39 replies to this topic

[atwwong]

For Atari Flashback 2 and Flashback 2+ FAQ's see the next post


Atari Flashback 2 Cartridge Mods Links

Here are links to modifications where a cartridge port has been hacked onto a FB2. Most of these links contain detailed instructions so that with some knowledge of electronics and soldering, you can study the information and do it yourself.

Be aware that you may have a RevA, RevB, or RevC board. Make sure you know which board you have and which board the modder is using before you start.

FB2 Cart mod links

Curt Vendel:
Hacking the Flashback 2 Console
forum post

John Soper:
Lab Rat: Flashback2 Cartridges
forum post

Kokovec:
Atari Flashback 2 Hack
forum post

netmoe (nice photos in IE):
Moe Production Atari Flashback 2.0 Cartridge Port Modification

yoras and batari discussion:
forum post

Bob Colbert (photos):
My Atari Flashback 2 Hack
forum post


Cheers,
Tony

Disclaimer: Note that AtariAge is not responsible if you damage your Flashback 2 when following these instructions. Also your Flashback 2 warranty is void once you break the seal to open the unit.


Add the Harmony Cart to your FB2/2+
Chris (cd-w) et al.:
Atari Flaskback 2/2+ Harmony mod


Flashback 2 Portable Specifications (Proposed by Curt Vendel)
Model: FB2 Portable handheld
Screen: 2.5" TFT & backlit
Controller: 1 player joypad & fire button
USB connection (Mount of a storage drive - so PC, MAC, Linux could all access) to download BIN files
AV output: for TVOut, headphone type jack to connect a phono to RCA cable
Power: batteries & include external AC socket
Extras: CD-ROM of dev tools officially endorsed by Atari
Price: $39.99

Modding extras info:
1) There will be a micro 20 pin connector on the side of the unit to allow for hackers to create their own FB2 portable to Atari joysticks/paddles/trackballs/keypads dongle's, i.e., allow users to hook player 1 and 2 controllers to the unit - information on connector spec & part# would be provided so that dongles can be made - this will also allow 2 player capabilities and allow the system to be mod'd more easily.

2) Looking into bringing the cart pins up to an edge connector so that micro-formfactor type cards could be done by the h/w hacking community, though it really may not be needed since games will be easily d/l'd into the onboard storage and menu selected.

Edited by atwwong, Sat Apr 3, 2010 12:40 AM.
update

[atwwong]

Atari Flashback 2 & Flashback 2+ Instruction Manual FAQ

Here is additional information to supplement the Flashback 2 Instruction Manual:

Links:

Online Manuals (courtesy of waybackmachine)
Atari Flashback 2 Online Manual - this manual has more details than the retail instruction manual
Atari Flashback 2 PDF manual - warning - 1.7Mb at 110 pages

Digital Press has both the version 1 (text) and version 2 (original website graphics) of the Atari Flashback 2 online manuals in pdf format here.

Return to Haunted House
Unabridged Game Program Instructions
PDF RTHH Game Program Instructions - 640k
Colours too dark? Turn up the PICTURE or BLACK level on the TV.
Screen rolling? Adjust the vertical and/or horizontal hold controls on your TV until the picture becomes steady.

Save Mary - how to play
AtariProtos.com
2600 High Score Club

Visit AtariProtos.com (special thanks to Tempest) for more information on the prototype games included with the FB2:
Aquaventure, Combat Two, Frog Pond, Saboteur, and Wizard, as well as prototype information on the previously released games.


Hidden Secrets of the Flashback 2 - Revealed by Curt Vendel

Once you receive an Atari Flashback 2, have some fun exploring some of its hidden features:

Diagnostic/Test Mode -
While holding the Reset and Select buttons down with the B/W & Color Switch in Color mode -
Power on and you'll get a Joystick test mode

Doing the same thing with the switch in B/W mode -
Power on and you'll get a Paddle Controller test mode

Hidden Bonus Games -
There are two (three for FB2+) hidden games in the console, at the main menu when you first turn the console on, using player 1 joystick -
Up 1
Down 9
Up 7
Down 2
1972 - The year Atari was officially Incorporated.

You'll see a hidden games menu with two of Atari's greatest 2600 games, Warlords and Super Breakout (plus an additional third game, Circus Atari, in the FB2+). Make sure you have a set of paddles available to experience and enjoy these bonus games!


