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What is this mod?


CincYnoTi

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I know it's not a BNC connector. Those twist and lock. My laserdisc player has BNC connectors and that's not what they look like so we can eliminate that from the running.

 

What region is this machine, btw? It might help to know whether we're dealing with a North American, European or some other standard.

 

What model 2600 is this? It might also help to narrow down the date of the mod a little.

 

Someone with knowledge of high end late 70's early 80's televisions might know what that connector is. It may even be an audio connector for all we know.

Edited by OldAtarian
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It looks like a part you could get from Radio Shack in the late '70s/early '80s, so it could be anything. My first guess is that it's a microphone-style jack. Possibly for use by a musician with Paul Slocum's Synthcart. Need pics of the inside to figure it out for sure though.

Edited by A.J. Franzman
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I know it's not a BNC connector. Those twist and lock. My laserdisc player has BNC connectors and that's not what they look like so we can eliminate that from the running.

 

What region is this machine, btw? It might help to know whether we're dealing with a North American, European or some other standard.

 

What model 2600 is this? It might also help to narrow down the date of the mod a little.

 

Someone with knowledge of high end late 70's early 80's televisions might know what that connector is. It may even be an audio connector for all we know.

It's a Sixer (if it were a 4-sw unit the controller ports and power jack would be positioned higher, on the back of the bezel). I don't know for certain if it's a Light or a Heavy, since I don't have a 6-sw Light to compare with that pic. But it matches the back of my Heavy perfectly, right down to the "CONNECT TO GAME SWITCH BOX" message which the mystery connector partially obfuscates. Do Light-Sixers have that same embossing?

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I know it's not a BNC connector. Those twist and lock. My laserdisc player has BNC connectors and that's not what they look like so we can eliminate that from the running.

 

What region is this machine, btw? It might help to know whether we're dealing with a North American, European or some other standard.

 

What model 2600 is this? It might also help to narrow down the date of the mod a little.

 

Someone with knowledge of high end late 70's early 80's televisions might know what that connector is. It may even be an audio connector for all we know.

It's a Sixer (if it were a 4-sw unit the controller ports and power jack would be positioned higher, on the back of the bezel). I don't know for certain if it's a Light or a Heavy, since I don't have a 6-sw Light to compare with that pic. But it matches the back of my Heavy perfectly, right down to the "CONNECT TO GAME SWITCH BOX" message which the mystery connector partially obfuscates. Do Light-Sixers have that same embossing?

 

Look at the lip around the upper edge of the unit. If it's thick, then it's a heavy. If it's thin, then it's a light. Not around the switch area, around the rest of the unit.

Edited by OldAtarian
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I know it's not a BNC connector. Those twist and lock. My laserdisc player has BNC connectors and that's not what they look like so we can eliminate that from the running.

 

What region is this machine, btw? It might help to know whether we're dealing with a North American, European or some other standard.

 

What model 2600 is this? It might also help to narrow down the date of the mod a little.

 

Someone with knowledge of high end late 70's early 80's televisions might know what that connector is. It may even be an audio connector for all we know.

It's a Sixer (if it were a 4-sw unit the controller ports and power jack would be positioned higher, on the back of the bezel). I don't know for certain if it's a Light or a Heavy, since I don't have a 6-sw Light to compare with that pic. But it matches the back of my Heavy perfectly, right down to the "CONNECT TO GAME SWITCH BOX" message which the mystery connector partially obfuscates. Do Light-Sixers have that same embossing?

 

Look at the lip around the upper edge of the unit. If it's thick, then it's a heavy. If it's thin, then it's a light. Not around the switch area, around the rest of the unit.

Huh? :? Who are you talking to?

 

I'm not the OP, all I have to go on is the pic everyone else sees.

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Other than being 4 pins, not 5, it reminds me of a CB radio microphone connector.

 

Many CB radio mics used a 4 pin connector that appears to be the same as the one shown, especially the early 32 channel units. The connectors were available at cell phone shack all through the late 70's and 80's. 10-4 good buddy.

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OK OK, I'll open it this weekend and take pictures of the inside. It is a heavy-sixer. I had never looked at this particular one that close before I took it out to read the serial number. I would have taken it apart already, except for the fact that the contact paper covers the screws.

 

BTW, the outer ring has threads, so the plug would have had a bolt-ring to tighten once it was plugged in.

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http://www.cbradiosplus.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=735

 

mic-4pinplug-md.jpg

 

IMG_3455-752635.JPG

 

That looks like a CB microphone connector. 4 pins, square configuration, and screws down to hold it tight, but it makes me wonder why someone would have a CB microphone connector on a 2600?

 

I have a feeling the guts of this 2600 are going to be VERY interesting to see.

