Atari PICO Composite Mod Board Installation Instructions:

Atari PICO Composite Mod Board Installation Instructions:

Installation Guide 6 Switch Atari 2600 6 Switch Video Mod Installation Guide Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage done to your Atari. This mod is designed to permanently remove the RF output. The mod will work if performed correctly to a fully functioning Atari. Perform at your own risk. Tools You Will Need Philips Screwdriver Soldering Iron and Solder De-soldering Tool (De-soldering Iron, Bubble, Vacuum, Braid) Wire Cutters/Strippers Needle Nose Pliers Drill with 1/4 and 1/8 bits NTSC Console Turn the Atari over and remove the 8 screws. Set them aside for later. Disconnect the RF cable and throw it away. Then take both the switchboard and main board out of the case. Take off the black foam covers on the switches and set them aside for later.

Unplug the ribbon cable and remove the two screws on either side of the main board case. This will disconnect the main board from the switchboard. Also set aside the dust cover for the joystick and power ports. Now take the metal casing and turn it over. Unscrew the 6 screws there and throw away the bottom part of the metal casing. Now remove the two screws connecting the main board to the top casing. Take the main board out and it is ready to be modified.

In the middle of the board on the right hand side is a transistor (Q202). you need to remove the transistor by cutting all 3 leads with the wire cutters or de-soldering it. When done it should look like this. Now take the switchboard. You need to cut the 5 pins going into the RF modulator circuit board (silver box with circuit board attached to side. You can break off the small circuit board attached to the RF modulator and throw it out, but if you want you can bend the pins up out of the way and leave the small circuit board attached. Remove the 5 pins using your de-soldering tool so that the holes are open as in the picture below. You can also remove the big red component L201, as that is supposed to make the picture better, but it can be left on the board also. The group of 4 wires are the input wires that go to the main board. Strip about 1/2 off of both ends of the input wires and attach them to the mod kit. Brown is the GND, Orange is +5v, Blue is Video, and Green is Audio.

The group of 3 wires are out wires that attach to the RCA jacks. The output wires should be stripped to different lengths as in the picture. About 1/2 for Blue/White, 1 for Green/White, and 2 for Brown/White. On the output side of the mod kit, Brown/White is for GND, Green/White for Audio, and Blue/White for Video. Attach the Brown, Orange, and Blue input wires to the switchboard like in the picture and solder them in from underneath. Make sure the Brown wire goes into pin 1 where the RF modulator pins were. The Orange goes into pin 3, and the Blue into pin 4. Take the main board and turn it over. The Green wire needs to be attached from underneath because of the metal casing. Attach it to the hole indicated on the left side of the board as in the picture. There is no component in this hole but you might need to remove the solder first with your de-soldering tool. This is an open hole connected to C210 if you look at the board from the top. You may want to drill a hole in the side of the metal casing to facilitate the yellow wire s path from underneath the circuit board to the outside of the case. Or, more sympathetically, file a groove near the screw hole to allow the wires to pass under the casing without being nipped when it s reassembled. See the image below that shows where to use a flat file on its edge to cut the groove.

Now you need to remove a resistor (R213) along the bottom of the main board, if there is one. You can just cut it off at both ends. Now the main board and switchboard are done. Take the bottom half of the case and put a piece of masking tape where you want the RCA jacks to go. Use a ruler and marker and make 3 dots on the tape 1/2 apart. Then drill 1/8 pilot holes on the dots, and use the 1/4 drill bits on the holes to make them ready for the RCA jacks. The tape and marker are just extra precautions; you could also just drill the holes if you want. Attach the RCA jacks by mounting them into the case with the ground ring and nut on the inside. Make sure they are tight. Have the ground ring holes be at or near the top and bend them down to make soldering easier. Take the Black output wire with the longest amount of bare wire and solder it to all three ground rings like in the picture below. Take the Red wire and solder it to the Red and White jacks. Take the Blue wire and solder it to the yellow jack.

Now you are ready to put everything back together. First you need to adjust the color potentiometer on the bottom left of the main board. It is the big plastic circle and is the only pot on the board. Attach the power, ribbon, and RCA cables and use a game you are familiar with to adjust it so the colors are just right. A game like Frogger or Pitfall with a variety of bright colors is ideal. Here is Missile Command s initial screen colours, which is what I use to colour adjust: Now unplug everything, and put the top metal casing over the main board and secure it with the two screws. Then screw in the switch board to the main board and put them both in the case. Be sure to put the dust cover back on the plugs and

joystick ports and the foam covers on all the switches. Then peel the bottom off of the double sided tape and stick it to the bottom case on the right hand side. Now put the top cover back on, and put back the 8 screws back in. Start with the two in the middle. After that you are done and ready to enjoy your Atari with composite video! Please leave a comment below and let me know how you made out!

