Repairing an Atari VCS Portable from 2001

Back in 2001 I built a good number of my Atari VCSp Rev 5 portable gaming consoles. A customer accidently damaged his after 19 years of ownership and sent it in for repair. In this video we'll take a look back into my modding past and see if we can get it working again!

[@tiporari]

Can you imagine a company not only fixing your toy 19 years later, but filming it and entertaining you whilst correcting design flaws and upgrading it to boot. Dang Ben. [phone] rupees well done.

[@woj95]

Damn, Owner of this VCS was really lucky! A few days later and it would be out of warranty.

[@akaJughead]

Seriously, he screwed up and broke his system. And it got him a full upgrade.

[@waltercomunello121]

@@akaJughead I hope for a full repair price plus shipping and spare parts.

[@jaythomas3180]

"Ok I see what I'm doing here..." I'm glad this dialogue between younger and older Ben is playing out here for all of us to see.

[@NorthshireGaming]

That was the most meta moment of the whole video for me.

[@SteveJones172pilot]

Complete with a musical soundtrack of singing!! Sounds like me talking to myself in the basement, with a lot less cursing..

[@pb7379-j2k]

I came here to write about this one year later. "I see what I'm doing here" instead of the normal "I see what they're doing here" 😂

[@JemaKnight]

I would love to see you revisit your work on a few more of your old portables. Your projects were genuinely pretty formative to me as an electronics tinkerer, and I reckon that a pretty significant amount of your audience would have had similar experiences.

[@BenHeckHacks]

Remember I built these to sell so I don't have any of them. There is a video from last year where I refurbed my original VCSp (which I have kept all along)

[@evensgrey]

Trent Reznor is a legendary video gamer. He was such a fan of Doom that he managed to get Nine Inch Nails as the soundtrack of the next major id project, Quake.

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

I remember reading about your Atari portable back when I was in high school. Would have loved to buy one of these back then if I could have afforded it. And the warranty coverage is amazing.

[@sentry4944]

This is where I first heard of you. All your portable projects were so awesome back then, and still are.

[@RetroGamingBacklog]

Boy this takes me back. I've been a big fan since around 2001. I first discovered you when you built the SNESp. I really wanted to buy one of those Atari 2600 Phoenixs when you came out with them, saved my penny's and dimes, but unfortunately didn't have enough before they were discontinued. Always hoped you brought them back. Oh well. Good to see you're still active with the retro community :)

[@GregotheGreat1]

You were 25. I was in 10th grade :D. Great video Ben! Thanks to stuff like this and watching tons of modding videos like Voultar, I will be setting my own soldering area soon. Can't wait to get some practice in on some broken stuff.

[@littlejason99]

"Hey I thought of a way to combine Bane with 1930's Germany that I just referenced..." I just had Mtn Dew shoot out of my nose!

[@RodBlanc]

i like how in this channel is like we could read your thoughts during work, you just saying anything in mind to make the video

[@woogaloo]

I enjoy the ramblings of present and past Ben. I can't really understand either one of them because they are so smart, but still enjoy it!

[@oriolephan]

That is most Wisconsin thing I've heard. "It was extra material from Culver's so we had a lot of it".

[@michaeltchistopolskii3161]

I used to actively watch the Ben Heck Show when I was younger, I had no idea about this channel!

[@ordinarycanary3529]

Great as always! Entertaining and educating, just great.

[@cunningstunt9226]

They stopped making the 2600 in 1982, Ben made made these 19 years after in 2001.. it’s now 19 years later in 2020. Way to go and make me feel old

[@cunningstunt9226]

Just heard Ben state the same thing .. I commented before watching much of the video

[@jimmiles33]

The 2600 was sold into the early 90s. Not 1982.

[@cunningstunt9226]

_ by that point that were on the ST and the lynx, the vcs/2600 was considerably earlier

[@adamwtow]

32:45 - the moment the TFT Active Matrix Display banner moved left of centre, and stayed there...

[@MephistoMods]

Had to pause and check the comments to see if someone else noticed it

[@jrigvd7291]

@@MephistoMods Yeah same, it's a shame Ben missed it.

[@horacegentleman3296]

Sean Connery's entire career after ZARDOZ was uphill. Best movie ever BTW.

[@phonewithoutquestion80]

I remember seeing this so long ago. This stuff absolutely floored my adolescent self.

[@Firefoxfifty]

Your like Sam Beckett out of quantum leap. Putting things right what once went wrong and hoping the next leap would be the leap to better homebrew console.

[@aw4483]

Your videos from the time this was created got me into computer engineering

[@circuitsandcigars1278]

Sounds like the plot of a possible Timecop 2: I'm not trying to erase my past, I'm trying to improve it

[@offrails]

I remember following your original site back in 2001 when the Atari portable was being compared Gameboy Advance and you made a portable Playstation. 19 years before that, the original Atari itself was probably coming off the production line, ET was in theatres, and Nintendo was working on something called the "Family Computer"

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

That’d be 1982: The NES was likely well into development... and a company named Commodore was taking the computer world by storm.

