Eddie's Arcade Shack

I hunger!
Updated: Sat, October 19, 2002





83136 = 13 June 83?

My high score w/factory settings.....

Think you can beat me? Send in a pic of your score! HERE!




 

 

 


NEEDED

Revision 1 "Brown" ROM's listed in the Instruction manual.

Perfect? ROM set
Does this set exist?

Picture of a Sinistar cocktail
Does it exist?

If you have any info that would help this page, or find any mistakes, please e-mail me.


SINI-REPRODUCTIONS

Reproduction joystick ball & shaft
E-mail Tom at:
n2new@aol.com
stainless shaft = $30
regular shaft = $25
 



WOW! This game is very difficult, if not the most difficult video game ever created! Gameplay is VERY FAST and FURIOUS.

You have a lot to do while playing. First, you have to mine "Crystals " (20 max) from the planetoids to use as Sinibombs (this is what you need to destroy the Sinistar).While you are doing that, you also have to stop the "Workers " from getting crystals (the workers use the crystals to construct the Sinistar).

The "Warriors " are trying to destroy you at all times! Warriors are much faster and more maneuverable than your ship. So you can't run! They attack in groups, and their shots travel very fast.

Once you have mined enough crystals (13 to destroy the Sinistar), you can destroy the Sinistar. Wait until you hear "Beware, I live!". The Sinistar will come for you ........ start bombing!

After you destroy the Sinistar you warp to the next zone. There are 4 zones, Worker, Warrior, Planetoid, and Void zone. Each zone increases in difficulty, the Void zone being the most difficult.

That's it! Simple? ha!

 
"Blast CRYSTALS off Planetoids
Pick up CRYSTALS to fill bombbay with SINIBOMBS"
"Firing does not affect the mighty SINISTAR
only SINIBOMBS can affect this nemesis"
"Once the SINISTAR is built you must destroy it
or
You had better RUN"

Playing tips/tricks:

After filling up the limit on Sinibombs, you want the Sinistar to build faster and get to the next stage. Why? Because the fighters get meaner as time goes on. So you want to kill Sinistar sooner. How to do this? Continue mining the crystals and let the workers pick them up. They take them to the Sinistar and build him faster. Then as soon as the Sinistar is built, and you hear he's alive, continue mining crystals but now start dropping sinibombs, don't wait till he's close, the Sinibombs will seek the Sinistar. The whole idea is to defeat the Sinistar and still have a boat load of Sinibombs left over for the next level. What I do is drop a Sinibomb for each crystal I pick up, thus maintaining and full boat of Sinibombs and at the same time there are now Sinibombs out there seeking the Sinistar to knock him apart.

Sent in by: Dale Luck

255 lives trick

On your last man, make sure a warrior fires at you just as Sinistar sucks you in. As the Sinistar sucks you in, you will lose your last man, but when the warrior's bullet hits you, you will have one less than zero ships. This will give you 255 ships! Since you are trying to die twice, you have to let a warrior shoot at you, before you get sucked in, then hope that the shot hits you after you have been sucked in. This is VERY tricky (almost impossible) to do.


Here is a cool scan of the profit planner that was attached to all the Sinistar's when they were new!

Sent in by: Chuck Sanders

Prototype (AMOA)

Pink labels?

SINISTAR ROM x-B
© 1982 WILLIAMS
ELECTRONICS, INC.
16-3004-12 to
16-3004-22


 

Revision 1

Brown labels?

?
If you have this ROM set and/or a pic of a ROM pcb with them installed on it please e-mail me!

Revision 2

Red labels:

SINISTAR ROM x-B
© 1982 WILLIAMS
ELECTRONICS, INC.
16-3004-38 to
16-3004-48


Revision 3

Red labels except:
8-B & 11-B labeled
white w\orange stripe

SINISTAR ROM x-B
© 1982 WILLIAMS
ELECTRONICS, INC.
16-3004-38 to
16-3004-48

Needed
Note: X = locations 1 through 11 on the ROM pcb.

You may ONLY download these ROM images if you are legally entitled to do so!
"Legally entitled" = You MUST own an actual SINISTAR ROM pcb.
Please do NOT e-mail me asking how to get these ROM's working on your PC. Go here instead > www.mameworld.net





CPU/Video
5770-09656-00 rev. D
ROM
5771-09859-00 rev. C
Interface
5772-09869-00
Sound
1C-2001-146-6 snd ROM 9
Speech
1C-2001-147-4
Power Supply
5773-09679-00


CPU/Video pcb AA battery to Lithium battery conversion instructions:

This is what we start with!

