14 replies to this topic

[commodork]

I need help determining if this Pong unit in my possession is rare or not. Here are a couple of pictures of the PCB

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Edited by commodork, Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:28 PM.

[Retro Rogue]

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

[commodork]

wgungfu, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:59 AM, said:

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

[Retro Rogue]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

wgungfu, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:59 AM, said:

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

All Atari Pong's were color.

Likewise, both Magnavox and Coleco released color pong systems as well.

Edited by wgungfu, Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:42 PM.

[mos6507]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

Official Atari home pong was always color. The ubiquitous pong consoles from other vendors were mostly B&W.

[commodork]

mos6507, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:39 PM, said:

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

Official Atari home pong was always color. The ubiquitous pong consoles from other vendors were mostly B&W.

The Pong that I have is from Tele-Games.

[Retro Rogue]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:57 PM, said:

mos6507, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:39 PM, said:

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

Official Atari home pong was always color. The ubiquitous pong consoles from other vendors were mostly B&W.

The Pong that I have is from Tele-Games.

That's Atari. That's simply the model they manufactured for Sears, who then released it under their Tele-Games brand with the Atari name on the on/off switch. Before Atari started released them on their own, they went through Sears.

Here's more info for you -

http://pong-story.com/atpong2.htm

It's not rare. It's an Atari pong.

Edited by wgungfu, Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:14 PM.

[slydc]

Hi there,

What you have there is the Sears Tele-Games Super Pong (same as Atari Super Pong)
just by looking at the screenshot and especially the dedicated game chip. Oh and
thanks very much for the picture of the board, greatly appreciate it!

And i agree with the others, it's not rare at all. There's always 2 or 3 that
are listed on Ebay (some have prices way to high). But it will be rare around
the year 2030... LOL!!!

Oh BTW...to anyone who has a Atari Ultra Pong (or Atari Ultra Pong Doubles),
can anyone open-up their system and take a good picture of the dedicated game
chip ? Just wandering if it was done by American Microsystem Inc. or Synertek.

--- Sly DC ---

[awace]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

wgungfu, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:59 AM, said:

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

They are ALL color you just have to have a color tv hooked to the ch3!!!!....
PLUS that cement white chip looks to be valuable check the store on ebay and ask him about the serial # he would know weather its worth $200 or more and since my pong units have plastic black chips there not worth mutch I think all pong unints have the color burst crystal in them you must have hooked to color tv also you must adjust tv to recive color sometimes on newer tv's the adjustment is automatic aft TRY adjusting the tv or the brass screw in the pOng unit to get the color to work it should be rainbow like his picture!!>. GOOD luck.. my unit is orange cause its using an orange monitor!.

[Retro Rogue]

awace, on Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:03 AM, said:

PLUS that cement white chip looks to be valuable check the store on ebay and ask him about the serial # he would know weather its worth $200 or more

Which is something said ebay seller made a big deal about to jack up his sales prices. There's no substance, no background, no etc. to that claim. He's assuming because it's a different fab that somehow it must be rare, and trying to tie it in to the serial numbers as some sort of evidence.

Edited by wgungfu, Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:54 AM.

[slydc]

slydc, on Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:02 AM, said:

What you have there is the Sears Tele-Games Super Pong (same as Atari Super Pong)...

OUPS!!!!

Seems i had my brain elsewhere...It's a Sears Tele-Games Pong (not a Super Pong). If you
check the dedicated chip, you read:

ATARI 7542AA
3659-1B
C2524 Korea

The "7542AA" means: 1975 44th Week (around October 15th). The 3659-1B is the model of the chip
and that's where i made my mistake, i was reading "3" instead of "B" (that what's happened when
you"re missing sleep, could kick myself in the butt if i could...LOL!).

--- Sly DC ---

[commodork]

awace, on Fri Nov 6, 2009 12:03 AM, said:

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

wgungfu, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:59 AM, said:

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

They are ALL color you just have to have a color tv hooked to the ch3!!!!....
PLUS that cement white chip looks to be valuable check the store on ebay and ask him about the serial # he would know weather its worth $200 or more and since my pong units have plastic black chips there not worth mutch I think all pong unints have the color burst crystal in them you must have hooked to color tv also you must adjust tv to recive color sometimes on newer tv's the adjustment is automatic aft TRY adjusting the tv or the brass screw in the pOng unit to get the color to work it should be rainbow like his picture!!>. GOOD luck.. my unit is orange cause its using an orange monitor!.

The black stuff could be a black ceramic or epoxy capsule. White chips tend to be older revisions of devices. Look at 1st-gen KIM-1s, they had a white CERDIP with gold-plated pins. I just so happen to have another CERDIP in my possession; A 6567R56A VIC-II from December of 1982 with gold plated pins.

[Hornpipe2]

Hey, that Pong Story link is pretty neat! I had owned a Sears PONG Sports IV off eBay a few years back and played it with college roommates, but eventually re-sold it. Never realized it was actually a re-branded Atari product or I might've kept it around!

PS it was in color. Had a bug too, where sometimes a player with 8 points would have their score display as a 0 instead.

[awace]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:57 PM, said:

mos6507, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:39 PM, said:

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

Official Atari home pong was always color. The ubiquitous pong consoles from other vendors were mostly B&W.

The Pong that I have is from Tele-Games.

Hook youre pong to youre tv on ch3 and see if you see color the color was not actual color just a color busrt rainbow color pattern witch is not actually color just a rainbow pattern on top of the graphics using the color burst crystal I dont know why they bothered but I guess they figured at least its color even though the game was one color..
anyway the system he has is somewhat rare cause the chip is CERAMIC its not old eeprom window but the pins look GOLD witch are expensive but its worth more as a pong look on ebay and check store w ceramic pins pong completed items and ask that guy h will tell you how mutch its worth.
personally to me the BATTERY holder does not make a difference weather its beed replaced since MINE CAME FROM goodwill w corsion on b holder so i replaced the battery holder and the power pack plug witch was coroded too making no power I fixed it replaceing both parts and now it works It has battery cover but grey chip so its normal the ceramic chips are rareer because they are rare in the 70's thas all there was but now the chips mostly are plastic..
if the chip has a sticker over the erease window its SUPER SUPER RARE and probably a prototype that one looks early but defenantly subed out cause the window looks permanant..
it still is RARE er than most PONGS I would keep it.

[Megaman Legends]

commodork, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:29 PM, said:

wgungfu, on Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:59 AM, said:

Why would an Atari Pong unit be rare?

I have only seen B/W units. I didn't think there were any colour systems out in the wild.

There were color units then ex:the Adversary Pong unit is color but not as colorful as this unit