[@TheducksOrg]

I remember reading about you making these back at the time on boingboing or something. Fascinating to think about the passage of time since then :)

[@kevinkev1530]

Very cool, nice to see ur old work

[@PhantomHarlock78]

Fixing or putting an AV output in a pre 2600 system would be very cool. Love to see how the old pong clones work.

[@styxbazz6099]

Have you ever thought about maybe livestreaming a repair. I know I would at least be interested in checking it out for a bit

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

I remember watching him livestream the Nintendo PlayStation repair. Would be fun to see another repair livestream but I can imagine chat advice getting annoying for him real fast.

[@roytherocketparsons9096]

"I'm going to kitten jaaiillll" 🎵🎵

[@molten_software]

STUCK IN MY HEAD

[@cchaffin2012]

Nice blast from the past 👍

[@keith_5584]

That Komatex! Takes me back to the X360 portable tutorial!

[@tigheklory]

Loved the video. So much nostalgia.

[@reagandow850]

Wow Ben! This is really sweet. Very cool.

[@Oliver-l1c]

'Don't build anything you can't take apart' finally paid off!

[@wyldelf2685]

Wow one of you greatest portables ever ,, now we must bow to the master ,,😸👍👍👍🐧

[@wizardv12222]

Just think... in 19 more years when Ben looks at it again.... "what was I thinking!"

[@Joliie]

more yelling

[@waltercomunello121]

*Imitating Bane* "Now that I can fix things with my mind alone, I wonder... My mind comes back in those years and at how naive I stil was, not being able to reprogram my tools to do my job for me" *while sipping a soda on his sofa and watching his flying screwdrivers and levitating iron solder repairing stuff*

[@electronraygun6346]

That Baine impersonation is UNCANNY! 😸

[@kooziesan]

Such nostalgia! So hot glue! So much wires! Doge

[@BenHeckHacks]

He protecc He attacc But mostly importantly All his wiring is a hacc

[@tschak909]

"I'M NOT TRYING TO ERASE MY PAST, I'M TRYING TO IMPROVE IT!" -Ben Heck Really? Like the Star Wars special editions? :)

[@phrebh]

I remember wanting one of these so bad back in the day.

[@Questchaun]

Ben has come a long way.

[@izzieb]

This better have a lot of 80s movie references, or I am going to be rather disappointed.

[@KJohansson]

22:03 reference: Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and *desert* you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

[@DerekWitt]

Lol! Very subtle Rick roll!

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

A Rick roll

[@nullwii]

ah man, I was in highschool and made a really janky portable atari jr with a psone screen I loved your old website

[@grayareagames]

You need to make a handheld of the WeeCee, it’s a tiny msdos pc that’s getting developed. I can’t imagine it would be that hard to make compared to your other handhelds

[@neuro_davinci]

More content! Must consume more content! Ben, just upload everything you do I'll watch it!

[@CarlosHernandez-nf4xd]

Your right about those emulator games. Because nothing can beat the original hardware.

[@ErroneousClique]

Soldering with the power on??? This man has BALLS OF STEEL!

[@GregotheGreat1]

Stee Stee Steelllllllllllllllllll

[@AdmanMVR]

I love watching these videos!

[@TVsMrNeil]

I immediately start singing the opening theme to Frogger whenever I see the 2600 game boot up.

[@kitanashia]

I love watching you work. even when you critique your old stuff and redo it. btw, what label maker is that?

[@shadowhwk99]

This was fascinating. Thanks for sharing

[@evoltnvii]

Love the Steve 1984 reference 👌

[@zimzalabimza]

14:15 1 buck frozen cokes, come in heaps of different flavours in both NZ and AUS. Basically required in the summer!

[@MatSpeedle]

I came here for nonsensical movie quotes and impressions... I was not disappointed :D

[@mullinsjm1]

Ben I didnt know you watch Steve1989MRE. Awesome channel.

[@Teklectic]

@7:56 Oh! That reminds me, I left shitty "Heavy Duty" batteries in my label maker last time I used it! I better remove those before they...Aww crap. At least I caught it early, thanks Ben :D

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

This is beautiful.

[@spokehedz]

That pinball game was pretty advanced graphics for the Atari!

[@cms1138]

THIS is the Atari VCS portable..... I'm going to show some of its quirks and features, take it for a test drive.... then give it a Heck score!

[@Jonoth]

Oh no a kitten! A good problem to have unless you're allergic

[@parrottm76262]

I was waiting for 'Bane' to hum one of the 'Indy' themes. Maybe next time.

[@PaulOvery001]

That hits the spot, cheers.

[@famistudio]

The speed at which you work is so impressive! Question: Will the battery life improve with this more modern screen?

[@zoomzabba452]

The circuitry is way more efficient now. Especially not requiring the high voltage stepping circuit for a cathode back-light.

[@MylstarElectronics]

Back from the oldies past!

