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Making an Atari 2600 Cartridge
How I built my Custom Atari 2600 Cartridge
Aqu en Espaol.
How it was done
Here I show how I built my own Atari 2600 cartridge. This is a little bit technical page (although not much).
This is a picture of the cartridge. You can notice the ROM, the dipswitch, a 4.7 K resistors array and a 4011, used as an inverter. All in a discarted Atari 2600 cartridge. Made in Chile.
Here you can see an enlarged image (58 K JPG).
First Step: Getting the ROM
Well, at first, I had an old atari 2600 Clon machine, which didn't work, but I suspected the ROM was in good work condition, because it displayed the image, but it wasn't possible to play on it.
Atari 2600 Clon: It says 208 games, but they're actually 160.
I took the ROM out, which (fortunatelly) wasn't soldered, but in a base.
It looked as follows:
Notice there are two ROMs, one hooked up on the other. A 4M (512K x 8) memory including 128 4K games, and above it a 512K (64K x 8) memory with 32 2K games. This is something like a 27C512 above a 27C4001, I suggest you to have at hand those EPROMS data sheets for a better understanding of all this stuff. The pin 22 of the lower ROM (OE), that matches the pin 20 of the upper ROM, was manually operated with an external switch, via an inverter. It seems that when, given the same signal, one ROM was active, the other wasn't.
The upper ROM's pin 23 (A11 ?), which is up, is connected to the lower ROM's pin 2 (A16 ?). An interesting way of addressing both memories.
The Atari ROM memories are addressed the same as the commercially available memories, with the exception that the CE pin (Chip Enable) is inverted. For this purpose I used a 4011.
To continue, the Atari 2600 connector pins: (From somewhere in Internet).
The Atari 2600 Cartridge:
________________Top Row__________________Bottom Row__________
Slot |
2716 |
CPU |
2716 |
CPU |
1 |
13 |
D3 |
1 |
A7 |
2 |
14 |
D4 |
2 |
A6 |
3 |
15 |
D5 |
3 |
A5 |
4 |
16 |
D6 |
4 |
A4 |
5 |
17 |
D7 |
5 |
A3 |
6 |
* |
A12 |
6 |
A2 |
7 |
19 |
A10 |
7 |
A1 |
8 |
NC |
A11 |
8 |
A0 |
9 |
22 |
A9 |
9 |
D0 |
10 |
23 |
A8 |
10 |
D1 |
11 |
24 |
+5V |
11 |
D2 |
12 |
12 |
Shield Ground |
NC |
Ground |
Note: numbers indicate left to right numbering. * to inverter and back to 18 for chip select
Isn't it enough clear ? Here is much clearer.
This Atari connector information refers to a 2716 EPROM, for a 2K game.
We can conclude we had a 19 direction pins ROM (A0 - A18), from which 12 (A0 - A11, data) are used by the Atari, and there are 7 left to select games (A12 - A18). I made this selection with a simple 8 dipswitch. In this case, the Atari pin 6 top row, A12 (don't mistake this A12 with the ROM's one), attacks directly the ROM's pin OE (Output Enable), through an inverter. The ROM's outputs match with the Atari connector (D0 - D7).
As a result, I drew the following diagram:
Sorry for the diagram, but I've got no further resources. Here you can see the enlargement. Here there is a more detailed ZIP. (484 K).
The diagram says R=10 K. Actually, R=4.7 K. In the diagram, I used the JAMMA standards for the Atari connector.
Second Step: Where to insert the Chip
To continue, I disassembled an old Atari 2600 cartridge in order to insert the ROM. I cut the tiny printed circuit board in a way that only the connector was left, and I screw a printed circuit in to it in order to contain the ROM, the inverter and the dipswitch. (See picture).
It worked perfectly. 160 games for my old Atari 2600 console. They are rather fewer, because some of them are repeated.
It's interesting to notice that dipswitch 1, when is ON, activates a memory and, apparently, the other memory is left with its outputs in third state, and viceversa. The 2600 clon machine came with its "expanded" ROM. Usually, these machines came with a single 128 games ROM. Here goes a list containing all the games (160), and its address in the dipswitch: ("-"= don't care).
