128Kgames

Controllers are one of many problems. Personally I don't like D-pads, they just don't mix well with classic gaming. IMHO the best controller ever is the Atari 2600 joystick. However that design makes it hard to include a second button or a keypad. The Super Action Controller seems like a good design candidate, but the internals are crap and it's kind of oversized for all but the biggest hands. The action buttons are also uncomfortable. A similar design, the Atari SpaceAge joystick, is much better, but it has a single action button. Anyway if I was going to pursue a custom design I would go with something like the SAC/SpaceAge. Otherwise I would go with arcade joysticks using MDF wood cases. And about getting help from RWB and Coleco, I suspect they are no more.... Try coleco.com. Perhaps now they can sell us the brand at a low price... I've got a third party controller I always liked the look of, have to dig it out sometime. Can't remember the brand, but it was black with a red joystick, with the keypad on top and the joystick on the bottom. I think it was also "bent" in the middle where the joystick and pad meet. Got a pair in a auction from someone with "stuff in the attic" but if memory serves me I don't think the controllers were 100% complete or not 100% working, which is why I never used them. But they were in my opinion the coolest looking of the third party replacement controllers. Might be able to take the basic design and update the innards to something more "Wico-Esq", or at least a little more modern. I'll take a look for them this weekend and post pics, unless someone knows any site with pics of the different Coleco controllers...

Getting rid of the RF shielding is the right way to go and *should* have resolved any overheating problems. I don't think a fan is really needed, and please, don't cut a hole in the case! These machines (working ones, anyway) are pretty rare to begin with. The stock ventilation from the case as it was originally designed (the RF shield was an afterthought, or more correctly an FCC requirement) should be more than enough to keep it cool. I run my BCS (Bally Computer System) without one and it runs fine, even without the old-school heatsink. If you really want to, you could just add some stick on heatsinks, like the type they sell for video card RAM. Something along these lines: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0253133

The only one I remember was the arcade in Penn Station...

PM sent.

Whats the label on the bottom look like?

Good luck getting approved for the group. I applied for access there before starting this thread and I'm still waiting. Really? How long has it been? Let me check with the group and see if there are any problems, Yahoo can sometimes be a little flakey...

Yeah, Bally's are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get... Glad to see there is another HLC out there that still works, counting yours and mine that makes them the only two Home Library Computer models know to work in the world. I finally got around to putting mine out on display with two of my other "prized" consoles:

With the 'cade it doesn't matter: off, on either way is fine when inserting a game. If it's already on, you just hit the reset button. And yes, like you read in the manual, it was designed this way. For anyone who doesn't already know, there is a ton of Bally related info on the following site: http://www.ballyalley.com/ There is also a great yahoo group for the Bally as well: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ballyalley/ I post there myself under my yahoo account, msdconsulting.

Well, the videos look great, very cool to see everything in action. Sent my email to Bia to put me down, but you had me sold on this already years ago when you first even mentioned it!

Any chance of sourcing the sound IC from someone else? Also, I *think* I have a spare VCS adapter somewhere, I'll take a look for it and get back to you, whether or not it's got the board type you need.

Nice picture, is that HLC (Home Library Computer) version you have in working condition?

Easy fix: just rip the RF shield off, 99% of the time that's your overheat problem right there.

Any RF cables you can recommend, Eduardo? I've been looking for something better for a while now and the best I could come up with was a 12 ft cable with a toroid suppressing coil on it. Its not bad, but still not as "clean" as I would like it.

Cool idea, on all fronts. I like the idea of replacements, since 1) I have a 128-in-one flash cart from Atarimax and 2) I have a large collection of ColecoVision games I picked up a few years back were "loose" carts with no overlays. New overlays for games that never had them and upcoming releases sounds pretty cool too, so I say go for it. Just let me know when you need the money,

If we go with the light version, the that's it, no more modules. After that I will concentrate on the the standalone, which will have even more features, as I described many posts ago. It's like OM is CV 1.5, standalone is CV 2.0. OK then, personally, I would rather see a full blown OM module with the same features as the standalone. That way, whichever one people buy they will have the exact same features. I think in the long run especially when it comes to development that would be the better way to go. People wouldn't have to program different versions for say the OM lite vs the standalone CV, or worse cut out or cut back on features because they couldn't be supported on one platform and not the other. Don't go the route MS did with the 360 and produce one with less features than the other (XBOX 360 Pro vs Core).