[@rredeyee2460]

Its cool you made one for Trent Reznor. It would be interesting to hear if you have the musicians or actors you have worked for

[@Cosper79]

Ben Hecking hecking an old Ben Heck heck. Nice.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Hey Ben couldn't you put in a diode in line with the a/v plug so this wouldn't happen again Also: 10:13 -- lol

[@Nukle0n]

Oof, looking at one's old work is tough. You end up swearing a lot at your past self, wondering what you were thinking.

[@briangoldberg4439]

unless you're perfect like me. jk lol

[@spidermcgavenport]

Thank you, Sir! I would only request a 90° cartridge extension holder so that the cart label is facing outward towards me.

[@lightmagick]

@18:15 I think this fits. Bill Gates is often credited with the quote, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

[@michaellowery1559]

It's Beautiful BEN

[@SavestateComic]

17:16 "The trash - which is like kitten jail for non-living things" This needs to be on a shirt.

[@Joliie]

A classic Old Ben yelling at Young Ben.

[@SuperFriendBFG]

Problem with Phillips Screws is that they need to be reasonably strong (IE: Hardened) to function well as screws. Obviously, for someone like you, that's fine, you probably make sure you get solid screws that aren't easily stripped. However, when dealing with manufactured goods, it's so easy to strip them. It's baffling that Phillips is chosen as a more popular standard as opposed to Tri-Head screws. From a design standpoint, they are far more structurally sound.

[@TheDemocrab]

Frozen cokes are amazing, if you're ever up Aus/NZ way again I suggest trying out the frozen drinks from Hungry Jacks (Our version of Burger King) that has a bubble tea kinda thing going on.

[@Flyingpapaya]

Ben! You gotta flip the giant enemy crab over and then attack its weak point for massive damage!

[@taskanawa9604]

rustic eletronics, i love it

[@lordhostile]

the Steve1898mre reference earned you a like and a sub from me lol....great vid! btw only psycho can act like they cant hear that damn alarm for 15mins....well done! ;)

[@is0p0d]

that 9/11 drop got me in the middle of a drink

[@OrangeHarrisonRB3]

I still have your book about these things on the bathroom reading rack next to the Simpsons encyclopedia. 👍

[@draggonhedd]

Trent Reznor? You mean Uncle Ron Zertnert? Man i remember when you first built these, those were the days.

[@samuraijaydee]

Love these videos Ben :)

[@nintendolunchbox]

Great Joel impersonation.

[@JemaKnight]

This thing is now retro in its own right. This is now a retro retro portable.

[@scottcol23]

Ahh back in the PRE 3D printer days.

[@wyldelf2685]

Yes BEN , hee hee hee , , ,your best work is 11years behind you , ,hee hee hee 😸👍

[@kaylajason8917]

What would one look like now if you had the chance to redesign it, and compare the two. That be awsome

[@BenHeckHacks]

Haha that idea did come to mind. I have a decent sized pile of 2600 motherboards at the moment :)

[@kirachouinard3490]

lol i was 7 months old when ben made this

[@neuro_davinci]

I was older than you are now, in 2001.... that sux! 😶

[@kirachouinard3490]

@@neuro_davinci sucks for who?

[@neuro_davinci]

For me, realising how old you are getting is never fun

[@kirachouinard3490]

@@neuro_davinci oh fair enough

[@LadyNicola]

I demand a kitten cam.! 😺🐱😻🐱😺😻🐱😘🌹 I'm glad you like our Slushies.

[@fredleckie5880]

This is like me going through old programme code

[@Mobile_Dom]

would be interesting to see you recreate this with a new 3D printed case (even 3d printed wood) a pcb from Oshpark or something

[@UpLateGeek]

Oh good, you left the TFT ACTIVE MATRIX DISPLAY off-centre in the final product. That definitely won't cause any issues with my OCD.

[@kg790]

Take a deep breathe and don't concentrate on you're OCD and it will loose it's affect.

[@musclesmouse]

I was in Aizu-wakamatsu when you bolts this. Just about 100 km from Fukushima nuclear ☢️.

[@Cheese_Daddy_314]

Wow that camera rant LOL 😂 😂😂

[@ShinoSarna]

18:29 I imagine you never wanna hear "nice hiss" when working on electronics :p

[@kathrynradonich3982]

shinobody I swear everyone watches Steve now 😂

[@bren42069]

Oh yes the magic smoke

[@flandrble]

I now want a Frozen Coke. Unlike a slushie where syrup adds flavour to the ice slush, a Frozen coke makes the frozen slush from Coke.

[@CandyGramForMongo_]

I recognize that screwdriver with the wire strippers in the handle (right screen). The one from the Archer set from Radio Shack, maybe 45 years ago! WTH?

[@Term271]

Wow that’s so cool

[@adcurtin]

Any chance you have the design files for the NES Portable in your book on that server too? I never finished mine, and would love to 3d print a case for it and finally finish it.

[@trixigt]

Oh no! Ben mixed the buttons up.. nice fix anyways!