7800 Asteroids Cart w/2600-style spring cover?

[MAC-42]

I finally got around to picking up a copy of 7800 Asteroids this weekend on eBay. Been putting this off for months for no good reason, especially as it's one of the games I used to play the heck out of when I was a kid. (And it's my favorite version of the game, too.)

 

It arrived today, all working and lovely. But there was something curious about it. Where on any 7800 cart I've ever seen one would find the exposed end of the PCB, I found a cover like one would find over old 2600 games. The slit that the PCB edge would slide through is exposed and I can see the board when the cover is...well, covering. And the cover itself responds to being pushed in simply by pressing it with a finger.

 

I've never seen one of these before and just wondered if anyone could give me a little information on this configuration of 7800 cartridge. When I turned it over in my hand and found this staring back at me, I was a little baffled. Thanks!

[jaybird3rd]

The original 7800 cartridge design included a dual-spring dust cover. It's a simplified version of the covers from earlier 2600 cartridges, which used an interlocking two-piece design. These were one-piece and had a slot that ran the entire width of the cartridge opening, and you could push it in with your fingers. Later on, Atari did a cost reduction and eliminated it, switching to a two-piece shell with no dust cover at all. These were used in the later Tramiel-era 2600 and 7800 cartridges, but it's not too difficult to find copies of the early 7800 games (Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, etc) which have the dust cover. It's my favorite style of 7800 cartridge, as it provided decent protection from dust and was a higher-quality design overall than the flimsier shells Atari used later.

[AtariBrian]

Some of the earlier 7800 titles had these . Joust, dig dug , ms pacman , pole position , etc ... nothing rare .

[+Mitch]

Those are the 1986 version 7800 carts (plus a small amount of 1987 carts). The 1984 and 1987 and later carts do not have the dust cover.

 

Mitch

[AtariBrian]

Those are the 1986 version 7800 carts (plus a small amount of 1987 carts). The 1984 and 1987 and later carts do not have the dust cover.

 

Mitch

I have a 3 1984 pole positions that Im looking at right now with the dust door