Cartridge 160 in 1 - Atari 2600 |
||
********************************************************** |
||
Switches |
||
N |
12345678 |
Game |
94 |
1011101 |
*No Game* |
46 |
101101 |
?? (Labyrinths, Enem. appear and disappear) |
107 |
1101010 |
Galactic |
129 |
1--00000 |
3D Tic-Tac-Toe |
13 |
1100 |
Air Raiders |
134 |
1--00101 |
Air-Sea Battle |
34 |
100001 |
Alien |
21 |
10100 |
Alien's Return |
19 |
10010 |
Amidar |
47 |
101110 |
Assault |
11 |
1010 |
Assault (Clon) |
12 |
1011 |
Atlantis |
127 |
1111110 |
Atlantis |
73 |
1001000 |
Bank Heist |
125 |
1111100 |
Barnstorming |
147 |
1--10010 |
Basic Math |
148 |
1--10011 |
Basketball |
76 |
1001011 |
Beany Booper |
39 |
100110 |
Bermuda |
105 |
1101000 |
Berzerk |
90 |
1011001 |
Blackjack |
159 |
1--11110 |
Blackjack |
45 |
101100 |
Bobby Is Going Home |
16 |
1111 |
Boom Bang |
136 |
1--00111 |
Bowling |
132 |
1--00011 |
Boxing |
22 |
10101 |
Brick Kick |
77 |
1001100 |
Bridge |
5 |
100 |
Canyon Bomber |
43 |
101010 |
Carnival |
23 |
10110 |
Challenge |
157 |
1--11100 |
Checkers |
52 |
110011 |
China Syndrome |
126 |
1111101 |
Chopper Commando |
72 |
1000111 |
Circus |
101 |
1100100 |
Commando Raid |
1 |
0 |
Condor Attack |
51 |
110010 |
Cosmic Ark |
3 |
10 |
Cosmic Creeps |
137 |
1--01000 |
Cosmic Swarm |
57 |
111000 |
Crackpots |
26 |
11001 |
Criminal Pursuit |
55 |
110110 |
Crossforce |
116 |
1110011 |
Cruise Missile |
42 |
101001 |
Dark Cavern |
18 |
10001 |
Deadly Duck |
110 |
1101101 |
Defender |
113 |
1110000 |
Demon Attack |
15 |
1110 |
Dishaster |
114 |
1110001 |
Dodge 'Em |
29 |
11100 |
Donkey Kong (Clon) |
84 |
1010011 |
Dragonfire |
97 |
1100000 |
Dragster |
17 |
10000 |
Enduro |
92 |
1011011 |
Fantastic Voyage |
36 |
100011 |
Fast Eddie |
78 |
1001101 |
Fire Fighter |
143 |
1--01110 |
Fishing Derby |
146 |
1--10001 |
Flag Capture |
62 |
111101 |
Flash Gordon |
141 |
1--01100 |
Football |
151 |
1--10110 |
Freeway |
142 |
1--01101 |
Freeway (Rabbits) |
124 |
1111011 |
Frogger |
37 |
100100 |
Frogs And Flyes |
68 |
1000011 |
Frostbite |
58 |
111001 |
Gas Hog |
96 |
1011111 |
Ghoper |
139 |
1--01010 |
Golf |
30 |
11101 |
Grand Prix |
70 |
1000101 |
Hangman |
156 |
1--11011 |
Homerun |
155 |
1--11010 |
Human Cannonball |
80 |
1001111 |
Ice Hockey |
60 |
111011 |
International Soccer |
100 |
1100011 |
Jawbreak |
24 |
10111 |
Karate |
109 |
1101100 |
Keystone Capers |
40 |
100111 |
King Kong |
131 |
1--00010 |
Laser Blast |
140 |
1--01011 |
Laser Blast (Bird) |
74 |
1001001 |
Laser Gates |
120 |
1110111 |
Lock'n Chase |
102 |
1100101 |
M*A*S*H |
67 |
1000010 |
M.A.D. |
53 |
110100 |
Master Builder |
119 |
1110110 |
Math Gran Prix |
115 |
1110010 |
Mazecraze |
56 |
110111 |
Megaforce |
83 |
1010010 |
Megamania |
8 |
111 |
Meteor Defense |
160 |
1--11111 |
Miniature Golf |
28 |
11011 |
Missile Command |
99 |
1100010 |
Mission 3000 AD |
7 |
110 |
Mouse Highway |
44 |
101011 |
Mr. Postman |
117 |
1110100 |
Name This Game |
65 |
