Atari 5200 User manual

Table Of Content!
1. Your ATARI 5!200 >
z. installing tne ivAntenna bwitcn box 3
3. Setting Up the Console 10
4. Itlserting aGame Cartridg e12
5. Using the
eturninc
5200 Controllers 13
6. PIVnur T\/ Cal nDri 1<
1
ATA
>
7. IVlaintaining Your Rl 5200 16
8. Troubleshooting Checklis t1(

1. Your ATARI 5200
Congratulations on your purchase
of one of the most exciting video
game systems available. We sug-
gest you read this Owner's
Manual thoroughly before setting
up your ATARI 5200.
NOTE: Read this manual care-
fully, and completely set up your
ATARI 5200 before plugging in
the power adapter.
When you remove your ATARI
5200 from the box, you will have:
•5200 Console Unit
•Game Cartridge
•Two 5200 Controllers
•TV Antenna Switch Box
•Power Adapter
•300 OHM to 75 OHM TV
Switch Box Adapter
•75 OHM to 300 OHM TV
Switch Box Adapter
Note: Your ATARI 5200 is pack-
aged with aprotective coating.
To remove the plastic, refer to
page 10 of this Owner's Manual

2. Installing the TV Antenna Switch Box
UHF
®<s>
VHF
Adapter 2
300 OHM 75 OHM Adapter 1
.
The TV Antenna Switch Box is
Basy to attach to the VHF anten-
na terminal on the back of your
Your TV Antenna Switch Box
packaged with two different
Switch Box Adapters:
is
elevision set. Carefully inspect
he antenna connection at the 1. INPUT 75 OHM/
OUTPUT 300 OHM
uacK or your television set to
determine whether your present 2. INPUT 300 OHM/
antenna is 300 OHMs (flat twin-
lead wire) or 75 OHMs (round OUTPUT 75 OHM
cable).
Follow the instructions, on pages
5through 9, which most closely
apply to your television set anten-
na. If your television set is 300
OHMs, you will need aflat-blade
screwdriver to install the switch
box. THE TV SWITCH BOX
ADAPTERS ARE NOT NECES-
SARY IF YOUR TELEVISION
SET IS 75 OHMs
Some television sets require that
you use both adapters, others re-
quire one adapter, and some re-
quire no adapter.
CAUTION: Do not use this TV
Antenna Switch Box with any
unit other than the 5200. Severe
damage to the unit can result if
this Switch Box is used with
any other unit. Use only with
genuine Atari 5200 parts and
accessories. Use of any other
products may cause damage to
the unit.
3

The TV Antenna Switch Box can
be left attached to your televi-
sion set without interfering with
television program viewing or
reception.
To attach the TV Antenna Switch
Box permanently to the back of
your television set:
•Peel off the protective paper
on the back of the TV Antenna
Switch Box.
•Stick the TV Antenna Switch
Box on an area near the anten-
na terminals at the back of
your television set.
On the bottom right side of the
TV Antenna Switch Box, you will
notice aswitch labeled
STANDBY/ NORMAL. The NOR-
MAL position is the correct posi-
tion during regular use of your
ATARI 5200. Changing this
switch to the STANDBY position
allows you to view regular televi-
sion programs while the 5200
power is still on. This feature
allows you to save ahigh score
on the screen. It also allows a
game to continue running or the
computer to take its turn while
you watch television. To return
to the game playfield, simply
move the switch to the NORMAL
position.
Extra TV Antenna Switch Boxes
If you attach aTV Antenna
Switch Box to each television set
in your home, you will be able to
move your ATARI 5200 from room
to room. Extra TV Switch Boxes
are available through your local
ATARI dealer.

Television set with VHF
antenna: screws and twin-lead wire
1. Disconnect the tw
antenna wire from
your television set
n-lead 2. Connect the twin-lead wire of
me DaCK OT switcn box Adapter lto tne
VHF screw terminals on your
television set
Connect the antenna cable of
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the 75 OHM connector of
Switch Box Adapter 1. Secure-
ly tighten the connection.
Connect the television twin-
lead antenna wire to Adapter
2. Attach the 75 OHM con-
nector on Adapter 2to the 75
OHM connector on the
Antenna Switch Box

