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Calling All 400s!


ClausB

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Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list. Don't forget the 3-digit date code! It's ink-stamped on the label or gold-stamped on the case rear underside. 1979 machines have a date code of 9 WW, where WW is the week number. Other machines have WWY where Y is the last digit of the year. Any claim of a 1979 machine needs photo verification.

 

Atari 400 & 800 serial numbers & owners & dates WW/YY:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XNhTiIB-Itz4GuM8lMT9L2HPxxGUGCJof4uK10hqSl4/edit?usp=sharing

 

Now a Google Sheet, for easier viewing, editing, sorting, expanding...

 

Edited by ClausB
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Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list.

 

Once we get a few posts we'll figure out the date coding. Looking at a sample of one, mine, it might be YWW NNNN.

 

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:

---------------------------

945 3375 ClausB

It might be useful to gather CTIA vs GTIA as well? Then perhaps you could determine at approximately what serial number they changed.

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Let's post all our Atari 400s' serial numbers here and keep a running list. Earliest wins! You get, well, you get to be at the top of the list.

 

Once we get a few posts we'll figure out the date coding. Looking at a sample of one, mine, it might be YWW NNNN.

 

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:

---------------------------

945 3375 ClausB

 

 

OK, I'm not really sure of the significant digits in the serial numbers, so I included them all...

 

 

The first two have similar looking serials numbers, and no embossed stampings.

83A AV 02966 063

83A AV 01799 043

 

The next one has an additional red sticker that identifies it as a 16K machine, and has a silver embossed "ATARI / 481" on the edge

G 16K 481 1259 (481 *)

 

The last has a printed serial number (AV 492934) and a second hand-written one (AV 173873 10/1). This 400 is also embossed, but with a "ATARI / 402" and no silver.

 

If you want photos, please let me know...

 

edit: All are GTIA, but I believe that the third one was originally a CTIA machine...

Edited by jacobus
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Don't tell anyone, but every time I've found a CTIA, it's been in a machine that had the ram size printed on the case label.

Makes sense - by the time GTIAs were in place, all machines would have been 16K. I have never seen a machine with a CTIA or less than 16k :(

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Hey! How do I keep the first post open for editing?

 

Not sure about my date code YWW. There's a ROM inside with a later date by 3 weeks.

 

Looks like the other date codes are WWY.

 

The list so far:

 

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners:

---------------------------

945 3375 ClausB

G 16K 481 1259 jacobus

AV 492934 402 jacobus

83A AV 01799 043 jacobus

83A AV 02966 063 jacobus

AV 368167 153 BillC

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A couple of UK PAL 400's for assistance/confusion:

 

First one:

BY116316

 

post-11930-129620883679_thumb.jpg

Second one:

G05005417

Below the main sticker is a narrow sticker with the following

G172 BY102534-16 10/20 L40

This one also has a Red 16K sticker and G 16K printed on the main sticker

post-11930-129620884958_thumb.jpg

Hope we can work out the dates some how

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Don't tell anyone, but every time I've found a CTIA, it's been in a machine that had the ram size printed on the case label.

Makes sense - by the time GTIAs were in place, all machines would have been 16K. I have never seen a machine with a CTIA or less than 16k :(

 

That may be so in the US, but as far as I am aware the UK only ever got 16K GTIA models, you could buy 48K ones later in the 400's life though

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A couple of PAL UK 400's for assitance/confusion:

 

First one:

BY116316

 

Second one:

G05005417

Below the main sticker is a narrow sticker with the following

G172 BY102534-16 10/20 L40

This one also has a Red 16K sticker and G 16K printed on the main sticker

 

Hope we can work out the dates some how

The second one has 050 in larger type, so it might be YWW, 50th week of '80. But it also has a BY number. I'll guess it's YWWNNN, making it the 2nd week of '81. Perhaps it was renumbered when imported?

 

The first one has only the BY number, so it might be the 16th week of '81.

 

It will take more posts to figure this out.

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PAL machine here, most likely made early/mid 1981.

 

Serial: 051 004998

 

Not sure if all machines have this, but stamped/indented into the bottom of the case, middle/back "ATARI / 351" with 2/3rds worn off silver lettering.

Hmm, the number could be either the 51st week of '80 or the 5th week of '81. The stamp probably says 35th week of '81. Looked like imported machines get restamped?

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I'd guess that serial stickers are only put on completed machines.

 

Every chance that they might have had thousands of cases lying around waiting to be populated, so you could get some discrepancy between dates on cases/stickers.

 

Of course that's assuming the date is somehow in the serial, but it all sounds plausible.

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The list so far, with best guess dates for NTSC:

 

Atari 400 serial numbers & owners & dates WW/YY:

 

NTSC:

---------------------------

945 3375 ClausB 45/79

AV 173873 10/1 (AV 492934 402) jacobus 10/81

G 16K 481 1259 jacobus 48/81

AV 459975 023 Spurge 02/83

83A AV 01799 043 jacobus 04/83

83A AV 02966 063 jacobus 06/83

AV 368167 153 BillC 15/83

AV 210552 Mirage ??/??

AV 330172 potatohead ??/??

AV 479540 jsmith73 ??/??

 

PAL:

---------------------------

G 172 BY 102534 (050 005417) mimo

BY 116316 mimo

051 004998 (351) Rybags

BZ 110353 (082) sup8pdct

 

Haven't figured out all the dates yet. Take a second look for other 3 digit codes, printed or stamped.

 

Any SECAM units out there?

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