Atari 2600 Field Service Manual page 15

SUMMARY
The VCS is
a
microcomputer t h a t receives its operational instructions from s a m e
cartridges, the game console, and player controllers. The 2600 switchboard and
motherboard assemblies a r e housed within an o u t e r casting and a r e t h e principle
assemblies addressed in t h e remainder of this manual. The boards a r e connected by a
12-conductor ribbon cable which passes not only power, but also d a t a between t h e t w o
boards.
Three chips of t h e n o t h e r b o a r d allow for t h e interaction between t h e game and t h e
player. These
chips a r e t h e microprocessor (MPU), t h e Random Access Memory-
Input/Output (RAM I/O), and the
Television Interface Adapter (TIA) chips.
The 2600A model differs primarily in t h e location of
the
components formerly located
on t h e switchboard. They a r e a t t a c h e d directly t o t h e motherboard and eliminate t h e
need for t h e switchboard and the ribbon cable. The 2600A Revisions 14 and up include
even
further additional components to improve t h e performance of t h e o u t p u t
circuitry.
2600/2600A Domestic VCS