Simple question: Atari cart size

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:06 am

I KNOW I've already asked this question... I'm NOT crazy... I don't think...

But I searched and searched, and I couldn't find anything. What are the dimensions (in inches) of an Atari 2600 cartridge? Thanks.

Rain

A.J. Franzman · Post by **A.J. Franzman** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 8:36 pm

13/16" thick by
3 1/4" wide by
3 7/8" long

I think some of the later (red label) carts are slightly thicker, and don't fit well in certain consoles (heavy sixer and 7800 IIRC). {EDIT: not the 7800}

Of course, you should allow for 3rd-party carts too, which came in many different shapes and lengths. Imagic, M-Network/INTV, Xonox, Konami, U.S. Games/Vidtec and other carts are longer than standard Atari carts. There are some carts shorter than Atari's too but that shouldn't be a problem. Some even have odd bits sticking out here and there (Sega "grip" style, Xonox) which can cause problems too.

A.J. Franzman · Post by **A.J. Franzman** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 12:55 am

Sorry, I got that slightly wrong - the 7800 cart port is not a problem with the slightly-thicker carts, AFAIK only the 6-switch 2600 consoles (heavy or light) have trouble with them.

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:09 am

Yeah, I know this thread is old, but it's still on the first page, and I had another question regarding the size.

Were those inside or outside dimensions? Before when I asked, I only needed to know the general dimensions. Now I need exacts. Can you give me the exact width and length of the INSIDE of a cart? I know, probably not... it's not like you have a clapper.

But like, down to the 1/8 or 1/16 inch so? (Or cm, I can do cm.) Thanks.

A.J. Franzman · Post by **A.J. Franzman** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 1:59 pm

Electric Rain wrote:Were those inside or outside dimensions?

Outside, of course! For the inside (why on Earth would you need to know this, anyway?!), just grab yourself one of your ultra-common Combat or Pac-Man carts and open it up! Nobody cares if you destroy one (or even several thousand) of those!

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 2:02 pm

A.J. Franzman wrote:(why on Earth would you need to know this, anyway?!)

Secret.

jeep · Post by **jeep** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 2:11 pm

A.J. Franzman wrote:
Electric Rain wrote:Were those inside or outside dimensions?
Outside, of course! For the inside (why on Earth would you need to know this, anyway?!), just grab yourself one of your ultra-common Combat or Pac-Man carts and open it up! Nobody cares if you destroy one (or even several thousand) of those!

Or why not buy a brand new E.T for that ?

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:47 pm

I was going to, actually. I saw one for $.25 on eBay. Apparently, it's "A great, "must-have" classic for your Atari." ...Says the eBay seller.

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:29 am

Here's something weird I found on a wall at a house I used to rent, it's a heat sensor housing for central heating:

Why am I showing you this? Because it fits perfectly into an Atari 2600 Jr port! It measures 8cm wide by 2cm thick, which is only slightly thicker than a proper Atari cart. It's about 2cm shorter than a normal Atari cart, but that wouldnt' matter considering how short the PCBs are. Not sure if it fits into a six switcher though. These housings are very cheap in England.

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:44 pm

Too bad I live in the US.

It's no big deal, really. I've already got the outside dimensions, so I'll just have to buy a cart off eBay from here. I need one anyway...

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:29 am

It's a fairly universal housing, I'd be very surprised if you couldn't get one from somewhere like Radio Shack in the US.

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:18 am

To be honest, I need an actual Atari cart. It's more of a cosmetic thing than a size thing. I'm going for something like, "Whoa, cool! He put that in an Atari 2600 Cart!" Know what I mean?

I'm not going to tell anyone what I'm planning, just like usual, because I don't want anyone stealing my idea. But, of course, I'll show everyone once I finish it.