2600 Pitfall with strange IC or EEPROM on board (now with more comparison pictures!)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I've had this version of Pitfall for the 2600 for years, and I've never been able to get an educated/expert examination of it.

I had almost forgotten about it until now, so lets take a look at it.

Everything is normal. Normal case, normal label, normal software, EXCEPT for the board ... there seems to be an EEPROM (or IC) on it!

I looked at every single one of my other Activision games, and none of them (including another copy of Pitfall) have an IC/EEPROM on the board.

Any idea what this is all about? And most importantly, does it increase the value by a dollar or anything interesting?

Take a look:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1432.jpg

NORMAL!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1435.jpg

OMGWTF IC/EEPROM!?

[Jimmy Yakapucci]

I am not trying to be stupid, but how can you tell from the picture that it has an EEPROM? Some sort of IC, sure, but how can you tell that it is an EEPROM?

JY

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I am not trying to be stupid, but how can you tell from the picture that it has an EEPROM? Some sort of IC, sure, but how can you tell that it is an EEPROM?

JY

Okay, point taken - IC or EEPROM, whatever it is it's not a common occurrence in that area of an Activision cartridge board.

[udisi]

looks to me that you're just missing the dust cover in the bottom of the cartrige...I could be wrong though.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

looks to me that you're just missing the dust cover in the bottom of the cartrige...I could be wrong though.

Nope. Activision carts don't have the spring-lock security/dust cover.

I swear this is some type of rare anomaly! Anybody have any ideas?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Well, you could post a picture of another Pitfall cart so we can see the difference...

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Alrighty then.

Here we have my strange "chipped" copy of Pitfall, a copy of Skiing, and a "normal / non-chipped" version of Pitfall.

And, Philip J Fry.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1436.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1438.jpg

Chips Ahoy!!!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1439.jpg

Plenty of Skiing action ... but no foreign chips in sight.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/DSCF1440.jpg

Where's my sweet chippy? Not in this copy of Pitfall Harry's Jungle Adventure ... and remember - ONE PLAYER AT A TIME USING THE LEFT JOYSTICK ... DAMNIT!!

I've got like 60 or 70 other Activision games in my Atari collection...and none of them have one of those mystery chips! I wonder if it's like ... David Crane's living will in there or something.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Maybe it's from an early production run which had the chips outside the plastic case?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Maybe it's from an early production run which had the chips outside the plastic case?

That's a thought.

Or some type of variant chipset layout production run from a different factory ...

... though, I'd love to have more than a guess to go on.

[Vectorman0]

I would guess it's simply a revised version of the game. Maybe it is only a PCB revision to cut costs or use readily available parts for another run, though it could be a different version of the actual game image with a bug fix or something like that.

[megamaniaman]

My guess is that you have a production flaw. I just think the cart was snapped shut with the chip hanging outside the cart instead of inside.

[Blitzwing256]

i'd suggest dumping the the cart and seeing if it matches the previously dumped version

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

i'd suggest dumping the the cart and seeing if it matches the previously dumped version

If I ever come across the hardware to do that, I absolutely will.

And, there's no way that it's just the cartridge case being "snapped shut" differently, as the board is not loose, long, or short, it's seated at the same position as any other cart.

[InsaneDavid]

is it possible that early releases used standard IC's while later releases used the glob top that most things manufactured to save cost use? This became common in massively released NES cartridges and Pitfall! was a crazy seller in its day.