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2600 Hardware section update


alex_79

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EDIT: Added some more info I found recently

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I think that the 2600 Hardware section needs to be updated. There are some imprecisions and the archive it's focused mainly on US Atari releases. I think that some info about European market should be added since AtariAge is the point of reference also for many European Atari collectors.

Here there are some corrections or info I'd like to see added (In a better english than mine, of course!).

 

 

 

 

6-switch "HEAVY SIXER"

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- The term "Sunnyvale edition" should be removed, since there are some heavy sixer made in Taiwan and some of the later models (including the 4 switch) were also maufactured in Sunnyvale.

- It was produced until the first half of 1978 and not only in 1977.

- It's "heavy" because of the thicker plastic molding of the bottom half of the case, while the rf shielding is the same as the later light sixer model.

- The very early produced unit came with the spring-loaded cx-10 joystick.

 

related topics:

The Official "Heavy Sixer Serial #" list

Joysticks that came with Heavy 6-er

 

 

6-switch "LIGHT SIXER"

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- It's light because of the reduced thickness of the plastic of the bottom half of the case, while internally is nearly the same as the "heavy" model.

 

 

4-switch "WOODY"

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- This was the first 2600 wich was produced also in the SECAM version for French market

 

 

4-switch "VADER"

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- The cx-40 joystick bundled with this unit were all black without the orange ring.

- While in Europe the PAL vader was replaced by the junior around 1984, the production of the SECAM version continued for a few years (there are secam boards with 1987 copyright on them)

 

related topics:

When the Darth Vader Model was stopped to be produced/sold ?

 

 

2600 "JUNIOR"

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- In europe the jr. was available since 1984 (in the "short rainbow" and "all black" versions). It came in a large silver box, packet with 2 proline joysticks and a "centipede" cartdridge. There was also a version with only one proline joystick and without any game and later the large box was replaced with a small "lunchbox" type. The copyright on these early units is "Atari, inc.". There was also a special version made in Ireland for the French market with PAL composite video output (there wasn't a SECAM version of the junior) through a Scart connector. AFAIK this is the only official Atari 2600 with a/v output and it was produced for a short period in Ireland. Later consoles, made in Asia, came with rf output only.

It was sold in europe until the early '90s (Even today new old-stock juniors aren't difficult to find on ebay), in the "all-black", "short" and "long rainbow" variations and packet with different controllers (cx-24 proline, standard cx-40 joystick and cx-78 joypad) and also with the 32in1 multicart.

 

 

related topics:

Atari VCS Jr. small rainbow stripe

French 2600jr. with scart connector

 

In these pictures there are some of the different packages of european juniors:

(The 3rd and the last box are mine, while the other pics are taken from ebay auctions)

th_boxes.jpg

I also took some better pictures of the jr. which can be used for the Hardware sections:

th_jrshort.jpg

 

th_jrblack.jpg

 

th_jrlong3.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

2600 Controllers section

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The cx-10, the all-black cx-40, the cx-24 proline and the cx-78 joypad should be added to this section.

 

 

The "unoffical" names used to refer to the different models (heavy/light sixer, woody, vader, short/long rainbow) should be added as well, since they ar often used by collectionists and in on-line auctions.

 

Alessandro

Edited by alex_79
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