On Tue May 5 22:05:52 1998, Chris wrote:
>> One thing I've wondered is if it's possible to overclock the 6507 in
>> the 2600. Maybe the 6507 in the 2600 Jr could handle running at the
>> same speed as the TIA. Has anyone every tried this?
>Yeah, I did this once. Actually, I was overclocking the TIA. I had a
>daughter board that clocked the TIA at 7.16MHz. The 6507/TIA clock
>interface I left alone, so the 6507 was running at 2.39MHz. This was
>easy enough... (...)
>Unfortunately, I blew
>up the entire thing trying to install the IR receiver board (this 2600 had
>about 5 other boards plugged/hacked into it. It was a spectacular explosion,
>really...complete with shrapnel! (...)
>I think the TIA probably overheated and died somewhere in the process.
>Although something else pretty severe would have been needed to physically
>destroy it. I didn't have a clue about programming the 2600 then, but
>Combat looked pretty freaky. :)
>Anyone trying to do this definitely needs to use *Big* heatsinks on all three
>chips just in case. Actually, the RF shield in a 2600jr would be perfect for
>that...
That reminds me of another hobby of mine - vehicles (in a strange
way...)
In the 80's, I saw some electric vehicles for children to ride on, and
asked myself what would happen if a grown-up like me tried to ride on
them. I did some calculations, but of course, you can't try this out in
a warehouse...
So, at last, for my 18th birthday in 1989, I got a "Charton Turbo Kart"
for ATS 2598.- (that's about $200). This was a go-cart style electric
ride-on for children from 3 to 9 years, but I fit into it pretty well...
It had a high speed of 9,5 km/h (that's about 6 mph), and with my
weight, it still did 8 km/h (5 mph). It also had a gradual speed control
(most vehicles like this don't - they've got only 'on' and 'off') and an
electronics board taking care of this and of overheating. When it got to
hot, the electronic board would reduce the output power (the speed, that
is) to prevent overheating. In normal use on flat ground, it didn't
overload and shut down at my weight of 65 kg (at that time). But it did
so when I tried to go up a hill, for instance, or when my father (85 kg)
tried to ride on it.
Well, the first "enhancement" I did to it was a ventilator which blew
some air into the electronics board, so it wouldn't shut off that soon.
The next problem was the rechargeable battery lasting only for half an
hour maximum. So we added a stronger (that is, also heavier) battery,
which also gave a little more power. At my next outrun, I went up a
steep hill (about 7%?), it went slower and slower... and BANG! Then it
went faster again. But, trying to regulate the speed, I realized the
electronics had gone. A few minutes later, it began to rumble in the
gear area, and the car stopped, while the motors were still running. At
the end of this outrun, which was the last of this vehicle, I ended up
with one of the two motors, the rear left wheel, the gear AND the
electronics board broken. Then we threw the vehicle away - without the
batteries, of course.
Sorry to go off topic, but I had to do this. By the way, three years
ago, I bought another vehicle - a "Li'l Motorized Beamer". This goes at
a speed of about 0,8 mph - empty; with me: 0,5 mph. I didn't make any
enhancements on this one, and it survived until now - although it seems
that the seat will break soon. It's powered by 6 "D" cells - mine are
rechargable, of course, and I also use them for my keyboard and my
portable stereo. By the way, I recharge them using my Atari 2600 power
source (now we're on topic again...)
With love - and many cars to break...
Kurt Woloch
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