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Index
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Model:
Atari 5200 SuperSystem
Release Date:
November 1982
Original Price:
$270
Processor:
8-bit custom 6502c 1.79 MHz
Memory:
16 KB RAM / 64 KB ROM
I've had this system for several years, but I was never able to test it. Atari, for
some odd reason, decided that the power supply and the video signal should be sent
down the same cable. This meant that in addition to the power supply, you also had
to keep up with the specialized RF switch box. And of course I didn't have either
of those items. I was trying to find a picture of the switch box today so that we
would know one when we saw it when I came across
this
fantastic little page with a super-simple design for building your own
switch box. I immediately ripped apart an old TV/game switch and modified it to
work with the 5200. Surprise, surprise... nothing. No LED, no video... nothing.
After a little probing, and using the schematics linked below, I was able to
determine that the 4013 flip-flop wasn't flipping or flopping. I replaced that and
we were in business!
In addition to the aforementioned power supply/switch box combo, the 5200 also
sported an entirely new design in game control. The joysticks feature full 360º
analog rotation instead of the 4 and 8 positions that everyone was used to. Another
feature was a Pause button, where a player could pause a game mid-action
indefinitely. They were notoriously faulty, though, requiring users to either
repair or replace the controllers on a semi-regular basis.
After only two years, Atari pulled the plug on the 5200 in 1984 to less than
expected sales figures. With just over a hundred titles released, several being
re-releases of already popular 2600 games, the 5200 never lived up to it's full
potential - although it is still popular among collectors and those of us just
trying to relive our past...
>>
Click here to download the Owner's Manual (7.89 mb)
>>
Click here to download the Field Service Manual (6.73 mb)
>>
Click here to download the Schematic Diagrams (1.28 mb)
>>
Click here to download a schematic for building the RF switchbox (6.6 kb)
>>
Click here to download a Complete Game List
Pinouts:
Power Supply - 11.5vdc 1.95amps Tip Positive
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