Back in the mid-80s, grandpa had a 2600. One weekend I went over to stay the night and he had acquired a Colecovision. I spent more time playing Smurfs than Pitfall after that. I did not know this existed. Thanks for the memories and sharing this.
The 2600 adaptor for the Colecovision is a self contained unit on its own. There are videos of modding the device to accept 9v DC on its own and output composite video and audio. All it's missing is the RF modulator.
Ben: Jumps through hoops to provide power to the expansion board. Also Ben: Meh. I don't have the power supply for the ColecoVision so I can't test it.
The reason the master system looks like a colecovision upgraded is because it's antecessor SEGA SG-1000 was almost a pumped up colecovision clone. When the SG-1000 failed against NES, SEGA upgraded it to the SEGA Mark III (Master System), too little too late, at least on USA and Japan, here on Brazil and in Europe it had space to enter the market. The Mark III is retro-compatible with the SG-1000 so they kept the basic design. Also, the Game Gear is a Master System, so the colecovision legacy somehow lived many years after colecovision leaving the market.
The SG-1000 wasn't even "pumped up"...it was actually a cut down, cheapened copy of the Colecovision hardware without an expansion port or any BIOS ROM. That is one possible reason some SG-1000 games don't look as visually impressive as Coleco equivalents despite being similar hardware and game ROM sizes--the Coleco games could use less memory and code by calling OS7 BIOS service routines whereas the SG-1000 games needed to include more "boilerplate" code. Having that BIOS could easily reduce amount of code in a cartridge by 20+ percent. This is also why there are more aftermarket ports of SG-1000 games to Coleco than the other way around...because there is no BIOS in SG-1000 the games could possibly run on Coleco simply by remapping memory/IO addresses. In many if not most cases Coleco games do BIOS calls which means SG-1000 ports would have to include equivalent chunks of Coleco OS7 BIOS which is more work.
The +12V is b+ for the video output amplifier. Its output voltage is biased to work with the CV modulator. The -5V is a pull-down so you can still use the ColecoVision controllers in the Atari module.
Also, if you spent time on AtariAge, I'm surprised you didn't run across the collection of ColecoVision-related schematics that also include the expansion module 1.
When I was a kid we bought a Coleco ADAM computer (the "complete" version, not the "Expansion Module 3" one that plugged into a stand-alone ColecoVision) at KB Toys for something like $100 after Coleco imploded because, hey, my mom bought the argument that it was cheaper than a typewriter. They also had these 2600 modules for practically nothing so... yeah, I confirmed they work plugged into an ADAM too. I guess what really made it funny in retrospect was the ADAM had composite monitor support which we actually used (had a Leading Edge "Gorilla" monitor hooked up to it), so I got to be the kid that played their 2600 games in living high-persistence green monochrome.
Coleco also made a stand-alone Atari 2600 clone, the Gemini. We had one when I was a kid. I would guess it has nearly the same hardware as the Colecovision 2600 adapter
You've been producing killer content lately. First a video about the TI-58 programmable calculator and PC100 thermal printer, then repairing a Sega Master System, and now you're covering the Colecovision expansion module #1. I need to repair a couple of these, and I'm currently working on my broken Master System thanks to you.
Coleco did not win the case against Atari but was settled out of court after Atari appealed the first ruling. Coleco had to pay royalties to Atari since the Coleco's TIA chip was a re-spin of the original TIA chip from a three party company that had the plans to the TIA chip. Multiple second-source chip business requirements. Like the Sally (6502C w/ HALT pin) chip was made by three companies and not always by MOS.
i just sold a colecovision with one of those adapters a month ago. those adapters seem like they are sought after but most people were not wanting to give me a fair amount for it so i sold it with the colecovision for what i thought was a fair price. most people were offering me less than the un-tested units on ebay were going for even tho i was able to prove it worked. the tested units were going for more than i was asking after you have to deal with shipping.
Nice. I am pretty sure back then they removed the Crystal and added the awkward connectivity, to try and prevent a company from making a simple edge connector dongle that would have made this as a stand alone 2600 unit.
