25 replies to this topic

[Deteacher]

So, I hit the flea market today. It's the first time this season and I wasn't finding anything older than NES stuff (which I don't collect.) Anyway, at that very last table, I saw this old Pong system hanging out of a box. I'd never seen or heard of the brand name before. It's a Roberts Sportrama 8 system. It has both joysticks, no A/C adapter. It will run on batteries and, most likely, a standard Atari wall wart (9v 500 amps according to the underside.)

This unit was in pretty rough shape. The tip of the Rf cord was cut off, it's dirty as heck and it was obviously subjected to many years of extreme heat because what was left of the Rf cord was melted into the plastic shell of the unit. Also, two of the game buttons are melted together. I offered $3 for it, given it's condition and he accepted. I figured, what the heck. Maybe, with a little luck, I can clean it up, replace the Rf cord and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, I'm out $3.

What really interested me was the fact that I'd never heard of it before and hoped I had found something really rare. Turns out, it's a relatively common system, worth no more than $20 in good working condition. Eh, we'll see...if nothing else, it will be fun to play around with. Opening it up and tinkering with it is worth $3 to me.

[T2KFREEKER]

Man, I haven't seen anything Atari at the swap meet in forever. The one around here never has anything older than Playstation! Sucks!

[Amstari]

Cool do you have a photo?

You might find it on this site: Pong Story

Deteacher, on Sat Sep 3, 2011 4:40 PM, said:

It has both joysticks, no A/C adapter. It will run on batteries and, most likely, a standard Atari wall wart (9v 500 amps according to the underside.)

I've got a few different pong/sports systems. Most of them will work with an Atari wall wart, although I almost fried one of them because I didn't check and it was 9v 100amps.

[Deteacher]

Here's a pic. You can see all the "cuts" in the plastic where the Rf wire was melted into the shell. I might have to try sanding it down to get it smooth again.

Sorry for the crappy quality. I'm going to take a really nice "before" pic, then I'm going to set out to make it a presentable and playable machine.

Edited by Deteacher, Sat Sep 3, 2011 9:23 PM.

[esplonky]

what do the inputs for joysticks look like?

[Deteacher]

It's all hardwired in. So, I have to crack her open to replace the Rf cable. Hopefully the controllers work. I'll post screenshots if this thing actually works.

I'll get to it later on today, I can't wait!

[0078265317]

Nice find.

[SRGilbert]

Very cool, but for what it's worth, I don't think it was heat that "melted" the case, I think it's some sort of chemical reaction between the outer insulation of the cord and the plastic of the case. All three of my Suncom Slick Stick joysticks have the same thing where ever the cord was touching, and I've seen that in other places as well. It's a major pain really, and can happen to brand new in the box vintage items.

[Deteacher]

SRGilbert, on Sun Sep 4, 2011 1:38 PM, said:

Very cool, but for what it's worth, I don't think it was heat that "melted" the case, I think it's some sort of chemical reaction between the outer insulation of the cord and the plastic of the case. All three of my Suncom Slick Stick joysticks have the same thing where ever the cord was touching, and I've seen that in other places as well. It's a major pain really, and can happen to brand new in the box vintage items.

Really? I didn't know that could happen. That's crazy. +1 rep for the info. I learned something new today. Thanks!

[Deteacher]

Here's a before and after (even though I still have some work to do on it.) It's coming along nicely.

Before:



After:



I still have some sanding to do, but I've managed to get rid of most of the cuts. I used a Magic Eraser to clean up the dirt and gunk. I accidentally put a scratch on the right player controller because I was a little careless with the sandpaper.

I fired it up after putting in a new Rf cable and it works like a champ. What's really cool about this unit is that you have 8-way control of your paddles in most games. Gives pong/soccer/hockey a little more of a challenge. I really like this unit. Turned out to be a great $3 investment.

[Necron99]

nice restore job! looks a lot better in the second pic!

[Wickeycolumbus]

That's cool, looks kinda like a Commodore computer.

[Mxyzptlk]

I gotta ask, why is it white, and then beige? Are the before and after mixed up? As I have never seen this item before I have no clue what it is supposed to look like.

[SRGilbert]

Mxyzptlk, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:07 PM, said:

I gotta ask, why is it white, and then beige? Are the before and after mixed up? As I have never seen this item before I have no clue what it is supposed to look like.

I think because he had different backgrounds, the camera's auto white balance was thrown off.

[Mxyzptlk]

SRGilbert, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:25 PM, said:

Mxyzptlk, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:07 PM, said:

I gotta ask, why is it white, and then beige? Are the before and after mixed up? As I have never seen this item before I have no clue what it is supposed to look like.

I think because he had different backgrounds, the camera's auto white balance was thrown off.

Thanks, I am digital camera uneducated. So, it is supposed to be white... right?

[rmaerz]

Looks great! Congrats on the find!

[SRGilbert]

Nice job on that by the way, I love finds like that!

[esplonky]

does it work?

[Amstari]

Great cleaning job!

What is the game on there called "Jamalai"?

[Necron99]

Amstari, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 5:11 AM, said:

Great cleaning job!

What is the game on there called "Jamalai"?

it's Jai Alai

[Amstari]

Necron99, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 5:22 AM, said:

Amstari, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 5:11 AM, said:

Great cleaning job!

What is the game on there called "Jamalai"?

it's Jai Alai

Thanks! I hadn't heard of it before.

So it's like the game in Tron but you don't get derezzed.

[Mark T]

Looking forward to seeing if it will end up working. Great find!

[Deteacher]

Mxyzptlk, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:07 PM, said:

I gotta ask, why is it white, and then beige? Are the before and after mixed up? As I have never seen this item before I have no clue what it is supposed to look like.

when I took the 'before' pic, it was under natural light. By the time I was ready for the 'after' picture, it was dark, so I used lamp light. The real color is white.

[Deteacher]

esplonky, on Mon Sep 5, 2011 9:10 PM, said:

does it work?

It works perfectly. Controls are ultra smooth! It's a color system and each game has different screen colors. I'll take some screenshots and post them later.

[Deteacher]

Amstari, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 5:11 AM, said:

Great cleaning job!

What is the game on there called "Jamalai"?

It's Jaialai. Not sure if it's a typo, but it's like squash, I guess.