17 replies to this topic

[Gunstar]

Today I found a boxed addition of Atari's Video Pinball, 7-in-one console for 3 bucks!
I believe this is the first one to have the game of Breakout! At least going by the box's promotional description. The console is in excellent condition, but didn't come with a power pack, but, it's not suppose too; that was extra. The console takes 6 "D" batteries to operate. I actually bid on one of these on E-bay and quit after the $50 dollar mark (it was new and never opened), someone ended up paying over $75.00 for it, but now I've gotten it in like-new condition with the box for $3.00! Oh, yeah...

[liquid_sky]

ohhh yeah.. thats a great deal you got. I am prety sure it was the first standalone of offer breakout. thats one of those deals you cant help but say.. damn you suck you got a good deal..

Oh by the way it isnt too hard to modify an AC in case you get sick of the battery hassle

[Gunstar]

That would be my next question...is it an AC or DC power adapter required for this thing? I thought maybe it was DC since it takes DC batteries, like the Lynx. If it is DC, I have a universal AC to DC powerpack I can try. Nothing at all about the powerpack on the box or back of the console, except that it's an extra option.

[liquid_sky]

My box said nothing either.. I tried a DC and it worked on my pong i would try DC first

[Gunstar]

That's the model I have; the c-380. So I'll set my universal adapter at 9v and give it a shot! Thanks Harry.

[blyind]

i wish i had a universal 9v adaptor, but i dont so i goto yardsales pick up 6v acdc adaptorrc, edit the plugs on them, heh.

where do you get a universal adaptor?

[Gunstar]

I got mine at Radio Shack. It looks like your average wall mount power pack, but has a switch on the bottom between 120v and 220v (for the outlet) and a selectable dial on the top that allows everything from 1.5v up to 12v dc output. It then has 6 different sized plugs for the component power in that are interchangable. I think I payed about $15-20 for it a couple years ago. I've used it for my 7800, Lynx and now c-380 video pinball console.

[BeerGnome]

Gunstar said:

I got mine at Radio Shack. It looks like your average wall mount power pack, but has a switch on the bottom between 120v and 220v (for the outlet) and a selectable dial on the top that allows everything from 1.5v up to 12v dc output. It then has 6 different sized plugs for the component power in that are interchangable. I think I payed about $15-20 for it a couple years ago. I've used it for my 7800, Lynx and now c-380 video pinball console.

as long as you have a radio hack near by, you can always get an adaptor
As for atari, as far as I can tell, the DC input "wallwort" always put out 9vdc, for all the units atari made, this is always a good rule of thumb, if it was a battery unit, if it takes one of them round types of batteries, the batteries themselves were always at a rating of 1.5 volts each. the size of the battery usually indicated the longevity of the battery, or the AMH level.
in any case, if a unit requires 6 1.5 volt battereies, reguardless of the size asking, the unit wants 9 volts
also remember that most units actually want about 5vdc, but the built in power regulators cut it down

[RucasRiot]

BeerGnome said:

Gunstar said:

I got mine at Radio Shack. It looks like your average wall mount power pack, but has a switch on the bottom between 120v and 220v (for the outlet) and a selectable dial on the top that allows everything from 1.5v up to 12v dc output. It then has 6 different sized plugs for the component power in that are interchangable. I think I payed about $15-20 for it a couple years ago. I've used it for my 7800, Lynx and now c-380 video pinball console.

as long as you have a radio hack near by, you can always get an adaptor
As for atari, as far as I can tell, the DC input "wallwort" always put out 9vdc, for all the units atari made, this is always a good rule of thumb, if it was a battery unit, if it takes one of them round types of batteries, the batteries themselves were always at a rating of 1.5 volts each. the size of the battery usually indicated the longevity of the battery, or the AMH level.
in any case, if a unit requires 6 1.5 volt battereies, reguardless of the size asking, the unit wants 9 volts
also remember that most units actually want about 5vdc, but the built in power regulators cut it down

I always called them ratshack. What I did was get a nice large metal case and make a multi-adapter that will power all my game systems. Only one ac plug but for each adapter you can select the voltage/polarity/ac,dc and i used the plugs from multi-adapters so you can use whatever end you need. I did have to install a few fans though

[BeerGnome]

dude, I remember, back in the day, you could get anything you wanted out of radiohack and build a 9600 baud modem, then use that to to Hack the service lines for the telephone company to dial into a BBS on the west coast to download the plans for an incenerary device to deploy during your schools big prep rally?
Man..thems were the days!