Thank you for all the cool videos over this holiday Ben - really brightens up these cold, dark, dreary days. (That's not melancholy - I just live in England)
FWIW: The TMS 9918 usually has a composite in that's fed to the background plane - a sort of primitive genlock. PS: As the years have gone by I've become quite the fan of those Ti VDP's, their composite input, and their dedicated RAM. It makes adding colour GFX and sprites to systems that otherwise don't support such functionality really easy... and as Ti's chips were used a good deal bending old hardware to support other systems isn't too hard. My modded Coleco ADAM and a very hacked about Amstrad PCW make use of this.
2 ปีที่แล้ว +1
My family had a Coleco Vision, my uncle had it, it died when its power supply died, it was a sad moment for all of us. Hope to see more videos about it.
Happy holidays. Fantastic video. I am an 80s kid and I do remember having this combo unit. Good memories. I gave this combo unit away to a friend the reason for me is too physically gigantic to stored away when not in used and since my friend started collecting older games of this erra I said to him enjoy it. Also,I hated the original joysticks. It breaks easy. Can't wait for your follow-up video. Take care.
Used to have both the ColecoVision & the expansion Module #1. Not sure if we purchased both together, (perhaps as part of some deal the store was having at the same time) or purchased the Module later. But man, imagine if hardware manufacturers today had the guts to do something like this! Technically, they could, I'm sure. But hardware manufacturers wouldn't allow them to get away w/it. Having said that, you can play several generations of console (& arcade) games on your Xbox One & Xbox Series S|X via emulation - thru "developer mode". Now, if only if MicroSoft or some 3rd party publisher allowed the mass-market to purchase a cross-gen emulator that played your ROMs, that'd be amazing. 🤩
This is how I play Atari 2600 in that sweet Composite instead of RF(Coleco is way easier to mod then 2600 for Composite). Wish there was an adapter for the 5200 or 7800. There was a rumored 5200? version or maybe 7800 in the works but never released....
15:41 More like those aftermarket devices that allow playing NES, Genesis and GBA games on SNES. Those used the host console as a power supply. The Super Game Boy did have SOME interaction with its host and actually did store data, for like some graphics and sound enhancement as well as single-unit multiplayer for games that cared to program support for it. The US and EU Space Invaders could even load a SNES port of the game into the console RAM and run it. (I assume it was somehow different from the actual SNES cartridge version.)
I still have a working colecovision with the Atari expansion module. If it’s plugged in it plays the Atari 2600 games without the colecovision intro screen
I love the content that is just exploration - victories are nice, but I enjoy watching you move through the questions as you go. Still needs more Bud attacks/hijinks and singing, though.
I have a rare Columbia Home Arcade...Which was only available through mail order, for a short time.. It needs controller ports repaired.. Really love to have the legend of Ben Heck repair this. Heard of you!! Maybe do a video of it?? Pay you well, I live in RC, WI 53581
I don't know the exact chronology, but at some point someone realised that it didn't actually need the Colecovision at all, and thus, Coleco's Atari VCS clone the Gemini was born.
I encountered a very similar problem working with a TMS9918. The chip output the correct signal format, but the signal would instantly attenuate whenever I tried to plug it into the TV. Eventually, I realized that the chip was meant to have an additional transistor between the 9928 and the video out. That might be your issue. The colecovision probably has it's own output transistor that isn't included in the 2600 'adapter'.
i found two of them. i not 100% sure i think i picked them up at goodwill back in the mid 90's. i also got an Atari 2600 adapter for the Intellivision II as well.
Comparison with the Game Boy Color is not entirely apt. It had a ROM that ran on the Super Nintendo, and many GB cartridges had code and data for enhancements that could be produced only by the SNES, such as extra colors, quality sound and custom borders, or even two players on one screen.
I’ve started collecting arcade games a few years ago but this past year I’ve taken a deep dive into retro consoles I played in the 80’s lots of Atari games and intellivision’s in various conditions including the intellivision 2. One problem I have noticed is how the labels mould on the Atari games I’ll eventually find a solution for that tho. I also picked up the Vectrex which I never knew existed until recently
Rubber cement works pretty well when re-attaching the labels to games that Activision made for the 2600. You could also use a glue stick on the end labels for the cartridges, but the effectiveness of that method tends to vary.
I had a ColecoVision (no game adapter, though) as a kid. The Coleco controllers were absolutely terrible - not debounced properly and gritty as all hell. Still loved it because at the time, I didn't know any better. :)
The CV is my fave system! Just cleaned up the ADAM computer recently and was playing with it. *Some* of the cassettes still work... Coleco also made the 'Gemini' which was a standalone clone of the 2600 so it was probably very similar to what's inside this expansion you open.
