Common / known issues with the first 2600s

[lingyi]

I've been wondering for a long time, were there known / common issues with the first run of 2600s and were they the consoles themselves or the switchbox.

 

I got our first 2600 (actually Sears Video Arcade) late 1977 / early 1978 from Sears. We got it from Sears because we'd heard stories of lots of returns and since Sears had the best return policy, we got it from there. I'm in Hawaii and believe ours was part of the second or third shipment since we they were already sold out so not the very first allotment.

 

As I recall, the picture was usually full of static and would often switch from color to b/w. I've always suspected the switchbox (connected through the antenna leads, no coax connection back then) because if you put placed it 'just right', you could actually play without issues for almost an entire session. But even just hitting the reset button too hard would cause the picture to break up.

 

It was so bad we returned the system within a few months and I remember seeing stacks of returns behind the counter. The salesperson told us others were reporting the exact same issues we were and so we decided not to take an exchange. Was this really as common as it seemed?

[+DamonicFury]

Actually, the first Atari systems, called "heavy sixers" due to the extra weight of the very thick plastic on the case, have a very good reputation for reliability, even nearly 40 years later! The problems you're describing are most likely due to the switchbox... those have indeed have always been somewhat problematic.

 

These days, a lot of us replace those switchboxes with a direct cable adapter like this one: http://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=42

[Torr]

I remember hearing a lot about all the returns of the first runs of VCS back in the day, and video quality being a common problem. I don't know WHAT the issue was back then or what caused it, but it was obviously an issue. If it was regarding poor TV/Game switch boxes, think about all the time, inventory space and freight costs of transporting all these systems around for "repair" when all it was just a bad connection in the RF switcher, something that should have been easy to replace, even at the time.

 

Heck, I remember always climbing in behind the TV every time I wanted to play Atari because I had to hook up the RF Switcher. Even though it had that TV/Game switch, as long as it was hooked in with the antenna it REALLY messed with TV reception, so we only attached in when I wanted to play. Then we eventually got a spare TV for my play room/rec room.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Torr

[Zonie]

Static.

 

I fried mine (twice) when plugging in the controller. My heavy-sixer sliding around on the shag carpet usually generated static. There is a (7407, IIRC) That is susceptible to the zap. The first time I paid a repair center to fix it. The second time, I soldered in a socket and replaced it myself. I'd bet that if I opened up my heavy, i'd still find the spare one I taped inside the cover...