Most liked posts in thread: Bally Arcade (Montgomery-Ward edition) full restore

So, back to my attempt to resurrect the OEM PSU. A delicate wire repair needs delicate wire and precision tools to accomplish:



Here is the PSU after it is repaired:



Here are all the output wires, isolated and insulated with Liquid Electric Tape.



Before I start connecting a cable, I'll still need to secure it to the transformer too, with some Zip ties, but the next step will be plugging the PSU into an extension cord and testing the output wires for voltage, and proper voltage, or there's no sense in continuing and my attention will have to turn to making a new PSU with two transformers that fit the voltage and minimum amp specs.

But first, one more thing to ensure a good connection with the outlet, I'll be cleaning off the heavily tarnished plug prongs with TarnX. just dampen a paper towel with the TarnX and rub down the prongs/posts. I'll also use TarnX on the motherboard edge connectors when my attention returns to it. Your focus is your reality.



A before TarnX shot:



An after TarnX shot:



So, now off to test with the multi-meter, I'll show pics of the results in the next post.

 

Alright you 8-bit retronauts, here are pictures of restoring the gold chrome trim around the keypad!

Here is the first strip in place at the top.



Here are top and bottom strips in place, the bottom plastic protective coating half-way removed for show.



Here we have all four sides and the center keyboard trim in place, over-lapping prior to trimming.



Here is the final result, after over-lapping the trim, cutting at a 45 degree angle on the corners trims both top and bottom strips to be flush. The center trim separating the keypad from the cart port was cut straight across using the upper and lower trim edge as a guide to cut as close as possible to be flush and hide the seam as best possible there too. And finally, the corners of the trim are trimmed to match the outer curved corners of the keypad and cart port frame.



Here is what it looks like with the case back in place over the keypad.



I'll post pictures of the outer top-case trim restoration tomorrow.

 

Here is the finished gold chrome trim on my case. All that's left is painting the RESET and EJECT button's raised lettering and some Wipe-New on the tinted clear cover for original luster, and Ms. Bally will be restored to her former beauty! (cosmetically anyway)

I wish they were better pictures, but I have terrible lighting for photographing in this room and the flash only adds glare. The last picture is an attempt to get a shot from the same angle as the picture I posted 2 posts above.

 

So, before I get started, here are some "before" shots of the controllers and current condition.

In the last picture showing the top of the controller, I believe that is corrosion on the gold metal surrounding the "2." I'm hoping I can clean that up some or completely with some TarnX. The number one controller is in much better condition with no corrosion, only a few fine scratches that will stay, to give it "character" and I'll shine both up as much as possible too.

The Bally logos on both sides used to have gold chrome plating on them, and will be painted gold after the controllers are repaired and painted black.

One controller is broken in two places, the other in one.

As stated before, I will be using the same technique on repairing the broken parts as I did with my Syscheck XL case I modified from a Commodore modem case (as seen on AS). using electrical tape for the mold around the outside, and fill it in from the inside with J.B. Weld. Then I will use copper trace repair across the top with more J.B. Weld on top of that to create extra strength. Sort of like re-bar in cement.

 

Here are interior shots of the Bally controllers, for the curious.

One has a plastic cover in place and the other has it removed, that cover slides between the trigger and the leaf switch and wraps half-way around the joystick apparatus. It has a heavy-duty spring which returns the joystick rod to center. On the bottom of the mechanism is a small PCB board which, once again, contains metal bubble contacts like those found in Atari CX-40 joysticks. But, there are heavy-duty leaf springs attached to the rod that press against a polyurethane "wings" that actually press against the bubble contacts in this chain reaction. Underneath all of that is a pot that looks pretty similar to the ones found in Atari paddles.

It's all almost arcade quality, which one might expect from Bally/Midway, since they had/have an arcade video and pinball division(s). Not quite as heavy-duty, slightly downgraded for the consumer market, high-end consumer market. And if these were arcade controllers they would be in die-cast metal cases, not plastic. Still, the quality you expect in an expensive after-market controller, not ones included in a system that needs to compete in price among other things, against Atari VCS, Odyssey 2 under original ownership and later Intellivision, Colecovision and the 5200 under new ownership.