The Gemini used the exact same TIA clone but the board was a completely different design in order to incorporate the colourburst crystal and an RF modulator. Also the Gemini board was *single sided* with the traces and mask only on the bottom. The component side was blank beige with no traces--wherever the traces had to cross on the bottom side they put through holes and ran jumper wires on the component side (the through holes weren't even plated through). The contruction of the Gemini was definitely very simplified from the original 2600.
@@Roanokekidstech Ya, my printer still works and i even have a working ribbon cartridge, but its so loud and slow. mainly just a large heavy toy now for printing out high score lists on the few games that support it. builing your own psu is a good idea.
I've been lucky in that I've been around since the dawn of video games. Built my first computer in the 1970s. I've kept every console and computer I've bought. And yet during the mid 1980s I needed a new motorbike, and I sold my Vectrex and ColecoVision and I've regretted it ever since. I can't get a Vectrex as the prices are ridiculous, but I really miss the ColecoVision and I just can't find one decent enough (I'm British). I have seen more turn up of late but I would kill for one. Typical isn't it?
So since this is just a compositie video passthrough device to the Coleco, and we can pretty much 3d print anything these days, could make some interesting "adapters". You could take the easy route and emulate with an SBC, but to make it really cool use hardware... how many different "systems on a chip" exist these days? A NES adapter? a Genesis?
Someone on Atari Age made a breakout board. Plugs in, provides power and has AV out. I'm still not sure why this one isn't producing a valid composite signal.
Interestingly, the Colecovision is loosely based on the MSX computer system hardware. So, I guess that means the Master System is a loose evolution of the MSX hardware. FYI, they didn't win the lawsuit with Atari (they won a single case, and then settled out of court).
MSX is based on the Spectravideo computers. Spectravideo made a Colecovision adaptor for the computer and an MSX adaptor. MSX 2 is similar to the Sega Master System but with much better bitmap graphics and poorer sprite handling/scrolling facilities
Oh yea! My little brother's and I first console. Plug in buck rogers and frogger with paddles! The console even came with a Cabbage Patch doll for your sibblings or collectors to try to outsell competitors back then.
Your “Beef-asaurus Rex” comment made me think of your next electronics tear down movie pitch: the sequel to Jurassic Park is that they rename it to Jurassic Ranch once they realize the real money is in making exotic meat and dinosaurs are just raptors/ big birds and some might taste like chicken.
PETSCII was ported to everything 6502-based. And he said the Genesis, the one console I know was not 6502-based. Can't remember if it was announced for TurboGrafx-16, surely there's some fan out there who would take that as a coding challenge. (perhaps the one console I know where they prefer to acknowledge it exclusively by its Japanese name)
Hey Ben ,want to amaze ? You want to really WOW the crowds ? Then just two words ,, "SMS-PORTABLE", ,,of course with 2nd player support that is ,,, 😸😸👍👍
I had a friend who worked for the state atf. He was working an undercover case at a strip club buying drugs. After months on the case he had everything he needed for the prosecutor but he was doing another buy and the stripper asked if he was a cop, so he told her "as a matter fact I am. Also he's a cop too" (pointing to his partner) When they went to trial he testified that she asked if I was a cop and I replied yes.
The irony about it she took it as a joke and still sold him the drugs. He said he had already had everything in line to prosecute so if she would have backed down it wouldn't have mattered.
Something like rippling trap doors (to represent the movement of the robots) that you have to time your way through would be an interesting pinball element.
@@absalomdraconis I wouldn't be all that surprised if Ben had at least one kicking around in his draws. In fact you are right they were not that commonly used.. so if you did ever buy one they normally stick with you for life :-)
my first game system in the home was a colecovision, the second was a sega genesis, as I NES aged kid I have a love hate relation with it ... still want one though
I have one of these... and a few Colecos(with power cords !)... The Atari adapter does not work.. I never troubleshot it any bit, I will at some point...
Had this. Sold it. Finally let go of most of my consoles. Down to 5 consoles from 15 or so. If it can be emulated I sell it. I'm done. Can't hoard anymore. Lol.
Same, to an extent. I stopped buying disk based stuff because disk rot, and have started using SSD solutions for roms and use them on real hardware. Best of both worlds.