First flip over the pcb and, de-solder the old AA battery holder.....
I used a solder wick......(Chem-Wik rosin) This stuff works GREAT!
It's off!
Next solder in the Lithium battery holder, and the jumper..... Put the + side of the battery holder on the left side as you see it in this pic. Then install the jumper as shown in the pic. To finish the job, and make it look good fill in the 2 unused holes with solder....
That is it!
If you have any questions e-mail me.


Sinistar
5772-10068-00 rev B

 

Arch Rivals
5772-10068-00

Joystick pinout:

1
+5v
2
Up/Down switch A1
3
Up/Down switch B1
4
Up/Down switch C1
5
Up/Down Direction 1
6
Right/Left switch A1
7
Right/Left switch B1
8
Right/Left switch C1
9
Right/Left Direction 1
10
Key
11
Ground
12
//Not Used//

It was brought to my attention that pins 4 & 5 where reversed. It looks like it is misprinted in the Drawing Set.

It shows pin 4 as Up/Down Direction 1 (PA2), and pin 5 as Up/Down switch C1 (PA3). The interface pcb pinout shows: Up/Down Direction 1 = (PA3), and Up/Down switch C1 = (PA2).

Thanks to Anthony P.!

8-way joystick hack

This hack allows you to play Sinistar with a standard 8-way joystick rather than the 49-way optical one.

On the microswitches on the bottom of the joystick you should find three connectors:

COM or GROUND - the ground pin
NO - the normally open circuit
NC - the normally closed circuit

Note that joysticks lacking the normally closed circuit will not be adaptable using these directions.
The only wires coming from the Sinistar controller board that are required are:

GROUND
UP-DOWN SWITCH B1
LEFT-RIGHT SWITCH B1
UP-DOWN DIRECTION
LEFT-RIGHT DIRECTION

Connections to the Sinistar Interface board:

  1. Connect the GROUND of the DOWN switch to GROUND from the controller board
  2. Connect the NO of the DOWN switch to the UP-DOWN DIRECTION from the controller board
  3. Connect the NO of the LEFT switch to the RIGHT-LEFT DIRECTION from the controller board
  4. Connect the NC of the RIGHT switch to the RIGHT-LEFT SWITCH B1 of the controller board
  5. Connect the NC of the UP switch to the UP-DOWN SWITCH B1 of the controller board

Internal connections on the Joystick:

  1. Connect the GROUND of the LEFT switch to the GROUND of the DOWN switch (which is already leading to GROUND on the controller board)
  2. Connect the NC of the DOWN switch to the GROUND of the UP switch
  3. Connect the NC of the LEFT switch to the GROUND of the RIGHT switch



Sinistar Instruction manual **OFFLINE**
Sinistar Drawing set *incomplete* **OFFLINE**

*RARE* Atari 2600 prototype
screenshot


Sinistar on the cover of a magazine! Sept. 1983

 



Serial number
Type
Name
Location
620503
Upright
Edwin P. Gregory III
Harahan, LA
620083
Upright
Tyler Schoenke
Minturn, CO
11222
Duramold
Tyler Schoenke
Minturn, CO
618996
Cockpit
Chuck Sanders
Chicago, IL
616872
Upright
Warren Ernst
Fullerton, CA
600034
Upright
Michael Pacher
Wels, Austria
618681
Upright
Doug Stoffa
Long Island, NY
621532
Cockpit
Dale Luck
San Jose, CA
620441
Cockpit
Robert Spelman
Indianapolis, IN
620952
Upright
Barry Beadman
Ottawa, Canada
610057
Upright
Ed Beeler
Pittsburgh, PA
618988
Cockpit
Paul Sommers
Sydney, Australia
618337
Upright
Mike Brower
Lakeland, FL
620394
Cockpit
Ricky Pike
Bedford, TX
616007
Upright
Ellsworth Chou
Hollywood, CA
618989
Cockpit
John Glover
Sydney, Australia
619829
Upright
Adam Pletcher
Champaign, IL

Want to be added?
Send me your name, location, type, and serial number.
Here!







All arcade screenshots & graphics taken with MAME32 v.36 final
Atari 2600 screenshot taken with StellaX 1.1.3
SINISTAR is copyright 1982 Williams Electronics Inc.
This page is owned by: Edwin P. Gregory III

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