[Gunstar]

Well, since this topic came up again, here is a long ovrdue update:

The C-380 unit accepts 6 "c" batteries, rated at 1.5v a piece, which made me assume that the adapter would need to be 9v. WRONG! The 9v setting wouldn't work and i thought the unit was dead, because i tried 6 batteries as well and it still didn't work! Anyhow, That's when I bid on a couple more C-380's off of E-bay, and won them. One of the units came with an adapter, but it was a 6V adapter! Well, I tried this adapter on all three units and they ALL worked fine. So it's 6V. Anywho, I have since sold off one of these units, but I still have one left; it's the Sears Telegames "sports center" woodgrain edition, made by Atari and in pristine condition, but no box or adapter (these things never came with an adapter even when new, because they accepted batteries). If anyone is interested in this C-380 unit, It's for sale for $15 plus shipping. This will be the last time I offer it up for sale as i have done so 3 times in the past, selling one of them. If i don't sell it with this post, then I'm keeping it since it's a woody and my other one is a TAN Atari model. That's $15 plus shipping, less than I payed for it! (well i got my first one for $3, so it averages out)

[jim]

BeerGnome wrote: "Dude, I remember, back in the day, you could get anything you wanted out of radiohack and build a 9600 baud modem, then use that to to Hack the service lines for the telephone company to dial into a BBS on the west coast to download the plans for an incenerary device to deploy during your schools big prep rally?
Man..thems were the days!"

A 9600 baud modem? Them days were not long ago. Try a 110 baud acoustic coupled modem. No graphics at all everything was text. It came up 1 letter at a time. I remember when 300 baud modems came out that could plug directly into a wall jack, no more sticking a handset into the coupler. Now them were the days!!!

[VidGameKing]

video pinball runs off of the same power adaptor as the 2600, so you could just use that.

[AtariLeaf]

I've been interested in one of those c-380's but the one I was looking at on ebay went for around $46 or $48, in that range. Way too much for a pong system I say, especially since shipping is around $15.00.

[VidGameKing]

I got mine for free!

[Retro Rogue]

Congrats on the find. I've actually come across two of them in the wild, including one that had a home made coax cable mod to the r/f cord. Which Goodwill did you find it at?

Which one is it as well, the all white or woodgrain?

[Krytol]

Quote

I always called them ratshack.  What I did was get a nice large metal case and make a multi-adapter that will power all my game systems.  Only one ac plug but for each adapter you can select the voltage/polarity/ac,dc and i used the plugs from multi-adapters so you can use whatever end you need.  I did have to install a few fans though

Nice! Do you have pictures?

[BeerGnome]

jim said:

BeerGnome wrote:  "Dude, I remember, back in the day, you could get anything you wanted out of radiohack and build a 9600 baud modem, then use that to to Hack the service lines for the telephone company to dial into a BBS on the west coast to download the plans for an incenerary device to deploy during your schools big prep rally?
Man..thems were the days!"

A 9600 baud modem? Them days were not long ago. Try a 110 baud acoustic coupled modem. No graphics at all everything was text. It came up 1 letter at a time.  I remember when 300 baud modems came out that could plug directly into a wall jack, no more sticking a handset into the coupler. Now them were the days!!!

I don't remember the baud rate.. bt yeah.. I was being REAL generous with that rate, mine wasnt acoustic persay.. it was a bread board that plugged into the serial adaptor on the ole' vic 20.. from the pooter to the wall.. it was fine.. dirt cheap.. and slow... all ghetto.. but it worked for the BBS days.. and when you had to directly call a server a thousand miles away is when you wold find out the prefix codes the phone company techs used to check and test with out charges being applied.
still a great way to call long distance from anywhere, they just change the codes far more frequently nowadays. like once a month as oppsed to once year