2600
The Atari 2600 (also known as the Atari VCS) is a home video game console by Atari, Inc. Released on September 11, 1977. One of the most successful consoles of the second generation era, the 2600 enjoys an extensive software catalogue and is a historically significant system, often credited with popularising the use of microprocessor-based hardware and interchangeable ROM cartridges.
Contents
Models
Various models of the 2600 exist though all are relatively similar in terms of performance. None of the stock hardware revisions can output any signal other than radio frequency (RF). Modern television sets are often not able to tune into the 2600's signal at all, making using the stock hardware difficult without an authentic CRT television.
To get around this limitation, several modifications have been developed. The Atari 2600VEC Purevideo module is widely regarded as the best composite video modification, while RGB video, composite and/or S-Video can be added using Tim Worthington's 2600 RGB kit
RGB mod region free
Tim's RGB modification for the 2600 effectively makes the console into a region free machine. Normally, when playing out of region games on a 2600 the image is in black and white. Tim's mod corrects this and also allows for the colour palettes to be adjusted to match their native region.
Please note however, Tim's RGB mod cannot change or correct the systems base clock, which is optimised for its native region. That means the refresh rates are off-spec when using out of region software. Refer to the table below to see the refresh rates you can expect.
| On | PAL Console | NTSC Console |
|---|---|---|
| PAL Game | 50.00hz | 50.31hz |
| NTSC Game | 59.59hz | 60.14hz |
Models tested
- PAL Woody 4-switcher with Tim's RGB kit
- NTSC 6-switcher with Tim's RGB kit
XRGB-3 Specific settings
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XRGB-Mini Specific settings
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OSSC Specific settings
As the OSSC requires a RGB or Component video input, you will need to fit your 2600 console with Tim Worthington's RGB mod in order to use it with the OSSC.
For stable sync, Sync opt->H=PLL pre and post coast should be set to 3.
External Links
[1] AtariAge.com Atari news and community
[2] Atari 2600 on Wikipedia