@@MediocreTCG nice. I see they do a lot with Amiga 500 and C64 too. I've tried Lemon Amiga...and Amiga Forever and Vice for C64 over the years also. C64 had like over 20,000 games in one set years ago. Lol. I don't have time in my lifetime to play with all of it. I wish. I still kept my Amiga 500 and C64. And a Pong console from 72. Wii. GameCube. Xbox. Xbox 360. Mostly with games I love and will play. SNES. NES. Overplayed those emulators in early 2000s. It's never ending. Not even touched Dreamcast yet and the many other consoles.
Given that you can literally fit anything commercially produced and distributed on either cartridge or floppy disk from practically any system available into like about 1-2 TB of HD space. Probably less. It get's a bit iffy though once optical media entered the scene.
Ohh yes.. the brain game episode… I remembered waiting for part 3.. was there a part 3? I think I miss that one.. Maybe one day you could do the same with 6502 cpu..
We have a ColecoVision with the same expansion module. I understand there were 3 module types made, total. Perhaps one or both of the others use the -5v rail?
That makes sense. I only ever saw the Atari 2600 one for sale anywhere. Do you know what the other two were and if they made it to market? (I'm guessing Intellivision was one of them whether or not it made it to market).
If this generates -5, and the colecovision does as well, could it be that it needs to so the coleco can access what it needs (the ram?), and it needs to be hooked up, because it's only 'half' a system.
![[MOD] "Stereo-ish" Sound Mod For The Atari VCS/2600](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fkI334q8dFQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Released in 1982, the Colecovision Expansion Module #1 sold for $175, which was about $50 more than an actual Atari 2600 at the time.
Remember to bridge that cut trace when you get around to testing it Ben.
I think he did, pretty sure there was a solder blob on it
Back in the mid-80s, grandpa had a 2600. One weekend I went over to stay the night and he had acquired a Colecovision. I spent more time playing Smurfs than Pitfall after that. I did not know this existed. Thanks for the memories and sharing this.
The 2600 adaptor for the Colecovision is a self contained unit on its own. There are videos of modding the device to accept 9v DC on its own and output composite video and audio. All it's missing is the RF modulator.
Ben: Jumps through hoops to provide power to the expansion board.
Also Ben: Meh. I don't have the power supply for the ColecoVision so I can't test it.
The reason the master system looks like a colecovision upgraded is because it's antecessor SEGA SG-1000 was almost a pumped up colecovision clone. When the SG-1000 failed against NES, SEGA upgraded it to the SEGA Mark III (Master System), too little too late, at least on USA and Japan, here on Brazil and in Europe it had space to enter the market. The Mark III is retro-compatible with the SG-1000 so they kept the basic design. Also, the Game Gear is a Master System, so the colecovision legacy somehow lived many years after colecovision leaving the market.
The SG-1000 wasn't even "pumped up"...it was actually a cut down, cheapened copy of the Colecovision hardware without an expansion port or any BIOS ROM. That is one possible reason some SG-1000 games don't look as visually impressive as Coleco equivalents despite being similar hardware and game ROM sizes--the Coleco games could use less memory and code by calling OS7 BIOS service routines whereas the SG-1000 games needed to include more "boilerplate" code. Having that BIOS could easily reduce amount of code in a cartridge by 20+ percent.
This is also why there are more aftermarket ports of SG-1000 games to Coleco than the other way around...because there is no BIOS in SG-1000 the games could possibly run on Coleco simply by remapping memory/IO addresses. In many if not most cases Coleco games do BIOS calls which means SG-1000 ports would have to include equivalent chunks of Coleco OS7 BIOS which is more work.
The +12V is b+ for the video output amplifier. Its output voltage is biased to work with the CV modulator. The -5V is a pull-down so you can still use the ColecoVision controllers in the Atari module.
Also, if you spent time on AtariAge, I'm surprised you didn't run across the collection of ColecoVision-related schematics that also include the expansion module 1.
When I was a kid we bought a Coleco ADAM computer (the "complete" version, not the "Expansion Module 3" one that plugged into a stand-alone ColecoVision) at KB Toys for something like $100 after Coleco imploded because, hey, my mom bought the argument that it was cheaper than a typewriter. They also had these 2600 modules for practically nothing so... yeah, I confirmed they work plugged into an ADAM too.
