Need help with my atari 400

[Catherine]

I recently found a almost new looking Atari 400, I have set it up and the adaptor seems to work fine as I get a power light, but I have tried countless times to tune in a picture for it, all I can ever seem to get is a black screen. Is there something wrong with it? The manual I got with it says without a cartridge inserted it should say Atari blank memo pad or something like that, but I don't get it at all. Is there something I'm not doing right or is there someway I can get it to work?

[deathtrappomegranate]

I recently found a almost new looking Atari 400, I have set it up and the adaptor seems to work fine as I get a power light, but I have tried countless times to tune in a picture for it, all I can ever seem to get is a black screen. Is there something wrong with it? The manual I got with it says without a cartridge inserted it should say Atari blank memo pad or something like that, but I don't get it at all. Is there something I'm not doing right or is there someway I can get it to work?

On most UK TVs the correct channel is usually 36 or thereabouts. It's probably better to tune the TV manually, rather than using autotune.

[Catherine]

On most UK TVs the correct channel is usually 36 or thereabouts. It's probably better to tune the TV manually, rather than using autotune.

Well with the tv I was using the game channel is 9 as I tuned it in previously for other games, this is the only channel on the tv that has been tuned in manually, I spent about half an hour trying to tune the channel to get a picture but there was only ever a black screen with nothing on it.

Why is the correct channel 36?

[deathtrappomegranate]

On most UK TVs the correct channel is usually 36 or thereabouts. It's probably better to tune the TV manually, rather than using autotune.

Well with the tv I was using the game channel is 9 as I tuned it in previously for other games, this is the only channel on the tv that has been tuned in manually, I spent about half an hour trying to tune the channel to get a picture but there was only ever a black screen with nothing on it.

Why is the correct channel 36?

Sorry, I didn't mean "channel" as in "channel 1=BBC1" and so on.

For each channel, there is a tuning scale that goes from 22-69, and it's usually at or around the 36 mark that the right tuning for these machines can be found.

It's often easier to tune an older TV to these computers, but it's usually possible with modern ones too.

If you just can't make it work with your TV, you could try connecting it via a video recorder. That way, you can use the VCR tuner instead.

Out of interest, have you tried connecting other older video equipment to your TV?

[Catherine]

Sorry, I didn't mean "channel" as in "channel 1=BBC1" and so on.

For each channel, there is a tuning scale that goes from 22-69, and it's usually at or around the 36 mark that the right tuning for these machines can be found.

It's often easier to tune an older TV to these computers, but it's usually possible with modern ones too.

If you just can't make it work with your TV, you could try connecting it via a video recorder. That way, you can use the VCR tuner instead.

Out of interest, have you tried connecting other older video equipment to your TV?

Hmm well it can run any console I've put through it fine, and it's played a spectrum through it and a 2600, altho I don't suppose they are considered that old. But I tried it with another tv eariler and it was exactly the same except the screen was red this time and not blank and I would estimate that the line in the bar of the tuner was in about the same place. Which could have been at 36, all the really old tvs we have broke so they aren't really that old. I suppose there's trying it through a vcr like you say, but do you reckon there is a problem with it? I really hope I didn't waste my tenner, it's such a pretty looking machine. It would be such a waste if it didn't work.

[deathtrappomegranate]

Sorry, I didn't mean "channel" as in "channel 1=BBC1" and so on.

For each channel, there is a tuning scale that goes from 22-69, and it's usually at or around the 36 mark that the right tuning for these machines can be found.

It's often easier to tune an older TV to these computers, but it's usually possible with modern ones too.

If you just can't make it work with your TV, you could try connecting it via a video recorder. That way, you can use the VCR tuner instead.

Out of interest, have you tried connecting other older video equipment to your TV?

Hmm well it can run any console I've put through it fine, and it's played a spectrum through it and a 2600, altho I don't suppose they are considered that old. But I tried it with another tv eariler and it was exactly the same except the screen was red this time and not blank and I would estimate that the line in the bar of the tuner was in about the same place. Which could have been at 36, all the really old tvs we have broke so they aren't really that old. I suppose there's trying it through a vcr like you say, but do you reckon there is a problem with it? I really hope I didn't waste my tenner, it's such a pretty looking machine. It would be such a waste if it didn't work.

If your Speccy and your 2600 work OK, then the TV should be able to display the picture from an Atari 400. They usually tune in at around the same point on the scale.

If you tune your TV in to nothing, do you get the same black screen, or just snow? Some modern TVs revert to a blank screen if they're not tuned in properly. If the TV normally displays snow when it's not tuned, but has a black screen when the 400 is attached, then it's probably getting something from the computer.

If you have access to a multimeter, you could try checking the output from the TV cable of the computer.

[deathtrappomegranate]

BTW - I agree - the Atari 400 and 800 are very pretty machines!

[Catherine]

If your Speccy and your 2600 work OK, then the TV should be able to display the picture from an Atari 400. They usually tune in at around the same point on the scale.

If you tune your TV in to nothing, do you get the same black screen, or just snow? Some modern TVs revert to a blank screen if they're not tuned in properly. If the TV normally displays snow when it's not tuned, but has a black screen when the 400 is attached, then it's probably getting something from the computer.

If you have access to a multimeter, you could try checking the output from the TV cable of the computer.

Well it's on the same channel that was tuned to the 2600 and spectrum, but it's worked with the others fine, The tv itself just sticks with snow if its not tuned properly, I looked pretty closely while tuning it a bit more incase it wasn't tuned specifically to the atari 400 but other than the black or red screen it was just distored looking and I couldn't see any words. As it's the case that the computer is actually doing something will that mean there's something wrong with it inside? .

I don't really know if I have a multimeter, i can't really look around the house this late ^^.

[deathtrappomegranate]

If the picture is different with the computer attached, it might just be a tuning issue.

Does your TV have a "fine tuning" option, or something similar?

It might be worth trying on someone else's TV, too.

BTW - you have a PM.

[Catherine]

If the picture is different with the computer attached, it might just be a tuning issue.

Does your TV have a "fine tuning" option, or something similar?

It might be worth trying on someone else's TV, too.

BTW - you have a PM.

I tried it on another tv in our kitchen that also had been tuned into play consoles etc. but I got a red instead of black screen, and the tvs only really have a tuning opition, no fine tuning really. I could try on other tvs but that would probably take a while.

[deathtrappomegranate]

It just occurred to me that there were lots of problems tuning equipment in to TVs after Channel 4 started up in 1982.

I can't remember whether there's a potentiometer to change the RF channel inside a PAL 400, but I'll have a look.

[Elesias]

Forgive me, but maybe your Atari 400 is NTSC, so you may have trouble to get a picture.

That's why I use a TV card for PC, which can handle Pal, Secam and Ntsc.

[deathtrappomegranate]

Forgive me, but maybe your Atari 400 is NTSC, so you may have trouble to get a picture.

That's why I use a TV card for PC, which can handle Pal, Secam and Ntsc.

A good point. If the computer came from the US, then that might be the problem.

Current TVs will often display a black or blue screen when they don't receive a legitimate signal, although older TVs will usually have "snow" and white noise.

If you have, or can borrow, a Panasonic VCR, that will probably answer that question, since they can (mostly) accept NTSC RF input just as well as PAL.

[Catherine]

The computer is pal.

[Andre]

The computer is pal.

If you don't get any signal (except for a black or red screen) then its very likely that your computer is broken. In case you just need the comp for gaming and you have a newer PC at hand also I recommended to install an emulator.