Play Meter

Letters to
the editor • •
•
Atari
re commendations
On behalf of Atari Games, I would
like to thank Frank Seninsky for his
favorable remarks regarding Marble
Madness in the May I , I 985 issue of
Play Meter. Additionally, his tech tips
are accurate in pointing out a couple of
items to consider: The fan and resul-
tant dust collection and the short con-
trol panel harness.
Only the early production models
have short panel harnesses . Most pro-
duction units have lengthened control
panel harnesses to alleviate the
annoyance of unintentionally pulling
off the connectors when removing the
control panel. Initially, short har-
nesses were required to pass FCC EM!
criteria, but later we found a way to
lengthen the harness without impact-
ing FCC compliance .
Attaching the harness connectors
to the PC board can be confusing, too ,
but they are keyed to eliminate errone-
ous connections. Incidentally, later
production models also have two slots
in the particle board just inside the
control panel area . After the control
panel has been lifted off the cabinet,
the panel may be conveniently wedged
in these slots for servicing.
Reversing the fan reduces dust
collection but also significantly raises
the operating temperature of the
2N3055 pass transistors on the regu-
lator/ audio III PC board. Our tests
show a 40 degree centigrade rise in
temperature when the fan is reversed .
PlAY METER. July 15, 1985
The higher temperture is within
specification of the 2N3055 transistor
but significantly reduces the reliability
and overall life of the device. Hence
Atari Games cannot advocate or sup-
port this approach to reducing dust
colleciton.
The Atari recommended approach
is as follows:
I. Leave the fan in the factory
installed position.
2. Install a fan filter on the outside
of the cabinet. As of this writing all
System I games shipped from the fac-
tory include this filter. It is available
from Atari Customer Service part
number A0413181-0l. It costs under
$12. The filter has a reuseable element
that should be cleaned periodically.
3. On Marble Madness trackball ,
install a ground path from the ball to
earth ground. In the factory , this is
accomplished by placing a copper foil
strip under the ball bearing case and
out to one of the self-tapping screws
that hold the plastic housings together.
A ground wire runs from the self-
tapping screw to the control panel
which already has an earth ground.
The majority of the factory games
include this modification - some of
the earlier units were built without it
however.
These steps are necessary to mini-
mize dust entering the game and to dis-
charge the electrostatic build-up in the
trackball area. The build-up of a static
charge on the trackball attracts dust
which impairs opto-coupler perfor-
mance.
Thank you for your time and
attention on this matter.
Chris Downend
System I Project Leader
Atari Games
Sunnyvale, California
~
Disapproves of
'Sexual Trivia'
Let me take this opportunity to
express my extreme disapproval of
Greyhound Electronics' Sexual Trivia
kit.
With the horrendous exploitation
and pornography in our society today,
it seems the video games industry
would not participate by igniting the
public into more of the same.
The last thing our industry needs is
a game that plays on lust and the total
disregard for marriage. Sex is to be
revered between man and wife and not
used as a tool that would encourage
people to become adulterers and be so
casual about the gift that God has
given us that we eventually transfer
these attitudes to our children.
Are Greyhound Electronics' pro-
fits so much of a god to them that they
would totally ignore the impact of
their responsibility to society? Regard-
less of whether the games consist of
implications and insinuations com-
pared to blatant pornography, it is still
the same to the unconscious mind .
Therefore, the same danger presents ,
itself to both old and young alike.
Last of all - our industry has had
to overcome many misconceptions
and obstacles concerning how games
affect people and the controversies still
exist. These types of adult entertain-
ment just add fuel to the fire . And,
rightly so, in this instance.
I am sure that Greyhound is not the
only participant in these adult games ,
and I know that I am not the only one
with the views presented in this letter.
Lau ra A. Bebermeyer
KC Vid eo Ga mes Inc.
Ka nsas City, Missouri
Audio VisuG
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