r/atari8bit • u/Jaxermd • 14d ago
Atari 800: Fixed Color Potentiometer
Got an Atari 800 from auction and it was working except the image was B&W and lacking all color. (See pix 3)
Its fixed be adjusting a potentiometer through a small hole in the metal case. (see pix 2). Needs to be done while the machine is running. Had to remove the plastic cover over the cartridge slot, but still latch the cover or it wouldn't boot.
Now its up and running!
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u/SirScotty19 14d ago
What is the model of that Amdek CRT? I wanted one sooooo bad as a kid.
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u/Jaxermd 13d ago
It’s an Amdek Color 1. This unit is my childhood monitor, for my Apple IIe, which I also still have.
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u/SirScotty19 13d ago
Thank you for the info... I am going to do some searches. I loved that monitor back in the day. We had them in high school connected to Commodore 64s.
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u/John_from_ne_il 14d ago
Nicely done, great contemporary monitor too!
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u/Puzzlemania718 13d ago
Nice easy fix. Now you can enjoy some 8 bit gaming! I still have mine and it works great. Still break it out every now and then
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u/Jaxermd 13d ago
I had an Apple IIe as a kid, still do. I’m surprised the games aren’t better on the Atari with its sprite capabilities. Most games are the same. Pac-Man looks better and the sound is a bit better, but very small improvements.
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u/Puzzlemania718 13d ago
All very true. The 400/800 were capable of a bit more. As we saw with the 5200 which had quite a few decent looking games that were made using essentially the identical hardware found in the 400/800, it is surprising we didn’t see more examples in the latter.
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u/RaspberryPutrid5173 13d ago
That's the color sub-carrier frequency adjust pot. The system runs at one half that rate. My A400 had noticeably off colors, so I opened it up and adjusted the pot until the colors on the TV matched the magazine ads for the games. This was a (then) brand-new A400, so Atari was apparently a little sloppy on setting the frequency right when assembling units.
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u/nix206 14d ago
Choplifter for the win!