Found or No Longer Wanted FOUND! UPDATED 02-13-2024” WORKING AND COMPLETE ATARI VCS / 2600 STORE (POP) KIOSK BRAIN BOX

ATARI1978

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UPDATE 2-13- 24 SCOLL DOWN TO THE UPDATED POST.

Looking to buy a working and complete Atari VCS / 2600 store kiosk brain box. I think that is what it was called. Essentially it is the metal caged box (not unlike what can be found housing the game pcb in Atari coin ops) with the pcb that has VCS / 2600 games programs on it, the Atari power supply, the three black Cherry push button selector and start switches and the needed wiring harness to connect it to the control panel on the kiosk. The whole unit slides in below the shelf that supports a standard crt tv and behind the control panel. I would also be open to considering buying the whole kiosk with it. Some kiosks had them some didn't. All of the Atari VCS / 2600 kiosks had the place for them in it.

Thank you,

Mike.
 
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simple photos would go a long way. text isn't sufficient.

this is probably so rare, it's a unicorn holy grail x 1000 and it'd take 25 lifetimes to obtain one, not to mention the finances involved...
 
simple photos would go a long way. text isn't sufficient.

this is probably so rare, it's a unicorn holy grail x 1000 and it'd take 25 lifetimes to obtain one, not to mention the finances involved...
I would add the photos if I had some. And no it may / may not take that long as I missed one (Whole Kiosk with the brain box - no separate photos of it) a little over two years ago. In fact it took two months for the seller to get a buyer. I wish I had seen it but I wasn't searching for it then (Yes I would have driven to AZ for it). I agree it is definitely not common but if someone has one they are more than likely going to know what it is / they have.

Here is a link to the one that sold. Again whole kiosk, you can't see the brain box it is behind the control panel.


And yes, I have a Atari VCS / 2600 Kiosk like this minus the brain box. (Note the three black Cherry selector / start switches at the lower RH side of the control panel. These are like arcade Missile Command base fire buttons ) The kiosk also worked with a standard VCS / 2600 and the WICO Joysticks and Fire buttons and AB (Allan Bradley) Pots / Paddle Controls plugged right into the console. This is how mine is set up. In some ways this set up is better. You can play any VCS game you have the cart or multi-cart for.

I had a brand new one (NIB) whole kiosk complete with the brain box back in 1984. One of two things I had I wish I had never sold. 🙁

I am just looking too get one back. If one turns up fine, if not fine too.

Thanks, Mike.
 
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OK, an update 1-20-2024, and I am not yet taking down my WTB here, as found or no longer needed - YET. & STILL 1-22-24.

Please read on. I may post this to another section too.


Does anyone out there have an Atari VCS POP Store Kiosk (c1982) with the "brain box," or know someone that does, and what external wall plug in 120VAC Atari power adapter powers the "Brain Box?" The Brain Box i.e. the PCB that you can select from 40 VCS games. I recently acquired one for my POP kiosk but unfortunately the AC adapter was missing / lost. (I knew this when I bought it). I had one of these, a complete working POP kiosk, about 40 years ago but sold it in the late 1980s. I remember it is a small black brick of sorts, about 3 inches or so square, maybe a bit rectangular, with an 120VAC wall plug cord and the other cord with a barrel plug that goes to plug into and power the brain box PCB. But beyond that I can't remember the output specifications of it. 9VDC? or 9VAC? Different voltage? Amperage output? If some one has one could you please contact me and / or post a photo of it with the specifications on it? Then maybe I could locate one. I am thinking it might be either the adapter that was used to power the Atari 400 / 800 computers - but that has 9VAC output or maybe the Atrai 5200 which I have seen two different power adapters that work with it. One is 9VDC output another 11VDC output. The 5200 came out after the VCS POP Kiosk but I think was already in development at that time as System X, if I recall correctly. It's been a long time. I am thinking the PCB needs a DC voltage input NOT an AC voltage input, as it has a voltage regulator on it.

I have tried looking this information up to no avail. I have both the manuals for the kiosk. The Electronic POP Kiosk instruction Manual and the Field Service Manual. Neither has any specific information that I can note on the power supply other than stating it is powered by an external power supply.

