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Heavy Sixer Serial Number Thread


Wester

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It turns out I have two Light-Sixers. I had always assumed my six switch VCS was a Heavy-Sixer because it reads "Sunnyvale" on the bottom, but the plastic molding is like the Light-Sixer. It's also much heavier than my Four-Switcher and Vader. But I was mistaken, unless Sunnyvale produced heavy internal units with the later molding. That seems unlikely.

Actually, the internals of the heavy sixers and light sixers are nearly indistinguishable from one another, and completely interchangeable -- except that the earliest version of the interconnect cable from the motherboard to the switchboard used connectors of the opposite gender, so if you only wanted to swap one of the boards, you might have a problem. The heavy sixer is about a half a pound (~250 g) heavier than the light sixer, simply because its case bottom is much thicker.

 

 

Sounds like heavy sixers to me. I didnt know any ones but heavys were made in sunnyvale. You can see on the wood grain panel, the corners of the black case have a very nice radius on the heavy sixers. (to the right of the atari logo on an atari model) The light and 4 switch models have much less of a radius.

This site and some others are responsible for perpetuating the misconception that "Sunnyvale" = "Heavy Sixer". It may be decades before that myth fades away, or it may never happen.

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Sorry for starting with a question, but does anyone know if the heavy sixers can with a BOXED Combat or was it loose? I always assumed Combat was boxed, but with all the cardboard packing for joysticks and paddles, I'm starting to wonder if it was packed loose inside the section that contained the power supply and TV adapter. I'm going to start another thread to see if we can document the contents of boxed heavy sixers.

 

I have several boxed and loose systems that I'll add serial numbers as I uncover them.

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Sorry for starting with a question, but does anyone know if the heavy sixers can with a BOXED Combat or was it loose? I always assumed Combat was boxed, but with all the cardboard packing for joysticks and paddles, I'm starting to wonder if it was packed loose inside the section that contained the power supply and TV adapter. I'm going to start another thread to see if we can document the contents of boxed heavy sixers.

 

I have several boxed and loose systems that I'll add serial numbers as I uncover them.

 

I believe that the Combat gatefold box was put on the top of the H6er!

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Dug out the last few:

Woody: Sunnyvale 94825 G, no switch or hole for it, functional

Sears: Sunnyvale 73465 R, no switch or hole for it, functional

Sears: Sunnyvale 76842 S, no switch or hole for it, functional

Sears: Sunnyvale 47591 U, has switch, no hole for it, functional(I replaced switchboard with new one because traces were lifted)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Picked up a 2nd heavy sixer on ebay last week for $30. Turned out to be a beautiful machine (I was shocked cuz it was hard to tell form the photo) - the case looks like new...no dings or scratches; the orange paint line around the switches/slot is pristine, control switches all feel very tight. Came with the original gray power supply; original style joysticks (one works fine, the other has a broken spring on the "left" direction); original paddles (left works perfect, right has some chatter in it)....plus steering controllers and 23 assorted games (3 that I didn't already have). Plays perfect, video quality is the best of my four 2600's.

 

Serial # on bottom sticker is 60159F. Has speaker holes in grill. No channel select cutout. Didn't open up to check for date code sticker inside.

 

 

Wondering - has anybody correlated date code stickers to serial #'s, so that we can basically guess that such and such a serial # equals a certain week/month of production??

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Serial # on bottom sticker is 60159F. Has speaker holes in grill. No channel select cutout.

 

----------

 

update: decided to crack it open. sticker on rf shield reads:

 

CA010410

27357726

 

 

So- end of june / beginning of july 1977?

 

 

also - paper taped to main board metal shield has 99 32400090. # on it. Has anybody figured out what that means??

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I have what I believe to be a Taiwan heavy. It's the old woodgrain six switch, but it weighs a ton compared to my Darth Vader. I'll have to dig it out for the serial number. I was told heavy's were only made in Sunnyvale so my six switch shouldn't weigh any more than my Darth Vader but obviously that isn't true. Someone also mentioned something to me about the thick rubber grommet around the RF cable but I don't remember what that had to do with it being a heavy or not.

 

Ok here it is T0009603

Edited by OldAtarian
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I was told heavy's were only made in Sunnyvale so my six switch shouldn't weigh any more than my Darth Vader but obviously that isn't true. Someone also mentioned something to me about the thick rubber grommet around the RF cable but I don't remember what that had to do with it being a heavy or not.

You're mistaken about the weight. All sixers weigh more than 4-switchers. From heaviest to lightest:

 

H6 > L6 > 4sw > Jr.

 

I believe you're correct about the grommet though - only heavy sixers have it. And if anyone has a heavy sixer that's missing it, I wish you good luck finding a replacement. Some years ago I tried to find one online, and apparently they aren't made in those dimensions anymore.

Edited by A.J. Franzman
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I got a Sears 6 switch recently. I don't know ... if it's a heavy or not

See the image at the top of post #2 of this topic. The heavy sixer has unique features that can be identified from almost any angle, given a reasonably clear photo. The straight-on front view or front/above is merely the most commonly shown, which has a very obvious feature.

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Just picked up a Sears heavy but will have to post back with the serial when it gets here. Definitely a Sunnyvale, though. Gray power supply, says Sears where it would have the Atari logo on the paddles if it was an Atari Sunnyvale heavy and the joysticks don't say "TOP" on them. A nice companion for the Sears light sixer I got recently.

Edited by OldAtarian
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To use one of A.J.'s previous statements reworked for this thread:

 

 

"I take it your answers are assembled very slapdash with no fact checking whatsoever."

 

 

AFAIK, only heavy sixers had the slots open. By the time the case bottom was updated to "light" sixer style, the mold for the top had already been reworked to close the slots.

936820[/snapback]

 

No, there are light sixers with the speaker slots as well. They just normally don't have the posts inside. The light sixer runs are basicly all a mishmash of revisions, some with various sixer legacies. I actually have a light sixer that has one speaker hole and the nubs of two posts.

 

And in the other heavy sixer thread -

 

Would there possibly be a date of manufacture printed on the circuit board?

935828[/snapback]

Nope. Just a revision number. There may be date codes on the ICs, but those only get you to "built after ..." range, with no indication of how long after.

936056[/snapback]

 

Not true.

 

 

manufacture.jpg

 

My Taiwan Sears light sixer has the speaker holes. I thought my Taiwan heavy didn't at first but it just needed a good dusting off to make them visible.

Edited by OldAtarian
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Just got another one: Sears H6er, no switch- 78428 R

Came with 2 cx-10's, fully functional.

 

A little late making this reply but, zylon I love those sears units. Thats a nice one right there. :)

I give 'em a good home. Hate to see all those Sears Ataris going homeless.

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