darece01
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Posts posted by darece01
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I think at this point we can say that Atari did a lot of random things back in 1977 and 1978 with Heavy Sixers. They used different boards, wires, circuits and other things from what I've seen.
My own personal Heavy Sixer which has been in my family since it was purchased new in 1977 has never been in for service and the hex discs are not shiny on top, however they are flush with the top of the joysticks, but AtariAge member Dino said in a comment in this thread that mine "look to be 2nd generation too" but based on when my system was purchased and the date code inside, mine is a first release heavy sixer.
We will probably never know what part, in this case hex discs, if they are "1st gen or 2nd gen". How can we know for sure? Yes there appears to be some reproduction or later made versions with talk in this thread, but in my own personal case, it's 100% confirmed everything I have with my boxed system is original and has not been replaced.
Thoughts?
We won't know for sure until someone posts pictures of an original heavy sixer having an early serial #(with an "E" suffix), showing the joysticks that came with it. Given that the Atari 2600 evolved toward cheaper, easier to produce parts, my guess is that this style circuit board is an original (early first year) design.
I know for sure as I've already posted pictures of my original 1977 heavy sixer with E serial number. My entire system is original from when it was purchased in October 1977. I know this for sure since it belonged to my grandparents who purchased it new, kept everything in the original box, including the receipt from when it was purchased. People can say my hex discs are second generation or whatever, but if they are original from when the machine was purchased, to me that means first generation.
I didn't realize that you had such an early system. I think your system debunks the idea that there are "1st generation" and "2nd generation" hex discs. It may be that Atari had multiple suppliers of these discs and some are just more rare than others. I doesn't seem to be an accurate indicator of an early production unit. I think the circuit board type/revision would be a better indicator but that is still problematic as parts can be mixed and matched over time. Since you know your sticks to be original, I am curious to know what type of boards are in your controllers?
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I think at this point we can say that Atari did a lot of random things back in 1977 and 1978 with Heavy Sixers. They used different boards, wires, circuits and other things from what I've seen.
My own personal Heavy Sixer which has been in my family since it was purchased new in 1977 has never been in for service and the hex discs are not shiny on top, however they are flush with the top of the joysticks, but AtariAge member Dino said in a comment in this thread that mine "look to be 2nd generation too" but based on when my system was purchased and the date code inside, mine is a first release heavy sixer.
We will probably never know what part, in this case hex discs, if they are "1st gen or 2nd gen". How can we know for sure? Yes there appears to be some reproduction or later made versions with talk in this thread, but in my own personal case, it's 100% confirmed everything I have with my boxed system is original and has not been replaced.
Thoughts?
We won't know for sure until someone posts pictures of an original heavy sixer having an early serial #(with an "E" suffix), showing the joysticks that came with it. Given that the Atari 2600 evolved toward cheaper, easier to produce parts, my guess is that this style circuit board is an original (early first year) design.
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2nd Gen. and they look like someone recently applied them (e.g. not factory original).
According to Dino the 1st generation hex discs sit flush with the top of the stick and the 2nd generation are recessed a bit. I'm not sure how much more flush these can be without protruding above the rim of the rubber boot.
CPUWIZ is right. These are not flush. You can see a slight rim where they are (ever so slightly) recessed into the joystick
If anyone has picks of the 1st gen, please post them. I am curious to know exactly what they look like. Thanks.
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2nd Gen. and they look like someone recently applied them (e.g. not factory original).
According to Dino the 1st generation hex discs sit flush with the top of the stick and the 2nd generation are recessed a bit. I'm not sure how much more flush these can be without protruding above the rim of the rubber boot.
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Here they are guts and all...
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Looks like the photo didn't post. Let me try again.
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There have been 2nd gen hex's found in the wild, so they were definately sold brand new like that. Its just that there was an earlier version that was released. The earliest versions were shiny, yours doesnt appear to be.
Do you have pictures to show for comparison by chance (first gen verse second gen)?
Nope, sorry. but I've seen both. the differences are that 1st gen is thicker and shiny. An easy way of telling the difference is that the 1st gen hex sit flush with the groove on the joystick, whereas the 2nd gen sit slightly in.
Here is a set that I recently purchased for next to nothing. The discs seem to sit flush. Do these appear to be first generation? They also have a very unusual button mechanism. They use spring metal contacts which are soldered to the circuit board instead of the "bubble" contacts that I've seen used in other CX-10s and CX-40s. The board is green on the solder side(bottom) and white on the button side(top). The Atari logo is printed on the bottom side.
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If the finish(flat vs. shiny)is the only distinguishing factor it may be difficult to tell from my original photo. The ones shown in that picture are behind in a clear plastic package and also appear to have a thin layer of that clear protective contact film over them to prevent damage during shipping.
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These Atari hex discs are really hard to find as most people who have them don't want to let them go. Good luck in your search. Hopefully someone will have a set that you can get. Side note, where did you get the attached picture you used as an example?
I found these on a Google image search. They appear to be unused and in the original packaging. It makes me wonder if these were factory replacements(I assume the CX10 sticks came with them already mounted). It seems like I see a lot of CX10s that are missing them. With that type of demand I'm supprised that someone isn't producing replicas. Are they made of plastic or are they printed foil stickers?
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I'm looking for two hex shaped Atari logos(as pictured) that mount to the tops of the original CX10 joysticks.
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I have a Taiwan built heavy sixer T0021468 C010922. Based on the serial #s listed so far, these Taiwan built heavy sixers seem to be rare. Many people seem suprised they exist. From a collectors perspective does that make them more or less valueable than the Sunnyvale built?
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Is the CyberTech Pro still on track? Any update on it's estimated availability?
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Heavy Sixer Serial Number Thread
in Atari 2600
Posted
That's a Taiwan built heavy sixer. I have one just like it with a slightly earlier serial number. Mine was manufactured in July 1978.