AtariLeaf Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 There was another thread debating the merits of whether to mod or not, particularily when it comes to replacing parts that could be on the verge of dying, so it got me thinking, these machines are 20 - 25 years old. All things being equal, if an original unmodded 2600 is kept in good, clean condition, how long should or could it last? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Keeping it in good condition helps in longtivity, but it all comes down to how long the internal components can last. perfect example, i have a dead atari 2600 jr that looks new, but i have a promotional atari 2600A that is beat up to hell, corner looks like its melted, one difficulty switch is broken, it randomly shuts off, the power switch needs to be replaced (it randomly turns black and white until you move the power switch), the select button is crapped out, but it runs fine. Unfortunately I got the atari in that condition, I'm working on fixing it up, although i can't do anything about the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Well, I still have my original 70s 2600 and the only thing that went out are the on/off switch from me frying it too much and where the psu plugs in from me frying it too much that way after the on/off switch started to go out :-) otherwise, still 100% to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolt Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I've picked up various 2600s in all kinds of good and not-so-good shape, and I never found one that didn't fire up when I plugged a game into it. They'll outlive everyone on this board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIPITBULL Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I second that! I have about 12 atari 2600 systems and they all work just fine, I have yet to have a dead system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dykesr Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I agree i have several systems including several 77 heavy sixers and i haven't had a problem with any of them fired of the first time i used them and everytime since. RD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONY ATARI Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 A few years ago I had to ret rid of my original Atari from when i was a kid because the port where you plug in the joysticks went bad. It got worse and worse. You had put pressure down on the thing thats plugged into it inorder for the joystick to work. Eventually it got to the point wher it wouldnt work anymore at all, and without being able to use the joystick, well, i dont remember what i did w/ the thing. Perhaps it's in my parents attic still. I currently use my Heavy 6 switch Telegames system. But it has problems of its own. It goes out black and white or goes out looking crappy unless i giggle the clor/bW switch a little. In time, they all will eventually stop working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 A few years ago I had to ret rid of my original Atari from when i was a kid because the port where you plug in the joysticks went bad. It got worse and worse. You had put pressure down on the thing thats plugged into it inorder for the joystick to work. Eventually it got to the point wher it wouldnt work anymore at all, and without being able to use the joystick, well, i dont remember what i did w/ the thing. Perhaps it's in my parents attic still. New joystick port = not more than $2I currently use my Heavy 6 switch Telegames system. But it has problems of its own. It goes out black and white or goes out looking crappy unless i giggle the clor/bW switch a little. Either clean the switch on the inside (with contact cleaner, or by taking the switch apart) or just get a new switch. 2600's are easily fixed, so unless all the specialty mask rom chips (tia, riot, cpu) go out at the same time all over the world they will always be repairable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuzenTCA Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I have an Atari and it dosn't work, for reasons unknow I quess. I took it apart and it looks as if a kindergardener tryed to mod it. It was all f-up. I still have an original heavy sixer working fine and my original 7800, though I hate both power packs. Nothing is wrong with them but they are very hard to replace if they go bad, so I did a couple mods. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 2600s are the cockroach of the console world :-) they will love forever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 damn lack of edit! i meant LIVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breakpack Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Forever:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InanimateCarbonRod Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Look at it this way. Even though the systems will eventually die, by the time that day comes, emulation will be so well done that owning an actual console would be for display purposes only anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highinfidelity Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 AAAARRRGH!!! Okay, let's make believe that I never read that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keilbaca Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 AAAARRRGH!!! Okay, let's make believe that I never read that. I second that. They just don't die. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 AAAARRRGH!!! Okay, let's make believe that I never read that. I second that. They just don't die. Period. Well, mask roms DO die eventually (proven by how many people complain about having bad games) and that is what the atari contains. So they will start slowly dying one by one, but some will most likely last longer than any of us will be on this earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Tomlin Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Mask-ROMs may die, just as any chip might, but they won't rot like EPROMs do. Even fuse-PROMs and fuse-PALs can suffer from rot, if the blown fuses start to re-crystallize just enough to conduct randomly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian M Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 The other thing that will eventually happen is the caps on the system board will dry out. Obviously, as you can see by the fact that most Pong systems (which predate the VCS) are still operational, this will take some time. But sooner or later, components will begin to fail naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 I have many 2600 consoles, of varying age and variety, and out of the over 50 units I've had at one time or another, I think only one of them would not power up. The most common problem I see are switch-related, and sometimes bad controller ports. The other common problem I see is bad power supplies. It will be interesting to see another 25 years from now if this hardware generally continues to operate without problems. I hope so!! ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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