PAL Intellivision 2609 Console

[Rickster8]

Are there any other noticeable differences between an NTSC Inty 2609 and a PAL Inty 2609? Meaning on the top outer shell? I noticed one and was wondering if this is standard for a PAL Inty 2609 console? 

 

Instead of OFF / ON, it says STAND BY / ON? See pic below.... Is this normal for a PAL console or is this a rarity? Any other noticeable differences on the top shell that anyone else has noticed? 🤷‍♂️

 

I don't suppose anyone has seen an NTSC Inty 2609 that says STAND BY / ON? 

 

@mr_me

 

 

Edited June 27 by Rickster8
Wording

[mr_me]

It's probably normal.  Model 2609 should be all NTSC.  PAL Intellivisions have different model numbers depending on the region.  Here's a model 3668, I think for Australia.

https://the-liberator.net/site-files/retro-games/hardware/Intellivision-1

[Rickster8]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

It's probably normal.  Model 2609 should be all NTSC.  PAL Intellivisions have different model numbers depending on the region.  Here's a model 3668, I think for Australia.

https://the-liberator.net/site-files/retro-games/hardware/Intellivision-1

Here's a PAL Inty that says OFF / ON.... 2nd pic shows 50Hz

 

 

 

 

[mr_me]

The model 1591 is for the UK.  I think they were the first to get Intellivisions outside North America, so that might be normal for model 1591; or maybe just the early units.

Edited June 27 by mr_me

[Rickster8]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

The model 1591 is for the UK.  I think they were the first to get Intellivisions outside North America, so that might be normal for model 1591; or maybe just the early units.

Matthew I'm curious. Do you have a PAL Inty 2609 or an NTSC Inty 2609? I know you live in Canada so I'm curious with the power there if you can play an NTSC Inty 2609 or is it PAL Inty 2609? Because they come with different power bricks. What is weird I bought an Atari 2609 modded for AV from Australia, but it still works here with the usual Atari 2600 power brick? 🤷‍♂️

Edited June 27 by Rickster8

[+-^CrossBow^-]

12 minutes ago, Rickster8 said:

Matthew I'm curious. Do you have a PAL Inty 2609 or an NTSC Inty 2609? I know you live in Canada so I'm curious with the power there if you can play an NTSC Inty 2609 or is it PAL Inty 2609? Because they come with different power bricks. What is weird I bought an Atari 2609 modded for AV from Australia, but it still works here with the usual Atari 2600 power brick? 🤷‍♂️

Canada uses NTSC and the same power grid network we use here in the US. I've done several Canadian Intellivision model 1 consoles and they don't seem to be any different on the outside or internally than the US ones... well minus one of them I believe did have both English and French on the stickers on the bottom of it.

 

 

[Intymike]

Canada has the same voltage and tv system as the USA.

 

Outside of North America are different systems. Most of Europe has PAL (and there are slightly different PAL systems), France has SECAM.

Brasil has a special PAL system which is close to NTSC.

 

[mr_me]

Canadian Intellivisions are identical to US Intellivisions, other then the packaging, labeling, and the serial number series is different.  That's the case for the ones made in Hong Kong, the earliest ones made in the US could be more similar.  I don't think there are PAL Intellivisions with a 2609 model number.

Edited June 27 by mr_me

[abeckett]

4 hours ago, Rickster8 said:

Because they come with different power bricks. What is weird I bought an Atari 2609 modded for AV from Australia, but it still works here with the usual Atari 2600 power brick? 🤷‍♂️

Hi Rickster;

 

I’m an Aussie and use PAL and NTSC intellivisions. NTSC is preferable here because most late model CRTs have NTSC playback. You get full screen viewing on NTSC rather than a cropped pal screen. 
 

You say you have used an Atari 2600 from Australia using a 110v plug pack for a US 2600. Fine, should work. All they want is the stepped down voltage. Your monitor must have PAL output but you may find that the game plays at different speeds to your NTSC due to our PAL systems expecting 60 Hz instead of your 50 Hz. 
 

As for Inty, there are no plug packs so if you swap the internal transformer from an NTSC unit it should work - not at all as simple as a plug pack and not worth it at all as I would say I prefer the NTSC units.

[Intymike]

9 hours ago, abeckett said:

Hi Rickster;

 

I’m an Aussie and use PAL and NTSC intellivisions. NTSC is preferable here because most late model CRTs have NTSC playback. You get full screen viewing on NTSC rather than a cropped pal screen. 
 

You say you have used an Atari 2600 from Australia using a 110v plug pack for a US 2600. Fine, should work. All they want is the stepped down voltage. Your monitor must have PAL output but you may find that the game plays at different speeds to your NTSC due to our PAL systems expecting 60 Hz instead of your 50 Hz. 
 

As for Inty, there are no plug packs so if you swap the internal transformer from an NTSC unit it should work - not at all as simple as a plug pack and not worth it at all as I would say I prefer the NTSC units.

For us PALys   it’s obvious to use, if possible, a NTSC Intellivision over a PAL Intellivision. But for what reason should someone from a NTSC country use a PAL console?

[+cmart604]

18 hours ago, Intymike said:

For us PALys   it’s obvious to use, if possible, a NTSC Intellivision over a PAL Intellivision. But for what reason should someone from a NTSC country use a PAL console?

"Use" or "collect"? Stickers are awesome! 😂

[Intymike]

10 hours ago, cmart604 said:

"Use" or "collect"? Stickers are awesome! 😂

Collect is a different thing…getting a console because it has a tiny Bandai written on it…  

[Rickster8]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:04 AM, Intymike said:

For us PALys   it’s obvious to use, if possible, a NTSC Intellivision over a PAL Intellivision. But for what reason should someone from a NTSC country use a PAL console?

To see if there are differences (between NTSC and PAL) especially in speed timed games like Skiing or Auto Racing..... 👍

[Walter Ives]

On 6/27/2023 at 9:45 AM, Rickster8 said:

Instead of OFF / ON, it says STAND BY / ON

This is a regulatory issue. The applicable UL safety standards required that dropping a boulder on the console not create a condition that exposes users to the line voltage (120VAC in the US, 240VAC in the UK). To ensure that, the Intellivision I power switch, which is located on the upper housing, interrupts the lower-voltage secondary windings of the transformer instead of switching off the line voltage to the primary. Since the transformer's primary winding is always connected to the line, some jurisdictions object to labeling that position "Off" but are willing to allow it to be labeled "Stand-by."

 

WJI

[+DZ-Jay]

5 hours ago, Walter Ives said:

This is a regulatory issue. The applicable UL safety standards required that dropping a boulder on the console not create a condition that exposes users to the line voltage (120VAC in the US, 240VAC in the UK). To ensure that, the Intellivision I power switch, which is located on the upper housing, interrupts the lower-voltage secondary windings of the transformer instead of switching off the line voltage to the primary. Since the transformer's primary winding is always connected to the line, some jurisdictions object to labeling that position "Off" but are willing to allow it to be labeled "Stand-by."

 

WJI

So it is a regional variant, then?

 

    dZ.

[Walter Ives]

On 7/6/2023 at 10:12 AM, DZ-Jay said:

So it is a regional variant, then?

That would be my inference too, but I was careful to not so state. I can imagine, for example, if Australia required that labeling in Australia and England didn't care one way or the other, Radofin might balance its inventory of labels by sending some units so labeled to England, which would constitute an exception. I don't know that Mattel would have allowed that, but Valeski certainly would have. However, I don't know more than I originally stated.

 

WJI