> Ron, if you thinks it's dangerous to open your Atari and do so, I don't
> think so... I don't think there's any high voltage in it... the other
> question is if you can do damage to the system this way...
> But if you really want to play safe, you can try to power the 2600 with
> batteries... 7,2 volts and 300 mA should be enough (Now that's good for
> camping...) Or has anyone tried a lower voltage? 8-)
I think I saw that routine once. Pretty funny. But I think there's no real
danger in touching the 2600 board. Shouldn't cause any damage to the board
either. But shorting anything is bad. Especially shorting any chip pins...
address and data buses, video lines, anything coming from or going to a chip
can and will cause permanent damage.
Regarding using batteries. Yeah, this is great. But 7V is about the limit.
If you go much lower than this, you won't have enough cushion for internal
regulation and your +5V will suffer. The first symptoms will be color shifts
fading, and/or loss. It's a toss up whether the video sync or the processors
will give up first, but it will happen around 6.5V. These votages will vary
from machine to machine. Lead-acid batteries are better than Nicads. 4 cells
gives you roughly 8V and the energy capacity is greater...they last longer.
About 5 hours. 6 or 7 if you're willing to live with the symptoms above.
-Chris
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