Eduardo- As far a an OM vs OM light, will there be any games produced that will run on one but not the other? In other words can you foresee any games that would need the capabilities of the full module and say not be playable on the light version?

Add me as one more, I'm sending a PM now... I knew there was a reason for me holding onto my Adam(s), guess it'll soon be time to dust them off!

Presumably you'd have to get it professionally appraised and then use that appraisal as a basis for what you insure it for. I think that's how it works. And of course, you'd have to document the entire collection as a record of ownership. I gather that from what little I know about insuring other valuable things like jewelry. I'd don't know if you would have to go so far as to get it appraised, and even so, where would you? Not Gamestop, that's for sure. You best bet is to contact your insurance company and find out what they suggest. Insurance coverage varies from state to state, and from carrier to carrier. As a former property and casualty insurance agent, I can suggest you start with the basics: document what you own, what you paid for it etc. Take pictures, or better yet, video, and describe the item you are filming. Keep at least two copies of your documentation, with one copy not at your primary residence (think FIRE). If you have a loss, you can use your receipts, current market value (eBay or chasethechuckwagon, atari2600.com etc.) or any other sources to negotiate with the claims adjuster and settle your claim. Keep tabs on what your collection is worth and re-evaluate it periodically. Adjust your coverage with the insurance company accordingly, as they may not (unlike replacement cost on your home, contents etc. which they usually raise coverage for over time). Hope this helps.

Sorry about that, wasn't really clear on what I meant to ask with that one. I'm not up on my classic console technology I'm afraid, PC technology is more my thing (1994 - present). What you answered is more what I meant, so that would be sound samples that produce "voice" in the older games? (Synthesized speech isn't really what I was looking for, although it would be cool). Can this ADPCM playback IC (or something like it) be incorporated into the OM module, if it isn't already? I would think Coleco would have added support for this type of sound reproduction into the Super Game Module, if it had ever reached production.

Eduardo- Please excuse this question if you have already answered it: will the OM module supported any kind of dedicated speech? I'd love to see some ports down the road using the OM module for games that "talked": Crazy Climber, Wizard of Wor, Gorf etc. etc.

Eduardo- Whatever you decide to build, I'll take two. So that's 98 more that you need a commitment on. When you start the list, I'll put my name on it. As a kid I remember attending some type of electronics show in New York at the Nassau Coliseum where Coleco had the Super Game Module on display. Not playable of course, it was just for show. Man, did I want that thing. It's too bad they went the way of the Adam instead... Now almost 30 years later, I may finally get one. That's just too cool. A great look for the OM would be to go as retro as possible, if not "clone" the look of the SGM altogether. This page has a nice closeup: http://www.colecovision.dk/sgm.htm Don't know if that's possible based on your design, but it would look cool if it could be done.

Well, that's not good (drilling). NOT modding the case keeps the system as original as possible should someone want to return it to it's original condition down the road. I really hate cutting holes in those classic cases. I'm sure there is a way to have a drop in motherboard that does not require any modification AND add some modern conveniences (think custom AV/AUDIO cable of some type, like the modern consoles have). It probably just takes more planning, thats all.

OCCV = One-chip ColecoVision = new motherboard for CV that incorporates the OM. It's the third option in the poll. Ah, thanks Pixelboy, I thought that meant an entirely new console (think Dina-type clone). Then I vote for that option, with option # 2 (pluggable module with advanced AV)being my second choice.

Eduardo- I know I'm a little late to this discussion but one option you left off your poll was something you had brought up a few years back: a new motherboard for the CV that incorporated the functions of the OM module. Not to make things more complicated, but wouldn't that solve many problems here? Dead of flaky Coleco consoles could be revived. All the planned OM features supported, as well as back wards compatibility with the expansion modules. No modding of your existing Coleco for AV upgrades etc. Keeping your original MB safe from harm. No need to shop around for a new case for a standalone OM or CV on a chip. I could go on but you get the idea. I was behind your suggestion when you first made it, and I still think its a good one. Any thoughts on this idea now?

Daniel- Please add me to your reservation list for this game, I would like to purchase a copy when it's available.