PAL Console The 6 switch should be exactly the same. Just follow the NTSC guide to take it apart. Below are pictures of where you pick up the audio. The board layout is different but the components are numbered the same. The hole next to C210 is where you get the audio from. Remove Q202, and the pins going into the RF modulator are exactly the same so follow the NTSC guide for everything else. Removing R213 also helps improve the picture for some people too so remove that as well if you have it. L201 (the tall red component) can be removed also if you want. Also, you will find that the modulator may look totally different: The best way to tackle this type of modulator is to de-solder all the four posts that hold the unit to the board (red circled points in above photo). The two pins on the left (yellow circle) can then be de-soldered and the unit removed. The mod board can then be installed following the original NTSC instructions:

Installation Guide 4 Switch Atari 2600 4 Switch Video Mod Installation Guide Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage done to your Atari. This mod is designed to remove the RF output. The mod will work if performed correctly to a fully functioning Atari. Perform at your own risk. Tools You Will Need Philips Screwdriver Soldering Iron and Solder De-soldering Tool (De-soldering Iron, Bubble, Vacuum, Braid) Wire Cutters/Strippers Needle Nose Pliers Drill with 1/4 and 1/8 bits NTSC Console Turn the Atari over and remove the 4 screws. Set them aside for later. Remove the main board out of the console by disconnecting the RF cable shown below. Take off the black foam covers on the switches and set them aside for later. Take the foil tape off the switches and throw it away.

Using the need nose pliers, bend up the 4 tabs around the metal case. Remove the metal casing (top and bottom) and throw it away. You should now have the main board like this ready to modify. In the middle of the board is a transistor you will have to remove. It is labeled Q201 on some 4 switch versions and Q202 on others. It s shown in the picture on the left. Simply cut all 3 leads of the transistor and throw it out. Make sure none of the leads coming out of the board are touching each other. Remove R209 resistor.then you need to remove the 4 pins to the RF modulator (metal box with small circuit board attached). Simply cut the pins and bend them up so they are out of the way, or you could break off the small circuit board entirely because it is no longer used. You can also remove the big red component L201, as that is supposed to make the picture better, but it can be left on the board also. The group of 4 wires are the input wires that go to the main board. Strip about 1/2 off of both ends of the input wires and attach them to the mod kit. Brown is the GND, Orange is +5v, Blue is Video, and Green is Audio.

The group of 3 wires are out wires that attach to the RCA jacks. The output wires should be stripped to different lengths as in the picture. About 1/2 for Blue/White, 1 for Green/White, and 2 for Brown/White. On the output side of the mod kit, Brown/White is for GND, Green/White for Audio, and Blue/White for Video. First you need to use your de-soldering tool and clean out the holes where the RF modulator pins were. Then connect the input wires and solder them in from underneath as shown in the picture. Make sure the brown wire goes to pin #1, orange to pin #3, and blue to pin #4. Then attach the green wire to the base of the resistor as shown (R206). You could also use the open hole on the capacitor immediately to the right (C208), as they are connected to each other. Now the main board is done. Take the bottom half of the case and put a piece of masking tape where you want the RCA jacks to go. Use a ruler and marker and make 3 dots on the tape 1/2 apart. Then drill 1/8 pilot holes on the dots, and use the 1/4 drill bits on the holes to make them ready for the RCA jacks. The tape and marker are just extra precautions, you could also just drill the holes if you want.

Attach the RCA jacks by mounting them into the case with the ground ring and nut on the inside. Make sure they are tight. Have the ground ring holes be at or near he top and bend them down to make soldering easier. Take the Black output wire with the longest amount of bare wire and solder it to all three ground rings like in the picture below. Take the Red wire and solder it to the Red and White jacks. Take the Blue wire and solder it to the yellow jack. Now you are ready to put the mainboard into the case. First you need to adjust the color pot on the bottom left of the mainboard. Attach the RCA and power cables and use a game with nice bright colors you are familiar with like Pitfall or Frogger. Adjust the pot so the colors are just right. Then peel off the bottom of the double-sided tape and stick it to the right side of the bottom case. Replace the foam dust covers, top case, and the screws and you are ready to play your Atari with composite video! Please leave a comment below and let me know how it works!

PAL Console Same thing here, just follow the NTSC instructions to remove the transistor. Again, it might be labeled Q201 or Q202 depending on your version. Audio is taken from bottom of R208 or C206 and pins 1,3,4 are the same. The picture on the right says to take out R22 and R209/C209. This person said it improved the brightness and picture quality so give it a try if you like.