Here are shots of a complete tear-down, short of the main assembly.I will be testing and cleaning contacts while it is apart, after I do the body-filler on the controller handle, while I wait for it to cure. I will probably have to tear-down the paddle-pot and clean it as they get tarnished from sitting. I've had to redo Atari paddle pots after just a few months of non-use. But I'll test them first...But it all looks in very good condition and I expect the joystick and fire button to work without issue, even though I'll clean them anyway.



This last picture is shows the shape of the joystick opening, basically square, with indents in the middle, and those are molded in, not from wear. I'll have to build up a "wall" with the J.B. Weld that is even across, and then use my Dremel with a grinding stone to re-create the proper indent(s), otherwise the joystick(s) won't have the proper throw-distance as other directions.

 

@M.D.Baker , first, thanks for inviting me to these new (to me) Atari forums. This is a nice thread about restoring your Astrocade going here. I've skimmed it all and read some of it completely. It's really great to see someone investigate the Bally Arcade and use some of the information from my BallyAlley.com website.

In case you're not aware, you can download the entire Bally Arcade/Astrocade archives that are made up of the BallyAlley.com website (23.34 GB) and everything else that has been scanned (26.8 GB) from Archive.org as just a few very large zipped files. Here is a link to the description which includes links to the specific archives on Archive.org:

https://ballyalley.com/documentation/Archives/Archives.html

There is so much information about the Astrocade on both my site and archive.org that it's very likely you'll have trouble finding what you're looking for unless you already know where it is on either site (which, of course, would mean that you don't need to find it if you already know where it is located already).

I also upload many Astrocade-related videos to YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ballyalley/videos

The videos are easier to watch on YouTube, but I also almost always add the original file to Archive.org so that you can download the original mp4 that I upload to YouTube.

A few quick notes on some information I've skimmed in this thread:

- All of the Astrocade controllers are identical internally; you do not need to use hand controller 4 only in port #4. The numbers on the top of the knob are just to help you organize which controllers is plugged into which port.

- You mentioned that you played GORF on the Astrocade, and then you realized that this game wasn't released for the system. And yet... you still seem to have memories of playing it. Maybe you played a game from tape?

You mentioned that you want to program the Astrocade in BASIC. I'd love to see what you can create! If you decide to do a little machine language hacking with the system, then I compiled an article about modifying the Astrocade's version of "Space Invaders" (called "Astro Battle") just yesterday:

https://ballyalley.com/ml/ml_docs/ml_docs.html#HackingAstroBattle

Oh, and I think that the Astrocade had the first official version of "Space Invaders," as the cartridge was called that in 1979/80 when it was released by Bally. I think it was when the game was re-released by Astrocade, Inc. (after the system was sold) that the game was renamed to "Astro Battle." I'm a little confused about the name change... but I think this is right.

I hope you get your Astrocade up and running! If not (or in addition?), the Astrocade emulation in MAME works pretty good, although it doesn't support all the ways that a real Astrocade can run software.

The majority of those who run across this thread won't have an Astrocade-- they're hard to get-- but that doesn't mean that people outside the U.S. and Canada can't investigate the Bally Arcade. I made a video about setting up Astrocade emulation in MAME here:



If you have the time, then give the Astrocade podcast a try (I'm one of the hosts on it):

http://ballyalleyastrocast.libsyn.com/podcast

Have fun messing about with the Astrocade: it's a weird and unique system that sort of defying fitting into any one neat category. That why I still wonder: is it a console or is it a computer?

Adam

 

Thanks for the info @BallyAlley , I don't know where I read about the controllers needing the correct ports as per number, but I already realized myself that this isn't true when I disassembled the controllers. And I had a sneaking suspicion that you would comment on that!

As to Gorf and remembering playing it on the Astrocade, all my friend had was the basic system and cartridges so I don't know why I remember playing it, it's just one of those weird memories that is clearly wrong. I have another memory that must be wrong too, and that was in a thread on an Atari Jaguar forum when GORF was released for the Jaguar CD unit, that another participant said they'd rather just play the great version they have on their Bally Astrocade. That was back when it was released about 10-15 years ago. So maybe I found a temporary worm hole into an alternate universe or I came from one and it's almost identical except that in that universe GORF was released on the Bally!

