Versions of the VIC-20

History and Preservation Issues

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srowe
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by srowe »

I've created a Google Form that can be used to collect this information easily.

https://goo.gl/forms/Wvq4RlCQBN4IM1er2
Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

Awesome :)

Where does the submitted info get stored?

I think we should eventually paste the info into the Denial wiki because things hosted elsewhere always seem to go dead after a couple of years!

Maybe I will store it all in Practicalc :) We should eat our own dogfood!
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srowe
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by srowe »

Bobbi wrote: Where does the submitted info get stored?
It goes into a Google spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing
Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

Cool. I will put my two in there later - expecting one to arrive today from ebay :)
Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

I put my two machines in.

I would suggest you also add a field allowing the date codes on the ICs to be recorded.

Most VIC-20s are no longer with their original owner and even if they were we can not reliably remember purchase dates (usually.) I think my original VIC must have been Xmas '82, but that machine has long passed to other hands. However we can all record date codes (format 5081, where 50 is the week and 81 the year.) That way it is possible to roughly correlate serial numbers with production dates.

My CR on the other hand is a 1983 machine (and even so, it has the old case and an adaptor to mount the CR board in the old case.)
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srowe
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by srowe »

Bobbi wrote:I put my two machines in.
Thanks!
I would suggest you also add a field allowing the date codes on the ICs to be recorded.
Will do, I didn't want to assume people were happy to open up their VICs.
Most VIC-20s are no longer with their original owner and even if they were we can not reliably remember purchase dates (usually.) I think my original VIC must have been Xmas '82, but that machine has long passed to other hands. However we can all record date codes (format 5081, where 50 is the week and 81 the year.) That way it is possible to roughly correlate serial numbers with production dates.
I still have my warranty card with the date my Mum bought it. Good idea though for those that don't remember. Shall I just collect dates for CPU, VIC, VIA?
My CR on the other hand is a 1983 machine (and even so, it has the old case and an adaptor to mount the CR board in the old case.)
Interesting, perhaps there should be a separate record of mainboard type and power connector?
Boray
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Boray »

Note that many Vic-20s you buy today probably are put together from different machines, making this a difficult task. One of my CR machines is in an older non-CR-case for example.
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Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

Yes it is true - there are lots of frankenstein's monsters out there!

My CR machine has a non CR case too, but I think it came from the factory that way because there is a metal adaptor plate to allow the new board to fit in the old case.
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srowe
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by srowe »

I've added date codes to the form, you should be able to update your entry. If not let me know the codes and your serial number and I'll do it manually.
Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

For V059443, the date codes are as follows:
CPU 5081
VIAs 4781, 5081
VIC 5081
Kakemoms
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Kakemoms »

Bobbi wrote: Jogi's list is at http://nemetzpower.de/Denial/Jogi.pdf

I tried to make a start, focusing on the PET-style keyboard machines.

J) 101519, 104419 (Japan)
N1/N2) 505599, 515986, 520314, 532337 (all Japan)
N1/N2) V0016318, V0081396, V0086373 (all US)
P1/P2) WG0000427, WG0000505, WG0000908, WGA0005832, WGA0007142,
WGA0007180, WGA0008594, WGA0009945, WGA0010763, WGA0012011,
WGA0012088, WGB0008008, WGB0012906, WGB0013269, WGB0014395,
WGB0085453 (seems an outlier), WGC0000543, WGC0000691, WGC0001056,
WGC0040947, WGC0041038, WGC0059533

So we know production of the early PSK machines occurred in Japan (with two different mainboard variants?), in the US and in West Germany at least. Japan made at least 32k PSK machines (excluding VIC-1001), US at least 86k and West Germany seems to have at least 12k+14k+60k=86k (weird coincidence!)
My Vic-20 (bought in the US in January this year) has a serial 504543, Made in Japan with 3/81 (March 1981) manufacturing date inside. More info in this thread with more early serials/pcb numbers.

As the manufacturing rate was more than 1000 machines/month, my guess is that the first serial 50xxxx rolled off the Japanese manufacturing line around December 1980/January 1981. Jack probably took the decision to sell them after CES 1981 (January), but they may have been made before that.
dragos
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by dragos »

I have an early VIC-20 with the FCC warning sticker:

Imageimage by markgladson, on Flickr

Serial number is pretty high:

Imageimage by markgladson, on Flickr

The VIC chip is REALLY OLD:

Imageimage by markgladson, on Flickr

and here is a shot of the whole board:

Imageimage by markgladson, on Flickr

The joystick port is interesting:

Imageimage by markgladson, on Flickr

The part number is 1001006 rev e

it is (c) 1980 :)
0110 0110 0110 The number of the beast...
Bobbi
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Re: Versions of the VIC-20

Post by Bobbi »

That is a very nice early machine with the VIC-1001-derived mainboard.
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