KLund1 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Do you think this claim is true? Just wondering. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Atari-800-computer-With-AV-Cable-No-Power-Supply-93rd-Unit-Made/202120240163?hash=item2f0f4e1c23:g:6X4AAOSwoR9aEy2C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+groundtrooper Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 I don't think that 93 is a serial number. But I could be wrong. If anything it is the 456430 on made. I don't know what the 93 would be in reference to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 looks like the date code. A low serial # 800 would have the thumb levers, not screws... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+David_P Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 See these two threads for discussions on the date codes: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/242227-calling-all-800s http://atariage.com/forums/topic/176199-calling-all-400s 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 (edited) looks like the date code. A low serial # 800 would have the thumb levers, not screws... Exactly. Edited November 20, 2017 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLund1 Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 If it is a date code, what is the date? 9th week 1983. Think not, much too late, we were well into the XL line at that time. 1980, 93'rd week? That would have been an interesting year. 1980, 9th month, 3'rd week? this seems plausible. but in the threads listed above, I did not see anything about month and week in the same code. I might have missed something, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 9th week 1983. Think not, much too late, we were well into the XL line at that time. That is what it is, I have an 800 with the date code of 193 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Not tested, doesn't know what it is, starting bid $150, 30 day auction. Damn I am glad I collected pretty much all the hardware I wanted either when it was new, or in the early 90s when it was few dollars for bucket loads. Same shit happened with classic cars. What was formerly a $5000 junkyard find became a $75,000 "restoration object". This is why I'll never own a classic 60's Moapr now. Even rusted out empty shells go for 5 figures. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLund1 Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 That is what it is, I have an 800 with the date code of 193 Just checked the 1200XL wiki, and they were announced Jan 9, 1983, shipped March 83. Wk 9 would be the last week in Feb. So this would be one of the LAST manufactured not the first. Dose that sound reasonable? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) Dead giveaways are the Mitsumi keyboard and the plain screws holding down the lid. The Mitsumi keyboard was the last version that I only saw on 800's for sale in 1983+. Atari stopped putting covers on the RAM and OS cards later in production so there was no need to have tabs (all 800's shipped with 48K already). A real early 800 would have a Hi Tek mechanical keyboard with possibly a male ribbon cable. The earliest motherboards I believe had a female plug on the mobo, but that might just be for proto-types. Edited November 21, 2017 by ACML 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 That is what it is, I have an 800 with the date code of 193 I have one with a date code of 203, with one of those handwritten labels dated "5-20". Correlates, more or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I have one with a date code of 203, with one of those handwritten labels dated "5-20". Correlates, more or less. IMG_8245.JPG Cool, I still need to take pics of my 800's ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLund1 Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Just wondering, but are the hand written labels applied when the machine was upgrade to 48K or ctia to gtia upgrade was done by a Atari Service Center? PS I email the guy listing the 800 and told him about what the '93' means and he changed the listing title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) Just wondering, but are the hand written labels applied when the machine was upgrade to 48K or ctia to gtia upgrade was done by a Atari Service Center? I've always wondered about that. The serial number on the label is unique, so why the need for the different hand written one? I could be wrong, but it seems that this was done on a lot of late production 800's (1983). Were these really refurbs (or returned product) that had to have a new serial number because the original owner may have already registered it on a warranty card. Heck, was there a warranty card to fill out? Edited November 21, 2017 by ACML 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Just wondering, but are the hand written labels applied when the machine was upgrade to 48K or ctia to gtia upgrade was done by a Atari Service Center? PS I email the guy listing the 800 and told him about what the '93' means and he changed the listing title. I very seriously doubt it. At least 2 of my 800's have them, as does one of my 400's. The only thing all of those machines have in common is that they were made in Sunnyvale. The 800's are all GTIA/48K machines, and by their date codes they came that way from the factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillC Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 The incompatibilities of the 1200XL OS with existing software, and discounted prices on the 800, caused demand for the 800 which lead to production being continued for a period in 1983. I have a late production 800(233 date code) with a low serial number(83A AW 00620) due to it being manufactured by Atari-Wong in Hong Kong. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/242227-calling-all-800s/?view=findpost&p=3822858 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I thought I posted info about this previously but seem to not have and lost my notes! From what I gathered by looking at 800 serials: There are 3 (4?) label variants all have different serial number styles and sequences. The AW numbers however, seem sequential through the labels and those labels match labels on the internal components as well. I thought a possible simple computation would produce the AW numbers taking into account the manufactured date and label serial but there were some significant gaps between weeks as if there was a pile of boards made that then got put into cases at varies dates. Maybe over the holidays I’ll dig into it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 looks like the date code. A low serial # 800 would have the thumb levers, not screws... not always so.... we break those sometimes.. or we don't want easy access at the school or facility... you would not believe how many cards walk out the door when you can just snag some memory....back then very expensive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tep392 Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 not always so.... we break those sometimes.. or we don't want easy access at the school or facility... you would not believe how many cards walk out the door when you can just snag some memory....back then very expensive... A guy at my highschool offered to sell me an apple IIe 80 column card he stole from the computer lab. Those were crazy easy to open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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