1000000 |
Nexar |
54 |
110101 |
Nuts |
75 |
1001010 |
Oink! |
130 |
1--00001 |
Otello |
149 |
1--10100 |
Outlaw |
123 |
1111010 |
Pac-Kong |
122 |
1111001 |
Pac-Man |
106 |
1101001 |
Pele's Soccer |
86 |
1010101 |
Pitfall! |
32 |
11111 |
Planet Patrol |
63 |
111110 |
Plaque Attack |
61 |
111100 |
Pooyan |
59 |
111010 |
Q*Bert |
95 |
1011110 |
Racquetball |
108 |
1101011 |
Raft Rider |
69 |
1000100 |
Real Sports Volleyball |
112 |
1101111 |
River Raid |
27 |
11010 |
Save Our Ship |
50 |
110001 |
Sea Hawk |
35 |
100010 |
Sea Monster |
79 |
1001110 |
Seaquest |
145 |
1--10000 |
Skiing |
158 |
1--11101 |
Sky Diver |
152 |
1--10111 |
Sky Diver (Boxes) |
4 |
11 |
Sky Jinks |
153 |
1--11000 |
Slot Machine |
138 |
1--01001 |
Slot Racers |
14 |
1101 |
Snail Against Squirrel |
49 |
110000 |
Space Cavern |
111 |
1101110 |
Space Invaders |
6 |
101 |
Space Raid |
10 |
1001 |
Space Robot |
103 |
1100110 |
Spacemaster X-7 |
82 |
1010001 |
Spider Fighter |
25 |
11000 |
Spiderman |
93 |
1011100 |
Squeeze Box |
133 |
1--00100 |
Stampede |
154 |
1--11001 |
Stampede |
128 |
1111111 |
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back |
31 |
11110 |
Sub Scan |
87 |
1010110 |
Super Challenge Baseball |
85 |
1010100 |
Superman |
144 |
1--01111 |
Surround |
64 |
111111 |
Tac-Scan |
150 |
1--10101 |
Tank |
38 |
100101 |
Task Force |
135 |
1--00110 |
Tennis |
66 |
1000001 |
The Earth Dies Screaming |
71 |
1000110 |
Thunderground |
9 |
1000 |
Tom Boy |
33 |
100000 |
Towering Inferno |
20 |
10011 |
Traffic |
81 |
1010000 |
Trick Shot |
2 |
1 |
Tuby Bird |
88 |
1010111 |
Turmoil |
118 |
1110101 |
Ufo Patrol |
48 |
101111 |
Venture |
91 |
1011010 |
Video Chess |
89 |
1011000 |
Video Pinball |
121 |
1111000 |
Word Zapper |
98 |
1100001 |
Worm War |
41 |
101000 |
X-Tack |
104 |
1100111 |
Yars' Revenge |
Only classics! That's the way they played almost 20 years ago. There's one game I can't identify, I must admit. If someone surmises which game it is, please let me know.
As an extension to this little project, BIN files could be downloaded from Internet, burn them into a 4M EPROM (27C4001 or similar) and plug it into this cartridge. It should work. I've tried to take out another ROM from another 2600 clon and it worked well alike.
Nowadays I'm thinking of building an EPROM burner and try it.
Some related Links:
These are some of the sites where I got the necessary information for this project:
http://members.cox.net/rcolbert/multi.htm
http://www.netway.com/~hozervideo/atari/makecart.html
Comments, critics, congratulations, disqualifications or whatever message to gamemasterquilpue in:
Another interesting page on ATARI 2600: http://www.oocities.org/es/gamemasterquilpue/indy500hack.htm
You can visit my main page too http://www.ericzone.50megs.com .And you can also see a list of my all kinds and all ages videogames collection in http://www.oocities.org/es/gamemasterquilpue
Quilpu, V Regin, Chile, May of 2001.