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How to determine the age of a NES?

Sep 27 at 10:56:02 AM
GWRO (0)

< Cherub >
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I just picked up a NES few days ago, and have been wondering the age of it.

Here's my serial no. for reference: PE2500672

Thanks in advance!

Sep 27 at 1:50:19 PM
SNESNESCUBE64 (42)
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(Halloween Yoshi) < Lolo Lord >
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I do it based on the latest date on any chips on the pcb. They should all have a date code in the format of "yyww". For example, a date code of 8849 implies that the chip was manufactured on the 49th week of 1988. This method is not exact, as it will have been made AFTER the latest date, but this method is a good gauge in my opinion. Serial numbers, although in order, do not provide any form of date. Also, welcome to the forum!

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Sep 27 at 4:11:42 PM
phart010 (8)
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(Paul Hart) < Meka Chicken >
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Originally posted by: SNESNESCUBE64

I do it based on the latest date on any chips on the pcb. They should all have a date code in the format of "yyww". For example, a date code of 8849 implies that the chip was manufactured on the 49th week of 1988. This method is not exact, as it will have been made AFTER the latest date, but this method is a good gauge in my opinion. Serial numbers, although in order, do not provide any form of date. Also, welcome to the forum!
Maybe NES serial numbers don’t contain date information. But serial numbers as a generalization may or may not depending on the numbering scheme

 

Sep 27 at 4:20:08 PM
SNESNESCUBE64 (42)
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(Halloween Yoshi) < Lolo Lord >
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Originally posted by: phart010

Originally posted by: SNESNESCUBE64

I do it based on the latest date on any chips on the pcb. They should all have a date code in the format of "yyww". For example, a date code of 8849 implies that the chip was manufactured on the 49th week of 1988. This method is not exact, as it will have been made AFTER the latest date, but this method is a good gauge in my opinion. Serial numbers, although in order, do not provide any form of date. Also, welcome to the forum!
Maybe NES serial numbers don't contain date information. But serial numbers as a generalization may or may not depending on the numbering scheme

 

I think the serial numbers are sequential in the sense that there is NES #1 and NES #2, but thats relative still. It's a safe assumption that lower serial number NES systems are earlier ones, but they made millions of those things over a period of 10 years or so.

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Y-akuza
O-perations
S-ecure
H-is
I-ncome

Sep 27 at 4:20:33 PM
Foochie776 (240)
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Cut it open and count the rings

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May the force be with you.

Sep 27 at 4:35:23 PM
phart010 (8)
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Originally posted by: SNESNESCUBE64
 
Originally posted by: phart010
 
Originally posted by: SNESNESCUBE64

I do it based on the latest date on any chips on the pcb. They should all have a date code in the format of "yyww". For example, a date code of 8849 implies that the chip was manufactured on the 49th week of 1988. This method is not exact, as it will have been made AFTER the latest date, but this method is a good gauge in my opinion. Serial numbers, although in order, do not provide any form of date. Also, welcome to the forum!
Maybe NES serial numbers don't contain date information. But serial numbers as a generalization may or may not depending on the numbering scheme

 

I think the serial numbers are sequential in the sense that there is NES #1 and NES #2, but thats relative still. It's a safe assumption that lower serial number NES systems are earlier ones, but they made millions of those things over a period of 10 years or so.
I don’t know a thing about NES serial numbers. The point I was trying to make is that serial numbers for other non NES products may possibly contain date codes. Every manufacturer has a different code system for serial numbers. I work for a manufacturing company and our product serial numbers actually tell you the date that the product was made as well as the count of that particular product that was made on that day

 

Sep 27 at 10:27:18 PM
JamesRobot (22)
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(JamsGobot ) < King Solomon >
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Originally posted by: GWRO

How to determine the age of a NES?

Indeed. How does one determine a NintendoAge?

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Sep 27 at 10:41:47 PM
Tyree_Cooper (37)
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Don't know about NES, but be careful with serials. They may be sequential, but if they are not, you can have lower serial consoles which are actually produced after later serials. This is the case for Sega Saturn since serials are relative to models/revisions/regions.

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Sep 27 at 11:38:17 PM
MuNKeY (151)
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Originally posted by: JamesRobot
 
Originally posted by: GWRO

How to determine the age of a NES?

Indeed. How does one determine a NintendoAge?


 

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Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.

 

Sep 28 at 10:11:38 AM
quest4nes (147)
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Carbon dating

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NES  646 (331 Manuals 319 Boxes)
Wii U 158
SNES 311
N64  189
Original Gameboy 48
 


Sep 29 at 9:01:31 AM
GWRO (0)

< Cherub >
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Are the dates of specific ranges known? Like 0 to 1mil on NA NES systems are generally test market units and thus were produced either in 1985 or 1986.

Sep 29 at 11:42:38 AM
ALTQQ (79)
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(I've lost my television remote do you know where i Should look?) < King Solomon >
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Put it in your fireplace, if the smoke is black then it is from 1985 to 1991.

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I lost my television remote, have you seen it?

Sep 30 at 11:52:05 AM
AirVillain (15)
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I cannot help.

But this raises an even bigger issue. You should have "an" before NES. Unless you're some whacko saying "ness".    

Jokes. But yes... shoud be "How do I determine the age of an NES." or "...age of a Nintendo (Entertainment System)"   

 
Originally posted by: JamesRobot
 
Originally posted by: GWRO

How to determine the age of a NES?

Indeed. How does one determine a NintendoAge?

Those who knew are long gone with their pockets lined with our hard work and dedication to only important NES information. 

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AirVillain    
"Way cool, dude!"

Sep 30 at 12:41:41 PM
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Gloves (110)
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Little known fact: if you chop it down the middle you'll actually find that it has rings going all the way around on the inside. Each ring represents roughly a year of life, so if you count the rings you should know within a 3 or so year variance how old the NES is.

When people "clean" their old yellowed NES consoles they're actually rubbing away the rings. This is actually damaging and research shows that it physically hurts the NES. Some have actually been recorded making tiny whimpering noises during the process, and scientists have determined that it is in fact crying.

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Edited: 09/30/2019 at 12:44 PM by Gloves

Sep 30 at 12:44:10 PM
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sadikyo (89)
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(Sadik Yo) < King Solomon >
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Originally posted by: Gloves

Little known fact: if you chop it down the middle you'll actually find that it has rings going all the way around on the inside. Each ring represents roughly a year of life, so if you count the rings you should know within a 3 or so year variance how old the NES is. When people "clean" their old yellowed NES consoles there actually rubbing away the rings. This is actually damaging and research shows that it physically hurts the NES. Some have actually been recorded making tiny whimpering noises during the process, and scientists have determined that it is in fact crying.
Foochie beat you to the punch man! Look above  

 

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Sep 30 at 12:45:19 PM
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Gloves (110)
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Originally posted by: sadikyo

Originally posted by: Gloves

Little known fact: if you chop it down the middle you'll actually find that it has rings going all the way around on the inside. Each ring represents roughly a year of life, so if you count the rings you should know within a 3 or so year variance how old the NES is. When people "clean" their old yellowed NES consoles there actually rubbing away the rings. This is actually damaging and research shows that it physically hurts the NES. Some have actually been recorded making tiny whimpering noises during the process, and scientists have determined that it is in fact crying.
Foochie beat you to the punch man! Look above  

 





Bitch I ain't reading a whole-ass thread get outta here.

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Edited: 09/30/2019 at 12:45 PM by Gloves