B. Television with U-shaped slider switch and
twin-lead wire:
UHF
1
VHF
!< i©
Disconnect the twin-lead
antenna wire from the VHF
screw terminals. Move the
U-shaped slider right to make
aconnection between the two
screws.
Connect the twin-lead wire of
Switch Box Adapter 1to the
VHF antenna screws on the
back of your television set.
Connect the antenna cable of
the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the cylinder-shaped 75 OHM
connector on Switch Box
Adapter 1.
Connect the television twin-
lead antenna wire to Adapter
2. Attach the 75 OHM con-
nector of Adapter 2to the 75
OHM connector of the TV
Antenna Switch Box.

c. Television wit
twin-lead wireh75 OHM/300 OHM slide switch and
1. Disconnect the twin-lead
antenna wire from the VHF
screw terminals.
2. Slide the switch to the 300
OHM position and follow
steps B-2 through B-4.
D. Television with ashort round cable and twin-lead wire:
NOTE: For some televisions, the
75 OHM connector may not work
correctly. In this case, no
playfield will appear after you
insert acartridge and press the
POWER switch on. To correct
this problem, simply treat your
television as though it is 300
OHMs. Then follow steps A, B,
C, or D.
Connect the short round cable
to the cable connector directly
next to it on your television
set. Then follow steps B-2
through B-4.

E. Television with 75 OHM antenna cable and VHF screws:
1. Disconnect the antenna cable 2. Connect the antenna cable of
from the cable connector or the TV Antenna Switch Box to
impedance-matching adapter the cable connector of your
(balun) on the back of your television set or the imped-
television set. ance-matching adapter. Secure-
ly tighten the connection.
3. Connect the antenna cable of
your television set to the 75
OHM connector of the TV
Antenna Switch Box.
8

Television with round antenna cable and
no VHF screws:
1. Disconnect the round antenna 2. Connect the antenna cable of
cable from your television set. the TV Antenna Switch Box to
the 75 OHM (cylinder-shaped)
connector on the back of the
television set.
Connect the television anten-
na cable to the 75 OHM con-
nector on the TV Antenna
Switch Box.

3. !Setting Up the Console
1. Peel off the protective coating 2. Check the channel selector
on the top of the console unit. switch at the back left side
of the console to be sure it
is set to the •position.
3. Set your television channel
selector to Channel 3. If
Channel 3is broadcasting in
your area, set the television
channel selector switch to
Channel 2and change the
channel selector switch on
the console unit to the
position.
4. Plug the Game Cable on the
console unit into the TV
Antenna Switch Box GAME
connector.

Insert the Power Adapter
cable jack into the POWER
plug on the TV Switch Box.
11
WARNING: Make sure the Game
Cable is plugged into the TV
Switch Box before plugging the
Power Adapter into the TV
Switch Box.
6. Plug the Power Adapter into
any convenient 120-volt AC
electrical wall outlet,
IMPORTANT: Use only the Power
Adapter packed with your ATARI
5200. Use of any other power
supply could damage the con-
sole unit.
7. Turn your television set on
and set the volume control to
acomfortable level.
Press the POWER ON/OFF
switch at the lower right side
of the console to ON. Ared
light (LED) glows when the
POWER is ON. When the
POWER is OFF, the Switch
Box automatically switches
back to regular television
viewing.
NOTE: Always turn the POWER
OFF when the game is not in
use.
9. If your television set has an
automatic fine-tuning control,
turn it off and manually fine-
tune for the best picture.
However, if your television
set will not receive color
unless the automatic fine-
tuning is on, leave it on.

10.
4. Inserting aGame Cartridge
Plug the 5200 controllers into
the controller jacks at the
front of the console unit. Use
jack 1for one-player games;
use jacks 1and 2for two-
player games.
1. Hold the game cartridge so
the name on the label faces
you and reads right-side-up.
Carefully insert the game car-
tridge into the slot at the
center of the console. Be sure
the cartridge fits firmly in the
slot but DO NOT FORCE IT.
Make sure the console
POWER is ON. Abright, color-
ful ATARI logo will appear on
your television screen, followed
by the game playfield.
12

5. Using the 5200 Controllers
The ATARI 5200 includes two
!>200 controllers. These con-
trollers allow you to move the
play ploces in any direction on
thi! semen right, left, up, down
diagonally, and all around.
dug tho controllers into the
jacks at the front of the console
unit. Each jack is numbered. Use
|ack 1for one-player games; use
jacks 1and 2for two-player
games. The jack is designed to
fit only one way. Be sure the con
nection is firm, but do not try to
force It.
Some controller functions vary
with different games. Be sure to
chock the appropriate game in-
structions for different controller
functions.
Each controller has two fire but-
tons on either side. The lower
buttons are used as fire but-
tons for all games. The upper
buttons are used for other func-
tions depending on the particular
game. See your game instructions
for different controller functions.
The right or the left buttons can
be used, whichever is more com-
fortable for you.
The START, PAUSE, and RESET
buttons on the controllers per-
form the following functions:
13