Lastly, here are some photos of what this looks like;

The PCB (edit, and yes I have one more issue beyond the missing power adapter. does anyone note it? No matter, I need the power adapter first. One problem at a time.)
1705770370297.jpeg

The RF Cage / box
1705770423224.jpeg

The Control Panel (Mine, on my current kiosk, is in better shape. I will only need the Cherry start switches, wiring harness and card underlay off this one.)
1705770607254.jpeg


1705770642430.jpeg

NOTE, This is an Atari 400 / 800 Computer adapter. The adapter I am looking for will look a lot like this one, if not thee one. All I need is a photo of the adapter with specs on it from someone that has one (OR HAS ONE TO SELL). THANK YOU!
1705770889456.jpeg

LASTLY, My current Atari VCS kiosk (missing the "brain box.")
1705770988183.jpeg


THANK YOU, ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED. Mike.
 
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simple photos would go a long way. text isn't sufficient.

this is probably so rare, it's a unicorn holy grail x 1000 and it'd take 25 lifetimes to obtain one, not to mention the finances involved...
Just updated my post 1-20-24 - with photos too! 🙂

Thanks, Mike.
 
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UPDATE 1-22-24.
Found the Specs and the PCB works! Special thanks to my good friend Mike C.
See related KLOV post for more detail.
 
Update: 2-13-2024, ATARI kiosk PCB/brain box now 100% working;

The needed power supply ID'd and acquired. It's an Atari 400 / 800 9VAC, about 3 amp, output supply. There are two versions of this power supply that Atari made. The only difference is the output amperage. The later one, the one I'm using, essentially doubles the output amperage from one and a half to 3A. Otherwise they are both 9 VAC output. Both will work, but the lower amperage supply runs a little warm to the touch. I suspect at some point at Atari discovered that the 400 and 800 could use a little bit more current. Same is true for this kiosk PCB. it's got a lot of chips on it.

The Atari VCS / 2600 kiosk game PCB (brain Box) is now 100% fully repaired and functional. The worse part was replacing / making a new edge connection for the one that was broke off the PCB. UGH! I made one out of a jamma fingerboard. One ROM of the 42 games on it was bad too, Pac-Man. I simply took one of my extra Pac-Man cartridges, desoldered the ROM from it and plugged it in replacing the bad one on the PCB. Presto, it works! It was also missing a couple of jumper wires, which thankfully there is a video of a working Kiosk PCB in a kiosk collection on YouTube that had a clear view of it. I took a screenshot of it from the video and compared it to mine. I ended up making two jumpers out of some simple, female connectors terminals. And it needed a little other work too. There was some corrosion around almost all these little jumper post terminals. It would be the little blue things in the photo. If you can make them out, the little blue caps..

Anyway, Success! 🕹😎

Everything now works, all the controllers, all the fire buttons, all the games!

It was over a week of tedious work, finding broken traces where the edge connection was, and then wiring / soldering them to the new fingerboard. I had a few wires wrong to start with. I had the middle five wires basically, on the bottom side connections on the game PCB, one space / trace off to the left. I'll just put it that way, it's harder to explain other than it was tedious work. Nerve-racking too. Thankfully, the Atari board was forgiving to my mistakes. I don't ever want to go through that again, but it's done it works and I'm happy! I did what I could to be sure it stays that way.

A rare piece of Atari history saved.

Now the easy / fun part, when I have some time, simply putting this into my ATARI VCS/2600 store kiosk. The control panel that was with this is pretty beat up but I'm managed to get it all working to so I could test the thing. The one on my kiosk is in very good condition. As is my whole kiosk.

He are just a few pics of how it looks, out of my kiosk, and working.

Mike.
 

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I just found two of these in a box PCB's I just picked up.
That is certainly a remarkable find. Not one but two of them together and they're look in good shape. Congratulations!

These were just in with some regular arcade PCBs from what, if you don't mind me asking, an old distributor, route operator? I'm just curious.

Edit / add - FYI: One is an original 34 game Atari pop kiosk PCB, and the other is a 42, updated, game Atari pop PCB. Sent you a PM too.
 
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