At this point I only plan on doing some programming on it if I can do machine language then that is the way I will probably do it, instead, instead of BASIC, on second thought, but I'm not going to bother any programming on it until I can find or build myself memory expansion and a keyboard. I have absolutely no wish to attempt any programming with just the keypad and a mere 4K. But first things first, and that's getting the old gal up and running. I just hope I don't have to do any further trouble shooting after building a PSU and replacing the caps in the unit.

 

@M.D.Baker , your posts are very informative.

You're certainly not the first person to think that each controller on the astrocade is made for one particular port. It is kind of a natural deduction based on numbers on the top of each hand controller. Also, keep in mind that controller ports, looking at them from the front of the unit, are numbered like this:

1 2 4 3

Now that decision is a head-scratcher!

If GORF came up in conversation when discussing the Atari Jaguar release of the game, then it's possible that the programmer of that game, Steve Scavone, brought the title up for the astrocade himself. He is (obviously!) a big fan of the game and he has proposed porting it to the astrocade.

You can see Steve's proposed pictures of what an astrocade version of GORF would look like, here:

https://ballyalley.com/pics/screenshots/Unfinished_Games/Unfinished_Games.html

GORF uses the same custom chips that the astrocade uses, and thus there are some similarities between the two machines. If you enjoy playing the arcade game GORF, then you might like my video overview of the game:



Also, there is a partial disassembly of the arcade game GORF on ballyalley.com, here:

https://ballyalley.com/ml/ml_source/ml_source.html#GorfArcadeDisassembly

If you're gonna skip Bally BASIC and "AstroBASIC" and go straight to Z80 coding, then you might get a kick out of these four videos that I made that explain how to program in Z80 machine code using the Astrocade itself. There is a cartridge called "Machine Language Manager" released in 1981 by Bit Fiddlers that can be used. Check these videos out:









Keep in mind that if you are programming in assembly language for the astrocade using a cross-assembler, then you are not limited to the 4K of RAM. You would be limited by the 8K of directly-accessible ROM on a cartridge.

If you want to see a great hardware-pushing, Euro-style demo running on Astrocade hardware, then check out this August 2019 program called "Astrocademo" by Genesis Project (code by Shadow, music by MCH, graphics by Illmidus). There are a couple of videos of the demo running on real hardware:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksY7Fm8kS68

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TzskKR0Zrg

There is a discussion group dedicated to only the Bally Arcade/Astrocade on Groups.io, here:

https://groups.io/g/ballyalley

Good luck getting your Astrocade up and running with your home-built power supply. Once it's running, then it's time to play some of The Incredible Wizard!

Adam

 

I had to wait for approval before posting so apologies if Adam beat me to some of these

Glad to see someone working so hard to restore a Bally Professional Arcade system.

I've collected them all for the past 20 years (Bally Home Library Computer, Bally Professional Arcade, Bally Computer System & Astrocade), not counting when I owned one when I was a teen.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend using info from ballyalley.com and consider joining the ballyalley group on groups.io (we used to be a yahoo group until they shut down). You will find no shortage of geniuses there who would be happy to field questions and assist in any way.

A few things to update you on if you weren't aware:

The consoles were not sold only via computer stores and Montgomery Ward, they could be found most anywhere that Bally and then Astrovision/Astrocade could get them carried.

The original model, the Bally Home Library Computer, was sold through JS&A, but later models like the Bally Computer System and final model the Astrocade could be picked up at places like Playworld and Crazy Eddie.

The computer add-on Bally had originally planned was never released, in any of its configurations, so the Bally consoles and Astrocade was always only released as a console. There were keyboard and expanded memory add-ons created but those were third party devices.

No need to search out a controller model 3 & 4 to use as player 3 & 4 - those are just labels. The knobs on top just pop off, if you haven't already figured out. The controllers are not keyed to any port. The original Home Library Computer model and some Professional Arcade models came with 4 controllers, later that was dropped to 2 with the ability to buy controllers 3 & 4 separately.

The type of gold paint pen you picked up has also been used to repaint the gold trim on the console, should you ever decide to remove the gold trim you used.

Sadly, Gorf was never released on the system, you might be thinking of Galaxian later renamed Galactic Invasion.

