Atari 8-bit Serial Numbers

[ClausB]

Does anyone know how to get the date of manufacture of the system from the unit serial number? I know the ICs are date coded but is the whole system?

[BillC]

Does anyone know how to get the date of manufacture of the system from the unit serial number? I know the ICs are date coded but is the whole system?

The 400/800/XL computers had a 3 digit date code stamped at the end of the serial number label.

My 130XE/XEGS/XF551 appear to have the date code after the first 2 digits of the serial number, although this only appears to be stamped on the 130XE label.

 

400 date code 153, 53th week of 1981? other possibility is 15th week of 1983, 400 production supposedly ceased in 1982.

 

600XL date code 413, 13th week of 1984?

 

130XE date code 85?(hard to be certain, might be more characters), 5th week of 1988?

 

XEGS date code, believe it to be 7A; 7=1987?; week code = A = ?

[mimo]

my 800 has the serial number BK004582, no other digits stamped on it

[andym00]

There was this old thread for 1200XL serials:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/107234-1200xl-owners-club-serial-tracker/

[carmel_andrews]

Could be that the left most 5-6 digits (on the xe's serials) indicate a manufacturing or production date since you can see 85 (in the case of the 130) and 89 (in the case of the xegs) which sounds about right

Edited January 27, 2011 by carmel_andrews

[BillC]

Could be that the left most 5-6 digits (on the xe's serials) indicate a manufacturing or production date since you can see 85 (in the case of the 130) and 89 (in the case of the xegs) which sounds about right

While it may not be obvious from the picture, the XEGS label has what appears to be printing at 2 different times. The 1 7A 1 portion of the serial number appears slightly taller and thicker, as though printed in bold, and doesn't seem to line up with the last six digits.

 

This, and the location of the stamp on the 130XE label, are what led me to believe the last six digits were the true serial number, and the 1 7A 1 portion contained the date code.

 

I also have an XF551 with serial number W1845016676, and I believe the date code to be 845, the 45th week of 1998

[carmel_andrews]

looks like Atari must of used different systems for serials number then bill c, as you can't really make out the serial number on the xl's and earlier (perhaps they were encrypted or something)

[Creature XL]

the 45th week of 1998

 

i doubt that!

My 600XL and 800XL have different kind of serial numbers, and the stamped part of the 600XL is "393" I do no tthink it is from 1993 neither 1939

[BillC]

looks like Atari must of used different systems for serials number then bill c, as you can't really make out the serial number on the xl's and earlier (perhaps they were encrypted or something)

Checking the 1200XL serial number thread I see I got the date code backwards for the XL series, the last digit of the stamp is the year.

 

This would make the 600XL serial number 83AEA 30746 413

83AEA=production code; refers to plant/production line

30746=serial number

413=Production date=41st week of 1983

 

I have another 600XL with serial number 83AEA 123363 144

83AEA=produced in same plant/production line

123362=serial number

144=14th week of 1984

 

This date coding makes more sense, as it shows an increase in serial number of >90K over 26 weeks for this plant/production line.

[ClausB]

My 400 says, hand-written:

945 3375

 

Maybe it's the 45th week of '79? I bought it in December of '80. Guess I'll have to open her up and check the IC dates to verify.

 

Or maybe it's Candy's phone number!

 

My 800XL's number follows the 1200XL pattern, with date code 024, which is week 2 of 1984. Makes sense, I bought it in late '84.

[ClausB]

My 400 says, hand-written:

945 3375

 

Maybe it's the 45th week of '79?

I opened her up and saw that the latest IC date is on an OS ROM: 7948. That's definitely the 48th week of '79. So maybe 945 is not the system date, unless the ROM was late and they left some 400s unfinished for 3 weeks?

[a8isa1]

Sorry, to revive an old thread.

 

My 800, purchased no later than 1980, has numbers I don't know how to decipher.

 

On one row there is a large "G".

 

On the second row are three groupings of numbers, as follows:

 

23 490 0498

 

Originally I had a CTIA, OS A machine. At some point I had it upgraded to GTIA and OS B. (I still have the old chips, somewhere). At another time one of the key switches had broken. I don't recall if my friend replaced the keyboard or simply swapped the whole machine. I want to say this was done in 1982 but I'm not sure of this time frame either.

 

The 800 has been working ever since.

 

Off topic but I'm trying to get Candle's FAT32 loader working with a homebrewed MyIDE in the right-hand cartridge slot. It's partially working but far from stable. The project was assembled with my usual ineptitude but the board seems to be stable in my 800XL

 

If I manage to get the project fully working it will give me some incentive to turn on the 800, which otherwise gets little use.

