Advice Needed – Time to Return RetroTINK & Retire 2600?

[WishItWas1984]

I got a RetroTINK-2X in the hopes of getting my Atari 2600 and TI-99/4A running on my new Samsung Q8 TV.

I plug it in and get “Mode Not Supported” regardless of the HDMI input I use. I hear “HD Color” needs to be off to fix this sometimes, and it is for the ports I tried.

The TINK was already on, and first powered by a USB cable to the TV’s 5V/1A port, but then switched over to a Pi3 5V/3A AC adapter. The 2x light was set and the Y/C video input. I had my modded 2600 connected w/ the S-Video and Composite audio cable.

It was all setup like it’s supposed to be.

I know the error is the TV not getting a supported video signal on that HDMI connection, but I KNOW the TV supports 480p. What I’m confused by is, if the TINK is pumping out 480p, what’s my TV’s problem?

So, at this point I’m at a loss for what to do. My gut is saying the TV’s being finicky and this is just modern technology finally beating me down to retiring my last two OG devices for emulation.

But before I return the TINK and use the money to buy some Retron type device to play my Harmony/2600 carts, and emulate the TI-99/4A on my Pi, I thought I’d ask here to see if anyone else had this issue and solved it, or has any ideas.

Oh, and please don’t bother suggesting an older TV w/ the inputs I need or a CRT. I understand it is a solution, but it’s not practically viable for me due to space considerations.

I appreciate everyone’s time and input. Thanks!

[nmalinoski]

Chances are your TV doesn’t like the refresh rate output by the 2600 or the TI. Some TVs are going to be very finicky and may require an exact 59.94 or 60Hz for 480p, and the RT2X doesn’t have the capability to perform framerate conversion in order to provide that level of compatibility. It’s also possible that the sync signal is funky, like it is with the NES/SNES, but that would be pure speculation on my part.

If you’ve tried a different console, or even a DVD player, to eliminate the RT2X as the source of your problem, then you may need to add a proper scaler between the RT2X and your TV (Perhaps an Extron DSC 301 HD), or something like a Framemeister to use in lieu of the RT2X.

[WishItWas1984]

If you’ve tried a different console, or even a DVD player, to eliminate the RT2X as the source of your problem, then you may need to add a proper scaler between the RT2X and your TV (Perhaps an Extron DSC 301 HD), or something like a Framemeister to use in lieu of the RT2X.

I’m not sure how I can test without the TINK. My TV only has RF In and HDMI. 🙂

Your other information seems sound. It just seems like my TV + TINK = Sadness. lol

I could try another scaler, but the point of this was to get these two systems running on my TV for the price point the TINK offered. I really don’t have the desire or budget to keep throwing money at this to somehow finally get these old systems working.

I think I’ll just leave both in their boxes and maybe one day they’ll be of use again. Like if I get the room for an older TV or some other device comes out that’ll get these things working in a more simple and straightforward fashion.

I think for now I will contact Mike at RetroTINK to arrange for a return/refund, and use that money to get a Retron 77, and flash that with AtariAge’s community build. The TI-99/4A I’ll have to emulate on my Pi if possible.

[nmalinoski]

I’m not sure how I can test without the TINK. My TV only has RF In and HDMI.

I’m suggesting trying the RT2X with another SD composite/S-Video/YPbPr component source to see if they work or you get the same behavior as with the 2600 and TI. If those other devices work, then I would say my earlier assumption that your TV doesn’t like the refresh rate holds; however, if those also don’t work, then I would think either your RT2X or the HDMI cable you’re using is faulty.

[WishItWas1984]

Ah, I see. Well, I could dig out some of those plug and play joysticks later and try those.

Although, on another forum someone suggested sething else that might be it. The TINK might not be outputting 480p.

Some 2600 games are not perfectly 240, so if the TINK is line doubling an non-standard number, and my Samsung TV is super picky about the specs of the signals it recieves, it could be throwing the error due to that.

[BuckoA51]

Do you at least get the colour bars if you connect RetroTINK 2x to your TV with no active input?

[WishItWas1984]

Yes, I got the color bars when just connecting it.

It’s a good time while I’m here to update. I contacted Mike and my TINK is on its way back to him for a refund, my new Retron77 is setup and working like a champ, and my beautiful 2600, games and Harmony cart are packed away (as is my TI-99/4A). Hopefully one day I can resurrect them, or at the very least, display them. 🙂

[demolition]

Not that I think it matters much but you do not mention whether your TI99/A is a US or EU model, because the EU model has component output only. It is probably a sync issue and thus it will be the same with either input.

Not that it relates to the RT2x specifically, but I had my TI99/A hooked up through my OSSC (using the component inputs) and it worked great. I know that many owners of the RT2x also have an OSSC, as they supplement each other well.

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