I guess what really made it funny in retrospect was the ADAM had composite monitor support which we actually used (had a Leading Edge "Gorilla" monitor hooked up to it), so I got to be the kid that played their 2600 games in living high-persistence green monochrome.
Definitely loving the more frequent uploads man.
Coleco also made a stand-alone Atari 2600 clone, the Gemini. We had one when I was a kid. I would guess it has nearly the same hardware as the Colecovision 2600 adapter
I remember seeing a video on TH-cam of someone turning the atari adapter into a standalone unit with av ports and DC power supply. Was pretty neat.
You've been producing killer content lately. First a video about the TI-58 programmable calculator and PC100 thermal printer, then repairing a Sega Master System, and now you're covering the Colecovision expansion module #1. I need to repair a couple of these, and I'm currently working on my broken Master System thanks to you.
Coleco did not win the case against Atari but was settled out of court after Atari appealed the first ruling. Coleco had to pay royalties to Atari since the Coleco's TIA chip was a re-spin of the original TIA chip from a three party company that had the plans to the TIA chip. Multiple second-source chip business requirements. Like the Sally (6502C w/ HALT pin) chip was made by three companies and not always by MOS.
i just sold a colecovision with one of those adapters a month ago. those adapters seem like they are sought after but most people were not wanting to give me a fair amount for it so i sold it with the colecovision for what i thought was a fair price. most people were offering me less than the un-tested units on ebay were going for even tho i was able to prove it worked. the tested units were going for more than i was asking after you have to deal with shipping.
Ben good to see you're still tinkering with electronics was interesting to see what weird attachments you can get for the ColecoVision great video
Nice. I am pretty sure back then they removed the Crystal and added the awkward connectivity, to try and prevent a company from making a simple edge connector dongle that would have made this as a stand alone 2600 unit.
Coleco also made a stand-alone 2600 clone called the "Gemini". I have it in a box somewhere. Not bad quality, really.
Thank you for all the cool videos over this holiday Ben - really brightens up these cold, dark, dreary days. (That's not melancholy - I just live in England)
2:25 Atari tried to sue but since the TIA could be made out of off-the-shelf parts, ATARI could not claim a patent on it
FWIW: The TMS 9918 usually has a composite in that's fed to the background plane - a sort of primitive genlock.
PS: As the years have gone by I've become quite the fan of those Ti VDP's, their composite input, and their dedicated RAM. It makes adding colour GFX and sprites to systems that otherwise don't support such functionality really easy... and as Ti's chips were used a good deal bending old hardware to support other systems isn't too hard. My modded Coleco ADAM and a very hacked about Amstrad PCW make use of this.
My family had a Coleco Vision, my uncle had it, it died when its power supply died, it was a sad moment for all of us. Hope to see more videos about it.
"its a luminance sum...its a luminance sum, its a PUT ON!"
Happy holidays. Fantastic video.
I am an 80s kid and I do remember having this combo unit. Good memories. I gave this combo unit away to a friend the reason for me is too physically gigantic to stored away when not in used and since my friend started collecting older games of this erra I said to him enjoy it.
Also,I hated the original joysticks. It breaks easy.
Can't wait for your follow-up video.
Take care.
Used to have both the ColecoVision & the expansion Module #1. Not sure if we purchased both together, (perhaps as part of some deal the store was having at the same time) or purchased the Module later. But man, imagine if hardware manufacturers today had the guts to do something like this! Technically, they could, I'm sure. But hardware manufacturers wouldn't allow them to get away w/it. Having said that, you can play several generations of console (& arcade) games on your Xbox One & Xbox Series S|X via emulation - thru "developer mode". Now, if only if MicroSoft or some 3rd party publisher allowed the mass-market to purchase a cross-gen emulator that played your ROMs, that'd be amazing. 🤩
This is how I play Atari 2600 in that sweet Composite instead of RF(Coleco is way easier to mod then 2600 for Composite). Wish there was an adapter for the 5200 or 7800. There was a rumored 5200? version or maybe 7800 in the works but never released....
15:41 More like those aftermarket devices that allow playing NES, Genesis and GBA games on SNES. Those used the host console as a power supply. The Super Game Boy did have SOME interaction with its host and actually did store data, for like some graphics and sound enhancement as well as single-unit multiplayer for games that cared to program support for it. The US and EU Space Invaders could even load a SNES port of the game into the console RAM and run it. (I assume it was somehow different from the actual SNES cartridge version.)
