Pipster Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 They rarely come up for sale in the UK at all let alone PAL ones so i was wondering how many are out there? The seller knows his stuff so it can be taken as genuine and i don't care if i paid over the top. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...ssPageName=WDVW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarianer2003 Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Were the Sunnyvale Heavysixers not only built for the USA market? If it's really PAL (without modifications, only original Atari PAL Heavysixer), then it is very rare - I didn't see one in the nearly 2 Years I'm collecting. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 That was a good price! I have a PAL heavy sixer, and from other threads on this forum, I know that some German collectors have them. I think that they are very rare. I'm no 2600 expert (being an 8-bit kind of guy mostly) but I'm sure that there are very few of these in circulation. My machine has a serial number that's in the same format as that on NTSC H6ers, and also has a box, although the box appears to be American, and has no serial number sticker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highinfidelity Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Seriously, guys, how do you know they're not NTSC heavies with a replaced PAL circuitry? I can't recall ever seeing one single "heavy" PAL in non-suspect days (that is: long ago). On the other hand, sometimes I fantasize about purchasing a heavy, get rid of the NTSC stuff and replace it with a good PAL board. 'Nuff said... Does anyone have EXACT, EVIDENCE-BASED information about european/australian production of PAL heavy sixers? In which country, specifically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spirantho Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 That one - and, I reckon, all other "PAL" Heavy 6ers - are PAL light sixer motherboards in NTSC heavy cases. I've not checked that this transplant would work, but I'm pretty sure it would. This particular one is clearly not a genuine heavy 6er - in the auctions he posts a link to http://members.sparedollar.com/theretrodog...gg/2012-985.jpg which shows a motherboard date of July 19 1978 - too late for a Heavy 6er I think. My mind's Atari timeline suggests that Atari brought out the light sixer in 1978, and PAL Ataris also didn't appear until 1978. When I see a PAL Heavy 6er with a 1977 date I shall believe it exists. In the meantime - anyone want to buy a PAL heavy 6er (missing the date inside the console)? Very very rare - yours for only £500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongbeat Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I've got serious doubdt also! I think it's more a pal light sixer motherboard inside! There were no pal 2600 before 1978...so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san-d-2000 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 That one - and, I reckon, all other "PAL" Heavy 6ers - are PAL light sixer motherboards in NTSC heavy cases. I've not checked that this transplant would work, but I'm pretty sure it would. I agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 What should a 1977 motherboard look like? I'm not overly keen on opening my machine, but I would like know what it is, and if I know what I'm looking for, I guess I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spirantho Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 What should a 1977 motherboard look like? I'm not overly keen on opening my machine, but I would like know what it is, and if I know what I'm looking for, I guess I will. Don't be afraid - you won't hurt it (as long as you don't force anything when putting it back together). The heavy and light sixers are pretty similar inside, but they both should have a dated piece of paper taped to the shield. This will give the date of assembly, and should be 1977 for a heavy sixer (maybe very early 78). Of course if someone was deliberately faking it they could have moved the paper from a genuine sixer. If it's missing the paper, it's definitely been fiddled with. I don't recall any easy way of telling a heavy from a light motherboard, but I haven't looked in my Heavy 6er for a while (since I modded it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Well, I've opened four woodgrain 6-switch 2600s today. One is the "PAL H6", one an NTSC H6, one NTSC Sunnyvale regular 6-switcher, and one PAL regular 6-switcher made in Hong Kong. All have pieces of paper taped to the shield; the HK PAL machine has nothing written or printed on it. None has a date, but the other three all have "99" followed by an 8-digit number. Interestingly, the Sunnyale regular 6-switch and the "PAL H6" have CO12173 rev. 1 printed on the motherboards. The HK PAL machine has CO12173 rev. B, and the NTSC H6 has CO10462 rev. 5. The board of this machine also has a large "92" stamped on it; maybe this one was altered? Does any of this help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spirantho Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Interestingly, the Sunnyale regular 6-switch and the "PAL H6" have CO12173 rev. 1 printed on the motherboards. The HK PAL machine has CO12173 rev. B, and the NTSC H6 has CO10462 rev. 5. The board of this machine also has a large "92" stamped on it; maybe this one was altered? I would imagine that CO12173 is the codename for HK-manufactured PCBs, and CO10462 is the codename for Sunnyvale-manufactured PCBs - which of course would make the PAL H6 a transplantee. That's all supposition, but makes sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Sounds reasonable. I think I'll open up some more PAL 6-switchers, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 