The TIARA is a custom video upgrade board for the Atari 2600 that provides a very clean S-Video and composite output. Installation is as simple as soldering the TIARA to the underside of the TIA (the video and audio chip in the 2600) and connecting the outputs (NOT INCLUDED). There is no need make any modifications to the 2600 mainboard apart from removing or changing a single resistor on certain models, and the RF output will remain functional.

This mod is not compatible with the "one-chip" 2600 - these are rare late model Jr versions that consolidate the RIOT, TIA and CPU into a single IC. Please also be aware this mod has not been tested and is not guaranteed to work with French SECAM, and South American PAL-N and PAL-M machines.

Install

Please see below for a video that covers all models.

6 Switcher

1. Open the console by removing the 6 screws on the bottom and lift off the bottom cover.
2. Remove another 6 screws to access the mainboard (inside the big metal box).
3. Locate the TIA which will be towards the front of the console (it should be obvious which one it is from the underside but you can always remove the board to double check).
4. If your console is NTSC, check for the presence of a 680 ohm resistor between pins 6 and 9 of the TIA and remove it if installed. No changes are required for PAL models.
5. Locate pin 1 of the TIA, it should be marked on the silkscreen but if unsure you can check for a short between pin 1 and the metal case (pin 1 on the TIA is ground).
6. Place the TIARA over the TIA solder joints making sure pin 1 of the TIARA (as noted by the square on the TIARA) matches up with pin 1 of the TIA.
7. Flow solder into the plated through holes on the TIARA, not every hole is plated as it is unnecessary and would make removal of the TIARA more difficult (not that you'd ever want to remove it after seeing the results).
8. See output options below for how to connect the audio and video ouputs from the TIARA

4 Switcher

1. Open the console by removing the 4 screws on the bottom and lift off the bottom cover.
2. Remove the RF shield on the bottom of the mainboard by twisting the little metal tabs until they are all straight
3. Locate the TIA which will be towards the front centre of the console.
4. Locate pin 1 of the TIA, it should be marked on the silkscreen but if unsure you can check for a short between pin 1 and the outer ground plane on the mainboard (pin 1 on the TIA is ground).
5. Place the TIARA over the TIA solder joints making sure pin 1 of the TIARA (as noted by the square on the TIARA) matches up with pin 1 of the TIA.
6. Flow solder into the plated through holes on the TIARA, not every hole is plated as it is unnecessary and would make removal of the TIARA more difficult (not that you'd ever want to remove it after seeing the results).
7. See output options below for how to connect the audio and video ouputs from the TIARA

Junior

1. Remove the 5 screws on the bottom and then remove the top cover by relasing the clips hidden in the vents at the front of the console (there is a clip at each end and one in the middle)
2. Carefully lift the top cover off to the right and unplug the ribbon cable going to the reset and select buttons.
3. Remove the mainboard by releasing the clips on either side towards the front of the console.
4. Remove the RF shield on the bottom of the mainboard by twisting the little metal tabs until they are all straight
5. Remove the top RF shield and locate the 10K resistor at R31 (it will be the 4th resistor to the right of the 28-pin IC)
6. For NTSC consoles this resistor should be removed (you can just heat and lift or snip one of the legs). For PAL consoles this resistor should be replaced with a 3.3K.
7. On the underside of the board locate the TIA which will be towards the front centre of the console.
8. Locate pin 1 of the TIA, it should be marked on the silkscreen but if unsure you can check for a short between pin 1 and the outer ground plane on the mainboard (pin 1 on the TIA is ground).
9. Place the TIARA over the TIA solder joints making sure pin 1 of the TIARA (as noted by the square on the TIARA) matches up with pin 1 of the TIA.
10. Flow solder into the plated through holes on the TIARA, not every hole is plated as it is unnecessary and would make removal of the TIARA more difficult (not that you'd ever want to remove it after seeing the results).
11. See output options below for how to connect the audio and video ouputs from the TIARA

Output options

The TIARA does not come with any cables or jacks as there is no one size fits all solution to route the new video and audio signals out of the 2600 case, this will be left up to the installer. For those who already have a composite mod, you may prefer to re-use the RCA jacks or cables you already have installed.

For those looking for a no-cut install, you may be able to route some RCA cables through the same hole the RF cable comes out (or the RF jack on the Jr). Of course this will mean you'll have cables hanging out of the console so you'll want to put some strain relief on there to prevent the cables pulling on the TIARA connections.

My personal prefrence is to wire everything up to a 5-pin DIN connector and match the pinout to the Atari 8-bit computers (and my VIC-20 video mod). This obviously requires drilling a hole for the DIN plug, but making one hole is easier than 3 or 4. DIN connectors are still easy to find, as are DIN to RCA breakout cables.

For example: panel mount 5-pin DIN. I recently received some of these and half of them had the internal connector rotated slightly in relation to the outer metal shell. They still work just fine and form a solid connection, but you can always find these at more reputable stores like Mouser for example or Jaycar Australia

DIN to RCA and S-video cable (note I am not affliated and cannot vouch for the quality of these).

or DIN to 4 RCA cable (black=audio, white=luma, red=chroma, yellow=composite) which is perfect for Commodore monitor users or use with a 2xRCA to S-video adaptor.

or you can roll your own cable. I'm not in the cable making business sorry :-)

Note the TIARA can safely drive both composite and s-video (luma/chroma) outputs at the same time. You can even use the original RF output if you want to have 3 displays connected to the same machine for some reason (I won't judge).

Is it called TIARA to avoid trademark infringement, or because it's like a little crown for the TIA, what does the RA stand for then, who knows. Also that logo looks a bit like a...

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