How much should I pay for a light-sixer? What do I look for?

[Keatah]

How much should I pay for a light-sixer like so?

 

The requirements would be:

 

1- Clean or dirty - irrelevant - because I would be disassembling it and spiffing it up.

2- Strongly prefer the 2-PCB heavy-sixer-like configuration, with the heavy aluminium shielding.

3- Should be cosmetically good with clear labeling + silver switches. I can touch up the rest.

4- Accessories + games not important, I can buy them on fleabay or elsewhere.

5- Should be compatible with Harmony cart.

6- Preferably working, but I can fix things. Including wire bonding chips.

 

Thanks!

 

ADDED: What else do I look for?

Edited May 9, 2015 by Keatah

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

How much should I pay for a light-sixer like so?

 

The requirements would be:

 

1- Clean or dirty - irrelevant - because I would be disassembling it and spiffing it up.

2- Strongly prefer the 2-PCB heavy-sixer-like configuration, with the heavy aluminium shielding.

3- Should be cosmetically good with clear labeling + silver switches. I can touch up the rest.

4- Accessories + games not important, I can buy them on fleabay or elsewhere.

5- Should be compatible with Harmony cart.

6- Preferably working, but I can fix things. Including wire bonding chips.

 

Thanks!

 

ADDED: What else do I look for?

Light Sixers for just the console itself without anything extra go for an average of $35-$45.

[DeputyMoniker]

Light Sixers for just the console itself without anything extra go for an average of $35-$45.

 

As for condition, don't expect it to look new but after you clean up the dust, it should look nice. They have held up pretty well.

[+DrVenkman]

I paid $30 for a light sixer on eBay three weeks ago - it didn't include any accessories or a power adapter but came with two commons (Space Invaders, which I had, and Combat - which perhaps surprisingly I didn't). It was a little dirty but not too bad. The worst thing about it is that the Game Select switch had been "repaired" with a screw. I've already got a replacement switch to install ($8 shipped) - just gotta make time to do the fix and clean everything up really well when I do it.

[Keatah]

Is there any one console that is more compatible? OR any one that I should be avoiding because something doesn't work right with it?

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Is there any one console that is more compatible? OR any one that I should be avoiding because something doesn't work right with it?

I recalled hearing Stay Frosty 2 is not compatible with Heavy and Light Sixers systems, but work fine on 4 switcher. The negative about 6 switchers is the cart slot has a tighter fit for the games and if you like to keep your game labels in good shape it can scratch them. While 4 woodys, Vaders, and Juniors have more space to fit the cart. I personally love the 6 switchers better!

[mikey.shake]

I'm no expert, but I really, really like the Light Sixers I've had experience with. Sturdier RF shielding than the four-switchers, and I like the aesthetic of the switches on the front. They also have the benefits of the big, hearty six-switch production style without the collectibility and price tags of the Heavy Six. The crazy wiring in my crappy apartment says you're right, and clearly illustrates the difference in RF shielding between the six- and four-switch models.

 

I have what I call my "Half-Sixer" (H6 guts and top panel, L6 bottom panel and faceplate) whose cart slot has absolutely no problems with the wider red label carts that I've tried (Donkey Kong, Defender II, Jr. Pac-Man), and a Light Six that is a tight squeeze with the same carts. Maybe a strange anomaly, but it might indicate that "six-switch = too tight" is a good rule of thumb rather than a hard-and-fast, so I guess, if possible, bring a cart to try out if you're buying in person?

 

The Half-Sixer was $40, console only, no power adapter or controllers. Replacement for a straight-up L6 with issues, returned on an auction site. Seller sent me the Half-Sixer instead, probably unaware of 2/3 of it being H6 parts.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/236571-found-a-half-sixer-with-lots-of-pics/

 

My (actual) Light Sixer was talked down to $40 at an over-priced junk shop. It was GROSS, but an hour of cleaning with alcohol and swabs and it was like-new. Pledge on the outside after a soap and water scrub. It has the brightest, crisp-est, clearest output of any of the 5 consoles I've got, and now looks beautiful on the outside. (It may also have a mystery to its origins):

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/198685-light-sixer-question/?p=3207344

 

I post the links/pics in case maybe they help in your quest. See if you can get a look inside, too -- you may have H6 guts, too. Check through the "Channel Select" hole to see if there's a switch in there or not. Not sure what that would tell you, but somethin' I suppose. Feel free to look for the "High R" on the woodgrain Atari logo too, which can help date the top panel. Maybe see if there's any date written on the inside and see how close it matches the hotstamp on the bottom of the casing, to estimate whether the outside and inside are likely all-original (if that matters to you).

 

Frankly, I could probably have gotten a better deal than either of mine, but $40 each for a pair of Light Sixers over the past few months has been the going rate for someone impatient like me.

 

Good luck... happy playin'.

 

[Edit: As far as compatibility, I've never had a cart that wouldn't work in the L6 I have. First time, every time, which is more than I can say for some of my other Atarii. Two thumbs up for L6s]

Edited May 10, 2015 by mikey.shake