Came for the old tech stuff stayed for the Vin impression.
I still have a working colecovision with the Atari expansion module. If it’s plugged in it plays the Atari 2600 games without the colecovision intro screen
Ben, you've got 8bit on the ropes. Remember, 2 to the body, 1 high.
This looks very similar to the Coleco Gemini. Switch locations and all.
Probably uses the same PCB!
Now I wonder since the Colecovision and the Sega Master System are so similar, if you could hack the Atari Adapter into a Master System
Thank you for caring about the Atari 800!
I love the content that is just exploration - victories are nice, but I enjoy watching you move through the questions as you go. Still needs more Bud attacks/hijinks and singing, though.
I have a rare Columbia Home Arcade...Which was only available through mail order, for a short time.. It needs controller ports repaired.. Really love to have the legend of Ben Heck repair this. Heard of you!! Maybe do a video of it?? Pay you well, I live in RC, WI 53581
I don't know the exact chronology, but at some point someone realised that it didn't actually need the Colecovision at all, and thus, Coleco's Atari VCS clone the Gemini was born.
I encountered a very similar problem working with a TMS9918. The chip output the correct signal format, but the signal would instantly attenuate whenever I tried to plug it into the TV. Eventually, I realized that the chip was meant to have an additional transistor between the 9928 and the video out. That might be your issue. The colecovision probably has it's own output transistor that isn't included in the 2600 'adapter'.
Good point. This unit is supposed to boost the signal but it doesn't seem to be. Maybe a bad transistor?
i found two of them. i not 100% sure i think i picked them up at goodwill back in the mid 90's. i also got an Atari 2600 adapter for the Intellivision II as well.
"is there a port of attack of the petscii robots for the colecovision?" don't give them any ideas
Those little MAX something-or-other pos to neg 5v / voltage double ICs are really useful. Used one for the -5v of my disaster Apple2+ clone.
Comparison with the Game Boy Color is not entirely apt. It had a ROM that ran on the Super Nintendo, and many GB cartridges had code and data for enhancements that could be produced only by the SNES, such as extra colors, quality sound and custom borders, or even two players on one screen.
I’ve started collecting arcade games a few years ago but this past year I’ve taken a deep dive into retro consoles I played in the 80’s lots of Atari games and intellivision’s in various conditions including the intellivision 2. One problem I have noticed is how the labels mould on the Atari games I’ll eventually find a solution for that tho. I also picked up the Vectrex which I never knew existed until recently
Rubber cement works pretty well when re-attaching the labels to games that Activision made for the 2600. You could also use a glue stick on the end labels for the cartridges, but the effectiveness of that method tends to vary.
Thumbs up for that spot on Vinny D impression.
Feeds in people's obsession with combo systems... It's just two independent things in one box.
People will always ask for that.
I had a ColecoVision (no game adapter, though) as a kid. The Coleco controllers were absolutely terrible - not debounced properly and gritty as all hell. Still loved it because at the time, I didn't know any better. :)
“Frammmmiillllyyyyy” 😂 keep these vids coming man!
We still have ours in a box, both colecovision and atari expansion. Havent played since the 90s.
They intended to make an adapter for Intellivision games too before the video game market crash.
@Ben Heck Ever consider doing an "adapter" that the "adapter" plugs into to make it a stand alone? If anyone could it's you.
I can't help but wonder if the switch on it was set to B&W while it was being poked and prodded....
If I recall correctly, in the devices from that era -5V was used for the RAM chips.
The CV is my fave system! Just cleaned up the ADAM computer recently and was playing with it. *Some* of the cassettes still work... Coleco also made the 'Gemini' which was a standalone clone of the 2600 so it was probably very similar to what's inside this expansion you open.
The Gemini used the exact same TIA clone but the board was a completely different design in order to incorporate the colourburst crystal and an RF modulator.
Also the Gemini board was *single sided* with the traces and mask only on the bottom. The component side was blank beige with no traces--wherever the traces had to cross on the bottom side they put through holes and ran jumper wires on the component side (the through holes weren't even plated through). The contruction of the Gemini was definitely very simplified from the original 2600.
