Any hardware differences between heavy and light sixer?

[flammingcowz]

I tried searching for years back and couldn't find a definitive answer. I'm wanting to know if there's anything different on the motherboard or switchboard in the heavy vs. the light. I know of someone who is offering to upgrade a light to a heavy, so is the only difference the shielding and case?

[SlowCoder]

About the only difference that matters between a light and a heavy is the case. The shielding is even the same.

 

All of the electronics, including mainboard, shield and switchboard, are directly interchangeable. You just have to make sure the ribbon cable between the mainboard and switchboard are compatible.

[flammingcowz]

The shielding is even the same.

 

I thought that was what makes it so heavy. They have the same shield?

[sqoon]

Shielding is not the same. H6 has an aluminum casting for shielding that makes it heavy. L6 has sheet metal shielding, so it is lighter.

[CPUWIZ]

No, it's the case, the shielding is the same and only the bottom plate is aluminium (which is one of the lighter metals).

[+RevEng]

The heavy sixer has a 680 ohm resistor between TIA pins 6 and 9, which boosts color saturation. This resistor was left out of later models, which makes them look washed out in comparison. (or the resistor makes the heavy look over-saturated, depending on your perspective)

[SeaGtGruff]

The schematics for the 2600 versus the 2600A do show some differences.

[atariluvr77]

Guys... there are differences between the heavy sixers and light sixer internal hardware... several differences in fact. That doesn't mean you can't take the guts of one and use it in the case of the other, because that does work... but if you want a genuine heavy sixer it should have the original internal hardware which includes a switchboard with finned heatsink (not integrated on the pcb), an RF cable that hooks to a small pcb perpendicular to the RF modulator, and an ATARI logo on the underside of the board that says "Innovative Liesure" -- if it doesn't have those things it's light sixer internal hardware.

 

I'm posting a helpful article on this very subjest tonight...

[atariluvr77]

Shielding is not the same. H6 has an aluminum casting for shielding that makes it heavy. L6 has sheet metal shielding, so it is lighter.

 

They both have cast shielding... some heavy sixers have a thicker plate covering the motherboard though...

[atariluvr77]

The shielding is even the same.

 

I thought that was what makes it so heavy. They have the same shield?

 

It's actually the weight of the plastic base which is really heavy.