Schizophretard Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I just bought a 4 switch CX-2600A made in Sunnyvalle. It says nothing about Taiwan. The serial number is 003906 EP-413. I have no idea what that means but for less than $30 with 23 games it seemed worth it. Can anyone tell me anything about these serial numbers and if there is a way to date them with other CX-2600A's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dommie Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 That's pretty curious. Could you post pictures? The number itself is very low. Maybe Atari did a test manufacturing run in the US of the 4 switcher before the subcontracted it out to Asia? That's just a wild guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 There are a few threads about this already. Use the search option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 I tried. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 But maybe I'm not typing in the right keywords. I was looking for something like "The Official "Heavy Sixer Serial #" list" but for 2600A's. I couldn't find it and that is why I started this thread. I wish these type of threads were pinned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dommie Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Found 'em: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/128149-promo-version-or-not/ I'm gonna say that my original inclination is right - test manufacturing run. This is sometimes done in manufacturing to get a feel for the manufacturing/assembly process, as well as iron out some manufacturing/assembly bugs and potential problems before they gear up for a full run overseas. I think the key to what's up with yours may be in the EP code at the end. No idea what it stands for. Engineering Prototype? Again, wild guess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 There are a few threads about this already. Use the search option. Found 'em: http://www.atariage....version-or-not/ I'm gonna say that my original inclination is right - test manufacturing run. This is sometimes done in manufacturing to get a feel for the manufacturing/assembly process, as well as iron out some manufacturing/assembly bugs and potential problems before they gear up for a full run overseas. I think the key to what's up with yours may be in the EP code at the end. No idea what it stands for. Engineering Prototype? Again, wild guess. Hey Trinity, looks like Dommie used search and found what is possibly your very first post here hehe! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Found 'em: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/128149-promo-version-or-not/ I'm gonna say that my original inclination is right - test manufacturing run. This is sometimes done in manufacturing to get a feel for the manufacturing/assembly process, as well as iron out some manufacturing/assembly bugs and potential problems before they gear up for a full run overseas. I think the key to what's up with yours may be in the EP code at the end. No idea what it stands for. Engineering Prototype? Again, wild guess. Those are different. When I did my search I saw ones like Trinity's(silver sticker and normal serial numbers) and one's like mine(white sticker and odd serial numbers). Trinity's sounds like the one in the other thread(4 Switch question) because it has a light sixer bottom and a sticker over the holes. Also, Trinity's has yellow paint. While searching and finding ones with stickers like mine I didn't find much useful information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 There are a few threads about this already. Use the search option. Found 'em: http://www.atariage....version-or-not/ I'm gonna say that my original inclination is right - test manufacturing run. This is sometimes done in manufacturing to get a feel for the manufacturing/assembly process, as well as iron out some manufacturing/assembly bugs and potential problems before they gear up for a full run overseas. I think the key to what's up with yours may be in the EP code at the end. No idea what it stands for. Engineering Prototype? Again, wild guess. Hey Trinity, looks like Dommie used search and found what is possibly your very first post here hehe! I think your right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 BTW, Your home arcade is fn' awesome!!! Damn! I want to play that Asteroids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubular Gearhead Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Found 'em: I think the key to what's up with yours may be in the EP code at the end. No idea what it stands for. Engineering Prototype? Again, wild guess. That is the same type of serial number that shows up on the very first run of 7800's made in El Paso Texas. I always thought the "EP" stood for El Paso- but who knows? What is interesting is that the "EP" serial numbers show up on serial number stickers that say made in Taiwan, made in Sunnyvale, etc.- so maybe they just used whatever sticker they had and it doesn't necessarily confirm where it was made- i.e. maybe this 4-switcher was an early version made in Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 I just found out that this got shipped to an address that I had 5 years ago! Sometimes I use ebay to buy things for my father, so I have to switch from his address to mine. Somehow I must of clicked my old address but I had no idea it was there. It's not even on my paypal. What should I do? It was delivered there. Do I knock on the door of my old house and ask for it? Do I have a right to it? What if they opened it? Do they have a right to open mail that doesn't have their name on it and do they have an obligation to give it back to the post office? If I ask for it and they either say something like they threw it away or lie and say it was never delivered, can I do anything? This is kind of funny but sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Well, I tracked the sucker down. It was in horrible condition so, I refurbished it. I used SlowCoder's guide and used a few of my own ideas. When I opened it there was some kind of fluid dried on the bottom and it was mixed with loose dust balls. In the dust balls it looked like brown crystals. Maybe this is what Coke turns