130 replies to this topic

[ClausB]

Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list.

Once we get a few posts we'll figure out the date coding. Looking at a sample of one, mine, it might be YWW NNNN.

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:
---------------------------
945 3375 ClausB

[erazmus]

ClausB, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:12 PM, said:

Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list.

Once we get a few posts we'll figure out the date coding. Looking at a sample of one, mine, it might be YWW NNNN.

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:
---------------------------
945 3375 ClausB

It might be useful to gather CTIA vs GTIA as well? Then perhaps you could determine at approximately what serial number they changed.

[Stephen]

My 400 is boxed, but I can get to it relatively easily. I'll test it for GTIA and post the serial this weekend.

Unfortunately, it's not my original 400 from 1982. Got this one off of ebay, and promptly added 48kB to it.

[jacobus]

ClausB, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:12 PM, said:

Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list.

Once we get a few posts we'll figure out the date coding. Looking at a sample of one, mine, it might be YWW NNNN.

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:
---------------------------
945 3375 ClausB

OK, I'm not really sure of the significant digits in the serial numbers, so I included them all...


The first two have similar looking serials numbers, and no embossed stampings.
83A AV 02966 063
83A AV 01799 043

The next one has an additional red sticker that identifies it as a 16K machine, and has a silver embossed "ATARI / 481" on the edge
G 16K 481 1259 (481 *)

The last has a printed serial number (AV 492934) and a second hand-written one (AV 173873 10/1). This 400 is also embossed, but with a "ATARI / 402" and no silver.

If you want photos, please let me know...

edit: All are GTIA, but I believe that the third one was originally a CTIA machine...

Edited by jacobus, Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:49 PM.

[Bryan]

Don't tell anyone, but every time I've found a CTIA, it's been in a machine that had the ram size printed on the case label.

[Stephen]

Bryan, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:26 PM, said:

Don't tell anyone, but every time I've found a CTIA, it's been in a machine that had the ram size printed on the case label.

Makes sense - by the time GTIAs were in place, all machines would have been 16K. I have never seen a machine with a CTIA or less than 16k

[ClausB]

Hey! How do I keep the first post open for editing?

Not sure about my date code YWW. There's a ROM inside with a later date by 3 weeks.

Looks like the other date codes are WWY.

The list so far:

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:
---------------------------
945 3375 ClausB
G 16K 481 1259 jacobus
AV 492934 402 jacobus
83A AV 01799 043 jacobus
83A AV 02966 063 jacobus
AV 368167 153 BillC

[bf2k+]

ClausB, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:19 PM, said:

Hey! How do I keep the first post open for editing?

I think you need to be a subscriber but ask Albert.

[mimo]

A couple of UK PAL 400's for assistance/confusion:

First one:
BY116316


Second one:
G05005417
Below the main sticker is a narrow sticker with the following
G172 BY102534-16 10/20 L40
This one also has a Red 16K sticker and G 16K printed on the main sticker

Hope we can work out the dates some how

[mimo]

Stephen, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:36 PM, said:

Bryan, on Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:26 PM, said:

Don't tell anyone, but every time I've found a CTIA, it's been in a machine that had the ram size printed on the case label.

Makes sense - by the time GTIAs were in place, all machines would have been 16K. I have never seen a machine with a CTIA or less than 16k

That may be so in the US, but as far as I am aware the UK only ever got 16K GTIA models, you could buy 48K ones later in the 400's life though

[Rybags]

PAL machine here, most likely made early/mid 1981.

Serial: 051 004998

Not sure if all machines have this, but stamped/indented into the bottom of the case, middle/back "ATARI / 351" with 2/3rds worn off silver lettering.

[Mirage]

boxed 400 with serial numbers matching: AV 210552 (NTSC)

[ClausB]

mimo, on Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:01 AM, said:

A couple of PAL UK 400's for assitance/confusion:

First one:
BY116316

Second one:
G05005417
Below the main sticker is a narrow sticker with the following
G172 BY102534-16 10/20 L40
This one also has a Red 16K sticker and G 16K printed on the main sticker

Hope we can work out the dates some how

The second one has 050 in larger type, so it might be YWW, 50th week of '80. But it also has a BY number. I'll guess it's YWWNNN, making it the 2nd week of '81. Perhaps it was renumbered when imported?

The first one has only the BY number, so it might be the 16th week of '81.

It will take more posts to figure this out.

[ClausB]

Rybags, on Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:28 AM, said:

PAL machine here, most likely made early/mid 1981.

Serial: 051 004998

Not sure if all machines have this, but stamped/indented into the bottom of the case, middle/back "ATARI / 351" with 2/3rds worn off silver lettering.

Hmm, the number could be either the 51st week of '80 or the 5th week of '81. The stamp probably says 35th week of '81. Looked like imported machines get restamped?

[ClausB]

Mirage, on Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:46 AM, said:

boxed 400 with serial numbers matching: AV 210552 (NTSC)

Is there a separate 3-digit number?

[jacobus]

Just to be clear, I added pictures of mine. I'm beginning to wonder if there really is a date code in the serial number ... the earlier 400s and 800s had the embossed date - doesn't make sense that Atari would have a redundant system for recording DOM.

[Rybags]

I'd guess that serial stickers are only put on completed machines.

Every chance that they might have had thousands of cases lying around waiting to be populated, so you could get some discrepancy between dates on cases/stickers.

Of course that's assuming the date is somehow in the serial, but it all sounds plausible.

[ClausB]

There sure are a lot of variations. We need more samples to figure this out.

Please, if you have a 400, post its serial number here!

[walter_J64bit]

I'll just pop in, I did have a 400 at one time but it's no longer working but anyway what up with that 64K memory upgrade that was sold back in the day for the 400's? What could be done with 400 that has 64k, if anything?

[Spurge]

Looks like I have a very recent one compared to the others here.

AV 459975 023

[jsmith73]

AV 479540

Here's another SERNO for the list.

[potatohead]

Just pulled mine.

I think it's 32K. Not where I can power it up at the moment.

Serial number is: AV 330172

"MFG. BY ATARI, INC. SUNNYVALE, CA."

It only has the larger, white radius rectangle sticker.

Edited by potatohead, Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:59 PM.

[sup8pdct]

Another Pal from australia
BZ 110353

There is a Date right at the back pressed in to the plastic ATARI / 082

There is also a long sticker but i cannot make out all the charactors.

Gtia, rev A os

James

[ClausB]

The list so far, with best guess dates for NTSC:

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners & dates WW/YY:

NTSC:
---------------------------
945 3375 ClausB 45/79
AV 173873 10/1 (AV 492934 402) jacobus 10/81
G 16K 481 1259 jacobus 48/81
AV 459975 023 Spurge 02/83
83A AV 01799 043 jacobus 04/83
83A AV 02966 063 jacobus 06/83
AV 368167 153 BillC 15/83
AV 210552 Mirage ??/??
AV 330172 potatohead ??/??
AV 479540 jsmith73 ??/??

PAL:
---------------------------
G 172 BY 102534 (050 005417) mimo
BY 116316 mimo
051 004998 (351) Rybags
BZ 110353 (082) sup8pdct

Haven't figured out all the dates yet. Take a second look for other 3 digit codes, printed or stamped.

Any SECAM units out there?

[Phredreeke]

I don't think Atari made SECAM units until the XL series.