Anyone Have a Broken Magnavox Odyssey 4000?

27ace27 · October 27, 2017

I know this is a long shot but I figure if anyone has one they'll be here.

I am restoring an Odyssey 4000 but I botched the retrobrighting. The whitening process goes fine at 170F (my oven's lowest temperature) but, knowing some chemistry, I know that increasing the temperature speeds up the reaction. Now, while 190F is below the 230F glass transition temperature of ABS, thermoplastics can still deform even if they're below their glass transition temperature. This isn't a problem if the plastic isn't under load, but injection molding produces residual stresses within the plastic. In addition, glass transition temperature decreases with age. So all of this combined means that, while it is indeed below the glass transition temperature of new ABS, 190F is just close enough that 40 year old plastic will deform due to residual stress alone.

TL;DR I ruined the top case of my Odyssey 4000 and either need to replace it or find a home for the rest of the console. If you own a broken Odyssey 4000 and want to either get rid of it or repair it, drop me a PM.