Edited by OldAtarian
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http://www.cbradiosplus.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=735

 

[stock connector image]

 

[cheesy CB radio image]

 

That looks like a CB microphone connector. 4 pins, square configuration, and screws down to hold it tight, but it makes me wonder why someone would have a CB microphone connector on a 2600?

 

I have a feeling the guts of this 2600 are going to be VERY interesting to see.

It probably belonged to a tinkerer or professional tech who wanted to mod his VCS, and that's a connector he had in his parts bin, so that's the connector he used.

 

As to what the mod actually is, a couple ideas come to mind:

 

  1. It's a composite A/V mod; just enough terminals in that connector, one to spare if he used a common ground.
  2. The previous owner discovered that the TIA actually outputs two sound channels and decided to run the separated audio out to his stereo for some hi-fi blasting in Asteroids.
  3. Our enterprising tinkerer, whose day job is at the copy shop, fancies himself as a hi-tech guru. You see, he's warm to basic modding and while running off collated copies of last quarter's financial statement for the tool-and-die company next door, he started daydreaming and hit upon an idea for a video game - Convoy 2600! The video game version of the movie of the same name. You see, you control a trucker in the game and you "talk" to your good buddies over the CB mike you plug into your modded VCS. He got his friend and coworker involved and they formed Team Truckerz. They even have a little runnable code, the in-game timer. They don't have the rights from United Artists to use the "Convoy" name, but that should be no problem, right?

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Our enterprising tinkerer, whose day job is at the copy shop, fancies himself as a hi-tech guru. You see, he's warm to basic modding and while running off collated copies of last quarter's financial statement for the tool-and-die company next door, he started daydreaming and hit upon an idea for a video game - Convoy 2600! The video game version of the movie of the same name. You see, you control a trucker in the game and you "talk" to your good buddies over the CB mike you plug into your modded VCS. He got his friend and coworker involved and they formed Team Truckerz. They even have a little runnable code, the in-game timer. They don't have the rights from United Artists to use the "Convoy" name, but that should be no problem, right?

 

How about he wired up a CB Mic's push to talk button as a reset switch...

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Our enterprising tinkerer, whose day job is at the copy shop, fancies himself as a hi-tech guru. You see, he's warm to basic modding and while running off collated copies of last quarter's financial statement for the tool-and-die company next door, he started daydreaming and hit upon an idea for a video game - Convoy 2600! The video game version of the movie of the same name. You see, you control a trucker in the game and you "talk" to your good buddies over the CB mike you plug into your modded VCS. He got his friend and coworker involved and they formed Team Truckerz. They even have a little runnable code, the in-game timer. They don't have the rights from United Artists to use the "Convoy" name, but that should be no problem, right?

 

How about he wired up a CB Mic's push to talk button as a reset switch...

 

Or a pause button? :-o

 

That would be an interesting hack if someone managed to do that.

Edited by OldAtarian
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Our enterprising tinkerer, whose day job is at the copy shop, fancies himself as a hi-tech guru. You see, he's warm to basic modding and while running off collated copies of last quarter's financial statement for the tool-and-die company next door, he started daydreaming and hit upon an idea for a video game - Convoy 2600! The video game version of the movie of the same name. You see, you control a trucker in the game and you "talk" to your good buddies over the CB mike you plug into your modded VCS. He got his friend and coworker involved and they formed Team Truckerz. They even have a little runnable code, the in-game timer. They don't have the rights from United Artists to use the "Convoy" name, but that should be no problem, right?

 

How about he wired up a CB Mic's push to talk button as a reset switch...

 

Or a pause button? :-o

 

That would be an interesting hack if someone managed to do that.

 

Been done. Al sells them.

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Our enterprising tinkerer, whose day job is at the copy shop, fancies himself as a hi-tech guru. You see, he's warm to basic modding and while running off collated copies of last quarter's financial statement for the tool-and-die company next door, he started daydreaming and hit upon an idea for a video game - Convoy 2600! The video game version of the movie of the same name. You see, you control a trucker in the game and you "talk" to your good buddies over the CB mike you plug into your modded VCS. He got his friend and coworker involved and they formed Team Truckerz. They even have a little runnable code, the in-game timer. They don't have the rights from United Artists to use the "Convoy" name, but that should be no problem, right?

 

How about he wired up a CB Mic's push to talk button as a reset switch...

 

Or a pause button? :-o

 

That would be an interesting hack if someone managed to do that.

 

Been done. Al sells them.

But when did he do it? If this was done back in the 70's or 80's on this unit that makes it more of a landmark achievement because who was doing that kind of thing back then?

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It is a cd mic port. Now my dad was had a base station they made boxes that ou could hook to the unit mic port then the mic plug into the box. This was to add fun sounds. I fell so old now. but people in the cb hey day was like the internet today. They had odd little sounds they would play from time to time.

 

 

could the audio be taped for use on a cb so many odd game sounds on the 2600 system??

 

 

video of one here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8CcFNlpXy0&feature=related

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