Flashback 2 & Flashback 2+ Menu and Games

Adventure Territory
* Adventure
* Adventure II
* Haunted House
* Return to Haunted House
* Secret Quest
* Wizard -

Arcade Favorites
* Arcade Asteroids
* Arcade Pong
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Centipede
* Lunar lander
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Space Duel
* Battlezone

Skill and Action Zone
* 3D Tic Tac Toe
* Aquaventure
* Atari Climber -
* Combat
* Combat 2
* Dodge'm
* Fatal Run
* Frog Pond
* Hang Man
* Human Cannonball
* Maze Craze
* Off the Wall
* Outlaw
* Pitfall! -
* Radar Lock
* River Raid -
* Save Mary
* Video Checkers
* Video Chess

Space Station
* Caverns of Mars -
* Quadron
* Saboteur
* Space War
* Yar's Return
* Yar's Revenge

Sports Arena +
* Double Dunk +
* RealSports Boxing +
* RealSports Soccer +
* Super Baseball +
* Super Football +

Secret Paddle Games -
Top Secret +
* Warlords
* Super Breakout
* Circus Atari +

- indicates FB2 only
+ indicates FB2+ only

Console Differences
Aside from the games, the cosmetic differences in the consoles are that the FB2+ sports a plus (+) sign and larger text for "Classic Gaming Console". Also the fuji symbol on the original FB2 resembles the newer Hasbro fuji, whereas the FB2+ fuji resembles the original Atari fuji.


Atari Flashback 2 Compatibility List (Thanks to brojamfootball for the link.)

http://kennedy.greg..../fb2compat.html


Revisions (retrieved from http://en.wikipedia....ari_Flashback_2 on April 5, 2010)
There have so far been three revisions of the Atari Flashback 2.

• Rev. 0X has a problem with the synthesized voice in Quadrun not working due to a problem with the emulation of the original console's audio output. (When play begins, the game should speak "Quadrun" three times.) It also contains a prototype version of Millipede programmed by General Computer Corporation; this version has problems with the display losing vertical hold and appearing to "roll", making the game unplayable. This revision had the early delivery data to the chip fabricator and was not meant to be run into production. While this is commonly called Rev. A it is properly termed Rev. 0X

• Rev. A Is the correct production revision of the chip which fixes the voice synthesis in Quadrun and also contains the Atari Inc. version of Millipede as well as a newer revision of Adventure 2 that is easier to see on certain TVs that experienced too dark a color palette. This revision is sometimes referred to as Rev. B since it was the 2nd series of release.

• Rev. C features a reduced-size PCB, which was designed to simplify installing a cartridge port (as described below). There are no changes to the unit's functionality; the Revision C chip corrected some Hmove incompatibility issues, but still lacked several 65xx Illegal OpCodes and support for FE bankswitching.

A few of the included games, such as Lunar Lander, exhibit some flicker. This is due to limitations in the original Atari 2600 hardware, which the Flashback 2 reproduces accurately. Curt Vendel noted that the games exclusive to the Flashback 2 were programmed under a strict schedule, and later commissioned developers to tweak these games in order to reduce flickering. However, as of June 2006, Atari Inc. has not produced any further Flashback 2 revision with the improved games.




Rev. D (?) is the Atari Flashback Portable with support for all games with the exception of Pitfall 2 and the Supercharger games. This new chip will also have built in LCD driver lines, and USB connectivity support and built in Flash RAM for games storage. No official word on when Atari Inc. will release this revision and gamers eagerly await its official announcement.

Flashback 2+
Uses Rev C with changes in game selection
Lunar Lander flicker and game-play fixed
Yar's Return scrolling and game-play fixed
Frog Pond uses later prototype binary with title screen

Curt Vendel, on Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:33 PM, said:

1. Pitfall! and River Raid were removed so as not to have to pay licensing fee's
2. Atari Climber was removed for legal reasons
3. Caverns of Mars was also removed because apparently there was an off the books side contract with the original APX author, so that title is now gone.
4. Wizard was pulled because it really has no play value to it.

So a new Menu section - Sports Arena has been added, Double Dunk, RS Boxing, RS Soccer, Super Baseball and Super Football have been added.

MIA (Official things that were omitted – these actually exist...)
Asteroids Deluxe update
Star Raiders as a hidden game
PAL version of FB2
new board for illegal opcode corrections to work "REV E"(?)
FB2 Portable (REV D?)

X-Files (Unofficial rumours)
Return to Haunted House +
FB3


Cheers,
Tony

Edited by atwwong, Thu Oct 6, 2011 12:10 AM.
update

[netmoe]

Is there something else to be done after 1972 is entered via joystick.I've tried it a few times and I don't get the 2 extra games.Thanks...........

[keilbaca]

netmoe, on Fri Dec 2, 2005 3:32 PM, said:

Is there something else to be done after 1972 is entered via joystick.I've tried it a few times and I don't get the 2 extra games.Thanks...........

you're putting it in too fast. Make sure that you take your time with the entry, like, up, pause, down, pause, down, pause, etc.

[netmoe]

Thanks ,I'll try that..........Moe

[Curt Vendel]

Its kind of interesting... no one has noticed the names of the imp's and wizard in the Wizard instructions in the manual and realized who they are...




Curt

[onmode-ky]

Ah, I see it now. The initials threw me; normally, I actually do try to read unfamiliar words in the manner required for these three, but those initials deterred me from seeing it.

I recognize Rassakr and Leimartj, but who is Nagromj?

onmode-ky

[Curt Vendel]

Ray Kassar
Jack Tramiel
and James Morgan (started in Sept 83 through June 84)

Former CEO's of Atari...