Installation Guide 7800 Atari 7800 Video Mod Installation Guide Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage done to your Atari. This mod is designed to permanently remove the RF output. The mod will work if performed correctly to a fully functioning Atari. Perform at your own risk. Tools You Will Need Philips Screwdriver Soldering Iron and Solder De-soldering Tool (De-soldering Iron, Bubble, Vacuum, Braid) Wire Cutters/Strippers Needle Nose Pliers Drill with 1/4 and 1/8 bits NTSC Console Turn the Atari over and remove the 5 screws. Set them aside for later. Remove the main board out of the console. Using the need nose pliers, twist the tabs around the metal case so they are straight. Remove the metal casing (top and bottom) and throw it away.

You should now have the main board like this ready to modify. On the top left hand side of the board are two resistors (R3, R5) you have to remove. They are marked in the picture. Use the wire cutters to cut both ends and throw them away. Then you need to cut the 4 pins going into the RF modulator circuit board (silver box with circuit board attached to side). Then break off the small circuit board attached to the RF modulator and throw it out. The picture should look like below. Remove the 4 pins using your de-soldering tool so that the holes are open. Then remove the solder from the other hole marked on the board. These are where the input wires will connect to the mainboard. The system should look like the picture on the right. The group of 4 wires are the input wires that go to the main board. Strip about 1/2 off of both ends of the input wires and attach them to the mod kit. Brown is the GND, Orange is +5v, Blue is Video, and Green is Audio. The group of 3 wires are out wires that attach to the RCA jacks. The output wires should be stripped to different lengths as in the picture. About 1/2 for Blue/White, 1 for Green/White, and 2 for Brown/White. On the output side of the mod kit, Brown/White is for GND, Green/White for Audio, and Blue/White for Video.

Attach the input wires to the main board like in the picture and solder them in from underneath. Make sure the brown wire goes into pin 1 where the RF modulator pins were. The orange goes into pin 2, and the Blue into pin 3. The green wire should be soldered to the lower hole underneath the two IC s. An alternate location for the green wire is the left side of the capacitor (Green component, 2nd from bottom in row of resistors). After this the main board is done. (Unless you want to do the optional next step for the POKEY Audio. There are only a couple games that use the pokey audio so this step isn t necessary unless you have commando, ball blazer, or some custom made game. If not, then just skip to the next step. If you want to install it, then you will need to remove the C10 capacitor which is located just below the channel select switch. In the picture I removed the switch since it isn t needed anymore and is slightly in the way. Use whatever de-solder tool you have to clear out the top hole and solder the green wire you set aside earlier in the top of C10. All you need to do is combine the audio signals with the green/white output wire. The best thing to do is leave the wire connected to the top of C10 until the very last step. After you have completed the mod and are ready to put the cover on, solder the wire to the center post of either the Red or White RCA jack. That will combine the audio signals so you have the pokey for games that use it. (Note: Some people have had an issue with the balance of volume on the main audio and the pokey, if the pokey is too soft add a 6.8k resistor (or any resistor near that value) in series to the main audio out wire. This should balance out the audio better.)

Take the bottom half of the case and put a piece of masking tape on the left hand side where you want the RCA jacks to go. Some cases can be very brittle so be careful. Use a ruler and marker and make 3 dots on the tape 1/2 apart. Then drill 1/8 pilot holes on the dots, and use the 1/4 drill bits on the holes to make them ready for the RCA jacks. The tape and marker are just extra precautions, you could also just drill the holes if you want. Attach the RCA jacks by mounting them into the case with the ground ring and nut on the inside. Make sure they are tight. Have the ground ring holes be at or near the top and bend them down to make soldering easier. Take the brown/white output wire with the longest amount of bare wire and solder it to all three ground rings like in the picture below. Take the green/white wire and solder it to the Red and White jacks. Take the Blue/white wire and solder it to the yellow jack.

Now you are ready to put the main board into the case. Peel off the bottom of the double sided tape and stick it to the left inside edge of the bottom case. Replace the top case and screws and you are ready to play your Atari with composite video! Leave a comment below and let me know how you made out!

PAL Console Remove the 3 resistors circled R62, R32, R33. The green wire should go to the right side of the R32 hole, that is the audio spot. If you want pokey sound you need to add your own wire and connect it to the right side of R33 (You can skip the audio section of the NTSC guide). Note you don t have to snap off the piece of board that comes out of the modulator. You can simply cut the wires and solder the mod board wires to them. There is enough space behind the board (marked in the above picture) if you wish to place the mod board there as well as retain the metal cover.

Then the blue, orange, and brown input wires go to the same exact spot that is on the guide. The NTSC and PAL instructions are identical for everything else. Cut the 4 pins and remove the small board coming out of the RF modulator, that is where the remaining input wires go. Then just put in the RCA jacks and connect the 3 output wires to them like in the guide. I d recommend the first phono socket hole to be placed as shown it can go lower if needed, but will be tricky to wire up the phono socket.