into after 30 years? Anyway, the bottom sticker was loose so, I took it off to clean the case. I was scared I would break the bezel tabs so, I left it on for cleaning. I had them soak in the sink with dish soap for maybe an hour or so. Then I used a tooth brush to scrub them. When I was done the water looked like it was full of dark pee. I dried off the case with a towel and a can of air. The RF shielding was a challenge. It had major rust. Look at the RF modulator in the bottom picture. The RF shielding was many times more rusty than that. I took off the RF shielding and let it soak in Lime Away. Every half hour or so I would scrub it with a tooth brush and soak it some more. When it got to the point that Lime Away wouldn't do any more I used Brasso metal polish. I covered it with a layer of it and let it sit for about ten minutes and then scrubbed it with a sponge. It looks really good now. I followed SlowCoder's guide to take apart and clean the switches. I tried to do it in a way that I could keep the foil that goes across the switches intact but failed. It is too fragile. I think it was SlowCoder that said welding a wire across the switched would do the trick in another thread. I might eventually do that. I used Brasso and a sponge to polish the switches. They shine like new now. I used alcohol and Q-tips to clean inside of them and added in some dielectric grease. They work perfect but the power and TV type switch don't click when switched. Would that be the dielectric grease or did I do something wrong? I used an electronic cleaner that has a brush where the cleaner comes out to clean the difficulty switches and channel switch. I had the cleaner go inside the switches and moved them back and forth to loosen up any gunk. I also used the cleaner for the board and inside the controller ports. I used a can of air to dry it up. I used alcohol and Q-tips to clean the cartridge port. To adjust the color pot I loaded Color Bar Generator onto my Harmony Cart. You have to make the color on the top of the screen match the bottom. I did that but then let the Atari stay on for awhile so that I could adjust it a little more when it got warm. I tested it with a few games and the colors are correct. To test the controller port and all the switches I loaded the Testcart onto my Harmony Cart. Everything works. After I put the Atari back together I put the sticker back on the bottom. At Walmart I found these little plastic credit card/ wallet picture holders. I put the sticker in one of those and then laminated the plastic down. I did that to preserve the sticker. Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my first refurbishing and a Sunnyvale Four Switcher has been saved from the trash. Now I just have to figure out the mystery behind the strange serial number. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Nice work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VertigoProcess Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 you know its funny cuz every sunnyvalle 2600 i've gotten has had some kind of rust or water damage on it... and it sounds like your's had the same problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Well, I tracked the sucker down. So Schizo, I'm dying to know what happend when you went to get your package from your old address! Can you fill us in on the details? Superb job by the way! I have experienced the joys of refurbishing many times in the past. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 you know its funny cuz every sunnyvalle 2600 i've gotten has had some kind of rust or water damage on it... and it sounds like your's had the same problem... Maybe in Places like Indiana and Florida but not here in sunny Phoenix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Well, I tracked the sucker down. So Schizo, I'm dying to know what happend when you went to get your package from your old address! Can you fill us in on the details? Superb job by the way! I have experienced the joys of refurbishing many times in the past. Congrats! I knocked on the door and a woman answered. I told her who I was, that I used to live there, and told her about the package. She said that she dropped it off at the post office yesterday. I thought to myself,"Why couldn't you wait one more day!!!!" but was surprised that she did the right thing. I went to the post office and explained everything to the postal worker. I had everything the postal worker needed, the tracking number and everywhere it went on the way to my old house. She was confused because she is a government employee so, she said,"MAYBE it was returned to sender." I left pissed off! I got home ,sent a message explaining to the seller the situation, and that MAYBE the package would be shipped back there. The seller eventually got it. I agreed to pay shipping again because it was my fault for assuming that ebay would only ship to addresses that exist in my paypal. It was really weird. I obviously chose the wrong address while in paypal because I just look at my name. I only have my address and my fathers on there but it must of gave my old address as an option. I looked at the addresses. It wasn't there. I checked in my ebay account and it said it linked to the address in my paypal. How does it link to an address that isn't even in there? Would you know what would cause the power and TV type switch not to click when switched? There is no clicking and locking in place action. They aren't loose or anything. They just slide into place without clicking. It works but without the click there is no feedback that it has been switched fully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VertigoProcess Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 you know its funny cuz every sunnyvalle 2600 i've gotten has had some kind of rust or water damage on it... and it sounds like your's had the same problem... Maybe in Places like Indiana and Florida but not here in sunny Phoenix are you saying the "sunshine state" isn't sunny? haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIO2 Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I have one also. It had a dead CPU. Fixed now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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