dphirschler

So I just got a light sixer and of course I had to take it apart and clean it and replace some missing screws. (There was evidence it had been opened before).. When I turned it over to take out the screws, I noticed the Manufactured in Sunnyvale, CA sticker. This would be my first Sunnyvale L6er. What really surprised me though was the internal board was a heavy sixer! So my question is, were all the Sunnyvale L6ers made with H6er internals? Darryl

I am repairing one for my friend. At the moment, I have it working with some wires that I soldered in place. I just press them down to ground to trigger them. Lol

It's gorgeous! I love that silver heatsink. I've only seen black. Wait a sec, That second pic of the switchboard is different. The CX10 sticks are gorgeous too. Do they work? Darryl

Here is the inside of the fire button, including the elusive part number. C010713 Darryl

Try swapping out the cpu or tia. You have other consoles lying around to borrow parts from? I don't think it's TIA anymore. CPU maybe. Or dirty/bad connections on the cart port. Darryl

Nothing wrong with getting a light sixer. But if you think you will still be wanting a heavy even after you get the light, then just get a heavy and save yourself some trouble. You can save yourself a little expense if you know how to repair them. Are you good with a soldering iron? Darryl

Was gonna guess TIA too. Do the games play normally otherwise? Could be CPU if not. Darryl

Those sticks are CX10's too. Darryl

I am always wary of "untested" or broken Vader units because the chips are oftentimes soldered in (not socketed). So if one needs to be replaced, although not impossible, much more difficult. But he does sound legit. Darryl

Go ahead and peel the label plate right off there. Flatten it real good. I used j-roller. Then I got some double-sided adhesive tape and put it back on the TI. Looks like new. The adhesive came in a roll and was made for holding cellphone glass in place. Peel the back off, stick it on the plate, then peel the front off. It's all adhesive (no paper). Darryl

I still find it hard to believe this game is playing on a 2600. The speech and the gameplay are amazing! Darryl

2600 Daptor is awesome and works so well with Stella. Darryl

Here are a few more photos, taken while I cleaned it. Here it is fully disassembled, ready for a bath in the kitchen sink. Here is the top piece, top and bottom view. Part number C010717 3. The internal plate, top and bottom view. Part number C010714-D. Here is the base, top and bottom view. Part number C010716. Here is the joystick shaft with springs, top and bottom view. Part number C010715. Fire button with spring. I could not find a part number on it. It should be noted that the springs for the joystick and the spring for the fire button are all identical. Rubber boot before cleaning. Man, I wish I had taken this same shot after I cleaned it. It'd be a lot easier to read the part number. Looks like it reads C010710. I'll get a better shot when I clean my other CX10. Here is the cable plug. It's skinnier on the CX10. The CX10 cleaned up nicely! Next I will test and repair the circuit board. Darryl

I recently got a pair of CX10 joysticks and I thought I would share some photos. I initially took a set of photos comparing them to a CX40 joystick. Then later I took them apart and took several photos of it disassembled. I posted many of these photos to the AtariAge FB group, but I figured this forum is a more permanent place for these photos. If you are curious about what CX10's look like inside, read on. CX40 on left, CX10's on the right. From this shot, you can observe a few subtle differences. I'll address them in more detail below. Here is a shot of the undersides. Again, CX40 on left, CX10's on the right. The keen eye will observe the screw holes are not as deep on the CX10's. You may also notice that both my CX10's are missing two screws each, which indicates somebody has probably had these apart before. Here is a pretty good view of where the Atari logo "hex disc" would go. Right on top of the shaft, there is an indentation for it. Unfortunately, the discs are missing on mine. Top of the CX10. Notice the CX10 does not say "TOP". Also notice the paint color is more yellow on the CX10. Notice the CX10 has no ring holding down the rubber boot. At first I thought it was missing on mine, but now I believe it was not designed as part of this joystick. The fire button has more travel on the CX10. The CX10 has a skinnier plug. First look inside the controller. This shot allows a look inside the mechanism to see how the joystick works. Here is the PCB. Notice the "Innovative Leisure" slogan under the Atari logo. The board number reads "C010712 REV 5" Removing two screws allowed me to detach the PCB from the top half. Notice each direction on the joystick and the fire button gets a spring. There is an intermediate plastic piece that holds the springs in place and presses down on the "dome" contacts on the top of the PCB when the joystick is moved. Joystick shaft removed from inside the rubber boot. It just slips right out. Four springs are attached to the shaft. Closeup shot of the top half of the PCB. Notice on mine, the "dome" contacts are pretty worn out and appear to be somewhat crushed. I may need to replace those. The CX10 in these photos did not work when I did my first tests. I took it apart to clean it and photograph it. These photos are more or less considered "before" photos. I hope to post more after the joystick is repaired, cleaned, and is functioning. My conclusion about the CX10 joystick is that is feels a bit looser than the CX40. The joystick seems to have more movement and is easier to push in the directions. The fire buttons definitely has more travel to it. I am curious how it feels in actual gameplay. The design seems pretty robust with the exception of the "dome" contacts on the PCB. Lastly, if anybody has a source for parts or any tips on restoring these joysticks, post them here. I'd love to hear it. Darryl

Here's my latest Heavy Sixer... It was dirty as hell when I got it, but now she's a beauty! SN 47299G Darryl

I'm rooting for him. I want to see it happen on Ben Heck's show. Darryl

Still shocked the caps didn't fix it. Darryl

When you do another run, I would like a set. Darryl

I forgot the sixers have the two extra screws on the bottom. They are all fours. I wonder why only one of them has the channel selector slot. The switch is on the back, right? I would guess there is nothing through that slot. Darryl

Search in this forum for Atari 2600 tuneup. There is info there... although the guy is no longer selling kits, you can find them on Ebay and other sites. Or you can just get the parts yourself. Darryl

I just heard from Brad at Best Electronics. He has the 12 pin mylar cable in stock for $8.95. Mine is not the mylar style. But you may be in luck. Darryl

Hey Brian. Pin 8 wasn't working on mine and I discovered it was the ribbon cable. No need to jumper. Just a thought. You might be able to remove that jumper if you also have a bent pin. Something to check anyway. Darryl

None of those are heavies. I'd guess that the one with the channel selector on the bottom is a light sixer. The others are four switchers. Just different board designs. Darryl

"Sparkles" is usually a symptom of needing to replace the green chicklet caps. Darryl

I'd like to get more details on how you did the orange paint around the bezel. Can you explain the process? Darryl