 

-Steve Sheppard

[Sean39]

^{Hi everyone}

 

^{I really need some Serial number experts to handle this one.}

 

^{Posted Today, 12:40 PM}

^{Hi Everyone}

 

 

^{I need help on this 1200XL}

 

^{I know usually the serial # is followed by 3 digits for a date code.}

 

 

^{Now if you look at the FCC code you will see BPA83S1200}

 

 

^{Then right befor the Seria Number you see th same 83S DA Which I not believe this is a date code since it is in the FCC code also.}

 

^{Please look at the attach label}

 

 

 

^{If we take the 213 as the date code then that the 21st week in 1983}

 

^{Then is the Serial Number 037 is this the 37 unit made in the 1200XL series???}

 

^{Please can someone help with this??}

 

^Thanks

^Sean

[BillC]

^{Hi everyone}

 

^{I really need some Serial number experts to handle this one.}

 

^{Posted Today, 12:40 PM}

^{Hi Everyone}

 

 

^{I need help on this 1200XL}

 

^{I know usually the serial # is followed by 3 digits for a date code.}

 

 

^{Now if you look at the FCC code you will see BPA83S1200}

 

 

^{Then right befor the Seria Number you see th same 83S DA Which I not believe this is a date code since it is in the FCC code also.}

 

^{Please look at the attach label}

 

 

 

^{If we take the 213 as the date code then that the 21st week in 1983}

 

^{Then is the Serial Number 037 is this the 37 unit made in the 1200XL series???}

 

^{Please can someone help with this??}

 

^Thanks

^Sean

From what I believe I have deciphered from various serial number labels, 83S refers to the USA(Sunnyvale?) manufacturing plant, DA to the 1200XL model.

 

For some reason the date code wasn't stamped on the label of your 1200XL, if the 1200XLs were manufactured with consecutive serial numbers it should have been manufactured in the 17th/18th week of 1983, fitting between these 2 systems from the 1200XL Owners Club (serial tracker) thread.

 

83S DA 036969 173 adam242 USA 036969 1983 17 25-Apr-83 01-May-83

83S DA 037913 183 mimo USA 037913 1983 18 02-May-83 08-May-83

 

Bill

[krupkaj]

Is it possible to find out if the machine has 4bits RAM chips from the serial number?

[Zybex1980]

Hey Guys, New to the Forum here and need a bit of help.

 

Just purchased an old Atari VCS/2600 for £55 (With LOTS of games included and 2 original Joysticks) and trying to find out how old it is, I know it is a HONG KONG produced model but from research I have done it seems to have the original "Heavy Sixer" Motherboard.

 

These are the details contained on the sticker on the base of the system:

 

Manufactured by Atari-Wong LTD.

In Hong Kong

Model No. CX-2600 U

 

Covered by U.S. Patents 3,793,483;

3,900,886; 3,723,652; 3,728,480; RE 28507;

RE 28598; D 254,544 & Patents Pending

 

S.N. 548338413

 

Description of System itself:

 

6 switch version with Orange piping around switches

Woodgrain style finish on front

A/B Channel Select Opening but NO Switch

Numbers 331 physically branded/stamped into base

 

If anyone can help me age this system it would be of great help.

 

Many Thanks in advance

[+Stephen]

Hey Guys, New to the Forum here and need a bit of help.

 

Just purchased an old Atari VCS/2600 for £55 (With LOTS of games included and 2 original Joysticks) and trying to find out how old it is, I know it is a HONG KONG produced model but from research I have done it seems to have the original "Heavy Sixer" Motherboard.

 

These are the details contained on the sticker on the base of the system:

 

Manufactured by Atari-Wong LTD.

In Hong Kong

Model No. CX-2600 U

 

Covered by U.S. Patents 3,793,483;

3,900,886; 3,723,652; 3,728,480; RE 28507;

RE 28598; D 254,544 & Patents Pending

 

S.N. 548338413

 

Description of System itself:

 

6 switch version with Orange piping around switches

Woodgrain style finish on front

A/B Channel Select Opening but NO Switch

Numbers 331 physically branded/stamped into base

 

If anyone can help me age this system it would be of great help.

 

Many Thanks in advance

You'd probably have better luck in the 2600 forum. I have both a heavy & a light sixer, but they are packed away. I have never opened them to compare the guts. I do recall that my heavy sixer has the cutout for the channel switch, but no switch is in there. It also has "cutouts" or vents in the case for the planned internal speakers.

[BillC]

Hey Guys, New to the Forum here and need a bit of help.

 

Just purchased an old Atari VCS/2600 for £55 (With LOTS of games included and 2 original Joysticks) and trying to find out how old it is, I know it is a HONG KONG produced model but from research I have done it seems to have the original "Heavy Sixer" Motherboard.

 

These are the details contained on the sticker on the base of the system:

 

Manufactured by Atari-Wong LTD.

In Hong Kong

Model No. CX-2600 U

 

Covered by U.S. Patents 3,793,483;

3,900,886; 3,723,652; 3,728,480; RE 28507;

RE 28598; D 254,544 & Patents Pending

 

S.N. 548338413

 

Description of System itself:

 

6 switch version with Orange piping around switches

Woodgrain style finish on front

A/B Channel Select Opening but NO Switch

Numbers 331 physically branded/stamped into base

 

If anyone can help me age this system it would be of great help.

 

Many Thanks in advance

 

 

The 400 had similar case "brand" that appears to be a date code in WWY format. If the same format was used on your 2600 it probably means a 33 week of 1981 manufacture date.

 

It is unlikely that a 1981 unit would be a "heavy sixer", according to wikipedia these were only manufactured in 1977. It is most likely a "light sixer" which was introduced in 1978