Curt

onmode-ky, on Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:30 AM, said:

Ah, I see it now.  The initials threw me; normally, I actually do try to read unfamiliar words in the manner required for these three, but those initials deterred me from seeing it.

I recognize Rassakr and Leimartj, but who is Nagromj?

onmode-ky

[jbanes]

Curt Vendel, on Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:00 AM, said:

and James Morgan (started in Sept 83 through June 84)

Former CEO's of Atari...

I was wondering who "Morgan" was. Tramiel I recognize, and who wouldn't recognize old Yar. But it looks like Morgan had a rather short life as the CEO before Atari got split in two.

BTW, I've noticed something interesting with the FB2, though I'm not quite sure that it qualifies as a "secret". If you start the console in Paddle Test mode with the regular joystick, then press a button or direction on the joystick, it drops you into "Off the Wall". Is that just a glitch, or am I somehow ending up in a special mode?

[doctorclu]

keilbaca, on Fri Dec 2, 2005 3:39 PM, said:

netmoe, on Fri Dec 2, 2005 3:32 PM, said:

Is there something else to be done after 1972 is entered via joystick.I've tried it a few times and I don't get the 2 extra games.Thanks...........

you're putting it in too fast. Make sure that you take your time with the entry, like, up, pause, down, pause, down, pause, etc.

Well, this didn't work either sadly.

And I am a huge fan of Warlords and Breakout so would love to get this working.

[Room 34]

Keep trying... your timing must be off (or you're not doing the right sequence). If you do it right, the "Paddle Games" menu shows up immediately.

[Zonie]

Anyone here design a little TTL circuit that enters the 1972 code at the press of a button? If I had the time...

[t1n]

Bloody hell, who "compressed" the images for the online manual? They obviously been taking resource utilisation lessons from Billy G himself

[bretthorror]

Are FB1/2 controllers compatible with the original 2600?


*crosses his fingers, but feels that it won't be true*

[jbanes]

bretthorror, on Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:54 AM, said:

Are FB1/2 controllers compatible with the original 2600?

They're not only compatible with the 2600, they're compatible with the 7800, the Atari 8-Bits, the Colecovision, the Commodore 64, and probably even the Sega Genesis. In fact, nearly all systems of the period used the same DB-9 design as the 2600. So anything with that plug is compatible with 2600-style joysticks.

EDIT: The above only applies to the FB2 controllers. The FB1 controllers are fancy NES controllers.

Edited by jbanes, Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:52 AM.

[bretthorror]

jbanes, on Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:43 AM, said:

bretthorror, on Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:54 AM, said:

Are FB1/2 controllers compatible with the original 2600?

They're not only compatible with the 2600, they're compatible with the 7800, the Atari 8-Bits, the Colecovision, the Commodore 64, and probably even the Sega Genesis. In fact, nearly all systems of the period used the same DB-9 design as the 2600. So anything with that plug is compatible with 2600-style joysticks.

EDIT: The above only applies to the FB2 controllers. The FB1 controllers are fancy NES controllers.

Crap, I have never tried the 7800 style joystick and I figured the FB ones would look good plugged into my 2600... but the real question is, will they then work with my NES?

[jbanes]

bretthorror, on Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:52 AM, said:

Crap, I have never tried the 7800 style joystick and I figured the FB ones would look good plugged into my 2600... but the real question is, will they then work with my NES?

They are compatible, but I believe you have to modify the plug to make it fit.

[atwwong]

Added a summary of Curt Vendel's proposed spec's for the FB2 portable to the FAQ.

[shadow460]

bretthorror, on Sat Oct 28, 2006 5:54 AM, said:

Are FB1/2 controllers compatible with the original 2600?


*crosses his fingers, but feels that it won't be true*

I only wish it went the other way 'round. Most controllers I've tried do work with the FB2, but I get all kinds of craziness from my wireless joysticks. I have problems with 'em on the 7800 sometimes, too, on ProSystem games.

[EricDeLee]

Old topic... I know.

But I have an issue: I can't seem to access this site:
http://www.atarimuse...hacks/index.htm



Can anyone here help?

[atwwong]

EricDeLee, on Thu Oct 2, 2008 3:31 PM, said:

Old topic... I know.

But I have an issue: I can't seem to access this site:
http://www.atarimuse...hacks/index.htm



Can anyone here help?

The site is currently accessible for myself. Try the link again; possibly down temporarily.

[yoshilime]

hmm, mine is diffrant than any of thoose in the instuctions, it say michele on it. any ideas?-

[atwwong]

yoshilime, on Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:24 PM, said:

hmm, mine is diffrant than any of thoose in the instuctions, it say michele on it. any ideas?-

Michelle is the name of the Flashback 2 chip, named after Curt's wife, IIRC...

[yoshilime]

i know, i cant find any instructions for that model.

[atwwong]

Can you post a photo of it?