ByteRot :: Magnavox Odyssey 100 Teardown

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Magnavox Odyssey 100 Teardown

Device	Magnavox Odyssey 100
Difficulty	Moderate
Time	No estimate
Steps	8

This guide is by Andrew Bookholt on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

The Magnavox Odyssey was the world's first home game console. The machine, designed by Ralph Baer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Baer) (the father of video games), was released in 1972. This particular machine is the Odyssey 100 -- the immediate successor to that groundbreaking console. Join us as we take a journey back in time to 1975 and peek inside one of the great forefathers of the video game industry.

This system represented Magnavox' attempt to simplify a video game system into as few components as possible. As a result, the Odyssey 100 contained four integrated circuits and included on-board controls. The end result was one of the simplest consoles of all time.

Tools: 6-in-1 Screwdriver; Socket Wrench

Step 1

• The Magnavox Odyssey 100 was nothing short of awesome (for 1975):
    • Black & White graphics
    • Two games! (tennis and hockey)
    • Manual scoring
    • Three control knobs for each player
    • On-board "sound"
• Here's some screen shots of tennis and hockey. Can you guess which one is which?

Step 2

• The Odyssey 100 had an extremely simple design. The controls include:
    • Control knobs (X, Y, and ball trajectory)
    • Manual scoreboard sliders
    • I/O and game select switches
    • Wall position and game speed knobs
• That's quite the departure from today's DualShock 3 (https://www.ifixit.com/Topic/DualShock_3) controller, which has two analog sticks, a d-pad, and 13 buttons.
• Let's see what's inside...

Step 3

• This thing is covered by at least four US patents. Who knew?
• Something you don't see too frequently nowadays... Made in USA!
• A single flathead screw is all that holds the bottom panel to the Odyssey 100.
• The lower case can be lifted off to reveal...

Step 4

• ... A cardboard [!] shield.
• Apparently the Odyssey 100 does not have any user-serviceable parts inside. Only one way to find out...
• At this point, the battery holder for six "C" cell batteries is visible.
• The Odyssey 100 had the option of being powered by either an external wall adapter or by batteries.
• Also visible at this point are the potentiometers used to adjust various parameters such as right wall position, goal position, and vertical/horizontal frequency. Who needs automatic adjustments anyway?
• The cardboard shield can be easily removed to reveal the back of the board.

Step 5

• The back of the board is relatively featureless due to the use of through-hole components.
• A couple hex-head screws firmly hold the board to the upper case. Apparently Magnavox didn't want it escaping from its home.
• After pulling off the six control knobs, the upper case can be lifted right off the board.

Step 6

• The board is interesting in that it is has a single layer of conductive traces connecting all the components. Contrast this to modern circuit boards, which can sometimes have eight [!] PCB layers.
• The larger components on the board include:
    • RF modulator
    • Buzzer
    • ICs provided by Texas Instruments. These 16 pin DIPs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_in-line_package) are quite the departure from TI's OMAP 3630 (http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/Isy3EsvPnj1xLCUB.huge) found in the Droid 2. The logo is still just as cool, though.

Step 7

• It's also interesting to note that the Odyssey 100 utilized discrete circuitry. Magnavox had proposed a single chip design for the Odyssey 100, but wanted a device able to be released immediately even if Texas Instruments didn't deliver the chips on time. A single chip design would be one of the improvements found in the Odyssey 200.
• NOTE: The discrete design of the circuit explains the many external jumper wires and through-hole components found on the board.

Step 8

• In a matter of just seven steps, the the unbelievably-easy-to-disassemble Odyssey 100 remains torn asunder.
• We haven't heard too many requests for repair parts for this console, but we do have a brand new game console parts store (https://www.ifixit.com/Game-Console-Parts) to help keep your (slightly more modern) consoles running.
• Keep an eye on our teardown (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown) page or blog (https://www.ifixit.com/blog) for a detailed look at another retro game console tomorrow!

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