Best of luck on your endeavor.

 

@BallyAlley and @128Kgames , thank you both for your corrections and additional knowledge. I certainly am not one who likes to spread false information, I want to know the facts correctly and make sure it's just the true facts if I've heard/read wrong. I still am behooved at all the disinformation that is still regularly spread as fact around one of my favorite consoles of all time, the Atari Jaguar.

I appreciate the links and info about groups and other stuff regarding the console.

As to Gorf, the info about Steve Scavone makes sense, I'm probably miss remembering someone talking about playing Gorf figuratively on the Astrocade in regards to Steve mentioning porting it to the system or something like that, and this might have triggered a memory of playing Galaxian(s) on the Astrocade, and I started miss remembering that I'd played Gorf. I thought for sure I remembered coming up against the boss ship behind the shield though.

Machine language is sounding good to me when it comes to programming for the Bally system. I will track down the cartridge, and if I can't find the third party keyboard, memory and other upgrades, if the resources are there, I'll make whatever upgrades I can and find some good keyboard to hack to work with it. I'll do programs for 4K and 8K, but I do insist on a keyboard, and I think it would be fun to see what the Bally could do with 32K or more at it's disposal. I've seen great things from the Atari 8-bit in the last two decades from programmers with access to extended ram and high-speed flash drives and hard drives.

But right now I'm ankle deep (and getting deeper) in re-learning BASIC; BASIC XE on my upgraded 1200XL as soon to be upgraded with Incognito 800. Which, by the way, I have threads on Atari Sector covering upgrades and mods and restorations of Atari computers and peripherals, both original peripherals and DIY home-brew peripherals. You'd have to join to see those sub-forums though, I believe. One of my blogs here is a list of my 800 and 1200XL and their upgrades, etc. Anyway, so I'm also ankle deep in learning to program in assembly on the Atari 8-bit too. I'm learning the 6502 right now, and then I'll learn the Atari's custom chips. Once I do that and get some experience, then I was already planning on learning the Z80 chip too. I'm a fan of it as well, I owned a Timex/Sinclair 1000 before I bought an Atari. Though I only ever programmed in BASIC back then.

I'm sure I'll become an active member of the Bally Astrocade community once I get her restored. I've no intention of ever selling her. I already have the Bally Professional Arcade front and center in a glass display case I rebuilt recently also. Pictures of my entire "man-cave" alcove I made for my Atari's and consoles can be seen in a thread on Atari Sector I did showing the steps as I built it all from an empty room and added the display case (though I did not show my rebuilding the case, just the "man cave.") The thread is in a sub forum called 'You and Computers' under the title 'Baker's Atari XL Command Center,' IIRC. The case will be the Astrocade's home when it is not being used.

Once I get a keyboard for it, I'll make room for the Bally next to the Atari 8-bits. I don't know if I'll get another Sinclair machine or not, there's the Spectrum emulator out for the Atari, I think it needs the Rapidus 65816 accelerator board for the Atari XL/XE though to function well. But I'll be upgrading my 1200XL with a Rapidus one day soon too. So I will be able to code Z80 on my Atari that way, but I also have a California Access CA-2001 drive that is a clone of the Indus GT, with a Z80 too, and CPM built-in already, and plan on upgrading one of my Indus GT drives for CP/M as well, so I'll have plenty of ways with just the Bally Z80 and CP/M and these others to code Z80's. My Atari's will be joined with a C64 and BBC Micro in 6502 land eventually too. I'll have another man-cave by then.

Well, I've "chewed your ears off" so to speak, and probably put you to sleep with my rantings, so I'll leave it there for now.

-Matt

 

Thanks, that would be cool. I do have all the .ATR disk images of CP/M for the Indus GT, which should work fine with my CA-2001, but I haven't tried it yet. I also have some other CP/M stuff I downloaded a couple years back when I got the California Access drive, but I think it's all apps and utilities, so games will be welcome.

 

Thanks for the info on GORF, @Gorf . I knew the arcade machines of Wizard of Wor and Gorf and the Bally system had close similarities, but I didn't know about the differences. It's one of the reasons I was so sure GORF already existed on the console and along with mis-remembered experiences and conversations about it is why I thought it already did exist, along with the idea that Bally would never NOT make a game they owned the rights/Midway division too on their console. I'm still stunned. And thanks for making the Jaguar version.