Nice! I just picked up an Adam as well. I don’t have the power supply printer, but I have found some guides of people wiring up a custom ine
@@Roanokekidstech Ya, my printer still works and i even have a working ribbon cartridge, but its so loud and slow. mainly just a large heavy toy now for printing out high score lists on the few games that support it. builing your own psu is a good idea.
Power supply. Input 120v ac-60hz 25A. Output pin 1: +5 vdc .9A. Pin 2: -5 vdc. .1A. Pin 3: +12 vdc
.3A. Pin 4: ground. Model number 55416
I've been lucky in that I've been around since the dawn of video games. Built my first computer in the 1970s. I've kept every console and computer I've bought. And yet during the mid 1980s I needed a new motorbike, and I sold my Vectrex and ColecoVision and I've regretted it ever since. I can't get a Vectrex as the prices are ridiculous, but I really miss the ColecoVision and I just can't find one decent enough (I'm British). I have seen more turn up of late but I would kill for one.
Typical isn't it?
So since this is just a compositie video passthrough device to the Coleco, and we can pretty much 3d print anything these days, could make some interesting "adapters". You could take the easy route and emulate with an SBC, but to make it really cool use hardware... how many different "systems on a chip" exist these days? A NES adapter? a Genesis?
Someone on Atari Age made a breakout board. Plugs in, provides power and has AV out. I'm still not sure why this one isn't producing a valid composite signal.
Interestingly, the Colecovision is loosely based on the MSX computer system hardware. So, I guess that means the Master System is a loose evolution of the MSX hardware.
FYI, they didn't win the lawsuit with Atari (they won a single case, and then settled out of court).
MSX is based on the Spectravideo computers. Spectravideo made a Colecovision adaptor for the computer and an MSX adaptor. MSX 2 is similar to the Sega Master System but with much better bitmap graphics and poorer sprite handling/scrolling facilities
Please do that follow up video with the ColecoVision and the Sega Master System
Oh yea! My little brother's and I first console. Plug in buck rogers and frogger with paddles! The console even came with a Cabbage Patch doll for your sibblings or collectors to try to outsell competitors back then.
Expansion-port module 3 is the Adam plugin.
Module 2 was the steering wheel.
There is a Speccy Version for Petscii, while we all care of the Atari 800 :)
Hear me out. "If" I ever die I want Ben to perform my autopsy. But there has to be singing and lots of it. That is all.
It's the freaking Ben Heck holyday special this week!
I know, right? Like extended Christmas!
Wait...Ben needed an official power supply..the end is nigh..lol. Thanks for the video Ben
I have a functional adapter. I hardly ever play 2600 games, but when I do I use this adapter.
I wonder what position that “Color/BW” switch was in? And if it was perhaps dirty causing video issues.. ( also don’t forget to fix that cut trace! )
Hmm, never knew about that module. Pretty cool stuff!
Your “Beef-asaurus Rex” comment made me think of your next electronics tear down movie pitch: the sequel to Jurassic Park is that they rename it to Jurassic Ranch once they realize the real money is in making exotic meat and dinosaurs are just raptors/ big birds and some might taste like chicken.
PETSCII was ported to everything 6502-based. And he said the Genesis, the one console I know was not 6502-based. Can't remember if it was announced for TurboGrafx-16, surely there's some fan out there who would take that as a coding challenge. (perhaps the one console I know where they prefer to acknowledge it exclusively by its Japanese name)
My "Atari" was the Coleco Gemini, basically that as a console. It was half the price of the Atari 2600 at the time. I got it for Christmas
I had this but used it on my Adam Computer (by Coleco)! Tbh the Adam games were better so didn't use it much.
Make a schematic and layout for it. Perhaps a bom too?
Wonder if you can engineer it to run stand alone? And make it smaller. Portable
Looks like the not-a-TIA needs some of the Colecovision's video circuitry to go brrr … Just amplification maybe?
loved my Colecovision the Atari module never worked quite right
Petski robots for colecovision, probably.
I.. got a fever... and the only cure is more Bud.
Bud stabbed him in the back last video so....
