Does my late-model 4-port 5200 support the 2600/VCS adapter module?

[CZroe]

I picked this thing up several years ago and always thought it was odd that it had a hole in the back as if they expected me to do the power/RF decouple mod and they were accommodating it. I've since learned from zylon that this is a late model "last ditch" unit combining leftover parts from 2 and 4 port inventory.

 

Now, I've seen pics of the factory/officially serviced 2600 compatibility mod before and I recall it looking like an awkwardly long jumper made of joined axial lead components (resistors?). There's nothing like that here. There is a small rework jumper wire on the bottom and there is a capacitor jumpering two legs of an IC, but nothing like the official mod that I've seen.

 

I find it hard to believe that they would ship later models without the mod since it would ultimately be more expensive to service them for customers with the 2600 adapter. How can I tell if the change is present on the PCB?

 

 

No asterisk in the serial number.

 

Also, does anyone know the specs of that capacitor? I forgot to write it down before reassembling. It looks like it leaked out of the bottom and made all that corrosion. Everything seems to work and I cleaned up everything I could reach with an eraser but I still want to replace it next time I'm in there.

Edited August 1, 2016 by CZroe

[0078265317]

Looks interesting but I don't know. I hope somebody will reply here and say for sure though.

[bohoki]

very unlikely atari has to jump a wire from the cart slot those just look like trace repairs

[CZroe]

very unlikely atari has to jump a wire from the cart slot those just look like trace repairs

Thanks. I understand that the original 4-ports required that very visible mod. Just to be clear, you're also saying that there's no chance that the PCB was revised to incorporate the functionality without the jumper, right?

 

My understanding is that these mixed parts consoles were left over from the very end of the 4-port manufacturing run and were used in new consoles after the 2-port mfg run. If they ever revised the 4-port to have the mod built into the PCB then I imagine it would be on the very last of the 4-port PCBs. If it weren't a revised PCB then I would expect to see it modified from the factory, especially since this was after the 2-port mfg run and it costs comparatively little to do all of them compared to a service call or RMA for a certain percentage.

Edited August 3, 2016 by CZroe

[ruthsarian]

I just picked up a 5200 and it has all the mods you see on your board, same color jumper wire and component connecting a couple pins on the POKEY and traces between the power button and the IC below it. It also has many more wires/resistors/diodes for the VCS mod. I don't think you have the VCS mod on your board, but some other fix(es) that were probably applied at the factory.

 

The markings on the capacitor are "20V" and "10K'. I think that means it's a 0.01uF cap rated at 20 volts.

Edited August 9, 2016 by ruthsarian