 

I've ordered the transformers and capacitor kit. I ended up ordering the transformers, which I found identical alternatives for at Digi-key, from them, which are twice the price as Jameco, but because shipping is 1/3 the cost and Digi-key didn't add in a $6.10 processing fee, which I find utterly ridiculous, the total came out to be $5 less! No wonder I always get my parts from Digi-key instead of Jameco!

I did end up ordering just a 564 piece radial capacitor set, because the only places I found full sets of axial capacitors were with 1/3 the pieces for 3-4 times the price of radial sets. I just couldn't justify the cost. Radial's always look funny stretched across a spot meant for axial, but they work just as good. Except for the two large axial capacitors on the board, I got the axial replacements for those. I had to order separately for $7 for one and $11 for the other, but I got those off of Amazon with free shipping.

I think this BPA restore will cost me about $65 dollars total, not including the capacitor set for $15, which I'll only be using 5 capacitors out of it. Assuming that with the new PSU and capacitors the console works. It's an earlier model, so who knows if there's an IC issue or not, especially with the heat-prone one(s).

 

And less than 24 hours later, my capacitor set arrives. It probably has to do with the new regional distribution center about 20 miles away from me. Delivered by an Amazon truck, which is how many have been coming over the last 6 months. I bet it won't be long before Amazon is offering their own shipping services (Us shipping through them as a carrier) to compete with Fedex and UPS, instead of using them.

The transformers are shipping USPS from inside the U.S. and my orders from Digi-key generally arrive in just 3-4 days or less. The large capacitors I bought off Amazon, but they are shipping from the seller, not Amazon.

 

Capacitor replacement is underway, I'll have pics soon.

But while I was downloading some more Bally arcade materials and printing out the instructions and schematics for the substitute transformers PSU, on @BallyAlley 's site, ballyalley.com I did finally run across the instructions for an RGB out circuit, which I won't bother with, but that's because the Bally Arcade does have B-Y, R-Y, Y(Luma/mono out), and I already have an Ambery RGB-to-VGA converter/upscaler that also accepts various component RGB.

So all I have to do is run a VGA cable out the back where the RF cable used to go, which, of course, will be made slightly larger to accomidate the cable. That will run to a DIY break-out-box that sits outside the BPA, via VGA input, and mount a component output 3xRCA, 1x chroma RCA out and it in combination with 1x Luma (shared with component outs) RCA out for monitors like the CBM 1084P I have. I'll do a dual-mono RCA audio out also. All of this will only take 5 RCA outs. I also already have DIY cables for component to the RGB2VGA converter, C/L-to-S-video, and C/L-to-composite cables to go from the B.O.B to monitors and adapters/converters for the ability to plug it in via 3 different video outs.

I also stumbled across directions for a 64K upgrade and connecting a keyboard, so I may even end up doing that stuff too, before finishing with this Bally!

 

Another of my projects I'm finally finishing up this winter is the restoration of my Bally Professional Arcade. It had pretty much been left cosmetically complete, full capacitor replacement and full cleaning inside and out. At the time I didn't have a PSU to even turn it on and test it with, and that was part of the restoration, building a new PSU for it I also had left the controller disassembled in a box needing a good cleaning, and re-assembly for the electro-mechanical parts, but the controller cases were broken and I didn't want to use them either until properly fixed and reinforced to prevent the same obvious stress point from breaking again (both controller are broken in the same spot, and I have been communicating with an avid Bally fan and restorer/seller of Bally Arcade/Astrocades and I' fixing a couple joystick cases for him too, broken in the same exact spot as mine. More on that later.)

Anyway, about a month ago I finally cut and pasted all my posts from this thread over on Atari Age, correcting, editing, adding more pictures and continuing the restoration until I finished in a Bally restoration blog. And when I had first published the ongoing blog, the person mentioned above contacted me offering advice and help and allowed me to borrow an original Bally PSU for testing, which he ended up selling to me for a reasonable price of $40 for one in mint condition, a steal considering the rarity since they are permanently connected to consoles they just aren't found separately except when salvaged like he has done, from console used for parts for other consoles. I searched on and off for over 15 years and never found one and finally decided to build my own a couple years ago as posted above in this thread somewhere. I still have all those parts and will save them in case this Bally PSU I have now ever goes dead, because they aren't really repairable or rebuildable.