START
PAUSE
Press START to begin
game play.
Press PAUSE to stop all
game action. This
feature allows you to
leave the game without
interrupting the game or
score. Press PAUSE
again when you are
ready to resume playing
the game.
Keypad Overlays
Press RESET only when
you want to start the
game over from the
beginning.
These controller buttons
are used to select differ-
ent game options. Refer
to your game instruc-
tions for further details.
All game cartridges come with
two keypad overlays. The over-
lays fit directly over the keypad
buttons to indicate keypad func-
tions. These functions may vary
from game to game. Refer to
your game instructions for more
information.
When not in use, your keypad
overlays can be stored on the
back of your game cartridge.
Simply slip the tabs into the slots
that are provided on the cartridge.

Controller Storage
When not in use, store
the 5200 controllers inside
tho console unit as follows:
•Unplug the 5200 controllers
from the jacks at the front of
the console.
Wind the controller
cable around the joystick.
Open the controller storage
area at the top of the console.
Place the cont
down (head-to-
storage area.
rollers face
heads in the
•Gently close the cover
controller storage area of the

6. Returning Your TV Set to Television Program Viewing
Press the console POWER
switch to OFF. The TV Anten-
na Switch Box automatically
switches back to program
viewing.
7. Maintaining Your ATARI 5200
Your ATARI 5200 will bring you
many years of enjoyment. To
keep it in good working condi-
tion, please remember the
following:
•Always turn the POWER
switch OFF when you are not
using the ATARI 5200.
•Do not try to force the game
cartridge into the cartridge
slot.
Do not spill liquids on the con-
sole, cartridges, or controllers.
Do not lift the 5200 console or
5200 controllers by the con-
necting wires. You could bend
or crimp the wires and break
the internal insulation.
Be careful not to drop the con-
sole, controllers, or game
cartridges.
Do not expose the console,
controllers, or game cartridges
to extreme or excessive heat.
If you turned off the automatic
fine-tuning, turn it back on.
There are no user-serviceable
parts in your ATARI 5200 con-
sole, controllers, or cartridges.
Therefore do not disassemble
or alter the console, con-
trollers, or cartridges.
Do not use any power adapter
other than the Power Adapter
packed with your ATARI 5200.
You could damage the elec-
tronic components in the con-
sole unit.
Unplug the Power Adapter
from the electrical outlet when
not in use.
Do not use any TV switch box
other than the TV Antenna
Switch Box packed with your
ATARI 5200. You could
damage the electronic com-
ponents in the console unit.
Clean the exterior surface of
the console with asoft and
slightly damp cloth (use water
only).
NOTE: Your ATARI 5200 is engi-
neered to eliminate phosphor

momory or "burn in" of the
playfiold and score digits on
your television screen. We
suggest, however, these
procautions:
Turn down the contrast of your
television set.
•Turn the ATARI 5200 OFF
when not in use.
Compliance with FCC regulations
To comply with Federal Com-
munications Commission* (FCC)
regulations, and to keep your
ATARI 5200 from interfering with
television reception on nearby
television sets, please observe
the following:
•Do not install alonger antenna
cable from the TV Antenna
Switch Box to the antenna
connection on your television
set. The antenna cable sup-
plied with the TV Antenna
Switch Box is the correct
length that complies with FCC
regulations.
Do not connect the antenna
output cable on your TV
Switch Box directly to any
television antenna or Cable TV
outlet.
Do not attach loose wires to
your television antenna ter-
minals when you are using the
ATARI 5200.
17
•This equipment generates and uses
radio frequency energy, and if it is not in-
stalled properly, it may cause interference
to radio and television reception. It has
been type tested and found to comply
with the limits for aClass Bcomputing
device in accordance with the specifica-
tions in Subpart Jof part 15 of FCC
Rules, which are designed to provide rea-
sonable protection against such inter-
ference in aresidential installation. If this
equipment does cause interference to
radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment -
off and on, try to correct the interference
by one or more of the following methods:
•Reorient the receiving antenna.
•Relocate the computer with respect to
the receiver.
•Move the computer into adifferent
outlet so that the computer and
receiver are on different branch cir-
cuits.
If necessary, consult the dealer or an ex-
perienced radio/television technician for
additional suggestions. You may find the
following booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful:
"How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV
Interference Problems."
This booklet is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.