Sunnyvale heavy 6 with no channel select button?

[Rev]

A while back i bought a few 2600's and finally got around to checking them out.i have a sunnyvale heavy 6'er with no channel select button on the bottom.so,i took it apart and it looks like it was never made onto the circuit board at all.

 

is this normal?

 

the circuit board says '77 and an atari logo and under says: 'innovative leisure'

Edited March 28, 2010 by revolutionika

[seanhq]

This is normal. The early boards didn't have a channel select switch and were usually set for channel 3 at the factory.

[Rev]

ok,thanks!

[Rob Mitchell]

This is normal. The early boards didn't have a channel select switch and were usually set for channel 3 at the factory.

 

Back in 1977, we bought our Sears Video Arcade which was set to ch3 which gave a bad video because of our local TV3 station would interfere. We complained and Sears said that Atari had sent the wrong units to our city (chattanooga) and were shipping ch4 units to replace the ones that had been sold. 1 week later we returned and exchanged our ch3 unit for a ch4 one. Problem solved.

[keilbaca]

There *is* a switch, but its on the inside. You either have to open it to change it, or some models have a hole on the bottom where you can stick a jeweler's screwdriver in, and flip the switch over.

 

EDIT: I guess they added it to some models, and not the very, very first ones. The switch should be on the addon daughterboard that all the front switches are located at. The switch should be near the RF modulator.

[Pioneer4x4]

I now have 2 heavies, neither has a switch. The Taiwan one has the hole. I'll look and see if they are hidden inside. I live near Pittsburgh which has no local channel 3, and a strong channel 4, so we always use 3.

[Rev]

i also have a sears six switch with a date on the board of 77.and the metal inside that the board sits in.i guess it is a sears heavy 6er?

 

the label sticker on the bottom is gone

[A.J. Franzman]

Heavy sixers without the channel select switch are fairly common. Those that have it, select between channels 2 and 3, unless they've been tampered with. It's also not unusual to have a unit with the channel select switch hole in the bottom right side of the casing, but no switch. At least a few units have been found which have the switch, but no hole for it! However, the "switchless" case mold happens to have some vent slots in nearly the same location, so it is still possible to change the channel switch without opening the case, if you can find a small enough tool to slide the switch through the vent slot.

[Rob Mitchell]

EDIT: I guess they added it to some models, and not the very, very first ones.

 

I had one of the very, very, first ones in Oct '77.