OK, I've opened another 4 PAL "light 6ers". All have similar mobo's to the first one. Same serial#, and all are stamped with "don" repeatedly in lower case. The H6 cased PAL machine has a board stamped with a stylised "A". None of these machines had a date on the piece of paper, but, again, all had "99" followed by 8 more digits. Just noticed again, that the "Sunnyvale" label on the underside of the PAL H6 has no FCC information on it at all. Does this mean that it wasn't destined for the US, or was this label format present on US machines too? Anyone else have mobo part #s for NTSC heavy sixers? I'm not sure that any of this has helped, but I've seen more 25+ year-old dust than I'd ever planned to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipster Posted October 26, 2004 Author Share Posted October 26, 2004 I'll check mine when i get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 *If* Atari had put PAL mobos in some of their H6 cases, what would they have looked like? There are a few cases of these appearing. Either: 1. They are all genuine. 2. They are all substitute mobos in genuine cases. 3. Some are 1. and some are 2. I think that the third option is the most likely. More info is needed, from both PAL and NTSC owners. What part number do other NTSC heavy sixer motherboards have? Incidentally, the 6 switches on my machine have brass-coloured surrounds. All of the PAL regular sixers have siler-coloured surrounds on the switches. Help! I'm confused! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozatariprincess Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I own a PAL light sixer, manafactured in Hong Kong which I opened a few weeks ago to clean and it had 24 August 1981 (the day after I was born) imprinted on the metal part of the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Bump...just an appeal for serial numbers from heavy-sixer owners. Please check your mobo serial number, if you have to open the case for any reason. Who knows what PCB Atari would have used if they'd decided to put a PAL board in a heavy sixer, but it would be nice to know the numbers from NTSC or PAL owners, so that we can work out what the true story is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipster Posted October 30, 2004 Author Share Posted October 30, 2004 My PAL 'heavy sixer' has CO12173 rev. B on the motherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Interesting...that's the same as the PAL "light" sixers that I've checked. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipster Posted October 30, 2004 Author Share Posted October 30, 2004 I have what i think is a PAL promotional sixer as well (yellow not orange striping and made in Sunnyvale) which has the same number on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 I'm curious do ya'll have channel select switches on your units over there? In US, originally the heavy sixers did not, but later revisions of the heavy sixer did. For awhile there was a transgression period, some units I've found will have the hole cut out on bottom for the channel sellect but no switch in the unit. And I've had heavy sixers that had no hole. I believe all light 6ers do have switches for channel select. Here's some pics of a heavy sixer I own right now. Note there is a hole labeled channel select, but from inside there is no switch. Also mine is a CO10462 Rev B © 77 But then on the lower left hand corner, back side of RF modulator, there's a little colored box inprinted on board, lot # 5 3/16/78 Mine has the paper taped to front also, just a 99, followed by muc of numbers, but no actual date stamped on it. But I have opened may that do have date stamps like retrodogs above. I'm curious about the channel switch though, what of the haevy sixers in PAL format if they do have or not, or even on the shell itself. Also maybe there is no hole on a heavy sixer case, but a switch inside, that to would be a possible transplant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipster Posted October 31, 2004 Author Share Posted October 31, 2004 I've got 6 sixers and they all have channel select holes in the case but no switches. Mine is obviously a heavy sixer case but who knows if it is original or a PAL motherboard in a US case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathtrappomegranate Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 I'm curious do ya'll have channel select switches on your units over there? Also mine is a CO10462 Rev B © 77 Well, that's the same CO# as my board, with the exception of the revision. All of the six-switch boards that I've seen have had "© 77" on them. No channel select switch on mine, although there is a hole in the case at the appropriate place, and the case is stamped as though there should be a switch there. All of this information is useful. More PCB numbers from heavy sixer owners, please! (PAL, NTSC, SECAM, whatever). I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Well what about your light sixers? Do they have the channel select switches? It was mentioned above that it maybe a light 6er board in heavy 6er case, if all the light 6ers do have channel select switches on them, then you would expect to see a switch in the heavy 6er if it was a swapped board inside the heavy case. Which would lead me to believe some heavy 6ers are available in pal, if you've got a pal unit without the switches. But I've never owned any pal units to open & see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozatariprincess Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 I have a PAL light 6 switch and it has the hole and imprint for channel select, but no actual switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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