He also sent me RESET and EJECT buttons that still had flawless gold chrome trim on them so I didn't have to resort to gold paint on the lettering and it's shiny like the golc chrome auto trim I used for the console's trim. And new controller numbered 1 and 2 paddle knobs since they have metallic badges on top and mine were also in poor condition. In return I sent him my old bits and I printed him Bally cartridge case and am repairing two of his controller cases.

Anyway, once I had a PSU for the Bally, I was able to test it out. There was no picture when turned on (the Bally has no power LED either). But I noticed that the Bally power switch would cause interference on the TV screen when jiggled, so it seemed like it needed cleaning or repair or replacement. Luckily it was just needing a good cleaning having tarnish buil-up on it's metal contacts.

Second, the RF module channel switch was very hard to move and I wasn't sure if I was getting it switched fully to one channel or the other (3-4). And I also noticed TV interference when the RF module was jiggled and the header on the motherboard where it connects moved and seemed to loose, possibly cold/broken solder joints.

So, after cleaning the power switch I cleaned the RF header teeth, resoldered all the solder points on themother board header and secured it all to the mobo with epoxy. I then removed the RF boxe's channel switch (which ended up breaking on me anyway) and permanently shorted it with solder to only work on RF channel 3. I then tested the system out again and it worked!

But the Bally in general, and it's ultra rare custom IC's are known to run hot, one of them had a heatsink connected between it and the RF shielding out of the factory! And mine all grew quite warm quickly and two poorly heat-sinked regulators were quite hot to the touch! So I ordered a bunch of several different sized IC heat sinks (I'm using them on my other systems too) and gave all the main IC's and the regulators heat sinks to keep them cool. It was also recommended to me by my new Bally friend to NOT put the top RF shielding back on as this is also part of the cause of over-heating issues. I couldn't if I wanted too with all the new heat sinks inplace anyway.

After that I re-assembled her, cleaned her again and wiped her down with Rejuvenate and a micro fiber cloth. The RF image is surprisingly good on the Bally, I believe the cleanest I've ever seen and looks nearly as good as any composite video I've seen, so I'm holding off on making a video out board to replace the RF box for now. There are upgrades both internal and external for the Bally that turns it into a full-fledged Z-80 computer with keyboard, so I will do those upgrades one day, and add an RGB video board to it at that time since it does have component signals off it's graphic chip that can be made into RGB output.

Check out my blog in my profile on Atari Age for all the details and more pictures. Since it will be a full-fledged computer one day, I have given it space on my XL Command Center (full pictures of it still to come...I'm not finished yet!) desktop opposite the TRS-80 Coco 2. As I also have much more all around space since moving a few things along with the 800 out to my office/shop/lab trailer.

I tested it out on my big CRT TV.

 

Just trying to keep the Brotherhood safe

 

Good work Matt. A true enthusiast!

 

You have got to love Matt's work ethic, I was brought up to start and finish a job, if possible do not stop for breaks, keep the focus. I always gave 101% and it had to be spot on. Matt is the same, but he compacts so much in a day knowing that he won't have that he probably won't time later.

Top man...

I wish I could say I'm the same these days, between my body and my head, things don't work the same now...

I can but try...And I do.....Hats off to Matt and anyone with the same passion on here..

 

I appreciate the sentiments boys. It is a lot of hard work, even though I love doing it, it's still work; people get payed or make money off of doing this, the electronics repair people do for careers. And yes, as Paul said, I was raised to have good work ethic and you finish any job you start, even if there is a hiatus in between the start and finish sometimes. And don't even bother if you don't plan on doing a top-notch professional job on everything you do. And knowing I'm going to be presenting my work to the vintage gaming/computing community drives me even harder for perfection and no compromise as I'm a best foot forward kind of guy and want to leave a good impression.

