"Resurrecting an Old Gem: Restoring the Abandoned SEARS Tele-Games Video Arcade (Atari 2600)

[@jdmcs]

I love Monster cables (that death grip though)... that is, when they're at the thrift shop at the same prices as the rest of the cables!

[@RetroTechorDie]

I always try to pick up Monster Cables when I find them.

[@coyote_den]

The Sears-branded version was the one my family had.

[@RetroTechy]

Great job, always love the look of these early gaming consoles

[@RetroTechorDie]

Thanks this looks amazing on top of my 80’s woodgrain CRT!

[@DOSStorm]

Some very odd modifications they made. What use is that crystal to anything other than another 2600?

[@RetroTechorDie]

Travis Parker has a very good explination in a post below. But 3.58MHz is the NTSC color subcarrier frequency.

[@GarthBeagle]

Our first gaming system was a Sears Tele-Games (my dad worked at Sears for many years) Crazy you found it along the side of the road!?

[@RetroTechorDie]

Absolute luck!

[@robertmoore254]

This is my first time on your channel. I noticed all of the Sub stuff on the walls behind you. Are you an ex-squid?

[@RetroTechorDie]

Yes I am!

[@robertmoore254]

Thank you for your service,it is greatly appreciated.

[@RetroTechorDie]

@@robertmoore254 Thank you appreciate it!

[@jamesduncan6309]

I wonder what the reasoning for the odd frequency crystal was.

[@coyote_den]

It is not an odd frequency. 3.57975 (often just 3.58) MHz is the NTSC color subcarrier frequency. The TIA uses it as the pixel and sync clock, phase shifts it for color generation, and divides it by 3 for the CPU clock,. Yes, it very slightly overclocks the CPU! The problem is finding a 3.58M crystal today. You can find one in just about any junked TV or VCR from the era, but it may not have the right electrical characteristics. Most 8-bit systems with NTSC output used a multiple like 7.16 or 14.32 MHz, as they needed faster pixel clocks.

[@intel386DX]

AliExpress have everything. So get the crystal from them .