work to begin with so we're no worse off. Good news soon hopefully! 🤞

[@1967CougarXR7]

I have 2 light 6rs with the same fault. But at least my heavy 6rs is working. I thought about doing the composite mod, but the picture looks just fine on my flatscreen tv. I was having great fun playing with it and my Intellivision with the Intellivoice module (and all my retro computers) during lockdown.

[@RalonsoF1]

😃👍😃👍😃👍 Such a great entertaining and interesting video! I can't wait to see the missing part of the restauration! BIG thumps up and cheers!

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️

[@enfieldjohn101]

A funny and very watchable video. Mine is just a little different than this one. It's a 'Woody' with a revision 13 motherboard. The ESB game for the 2600 was certainly a system seller. My uncle worked at a Sears back then and when that game came out, the 2600's in the shop flew off the shelves so fast that the store couldn't order them fast enough. I'm tempted to try replacing the RF system because it is rather wonky. I recently learned how to adjust it with a plastic Allen wrench or dental pick, but it only helps a little. An old toothbrush works wonders for cleaning all sorts of things besides teeth. :) Luckily, the capacitors and such look very good on mine. The heatsink is held on with a screw in my model and is more durable than this one was before you fixed it. Olive oil works great on wood. Never thought of using it on plastic. Very clever.

[@N3tech]

No way! I have this same exact version that my Grandma gave me! I still have the manual and game catalog for it!

[@1974muaddibable]

I feel weird saying this.. but I must. You made me cry. My childhood was taken from me. I know we all go through hard times and I am not bitching about it now... all I am saying Is the idea that you invited the viewer to be a kid again... and allow them to be amazed just like we did back then. That was... just. “Bravo”. I know it was not your intention or perhaps I am been over sensitive... the point is. I did, I was a kid for a few. Thanks for that. Nerds.... am I right?

[@RetroRecipes]

Thank you for sharing that and for joining me.

[@amadeusproductions6193]

That's a cool looking machine, I especially like the walnut trim, it reminds me of the trim in my Triumph Stag. As usual a very entertaining video Mr P.

[@RetroRecipes]

Nice! My parents had a Triumph 2000. I think that had a wood dash...

[@amadeusproductions6193]

@@RetroRecipes Yes you are correct, the original was Triumph spec would have been standard balsa or fire wood, ;) mine was been upgraded as part of an sympathetic restoration a few years back.

[@DerekWitt]

Ooh! the Atari 2600! Time for Lady Perifractic to fix it. Ee Oo Ee Oo!

[@Bassotronics]

Too much cuteness and coolness in one recipode! 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

[@user-hx9gu5nh9p]

Your hairs tint is always on point.

[@RetroRecipes]

Lol you mean greys!

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

The Sears version was my very first video game/computer at home.

[@005AGIMA]

Reminds me of a certain Phillips g7000 currently in my care lol. Great video. Never owned the 2600 so I just have the flashback 9 sideload with 1001 games, but I do get tempted to grab an original.

[@crazy8sdrums]

I was aces at the Star Wars arcade game. Master at The Force! :D One of the coolest arcade games ever!

[@zaftra]

You should do dedicated instructional videos on circuit boards, soldering and the things soldered on to them.

[@justina208]

Look at you even cleaning the flux after soldering. Good show.

[@BrunoFonsecaPT]

Great video as alway! Looking forward to the end of the saga...

[@TranceTrousers]

I love these trash to treasure type recipodes. Puppyfractic looked very concerned when she thought you were upset bless her

[@RetroRecipes]

She's a sweetheart!

[@ferndog1461]

I use a diluted 'Meguiar's D10101 Detailer All Purpose Cleaner' for my plastic cleaning duties. I then finish with 'Aerospace 303' as a plastic conditioner that leaves a matte sheen.

[@Rouverius]

We actually had a Heavy Sixer as a young teen. We got it in a clearance sale (NES was already beginning to dominating the market by then). Sadly, the closest I ever got to playing Empire Strikes Back was a buggy cartridge of the dreaded E.T. (yeah, it's was a bad as they say) and other rummage sale bargains. Still, many a fun hour with that. Great to see you bringing one back to life.

[@CrisBlyth]

great episode !

[@RetroRecipes]

Cheers matey flip

[@williamsquires3070]

The failure rate on those green (brown?) “chicklet” capacitors is so low it’s not worth worrying about. About the only way for them to fail is to overvolt them 😐 or throw them in the fire. 😢

[@Ragnar8504]

I've never heard anyone call styrene caps failure-prone either, rather the opposite. They were known for their extremely tight tolerances and therefore used in frequency-critical applications like FM tuners.

[@Jayce_Alexander]

Watching videos like this always makes me wish I was more technically skilled and knowledgeable. And had a silky smooth voice, a cute dog, and a Ladyfractic.

[@briansrcadventures1316]

A combined soldering iron and solder sucker? Now that's fancy!

[@peteradshead2383]

wow , I like your Desoldering tool

[@jamesdavies686]

I love that you have $600+ in soldering tools and a $10 multimeter :) I kid, I have that same multimeter and lot's of money in soldering equipment. BTW, you should invest in a lab bench power supply for stuff like this.

[@robbruce2128]

And no stash of old power supplies just waiting to be Frankensteined into whatever combo of voltage/ampacity and connector type you need with some diags, heat shrink, and solder -- not necessarily in that order.

[@gorjy9610]

​@@robbruce2128 I don't understand why people try so hard to get matching power supply for these old devices as they all use linear regulators so just give them at least 2V more than regulator voltage and you are good to go. In this case I would skip regulator and power everything with a USB charger, maybe I would just add some extra filtering if it proves necessary, 100nF and 470uF should be enough.

[@gerald8573]

Puppyfractic is so cute! She really cares for your mental well being!

[@CanadianRetroThings]

Most of my friends that had Atari 2600s back in the day had Tele-games systems, since the only electronics stores we had in our area were Radio Shack and a mail order Sears depot! I had forgotten all about those systems :)

[@genesis2929]

Finally, an episode. Been waiting

[@RetroRecipes]

Well, there was one last weekend too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Saintbow]

That Atari looks like the one I grew up with and might still be in my old toy box at my folks. Might have to venture out and see if it is.