I get a great sense of pride and accomplishment for my reward on this stuff, as well as pristine machines, down to the last detail, to play with when they are done. Eventually I'll finish catching up on the repairs and restorations planned for years, most actually this season I think, and then all the time I've spent on them will become time to enjoy them for entertainment, some paper work and most importantly to me, start actually using the machines I've repaired to help with other projects, like my robot, and Wefax decoder project and back to learning to program them and get back into graphic arts on them, my own art, not just converting images to Atari's.

I'm not quite done yet though guys, I'm nearing completion with projects on the Coco 2, turning it into a first-rate vintage system with all the best upgrades like with my Atari's, I still have to repair and upgrade my Atari Lynx, though cosmetic restoration is complete. I still have to jump back on my 1200XL and get it running again, though I think I'll crack that brain-buster soon, I've eliminated a lot of possibilities and it's just down to a couple other things that must be the issue. Then finish my friends 800XL which is waiting on the 1200XL for it's eprom burner to burn new OS eproms. Then sort out the SDrive Max I'm sending with it with a fully loaded and sorted SD card of the current Atari library. Then I have 3 ram charger CP/M upgrades to install in my two Indus GT's and CA-2001, repair one 1050 which has a couple components that need replacing, some minor work on my 1010 and 1020, turn my 1030 into a Fujinet wifi modem, install new higher-res pots in my Super Sketch tablet to upgrade it's performance...that might be the end of the list fellows...

I should be caught up with projects after these last ones above, and I'm shooting to have them done before my lawn care season starts up in about a month, or at least my focus and efforts will have to turn to getting all my business equipment running and in top-notch order. Of course I am still working on house renovations through it all, a few hours a day. That should also finally be finished before spring too.

So after this winter, business aside, I'll finally have a lot more time to relax and enjoy life and my hobbies and get started on the bucket list of hobby projects finally, but at a relaxed and fun pace. With only routine maintenance on the household and hobby machines from then on out. My other 2 1200XL's I think I'll put aside for a while, one will probably end up being a parts machine and the other I was going to give to Paul I'll finish repairing and upgrading one day, maybe to sell, maybe to keep as a third Atari with different upgrades than the other two, or something.

 

Matt, I have a friend who is exactly the same, he's had his fill with women messing him around, and he prefers life without complications. The last two women he had living with him both tried to make off with the house and bank account. Who would blame anyone for not wanting that crap. Has he started stroking my leg and asking me to shower with him, no.. He's just taking his life in a relaxed way.

And yeah, I'm opened up about parts of my life that have hurt, but it showed I trusted people with the info..

And yes, I also find stuff I don't want and do like you do and put in a proper place but still lose 100 and 1 things daily

 

I've been busy with my work season well underway, and the little free time I've been posting in a Bally Astrocade community since that's what I'm working on, atm, hence my ghostly presence around here of late. Plus, not much going on from other here, so nothing to reply to either...I hope all are well and are just busy like me!

 

Just saw this posted on YouTube yesterday

 

Ah, the joys of using a quality art package on the Atari, Baker.
As you point out, there have been some classics.
You must have produced some really impressive examples in the past and I'm so sorry that some are now lost forever.
The superb Rasta examples that you have produced - and now live forever (we hope) - are testament to your skills and satisfaction on re-creating artful experiences on such humble machines (in terms of processing power and what would now be termed vintage equipment).
The only Atari art I ever did was the clouds / sky "playfield" to Dogfight (which is still nowhere near complete) and I think I used another program that was highly recommended at the time in the UK - G.A.D. - Graphic Art Department from Red Rat software of Manchester...erm, there I go again! G.A.D. was released by Databyte and Red Rat did Technicolour Dream - another two titles I frequently get mixed up!

I can definitely say that works neatly but my quick background backdrop is a basic testimony to its capabilities.



More on G.A.D. can be found here:


http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-graphic-arts-department_32949.html

and Technicolor Dream is over here:
http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-technicolor-dream_15870.html

Example art videos here:

 

Yes, that will be an excellent resource for programming, once I have the machine running and restored. Right now I really need board schematics for trouble-shooting (to start with, which voltage lines from the PSU go to which inputs on the power-input box) or a full Field Service manual. I just downloaded the file you linked too, hoping it would have schematics. But only block-diagrams of the system, which doesn't help much for hardware trouble shooting and repair. I'm going to search for a FSM or schematics now.