Hey Ben ,want to amaze ? You want to really WOW the crowds ? Then just two words ,, "SMS-PORTABLE", ,,of course with 2nd player support that is ,,, 😸😸👍👍
I had a friend who worked for the state atf. He was working an undercover case at a strip club buying drugs. After months on the case he had everything he needed for the prosecutor but he was doing another buy and the stripper asked if he was a cop, so he told her "as a matter fact I am. Also he's a cop too" (pointing to his partner) When they went to trial he testified that she asked if I was a cop and I replied yes.
LEOs are not required to tell the truth, especially regarding “are you a cop?”
The irony about it she took it as a joke and still sold him the drugs. He said he had already had everything in line to prosecute so if she would have backed down it wouldn't have mattered.
I love these retro consoles episodes I tell U wat!
Checked my 1990’s word of the day calendar.. Attenuation there it is on February 31st
Since you brought up Attack of the Petscii Robots.. When are you gonna do your own port of it to a Pinball machine, Ben? :P
Attack of the Petscii Roll-Bots!
Something like rippling trap doors (to represent the movement of the robots) that you have to time your way through would be an interesting pinball element.
Would be cool to see the System Changer (the version of this for the Intellivision) compared to this and peeked inside 😀
I keep hearing Kleeko-Vision
Using a 7905 could have been a simple option for getting the -5v from the -12v
Assuming he has one. The negative regulators were never quite as common as the positive, and even more so on this side of 1990.
@@absalomdraconis I wouldn't be all that surprised if Ben had at least one kicking around in his draws. In fact you are right they were not that commonly used.. so if you did ever buy one they normally stick with you for life :-)
I grew up with this.
how different is it from the Coleco Gemini ?
AV out module ?
I love it all i can say is MMMOOOOOAAARRR
my first game system in the home was a colecovision, the second was a sega genesis, as I NES aged kid I have a love hate relation with it ... still want one though
Asl long as you continue to mock the 8Bit Guy, I will stay subscribed.
I have one of these... and a few Colecos(with power cords !)... The Atari adapter does not work.. I never troubleshot it any bit, I will at some point...
I wonder if hooking up an lm317 with -12v as negative, 0v as positive, configured to 7v out would work to generate -5v
Had this. Sold it.
Finally let go of most of my consoles.
Down to 5 consoles from 15 or so.
If it can be emulated I sell it. I'm done.
Can't hoard anymore. Lol.
Same, to an extent. I stopped buying disk based stuff because disk rot, and have started using SSD solutions for roms and use them on real hardware. Best of both worlds.
@@MediocreTCG nice. I see they do a lot with Amiga 500 and C64 too.
I've tried Lemon Amiga...and Amiga Forever and Vice for C64 over the years also.
C64 had like over 20,000 games in one set years ago. Lol.
I don't have time in my lifetime to play with all of it. I wish.
I still kept my Amiga 500 and C64. And a Pong console from 72. Wii. GameCube. Xbox. Xbox 360. Mostly with games I love and will play. SNES. NES. Overplayed those emulators in early 2000s. It's never ending. Not even touched Dreamcast yet and the many other consoles.
Given that you can literally fit anything commercially produced and distributed on either cartridge or floppy disk from practically any system available into like about 1-2 TB of HD space. Probably less. It get's a bit iffy though once optical media entered the scene.
Ohh yes.. the brain game episode… I remembered waiting for part 3.. was there a part 3? I think I miss that one..
Maybe one day you could do the same with 6502 cpu..
We have a ColecoVision with the same expansion module. I understand there were 3 module types made, total. Perhaps one or both of the others use the -5v rail?
That makes sense. I only ever saw the Atari 2600 one for sale anywhere. Do you know what the other two were and if they made it to market? (I'm guessing Intellivision was one of them whether or not it made it to market).
I had a Coleco Gemini as my first console and would really love to get my hands on one again; for a 2600 clone, it was far superior to the 2600.
Don't forget to reconnect that trace you scratched through!
I did. I mean. I didn't forget. I did fix it.
Wouldn't it just be easier to remove those chips and slot them into a custom board?
If this generates -5, and the colecovision does as well, could it be that it needs to so the coleco can access what it needs (the ram?), and it needs to be hooked up, because it's only 'half' a system.
I had a colecovision growing up donkey Kong was a great game, I had the roller ball for other games, frogeer game
Wasnt all expansion modules for the Coleco werid?
Always a good day when you make a video
Did Ben ever actually make sure the switches were in the correct positions or use the normal buttons before soldering new stuff on?